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Many organizations believe they are successfully leveraging AI tools to strengthen their security posture.

Investment is rising, AI is being embedded across multiple workloads and workflows, and governance frameworks continue to expand, giving the impression on the surface that progress is being made.

But beneath this AI adoption lies an unseen problem: a growing gap between what organizations believe about their infrastructure security, and what they can actually evidence.

Confidence is rising, but so are breaches

According to a global 2026 Hybrid Cloud Security Survey, which gathered the views of more than 1,000 Security and IT leaders, 93 percent have invested in new security technologies, yet despite this, breach rates have hit their highest point. Sixty-five per cent of organizations experienced a data breach in the past 12 months, an 18 percent rise year on year, and a near 40 percent rise over three years.

These worrying statistics are starting to ring alarm bells, highlighting that within organizations we are starting to see an ‘illusion of security’ creeping in. Organizations are investing heavily in security tools, yet still seem to lack clear visibility into the outcomes of their investments. In other words, leaving security to be measured by what has been implemented, rather than what can actually be verified.

A perfect storm of conditions has brought us to this point: AI adoption has scaled faster than governance and security teams can keep pace with, and hybrid cloud has added another dimension of complexity that few organizations have fully reckoned with.

AI is now embedded across enterprise environments, accelerating not just how organizations operate, but how risk moves through them. As adoption has outpaced oversight, the consequences are starting to surface, with nearly half of organizations surveyed reporting a rise in AI-related insider threats, including data leaks, and unsanctioned use (shadow AI). Perhaps surprisingly confidence hasn't reduced. Many organizations continue to classify their AI security posture as "defined" or "integrated," despite evidence portraying a radically different story.

That confidence often rests on assumptions, and the scale of the disconnect is striking; AI is now involved in 83 percent of security incidents, spanning external attacks, internal exposures, and direct targeting of AI systems. As threats move faster across increasingly fragmented and distributed environments, assumptions about what’s secure quickly fall apart and without clear visibility into how data moves and systems behave, organizations cannot reliably manage risk.

The warning signs

No single indicator reveals a false sense of AI security, but several recurring patterns make it obvious.

The first is investment without impact. Many organizations are expanding their security stacks, yet detection and response times are still moving in the wrong direction. More than 40 percent report that it now takes longer to detect and investigate breaches than it did previously, and that's not a coincidence.

When signals are spread across systems that don't connect, teams spend longer piecing together what happened rather than acting on it. Adding tools without improving visibility doesn't create more clarity. It creates more data, and more data without context is just more noise to wade through not to mention more false positives and perhaps even worse more false negatives.

The second is an inability to trace incidents back to their source. More than one in four organizations cannot determine the root cause of a breach, which means incidents are being closed out without fully understanding how they happened. The consequences are predictable: nearly one-third of organizations report multiple incidents within the same year. Without traceability, there is no learning, and without learning, the same gaps simply get exploited again.

The third is the visibility gap opening in AI-driven environments. With nearly three-quarters of organizations reporting limited visibility into AI-driven data flows, which span APIs, models, cloud services, and distributed infrastructure that is dynamic by design and doesn't map cleanly onto traditional monitoring approaches. Security teams can often see that something happened, but simply can’t get to the how or the why. That gap between knowing an incident occurred and understanding it, is exactly where the illusion lives.

Moving from illusion to evidence

In response to growing complexity, organizations are collecting more telemetry than ever; metrics, events, logs and traces (MELT data), but more data does not necessarily equate to better understanding. These signals each offer only a partial view: one measures performance, another records activity, other flags issues after the fact.

None of them, on their own, are able to explain how systems behave as a whole. What’s missing is the connective tissue, the context that shows how these signals relate, how one event triggers another, and how issues propagate across the environment. Without that, organizations aren’t gaining insight; they’re just accumulating noise.

Shattering the AI ‘security illusion’ requires a shift from reactive security to proactive monitoring and real-time observation of how systems behave. Security leaders agree, with more than 90 percent of organizations reporting that complete visibility across data in motion is critical to their successful security outcomes.

This is where network-derived telemetry becomes essential. Unlike logs, which show what systems say they’re doing, network telemetry proves what is happening: how data moves, how systems interact, and how threats develop. It's the shift from assumption to evidence and then proof, and it's the only foundation solid enough to build real security on. The network is the source of truth for today’s security teams.

AI security must be measured, not assumed

AI is reshaping the threat landscape, enabling faster, more adaptive attacks while increasing the complexity of enterprise environments. But defenders are not without their own advantages.

The same technologies fueling attacks are already supporting security teams, automating detection, accelerating response, and investment in these capabilities continues to grow.

But let there be no mistake: investment is not proof. Security must be measured by the ability to observe, understand, and validate what is actually happening across the environment.

In the age of AI, the real risk is not organizations underinvesting in security, but the belief that they are secure without the evidence to prove it.

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• Google Health’s AI chatbot is leaving users frustrated
• Reports say it regularly hallucinates workouts that never happened
• Social media has been flooded with complaints in recent days

The timing couldn’t be worse for Google; just as its slew of new devices launches, including the Google Pixel Watch 5, complaints about the Google Health app and its premium AI Health Coach are reaching fever pitch.

One Fitbit user who posted to Reddit saying that their device’s Google Health app had created a workout summary that seemed to be completely made up, stating “I have a Fitbit Inspire, it just does not have the capability to do form analysis. All of these stats are made up.” .

They’re far from the only person to complain about the app. The problem seems to lie with Google Health’s AI assistant. It's designed to summarize your health metrics and give you tips on how to improve — from early bedtimes to workout and diet suggestions — but users are noticing that it seems to be prone to hallucinating workouts that simply did not happen.

People have reported Google Health giving them “wildly incorrect” exercise numbers, mistaking walking or even folding laundry for swimming workouts, imagining 5am runs and house moves that never occurred, and more.

One person was even able to get Google Health to list all the false statements it had made regarding the user’s workouts, dubbing them “Nonstop lies from the AI.” As a commenter put it, “Imagine if a personal trainer lied to your face and then said: ‘Oopsie Daisy! I made those up.’”

And it’s not just limited to physical activity. Fitbit customers have taken to social media to protest that Google Health keeps asking how their cruise is going even though they’ve told the AI that it’s yet to occur. Another user took their Fitbit off for a couple of hours — with no heartbeat being recorded during that time — only to see that Google Health believed they’d been sleeping in that time.

“Fun fact: If someone is sleeping and their heartrate is 0, it’s called being dead,” the user dryly remarked.

‘A bit of a mess’

(Image credit: Future)

These users certainly aren’t alone in their annoyance. When we reviewed the Fitbit Air, we lamented that the design of its Google Health app was “a bit of a mess, and not intuitive to use, with features dotted all over the place.” While we found its AI integration to be useful, we noted that “its constant chirpy summaries and insistence on hiding my data inside walls of text became annoying.”

We reached out to Google with a list of questions about whether its Google Health app is hallucinating user workouts. We haven’t heard back yet, but will update this story when we do.

The situation has become so bad that some users have begun speculating that Google Health might be entirely coded by AI agents, such is its tendency to dream up data and produce anomalous behavior. While we have no way of knowing if that’s actually the case, it aptly demonstrates the level of user frustration with Google’s app.

Whatever the truth, it’s clear that something is going wrong with Google Health for a lot of users, and it’s leaving them exasperated and ending their AI subscriptions. It should serve as a warning to any company that wants to integrate AI and health data: with sensitive information like this, mistakes are rarely tolerated.

Despite the heatwaves, the back-to-school season is fast approaching. Thankfully, ExpressVPN's latest price drop gives you the security you need for longer — and for less — in time for the fall semester.

ExpressVPN's two-year plans now start at only $2.99/month (previously $3.49), equivalent to $83.72 in total. It also now comes with 4 months extra included, saving you $14 over the 28 months.

ExpressVPN ranks as the most secure VPN we've tested, perfect if you're looking to keep yourself safe while diving into research for your latest project.

With a more expensive plan, you can also access secure AI, identity defense tools, password management, and email spoofing capabilities.

ExpressVPN: from $2.99 per month + 4 months extra
ExpressVPN is simple enough to use for beginners but has all the tools experienced users need. What's more, it's the most secure VPN I've tested this year and, thanks to its recent updates, gives you much more than just a secure connection.

$2.99 per month isn't the lowest price it's ever been, but it makes it cheaper than many of the alternatives without sacrificing any performance. View Deal

The deal means ExpressVPN is currently cheaper than NordVPN and on par with ProtonVPN, both of which are normally cheaper.

That said, this isn't ExpressVPN's best-ever deal. In the past, its price has dropped as low as $2.49/month. However, there's no guarantee these deals will return. The current sale is available until September 9.

I've tested VPNs for years and think ExpressVPN is one of the best options for your studies. Here are a few features you should make sure to check out:

• ExpressKeys: Password management, password health checks, and secure notes storage. Perfect if you need to remember logins for research sites, internal systems, and more.
• ExpressMailGuard: Alias email domain creator. Ideal if you need to sign up for websites for research purposes and don't want to worry about the spam emails once you leave college.
• VPN protection: A secure, encrypted tunnel to the internet. Access servers in 113 countries, stay protected from malicious sites, and protect all your devices, no matter if its for working, gaming, or streaming.

Ahead of its official debut in today's Made By Google event, preorders for the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold are now open. The manufacturer is the latest to launch a new foldable following Samsung's Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, so competition is seriously heating up in the space. I've rounded up all of the best preorder deals if Google's offering has tempted you to lock in an order before launch on August 20.

We've already spent a few hours with the device for our Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold hands-on, and while it may not be a revolutionary upgrade over the previous model, it does make some tweaks that improve upon the already solid foldable.

Most notably, the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is thinner and lighter, with a larger 6.5-inch Super Actua display, slimmer bezels, the efficient Tensor G6 chip, and a new HiLight feature — a set of LEDs on the back that work as a Gemini interface and notification option for important callers. Expect the same impressive camera array and emphasis on AI features.

Priced at $1,899 / £1,799, it's $100 / £50 more expensive than the previous model, mostly due to increases in the cost of components rather than any significant hardware upgrades — outside of the G6 chip. That's why I'm here to help you find the best deal on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, as it's important to really make back that difference.

I'll keep an eye on all of the major retailers and networks right here for the rest of the week to bring you more of the best Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold preorder deals as and when they go live. If you think you're more interested in the traditional devices, we've gathered up all the best Google Pixel 11 preorder deals as well.

