8 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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The best iPhonesThe best iPhones
Allison Johnson
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Take a message, leak a message.

9to5Google spotted reports across Reddit that Pixel phones’ Take a Message live voicemail transcription is leaking audio from the recipient’s microphone back to the caller. It doesn’t seem to be affecting every Pixel — 9to5Google couldn’t replicate the bug — and could be limited to older handsets. Google says it’s investigating.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Air in name only.

Redmagic’s new 11 Air just launched in China. Sounds thin and light, right? Well, sort of — at 8mm thick and 207g it’s smaller than Redmagic’s liquid-cooled 11 Pro, but a far cry from the 5.6mm, 165g iPhone Air. Still, not bad for a phone with a 7,000mAh battery and built-in fan.

Render of Redmagic 11 Air in black or white versions, with CGI rings around them.
The 11 Air is svelte for a gaming phone, but still pretty big — and it’s no smaller than the previous 10 Air.
Image: Redmagic
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Samsung’s new AI Bixby is coming to phones.

The new “conversational” Bixby sounds similar to the one already rolled out on some Samsung TVs, bolstered by web search powered by Perplexity. It’s available in beta in One UI 8.5, which we’re expecting to launch alongside the Galaxy S26 series some time next month.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
“High-friction.”

That’s how Google Play’s “chief product explainer” Matthew Forsythe describes the in-development Android sideloading workflow designed to allow “experienced users” to install apps from unverified developers, with multiple warnings to explain the risks.

Matthew Forsythe on X

[X (formerly Twitter)]

Verizon’s wireless network is back online after outageVerizon’s wireless network is back online after outage
Richard Lawler and Jess Weatherbed
The best phone to buy right nowThe best phone to buy right now
Allison Johnson
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
A smaller version of this modernized BlackBerry is coming.

If you were tempted by the Unihertz Titan 2 when the Android-running 5G BlackBerry clone was announced last June but wanted a more svelte device to slip into your pocket, a successor is enroute. The company plans to announce a new smaller and sleeker Titan 2 Elite version at MWC in March 2026.

The Unihertz Titan 2 Elite smartphone showing a messaging app on screen.
We don’t yet know what will power the Titan 2 Elite but the phone will feature a smaller design than the original Titan 2 with rounded corners that look more comfortable to pocket.
Image: Unihertz
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
T-Mobile is trying out holograms for in-store demos.

It’s partnering with Samsung to show off the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Watch 8 as holograms in select stores across New York, Seattle, and other locations. But based on the video shared by T-Mobile, it looks like you’ll still be able to get your hands on the physical device alongside the 3D visualization.

Allison Johnson
Allison Johnson
Don’t mind if I do.

When I wasn’t looking at huge phones at CES I managed to track down a small one: the ikko MindOne Pro. It offers a 4-inch OLED panel and a 50-megapixel camera that flips up for selfies. The MindOne Pro will ship with Android 15 as well as a proprietary OS with AI apps that you can also use as a kind of focus mode. It’s in late stages of Kickstarter funding with shipping promised for February.

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Honor steps up to the big leagues with the Magic 8 Pro

7

Verge Score

The company’s best phone camera yet can compete with anything around.

Dominic Preston
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Motorola’s first book-style foldable looks sleek and slim at CES.

The Verge’s Allison Johnson got to try out the 6.6-inch outside / 8.1-inch inside Razr Fold, which looks a bit thinner than Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold in her quick side-by-side of the two foldables.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
T-Mobile’s new Better Value plan has a bunch of perks at a cheaper price.

The plan starts at $140 / month for three lines and will only be available for a limited time when it launches on January 14th. It comes with many of the same perks as T-Mobile’s pricer $170 / month Experience Beyond plan, including unlimited 5G and hotspot data, satellite connectivity, and subscriptions to Netflix and Hulu.

The biggest difference is that Better Value allows for phone upgrades every two years (not annually).

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
The FIFA flip.

Soccer’s governing body isn’t at its most popular right now, from price gouging complaints to allegedly breaking its own rules giving a “peace prize” to Donald Trump. But hey, it’s a World Cup year, so you can’t blame it for trying its luck with this branded version of last year’s regular Motorola Razr.

Image of two FIFA-branded Razr phones resting on each other
FIFA World Cup 2026 Motorola Razr with its box
A female fan holds a FIFA-branded Razr phone as she gestures to the camera, and two male phones behind her hold flags
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That geometric design is intended to capture “the energy, inclusivity, and momentum” of the World Cup.
Image: Motorola
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Honor’s Robot Phone doesn’t dance.

The Verge’s Dominic Preston got a look at a static prototype of the phone this week, but unlike Boston Dynamics’ Spot robots, the phone’s fancy camera didn’t move. In case you missed the announcement for the Robot Phone and its gimbal camera (which is apparently intelligent), check out this video for a recap of what we know so far.