Motorola Taps Bang & Olufsen for Audio
Motorola has formed a multi-year global partnership with premium audio brand Bang & Olufsen. "Soon, selected flagship Motorola devices will feature audio tuned by Bang & Olufsen’s acoustic engineers."
Google Brings Android to Laptops
Google is replacing ChromeOS with Android as its default OS for laptop devices. These devices are branded Googlebook instead of Chromebook. One of Google's main selling points for the new OS is how tightly it integrates with Android smartphones. Googlebooks offer multiple ways to work seamlessly between these different Android-based devices. Many apps will let you start on your phone, open your Googlebook and continue right where you left off, with one click. Google has, for years, been pushing Android developers to support larger screens and different form factors, so many popular Android apps will work on a Googlebook from day one. Another feature called Cast My Apps lets you "stream" an app on your phone to a desktop window. Googlebooks also offer seamless access to the files on your phone, including search. Google has carried over the security architecture from ChromeOS, which integrates with Google's Titan hardware security chip. Googlebooks can be powered by either x86 chips from Intel or Arm chips from Qualcomm. The initial lineup includes models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. They start at $899 and ship in the US starting October 4.
Samsung Brings Android 17 to S26 Series
Samsung has started the official rollout of One UI 9 OS updates for existing Samsung phones, starting with the S26 series. This brings Android 17 to those models, and follows a public beta-testing campaign.
MediaTek Moves to 2nm for Newest Flagship Phone Chip
MediaTek has announced the Dimensity 9600 Pro, its newest flagship chip for phones and the company's first to use TSMC's new, cutting-edge 2nm manufacturing process. This follows hot on the heels of Apple's new A20 Pro chip, which also uses the new 2nm process. (Qualcomm is expected to announce its own 2nm-based flagship chip soon.) New, smaller manufacturing process like 2nm bring inherent improvements to performance and efficiency. MediaTek says the Dimensity 9600 Pro should offer up to 17% higher single-core performance and up to 15% higher multi-core performance compared to the previous generation, with a 61% reduction in multi-core power consumption. On the graphics side, the chip offers up to 27% higher peak performance and 24% lower power consumption at peak performance. For AI, the chip delivers 51% higher LLM prefill performance and 55% higher token generation per watt. The chip is also capable of always-on AI with 40% less power consumption. A more-affordable Dimensity 9600M will also be available. MediaTek says devices using the chips should ship later this quarter.
iOS 27 Now Available
Apple has released the final version of iOS 27 for iPhones, alongside new OS versions for all of its platforms. Apple first announced the platform in June and it has been in various stages of testing since then. The headline feature is "Siri AI", a new version of the company's Siri voice assistant that is intended to be much more intelligent and conversational. Siri AI is aware of what's on your screen at the moment, as well as what's in your messages and calendar. Apple still considers Siri AI a beta feature, so it requires manual opt-in for now. Siri also now has a dedicated app with conversation history. iOS 27 also gains more powerful parental controls, and behind-the-scenes performance improvements.
Apple Hikes Price of Older iPhones
Apple has raised the price of iPhones by $100 across the board. Not only are the new iPhone 18 Pro models more expensive than last year's models, but the iPhone 17, 17e, 16, and Air are also now $100 more expensive.
Apple AirPods 5 Represent a Price Drop
Apple has introduced AirPods 5 with a new mix of options and features. Whereas the AirPods 4 started at $129, going up to $179 for the model with ANC (active noise cancellation), the new series starts at $129 which includes ANC. The most expensive model is now just $149, which gets you the Wireless Charging Case, longer battery life, and on-stem swipe volume controls that were previously exclusive to the Pro model. Both new models have Apple's next-generation ANC, which Apple says removes up to 50 percent more external noise compared to the AirPods 4 with ANC. Adaptive EQ has also been overhauled for better sound quality. Battery life is also improved, with up to five hours of playback with ANC on a single charge — one hour longer than AirPods 4 with ANC. The AirPods 5 ship Sept. 18.
