Yesterday, I mentioned how GPD is teasing the most potent handheld yet made — a GPD Win 5 that will house the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip, with AMD’s most powerful integrated graphics yet, inside a PlayStation Vita-shaped machine.
If you’ve been wondering how that huge chip could even fit, handheld expert Cary “The Phawx” Golomb now has the answer: the 7-inch handheld will apparently have no internal battery taking up space. The Win 5 is designed to either be plugged into the wall, with a gaming laptop sized 180-watt charger providing the juice — or powered by a big 80 watt-hour external battery “backpack” that will (only? additionally?) be sold separately.
We can see the full spec sheet for the new Win 5 in the Phawx’s video, and as he notes, GPD had to make its Win 5 larger than the Win 4 even before you add that backpack battery.
While the Win 4 is a compact 6-inch handheld with a 45 watt-hour pack, the Win 5 with its 7-inch screen will be narrower but thicker than the Asus ROG Ally X handheld — which is an apt comparison, considering that handheld similarly pairs a 7-inch screen with an 80 watt-hour battery pack.
Here, though, the battery will add extra girth: it’s roughly 4 inches (110mm) wide and tall, and 0.7 inches (18mm) deep; it’s not clear how it attaches yet, as GPD has only shared the one dark video of the Win 5 filmed from the front, but the spec sheet mentions a “Battery to Host Dedicated Connector” as an accessory, so it might require plugging in a cable.
If you’re curious what the handheld’s controls might look like in better light, I tried brightening it up:
Other intriguing things we can see in the full spec sheet include:
A 120Hz variable refresh rate screen, where the Win 4 was limited to 60Hz
Two configs: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (16C/32T/ Radeon 8060S) or AI Max 385 (8C/16T/ Radeon 8050S)
32, 64, or even the full 128GB of unified memory AMD offers for these chips
USB-4 with 100W PD charging and 8K/60 DP output
Two fans and four heat pipes for cooling
An optional HDMI and USB dock with a “battery charging slot,” presumably for the external battery
No mention of any integrated keyboard, whereas previous Win devices had a hidden keyboard underneath a sliding screen
You can peruse the whole sheet at your leisure in the Phawx’s video or the screenshots we took from Phawx (with his permission) below. Be sure to tap a couple of times to make them large enough for full reading.
DJI barely sells drones in the United States anymore. The shelves are bare; resellers are jacking up prices. It appears an unofficial ban at US customs is to blame. But on Amazon, you can now buy a drone that's a a dead ringer for the DJI Mini 4 Pro - the SkyRover X1 - for a reasonable $758. And that's probably because DJI made it happen.
There's evidence suggesting so, and DJI was not able to deny the SkyRover X1 was a DJI product one day after we reached out.
As reported by DroneXL, security researchers have discovered the SkyRover X1 not onlyhas the same specs, features, and an incredibly similar app to the one DJI provides for its dro …
This week, I take a look at the surprisingly strong state of Google, Meta gets a new chief AI researcher, and more. If you haven't already, be sure to check out this week's Decoder episode about deepfakes and where they are headed.
Also, do you use an AI coding tool like Cursor or GitHub Copilot? I'd love to know what works and what doesn't…
"I think we are doing very well through this moment"
After spending time with Google executives during the company's I/O conference in May, it was clear that they were feeling confident. Now, I'm beginning to see why.
ChatGPT is not making Google Search obsolete. If anything, AI is making Google st …
Streaming has become a tangled web of subscriptions, and now Comcast says it can help by putting all your services into one hub. Comcast is launching a new hub on its set-top boxes, called the StreamStore, where you can buy and manage subscriptions for more than 450 streaming apps and channels.
The StreamStore lives within Xfinity’s Xumo Stream Box and on X1 devices. It’s also available on the web, and features a collection of more than 200,000 movies and TV shows to rent or purchase. Xfinity will let you add or drop channels through the store, while tacking on new subscriptions to your monthly internet or TV bill, further positioning the company as a sort of streaming broker.
Other cable / telecom companies like Verizon have tried to step in as a digital subscription service middleman, though Comcast is taking things a step further by putting this hub on your TV. But is streaming really messy enough that you need Comcast to manage it?
Some services included in the StreamStore include Netflix, Peacock, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Hulu, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max, and over 100 “niche” streaming subscriptions, according to LightReading.Xfinity already offers its own StreamSaver bundle, which includes a subscription to Apple TV Plus, Netflix with ads, and Peacock’s ad-supported plan for $15 per month.
The bundle is, of course, available through the StreamStore, and Xfinity says it plans on bringing new streaming bundles, apps, and “enhanced subscription management and activation capabilities” to the hub in the future.
(Disclosure: Comcast is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.)