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold - US preorders

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: up to $1,000 off with a trade-in, plus a free Google Pixel Watch 5
Unsurprisingly, the official Google Store is offering one of the better preorder deals for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. As well as a saving of up to $1,000 when you trade in, you can also get the brand-new Google Pixel Watch 5 for free with the handset, or $350 in store credit. Six months of Google AI Pro is also included.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: get a $250 trade-in bonus + a $350 Amazon gift card
If you trade in when buying the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold at Amazon, you'll get an extra $250 bonus. On top of that, the retailer is throwing in a free $350 Amazon gift card to spend on anything else across the store. Alternatively, you can choose to bundle the phone with the new Pixel Watch 5 for the same price.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: up to $1,000 off with a trade-in + get a $350 Best Buy gift card
There's a strong trade-in rebate of up to $1,000 available on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold at Best Buy. You can also get a free $350 Best Buy gift card with your order, which is enough to cover most of the cost of the new Pixel Watch 5, score yourself some earbuds, or other accessories.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: from $52.77 a month
Verizon doesn't appear to have a specific deal listed for the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold just yet, so I'll be keeping an eye on this one to see if something is added soon.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: from $52.78 a month
T-Mobile is just as exciting as Verizon when it comes to a preorder deal on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold. I can only see savings of up to $500 advertised with a trade-in. Much better deals can be found on the other devices, including the opportunity to get them for free with a new line.View Deal

AT&T: offer goes hereView Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold - UK preorders

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: up to £850 off with a trade-in and £80 off the Pixel Watch 5
The headline preorder deal on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at the Google Store includes savings of up to £850 with a trade-in, plus a £80 discount on the new Pixel Watch 5. You can also score six months of Google AI Pro and three months of YouTube Premium for free if you're a new user.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: get a £400 trade-in bonus and £100 credit towards other Google products
If you have a device ready to hand over, you can find another strong unlocked deal at Amazon. The retailer is offering a trade-in bonus of £400 on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, plus you get £100 in credit to put towards other Google products, such as watches, earbuds, and other accessories.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: save up to £1,525 with an eligible trade-in + a free Fitbit Air
The introductory preorder deal for the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold at O2 offers savings of up to £1,525 when you trade in an eligible device. What separates the network from others, though, is the fact that you can get a free Fitbit Air alongside the latest foldable until September 2.

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: save up to £1,248 with a trade-in and get Pixel Buds Pro 2 for £1
That huge figure of total potential savings on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold at EE is made up of a trade-in discount of up to £528, a saving of £22 per month on the 128GB Essentials plan, and the opportunity to claim a pair of Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 for just £1. All of this is available when you sign up for a 48-month contract.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: save up to £1,948 with a trade-in
This savings figure on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold at Vodafone is from a combination of the handset and plan when you trade in. You can also make use of the Vodafone Xchange service to swap to a new Google Pixel phone every year when you're on a 24-month plan with no early upgrade fee.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: from £44 per month + £24 upfront, with up to £300 off with a trade-in
Sky Mobile is offering savings of up to £937 when you preorder the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Prices for the handset start at £44 per month on a 48-month contract, plus a £24 upfront fee. SIM plans then start at £12 per month. You can also get a bonus saving of up to £300 when you trade in, and save £180 on the new Google Pixel Watch 5 if you bundle it with the new foldable.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: trade in and save up to £1,778
The total savings on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold at Three come from a combination of discounts on the device, airtime plan, and trade-in rebate. Upfront costs start at £60, and £30.11 per month for unlimited calls, texts, and data. Lastly, three months of YouTube Premium and six months of Google AI Pro are included for free.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: from £66.99 a month
The best deals on the new Pixel 11 range at Tesco Mobile are available on the standard Pixel 11 and the Pixel 11 Pro XL, so the offers of the Fold are fairly quiet. The handset is available from £66.99 per month with 3GB of data, with three months of YouTube Premium and six months of Google AI Pro included for free.View Deal

• Google cut seven billion daily Android Chrome notifications using layered defenses
• Chrome now limits abusive sites, revokes permissions, and blocks high‑volume spam
• Android improvements simplify managing alerts and reduce scam and malware exposure

Google says it has cut the number of notifications Chrome users get on their Android devices by seven billion a day.

In a new report, the company outlined how it has built a multi-layered defense system to shield its users from unwanted notifications, protecting them from spam and malware, and helping their devices’ battery last longer.

Most importantly, Google says the achievement significantly improved the overall user experience on Android.

Notification bombardment

For the longest time, individual websites were allowed to send push notifications directly to their users’ phones, even when they were not actively browsing them.

When a user visits a certain website, they get prompted to “show notifications”, and if they tap “allow”, the website starts sending the alerts. Sometimes, users do it without fully realizing what they’re agreeing to.

Once granted, the notifications (sent through Chrome) get shown next to other alerts (such as the ones coming from WhatsApp, Gmail, or other apps).

Unlike other notifications - which usually alert users to unread messages, calendar events, or similar - these mostly promote new content, deals, or other updates. They can also alert users of breaking news, which is arguably the most useful type among the ones mentioned here.

Legitimate websites use the feature responsibly and generally don’t flood their users with unwanted pings. However, some sites abuse the privilege, bombarding users with unwanted advertising, misleading alerts, clickbait articles, and other formats, just to get them to open the page (where they’re often served ads). More worryingly, malicious or compromised websites can use notifications to push scam messages, fake virus warnings, phishing links or other potentially dangerous content.

Because these alerts are served through Chrome and resemble ordinary system notifications, users may not immediately realize the risk.

But because they are served through Chrome, Google can do something about it, and the company has now “pulled back the curtain” on the toolkit that made these improvements possible.

(Image credit: Shutterstock.com)Swiss cheese

Described as a “swiss cheese” model, Google says it created overlapping protections that cover the entire notification lifecycle. Chrome now automatically revokes notification permissions for sites users haven’t engaged with in a little while.

So, if a site keeps flooding the visitor with notifications that they’re not responding to, Chrome will eventually shut them off. Same goes for sites that have “repeatedly received suspicious notification warnings”. Google did not say how many is considered “repeatedly” and in what timeframe.

The second layer is analyzing signals such as service worker activity. By looking for coordinated behaviors, Google claims it can now pinpoint networks that serve malicious content, and block them.

On the Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) server side, the company introduced message rate limits that disallow high-volume notification abuse. Google now evaluates sites based on factors such as message volume relative to time spent on site, the frequency of permission prompts, and general engagement levels.

In other words, if a user spends 10 minutes on a website but then receives 50 notifications, it will raise quite a few red flags. Same goes for users that don’t really interact with the website a lot. “Disruptive domains” are now limited to 1,000 messages per minute and will receive HTTP 429 responses if they exceed this threshold, Google explained.

Finally, the company updated how notifications are handled on Android phones. Users can update their preferences directly from the notification bar, simplifying the process for users who can’t be bothered to dig deep into system settings.

“These integrated efforts effectively shield users from sophisticated scams that leverage notifications to distribute malware, harvest personal information, or solicit fraudulent payments,” Google said.

“Beyond security enhancements, this strategy has substantially decreased unnecessary background activity, reduced user device battery consumption, and transformed the notification lifecycle so users receive only the content they find truly valuable.”

Google Pixel fans, take note. Preorders for the latest Google Pixel 11 series are now live at the official Google Store and other retailers, with three (four, if you count the Fold) new devices now up for grabs.

As an overview, the new range starts with the standard Google Pixel 11 for $899 / £879. Then, you have the mid-range Pixel 11 Pro for $1,099 / £1,079, the up-sized Pixel 11 Pro XL for $1,299 / £1,279, and the high-end Pixel 11 Pro Fold for $1,899 / £1,799. Just down below, you can see where to preorder the three non-foldable devices in both the US and UK - for the Fold, check out our separate page here.

As expected, there are quite a few excellent preorder deals to entice potential upgraders. Over in the US, trade-in rebates are reaching up to $1,100 off, which is enough to cover the entire cost of the Pixel 11 Pro. Meanwhile, UK readers can get up to £970 off with a trade-in and new contract, which is one of the bigger discounts I've seen in recent months.

To read more about these devices, scroll down to see a short overview of the new range. Alternatively, head on over to our Pixel 11 hands-on or Pixel 11 Pro Fold hands-on pages to see our initial thoughts, plus

Google Pixel 11 preorders in the US

• AT&T: up to $1,100 off with a trade-in
• Google: up to $600 off with a trade-in
• Verizon: up to $1,100 off with a trade-in
• T-Mobile: Pixel 11 Pro XL included with switch

Google Pixel 11 series: get a device included with an eligible plan at T-Mobile
As expected, T-Mobile has a flexible array of deals for its opening promotion on the Pixel 11 series. Depending on the plan, it's entirely possible to get a device included with a new line or upgrade right now. According to the T&Cs, you can get a Pixel 11 included without a trade-in with a new line on the Essentials plan, which is a good option for those on a tighter budget. Alternatively, you can get up to $1,100 off with a trade-in and new line on the mid-tier Experience More plan, or up to $1,300 off with a trade-in on the Experience Beyond plan. That's enough to cover the cost of a Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, respectively.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 series: up to $1,100 off with a trade-in, or plan and phone for $45/mo at Verizon
Verizon's opening Google Pixel 11 deals lean heavily on the carrier's new 'Simplicity Plus' plan, which lets you bundle a Pixel 11 Pro with an unlimited data plan for just $45/mo without a trade-in. Alternatively, you can trade in for an excellent discount of up to $1,100 with a new line on one of the carrier's older myPlan unlimited plans. On top of that, Verizon is also offering a new Google Pixel Watch 5 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE as bonus gifts if you take out a service line for these accessories.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro: get a device for $0 with any trade-in and a new line at AT&T
My favorite opening Pixel 11 deal at AT&T has to be the carrier's preorder promo on the Pixel 11 Pro. Right now, you can trade-in any Google Pixel phone in any condition to be eligible for a discount of up to $1,100. That's essentially a Pixel 11 Pro for $0 - although, you will obviously still need a new unlimited data plan to be eligible for a discount. View Deal

Google Pixel 11 series: up to $600 off with a trade-in, or up to $1,339 back with a plan at Google
Google has a few decent options if you're looking for a new device today. First up, you can trade-in for a rebate of up to $600 - which isn't bad for unlocked devices. Alternatively, you could consider a new line on Google's Fi prepaid carrier, which will entitle you to a massive $1,339 rebate if you stick with a line for the duration of 24 months. As a side bonus, you can also get 250 off the new Google Pixel Watch 5 or $200 in Google Store credit with the Pixel 11 Pro or Pixel 11 Pro XL. View Deal

Google Pixel Watch 5: $300 off with a new line
While you're here, you could also consider T-Mobile's excellent opening promotion on the brand new Google Pixel Watch 5. Right now, the carrier is offering a healthy $300 discount when you pair up a cellular device with a new line on the Watch Plus plan. That's a discount that's big enough to get the Pixel Watch 5 for as little as $5.55/mo over the duration of 36 months.View Deal

Google Pixel 11 preorders in the UK

• EE: Pixel 11 Pro with plan for £38/mo
• Carphone Warehouse: get £300 extra with a trade-in
• Google: up to £850 off with an eligible trade-in
• Mobiles.co.uk: Pixel 11 Pro w/ 100GB plan for £29/mo
• Sky: up to £937 off with a trade and plan
• Three: save up to £1,634 with a trade and plan
• Vodafone: up to £1,574 off with a trade and plan

Google Pixel 11 series: up to £850 off with an eligible trade-in at Google UK
I'm pretty fond of Google's opening trade-in rebate on the Pixel 11 series as it's a strong offer for an unlocked device specifically. The maximum rebate is £850 right now, which is boosted massively by a £400 preorder bonus. Nothing fancy, but a good discount nonetheless if you're looking for a cheaper unlocked device right out of the gates. View Deal

Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: save up to £1,634 with a trade and plan at Three
The biggest discount I've seen so far in the UK for Pixel 11 preorders is this deal at Three on the Pixel 11 Pro XL. The carrier is currently offering a bonus trade-in rebate of up to £950, a £144 discount on your device, and a £540 discount on your plan itself. That combines to just over £1,634 in savings, but you'll have to pay £50 upfront and just over £30 per month over the duration of 36 months.View Deal

What's new with the Pixel 11?