Apple Watch Gains Audio Rewind, Better Heart Rate Sensing, Faster Charging
Apple has refreshed its smartwatches with several kay hardware upgrades — across both the standard and Ultra models — with the design staying largely the same. Both the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are powered by a new S11 chip, which has a new always-on sensing core that supports always-on audio. This enables a suite of features that Apple calls Audio Intelligence. Live Rewind is one such feature, where a double-tap of the crown will display a transcript of the previous 15 seconds of audio. This text can then be dismissed, or be sent to Siri for further queries, or simply to save. Siri Recap is a feature that can be manually engaged for longer conversations, which uses AI to generate a "high-level summary" of the conversation. For the hard of hearing, Sound Recognition will alert the wearer to important sounds, such as sirens, alarms, doorbells, or a baby crying. Apple has designed the S11 such that actual audio recordings are unable to created or stored, for privacy. Both watches also have a new sensor cluster on the back that measures heart rate every five seconds, all day long, which is 60 times more often than previous generations. This gives the watches what Apple claims is the "most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable". It also lets the watches better track heart rate variability (HRV), which can be a key health metric. Using this and other sensed data, a forthcoming update to the Health app will offer new metrics like Readiness, Health Age, and Longevity. Both watches also now have faster charging, and better battery life during longer workouts. The Ultra 4 also has better battery life overall. As before, the Apple Watch Series 12 comes in 42 or 46mm sizes, and in aluminum or titanium bodies. New is a ceramic body option, available in pearl white or night blue. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is available in the same natural or black titanium finishes. Pricing stays the same, starting at $399 for the Apple Watch Series 12 and $799 for the Apple Watch Ultra 4. Pre-orders are already available, with full availability on Sept. 18.
iPhone 18 Pro Juices the Battery, Processor, and Camera
Apple has revealed the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The models are closely based on the iPhone 17 Pro series, but upgrade several core specs. Battery life has been improved significantly thanks to new silicon battery chemistry, with the 18 Pro now offering battery life equivalent to the 17 Pro Max. Charging speeds have also been improved, with the 18 Pro able to charge up to 50 percent in around 15 minutes, or wirelessly charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes. Apple's new A20 Pro chip and redesigned cooling system brings notable performance upgrades across the board. It moves to a cutting-edge 2nm manufacturing process. Apple claims its new GPU delivers 40% faster graphics, and its new Dual 16-core Neural Engine delivers "double the AI processing power". Meanwhile, a new memory configuration and redesigned vapor chamber boost sustained performance by up to 40%. The main camera has also been upgraded to incorporate a physical variable aperture. This enables greater control over depth-of field, and light gathering in low light. New Pro controls for both photo and video modes let you customize the camera controls, and provide access to new controls like aperture and white balance. The camera also supports a new Apple Reference Image feature that digitally signs a unalterable reference image from the camera, to prove that it was not created or altered with AI. Finally, the Dynamic Island at the top of the display has been redesigned, and can now show up to three Live Activities at once. In a first for an iPhone Pro model, the 18 Pro switches to Apple's own silicon for the cellular radio. This new C2 chip in the 18 Pro supports mmWave 5G and offers faster uploads (compared to the C1X chip found in the iPhone Air). (The 18 Pro Max has a Qualcomm modem chip.) Apple is not yet announcing a non-Pro iPhone 18, as it has in past years. Both models will be available with 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB of storage. The iPhone 18 Pro will start at $1,199, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max will start at $1,299. This represents a $100 price hike compared to last year, a common theme across the industry during the ongoing memory shortage. This year's color options are: black, silver, glacier (light blue), or burgundy. Pre-orders begin this Saturday, Sept. 12, shipping September 18.
iPhone Duo is Apple's First Foldable
Apple has taken the wraps off its long-rumored debut foldable phone: the iPhone Duo. This passport-style foldable introduces a new 1:1.4 display ratio for both the inner and outer displays, which iOS adapts to by moving key interface elements from the bottom of the display to the side. It also replaces FaceID with TouchID fingerprint security, Dynamic Island is now a round "hole punch" camera on the outer display, and there's a camera hidden under the inner display. The inner display measures 7.6 inches while the outer display measures 5.4 inches. The inner display features a matte "nano-texture finish, and a multiple support layers to provide strength and reduce creases, including high-strength glass, titanium, and carbon fiber. Both displays will support an Apple Pencil stylus. The polished frame is made from grade 5 titanium. The back is made with Ceramic Shield, while Ceramic Shield 2 over the front display provides 3x better scratch resistance. The Duo features dual 48-megapixel cameras: main and wide-angle. The camera system has most of the features of the cameras on the new iPhone 18 Pro. The dual displays unlock several new camera modes, including viewfinders on both displays simultaneously, and Duo FaceTime so people on both sides can join a video call. The iPhone Duo has the same new A20 Pro chip that powers the new iPhone 18 Pro. It also uses Apple's new C2 chip for the cellular radio, which now supports mmWave 5G and 50% faster uploads (compared to the C1X). An Apple N1 chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The battery is capable of up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display. It supports fast wired and wireless charging. iPhone Duo will be available in two colors: star white or night sky. Pre-orders begin October 16, with availability beginning October 23. Pricing starts at $1,999 with 256 GB of storage. It will also be available with 512 GB, 1 TB, or 2 TB.
