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As a veteran of covering Apple’s iPhone launches, I can rather confidently say that the iPhone 16 will drop in price when the so-called iPhone 17 is launched and subsequently released.

Judging by previous iPhone launches, my educated prediction is that the iPhone 16 will stick around as Apple’s cheaper alternative to the new phones, with its price likely to be some $100 / £100/ AU$150 cheaper than at launch.

Such a price drop isn’t huge, but it’s not bad either, given the rumors aren’t pointing towards a significant generational upgrade for the iPhone 17. The much-rumored iPhone 17 Air could shake things up if it replaces the standard iPhone and its Plus stablemate, but I’m not so sure that’ll happen.

While I bemoan the lack of a 120Hz display, the current iPhone 16 is still a great phone for most people and has the performance needed for Apple Intelligence and most phone-centric tasks, all slotted neatly into Apple’s ecosystem.

So presuming Apple keeps it in its line-up, it’ll be a good potential purchase if you’re after one of the best phones for a lower price. Expect prices to go from $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 to $699 / £699 / AU$1,249.

Up in the air

Equally, there’s the wrinkle of the iPhone 16e. This is already a cheaper take on the iPhone 16, so if it drops in price, it could become a more compelling ‘affordable’ iPhone than it was at launch; see our iPhone 16e review for Lance Ulanoff’s critique.

As such, there’s scope for Apple to discontinue all the iPhone 16 and keep the ‘e’ variant at its mid-range phone.

Speaking of discontinuation, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will very likely be retired; Apple has done this in the past and will surely want to push people who want to go pro to opt for the iPhone 17 Pro.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s game over for finding a cheaper iPhone 16 Pro model, as third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Currys will very likely have such iPhones in stock and will want to clear their shelves of the phones to make space for newer models.

So, I predict that you’ll be able to find a cheaper iPhone 16 Pro come the end of September and going into the Black Friday period, which now lasts weeks rather than a day. And I’d say the same applies to all iPhone 16 models sold outside of Apple, with deals likely to pop up on them as the Holiday season draws closer.

All of this is why I suggest you don’t by an iPhone until the next Apple event, scheduled for September 9 has come and gone, as even if the new iPhones don’t appeal to you, you’re sure to find a cheaper older iPhone as a result.

As it happens, I head up TechRadar's Deals team along with the phones and tablets division, so my crack crew of bargain-seekers will be keeping an eye out for impressive iPhone deals, among other stuff, to flag to you. So keep a weather eye on TechRadar in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions about the upcoming iPhones, feel free to drop me a line or comment below if you have some burning thoughts on what Apple could do next with its smartphones. So that’s that right? Well, not entirely.

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The Food and Drug Administration approved the next round of COVID-19 vaccines, but is restricting them to people at high risk for COVID complications.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle)

Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Star-Crossed World DLC is fun and looks great, but there isn't enough of it.

For a limited time, you'll be able to watch a full season of hits like Ghosts and Matlock for free.

Dreame AirPursue PM20: two-minute review

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 is an air purifier with a whole load of tricks up its sleeve. The USP is the 'Follow' mode, whereby the large, cup-shaped head will swivel to follow you wherever you go in a room, blasting purified air in your direction. In practice, it's very impressive to watch. There's also 'AI Purify' – an Auto mode by another name – whereby the AirPursue will monitor for five specific pollutants and adjust settings to clear them when they're detected.

Aside from these and two more special modes, and a variety of manual control options, the appliance can also heat or cool the air as required. So it's positioned to rival not only the best air purifiers on the market, but the best fans, too. Not bad for the brand's first ever purifier.

When it comes to air purifiers, I'm often left wondering how I'm meant to know if they're actually doing anything. Not so with the AirPursue PM20, which offers real time pollutant readings within the Dreame companion app, so you can watch at any moment as it cleans the air in your living room or bedroom. It's able to sense and remove 14 different pollutants (although that doesn't include CO2), and gives each one a rating so you can tell how good or bad the air quality is.

All that functionality comes at a bit of a price, and replacement filters aren't especially cheap either (deals are appearing already, and I think it's decent value for what you're getting). While the design is sleek and modern, there's no getting around the fact it's really rather large, although Dreame has helpfully added wheels to make it easy to maneuver from one room to another,

The PM20 is geared towards use in medium or large rooms, with a CADR to match (400 m³/h). If you have a smaller space you'd be better off with the PM10 sister model, which has a has a CADR of 300 m³/h.

Keep reading to see how well the Dreame AirPursue PM20 cleaned the air in my historic home and gave me more peace of mind.

(Image credit: Future)Dreame AirPursue PM20 review: price & availability

• List price: US$999.99
• Launch date: June 2025
• Availability: US and Canada

The AirPursue PM20 is Dreame's first ever air purifier, and launched in June 2025. It's available to buy direct from Dreame or via Amazon in the US and Canada, with a list price of $999.99. (The smaller AirPursue PM10 costs $899.99 at list price.)

You can take that list price with a pinch of salt, because at time of writing this review the PM20 had only been out a month and was already attracting significant discounts on Amazon (it dropped to $769.99 during the Prime Day Sale). Even with that discount it's still a premium purchase, though.

The only additional cost associated with this air purifier are the replacements for the carbon filter and the high efficiency composite filter, which are $59.99 and $99.99 respectively. They have to be replaced between 6 and 24 months, depending on how hard they're put to work.

Considering that this air purifier has multiple modes, speeds, heating capabilities, app and voice integration, and AI settings, I'd say the price tag is reasonable. In fact, I've seen more expensive air purifiers that have fewer features. However, it's still a decent investment, so if you're on a tighter budget there are plenty more affordable options about.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Dreame AirPursue PM20 specs

CADR:

400 m³/h

Size:

14.9 x 14.9 x 33.4 in

Control:

Buttons, remote, app, voice control

Filters:

HEPA-13, carbon

Modes:

1-10, AI Purify (Auto), Pet Purify, Comfort, Cooling, Heating (77-104F)

Contaminants detected:

PM1, PM2.5, PM10, HCHO, TVOC

Other readings:

Overall air quality status, temperature, humidity

Oscillation:

45, 90, 180 degrees, or 'AI follow'

Timer:

12 hours

Heating:

78-104F

Dreame AirPursue PM20 review: design

• Large air purifier that can also operate as a fan or heater
• Smart capabilities, AI detection, and app integration
• Provides specific information about pollutant levels

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 arrived assembled, allowing me to plug it in and immediately start purifying the air within my home. The only setup required of me was connecting the air purifier to the Dreame app and tap a button in the app to authorize the voice command function.

In terms of appearance, the Dreame AirPursue PM20 reminds me of a mini R2-D2, with its bulbous head, cylindrical body, and the wheels placed on the bottom. I was so glad for the wheels as I could move the air purifier around the house without having to pick it up – as I may have mentioned, it's not small. In the air purifier world, it also bears a striking resemblance to the Dyson Big+Quiet.