The Pixel 11's new 'Hibiscus' color option (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

• Tensor G6 chipset with 12GB of RAM
• Upgraded 48MP camera on the Pixel 11
• New 'HiLight' LED notifications on the Pro

Google’s Pixel 11 lineup is more of a refinement than a reinvention, polishing up a familiar formula rather than completely switching it up. All three models get the new Tensor G6 chip, built on a 2nm process, with a faster processor and more efficient AI-focused TPU designed to improve responsiveness and reduce battery drain during AI tasks. They also all start with 12GB of RAM. The standard Pixel 11 gets a larger 48MP main camera sensor, a 40% thinner camera bar, and new colours including the striking Hibiscus, while retaining its compact 6.3-inch size.

The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL bring the more substantial upgrades, with brighter, higher-resolution displays, more premium finishes, improved camera hardware and a new main sensor aimed at better low-light photography. Their camera systems include 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide and 48MP telephoto cameras, with zoom extending to an ambitious 120x, assisted by AI processing. The Pro XL is essentially the same experience as the Pro but with a larger 6.8-inch display and bigger battery. The Pro models' standout new feature is HiLight, an LED array around the flash that can glow in different colours - for example, indicating when Gemini is listening or identifying calls from specific contacts even when the phone is face-down.

Overall, the Pixel 11 range seems to be about polishing Google's existing formula rather than changing it: better efficiency and AI performance, refined cameras and displays, slimmer hardware and more interesting colours. Of the three, the Pixel 11 Pro looks like the sweet spot, combining the best features in a relatively compact 6.3-inch phone. HiLight is arguably the most genuinely new idea, although its usefulness will depend on whether Google expands what it can do.

• A new 8-in-1 smart display dock is now on Kickstarter
• Cabletime's ScreenDock features a 5.5-inch screen which can be used as a secondary display
• The device could prove an interesting alternative to Corsair's Xeneon Edge thanks to its extra docking capabilities

Multi-tasking on a PC is made easier using Corsair's Xeneon Edge touchscreen LCD as a secondary display — but now this solution seemingly has some strong competition.

As reported by Notebookcheck, the Cabletime ScreenDock is a new 8-in-1 smart dock with a 5.5-inch built-in display, and it could be ideal as a secondary display alongside a desktop PC or laptop. This device is a Kickstarter project with an early-bird price of $119.

There are some marked differences in comparison to Corsair's Xeneon Edge. The ScreenDock has a much smaller 5.5-inch display (with a 1080 x 720 resolution) instead of 14.5-inches, and it lacks any touchscreen capability. The latter is what gives the Xeneon Edge its Stream Deck-style functionality (Elgato's shortcut command center with programmable keys), especially with the official virtual Stream Deck widget.

However, the ScreenDock serves the same broad purpose as Corsair's handy display, allowing PC owners to use it for overlays, third-party applications, or simply as an extended screen on Windows 11.

And the ScreenDock has two major advantages itself. Unlike the Xeneon Edge, Cabletime's device is also a dock, with multiple USB-C, USB-A, and Ethernet ports, as well as an HDMI port (4K 60Hz). The ScreenDock has a foldable design too, helping users preserve desk space, with brightness and power on/off buttons which aren't present on Corsair's display.

So small it looks like a mobile phone... (Image credit: Cabletime)Caution first

If you're liking the look of Cabletime's ScreenDock, bear in mind that it's still at a relatively early stage. A lot could go wrong with a crowdfunded device as we've seen in the past, between potential manufacturing issues or shipping delays, so be suitably cautious about committing your cash.

If this crowdfunding effort is successful, it could serve as a strong competitor to Corsair's device, which has been considered overpriced (starting at $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$389).

The ScreenDock is only at early-bird pricing right now, so naturally it will be more expensive at its full price. With its 8-in-1 smart dock capabilities, it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Corsair's premium device.

I’ve always liked the Google Pixel Fold. It was, for a time, one of the thinner and more interesting folding phones on the market, but it’s since been nudged aside by ultra-slim Samsung Galaxy Z Fold devices, and now the still-fresh and oddly shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8. The new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is, however, an exciting new entrant in the growing foldable field.

It's not just thinner (slightly) and a lot lighter than its predecessor. Google has cleaned up the design, shrinking bezels, enlarging a screen, reducing the size of the hinges, vastly reducing the size of the camera array island, and even adding an unusual hardware notification feature.

In my brief hands-on time with this new foldable, I found the Pixel 11 Pro Fold surprisingly intriguing.

Unfolding more price hikes

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Like so many other consumer electronics gadgets this year, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is more expensive than the last model ($1,899 versus $1,799 in the US). One might assume that this is due to design and feature enhancements, but I think it’s all down to the rising cost of memory and storage, which we can mostly blame on the demands of AI — which I guess we can also blame in part on Google itself. After all, Gemini is now at the heart of almost everything the company makes and does, including the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. It’s packed with Gemini-related features, most of which I did not have the chance to try out during our jam-packed hands-on session.

At a high level, Google has obviously taken notes on all the ways the Pixel 10 Pro Fold didn’t quite hit the mark, and refined in this new foldable to seriously compete with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Fold 8.

Lance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

On the cover screen, the black bezel around the display has shrunk significantly to accommodate the now 6.5-inch Super Actual display. The main, flexible screen is still eight inches, but the bezels around it also look thinner.

Folded, the phone’s hinge looks even more well-hidden, now sitting essentially flat against the two folded halves. Google tells me the internal panels under the folding display feature a Titanium plate and flexible hinge panel under layers of polymer, slightly thicker and stronger Ultra-Thin glass, and the OLED panel. The hinge mechanism itself is wider on the inside to further reduce deformation. When unfolded, the phone looks virtually flat, and the crease is harder to detect than on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is on the left, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is on the rightLance Ulanoff / FutureThe Pixel 11 Pro Fold is on the left, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is on the rightLance Ulanoff / Future

While not as thin as the 4.1mm-thick Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has slimmed and trimmed a bit compared to its predecessor. It’s now just 5mm thick, as opposed to the roughly 5.1mm of the 10 Pro Fold. More notable is the 239g chassis weight; that’s almost 20 grams lighter than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and I can tell you that in my hand the weight loss is noticeable. This is now a relatively lightweight and quite attractive device that also still happens to be IP68-rated, something no other foldable can claim to be at the moment.

As with virtually every other smartphone on the planet, the thinner profile is broken by a camera island that juts out of the back to accommodate, among other things, the three lenses. I was, though, pleased to discover that Google has shrunk this island considerably, so that it no longer looks like a giant block slapped onto the back of an otherwise attractively smooth and flat surface.

Lance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

The other big and noteworthy design and hardware addition — and one that lives in that island — is HiLight.

HiLight is a collection of multi-colored LEDs that sit on the back of the phone, inside the space typically devoted to the LED flashlight. It’s designed to be used when the phone is face down on a table; HiLight won’t even work when you're holding the phone in your hand (we tried).

For now, HiLight has just two jobs. One is to be an animated Gemini interface. It glows and flows in shades of blue, like the standard Gemini interface, to let you know it’s listening and working with you. The effect is quite nice, and indicative of more than just the work of a handful of LEDs.

This is how HiLight looks in action on a Pixel 11 Pro when responding to a Gemini query (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

HiLight’s other job is to let you know when someone who matters to you is calling. You can assign different colors (there are maybe five options) to various family members and even groups. When they call, your HiLight, which is also found on other Pixel 11 phones, pulses in that color. Again, it’s a compelling effect, though I’m not sure how many people will use it; after all, most of us, for better or worse, live with our phones in our hands.

Camera snapshot

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Google hasn't upgraded the headline camera specs, leaving us with the 48MP wide, 10.5MP ultra-wide, and 10.8MP telephoto, but the main camera now has a new sensor that offers, according to Google, 50% better low-light performance, a potential boon for night photography.

Lance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

There are also a pair of 10MP cameras for selfie shots on the main and cover screens.

I do wish Google had upped the megapixels of the cameras to better compete with the likes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (its main camera is 200MP), but at least we have that 5x optical zoom camera with optical (and electronic) image stabilization.

I took a few photos with the cameras, but not enough to draw any conclusions, though I would say the ultra-wide seems pretty good for macro photography.

Lance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / FutureLance Ulanoff / Future

There are some new camera features of note (AI-powered and otherwise) that, as is usually the case, will set the Pixel line apart until Google gifts them to partners like Samsung. One is called Magic Capture, which lets you photograph the peak moment without really thinking about how to capture the moment. Google says it analyzes 500 frames to find the right shot, and then crops and even unblurs it to turn it into a usable photo. I did not get to try this feature out.

Camera Looks applies aesthetic filters during capture, which is something I’m not sure I’d ever use. I prefer to see the unvarnished image, and then decide if it needs some adjustment to give it more drama or punch.

I am excited to try the Creators Suite, which is adding, among other things, an on-screen teleprompter. That would be a huge help for me when I film video reviews and need to read off a script.

Good looks and smaller battery

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Everything from websites to maps and photos looked great on both screens. Neither display is significantly different to those on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but both do enjoy a nice peak brightness bump, up to 3,600 nits from 3,000. I pushed the screens to peak brightness, although being indoors I could not tell if they were sunlight beaters.

I was a little surprised to learn that the battery size has dropped from 5015mAh to 4750mAh, a fact that may account for the Fold’s lighter weight — this change might have made more sense if Google had switched to the denser silicon carbon battery technology (same charge in less space) now found in the entire Galaxy Z8 line. While I’m worried that the smaller battery might result in shorter battery life, Google is still promising 24 hours of use on a full charge.

On the bright side, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold still has Pixel Snap, a MagSafe-style magnetic charge ring that lets the phone magnetically snap onto Qi charge stands and phone grips. I tried it on the new device, and it's just as satisfying to use as ever.

In my brief time with the phone, I enjoyed smooth performance (helped in part by a 1-120Hz display), which is mostly due to some impressive specs. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold arrives with 16GB of RAM (even more than you get with the base Pixel 10 Pro), and starts with 256GB of storage, going up to 1TB.

More exciting, though, is the Google Tensor G6, the first 2nm-process mobile CPU. I don’t expect the processor to be wildly faster than the best Apple and Qualcomm have to offer, but that 2nm might make it far more efficient. In fact, it could be the reason why Google felt comfortable reducing the size of the battery.