Arm Intros New Mobile Chip Platform Focused on AI
Arm has announced CSS for Mobile 2, its newest set of chip designs. (Arm's platforms are the building blocks that many other companies license to make their own chips that power phones and other devices.) On the CPU side, the new platform includes the high-performance C2-Ultra cores and efficiency-focused C2-Pro cores. C2-Ultra delivers 15% higher single-thread performance, or up to 38% less power at the same performance. It also offers 12% better multi-thread performance. In real-world terms, Arm says the new platform should deliver 15% faster web browsing and 12% faster app launch. New AI-specific optimizations should deliver 70% better performance on the latest Small Language AI Models. On the graphics side, the new Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU introduces dedicated neural accelerators, bringing hardware AI enhancements to graphics without needing an NPU. This and other improvements help deliver up to 4x higher performance per watt. Even without AI enhancement, the new GPU offers 14% higher performance for traditional graphics. A new, 3rd-generation ray-tracing unit can handle 1,000 traces of light. Chips based on Arm CSS for Mobile 2 are expected to reach the market later this year.
Google Translate Can Now Run in Background
The Google Translate app can now run longer sessions in the background, while using other apps or with the screen locked. The feature is available now on Android and coming soon to iOS.
Mota Watch Ultra Brings Back Wear OS
Motorola has unveiled the first moto watch ultra, a new smartwatch with Wear OS by Google. Motorola's standard moto watch runs a proprietary OS. Motorola hasn't offered a watch with Google's smartwatch OS since the Moto 360 nearly a decade ago. It's also the first moto watch with LTE cellular connectivity. NFC for tap payments and dual-band GPS are also included. It has IP68 and 5ATM ratings for water. The 1.5-inch OLED display offers up to 2700 nits brightness, an always-on mode, and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The 46mm stainless-steel body accepts standard 22m straps. The watch is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chip. Like the standard moto watch, Motorola has incorporated health and fitness software from Polar. The watch body is available in silver or black, and Motorola is offering several band choices in "breathable" silicone or genuine leather. The moto watch ultra will be available for $350 from Motorola starting September 10. Most US mobile carriers will also start selling it Sept. 24.
Anker Turbo-Charges its Magnetic Power Bank
Anker's new MagGo Power Bank Pro 2 sports some of the fastest charging speeds available in a magnetic power bank: 25-watt wireless charging (Qi2) and up to 45 watts over USB-C. It has a built-in cooling fan to enable sustained fast charging. Like the existing MagGo Power Bank, it has a 10,000 mAh capacity, interactive display, and a kickstand to hold the phone up an angle while charging. It will be available in gray, silver, or blue. The Anker MagGo Power Bank Pro 2 goes on sale September 17 for $110.
Anker to Phase Out Sub-Brands
Anker has started to replace sub-brands like SoundCore and Eufy with simply "Anker". The company says the process will be gradual, with both the old and new brands sitting side-by-side during the transition period.
Google Launches New Accessibility Features
Google today announced an update to Android that adds two key accessibility features. The first is Guided vision, a feature for blind and low-vision users which uses Gemini AI to describe whatever the camera is pointed at. It can also read text to you and help you frame the camera if it isn't lined up. The second feature is Motion Assist, which is designed to help with motion sickness. It puts small "bubbles" at the edge of the display that move in sync with the physical motion of the phone. The appearance of the bubbles is customizable. Guided vision will come soon to Android 9 and higher. Motion Assist comes with Android 17, the newest version rolling out now. Both features are already offered by Apple's iOS.
Google Brings Collaborative Lists to Messages
Google just launched an update to its Messages app for Android that integrates functionality from its Keep notes app. You can now share a note or checklist with one or more people. Shared notes can be added to or edited by anyone on the chat, letting people collaborate on things like a shopping list, for example. The feature started rolling out today.
Samsung Expands One UI 9 Beta to More Models
The beta version of Samsung's One UI 9 (based on Android 17) is now available to the S25 series, Fold7, and Flip7. It is already available for the S26 series.