(Image credit: Future)

The head has a small, square LCD screen that displays air pollution levels via colored graphs. Buttons on the head allow you to turn the purifier on and off and cycle through information on the LCD screen like air pollutant, temperature, and humidity readings, and the filter life.

Inside, the PM20 is outfitted with two filters. First, a high efficiency composite filter (HEPA-13 grade) which removes indoor pollen, dust mites, haze, bacteria, viruses, and other fine materials, and which must be replaced every 16-24 months (the app notifies you). Second, a carbon filter, which is used to remove indoor kitchen fumes, pet odor, TVOC, formaldehyde and other harmful gases. The replacement time for the carbon filter is every 6-12 months.

There more going on with this air purifier's design that can't be seen. It's outfitted with dual-flow modulation technology, which means the air flows in and out of the head and the body. It can apparently project air forward up to 10 meters.

The airflow fan speed can be adjusted between 1 and 10 and the wind direction can be set on 45, 90, or 180 degrees. You can also utilize various special modes:

• AI follow – directs pure air at whoever is in the room
• AI purify / Auto – monitors for 5 pollutants and switches on when detected
• Pet purify – enhanced airflow specifically geared towards pet hair and odors
• Comfort – quiet, long-range air projection
• Cooling
• Heating – set between 78 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit

The most exciting of those is AI follow, where the purifier head will follow you as you move within a room. If there is more than one person in the room, the purifier will toggle between the two people's positions.

Because I tested the AirPursue in the summer, I usually used the Cooling mode, but I was also pleased to learn it would earn its space in winter by doubling up as a heater. I found Comfort mode was a great option when sleeping at night because it lowered the fan speed so the noise wasn't bothersome.

(Image credit: Future)

Speaking of which, noise-wise, the air purifier is not that loud. On the lowest fan speed, it has a dB rating of 54. I measured the highest speed at 67 dB.

With the remote, you can adjust the direction of the fan, change the fan speed, turn on the heating function, and choose between the different modes. I preferred managing the settings in the app or with voice commands.

• Design score: 5 out of 5

Dreame AirPursue PM20 review: performance

• Detects and clears pollutants quickly
• Can cool or heats spaces while purifying them
• App makes it easy to control purifier and monitor pollutants

My house was built over 100 years ago, and as a historic building it produces a lot of dust and allergens. Not to mention, it was probably updated at various times when pollutants weren't necessarily monitored or regulated. As someone who has asthma and allergies, I'm always looking for ways to make my home – where I work, sleep, and live – healthier. After testing the Dreame AirPursue PM20, I feel a lot more confident and comfortable breathing in my own house.

To speak plainly, I love the Dreame AirPursue PM20. It was easy to move it between rooms with the wheels. Once I connected it to the app, I dove in. I was glad to discover that the air quality of my house is better than I thought. I gleaned this information from the overall air quality score. However, thanks to the Dreame sensors, I was able to see the exact levels of harmful pollutants – PM1, PM2.5, PM10, HCHO, and TVOC – present in my home.

I didn't know what these pollutants meant, but the app provided definitions of each one. For instance, I learned that HCHO is a “common indoor pollutant, the release period of formaldehyde from furniture, paint, and adhesives lasting for years". Not only that, but the Dreame app tracked the pollutant reading and provided a value range for each pollutant, and then labelled the reading as either excellent, good, moderate, or poor. I was able to track the pollutant readings at any moment and even by days and weeks within the app.

Click to enlarge (Image credit: Dreame / Future)

To see how well the Dreame AirPursue PM20 detects pollutants and clears them, I ran a test with dry shampoo. I began by screenshotting the readings (prior to spraying the dry shampoo) to gain an air quality baseline. Then I sprayed dry shampoo about two feet in front of the air purifier. Within the app, I saw the air purifier recognize the pollutants from the dry shampoo within about 10 seconds.

From there, I monitored the air purifier, noting the initial increase in pollutant readings. The purifier cleaned the room within about 11 minutes. The TVOC reading was the only pollutant that didn't quite reach the original reading after 11 minutes (it was 2 points higher). In fact, the TVOC reading fluctuated over the next few hours within one to two points of the original reading. At least it remained well within the 'excellent' air quality range.

(Image credit: Future)

Most of the time, I set the Dreame AirPursue PM20 on a fan speed of 10, and the wind direction at 180 degrees. Sometimes, I used the AI Follow feature which means the head of the purifier followed me around the room, literally purifying the air around me. This feature was cool to see in action, and reliably well on test.

I don't have pets, so I didn't need the Pet Purify mode, but I know that it could be helpful for those who do share their home with four-legged friends, especially in removing odors (the purifier cleared kitchen odors within my house in minutes). The Comfort mode was great to use at night; it was quieter than my ceiling fan.

Like a few Dyson fans, the Dreame AirPursue can also be used as a fan or heater. Because I was testing in Texas in July, I mostly used the Cooling more, but the Heating option will be ultra-helpful in winter (it lets you adjust the temperature between 78 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The 12-hour timer was nice, but for the most part, I turned the purifier on and off at my own will.

(Image credit: Future)

I didn't have any issues with this air purifier. The only thing to keep in mind is that when the fan speed is set to 10 (or the highest speed), you must raise your voice and move near the air purifier to use the voice command. That wasn't a big deal to me, because I usually used the app on my phone to adjust the settings as I always forgot the voice commands and would have to look them up in the app anyways (helpfully, Dreame lists the voice commands here for reference).

Overall, I think the Dreame AirPursue PM20 does what it says it will do and brought me a lot more peace of mind. I feel better knowing that I'm breathing cleaner air in my home day or night.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame AirPursue PM20?

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Value

A premium air purifier occasionally discounted but well priced considering the control and features. Filters represent and ongoing cost.

4/5

Design

Large but stylish. Can operate as a fan or heater as well as a purifier. Manual control or a selection of special modes – including one where the pure air follows you around. Easy to read, real-time pollution readings. Control via app, voice or remote.

5/5

Performance

Detects and cleans pollutants efficiently. The app makes it easy to monitor pollutants, understand how clean your air is, and adjust the settings.

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want to monitor and understand the air quality in your home

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 senses 14 different pollutants, and you can watch it clean in real time by monitoring the pollutant readings in the app. This also offers in-depth explanations and notes where the readings fall within the safe and unsafe ranges.

You want an air purifier that heats or cools in different directions

Air purifiers emit bursts of air. Dreame capitalized on this feature by adding some cooling and heating features to the PM20. Adjust the fan speed between 1-10 or let your air purifier push out heated air (between 78-104 degrees) in the winter. You can even adjust the direction of the airflow between 45-180 degrees or set the purifier to follow you as you move in the room.

You want multiple control options

Control the Dreame AirPursue PM20 with a button, voice command, app, or remote. Or simply set it on AI purify and let the purifier automatically adjust the settings to keep your home clean.