Overall, I’m encouraged by what I see. This is easily the best-looking Pixel Fold to date. It’s lighter, thinner, possibly faster and more efficient, and, of course, should be a fantastic showcase for Gemini. My one Gemini experience, by the way, was taking a macro photo of a floral array and then giving Gemini screen access so I could ask it to identify the flower. It did so quickly and effortlessly.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

As for how the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold competes with the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the unusually shaped Z Fold 8, well, it stands nearly toe-to-toe with the Ultra model, though I think the Ultra has it beat on photo capabilities. The Z Fold 8 Ultra is also considerably lighter, making it feel like a no-compromises flagship with a secret 8-inch display. It’s harder to compare the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The aspect ratios are so different, and the camera capabilities are quite far apart (favoring the Pixel). Ultimately, I think the two foldables are for completely different customers.

If you’re thinking about a pure Google and Gemini experience on the biggest screen you can fit in your pocket, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is a pretty good bet, and may make you happier than the pricier Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, which might overwhelm you by packing no fewer than three on-board AI systems.

Google has had a big day of launches — not only did we get our first official look at the Pixel 11 series, which have leaked extensively over the past few weeks, we also got a new Pixel Watch, and even an AirTag rival.

Those leaks and rumors meant we already had a good idea of what to expect, but that doesn’t mean there weren't any surprises.

This year's Made by Google 2026 event takes place later today, at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST on August 12 ( that's 8am AEST on August 13) — here's how to watch it. But we've already had some hands-on time with the new devices, and below we’ve picked out the seven biggest things we learned about the Pixel 11 series, Pixel Watch 5 and Pixel Tag...

1. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL should be the best models yet — and even have lights on the back

The Google Pixel 11 Pro (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

Google’s non-foldable flagships for 2026 are the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, and they have numerous upgrades over their predecessors. But the most interesting element is arguably ‘HiLight’.

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This is an array of LED lights built into the camera’s flash module, which can alert you to calls from favorite contacts via customized color glows when your phone is face down and silenced. And these lights will also pulse when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding.

Beyond that, the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL also boast some camera and chipset improvements that we’ve detailed below, plus brighter screens that can reach 3,600 nits.

Not everything has been upgraded though — in fact these phones have a starting RAM capacity of 12GB, while their predecessors came with 16GB as standard. You can still get 16GB here, but you’ll have to pay for the privilege.

Read more: I tried the new Pixel 11 range, and Google's made loads of improvements, with a surprising 'HiLight'

Check out the best Google Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro preorder deals

2. The cameras have received numerous upgrades, including a new Magic Capture mode

The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

At first glance the cameras on this year’s Pixels might look much the same as their predecessors, given that the megapixel counts haven’t changed. But look closer and there are plenty of upgrades.

For example, the Pixel 11’s 48MP main camera now has a larger sensor for 56% more light sensitivity. The Pro models also gain some new sensors, plus a 120x digital zoom — up from 100x on the Pixel 10 Pro series.

And there are new modes, like Magic Capture, which with a single tap will capture both a video and multiple images of a scene — complete with automatic cropping and unblurring.

There’s also a new Camera Looks feature, which allows you to create a set of personalized film styles and photo aesthetics.

3. The new Tensor G6 chipset is faster and more efficient

The Google Pixel 11 Pro (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

It’s no surprise that the Pixel 11 series sports a new chipset, but the Tensor G6 sounds like quite an upgrade in some areas, with up to 20% better power efficiency, 25% faster browsing, and 15% faster app loading, as well as boosting image processing and Gemini performance.

So these phones should be noticeably faster and more fluid than their predecessors, across a range of tasks.

4. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is brighter and thinner than its predecessor

The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Google’s priciest new phone is the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and this of course benefits from the Tensor G6 chipset and some of the camera upgrades detailed above, along with the new HiLight feature.

But it also has a peak brightness on its foldable screen of 3,600 nits — up from 3,000 nits on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and it’s slimmer and lighter too, coming in at 10.1mm thick when folded, 5.0mm thick when unfolded, and 239g.

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For comparison, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is 10.8mm thick when folded, 5.2mm thick when unfolded, and 258g.

Read more: I spent a couple of hours with the new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold — it’s not a reinvention, but a nudge toward perfection

These are the best Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold preorder deals

5. The Pixel 11 got a storage boost

The Google Pixel 11 (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The Pixel 11 also has a Tensor G6 chipset, plus the camera upgrades highlighted further up, and on top of that it’s received a storage boost, now starting at 256GB rather than the 128GB of its predecessor.

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That said, the starting price has actually increased too, so you’re paying the same as you would have for a 256GB model last year, there’s just now no option of a cheaper 128GB version.

Many of the specs — camera and chipset aside — are also very similar to the Google Pixel 10’s, and you don’t get Google’s new HiLight feature with the Pixel 11, so it will be interesting to see whether this tempts many buyers.

6. The Pixel Watch 5 is Google’s most advanced health and fitness wearable yet

The Google Pixel Watch 5 (Image credit: Google)

This event wasn’t just about phones — we also saw the Pixel Watch 5, and this is very much focused on health and fitness upgrades.

On the health side, that includes being able to track blood pressure patterns before they can put strain on your heart, and track insulin resistance over time. For fitness, Google claims this offers its most accurate GPS yet, and it also sports a new Key Metrics view, which helps you analyze your performance after a workout.

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And when you’re sleeping, the Google Pixel Watch 5 has a Sleep Breathing Quality feature that analyzes minute-by-minute variations in your blood oxygen levels. And of course all the core Pixel Watch 4 features have made a return too.

Read more: I test smartwatches for a living, and the Google Pixel Watch 5 beats Apple and Samsung in 5 key ways

7. The Pixel Tag has landed as an AirTag rival

(Image credit: Future)

Google has also launched its first tracker, called simply the Pixel Tag. There’s not too much to say about this yet — if you’ve used an AirTag, Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag, or anything along those lines you know basically what to expect.

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But it comes in a ‘Fog’ shade, has a built-in speaker, includes ultra-wideband for precision finding, has an IP67 rating (so it’s moderately water resistant), and is powered by a replaceable coin cell battery that should last over a year. It’s also light, at just 11.8g.

Read more: The Pixel Tag is here — but it won't be an AirTag for Android until Google fixes these Find Hub issues

After many months of leaks, renders, and even actual device photos shared by Google itself, the technology giant is making its latest lineup of phones officially official. And while Trevor Noah, of The Daily Show fame, and Alex Cooper, of Call Her Daddy fame, will take the stage later this evening, August 12, to help unveil the lineup, I've already spent time with the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL.

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And this isn't a year where Google is going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch. Instead, the Pixel 11 lineup feels like the company is doubling down on a design language it has spent the last few years developing.

There are fresh colors, some upgraded hardware, and an even faster chip under the hood, but don't expect a revolution here.

All three phones are powered by Google's new Tensor G6 chip, which could help the Pixel lineup put up a stronger fight against Qualcomm's latest silicon, including the chips powering the latest Galaxy phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

I haven't put the Tensor G6 through extensive testing yet, but Google is promising a faster processor for things like web browsing and app launches, alongside a more efficient neural processing unit (called the TPU) that should let the Pixel 11 series handle AI tasks faster without draining the battery as quickly.

The Tensor G6 is also built on a 2nm process for better efficiency overall, and all three phones start with 12GB of RAM.

My early experience is that everything feels suitably quick and responsive, but I wouldn't make any sweeping performance claims just yet. For now, the bigger story is that Google seems to be building on the Tensor formula, focusing on efficiency rather than simply chasing speed.

The Pixel 11 in its fun 'Hibiscus' finish (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

That approach is perhaps most obvious with the standard Pixel 11. Of the three, I think it has the best color options. The new Hibiscus (above) is particularly eye-catching — a bright, almost neon pinkish berry that gives the phone considerably more personality. There are also Obsidian, Pistachio, and Frost options, but Hibiscus is the one that immediately caught my eye.

It's still a 6.3-inch phone, making it a comfortable size for anyone who doesn't want a massive flagship in their pocket.

Around back, there's a welcome change. If you've never loved the sheer thickness of the Pixel's camera bar, Google has slimmed it down by 40%, and the difference is noticeable.

The Pixel 11's smaller camera bump is very welcome (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

The rear panel remains glossy, while the edges have a matte finish. Still, after spending time with the Pixel 10a, I can't help but wish Google would bring that phone's fully flush camera design to its higher-end models.

The Pixel 11 gets a 48-megapixel main camera with a larger sensor that Google says should improve overall performance, alongside a 10.8-megapixel telephoto and 13-megapixel ultrawide.

But there's nothing here that feels radically different from what Google has been doing with Pixel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The Pixel 11 Pro has a smart look, but the camera bar is prominent (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

If you want a little more from the hardware, the Pixel 11 Pro is where things start to get more interesting. It's the same 6.3-inch size as the Pixel 11, but gets a display that's higher resolution and brighter, plus a more premium build and improvements to all the rear cameras.

I particularly like the finish, with Google sticking with a matte rear panel and glossy edges. It looks best in Canyon, a mix of pink, orange, and gold. You can also get it in Olive and Fog, as well as Obsidian, which gets a glossy treatment.

At $1,099 (about £1,079 / AU$1,560), the Pixel 11 Pro isn't cheap, but this feels like the model that could hit the sweet spot for people who want Google's best features without carrying around a massive phone.

If you do want something bigger, there's the Pixel 11 Pro XL for $1,299 (about £1,279 / AU$1,840), with a 6.8-inch display and a bigger battery under the hood. Otherwise, it's essentially the same Pro experience, just larger.

Both the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL also benefit from a new main camera sensor designed to improve low-light performance. The setup remains a very robust one: a 50-megapixel main camera paired with a 48MP ultrawide and 48MP telephoto.

But Google is pushing the zoom capabilities considerably further this time around, with up to 120x zoom.

Is a 120x image really a photograph, or is it an AI-generated interpretation of what Google thinks should be there?

Google is using specialized AI processing to make those extremely zoomed-in images look better, so that's something I absolutely want to put through its paces before passing final judgment.

The biggest hardware change on the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, though, lives around the flash.

Google calls it HiLight — yes, with that interesting capitalization — and it's an array of LEDs surrounding the flash that can glow in various colors. It doesn't impact your photos or replace the flash; instead, it's a smart little indicator that Google can use for different things.

At launch, its capabilities are relatively limited, but I think Google might have something interesting here.

Flip the Pixel 11 Pro or Pro XL face down on a table, and HiLight can spring to life when Gemini is listening, giving you a visual indication without needing to turn the phone over and look at the screen.

It's a small thing, but I like it. There's also a more personal use that seems more helpful: You can assign specific colors to select contacts, and those alerts can break through Do Not Disturb or silent modes.

So, for example, you could assign a particular color to your partner, parent, or kid. If that person calls while your phone is face down, HiLight can glow in that color and tell you who's trying to reach you without you needing to pick up the phone.

That feels particularly clever because flipping a Pixel face down has traditionally been a way to disconnect from it and silence notifications.