As promised, Apple has finally revealed Pluribus, a new show from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan that’s coming to Apple TV Plus. In addition to a very brief teaser involving some gross donut behavior, the streamer also confirmed that the show will premiere on November 7th.
The show has been in the works for a while, as Apple first announced that it had picked up a Gilligan project back in 2022. It stars Rhea Seehorn, who previously worked with Gilligan on Better Call Saul. But there aren’t a lot of details other than that. According to Apple, the show — which is already confirmed for a second season –is about “the most miserable person on Earth” who “must save the world from happiness.” The rest of the cast includes Karolina Wydra, Carlos Manuel Vesga, Miriam Shor, and Samba Schutte.
While details are slim, we do at least have one single image of Seehorn in the show:
Pluribus also adds to an ever-growing lineup of science fiction series on Apple TV Plus, including recent shows like Murderbot and new seasons of Foundation and Invasion, along with upcoming projects like an adaptation of Neuromancer.
Activists around the world are calling attention to harassment they’ve faced on Meta’s platforms. More than 90 percent of land and environmental defenders surveyed by Global Witness, a nonprofit organization that also tracks the murders of environmental advocates, reported experiencing some kind of online abuse or harassment connected to their work. Facebook was the most-cited platform, followed by X, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Global Witness and many of the activists it surveyed are calling on Meta and its peers to do more to address harassment and misinformation on their platforms. Left to fester, they fear that online attacks could fuel real-world risks to activists. Around 75 percent of people surveyed said they believed that online abuse they experienced corresponded to offline harm.
“Those stats really stayed with me. They were so much higher than we expected them to be,” Ava Lee, campaign strategy lead on digital threats at Global Witness, tells The Verge. That’s despite expecting a gloomy outcome based on prior anecdotal accounts. “It has kind of long been known that the experience of climate activists and environmental defenders online is pretty awful,” Lee says.
Left to fester, they fear that online attacks could fuel real-world risks
Global Witness surveyed more than 200 people between November 2024 and March of this year that it was able to reach through the same networks it taps when documenting the killings of land and environmental defenders. It found Meta-owned platforms to be “the most toxic.” Around 62 percent of participants said they encountered abuse on Facebook, 36 percent on WhatsApp, and 26 percent on Instagram.
That probably reflects how popular Meta’s platforms are around the world. Facebook has more than 3 billion active monthly users, more than a third of the global population. But Meta also abandoned its third-party fact-checking program in January, which critics warned could lead to more hate speech and disinformation. Meta moved to a crowdsourced approach to content moderation similar to X, where 37 percent of survey participants reported experiencing abuse.
In May, Meta reported a “small increase in the prevalence of bullying and harassment content” on Facebook as well as “a small increase in the prevalence of violent and graphic content” during the first quarter of 2025.
“That’s sort of the irony as well, of them moving towards this kind of free speech model, which actually we’re seeing that it’s silencing certain voices,” says Hannah Sharpe, a senior campaigner at Global Witness.
Fatrisia Ain leads a local collective of women in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where she says palm oil companies have seized farmers’ lands and contaminated a river local villagers used to be able to rely on for drinking water. Posts on Facebook have accused her of being a communist, a dangerous allegation in her country, she tells The Verge.
Ain says she’s asked Facebook to take down several posts attacking her, without success. “They said it’s not dangerous, so they can’t take it down. It is dangerous. I hope that Meta would understand, in Indonesia, it’s dangerous,” Ain says.
Other posts have accused Ain of trying to defraud farmers and of having an affair with a married man, which she sees as attempts to discredit her that could wind up exposing her to more threats in the real world — which has already been hostile to her activism. “Women who are being the defenders for my own community are more vulnerable than men … more people harass you with so many things,” she says.
Nearly two-thirds of people who responded to the Global Witness survey said that they have feared for their safety, including Ain. She’s been physically targeted at protests against palm oil companies accused of failing to pay farmers, she tells The Verge. During a protest outside of a government office, men grabbed her butt and chest, she says. Now, when she leads protests, older women activists surround her to protect her as a security measure.
In the Global Witness survey, nearly a quarter of respondents said they’d been attacked on the basis of their sex. “There’s evidence of the way that women and women of color in particular in politics experience just vast amounts more hate than any other group,” Lee says. “Again, we’re seeing that play out when it comes to defenders … and the threats of sexual violence, and the impact that that is having on the mental health of lots of these defenders and their ability to feel safe.”
“We encourage people to use tools available on our platforms to help protect against bullying and harassment,” Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton said in an email to The Verge, adding that the company is reviewing Facebook posts that targeted Ain. Meta also pointed to its “HiddenWords” feature that allows you to filter offensive direct messages and comments on your posts and its “Limits” feature that hides comments on your posts from users that don’t follow you.