Don't buy it if...

You just want something simple

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, but if you don't fancy all those special features then there are plenty of cheaper, still effective purifiers to choose from.

You live in an apartment or small space

The Dreame AirPursue PM20 is geared towards use in bigger spaces (although it does have a sibling model for smaller rooms). Standing at nearly 3 feet tall and over a foot wide, it's also too large to tuck out of the way.

You want a purifier that reads and scrubs CO2

The one thing that the Dreame AirPursue PM20 can't do is read CO₂ levels. Some air purifiers can sense CO₂ and even scrub it, though you'll likely pay more for them.

How I tested the Dreame AirPursue PM20

I used the Dreame AirPursue PM20 for a few weeks in July in my 105-year-old home in Texas. I used the purifier in various rooms to get a variety of readings, as well as testing each of the windspeed settings and special modes. To get a more objective view of how efficiently it cleared air, I also sprayed dry shampoo a few feet from the purifier to see how quickly the purifier detected it and cleared it from the room.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed July 2025

• Nvidia’s H20 chip became collateral in a heated geopolitical clash
• Nvidia’s revenue stream risks serious disruption with the Chinese market tightening
• Chinese tech giants hesitate to abandon Nvidia hardware for weaker alternatives

China’s recent decision to tighten restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 chip sales has drawn attention not only because of the technology involved, but also because of the circumstances which triggered it.

Reports indicate comments made by U. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in mid-July 2025 were viewed as both “insulting” and brash by China's government.

In a televised interview, Lutnick stated Washington’s strategy was to ensure Chinese developers became “addicted” to the American technology stack.

Rising tensions after controversial remarks

“We don’t sell them our best stuff, not our second-best stuff, not even our third-best,” Lutnick had told CNBC.

“You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack, that’s the thinking,” he added.

The Chinese considered this remark unnecessarily arrogant, and it is now engineering a move that presents sustained sales headwinds for Nvidia, a company that has long viewed the country as a major market.

The H20 chip, developed specifically for China after export controls restricted access to more advanced models, had become a key product for local AI firms.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing recently, and stressed the firm’s commitment to staying competitive in the region.

Still, with China accounting for at least 15% of Nvidia’s total revenue, any disruption to H20 orders represents a serious challenge.

Washington and Beijing had previously struck a framework agreement earlier in 2025 allowing H20 sales to resume in China while Beijing restored some rare earth exports.

That deal was interpreted as a step toward stabilizing relations. Yet by late July 2025, Chinese regulators such as the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Technology began advising firms to halt new H20 orders.

This guidance, framed as a response to Lutnick’s remarks, highlights the fragility of recent progress.

Alongside the restrictions, Beijing has promoted the use of domestic chips, including those from Huawei.

However, doubts remain about their effectiveness, and DeepSeek had to delay the launch of its new R2 model after difficulties training with Huawei Ascend processors.

Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and ByteDance have also been reluctant to fully switch, citing stronger performance from Nvidia hardware compared with local alternatives.

The episode illustrates how political statements can rapidly alter corporate fortunes, especially when national security and technology leadership are at stake.

While Nvidia has disputed claims of security risks tied to its products, Beijing’s regulators appear determined to limit reliance on US-made chips.

Whether Chinese firms can scale up to fill the gap remains uncertain, but what is clear is that Lutnick’s words have accelerated a process of decoupling that may unfold far quicker than industry analysts initially expected.

Via Financial Times

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Ask anyone in the luxury business about what well-heeled Chinese customers demand and the answer is almost unanimously pointed towards technology. But Bentley’s CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, has just claimed that digital will never be luxurious.

"It will be maybe expensive, but not luxury," Walliser told Newsweek, going on to state that there will be always be a need for good craftsmanship.

While many modern luxury brands will agree, there has been a huge shift in what the next generation of wealthy individuals want, with Istituto Marangoni, a leading private school of fashion, art and design, claiming that China will account for 25% of the global personal luxury goods market by 2030.

Gen Z and Millennials, who account 70% of luxury spending, are looking more towards advanced AI assistants, immersive virtual reality and the latest innovations in technology, rather than overt displays of wealth.

Walliser doesn’t deny the need to embrace new and emerging technologies, seeing as the company is slated to launch its first dedicated EV next year. But he does go on to say in his Newsweek interview that luxury is linked to material and craftsmanship, like art.

"Digital art is not so successful. I will not say that it does not exist, but is it the breakthrough? No, it's not," he goes on to explain.

Bentley has recently been doubling-down on its efforts to deliver hand-crafted and highly bespoke vehicles to those willing to pay for it.

A recent ‘Ombre by Mulliner’ gradient paint finish, for example, is said to take 56 hours of handcraft to deliver and costs around £50,000 / $67,000 / AU$105,000, according to one CarWow configurator.

Similarly, its One plus One Batur convertible features an interior hand-finished by Bentley's Mulliner division with contrasting driver and front passenger seats, complete with a bespoke, two-piece luggage set at the customer’s request.

As a result, three in four Bentleys are leaving Bentley’s Crewe HQ with bespoke Mulliner content. More than ever, according to Newsweek.

Analysis: Ignoring digital is dangerous

(Image credit: Bentley)

While the luxury automakers continue to lean heavily on their brand history and traditional production methods, the market has seen a significant downturn in China, which was once considered a major source of sales for the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and more.

There have been changes in luxury taxes and financial uncertainty that will have impacted trade, but the boom in the EV industry has also opened up a sizable technological chasm between the east and the west.

What’s more, younger generations across the globe are increasingly looking for the latest digital features, advances in AI and automated driving technology as key reasons to make a purchase.

Xiaomi, for example, sold more than 135,000 SU7 models in China last year, despite being its debut EV, while Porsche managed to shift just 56,887 units of all of its models during the same timeframe.

In fact, most of the major German luxury brands are struggling in China for this very reason. Although it is still to be seen whether the likes of Xiaomi, Yangwang and more will make an impact beyond their domestic market.

Despite the fact that ultra-luxury brands tend to feel the economic impacts to a lesser extent, navigating the digital world remains a tricky task, as they don’t want to lose their identity but also want to avoid alienating new buyers thanks to a lack of technology.

Aston Martin’s recent pairing with Apple CarPlay Ultra is an excellent example of this, as the software proved excellent and arguably what CarPlay users have been demanding for years, but the masses of Apple-controlled screens also made the vehicle feel less special.

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• NeoLogic raises $10 million to advance CMOS+ CPUs, reducing circuit complexity
• CMOS+ enables 6-32 input gates, reducing power use and die size
• First processors expected in 2026, targeting energy efficient AI data center workloads

NeoLogic has raised $10 million in in Series A funding as it works to change how processors are designed.

Founded in 2021, the Israel-based company (with a US presence planned for the future) is not focusing on transistor scaling, the traditional path of the semiconductor industry, but rather on reducing the complexity of circuits.