HiLight doesn't completely undo that idea. Instead, it gives you a way to stay disconnected while still knowing when something important is happening.

Notification lights are nothing new, but this feels like the clearest and smartest implementation of one yet that doesn't involve just putting a second screen on the back — I just hope Google does more with it, because it feels like Google is playing it safe so far.

(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)

And that's really my takeaway from the Pixel 11 lineup. Google doesn't seem particularly interested in reinventing the Pixel this year.

The design is familiar, but more refined. The camera bar is thinner. The colors are excellent. The Tensor G6 promises meaningful gains in performance and efficiency, while the Pro models get better displays and cameras and a genuinely new hardware trick in HiLight.

The Pixel 11 Pro feels like the sweet spot, offering a true flagship experience that feels very much like a Pixel and tosses in some flair with HiLight.

So, that's an early look at the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL. It might seem underwhelming if you were hoping for a complete rethinking of Google's flagship phones, but I think this lineup also shows that Google has landed on a design and formula that it's really starting to hit its stride with.

For Pixel loyalists, that's probably a good thing. Google is keeping what's working, refining it where it can, and adding a few new tricks along the way. I just wish HiLight was coming to more of the lineup, and perhaps Google had one or two extra tricks up its sleeve that really felt 'new' like that.

After the Apple AirTag, and the Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag, we finally have the Google Pixel Tag too — and at first glance, without having tested it, it seems like a decent device. There's water resistance, ultra-wideband (UWB) support for more precise location reporting, and a replaceable CR2032 battery that should last over a year.

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Obviously, the Pixel Tag will work with Google's Find Hub, which already lets you track people and devices (including phones, tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds) from a web browser or an Android app.

But it's that Find Hub that might end up holding the Pixel Tag back, for now at least. In some areas it's not quite as slick and as comprehensive as the equivalent Find My service that Apple offers for its various devices. Here are five improvements I think Google could make to Find Hub, which would really help the Pixel Tag take off.

1. Notify when left behind

(Image credit: Future)

This is something that Apple's Find My does really well, and something that's genuinely useful: you can set up warnings to appear whenever your iPhone gets separated from your Mac, iPad, AirPods, or a specific AirTag. The idea is it can save you from walking out of the door at home or the office and leaving behind a particular gadget that you'll need.

There's no such feature on Google Find Hub — you can get alerts when specific people leave or arrive at places, but there's not an equivalent option for your devices. If you set off in the morning without your Android tablet or your Pixel Buds, then you're going to have to do without them until you return. It's something I think I'd use in Google Find Hub a lot.

The Google Find Hub on the web (Image credit: Future)2. See location tracking over time

(Image credit: Future)

Google Find Hub is fine for seeing where devices are now, but what about where they used to be? Seeing a breadcrumb trail of a missing camera or phone can be very useful in terms of tracking it down — and the same feature can be used to map out a walking trail, for example, or to keep an eye on the kids. It's something Samsung SmartThings does well.

Clearly this brings up concerns about potential stalking, but I think Google could build in enough safeguards and enough explicit permissions to make sure the devices you're tracking really do belong to you (specific confirmations could be regularly requested for example). It's another upgrade that would make Find Hub significantly more useful.

3. Reverse tracker ringing

(Image credit: Future)

Through the Google Find Hub you can get any of your tracked devices to make a sound so they're easier to locate, but there's no option to make your phone ring from a connected Bluetooth tracker — such as, say, a Pixel Tag. It's the kind of reverse tracking that might come in handy if you've still got your tracker but your phone has disappeared somewhere.

What makes the feature omission more frustrating is that you can do this with trackers from the likes of Pebblebee and Motorola, but only if you use them through their own companion apps rather than Google Find Hub. It means owners of these other trackers are more likely to end up not using Find Hub, which makes it less useful for everyone else.

4. Too many tracking options

If you delve into the settings screen for Find Hub on most Android devices, you'll see four options for controlling how those devices are found by, and contribute to, the network crowdsourcing that's needed for locating lost gadgets. For example, you can opt to get a ping when one other Android device sees your lost item, or wait for multiple reports.

To Google's credit, this is designed to give you more control over your devices and how they contribute anonymously to the Find Hub network. What's more, the four options are reduced to two on newer Android devices starting from the Pixel 10. Even so, it's still a bit of overly onerous configuration that is more difficult to understand than it should be.

There are certain options that could be simplified (Image credit: Future)5. You can't revert to Bluetooth-only operation

(Image credit: Future)

The Find Hub app on your Android phone requires both an internet connection and Bluetooth in order to locate your trackers, and while most of the time that's all well and good, there may be occasions when you don't have the Wi-Fi or cellular signal you need — and on those occasions you can't simply switch to Bluetooth-only operation for tracking.

So if you're traveling on trains and planes with a spotty connection, or just arrived in a foreign country and haven't been able to get online yet, or you're hiking in the wilderness with no signal, you're pretty much cut off from your Bluetooth trackers even though they might be nearby and detectable — another missing function I'd like to see Google add in.

The Google Pixel Watch 5 has landed, alongside a slew of compatible phones including the Google Pixel 11 and its Pro, Pro XL and even Pro Fold variations. While the phones look great, It’s the watch that’s drawn my attention, and there’s a lot to like here.

Arriving in two sizes (41mm and 45mm) just like in previous years, with Canyon, Obsidian and Fog colored bands, as well as a special NBA-star Stephen Curry-themed edition, the Google Pixel Watch 5 is priced starting from $399.99 / £369 / AU$649 for the 41mm model, and $429.99 / £399.99 / AU$699 for the 45mm model, with LTE-capable models costing extra.

What do you get for your money? Well, the Pixel Watch 5 has received several quality-of-life improvements over last year's model. These include Google’s ever-improving wrist-based Gemini integrations, Google Health's new AI fitness coach, GPS that can reportedly go head-to-head with the likes of the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, and a new suite of handy background health features called Health Guardian, which is available on Pixel Watch 3 and up.

While I haven’t gone hands-on with the watch just yet, judging by its specs sheet the Pixel Watch 5 is every inch a competitor to the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.

It’s slightly difficult to compare watches from different ecosystems, but while it’s unlikely the quality of a smartwatch is going to be a tipping point for someone changing phones, and possibly tablets or computers to better work within a particular walled garden, these features could be a contributing factor to a decision to switch from Google to Apple or Samsung, or vice versa.

Let’s look at each flagship watch’s specs side-by-side below (I've used the larger models for clarity: the 45mm Pixel Watch 5, the 46mm Apple Watch Series 11 and the 44mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 9), then I’ll go through all the unique stuff Google’s just announced.

Specs comparison table

Watch

Google Pixel Watch 5 (45mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm

Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 (44mm)

Price

From $429.99 / £399 / AU$699

From $429 / £399 / AU$699

$409.99 / £379.00 / AU$699

Dimensions

45mm x 45mm x 12.3mm

46mm x 39mm x 9.7mm

46.0 mm × 43.7 mm × 8.6 mm

Weight

37g (no strap)

38g (no strap)

34g (no strap)

Case/bezel

100% recycled aluminum

Aluminum or titanium (100% recycled)

Armor aluminum

Display

Actua 360 display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5

LTP03 OLED

SuperAMOLED, Sapphire crystal

GPS

Dual Frequency GPS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou, QZSS

L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo, and BeiDou

L1+L5 GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou

Battery life

Up to 40 hours

24 hours

Up to 40 hours

Connection

Bluetooth 6.0, wifi, LTE available

Bluetooth 5.3, wifi, LTE available

Bluetooth 6.0, wifi, LTE available

Water resistance

5ATM, IP68

WR50 and IP7X

5ATM, IP68

As we can see above, one of the key things that we can take away from this year’s top crop of smartwatches is that they’re all starting to look and feel the same, at least on paper. Similar prices, specs, battery life and feature sets: there’s very little separation here in terms of nuts-and-bolts quality. However, there are a few aspects — some featured in the table above, some not — that help the Pixel Watch 5 stand out from the pack.

Repairability

(Image credit: Google)

One of the best things about the Pixel Watch 5, which debuted last year on the Pixel Watch 4, is the fact that it’s repairable. You can use a standard Torx T2 precision screwdriver set to disassemble the watch and replace its battery and display, an unusual feature for small, water-resistant electronics like smartwatches — but certainly a welcome one, as anything that extends the life of the device and reduces e-waste is a fantastic initiative in our books.

It’s a feature we’d love to see adopted across the board — including by Apple and Samsung.

Battery life

(Image credit: Google)

While the Google Pixel Watch 5’s battery life seems to be roughly equal to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9’s offering, both devices handily beat out the Apple Watch Series 11’s 24 hour guarantee, even though that’s an improvement from the 18 hours of previous iterations. At smaller sizes, the Pixel and Samsung watch’s battery lives return to up to 30 hours; still not a lot and a pain point for people used to the likes of the best Garmin watches, but better than Apple’s offering.

The Google Pixel Watch 5, like Apple's wearable, offers fast charging, with just one hour until full. However, it’s also got a neat little charger held over from last year: a dock that allows you to turn your watch into a little upright bedside alarm clock. Cute!

GPS

This is a tricky one. Practically speaking, there might very little in this competition in terms of GPS accuracy, but Apple is on the back foot here. While Apple’s Ultra 3 comes with some of the most sophisticated and accurate GPS credentials on the market, the mainline Apple Watch Series 11 only offers single-band GPS in comparison to the Galaxy Watch 9 and Pixel Watch 5, which offer dual band L1+L5 GPS.

The Google Pixel Watch 5 also connects to more satellite networks than either watch, and is said to match the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 3 in terms of accuracy — according to Google. This is yet to be tested in the field, but I’ll run or cycle my usual routes with an Ultra 3 or Fenix 8 Pro once I get my hands on the watch to test this for myself.

Satellite comms

Speaking of satellites, they’re good for more than just GPS accuracy. While all three watches have LTE-enabled models, allowing you to add them to your phone’s data plan (available at an additional cost) the Google Pixel Watch 5 has a feature usually reserved for premium, Ultra-tier watches: emergency SOS satellite communication messaging.

A holdover from the Pixel Watch 4, satellite connectivity allows you to use the watch to communicate with emergency services using the Skylo satellite network, offering two-way messaging and location sharing. It works without your phone and is optimized for ultra-low power consumption.

New health features: Breathing Emergency Detection and Insulin Resistance Trends

(Image credit: Google)

The Google Pixel Watch 5 gets a handful of new features, including blood pressure (long thought of as the holy grail for optical LED heart rate sensors, blood pressure or hypertension detection is starting to make its way into the smartwatch market now), and Breathing Emergency Detection. Similar to last year's Loss of Pulse Detection, the Pixel Watch 5 can detect a marked drop in oxygen saturation and auto-contact emergency services, even sharing your location.

Most intriguingly, it also packs an Insulin Resistance Trends feature. This isn’t available yet (said to be coming September 2026) but neither Samsung nor Apple watches have this feature right now. Insulin Resistance Trends is billed as a non-invasive way (unlike continuous glucose monitors, which require needles) to monitor or estimate your body’s efforts to regulate blood sugar.

