Fujifilm has released the Instax Link Wide 2, an updated portable smartphone photo printer that prints on Instax Wide instant film. The new model adds interactive features including Photo Mixer for creating collages, over 1,600 stickers, frames, filters, and QR code functionality through the accompanying app, with pricing starting at $179.95 in the US.
OpenAI acquired smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for over $300 million. Founded in 2019 by former Apple engineers Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop, the company uses AI and neural networks to improve smartphone camera image quality in real time. The purchase aligns with OpenAI's reported plans to develop its own hardware devices.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 is a book-style foldable phone that opens into a large tablet-like screen for productivity tasks like reading PDFs, running spreadsheets, or using multiple apps simultaneously, while closing to pocket size for quick tasks on its cover display. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, improved hinge design with a less noticeable crease, Galaxy AI capabilities, and is currently discounted to $1,650 from $1,900 on Amazon.
Samsung's Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra will feature M16 OLED panels, marking the first major OLED upgrade in three years, offering higher brightness, power efficiency, and color accuracy. The S27 and S27+ will use M14 panels. Samsung's foldable Z series is also expected to adopt M16 panels in 2027.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 is an impressive foldable smartphone with a wider format, slim design, and strong performance, but it falls short of perfection due to a missing telephoto lens, thermal throttling issues, lack of S Pen support, and a steep $1,899 starting price that limits its appeal beyond dedicated foldable enthusiasts.
Motorola has teased a new compact, book-style foldable Razr phone to compete with recent announcements from Apple and Samsung. The device features a wider screen format and thicker design than previous models, though Motorola has not yet revealed its name, timeline, or detailed specifications.
Purism offers the Liberty Phone, a smartphone manufactured outside China and independent of Google and Apple's ecosystems, paired with an unlimited cellular plan for $99 per month.
Apple's new A20 Pro chip delivers around 25% faster performance than its predecessor according to Geekbench 6 benchmarks, with single-core scores of 4,719 and multi-core scores of 12,677. The chip will power Apple's first foldable iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro devices launching September 18, featuring a refined 2nm process with new super-cores and efficiency cores.
Honor unveiled the Magic 9 Pro Max flagship smartphone, featuring a distinctive large camera system designed in collaboration with ARRI and inspired by the company's iconic cinema cameras. The device adopts an iPhone-like camera island design and will launch in China on September 28, with a global release expected later.
Vivo has officially confirmed the X500 Pro Max's design with two color options and released a promotional video showcasing impressive 4K video footage captured by a professional creator using the phone's new Zeiss cameras. The flagship is set to launch on September 8 with availability expected in global markets including India and Europe within weeks.
Apple is set to unveil its first foldable iPhone, rumored to be called iPhone Ultra or iPhone Duo, at a September 9 event. The device features an outside display that folds like a book to double screen size, but is expected to cost over $2,000 and face supply constraints due to chip shortages and high demand. The phone will include a new processor, 12GB RAM, and software changes to support dual displays, though it may sacrifice features like telephoto cameras and facial recognition.