Its CMOS+ technology integrates standard CMOS gates with reduced complexity gates, cutting transistor counts by as much as three times at any process node.

Up to 50% lower energy use

Conventional CMOS is limited by fan-in, with gates typically handling no more than four inputs.

Designers rely on tree structures to handle higher inputs, which increases both chip area and power use.

NeoLogic’s CMOS+ enables single stage gates that handle between 6 and 32 inputs, shortening the critical path while reducing area and energy consumption.

The company says processors built with CMOS+ can lower power use by up to 50 percent and reduce chip area by up to 40 percent while keeping latency on par with current designs.

These improvements are compatible with existing CMOS manufacturing processes, from 130nm down to 2nm, as well as standard EDA tools, so adoption won’t require new infrastructure.

By cutting die size and improving yield, CMOS+ provides cost advantages at advanced nodes, where wafer costs and development expenses rise sharply.

It’s more than just gates, however, as CMOS+ also offers power efficient registers, buffers, and arithmetic blocks. Together, NeoLogic says, these elements give chip designers a new infrastructure that simplifies processor design while achieving better power and area tradeoffs.

“We are backing NeoLogic as they push the boundaries of computing with their breakthrough approach to energy-efficient processors," said Talia Rafaeli, Partner at KOMPAS VC, which led the latest funding round. "The team’s deep technical expertise and innovative CMOS+ technology position them to impact the AI data center space significantly.”

NeoLogic sees CMOS+ as a way to deliver more efficient computing without departing from established tools and processes. It has begun demonstrating its first processors to customers and expects deployment in data centers starting in 2026.

Via eeNews Embedded

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• Improvements are heading to the Google Home app
• Camera feeds should be more reliable and quicker
• The updates are rolling out for Android and iOS devices

It's not been the best of times for the Google Home ecosystem, what with a crescendo of user complaints rising about buggy devices and apps in recent weeks. Google is now at least bringing some improvements to the Google Home app for Android and iOS, connected to Nest cameras and doorbells.

In a somewhat apologetic post on the Google Nest Community message boards, a member of the Nest team outlines the improvements. While the reported bugs with Google smart home kit aren't addressed directly, they are alluded to.

"We also wanted to take a moment to thank you all," the post reads. "While we may not always hit the mark, we remain committed to listening to our users and building intuitive, reliable, and high-performing camera features for your home."

If you do own a Nest camera of some description, here are five of the most notable upgrades heading your way.

1. Faster previews

Camera previews will now show a cached image from a previous live view: while it means the view might be slightly out of date until it's fully loaded, it does mean you'll be able to identify which camera is which more quickly if you've got several set up in the app.

2. Improved gestures

Gestures have been simplified, so you can now switch between the timeline and events views with a single swipe. Expanding and collapsing live views, and dismissing camera feeds, are also now controlled with one swipe, making it easier to get around the app.

Swipe gestures now work more intuitively (Image credit: Google)3. Better notifications

Notification previews have been improved as well, so on both Android and iOS you'll see a static thumbnail together with a large animated preview – the intention is that you get a better idea of what the alert is about without having to open up the Google Home app.

4. Accurate reporting

Google says that the Google Home app is now better at reporting whether your cameras are online or offline, so you know the status of every camera at all times. The same under-the-hood optimizations should mean live streaming performance is better too.

5. Smoother performance

Speaking of performance, further tweaks made by the Google Home team are going to reduce latency, reduce the likelihood of "no video available" errors, and ensure camera streams can be recovered more quickly when they're switched off and then back on.

These improvements come on top of previous upgrades added by the Google team, which they also mention in the same post: they include increased clarity for videos, a more seamless timeline experience, and a quick seek feature for jumping through video clips.

As well as these software enhancements, it looks very much like new hardware is on the way, as four new Nest devices have recently leaked. Despite lots of evidence to the contrary, it seems that perhaps Google hasn't forgotten about the smart home after all.

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Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

Review: With a new telephoto camera, a bigger battery and a slew of integrated AI features, the $799 Pixel 10 is an enticing choice that nails the basics -- and then some.

From gaming and the camera to new AI skills and the battery, I've been putting Google's new flagship phone through its paces.

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: Two-minute review

The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is the Pixel phone to buy this year. The Pixel 10 Pro can match the Pro XL on the most important features, but the benefits of the larger display, along with a couple of features that are simply better on the XL device, make the Pixel 10 Pro XL my favorite of the new Pixel family, and the phone I would recommend first, but not last.

I feel confident recommending the Pixel 10 Pro XL above the rest – and above any other Android phone you can buy right now – because I spent the last year using the Pixel 9 Pro as my primary work phone. That means I know exactly why the Pixel is a great phone for being productive, but I also know that I wish I’d had a bigger screen than the 9 Pro's. The Pro XL will be my primary device this year, for sure.

If you haven’t checked out a Pixel phone in a while, you really should head to a store and get your hands on one. The latest Pixel 10 Pro XL is polished and well-built, with a refined look and gorgeous materials and color combinations. It’s a much nicer-looking phone than the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max, and it delivers on a number of features Apple hasn’t been able to match.

Google’s AI features are the most advanced on any smartphone, and often the most unobtrusive. The newest AI features, like Magic Cue and the live translation, don’t feel pushy or overblown, and they don’t produce embarrassing or useless results. Google is pushing AI into the background as a silent helper, where it should be.

Of course, all of the new Pixel 10 series phones have Google’s advanced new AI features, like the live translator that not only converts your language into another tongue, it also speaks with a voice that sounds remarkably like yours. That may sound alarming from a privacy viewpoint, but Google says this processing happens on the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and not on a distant cloud computer, so your conversations – and your voice – should be safe.

So what makes the Pixel 10 Pro XL so special, the best of the Pixel 10 bunch? First of all, Google’s Pixel displays – so-called Super Actua displays – are among the best you’ll see on any smartphone. These screens are bright and colorful and very sharp. When the screen is this good, I want as much screen as I can get, so I prefer having the larger XL display. At 6.8 inches, it’s 0.5 inches bigger diagonally than the Pixel 10's display, and that equals 13 square centimeters of extra screen space.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL also has the largest battery of all the new Pixel phones, and that equates to the longest battery life, both in my real-world testing and in our Future Labs battery rundown tests. It wasn’t a massive difference – the Pixel 10 Pro XL only lasted an hour longer than the Pixel 10. Still, every bit helps.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL also charges faster than any other Pixel 10 device, whether you’re charging wirelessly or with a USB-C cord. If you have a 45W charger, the Pixel 10 Pro XL can charge that fast, compared to the 30W charging on the other two Pixel 10 phones. The Pixel 10 Pro XL can also use faster wireless charging. Again, it’s not a huge difference, but every bit yada yada yada.