Other companies mentioned in the report, including Google, TikTok, and X, did not provide on-the-record responses to inquiries from The Verge. Nor did a palm oil company Ain says has been operating on local farmers’ land without paying them, as they’re supposed to do under a mandated profit-sharing scheme.
Global Witness says there are concrete steps social media companies can take to address harassment on their platforms. That includes dedicating more resources to their content moderation systems, regularly reviewing these systems, and inviting public input on the process. Activists surveyed also reported that they think algorithms that boost polarizing content and the proliferation of bots on platforms make the problem worse.
“There are a number of choices that platforms could make,” Lee says. “Resourcing is a choice, and they could be putting more money into really good content moderation and really good trust and safety [initiatives] to improve things.”
Global Witness plans to put out its next report on the killings of land and environmental defenders in September. Its last such report found that at least 196 people were killed in 2023.
In March, charging giant Anker announced it would spin out its 3D printer business into an "independent sub-brand," stating that the new EufyMake would "continue to provide comprehensive customer service and support" for its original 3D printers the AnkerMake M5 and M5C.
Now, the 3D printing community is wondering whether that was all a euphemism for exiting the 3D printer business. eufyMake is no longer selling any 3D printers and has stopped selling some of the parts it would need to provide anything close to "comprehensive support."
Anker confirmsto The Verge that it has stopped selling the M5 and M5C 3D printers indefinitely. Spokes …
The Nintendo Switch 2 is easier to find than ever.
Perhaps we've been thinking the same thing, you and I. That there won't be a long-standing drought of Nintendo Switch 2 availability after all. The console has been easy to buy online from several retailers this week, including Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Amazon, which didn't sell the Switch 2 at launch, is currently selling it by invitation only.
The console's messy preorder process and spotty launch availability made it feel a little like late 2020 all over again, when the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs launched in extremely limited quantities due to component shortages. However, Nintendo appears to have ad …
James Gunn knows that most people are familiar with Superman's origin story, which is why DC Studios' new feature about the Man of Steel opens at a point when he has already become a world famous superhero. Instead of rehashing the tragic beats of Krypton's destruction, the movieis punctuated with moments that show you how deeply Superman cherishes the few remaining pieces of his homeworld. He loves his Kryptonian family crest and his out-of-control superdog. But the most impressive and alien keepsake that Clark Kent holds close to his heart is a massive stronghold buried deep beneath the ice in Antarctica.
A vehicle Tesla is using for robotaxi testing purposes on Oltorf Street in Austin, Texas, US, on Sunday, June 22, 2025.
Tesla wants to bring its robotaxi service to new markets, including cities in Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and California, Elon Musk said in an earnings call Wednesday. The company is testing its Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature in Europe and China, and hopes the launch the controversial product in the near future. And it is plotting a new version of its Optimus humanoid robot.
"We have done what we said we were going to do," Musk said. "That doesn't mean we're always on time, but we get it done. And our naysayers are sitting there with egg on their face."
It was another sign that Musk wasn't going to let the limitations of his compan …
Android Authority isolated the image of the four phones it found on the Play Store banner. | Image: Android Authority
Google seems to have revealed its entire Pixel 10 lineup a little less than a month before its launch event. On Wednesday, Android Authority said it managed to uncover a banner of the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold while “poking around” on the Google Play Store on Android.
The banner doesn’t appear directly on the Play Store right now, which means Android Authority likely took some extra steps to enable it. Still, it clearly shows all four devices with the text, “Meet the new Pixel 10 Series.” The Pixel 10 Pro XL, 10 Pro Fold, and 10 Pro seem to appear in the silver-blue “Moonstone” color, while the base Pixel 10 is shown in bright blue.
The designs — and colors — of the devices in the banner line up with the flood of leaks we’ve seen in recent weeks, including the teaser shared by Google itself. The banner also shows a promotion offering $50 off the devices that will remain in effect until October 13th.
You’re getting a lot of TV at the discounted price. | Image: The Verge
Finding a quality budget TV isn’t as hard as it used to be, with numerous deals happening throughout the year. Case in point, the 65-inch configuration of Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED Series is back down to its Prime Day low of $449.99 ($270 off). The discount makes it cheaper than the starting price of the smaller 55-inch model.
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
Amazon’s Fire TV Omni QLED features built-in microphones for Alexa commands, low input lag, and support for two-way video calling with a compatible webcam. It also provides access to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and most major streaming services.
