New & Next
iPhone Duo screen cracks cluster at hinge, iFixit finds
iFixit's October 25 teardown gives the iPhone Duo a provisional 5/10 and finds that reported inner-screen cracks cluster near the hinge support.
Smartphones news and analysis
Smartphone launches from Apple, Samsung, POCO, vivo and iQOO, read from the spec sheet: chip, battery, refresh rate, price and sale date. Each story separates what changed from last year's model, notes regional variants with a different chip, and flags what is still a leak.
Tech Industry
SpaceX seeks 80,000 cell sites as telecom stocks fall
SpaceX is in talks for at least 80,000 US cell sites, Bloomberg reported. AT&T and T-Mobile fell nearly 8% on October 23 while Crown Castle rose 9%.
New & Next
RedMagic 12 Pro+ adds RGB liquid cooling and 185Hz screen
RedMagic's 12 Pro+ gaming phone launched in China on October 15 from 6,999 yuan, with a 185Hz screen, an 8,400mAh battery and a 25,500 RPM fan.
New & Next
iPhone Duo sells out in minutes, US shipping slips to 2027
iPhone Duo pre-orders sold out within minutes on October 16, 2026. US shipping estimates jumped to January 25, 2027, and eBay resales hit $5,000.
Tech Industry
Burger King Japan app breach exposes 11.18M members
BK Japan says a third party reached about 11.18 million Burger King app member records from October 2 to 7, 2026. No card numbers were stored there.
New & Next
OnePlus 16 launches with a 9,000mAh battery in China
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 16 in China on October 12 from CNY 5,999, with a 9,000mAh battery, a 200MP camera and a display that reaches 185Hz in games.
Coding
LineageOS 24 ships Android 17 and browser-based flashing
LineageOS 24.0 moves the free Android distribution to Android 17, adds Pixel 10 and OnePlus 15 support, and launches tools that install it from a browser.
Tech Industry
India festive smartphone sales to fall 12% on memory costs
Counterpoint expects India's festive-season smartphone sales to fall 12% in volume but rise 5% in value, as soaring memory costs push prices up.
Tech Industry
SpaceX buys 800 MHz spectrum as carrier stocks drop
SpaceX will buy Grain Management's 800 MHz spectrum for Starlink Mobile. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile shares fell 5% to 7% in after-hours trading on October 8.
Tech Industry
Samsung Q3 2026 profit guidance hits 107.4 trillion won
Samsung guided to about 107.4 trillion won ($80 billion) of Q3 2026 operating profit, nine times a year earlier, as AI demand drives memory prices up.
New & Next
iPhone 18 Pro Max loses AT&T service; Apple confirms bug
Apple confirmed on October 2 that some iPhone 18 Pro Max phones on AT&T lose service, even for 911. iOS 27.0.1 is the fix, but hit phones need replacing.
Tech Industry
Google raises Pixel 10a price by $100 to $599
Google raised the Pixel 10a's price by $100 on October 2: $599 for 128GB and $699 for 256GB, with no hardware change. Memory costs are the likely cause.
New & Next
Galaxy S26 prices rise $100 in the US, Ultra now $1,399
Samsung quietly raised US Galaxy S26 prices by $100 on October 1, and the 1TB S26 Ultra by $200. Reports tie the change to the memory chip shortage.
New & Next
iPhone Duo cover layer is replaceable, $19 with AppleCare+
Apple's Kate Bergeron says the iPhone Duo's crease-hiding cover layer peels off and is replaced for $19 with AppleCare+. No price yet without coverage.
Coding
postmarketOS is now Nura: what changes for developers
postmarketOS, the phone Linux distribution started in 2017, is now Nura. The name won an 18-month search that drew more than 300 suggestions.
Tech Industry
India smartphone prices up 21%, the steepest anywhere
Counterpoint puts India's 2026 smartphone price rise at 21%, against a 15% world average, and budget phone shipments fell 45%.
New & Next
Galaxy S26 FE's first update fixes 50+ security issues
A roughly 400MB update patches more than 50 security issues, while GSMArena's 4.2/5 review flags a USB 2.0 downgrade and no wired DeX.
New & Next
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable
Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199 and its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, arriving in October. Variable aperture landed on both Pro sizes, not just the Max.
New & Next
Galaxy S26 FE keeps last year's hardware and adds $50 to the price
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 FE on August 27, 2026, on sale from September 4 at $699. The chipset is the one real change, and the price went up $50.
New & Next
POCO F9 Pro and F9 Ultra go global on September 1 with 185Hz screens
POCO holds an online launch for the F9 Pro and F9 Ultra on September 1, 2026 at 20:00 GMT+8. Both run a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and the Ultra has an 8,050mAh battery.
New & Next
vivo T5 arrives September 2 with a 7,050mAh battery and 144Hz screen
vivo has confirmed the T5 5G reaches India on September 2, 2026 at noon. Teasers name a Dimensity 7500 Turbo chip, a 7,050mAh battery and a body under 8mm.
New & Next
iQOO Z11 launches in India at ₹34,999 with a different chip
The iQOO Z11 went on sale in India on August 25, 2026 from ₹34,999. Its India model runs a MediaTek chip, not the Qualcomm one listed for other markets.
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