The biggest benefit for me is the combination of Google’s winning Super Actua display with the Pixel 10 Pro XL cameras. If I’m taking serious photos, I want the biggest viewfinder possible to get the right shot. The extra screen space on the Pro XL phone felt like a big advantage, and if photography is important to you, I’d recommend the Pro XL phone first. The Pixel 10 Pro has the exact same camera specs, but having the bigger Pro XL display helped me take better shots.

Are there other benefits to the Pro XL? Well… not really. It isn’t any faster than the Pixel 10 Pro… or even than the Pixel 10. In our benchmark tests, the extra RAM in the Pro models didn’t seem to make much difference. Pixel phones still disappoint if you only care about the numbers.

I don’t rely on benchmarks, though, and the Pixel 10 Pro XL was satisfying and quick in almost every task. There was some lag on the camera, but most other features – including the latest AI helpers – ran smoothly with no delays.

Google has another winner with the Pixel 10 Pro XL – and the whole Pixel 10 family. Between the premium design, the excellent software, and the advanced AI features, this is a phone that iPhone fans should seriously consider, and Galaxy owners should envy. I’ll be keeping this phone close by – snapped to my MagSafe charging stand – until an even better Pixel comes along.

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Price & availability

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU $1,999 for 256GB of storage and 16GB RAM
• Costs more than last year, but starts with more storage than the rest

I remember the days when a new phone would cost the same but come with more storage and RAM than last year's model because component costs had decreased. This year’s Pixel 10 Pro XL is more expensive than before, and it comes with 256GB of storage, but I’m not awarding Google any medals for giving the phone enough space. This phone should be cheaper.

To be fair, 256GB of storage is the right amount, unless you play a ton of games or you shoot video with your phone at high-resolution. There’s a 1TB model available, but only serious enthusiasts need apply – and you know who you are.

The color options this year are a bit drab. I like the Moonstone color and the Jade, but they aren’t very exciting. My review unit is the Porcelain white, which looks classy but a bit bland. Google also sent along a silicone case with magnets built in that matches the hone perfectly. If you want the 1TB storage option, it’s only available in the black Obsidian.

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL pricing

Storage

US Price

UK Price

AU Price

256GB

$1,199

£1,199

AU $1,999

512GB

$1,319

£1,319

AU $2,199

1TB

$1,549

£1,549

AU $2,549

• Value score: 4 / 5

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Specifications

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL has nearly the same spec sheet as the Pixel 10 Pro, with a few key differences. The display is larger, with more pixels (no pun intended), but it isn’t quite as sharp. You won’t notice, though, and both displays use LTPO tech for the best always-on display with low power drain.

There’s a bigger battery in the Pixel 10 Pro XL as well, and that meant longer battery life in my tests. I also found the 45W charging made a difference, with the Pixel 10 Pro XL charging faster than the other Pixel 10 phones.

Google Pixel 10 Pro specifications

Dimensions:

162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5mm

Weight:

232g

Display:

6.8-inch Actua display

Resolution:

1344 x 2992 pixels

Refresh rate:

1-120Hz

Peak brightness:

3,300 nits

Chipset:

Google Tensor G5

RAM:

16GB

Storage:

256GB / 512GB / 1TB

OS:

Android 16

Main cameras

50MP wide; 48MP ultra-wide; 48MP telephoto (5x zoom)

Selfie camera:

42MP

Battery:

5,200mAh

Charging:

45W wired; 25W Qi2 wireless (magnetic)

Colors:

Obsidian, Porcelain, Jade, Moonstone

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Design

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Sleek and solid, with great materials and matching color options
• Mostly the same as last year’s model, which is fine with me

The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is the Pixel 10 Pro all blown up. It doesn’t add any extra buttons or physical details; the two phones look identical, just at a different scale. That’s a good thing because the Pixel 10 Pro is a great-looking phone, and it keeps the same exact design as the Pixel 9 Pro that was my favorite phone of last year. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

I like the Pixel 10 Pro XL design even more than the latest iPhone 16 Pro Max. It feels just as refined as Apple’s phone, with fewer unnecessary buttons to get in the way. Does anyone actually use the Camera Control? I know I don’t. To be fair, I don’t use the temperature sensor on the back of the Pixel 10 Pro XL, but I can ignore that easier than a button.

The color options are a bit 'professional' and bland, but closer inspections shows more attention to detail than I would have expected from Google. The Jade color of my Pro review sample, for instance, was matched with a light gold frame that looks barely gilded. It’s a gorgeous match.

The speaker grilles on the bottom of the phone are new, and color-matched to the frame you choose. It’s a nice touch that most people won’t ever notice.

I have no complaints about the Pixel 10 Pro XL design, except that I’d like to see more interesting color options. Google at least matches its phones perfectly with its silicone case colors, and like the Pixel 10 phones, the latest cases have magnets inside that secure a very strong connection to any Pixelsnap (or MagSafe) accessories you might buy.

• Design score: 5 / 5

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Display

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• One of the absolute best smartphone displays
• Super-sharp and very bright in all situations

Wow… I was expecting to be pleased with the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s display, but this phone somehow looks even better than I anticipated. Google’s Super Actua displays are among the best you’ll find on any smartphone. For the past few years, Google’s new Pixel displays have been dominant, topped only by Samsung’s best Ultra screen, and this year hasn’t been disappointing at all.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL is a joy to use in any situation. It’s great in outdoor light, even for shooting photos or reading my social feeds. It’s perfect for navigating in the car or on the street. It’s a great phone for reading in the dark late at night, or as a bedside lamp with the Pixelsnap screen savers.

In fact, I like this display so much that I think it justifies paying more to have more of it. The Pro XL is the Pixel to buy not just because it has a bigger screen, but because the screen is so enjoyable that I want to have as much of it as possible.

Whether I’m watching videos, taking photos, or playing games, the Pixel 10 Pro XL display is my favorite on any smartphone I own.

• Display score: 5 / 5

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Software

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Material 3 Expressive looks fantastic and adapts nicely to themes
• AI features are most useful when you barely notice them

The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL highlights Google’s clean and well-designed interface. I love the Material 3 Expressive interface design, as Google calls its Pixel version of Android. It’s friendly without feeling cartoonish, and it packs plenty of useful widgets and tools that are easy to manage and don’t hog my attention.

With so much screen space, it was a joy to create AI wallpapers and populate my home screen with Google’s slick widgets. I let the phone set all of my icon and widget colors to match my wallpaper, creating a unified theme, and the phone darkened the colors as the day went on, finally flipping to dark mode after sunset.

That’s the best of Pixel – a well-designed interface filled with just enough useful features to make the phone a tool you always want in your pocket. The Pixel 10 Pro XL will definitely remain my primary work phone after this review is published. It gives me simple customizations and shortcuts that remove the clutter of apps from my home screen and surface just the information I need. I wish iOS was better at this.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL also has some of the most useful AI features you’ll find on a phone, and I’m a big fan of Google’s call-screening tools. I can let Google AI answer when an unknown number calls, and it will give me a text transcript of whatever my caller says. Then I can decide whether to answer the call or not. This feature is only available on Pro Pixel models, and it’s worth the upgrade if you take a lot of calls.