The Fire TV Omni QLED Series sits above Amazon’s standard Fire TV Omni Series and 4-Series sets, but it’s not quite as advanced as the newer Omni Mini-LED Series. It features a 4K resolution and uses a layer of quantum dots to improve aspects like color accuracy and brightness. It also supports full-array local dimming, offering better backlighting and contrast than an edge-lit set. The technology also helps reduce blooming, which is that annoying glow of light around bright objects on dark backgrounds. Both of these technologies can have a big impact on overall image quality when watching movies and playing games.
There are three HDMI 2.0 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port with eARC. While the TV features a 4K panel, its refresh rate tops out at 60Hz. That means you won’t get to enjoy the smoother animations offered by 120Hz, which is supported by current generation consoles. That said, the TV offers support for advanced HDR formats and boasts a built-in sensor that automatically optimizes the brightness based on the ambient light in your room.
Additionally, the Fire TV Omni QLED Series features Amazon’s ambient experience. This turns the TV into a canvas for displaying over 2,000 works of fine art and photography, personal photos, and helpful Alexa widgets. Speaking of Alexa, the TV has integrated microphones (with an on/off switch) that offers hands-free control, making it easy to set timers, check sports scores, and turn on your favorite movie. You can also bring up a live camera feed from your home security system when someone approaches your front door.
Google is all-in on AI, and based on the company’s latest quarterly earnings, AI has been good for its bottom line. In a press release for Alphabet’s Q2 2025 earnings, CEO Sundar Pichai said that “AI is positively impacting every part of the business” and that features like AI Overviews and AI Mode are “performing well.”
The company is also planning to increase its planned capital expenditures for the year up to $85 billion, according to Pichai. That’s an increase of $10 billion, and could be a sign that Alphabet wants to keep pace with massive data center buildouts from companies like OpenAI and Meta. “Our updated outlook reflects additional investment in servers, the timing of delivery of servers, and an acceleration in the pace of datacenter construction, primarily to meet cloud customer demand,” CFO Anat Ashkenazi said during Alphabet’s Q2 earnings call.
For the quarter, Alphabet reported revenue of $96.4 billion, up 14 percent year over year, with revenues for its “Google Search” segment reaching $54.1 billion.
Pichai’s comments in the press release on AI align with recent findings from Pew, which suggested that AI Overviews appear to be successful at getting people answers but at the expense of clicks through to the websites that would otherwise offer them.
AI Mode also has more than 100 million monthly active users in the US and India, while AI Overviews has more than 2 billion monthly users across “more than 200 countries and territories and 40 languages,” Pichai said during the call. “We are also seeing that our AI features cause users to search more as they learn that Search can meet more of their needs,” which is “especially true for younger users.” Pichai also said that the Gemini app now has 450 million monthly active users, “with daily requests growing over 50 percent from Q1.”
At the same time, Google is anticipating the ruling from the remedy phase of the Department of Justice’s lawsuit, which took place during the second quarter as well. Last August, a judge ruled that Google “is a monopolist” in that antitrust case, and remedies could include Google getting broken up. (A lot of companies have expressed interest in buying Chrome.)
Tesla released its second quarter financial earnings today, offering the latest evidence of the damage Elon Musk’s political activities have done to his flagship company.
Tesla said it earned $1.17 billion in net income on $22.5 billion in revenue. That’s above Wall Street expectations of $22.3 billion but represents a 12 percent decrease year over year compared to $25.5 billion in revenue in Q2 2024.
The company’s profits also slid dramatically, logging a 16 percent decrease in net income for the second quarter year over year. And Tesla’s automotive revenue — the money it earns from car sales — slid 16.6 percent year over year, from $19.9 billion in Q2 2024 to $16.6 billion in this most recent quarter. The sale of $439 million in regulatory credits once again buoyed Tesla’s finances — though those are expected to dry up soon after congressional Republicans approved President Donald Trump’s plan to zero out fines for automakers who exceed fuel-efficiency targets.
The company’s profits also slid dramatically, logging a 16 percent decrease in net income for the second quarter year over year.
The earnings comes on the heels of another terrible quarterly sales report for the company. Tesla said it delivered a total of 384,122 vehicles, a 14 percent decline compared to Q2 2024. (For a direct-to-consumer company like Tesla, deliveries are a proxy for sales.)
Tesla said its operating income decreased 42 percent year over year to less than $1 billion, with almost half coming from the sale of regulatory credits to other automakers (again, revenue that is expected to almost vanish in the months to come). Tesla’s cash pile decreased by $200 million in Q2 to $36.8 billion, and free cash flow (or the amount of cash the company has generated after accounting for its day-to-day operating expenses and capital expenditures) was at just $100 million. Some analysts predict that Tesla’s free-cash flow could actually turn negative later this year, which could trigger a steep drop in share price.
