6 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Phones

Why are online puzzle games having a moment?Why are online puzzle games having a moment?
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Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
The iPhone 12 is getting a little less radioactive in Europe.

Bad news if you were hoping to Hulk out: Apple is rolling out a software update across the bloc to reduce transmitter power and meet strict radiation standards. It’s an expansion of a change it made in France in 2023, following a new European Commission decision backing the French regulator.

Honor’s Magic V5 is the thinnest foldable yet, but that’s not why it matters

7

Verge Score

Thin is in, but the big battery is the V5’s real magic trick.

Dominic Preston
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
South Korea bans smartphone use in classrooms.

The new law takes effect in 2026 and targets smartphone use during class in elementary and middle schools, adding South Korea to a growing list of countries that have imposed similar restrictions on the tech:

Other countries that impose various levels of restriction on smartphone use at school include France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands and China.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Huawei tris again.

We’re still waiting for Samsung’s first trifoldable phone — last we heard it’s due “this year” — but Huawei is ready for round two. It’s announced a September 4th launch for the Mate XTs, a follow-up to the impressive Mate XT, and has already teased a major upgrade: stylus support.

Huawei on Weibo

[weibo.com]

The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)

7

Verge Score

The most repairable Fairphone yet is also the first I can easily recommend — but only if you live in Europe.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Blame thermals for the smaller Pixels’ slow Qi2.

We’re thrilled Google has adopted Qi2 charging in the Pixel 10 series, but were a bit confused by why only the 10 Pro XL got the faster new 25W speeds. Google gave Android Central the answer: it all comes down to cooling, where the larger XL has an edge.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
The never-nude smartphone.

HMD made a phone fit for Tobias Fünke and helicopter parents alike. The Fuse uses “system-level” AI parental controls to block nudity from any app, even the camera, perfect for our new age-gated internet. It’s out in the UK, with other countries to follow, but don’t expect a US launch.

1/2Image: HMD
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
68 reasons to buy a foldable phone.

Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first foldable with an IP68 rating for dust- and water-resistance, and that might be all some people need to make the jump.

subotai01:

“For someone that has not bought a foldable yet, the IP68 certification is the tipping point. Time to get one.”

Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.

Todd Haselton
Todd Haselton
Everything was just announced an hour before Google’s event starts.

The Made by Google 2025 event starts at 1 p.m. ET, and all the news is out now. I wonder what we’ll learn in an hour.

The one feature that keeps me from recommending flip phones

Dust could spell death for a foldable’s inner screen.

Allison Johnson
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Check out Huawei’s extra-wide flip phone.

The Pura X arrived this week, and I’m ready to test this unique flip phone form factor, which opens to the side for a wider main display. And yes, those are Android apps on the post-Android HarmonyOS Next.

What do you want to know ahead of my hands-on?

<em>The Pura X looks like a flip phone turned on its side.</em>
<em>It runs HarmonyOS Next, which is now distinct from Android.</em>
<em>...But you can still get (some) Android apps if you know how.</em>
<em>Best bit so far is this excellent color scheme.</em>
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The Pura X looks like a flip phone turned on its side.
Image: Dominic Preston / The Verge
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Forget wood, the new Razr is crystal.

A partnership with Swarovski has produced a crystal-studded take on the Motorola Razr, sold in a bundle alongside a matching set of Swarovskied Moto Buds Loop earbuds. The flip phone features 34 crystals embedded in the faux leather finish, with a larger 35th attached to the hinge. You can register now to buy the $1,000 bundle, but let’s be honest — it’s not as good as the Paris Hilton pink.

1/3Image: Motorola
I tried ‘Bricking’ my phone to fix my brain

Using the Brick app wasn’t a total success, but I’m reclaiming my attention span, one Law and Order episode at time.

Victoria Song
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
How tough is Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7?

Yes, we tested Samsung’s latest premium foldable, but we didn’t try to destroy every surface and angle of the phone.

For that, there’s JerryRigEverything on YouTube, with the usual scratching and bending, with the results you’d probably expect, although the new hinge design is surprisingly resilient for something so skinny (and with the protruding camera lenses that make it a bit wobbly).

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
It’s happened again.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Google’s Pixel 10 range has leaked. This time Evan Blass did the honors, sharing images of the 10 Pro and Pro XL, the Watch 4, and our first look at the Buds 2A.

This week we’ve seen repeated leaks of the phone designs, the Watch 4’s new charger, and even an official tease, so there won’t be much left to tell when everything launches on August 20th,

1/5Image: evleaks
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
The Pixel 10 Pro design has leaked too.

After sharing the first official renders of the Pixel 10 yesterday, today Android Headlines has images of the 10 Pro in a more muted set of colors.

With the 10 boasting a telephoto lens too, the only visible difference between the phones is the Pro-exclusive temperature sensor, the small dot below the flash. That detail gives away that yesterday’s official design reveal by Google is of the Pro too.

<em>The Pixel 10 Pro apparently comes in black, white, gray-blue, and a pale green.</em>
Renders of what Android Headlines reports are official renders of the Google Pixel 10 smartphone.
<em>Here’s the official image Google shared, which looks to be the 10 Pro.</em>
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The Pixel 10 Pro apparently comes in black, white, gray-blue, and a pale green.
Image: Android Headlines