There are plenty of new AI features as well, and I’ve talked in depth about the new Magic Cue in my Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro reviews. I think it could be an important addition to Android in the long run, but it still doesn’t work consistently. It offers useful links and buttons to info as you need it, and it doesn’t get in the way or seem pushy, like other AI features, so I have high hopes for it.

Otherwise, there are many smaller improvements that I’ve found scattered throughout the interface and which bring Google’s experience closer to the holistic, thoughtful design I expect from iOS more than Android.

Apple lets you make a contact card for yourself that will accompany your phone number when you share your details. Google lets you make the contact card for your contacts, instead of making them do the work. That seems like a better solution, since not everybody owns an iPhone, and Apple’s contact cards don’t work across platforms.

Even Google’s Daily Hub is more useful than other attempts I’ve seen. Samsung, Motorola, and now Google all offer a home page for your personal information, gathered and summarized by AI. On my Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Now Brief page has been useless at best, and oddly flippant at worst. On the Pixel 10 Pro XL, the Daily Hub offers more useful information, links I actually enjoy, and easy access to more information.

There are still some odd and off-putting AI features, usually generative AI tools. The Recorder app for some odd reason offers to generate a musical background for your recordings; I don’t really need a pop-metal soundtrack for my business interviews, thanks. Still, it’s easy to ignore these oddities, and Google mostly doesn’t shove its AI in your face.

• Software score: 5 / 5

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Cameras

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• The best Pixel to buy for photography
• Excellent low-light photos and unique AI zoom capabilities

The Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Pixel 10 Pro have identical camera lenses and sensors, but I’m calling the Pro XL the better camera phone because of the larger display and longer battery life. Both of those attributes are features that camera buyers look for, and they make a difference when shooting with the Pixels.

The photos I got from the Pixel 10 Pro XL were fantastic, perhaps the best I’ve seen on any camera phone (and I compile the Best Camera Phones list for TechRadar). I’ll need to test the cameras in more situations, and head-to-head against more competitors, but in my week with the Pro XL it took pics that matched or beat my iPhone 16 Pro Max in most conditions.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL took photos with very accurate colors and plenty of detail at every focal range. For night photography, it was no contest. The Pro XL took pics that looked like I had a professional flashgun attached, while the iPhone shots looked much darker and lacked focus.

You can see plenty of AI help in the photos, but usually the results don’t look fake or off-putting. It’s a trade-off. I took a picture of a snowy egret from far away with my iPhone and the Pixel 10 Pro XL. The iPhone photo was grainy and fuzzy, but you could see the bird’s reflection rippling in the water. The Pixel created a smoother, more recognizable image, but the AI removed the ripples from the end result.

The only downside to Pixel photography is Google’s Camera app. It’s a nightmare. It’s hard to use, with settings that seem to conflict with each other. Adjust one setting, like changing from 12MP to 50MP resolution, and a handful of other settings suddenly go dark without warning.

I also tested the new Camera Coach feature, and you can read more about it in my Pixel 10 review. I think it helps more on the base-model phone, while the Pro XL Pixel takes photos that are good enough that you may not want an AI coach to get in the way.

• Camera score: 5 / 5

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Camera samplesImage 1 of 8

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(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review: Performance

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Tensor G5 performance lags all but the cheapest bargain phones
• Camera stalls after taking a high-res photo

The Pixel 10 Pro XL’s performance is the phone’s only real letdown, and even though it didn’t make a difference most of the time, at key moments the phone struggled to keep up. The gap between Pixel performance and the rest of the smartphone world isn’t shrinking – it’s getting bigger and uglier every year.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL had no trouble navigating the Android menus and launching apps as quick as can be, but not every feature was so smooth. I had trouble in the Camera app, especially when I changed to the higher 50MP resolution. The camera sometimes stalled after I hit the shutter button, and made me wait for a few moments until I could snap my next shot.

That’s a huge disappointment, and I don’t know any other phone outside cheap bargain options that fails to perform basic tasks this manifestly. I can press the shutter button on my OnePlus 13 as fast as my finger can fly and it never misses a beat – likely thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside.

Qualcomm has a superior platform this year, and phone makers who don’t use the latest Elite option are being left behind in more ways than one (see my battery complaints below). I no longer think the Tensor G5 is good enough for the Pixel 10 Pro XL. It isn’t. It can’t keep up with the latest Android software and features, and it’s time for Google to rethink its platform strategy.

• Performance score: 3 / 5

Google Pixel 10 Pro review: Battery

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

• Mediocre battery life – is the Tensor G5 to blame?
• Magnetic chargers make up the shortfall

The Pixel 10 Pro XL has the best battery life of any Pixel 10 phone so far (we haven’t tested the Pixel 10 Pro Fold yet), but that isn’t saying much. The Pro XL lasted through a full day with little trouble, but I was still nervous when the battery hit single digits before bed time, which was often.

I alleviated my stress with the MagSafe chargers I have littered throughout my house and office space. Like the Pixelsnap charger, MagSafe is convenient for fast charging when I have 15 minutes to let my phone sit on a stand. A couple of those charge breaks every day made sure I had enough battery to last as long as I needed.

This mediocre battery life is especially disappointing because I’ve seen massive gains in the rest of the Android world. Phone makers like Samsung and OnePlus – using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite platform – are offering new phones that get hours more battery life than last year’s models.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL lasted 15 minutes longer in our Future Labs battery tests than last year’s Pixel 9 Pro XL. That’s pathetic.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra achieved two hours more battery life than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, even though it uses a battery that's the same size, thanks to the newer Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. If Google can’t offer similar improvements year over year, it’s time to change platforms or it will be time to stop recommending the Pixel.

• Battery score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL?Google Pixel 10 Pro scorecard

Value

The most expensive Pixel, but also the best. The bigger display, longer battery life, faster charging and larger storage capacity justify the higher price tag.

4/5

Design

Mostly unchanged from the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and that’s a good thing. This is one of the most refined and polished phones you’ll see, and it’s even more durable than before.

4/5

Display

You won’t see a better display on a smartphone than the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Super Actua screen. It’s incredibly bright and perfectly sharp, even in bright sunshine.

5/5

Software

The latest Pixel interface is one of Google’s best, and it makes the Pixel appealing and easy to use. New AI features can be useful, but if you hate them they won’t bother you much.

5/5

Cameras

Image quality is excellent, especially night photography, which is easily the best you’ll find on any smartphone. This might be the best camera phone you can buy. Camera Coach is a fun feature, but is it replacing real experts? Best editing tools, now helped by useful AI instructions.

5/5

Performance

Frankly unacceptable performance from such an expensive phone. It can’t even run the Camera app properly, and benchmarks are lower than any phone that isn’t cheap. Google needs to take this seriously, or next year won’t be so fun.