In its report, Tesla said it has completed “first builds of a more affordable model in June, with volume production planned for the second half of 2025.” These affordable models are expected to be stripped down versions of the Model 3 and Model Y, rather than a new vehicle program altogether, which is what many investors had hoped for. The company said it also is continuing to develop both the Tesla Semi and Cybercab, which are expected to enter volume production in 2026.
Tesla also gestured at the economic uncertainty caused by the Trump administration’s trade war, as well as “political sentiment” that has turned its brand toxic for many customers. That said, the company failed to mention politics or Musk’s growing unpopularity in its reasons for the drop in revenue, instead citing falling sales, lower regulatory credit revenue, a reduced average vehicle selling price, and decline in energy generation and storage revenue.
After years of exponential growth, the sudden reversal in Tesla’s fortune has left many investors and supporters with whiplash. Tesla now serves as a sobering example of what happens when a company is left on autopilot (or Autopilot, as it were) while its high-profile CEO gets distracted by questionable side quests.
After years of exponential growth, the sudden reversal in Tesla’s fortune has left many investors and supporters with whiplash.
Musk publicly stepped away from his controversial position as the head of DOGE, the Trump administration’s effort to slash “waste, fraud, and abuse” from the federal government that has mostly resulted in huge cuts to global humanitarian aid and the firing of thousands of federal workers. But even though he is now publicly feuding with Trump, Musk hasn’t completely backed away from his political activities. Earlier this month, he said he would create a new political party called “the America Party,” following through on his threat to challenge Republicans who supported Trump’s budget bill.
As Musk slides deeper into politics, investors have urged him to stay focused on Tesla and its costly — and questionable — project to build more self-driving cars and humanoid robots. The company rolled out its first robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, last month — although the service fell short of Musk’s earlier predictions. The vehicles were only available to a group of pro-Tesla influencers, and each car came with a safety monitor in the passenger seat who had access to a kill switch.
While Musk would like investors to focus on Tesla’s work with AI and self-driving cars, the company is still in the business of making and selling cars. But as competition heats up in China and Europe, here in the US, federal incentives that lower the price of most EVs are scheduled to disappear by the end of September — again, thanks to Trump’s bill. After that happens, Tesla’s sales are predicted to drop even more.
Tesla’s response to its demand crisis has been — you guessed it — deals, deals, and more deals. In recent days, the automaker has rolled out a series of discounts and financing incentives on all of its models, as it seeks to capitalize on what is likely to be its last best chance at a successful sales quarter this fall.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and President Donald Trump during the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on July 15. | Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images
At an AI and fossil fuel lovefest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania last week, President Donald Trump - flanked by cabinet members and executives from major tech and energy giants like Google and ExxonMobil - said that "the most important man of the day" was Environmental Protection Agency head Lee Zeldin. "He's gonna get you a permit for the largest electric producing plant in the world in about a week, would you say?" Trump said to chuckles in the audience. Later that week, the Trump administration exempted coal-fired power plants, facilities that make chemicals for semiconductor manufacturing, and certain other industrial sites from Biden-era a …
T-Mobile’s satellite service is now available to people across the US — and not just T-Mobile customers. On Wednesday, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced that the Starlink-powered service is officially out of beta, though it only supports text messaging and location-sharing for now.
The new satellite coverage option is called “T-Satellite,” and it’s currently available as a standalone subscription. It’s being offered at $10 per month for a “limited time,” before increasing to $15 per month. It also comes included for customers on the carrier’s $100 per month Experience Beyond or older Go5G plans.
Your device will automatically connect to T-Satellite if you’re in an area with no cellular coverage. As long as there isn’t a heavy amount of cloud coverage or trees blocking your view of the sky, you should be able to send and receive text messages, including to 911, as well as share a link that temporarily tracks your location. T-Mobile’s support page says the ability to send pictures is available on “most” Android phones, and the company plans on adding support for more devices soon.
T-Mobile is also aiming to enable voice messages and will eventually allow devices to connect to “satellite-optimized” apps, which it previously said could include AllTrails, Accuweather, and WhatsApp. The more than 650 Starlink satellites used by T-Mobile cover the continental US, Hawaii, parts of southern Alaska, and Puerto Rico. The carrier says it’s working on offering satellite connectivity while abroad and in international waters as well.
Apple currently offers the ability to send texts and emergency messages from the iPhone 14 and later for free, but it plans to eventually charge for it (there still aren’t any details on price). Google also added a satellite SOS feature to the Pixel 9 that’s free to use for two years after activation. While signing up for satellite service through T-Mobile may seem redundant, the carrier offers support for more phones, and also plans on adding new capabilities like picture and voice messaging.
