The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 15

Apple's EU-mandated energy label has settled a question that used to require teardown videos and guesswork: the iPhone 18 Pro battery capacity comes in at 4,056mAh, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max jumps to 5,391mAh. That Pro Max figure now edges past the Galaxy S26 Ultra's official 5,000mAh typical capacity, with a 4,855mAh rated capacity listed in Samsung's specifications and EU energy-label records.

Lenovo has set a $1,099.99 starting price for its Googlebook 15, the company's entry in Google's new Android-based laptop category, ahead of an October 4 U.S. launch. That's $200 less than the $1,299 figure Google listed for the same model at last week's Googlebook launch event, Android Authority reports. Anyone who wrote off the Lenovo model after seeing Google's original number should take another look, though the corrected price hasn't shown up on a live product page yet.

If you've shopped for a Surface Pro 11 in the past year, you've probably seen it pitched as an AI-first camera device, complete with a high-resolution sensor and a chip that's supposed to make video calls smarter. That's the real story behind Microsoft Surface camera innovation on this generation of hardware, and it's worth separating what Microsoft added from what's actually been verified. The short version: the front camera carries a genuinely high 12.2MP resolution, a fast neural processor...

Google Health app version 5.09 started rolling out this week, adding setup for two new Pixel Watch trend features: blood pressure and insulin resistance. A third metric, sleep breathing quality, arrives in the same update.

Windows 11's Start menu has shipped with a Recommended section wedged under your pinned apps since launch, mixing recent files with Microsoft's own app suggestions and tips. If you're trying to figure out how to remove the Recommended section in Windows 11, the fix depends on which build you're running, and Microsoft actually made this easier earlier this year. On Windows 11 24H2, 25H2, or 26H1 systems that have received Microsoft's redesigned Start settings, a section-level toggle can hide the...

A small cluster of Pixel owners is dealing with a specific, disruptive glitch: the status bar stops showing new notifications, and the notification shade and Quick Settings tiles go completely unresponsive to touch. The pattern matches several recent reports of Pixel notifications not working, and Google's official PixelCommunity Reddit account has replied to multiple posts describing similar combinations of these symptoms.

Google confirmed Tuesday that actor Henry Cavill is building a video game on a Googlebook, the company's new AI-focused laptop line, as part of a promotional partnership. Google says the collaboration will take place in November, according to Google's announcement.

Google is testing a way to bring Gemini's Daily Brief to the Pixel lock screen, according to a teardown of the latest Android System Intelligence app.

Should you buy the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold? Early reviews from PCMag and iGeeksBlog put it head-to-head against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the verdict lands in a specific place: buy the Pixel for Google's software and camera approach, not because it's the stronger all-round foldable.

The most interesting evidence for Apple's rumored home hub isn't a spec sheet. It's a home-screen system borrowed straight from the Apple Watch, and it does more to justify buying several units than any display resolution or chip upgrade could. That's the real story buried in this month's Apple HomePad rumors: not a bigger screen, but a smarter one.

The OnePlus 13R and Google Pixel 11 are no longer a comparison between a phone you can buy and one that exists only in leaks. Google unveiled the Pixel 11 on August 12 and released it on August 20, giving buyers confirmed prices, battery specifications, cameras, and software support to weigh against the older OnePlus.

Code buried inside a macOS Tahoe 26.7 update shows how Apple's rumored Home Hub might figure out who's standing in front of it. The strings describe ambient sensing, built-in cameras, and possibly voice cues working together to verify a person's identity and then switch to that person's own profile. MacRumors reported the find, and AppleInsider spotted matching code in the same build, which it describes as a 26.7 release candidate.

Google Photos still has a setting that restores date headers in the grid. On Android, the redesigned Photos view switched those headers off by default and replaced them with a floating date indicator that appears while scrolling.

Google Messages beta code contains a hidden "Select chats to pin" screen that caps selections at six conversations, displaying a "Limit reached" message if a user tries to add another after six have been selected, according to Nerds Chalk's APK teardown, reported August 3.