3/5

Battery

Battery life suffers under the yoke of the Tensor G5 chipset. While Qualcomm-powered phones see massive battery gains, the Pixel 10 Pro XL can’t last longer than last year’s phone, and even with its faster charging it doesn’t charge as fast as the competition. Get magnetic chargers to keep your phone topped up – you’ll thank me for it.

3/5

Buy it if...

You want the best Pixel phone yet
The Pixel 10 Pro XL is the Pixel to buy this year. The screen is fantastic, and everything is improved by the larger size and enhanced capabilities.View Deal

You take a lot of photos at night The Pixel 10 Pro XL is one of the best camera phones, but it really shines at night. Low-light photos were mind-boggling in clarity and color.View Deal

You're switching from an iPhone and have a bunch of magnets
I’m an unabashed fan of magnetic charging, so I welcome the Pixel 10 Pro XL to my household filled with charging stands and accessories galore.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You need a gaming powerhouse to win
The Pixel 10 Pro XL should be great for gaming, thanks to its incredible display, but performance is a letdown, especially for gamers.View Deal

You want a phone that lasts all day, and you hate magnets
Battery life on the Pixel 10 Pro XL could be better, and my MagSafe chargers saved the day. If you won’t be charging periodically, get a phone that lasts longer.View Deal

You want great cameras but wear tight pants
The Pixel 10 Pro has the same amazing cameras as the Pixel 10 Pro XL, so you don’t need to buy a big phone to get the same capabilities.View Deal

Also consider...

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
The biggest iPhone gives you all of Apple’s great iOS 26 features on a big display, making it easier to share, shoot videos, and play games with iPhone friends.

Read our in-depth Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max reviewView Deal

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
It’s a bit more expensive, but the S25 Ultra is jam-packed with features, including the S Pen stylus and a fourth camera lens for more zoom options. It’s also super-fast.

Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra reviewView Deal

Google Pixel 10 Pro XL

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Price

$1,199 / £1,199 / AU $1,999

$1,199 / £1,199 / AU $2,149

$1,249 / £1,249 / AU $2,349

Display

6.8-inch Super Actua display

6.9-inch Super Retina display

6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display

Processor

Google Tensor G5

Apple A18 Pro

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

Battery Results (HH:MM:SS)

14:20:57

17:35:30

18:35:39

How I tested the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL

I tested the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL for a week, alongside the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro. I used the Pixel 10 Pro XL as a work phone with my high-security work accounts. I loaded the phone with more than a hundred apps, and multiple Google accounts.

I used the Pixel 10 Pro XL as a camera, testing every camera feature. I used AI features to ask questions and generate sample images. I connected Magic Cue to all of my personal Google account information, and I fed the Pixel 10 Pro XL a regular diet of screenshots of my personal dealings for the Screenshots app.

I connected the Pixel 10 Pro XL to my Pixel Watch 3, my Pixel Buds Pro, and many other Bluetooth headsets and devices. I used Android Auto in my Kia and my friends’ Acura and Subaru cars, and connected to Bluetooth in an older BMW.

I've been testing phones for more than 20 years, since the days of BlackBerry and Palm OS smartphones and Samsung flip phones. I have tested hundreds of devices myself, and our Future Labs experts have tested hundreds more. I even did a brief stint as the internal phone reviewer for Samsung Mobile, testing products before launch in order to predict review scores and reception.

Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone's performance on video editing tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.

For battery testing, we have proprietary rundown tests that are the same for every phone, which we use to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.

First reviewed August 2025

The limited rollout of Anthropic's browser extension comes as AI-powered browsers face scrutiny over security issues.

• Google warns of ongoing captive portal hijack attacks
• Captive portals were being abused to redirect people to fake Adobe update sites
• The "updates" deployed different malware and backdoors

Google has issued a warning about a Chinese state-sponsored hacking attack targeting users in real-time.

The company’s cybersecurity arm, the Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), published a new blog outlining how it saw “evidence of a captive portal hijack being used to deliver malware disguised as an Adobe Plugin update to targeted entities.”

Apparently, this campaign is the work of a group known as UNC6384, a Chinese state-sponsored actor, possibly tied to Silk Typhoon, a group known for cyber-espionage campaigns against government, critical infrastructure, and telco organizations in the West. The campaign, according to Google, targeted diplomats in Southeast Asia, as well as other entities around the world.

Fake security updates

A captive portal is essentially a login page. It usually pops up on public networks, such as on airports, or in coffee shops - right after connecting to the network, but before gaining access to the public internet. Sometimes it asks users to register an account, and sometimes viewing an ad and clicking “connect” is enough to be granted access.

Now, Google claims the Chinese compromised edge devices on those target networks (routers, firewalls, VPN gateways, and the such), and then used the instances to hijack the portals and redirect visitors to a malicious landing page.

Visitors are then prompted to download a “security update” for Adobe which is, in fact, malware. The initial payload, an MSI package, installs stage-two malware including CANONSTAGER and SOGU.SEC. The latter is a backdoor that connects to the attacker-controlled C2 server and grants unabated access to the target computer.

Google first observed this attack in March this year and sent out alerts to Gmail and Workspace users.

Whenever China is accused of engaging in cyber-warfare against its adversaries in the West, it denies any involvement and repeats its stance that the US is the biggest cyber-bully right now.

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• The Google Pixel 10 comes with battery performance limits that can't be disabled
• Battery Health Assistance gradually decreases voltage and capacity after 200 cycles and up to 1000 cycles
• Online reactions suggest frustration

The Pixel 10 has been official for one week, and yet it seems that Google’s latest flagship smartphone has already found itself caught up in controversy over a new battery health setting that can’t be switched off.

As Android Central reports, the Google Pixel 10 series comes with an obligatory battery health feature called Battery Health Assistance, which limits the phone’s voltage and charging speed over time. The limits begin at 200 cycles and continue until 1,000 cycles. A report from Android Authority corroborates that the feature can’t be disabled.

For those not familiar, ‘cycle’ simply refers to the process of emptying and recharging the battery. Assuming the phone is charged daily, this could mean battery limits kick in after less than a year of ownership, with performance getting worse over the next few years.

However, here at TechRadar we’re confident that the Pixel 10’s battery limiting feature shouldn’t be a dealbreaker if you’re considering buying one – keep reading for our breakdown.

The claim

The Google Pixel 6a was recently pulled from Google's online refurbished store (Image credit: Future)

Unlike some tech controversies, there’s not really an element of suggestion or conspiracy theorizing – as far as we can tell, this is a real feature that will affect battery life on the Google Pixel 10 series. The issue is more about how users react to this information.

Naturally, a ‘feature’ that outright worsens your phone's performance isn’t guaranteed to be popular, and Pixel fans have reacted in kind. In one Reddit thread, user Toni_Segui wrote: “Regarding this imposition from Google, if they don't back down, for my part next year I'm going to Samsung or even Apple”.