Google says the feature is 'a personal efficiency meter, giving you a sense of how efficiently your body absorbs energy from food and manages it throughout your activities.' Eating and drinking spikes your blood sugar, and exercise brings it back down as glucose is used for fuel.

The Insulin Resistance Trends feature works as part of Google's new Health Guardian suite of features, monitoring health trends in the background. Essential for diabetics, it’s also useful for weight management in general, and I’m intrigued to see the consensus on this feature, and how it works, once it lands.

• Google reveals several new subsea cable initiative in the Americas
• New installations connect North, Central and South America
• Expansion strengthens Google's bid to create a global subsea network

Google has announced three major new subsea cable systems as it looks to improve connections across the American continents.

The new Alisios, Canoa, and OlaLuz installations will not only connect North America to its southern neighbor, but also boost connections with Central America.

The three installations will all pass through the Dominican Republic, and include connections from Florida, down to Panama and Chile.

New connections

Named after the Spanish for the trade winds which first blew sailors from Europe to the Americas, the Alisios subsea cable system will connect the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Chile.

Taking its name from the native Taíno word for canoe, the Canoa system will connect the Dominican Republic to Bermuda, and also connect with Google's pre-existing Nuvem and Sol cable systems, to create a connection from Latin America and the Caribbean directly to Europe and North America.

Finally, combining the Spanish words for "wave" (ola) and "light" (luz), the OlaLuz subsea cable system will connect the Dominican Republic directly to Florida, which Google says will "significantly strengthen" network capacity between the Caribbean and the East Coast of the US.

(Image credit: Google)

Alongside the new installations, Google is also adding a new branch of its Firmina subsea cable landing in the Dominican Republic, offering extra resilience to a system which connects North and South America.

The company notes that all of this new expansion will help strengthen its bid to build a global subsea network, particularly its Pacific Connect initiative, stretching across the world's largest ocean.

"With these new investments, Google continues to pave the way for a more connected and open global cloud network centered on increasing reach, reliability, and resilience for all," the company wrote in a blog post announcing the news.

"New systems can further facilitate future connectivity through strategically placed branching units, mirroring the approach of our Pacific Connect initiative to ensure the network and our partners can grow alongside the needs and opportunities of the region."

Spoilers for Lioness season 3 episode 2 ahead.

Two things can be true at once, and I believe both that Lioness is the weakest TV show in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ roster, and that season 3 is its strongest outing yet.

Perhaps it's subjective, but Sheridan seems to thrive much more boldly and openly when he's working with cowboys, a land dispute, and the Wild West. But regardless of what I've been watching, I've been continuously in awe of just how well Sheridan writes his female characters.

From Stacy (Michelle Pfeiffer) in The Madison and Beth (Kelly Reilly) in Yellowstone and Dutton Ranch to Joe (Zoe Saldaña) in Lioness, Sheridan's women are armed with shrewd, fulfilling dialogue, substantial storylines and well-reasoned next steps.

Until now, that is. For the first time ever, I've been left disappointed by Sheridan's treatment of his female characters — though this time, it's women who identify as LGBTQ+.

After Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) is called away to retrieve a potential hostage in Ukraine, she finally reunites with new love interest Josephina (Genesis Rodriguez) in Lioness season 3 episode 2.

But it's a reunion that left me with a sour taste and a simple question on my lips: why are LGBTQ+ women never allowed to enjoy a single moment of pleasure?

Lioness season 3 episode 2 highlights a fictional pleasure problem with TV's LGBTQ+ women

(Image credit: Paramount+)

Cruz arrives home to Josephina wearing nothing but a bow wrapped around her midriff. So far, so hot. The pair soon enjoy a bath together, but just as things take a more passionate turn, Cruz's phone rings, calling her back to work with the FBI after undercover Russian operatives raid Joe's house.

The pair are visibly frustrated by the interruption, and have clearly not shared any quality time for some time prior to season 3 beginning. To the untrained eye, you can chalk all of this up to the ebbs and flows of unpredictable military life — but I think the way that this scene is presented stems from a much bigger problem.

There's no doubting that this is a problem for real military soldiers, but I'd bet any money that an emergency work call wouldn't have happened so quickly (the Lionesses are an extra special team, after all). Instead, Sheridan is apparently choosing the time-honored TV tradition of purposefully ensuring that an LGBTQ+ relationship is disrupted.

This doesn't happen quite so often with men, as most Russell T Davies dramas will tell you, but LGBTQ+ women are a much more frequent casualty. Typically, the separation is more overt, killing off one partner in the blink of an eye (much like in The 100 or Last Tango in Halifax).

Here, we're presented with an unusual grey spot. Our two lovebirds can be together ideologically, yet are being denied the pleasure of romance itself by being kept at arm's length. There's something really cruel about this, and I can't help but wonder if Sheridan was aware of his unconscious bias while writing.

If Cruz and Josephina's relationship unravels over the course of Lioness season 3, I won't be surprised. With Joe's life so fatally on the line, the well-being of everyone else is always going to come in second place, and what's a more vulnerable place than flying under the radar?

• EU study calls for a block on illegal live sports streams within 30 minutes
• The proposal demands that ISPs, CDNs, and VPNs take an active role
• Experts warn that rushing IP blocks could lead to massive collateral damage

A study commissioned by the European Parliament is calling for strict, binding regulations to block illegal live sports streams across the EU within 30 minutes — and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are also in the firing line.

For users relying on the best VPN to protect their digital privacy, this could be a major turning point. Rather than asking member countries to voluntarily crack down on copyright infringement, the report urges the EU to implement mandatory real-time blocking.

If accepted, this would mean a maximum 30-minute notice-and-takedown window for streaming intermediaries hosting the content. While network infrastructure providers — such as ISPs, CDNs, VPNs, and DNS resolvers — would be subject to dynamic and real-time blocking orders to disrupt access to those streams.

Authored by Professor Giovanni Maria Riccio at the request of the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), the study argues that the EU’s current voluntary guidelines aren't working. Specifically, according to the report, "the current EU response to live-content piracy remains fragmented and not fully adapted to the speed and technical complexity of live broadcasts."

The proposed solution heavily mirrors Italy’s controversial Piracy Shield, demanding a rapid 30-minute blocking window from the moment a rights holder files a copyright complaint.

What a 30-minute takedown means for VPN users

If these recommendations evolve into binding EU law, VPN providers could be forced to prevent users from circumventing active blocks.

This echoes what the Motion Picture Association (MPA) previously asked for when pressing for VPNs to take a more active role in policing pirated content, and this report adds significant fuel to that fire.

For the everyday internet user, this raises urgent concerns over collateral damage and internet censorship. The push for real-time blocking relies heavily on IP and DNS filtering, which is a technically imprecise method. Because a single IP address can host hundreds of legitimate websites alongside one illegal stream, innocent sites are regularly caught in the crossfire.

We've seen this play out disastrously before. In Spain, an aggressive anti-piracy campaign by La Liga resulted in over 500,000 domains being wrongly blocked. The collateral damage was so severe that critics warned La Liga's war on piracy was breaking the internet in Spain, prompting a European ISP group to demand that rightsholders be held liable for the fallout.

Despite recent legal victories, including a ruling that VPNs are lawful technical tools and NordVPN successfully fighting off piracy fines in Spain, the VPN industry remains under immense legal pressure. Following France’s previous order to block illegal streaming sites, an EU-wide regulation would set an even more dangerous precedent for online privacy.

Can a rapid-fire block actually work?

(Image credit: Shutterstock / gonin)

Professor Riccio's report acknowledges the very real risks of over-blocking inherent in live-content anti-piracy measures.

To mitigate the potential for widespread internet outages or collateral disruption to lawful services, the study recommends that blocking orders be narrowly tailored: limited strictly to the duration of the live event and subject to strict judicial or administrative oversight.

However, the report also underscores a structural driver of piracy that technical enforcement alone cannot resolve. It points out that when legal access to sports is fragmented across multiple costly, geo-restricted subscriptions, many consumers turn to illegal streams simply because lawful options are unaffordable or inaccessible.

In this context, blocking measures, however swift, risk being blunt instruments unless accompanied by improvements in the affordability, availability, and cross-border accessibility of legal offers.

For now, this remains a study rather than immediate legislation. But with the European Commission actively reviewing copyright directives in the digital market, the pressure to act on live-content piracy is mounting, and the clock on faster, more harmonised enforcement is ticking.

First there was the phone. Then there was the iPhone. And now, according to Honor, there is the Robot Phone — a “revolutionary, category-creating device that shatters the physical boundaries of traditional mobile technology.”

Now look, I love to call out marketing department hyperbole as much as the next journalist, but notwithstanding its description as the evolutionary successor to Apple’s greatest-ever product — sell 3 billion units, then we’ll have that conversation — the Chinese tech company is right to position the Robot Phone as something wholly different to what’s come before.

No smartphone I’ve ever come across features a fully motorized, three-axis mechanical gimbal built directly into its chassis, nor such a comprehensive suite of professional-grade camera features, some of which are autonomously controlled by a physically expressive AI agent (it even has a name: YOYO). We’re in full The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy territory here, and while the Robot Phone may never become as mainstream as the iPhone, it most definitely is as revolutionary as Honor wants us to believe.

First teased in October 2025, the Robot Phone appeared in prototype form at MWC 2026, before finding its way to the Cannes Film Festival and, more recently, the World Cup final (Spain’s Eric Garcia was spotted filming with the device). Now, it’s officially launched in China for ¥9,999 (around $1,500 / £1,100 / AU$2,100), and I was among the first group of journalists permitted to hold, capture, and critique the Robot Phone at its extravagant Shenzhen showcase.

Gimme, gimme, gimme a gimbal

Yes, the Robot Phone is like a prop from 2001: A Space Odyssey (Image credit: Future)

Let’s start on that gimbal, which marks the Robot Phone out as something entirely different from any of the best phones money can buy in 2026. It really is as if Honor has strapped a DJI Osmo Pocket to its flagship Magic 8 Pro, except the gimbal in question can tuck itself away into the phone’s rear panel when not in use, almost like an S Pen slipping discreetly into a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Why would you want a gimbal attached to your phone? For several reasons. There’s the improved video stabilization, which results in steadier footage; the manual 360-degree control of the gimbal camera itself; the AI-powered subject tracking; or even the many automatic shooting modes like AI SpinShot (a 90- or 180-degree camera roll) and Tilt Locked (which locks the phone’s gimbal at your chosen angle).

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♬ Venus and Flower - Austin Farwell

This is no knock-off gimbal, either. Honor says the Robot Phone’s mechanical gimbal system — which features more than 100 individual components — is some 65% smaller than mainstream gimbal systems like the Osmo Pocket, and its structure is 200% stronger as a result. The gimbal motor itself weighs just 2.6g and facilitates movement speeds of up to 360 degrees per second, while a dedicated Flip Motor delivers a torque density of 120 Nm/L.