In order to use T-Satellite, you’ll need to have an unlocked device with support for eSIMs and satellite connectivity. Right now, more than 60 different phones can use T-Satellite, including the iPhone 13 and up, Google Pixel 9, and the Samsung Galaxy 21 and newer. You can view the full list of eligible devices on T-Mobile’s website.
Verizon launched its free satellite messaging service with Skylo earlier this year, but unlike with T-Satellite, the service is only available to Verizon customers who have newer devices like the Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9. AT&T is also partnering with AST SpaceMobile to launch satellite texting and voice capabilities.
The White House unveiled its long-awaited “AI Action Plan” on Wednesday, and it included a zombie: a resurrected form of the controversial AI law moratorium that died a very public death.
The failed congressional moratorium would have stipulated that no state could regulate artificial intelligence systems for a 10-year period, on pain of being barred from a $500 million AI development fund and potentially losing rural broadband funding. Trump’s new plan has a similar, albeit more vague, provision buried within it. It states that “AI is far too important to smother in bureaucracy at this early stage” and that the government “should not allow AI-related Federal funding to be directed toward states with burdensome AI regulations that waste these funds,” though it should also “not interfere with states’ rights to pass prudent laws that are not unduly restrictive to innovation.”
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget will work with federal agencies that have “AI-related discretionary funding programs to ensure, consistent with applicable law, that they consider a state’s AI regulatory climate when making funding decisions and limit funding if the state’s AI regulatory regimes may hinder the effectiveness of that funding or award.”
Essentially, states that do choose to enforce their own AI regulations may be punished for it on a federal level, under a different sort of AI law moratorium — one with, as described in this plan, no expiration date.
The AI Action Plan also states that the Federal Communications Commission will lead a charge to “evaluate whether state AI regulations interfere with the agency’s ability to carry out its obligations and authorities under the Communications Act of 1934.” No word yet on what the penalties for that will be.
The official White House press release made no mention of the state guidelines. More detail about Trump’s plan — which encourages rapid adoption of AI tech and expansion of AI infrastructure, as well as attempts to root out diversity and climate science in AI systems used by the government — will come in a series of executive orders this week.
The congressional moratorium initially passed the House of Representatives, but it was largely condemned by Democrats and divisive among some Republicans. Some industry activists believed it would prohibit not just new AI regulation, but data privacy, facial recognition, and other tech-related rules in states like Washington and Colorado.
After an intense 24-hour period of lobbying and back-door dealmaking — including 45 rounds of votes — 99 out of 100 senators voted for the moratorium’s exclusion from Trump’s funding bill.
Now, against all odds, the provision may be coming back from the dead.
A foldable phone isn’t for the faint of heart. They’re generally heavier, pricier, and have less capable cameras than a standard slab-style phone. And while they’re far less fragile than when they first debuted, foldables are still susceptible to the kind of damage a regular smartphone can shrug off. You really don’t want any dust getting in that hinge. But if you’re an adventurous sort of gadget lover, then a folding phone is a rewarding investment.
There are basically two kinds of foldables at the moment — the kind that fold like books and the ones that fold clamshell style, like your old flip phone. Here’s how I think of it: a book-style foldable is like a phone plus a tablet, and a flip-style foldable is a phone plus a smartwatch. The book foldables provide an outer screen for all your regular phone needs, and then a tablet-like inner screen when you want, well, more screen. Flip phones come with a smaller secondary display on the outer panel that’s useful for checking information quickly. When you need to do regular phone stuff, you unfold it.
So while they all fit in one category of folding tech, they’re suited to two very different kinds of people — someone who wants even more phone with their phone and someone who wants to be fully immersed a little less. Whichever category you fit into, you’d be wise to get the manufacturer’s extended warranty with your purchase; fixes can be expensive, and you won’t be able to walk into just any phone repair shop to get them. If you don’t opt for the warranty, you’ll want to be sure you can comfortably afford to replace your phone in the event of a sudden sand-related catastrophe. Death can come swiftly to a folding screen.
If I haven’t scared you off by this point, then you’re probably the kind of person who will have a heck of a good time with a foldable. I’ve used every phone under the sun, and folding phones are some of my favorite gadgets. Run four apps at once! Prop it up like a tiny laptop! Hold it like a camcorder when you shoot video! There are tons of possibilities, and the thrill you get when you fold your phone shut never fully wears off.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the foldable we’ve been waiting for Samsung to create. Unlike the long and narrow form factor of previous Z Fold devices, the Z Fold 7 boasts a more familiar 21:9 aspect ratio, making it feel much less unwieldy to use. At just 8.9mm thick, it’s nearly as slim as standard slab-style devices and doesn’t feel bulky in your pocket. Open it up, and you get a spacious inner display that’s perfect for multitasking, gaming, or simply enjoying more screen real estate. It will even last a day with moderate use, which is relatively good for a folding phone.