The Google Pixel 11 price increase lands the phone at $899 to start, essentially the same as Samsung's $899.99 Galaxy S26 and $100 above the iPhone 17's $799 starting price, according to Android Authority. For a phone line that built its reputation on undercutting Apple and Samsung, that's not a minor pricing update. It's the end of an era.

Apple released iOS 27 Public Beta 4 on Aug. 17, one week after Public Beta 3 and just hours after iOS 27 developer beta 6. Anyone with a compatible iPhone can get the update by enrolling in the Apple Beta Software Program.

Installing iOS 27 next month may not hand you Siri AI on the spot. Beta evidence points to a four-step sequence: update, enable Apple Intelligence, join the iOS 27 Siri AI waitlist, then wait for a notification, according to 9to5Mac on August 25 and MacRumors on August 24.

Samsung's One UI 9 Beta 6 update adds a toggle that lets Galaxy S26 owners disable AI Select's long-press trigger on the Edge Panel handle, according to Android Authority. Here's how to disable AI Select in One UI 9 Beta 6 without switching off Edge Panels altogether. It's a fix for a recurring annoyance reported by users: lingering slightly too long while swiping out an Edge Panel would freeze the screen and launch the AI Select overlay, whether they meant to trigger it or not.

Chrome for Android is testing a redesign that finally puts core browsing controls within thumb's reach on today's tall phones, and in the same stroke adds a second persistent toolbar that crowds the screen with more interface than the browser has carried in years. That's the tension at the center of the Chrome Android bottom navigation bar redesign: a legitimate ergonomic fix wrapped around a feature nobody asked to have permanently on screen.

Google has told suppliers it plans to produce every Pixel smartphone, watch, and wireless earbud outside China starting in 2027, according to Nikkei Asia's report, which ties the move to ongoing tension between Washington and Beijing.

Backing out of an app, opening Settings, and scrolling through the full app list just to flip one permission toggle is a small tax most iPhone owners pay eventually. This guide walks through how to add an Open App Settings shortcut to Control Center, a one-step Shortcuts action that, according to reporting, jumps you from whatever app you're using straight to that app's own settings page, skipping the manual hunt through the list (Digital Today reported earlier this year).

RugOne unveiled the Xsnap 7 Pro at IFA 2026 in Berlin this week, a rugged Android phone with a rear camera module that physically detaches and works as a standalone action camera. The RugOne Xsnap 7 Pro detachable action camera phone isn't shipping yet. Its Kickstarter campaign opens September 7 with a €799 super early-bird tier, roughly $930.

Is Microsoft 365 down right now? Mostly recovered, not fully closed. As of Wednesday morning, Microsoft's own telemetry shows service availability holding stable above 99%, though the company has kept the incident open while it finishes remediation work (NHSmail Support, today).

The word "reset" gets stretched to cover three unrelated jobs when an Apple TV remote acts up, and that stretching is where most of the confusion starts. Learning how to reset an Apple TV remote really means figuring out which of three things applies: restarting a frozen remote, re-pairing one that's lost its Bluetooth connection, or wiping the entire Apple TV back to factory settings. Only the last of those erases the Apple TV's data.

Google released Android 17 QPR2 Beta 1 on July 20, and the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro weren't included. The release notes were direct: "Pixel 6 and 6Pro users will not be getting this OTA since the device will reach End of Life and Android 17 QPR1 beta series will be the last for these devices," Android Police reported at the time.

Firefox for iOS now has a built-in ad blocker. Mozilla shipped it off by default, though, and you can now enable the feature from the app's main settings or the Site menu on a webpage. If you're trying to figure out how to enable ad blocker in Firefox on iPhone, the process itself is short. What takes longer to explain is what the feature actually filters once it's on, and where it stops.

Searching for how to watch 2026 US Open Round 2 live for free won't turn up a current live option because Round 2 is already over.