Full disclosure: I did not know what torque density meant before seeing the Robot Phone for myself, but I now know it’s a measure of how much twisting force a motor can produce relative to its size. A figure of 120 N·m/L is, apparently, very good — it means the Robot Phone’s motor is powerful enough to turn the gimbal with speed and precision, despite being small enough to fit snugly into the phone’s rear camera module.

And good news! This mechanical gimbal system works very well. I was skeptical about how effective a phone-mounted gimbal could possibly be, but after playing around with the Robot Phone’s various shooting modes, it produces dynamic, professional-grade footage — or at least footage that’s comparable to what you can achieve with larger, dedicated gimbals like the DJI Osmo Pocket. The key distinction, of course, is that the Robot Phone doesn’t ask you to walk around with (or purchase) a separate gimbal.

The gimbal camera is a 200MP 1/1.28-inch sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, supporting up to 4K video with special recording formats like LogC3 and ARRI Cinema. The latter comes as a result of ARRI’s partnership with Honor on the Robot Phone; the German brand — known for producing motion picture film cameras — lends its expertise to help bring Hollywood-grade color science to Honor’s smartphone pipeline.

The Honor Robot Phone (right) alongside an Insta360 gimbal (left) (Image credit: Future)

Not to get too technical, but Honor says the Robot Phone performs noise reduction earlier in the RAW domain, processes data in 14-bit 4:4:4, and outputs 10-bit LogC3 and 4:2:2 video, preserving more usable image information for post-production. ARRI LogC3, meanwhile, preserves more highlights and shadows, while ARRI Wide Gamut 3 provides a broader color spectrum.

If that all sounds like a foreign language to you, that’s because the Robot Phone is absolutely intended for video creators, rather than regular folk; its video stabilization capabilities are certainly useful for everyday shooting, but for me, they’re not leagues ahead of what you’ll get from software-based stabilization features in other phones, like Apple's Action Mode or Samsung's Super Steady with Horizontal Lock. The real juicy benefits are those post-production features, which were hard to capture and quantify in my short hands-on session, but were certainly present.

Say ‘hello’ (again) to YOYO

YOYO agent being demonstrated on the Honor Robot Phone (Image credit: Future)

I did, however, get a taste of the Robot Phone’s YOYO agent. This agentic assistant initially debuted on the Magic 8 Pro in China as a tool for carrying out cross-app smartphone tasks on your behalf — it’s not dissimilar to Google’s Gemini Intelligence feature in that way — but on the Robot Phone, YOYO uses the existence of a gimbal to express itself physically. At launch, YOYO can nod, shake its (gimbal) head, dance to music, and perform other motorized oddities, which are complemented by over 100 on-screen facial expressions.

The desired effect is that YOYO feels like a physical companion in your pocket, unlike any other smartphone-based assistant on the market. The reality is that these physical gestures and on-screen expressions are the definition of gimmickry, though the ability to give YOYO gimbal-related commands using natural language — “turn left 45 degrees” or “turn around for five seconds,” for instance — is genuinely useful, and worked well.

Outside of its gimbal and YOYO agent, the Robot Phone is every bit a 2026 flagship. It’s got a 6.3-inch display; it measures just 9.59mm thick (for context, that’s less than 1mm thicker than an iPhone 17 Pro Max); there’s a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a sizeable 7,060mAh battery, and two additional flagship-grade cameras (a 200MP telephoto and 50MP ultra-wide).

The Robot Phone's gimbal tucks into the rear camera moduleFutureThe Robot Phone is just 9.59mm thickFutureFutureFace-on, with the gimbal deactivated, the Robot Phone looks like a regular 6.3-inch phoneFuture

In the hand, the Robot Phone doesn’t feel too dissimilar to existing 6.3-inch phones on the market, which is quite the feat given that there’s a full-on gimbal on offer here. That said, I’m not sure how well that gimbal is going to hold up to real-world use — I felt, for instance, like I could easily (or accidentally) snap off the plastic shield covering it. And that’s to say nothing of its vulnerability to dust and debris when fully extended.

But none of this really matters. The Robot Phone is not meant to be treated like a regular phone, because it is not a regular phone. Heck, almost nobody reading this can even buy it. It’s a ridiculous, remarkable product that should be thought of more like the Samsung TriFold — i.e., an example of what’s technologically possible — than as a genuine disruptor to an industry that foldable phones have barely managed to dent.

The Robot Phone is essentially Honor saying, “Look at what we’ve been able to do with technology,” and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. To have brought a fully functioning robotic phone to market is no mean feat, and it’s exciting to see and touch a device that’s so drastically different from the phones we’ve become used to.

In many ways, the Robot Phone is like one of those outlandish gadgets from science fiction movies. And using it made me feel like a kid again.

• A total solar eclipse can be seen today across select places in Europe
• To enjoy the spectacular celestial event you'll definitely need solar glasses
• And to photograph it, you'll want a solar filter to protect your gear

If you didn't already know it, there's a total solar eclipse today, August 12. Totality will occur in parts of Spain, Portugal, Greenland and Iceland, and a partial eclipse will be visible further afield across Europe, including the UK, and even as far as northern North America. If you're in any of those regions, it promises to be a truly unmissable spectacle.

A poll on the TechRadar WhatsApp channel showed that plenty of you are planning on photographing the 2026 eclipse (voting is still open, and you can vote below). That's great, and you should definitely go for it — but you should definitely also read our how to photograph a solar eclipse guide and, most importantly, taking precautionary measures to protect both your eyes and your gear.

You'll need solar glasses to protect your eyes while looking directly towards the Sun — with astronomical demand, good luck buying some at this late stage — but also a solar filter for your camera gear.

If you're in any doubt about the risks to camera kit, take this post by Lensrentals, as your warning. The risk to unprotected camera gear when you point it directly at the Sun, even for short periods, is clearly seen in the photos of damaged rental gear returned to Lensrentals following the 2017 solar eclipse in the US (and in the YouTube video below).

Closeup of a shutter damaged by exposure to the sun from the 2017 solar eclipse, damaged rental gear returned to Lensrentals.comLensrentalsCloseup of a shutter damaged by exposure to the sun from the 2017 solar eclipse, damaged rental gear returned to Lensrentals © 2026 Lensrentals.comLensrentalsPhotographing a solar eclipse — the risks to camera gear

Sensors were the most commonly damaged component, whether that was in a DSLR or mirrorless model. The intense light and heat generated as it was focused through the lens without a solar filter attached literally melted sensors — and you can see the permanent damage in the image above.

That's not all. Lensrentals shared photos of melted shutters, lens aperture blades (see the lead image), mirror damage in DSLRs, and even damage to a built-in ND filter system in one of its cinema cameras. All this damage is permanent, and repairs are costly.

You really don't want to take any shortcuts for today's solar eclipse. Protect yourself, and protect your gear! You can find further eclipse safety at the NASA site.

Will you be watching the solar eclipse? If you're photographing it, what gear will you be using? Make sure you vote in our poll below, and share your favorite shots with us at news@techradar.com — we'll feature your best images in our follow-up coverage.

The memory crisis that has blighted upgraders and new PC builders this year isn't going away anytime soon, but while DDR5 gets most of the attention, millions of perfectly capable PCs still use the more affordable DDR4.

The 32GB Gigastone GST Game Pro DDR4-3200 kit is now $230 (was $250) at Newegg. That's only a $20 saving, so this isn't a massive price cut, but in the current memory market, any reduction on a useful 32GB kit is welcome in my opinion.

You get two matched 16GB DDR4 modules running at 3200MHz with relatively tight CL16-18-18-38 timings. The memory operates at 1.35V and supports Intel XMP 2.0, allowing compatible systems to apply its 3200MHz performance profile without manually configuring every memory setting.

This 32GB dual-channel kit combines two 16GB DDR4-3200 modules with CL16-18-18-38 timings, 1.35V operation, XMP 2.0 support, 288-pin UDIMMs, heat spreaders, and a five-year warranty.View Deal

Also consider

This 32GB DDR4 kit combines two 16GB modules with 3200MHz speeds, CL16 timings, RGB lighting, XMP 2.0 support, 1.35V operation, and compatibility with Intel and AMD Ryzen desktop systems.View Deal

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Gigastone GST Game Pro if...

Your desktop already uses DDR4 and you want to move to 32GB without rebuilding the rest of your PC. That's plenty of memory for heavy multitasking, content creation, and other demanding workloads, and the two-module configuration gives you a matched dual-channel kit.

❌ Skip the Gigastone GST Game Pro if...

You're building a completely new PC around a modern DDR5 platform. DDR4 and DDR5 aren't interchangeable, so motherboard compatibility is essential. You should also check your motherboard's supported speeds and XMP capabilities before buying if you want to run the kit at its advertised 3200MHz.

Why we recommend it

DDR4-3200 with CL16 timings remains a solid specification for compatible Intel and AMD desktops. The 32GB capacity provides considerably more breathing room than an older 16GB setup, and XMP 2.0 makes reaching the rated 3200MHz speed straightforward on supported systems.

The kit also includes heat spreaders and carries a five-year warranty. There are no elaborate RGB effects or other unnecessary extras here; it's all about adding a useful amount of relatively fast DDR4 memory to an existing desktop.

Price context & historical value

Newegg has reduced the kit from $249.99 to $229.99, saving $20, or around 8%. That's a fairly modest discount, and still more than you'd have paid for it this time last year, but it's one of the cheaper options we've seen lately.

For anyone with a DDR4 machine that's otherwise doing everything they need, upgrading the memory can also make considerably more sense than moving to DDR5. Switching memory generations generally means buying a compatible motherboard and potentially a new processor, turning a RAM upgrade into a much more expensive project.

You can save even more on component upgrades when using Newegg's Trade-in program here. And for more savings, we track the best RAM deals each week.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

This is desktop DDR4 UDIMM memory, not DDR5 or laptop SO-DIMM memory, and Gigastone advises using the matched kit together. Reaching 3200MHz also depends on your processor, motherboard, and memory settings, so don't assume every DDR4 system will automatically run it at full speed.

X-Men '97 season 2 episode 9 has finally made its Disney+ debut and, while it packs way too much into its 25-minute runtime to deliver a satisfying end to the Marvel TV show's latest season, some big questions remain unanswered after its final end credits roll.

So, what happens to the titular team? Is there an end credits scene to stick around for? And how does this season's finale, titled 'Survival of the Fittest', set up the Disney+ show's next installment? I'll provide — or, at the very least, try to provide — answers to those queries below.

Be advised, full spoilers immediately follow for X-Men '97 season 2. Do not proceed past this point until you've watched it.

Does Eson the Searcher kill Nightcrawler in X-Men '97 season 2 episode 9?

Kuuuuuuurrrrt! (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

It would appear so, but we don't actually see him perish on-screen, so there's every chance that he's still alive.

But, let's back up a bit first to explain how we got to this point. In a bid to stop Apocalypse from fully taking over the mind and body of the resurrect Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Beast travel to the deep ocean to track down Ship. That's the sentient, Celestial-built vessel that created Apocalypse in the first place.