The Z Fold 7, however, isn’t without its shortcomings. Notably, its starting price of $1,999 is a huge reminder that this is a luxury device, not a practical choice for everyone. The outer display also has a lower resolution than the screen found in the more affordable Galaxy S25 Ultra, and the camera bump is quite large, resulting in a slight wobble when the phone is placed on flat surfaces. That said, the camera system is top-notch, highlighted by a 200-megapixel lens that performs well in low-light scenarios.
It was going to take a lot to unseat the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as our favorite book-style foldable, but the Z Fold 7 has done just that. The hardware is stunning, and the reworked proportions make it feel much nicer to use. Still, issues like long-term durability remain a concern, while the $1,999 price tag places it out of reach for most.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 offers slight design and performance upgrades compared to the previous generation. The AI-ready Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 now comes with 12GB of RAM and a vapor chamber for cooling. It also has a new 50-megapixel camera sensor that enables 2x optical zoom.
The last-gen Flip 6 lacks some of the imaginative UI touches you can get on Motorola’s Razer Ultra, and the file folder-shaped outer screen feels more cramped than Motorola’s approach to fill the space — minus camera lenses, of course. But it’s more reliable, is scheduled to get seven years of software updates, and Samsung’s extended warranty offers good coverage for that extra peace of mind. Not the most titillating stuff, but it matters.
As you might guess from the name, the Flip 6 is far from Samsung’s first flip-phone rodeo. It comes with some thoughtful updates, like a true always-on display for the cover screen and a tweaked UI for adding widgets more easily. The cameras are good, though far from the best you can get for $1,100, and the battery goes all day. Its IP48 rating means there’s some protection from small particles, but dust is still a concern. Power users will need to download Good Lock to get the most out of the cover screen, but it’s perfectly capable out of the box for someone less adventurous. A bit boring? Yes, but that’s okay.
All that being said, it’s worth noting that we’re currently testing the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7, which, based on our early impressions, appears to be a worthy upgrade. The Z Flip 7 finally offers a proper edge-to-edge cover screen, giving you more room for widgets, using apps, and typing out replies. The new flip-style foldable is also thinner than the Z Flip 6, packs a larger 4,300mAh battery, and supports DeX, a feature that provides a desktop-like experience when connected to an external monitor. It even allows you to use Gemini on the cover screen.
The Razr Ultra is the newest and most advanced member of Motorola’s foldable lineup. Compared to the Razr Plus, it boasts a higher-resolution inner screen, Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile processor, double the storage space, and an upgraded selfie camera. The device is also one of the best-looking phones you can buy — the gold-bronze chassis and wooden back panel lend the Ultra a real elegance. When every phone tends to look the same — even in the foldable market — the Razr Ultra stands out in a crowd, which only adds to its charm.
Beyond its appearance, the Ultra is just plain fun to use. The 4-inch outer screen covers almost the entire front of the phone, making it perfect for checking notifications, responding to messages, and taking quick actions such as hailing an Uber. The titanium hinge is also an upgrade over the stainless steel found in the Razr Plus. While the Ultra is enjoyable, it can’t overcome the gripes we’ve had with previous Motorola foldables, like inconsistent camera processing. Meanwhile, Motorola is only promising three OS upgrades and four years of security updates, which is on the shorter side considering the $1,300 retail price.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: if you live in the US or Europe, you can’t buy the Oppo Find N5. That rules out, well, a lot of us. But if you live in China, Singapore, or any of the other Asian countries Oppo included in its so-called “global” release, then you’re in luck: you can pick up one of the world’s thinnest book-style folding phones, and the rest of us are all very jealous of you.
The Find N5 isn’t all about thinness, either. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is highly capable, the phone is fully water-resistant, and battery life is excellent. It utilizes silicon-carbon battery technology to accommodate a large (by foldable standards) 5,600mAh battery, which easily holds up after a long day of heavy use. What’s even more impressive is that, like the aforementioned Z Fold 7, the Find N5 is still barely thicker than a standard slab-style phone and only slightly heavier. That matters when you’re using the phone via the cover screen for long periods of time or stashing it in the side pocket of your yoga pants. When a foldable is only about as heavy and bulky as a regular phone, using the inner screen feels like getting away with something fantastic — not a benefit you have to make many other sacrifices for. Oppo delivers this in spades, and I just wish more of us could… find it.
The OnePlus Open strikes a great balance in its form factor and offers a clever UI for multitasking that has won plenty of fans since it debuted. But the phone lacks wireless charging and full water resistance — it’s only splash-resistant — and OnePlus’ software support policy isn’t as strong as Google’s and Samsung’s. Read our review.