User gosangst was less diplomatic, commenting: “Google really hates its customers”.

It seems that some online commenters are taking this battery limit feature as a reason to avoid the Google Pixel 10. We've contacted Google for comment, but haven't heard back yet.

It’s also true that Google Pixel phones have a checkered history when it comes to batteries. Recently, Google pulled the Pixel 6a from its refurbished store following reports of some units catching fire (though there was no official reason given). Some users may be wary of trusting Google when it comes to battery tech.

The reality

The Google Pixel 10 is still a valid choice, despite its strict battery limits (Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

Most tech users know by now that batteries – even rechargeable ones – are ultimately consumable components, or at least that they degrade over time. Even the best Google Pixel phones have previously had issues with battery life and even battery safety, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that Google has taken such a hard line.

The likely intention behind Battery Health Assistance is to make the degradation of your phone’s battery feel more gradual and less noticeable, while avoiding putting too much stress on the battery.

If all goes to plan, this should make for a smoother and more sustainable experience in the long term. Remember, there’s no avoiding battery degradation with use – this is something that will happen anyway.

However, Google does have some catching up to do when it comes to phone users trusting its battery tech, so perhaps the option to disable Battery Health Assistance would’ve been a smart inclusion.

Still, there’s no need to panic over this sort of technology. The best phones now get years of post-launch support, so limiting hardware for the sake of longevity does make some sense. Whether you find that a reasonable tradeoff is, of course, up to you; let us know in the comments.

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The new setting of San Vansterdam is bustling with life and community, and that just feels right.

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will no longer have carry forward
• The feature would have allowed you to use some Black Ops 6 unlocks in the game
• The change was confirmed in a developer blog post

Activision has confirmed that you will not be able to access operators, skins, and weapons from Black Ops 6 in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

The feature, known as carry forward, was previously going to give players the ability to use select content from Black Ops 6 in the upcoming entry. Although some fans appreciated the option to bring forward their favorite unlocks, many were concerned that this would undermine the identity of the new game.

I was personally pretty disappointed with the news that carry forward would be present given the disparate settings of the two titles. While Black Ops 6 is set in the 1990s, Black Ops 7 takes place in 2035 - so running around with Gulf War era gear wouldn't make a lot of sense.

The news of the decision was announced in a community update blog post, where the developers discuss the top frankly.

"We know there’s been a lot of conversation recently about the identity of Call of Duty. Some of you have said we’ve drifted from what made Call of Duty unique in the first place: immersive, intense, visceral and in many ways grounded," it read. "That feedback hits home, and we take it seriously."

"Black Ops 7 needs to feel authentic to Call of Duty and its setting. That is why Black Ops 6 Operator and Weapon content will not carry forward to Black Ops 7," it continued.

Importantly your current stock of Double XP tokens and GobbleGums will still carry over into Black Ops 7, which is good news for those aiming to progress as quickly as possible on day one.

Warzone and Black Ops 6 is also not affected, so you don't need to worry about losing access to any of your current content.

The post also explained that the developers had heard feedback on in-game bundles, which some players found a little too outlandish in Black Ops 6.

"In Black Ops 7, bundles and items will be crafted to fit the Black Ops identity," the post stated. "We hear the feedback. We need to deliver a better balance toward the immersive, core Call of Duty experience."

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to release is set to release on November 14, 2025 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.

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• The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 gameplay reveal trailer has convinced me that it's never been more over
• Black Ops 7 beta dates: here's when early access and open betas are running
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is expected to launch just one year after its predecessor, and I’m worried it’ll repeat these three Modern Warfare 3 blunders

Monster: The Ed Gein Story hits Netflix on October 3, 2025, and the streamer has just given us our first look at the new season of Ryan Murphy's true crime anthology. As the name suggests, the third season will follow the fictionalized life of notorious murderer Ed Gein (played by Charlie Hunnam), who confessed to killing two women between 1954-1957. Worse than that, his nickname 'the Butcher of Plainfield' came from authorities discovering Gein exhumed corpses from local graveyards to make... keepsakes... for himself.

It's pretty clear that the new season Monster will probably be the most grim and gory, following on from Murphy's takes on Jeffrey Dahmer and Lyle and Erik Menendez. As Netflix itself tells us: "Monster: The Ed Gein Story tells the story of how one simple man in Plainfield, Wisconsin, became history’s most singular ghoul. He revealed to the world the most horrific truth of all – that monsters aren’t born, they’re made... by us."

But the streamer also tells us that Gein "became the blueprint for modern horror," with it being widely reported that he served as inspiration for some of the best horror movies, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. However, it's worth pointing out that these movies weren't actually his real life, meaning one of our first-look posters has a factual inaccuracy that's really bugging me.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story shows the killer as the Texas Chainsaw murderer he apparently wasn't

Before The Texas Chainsaw Massacre... there was Ed. Charlie Hunnam stars in Monster: The Ed Gein Story. Arriving October 3. pic.twitter.com/TRKpybCiVnAugust 27, 2025

Newsflash, people: Ed Gein didn't knowingly kill anybody using a chainsaw. At least, not as far as we know. According to EBSCO research, Gein's first confirmed murder victim Mary Hogan was shot, while second victim Bernice Worden was decapitated and disemboweled beyond the point of establishing a cause of death. While a number of other missing people were linked to Gein, none of them were proved beyond suspicion (and as they were never found, their cause of death cannot be proved).

That doesn't mean Gein didn't engage in some gnarly behavior, and that's putting it mildly. The preserved remains of 15 other women were found on his property, creating 'masks' out of human faces and even a full 'woman suit', which was thought to be made after his mother died. It's references from the case like this that make the Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre comparisons clear, but here's where the lines cross.

Netflix's marketing for Monster: The Ed Gein Story is obviously being inspired by his influence on said horror movies, but that moves away from how seasons 1 and 2 were structured. Essentially, each season is a dramatization of real life, and in order to do that effectively, scenes need to be accurate. We can suspend belief enough to admit his probably laid his head in his mother's lap, and he clearly made fleshy masks, but murdering with a chainsaw even though there's no proof? Gein's life becomes a parody, not serious drama.

Before The Silence of the Lambs... there was Ed. Charlie Hunnam stars in Monster: The Ed Gein Story. Arriving October 3. pic.twitter.com/BDUKlMiDqcAugust 27, 2025

Of course, I'm not sure how much anybody else is going to care about the semantics. The images are striking and chilling in their own right, moulding Hunnam's version of Gein into the (pun intended) monster we all believed he was. I have no doubt that Murphy will create a visual spectacle so shocking, we'll feel like the glory days of American Horror Story's early seasons are well and truly back.

Even so, it leaves a sour note. While The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story won me back over after The Jeffrey Dahmer Story went too far in my eyes, I fear The Ed Gein Story has already lost me with its theatrics.

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