A supply-chain report claims Google is working with Samsung Display on a Pixel 12 Pro Fold crease-less display upgrade: a dual-UTG (ultra-thin glass) panel structure reportedly aimed at making the inner-screen crease far less visible than it is on the current Pixel 11 Pro Fold, according to 9to5Google, citing The Elec on September 2.

Samsung showed off two separate Bespoke AI Washer models at IFA 2026 in Berlin this week: a 10kg machine carrying Samsung's A-70% efficiency claim and a 13kg washer designed to fit within a standard 600mm European depth. These are two distinct products built for different priorities, not two trims of the same machine.

Microsoft is turning predictive text off by default in Word and Outlook, changing the default for a feature it began rolling out across its productivity apps in 2020.

The rumored Galaxy S27 Pro features read like a wishlist built by someone tired of hauling around an Ultra-sized phone: a smaller body, a 200MP main camera, a bigger battery, and flagship silicon.

Microsoft formally introduced Project Zenith today, building on the developer-optimized Windows 11 experience it previewed at Build 2026. Zenith is a preconfigured "ready-to-code" setup that ships with coding tools and developer-tuned settings built in. It launches first on AMD's Ryzen AI Halo platform, and AMD showed the first Project Zenith device, a mini PC, on stage at IFA earlier today.

Motorola's Swarovski Razr goes on sale September 10 for $899.99, a $100 premium over the standard Razr 2026, The Verge reported. The phone isn't shipping yet.

Apple is testing a new iOS 27 feature called iPhone Handoff that would let one phone number switch between two iPhones through a "companion eSIM" setup, rather than forcing users to manually transfer an eSIM every time they change devices. Apple briefly previewed the capability at WWDC 2026 with the description "Switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number," but didn't explain how it would work.

Huawei's Pura X View now has official China pricing and a full spec sheet, and it's a non-folding phone that borrows the wide-screen proportions foldables made popular, minus the hinge, according to Gagadget. The phone packs a 6.39-inch, 16:9.5 OLED display into a conventional slab body, noticeably wider than the 19.5:9 ratio most phones use. China retail sales begin September 9, with pricing starting around $845 for the base configuration, and Huawei has not announced a US or UK launch.

Apple is reportedly weighing App Store revenue changes, and the one detail with a name attached to it is a possible increase to the $99 annual developer membership fee. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, relayed by 9to5Mac this week, reports that Apple leadership, described as new CEO John Ternus and services SVP Eddy Cue, wants to "raise margins and squeeze additional recurring revenue from the platform." That's the only specific change identified in the reporting. Apple hasn't announced it.

Xbox Cloud Gaming is getting a cap for the first time since it launched. Starting in November, Game Pass Essential, Premium, and Ultimate subscribers will each get a fixed number of cloud streaming hours per month, ending unlimited access across all three Game Pass tiers. Ultimate has offered uncapped cloud gaming since 2020, while Premium and Essential gained it less than a year ago.

The downsides of switching from MacBook to Windows are narrower than the horror stories suggest, but they're real enough to plan around before you buy. The hardest part usually isn't the new hardware. It's relearning shortcuts, losing part of the iPhone integration Mac owners take for granted, and discovering that "Windows laptop" describes machines with substantially different battery life, build quality, and app compatibility depending on which one you pick, according to Engadget.

Google's own product page for the Pixel 11 shows a short video of a color-shifting orb glowing on the side of the camera bar, The Verge reported last month. That single detail is confirmed, straight from Google's store, not a leak. The rest of the Google Pixel 11 Pro teaser story, including the feature's name, whether it's limited to the Pro model, and whether it replaces an existing sensor, comes from one outlet's reading of leaked information rather than any spec sheet Google has published,...

No iOS 27 developer beta 5 or iPadOS 27 beta 5 turns up in the reporting compiled for this piece. The newest confirmed build documented is developer beta 4, released July 20, which iClarified describes as continuing to refine both operating systems ahead of their fall launch.