The Huawei Mate XT gets an honorable mention for its sheer wow factor alone. The “trifold” phone — as it’s been dubbed — contains three screen segments and two hinges, putting it in a category of its own right now. It’s only available in China and a few other countries that don’t include the US or the UK, and it’s monstrously expensive at €3,499. But it’s cool as heck and may be a sign of things to come from other manufacturers. Read our hands-on impressions.
The Motorola Razr Plus 2025 is new to the scene, replacing last year’s model. Although the two devices look identical, there are a few notable changes. The biggest difference is that the Razr Plus 2025 now features a titanium hinge, rather than stainless steel, promising better durability and a less noticeable crease when the device is open. Additionally, the Razr Plus 2025 offers IP48 dust and water resistance, whereas last year’s model featured an IPX8 rating. While we haven’t tested the newest model, it appears to be a solid alternative to the Ultra.
The standard Motorola Razr 2025 is a more affordable entry point into the world of foldables, starting at $699. The Razr 2025 offers improved performance, battery life, and durability — the kind of bumps we expect year after year. It boasts a smaller cover screen compared to the Razr Plus and Ultra, but still offers a spacious 6.9-inch internal display. We haven’t tested the Razr 2025 yet, but its relatively budget-friendly price is a good option for jumping into the foldable market.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is an impressive sophomore effort from Google, offering an ideal form factor that’s a joy to use. When folded, the outer screen matches the dimensions of a regular phone, and the inner screen can get nice and bright outdoors. The whole package is also light enough that it sometimes doesn’t feel like you’re holding a foldable, though it does suffer from a slightly downgraded camera system compared to its slab-style siblings. There’s also no formal dust resistance, so long-term durability remains a concern. Read our review.
What’s coming next
Google has an event scheduled for August 20th, where we’re expecting to learn more about the upcoming Google Pixel 10 series. The company has already given us a glimpse at the standard Pixel 10 ahead of the launch event, but we’re still waiting for information about a new foldable. Rumors suggest Google is gearing up to release the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which could feature an IP68 rating, addressing a common concern about long-term durability in the foldable space.
Update, July 23rd: Adjusted pricing / availability, replaced our No. 1 pick for the “best book-style foldable” with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and added info about Google’s upcoming Pixel event. Brandon Russell also contributed to this post.
Instagram accounts that primarily feature images of children, but are run by adult users, will no longer be recommended to “potentially suspicious adults.” The update was announced in a blog post detailing the latest expansion of Meta’s child safety features, which includes new blocking and reporting capabilities for teenagers and additional protections for adult-managed accounts that feature children.
This comes after a 2023 lawsuit accused Facebook and Instagram of becoming a “marketplace for predators in search of children,” claiming that Meta’s platforms “allowed users to search for, like, share, and sell a crushing volume of [child sexual abuse material].” The same year, an investigation by The Wall Street Journal found that Instagram’s recommendation algorithms were actively promoting networks of pedophiles.
Meta has since introduced a variety of online safety features for Facebook and Instagram userswho are under 18, and some of these are now being expanded to adults who frequently post images of children — a group that Meta says frequently includes parents and talent managers. Instagram will now “avoid recommending” such accounts to suspicious adults, such as those who have been blocked by teens, and in turn avoid steering suspected creeps to adult-run accounts featuring children. The app will also hide comments from potentially suspicious adults on their posts, and make it harder for both kinds of accounts to find each other in Search.
While Meta says that these adult-managed accounts are “overwhelmingly used in benign ways,” the company has also been accused of knowingly allowing parents who sexually exploit their children for financial gain on Facebook and Instagram to remain on the platforms. Hiding potential predators from adult accounts featuring kids builds on Meta’s update last year that stopped accounts that heavily feature children from offering subscriptions or receiving gifts.
Other Teen Account features that are coming to accounts featuring kids in the coming months will automatically default them to Instagram’s strictest message settings and filter out offensive and inappropriate comments. Some additional safety features are rolling out to Instagram DMs that provide Teen accounts with a combined report and block option. Teen users will now also see the month and year that the account they’re messaging with joined Instagram to help them spot potential creeps and scammers.
On Thursday night, I toggled endlessly between a TikTok Live stream and a shopping app in anticipation of 9:30PM. For 30 minutes, I hunted for an available listing; many expletives were uttered. I exhibited bot behavior and got iced out of the app multiple times. I tapped so many times my thumbs got sore. This is Labubu drop night.
Something that's lost in the Labubu mania is that actually buying one from the source is, in one word, maddening. There are, of course, countless fake options ("Lafufus") that some collectors have come to embrace. But if you want a guaranteed real one, you have to go to the source. Pop Mart, the Chinese toy compa …
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