Anyway, after the trio make their way inside, Rogue enters the Celestial Shrine and meets the Celestial known as Eson the Searcher. After a tense back and forth, Rogue convinces Eson that Gambit's life is worth saving. Accepting her argument that life can advance through love, and not just struggle as Eson claims, the latter imbues Rogue with Celestial power to battle Apocalypse one final time.

There is a caveat, though: if Rogue succeeds in her attempt to remove Apocalypse from Gambit's mind and, by proxy, saves her lover, she'll have to sacrifice her life for Gambit's, which Rogue agrees to.

Yeah, whoop his ahh, Rogue (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

Fast-forward to the finale's third act, and Apocalypse ends up taking full control of Gambit. Using the revived mutant's brainwashing powers, he brings the combined forces of the X-Men and X-Force — everyone except Professor X, anyway — under his spell.

Just as all hope seems lost, Rogue shows up. Using her gifted abilities, she cleanses her fellow mutants before tackling Apoc-Gambit, who she defeats by using her famous involuntary superpower — i.e., her skin-to-skin contact ability — to wrest Apocalypse from Gambit's mind and seal him in a Celestrial crystal, which she hands to Cable.

With the day saved, and Gambit alive and well, Rogue kisses Gambit in what she expects to be a final goodbye. However, as her temporary Celestial powers dissipate, she soon realizes something's wrong because, as per her deal with Eson, she hasn't lost her life.

Is this a temporary or permanent goodbye, Kurt? (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

As it happens, as soon as Rogue left Beast and Nightcrawler on Ship to save Gambit, Nightcrawler enters the Celestial Shrine. There, he makes a new deal with Eson: spare Rogue's life and take Nightcrawler's instead, which Eson agrees to do.

Is this the last we've seen of the teleporting mutant in X-Men '97? I doubt it. After all, if Gambit's resurrection proved anything, it's that popular characters don't stay dead in this universe for long. Furthermore, we didn't actually see Eson take Nightcrawler's life so, if we take the 'no body, no death' trope into account, there's no reason to believe that the Marvel Phase 6 TV show won't reunite us with Nightcrawler at some point.

Is there a mid-credits scene or post-credits scene in the X-Men '97 season 2 finale?

Something's off about you, Val... (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

Yes, there's a mid-credits scene that lays the foundations for the X-Men animated series' third season.

In it, we're reunited with who we think is United Nations official and X-Force founder Valerie Cooper. As she thumbs through a top-secret file, we see a news bulletin state that prominent anti-mutant politician Greydon Creed has won the race to be the next US President. It's a moment that makes Nightcrawler's sacrifice all the more hurtful, to, because Creed is Nightcrawler's half-brother.

But, I digress. As Cooper tuts, she opens the aforementioned file, which contains information on the shapeshifting mutant called Mystique. It also shows her known associates, including Blob, Toad, and Pyro — all of whom are members of the Brotherhood of Mutants, of which Mystique is also a part of.

Well, hello there, Mystique! (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

Then, the door of Cooper's office opens — and in walks the real Valerie Cooper. Startled, she asks who the impersonator is. Before the real Cooper can finish her question, though, she's shot in the stomach.

Falling to the floor, Cooper watches in horror as the fake Cooper reveals her true identity: it's none other than Mystique. Smiling, she says she's "just catching up on some light reading" and then reveals that her files says Mystique wants to attack the United States. Transforming back into Cooper, Mystique adds "I'll say" before she fires again at the real Cooper as the screen cuts to black.

How does X-Men '97's season 2 finale set up its third season? And will it feature Onslaught?

Expect to see more scenes like this in X-Men '97 season 3, folks (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

There's no official plot brief to speak of, but that doesn't mean we can't predict what'll happen in season 3 following the events of 'Survival of the Fittest'.

For one, it seems Mystique and the Brotherhood of Mutants will commit to terrorizing the United States with a guerrilla warfare campaign, especially with Creed now at the helm of the western world's most powerful nation. It'll be interesting, then, to see how the X-Men approach tackling the Brotherhood and, by proxy, defending democracy and a staunch anti-mutant US President.

Speaking of the X-Men, it'll be similarly intriguing to see how they now operate. Will they continue to exist under their X-Corp rebrand, or return to being known as the X-Men? Additionally, will they learn to live alongside other mutant groups like the government-funded X-Factor and Cable-led X-Force, or can we expect to see these three teams butt heads again over how to handle threats against their kind and/or humanity as a whole?

Then there's the small matter of Onslaught. In the comics, Onslaught is a giant, sentient psionic being born from the combined subconsciouses of Professor X and Magneto, who also goes on to be one of not only the X-Men's most challenging foes, but the Marvel universe's entire hero roster.

Onslaught's debut has been tentatively teased throughout this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) adjacent TV show's first two seasons, so it's possible that it'll finally make its bow in X-Men '97 season 3. That said, I'd expect more teasers before Onslaught is formally introduced as the series' Big Bad further down the line. I guess we'll have to see what Marvel's got up its sleeve for next season first.

Does X-Men '97 season 3 have an official release date yet?

It's going to be something of a long wait for X-Men '97's return on Disney+ (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

No, but it'll arrive sometime in 2027. Brad Winderbaum, who oversees Marvel's TV, animation, streaming, and comic book divisions, separately told Collider and comicbook.com that season 3 will premiere next year.

So, when is it likely to air? Currently, Daredevil: Born Again season 3 is the only other Marvel TV show slated to drop next year. The live-action series is reportedly eyeing a March 2027 launch, too, so it's incredibly unlikely that we'll see X-Men '97 season 3 before mid-2027.

My best guess? It'll follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and come out next July. MCU fans will need something to tide them over until Avengers: Secret Wars wraps up the Marvel Multiverse Saga when it hits theaters next December, so releasing X-Men '97 season 3 between Daredevil: Born Again's next chapter and the aforementioned film would cover that base.

For more Marvel coverage, find out what we know so far about Daredevil: Born Again season 3 and get the full lowdown on Avengers: Secret Wars. While you're here, learn all there is to know about Avengers: Doomsday and everything that's been revealed about VisionQuest, too.

Evaluating AI agents in production tends to focus only on positive results. Did the agent complete the task? Was the output accurate? Did the demo go well?

The answers to those questions matter, but they miss the case that determines whether an enterprise can actually trust agents with real work: what happens in the 30% of instances where something goes wrong?

In financial services, for example, an autonomous agent that mishandles a money-movement workflow doesn't turn into an innocuous support ticket. It creates legal liability that can extend across an entire business.

In healthcare, unchecked data access calls can compromise patient safety and lead to HIPAA violations. Highly regulated industries can’t treat failure as a minor inconvenience. And when the stakes are categorically higher than in most other sectors, it changes what "production-ready" means.

The problem? Most popular agent frameworks were built by teams focused on connecting large language models to reasoning loops and evaluation. While valuable, it's not the same discipline as distributed systems engineering.

Few of these frameworks were built by people who spend their careers thinking about recovery, consistency and fault isolation. Many give little thought to what happens when an agent fails mid-flight, and that gap can be very expensive once agents are handling real-world transactions.

Replaying From Scratch Doesn't Work

When a sales agent moves through a 10-step workflow and fails at step nine, the naive recovery approach is to start the entire flow over from step one. That sounds harmless until you account for what each step actually costs. Every restart means re-running every LLM call that already succeeded, burning through token spend for work that was already done correctly. At scale, that inefficiency turns a single bug into a real financial problem.

It also produces a worse experience for the people and systems downstream. In a regulated workflow, it’s sloppy work that becomes a compliance and audit problem waiting to surface.

The fix is durable execution: checkpointing that captures progress at each meaningful step, so recovery means resuming from step nine, not replaying the whole sequence. This has become standard practice in distributed systems, and agent orchestration needs to follow suit.

When you’re evaluating agent frameworks, here’s the question you should ask: if an agent fails partway through a long-running task, does the system resume from where it left off, or does it start over? The answer will tell you the difference between frameworks built for production and those built for demos.

There’s an Access Problem Nobody Talks About

Security in agentic systems presents its own version of this challenge, and it starts with a question that sounds basic but that most organizations can't seem to answer: can you prove exactly who or what did what, and when?

That question is harder to answer as agents act on behalf of other agents, which act on behalf of humans. Each layer of delegation adds ambiguity about accountability. And when you add MCP servers into the mix, the exposure compounds. MCP gives language models access to company records, patient data and internal systems. The vast majority of MCP servers in production today connect to some kind of database, and the common mistake is granting broad access to that entire data store rather than narrowly scoping what each server can see.

That distinction matters when something goes wrong. If a system with broad access suffers a breach or a supply chain compromise, the attacker gains access to the entire environment. Scoped access, where an MCP server or agent can only reach the specific data it needs for the task at hand, is one of the most overlooked design decisions in agentic architecture right now. It's also a relatively cheap problem to fix before deployment, yet one of the most expensive to fix after a breach.

Identity adds another layer. Many organizations still use traditional authentication protocols that were made for human users logging into applications, not for autonomous systems that act at machine speed and scale. Without verifiable identities for each agent and each component, malicious code can impersonate a legitimate part of the system and operate undetected.

What’s needed here is what’s known as cryptographic attestation: a tamper-proof record of everything that happened in the system tied to the specific identity that did it. That record lets you replay the system's state after the fact and determine with certainty that a specific piece of code accessed a specific system at a specific moment. Why? Because that identity was managed and enforced in real time. It's the difference between a policy that says a component “should” be trusted and a system that can prove what it actually did.

Design to Limit the Blast Radius, Not Just Patch the Damage

There's also a problem with how most organizations think about vulnerabilities. The industry's attention is almost entirely on patching known CVEs, and that's necessary. But at the same time, it misses something important: a vulnerability only becomes a known CVE after a breach has already occurred. Patch management is inherently reactive and does nothing while a system is actively compromised, by which point malicious code is already trying to move laterally through the network.

This is why runtime enforcement deserves far more attention. The goal isn't just prevention; it's containment. If a system is compromised, can you detect that a component is behaving abnormally and immediately restrict its access, even before you’ve identified or patched the underlying flaw? Limiting the blast radius in real time, rather than relying solely on detection after the fact, is what separates a contained incident from a full-scale breach.

Zero trust principles should be applied specifically to AI workloads, not just inherited from traditional cloud-native security protocols. That means strict authentication and authorization for every agent and MCP server, clear policies on what each component is allowed to access, and controls that stop compromised components from sending data outside the organization.

You Need to Prove Safety, Not Just Function

This isn’t pessimism toward AI agents; it's about engineering maturity. Every distributed system that has matured into something enterprises trust with critical workloads, from databases to cloud infrastructure, went through this same evolution. They go from optimizing for common cases to designing explicitly for the rare, expensive failure.

Agentic AI is now at that point. The organizations that get it right will be able to sit down with an auditor or a regulator and demonstrate, with evidence, exactly how their systems behave when something breaks:

- Durable recovery that doesn't waste a single completed step.

- Access that's scoped to the task, not the whole database.

- Identity that can be cryptographically verified, not just assumed.

- Containment that activates in real time, not after the fact.

These are the bars that enterprises serious about deploying AI agents at scale need to meet.

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