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19/06/2026

Will your Apple Watch run watchOS 27? Apple just quietly dropped 5 current-gen watches from supporting the upgrade, including Ultra and SE models — here is the full list

UPDATE 09/06: This article has been updated to reflect that the Apple Watch Series 9, which was originally missing from Apple's list of watches compatible with watchOS 27, has now been added.

Another WWDC, another set of operating systems. This year's WWDC 2026 keynote has been chock-full of highly-advanced AI-powered features, led by a revamped Siri AI designed to work across the whole Apple ecosystem — but these advanced features need devices capable of running them.

Because Apple updates its software each year, users of older versions of the best iPhones, MacBooks and, of course, the best Apple Watches worry their old technology may not get the new update, and thus official support for it would end.

Although there was no mention of compatibility in this year's keynote speech, the official Apple website confirms it that five watches that support watchOS 26 won't be able to make the upgrade to watchOS 27 — presumably because those models can't handle the new Siri AI.

Here are the watches that will still be supported when watchOS 27 lands later this year:

The full list of compatible models are as follows:
• Apple Watch Series 9
• Apple Watch Series 10
• Apple Watch Series 11
• Apple Watch Ultra 2
• Apple Watch Ultra 3
• Apple Watch SE 3

These are the recent models without support for watchOS 27:
• Apple Watch Series 6
• Apple Watch Series 7
• Apple Watch Series 8
• Apple Watch Ultra
• Apple Watch SE 2

The Apple Watch Series' 6, 7, and 8 do not appear on Apple's list of compatible devices. Users running those watches can only expect to receive basic security and maintenance upgrades in the future.

To read the full article please view the link below.

https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/will-your-apple-watch-run-watchos-27-apple-just-quietly-made-six-current-gen-watches-obsolete-including-ultra-and-se-models-here-is-the-full-list

Image credit: Apple
Article credit: Matt Evans

17/06/2026

How I replaced my Kindle's boring lockscreen with custom wallpapers

I love my Kindle, and it's easily my favourite piece of tech that I own. What I don't love is Amazon's horrendous ads that show up on the cover screen all the time. So, I ripped those ugly ad pages out and replaced them with these beautiful custom wallpapers.

My Kindle now cycles through custom wallpapers. You can also use your personal photos and designs.

First things first. I downloaded these Kindle optimized wallpapers from this website. You can set regular colour images as cover screens for your Kindle too, but they'll either look too dark or too washed out. If you want to use your own pictures, it'd be a good idea to edit them and convert them into grayscale first.

I've set the Kindle to cycle through a whole collection of screen savers. I downloaded a bunch of wallpapers, put them in a folder, and now whenever I turn the screen off, it randomly switches to one of those wallpapers. I can also set a single, static screensaver. But my favorite setting is to let the cover of whatever book I'm currently reading become the screensaver. That way, whenever I spot my Kindle lying around, the screen cover reminds me to continue the book I started. It makes the Kindle feel a little bit more like a paperback.

Amazon doesn't let you change the Kindle screensaver, even if you pay to remove ads. The most you get is that Amazon lets you set the current book cover as the screensaver. If you don't want that, the Kindle will default to its built-in wallpaper gallery. To actually make this work, I had to jailbreak my Kindle. Don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds.

To read the full article please view the link below.
https://www.howtogeek.com/replaced-kindle-boring-lockscreen-custom-wallpapers/

Image credit: Faisal Rasool
Article Credit: Faisal Rasool How-To Geek

11/06/2026

I was amazed by the performance of the Xiaomi 17T — and only a few drawbacks spoil this otherwise great-value Android phone

Looks like an iPhone, acts like an iPhone?

Xiaomi 17T: Two-minute review

The Xiaomi 17T is an Android smartphone with an impressive spec, including prestigious Leica lenses in the camera.

It looks almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro, sharing pretty much the same dimensions and camera design. The bright Violet colorway of my review unit did help to make it a little less anonymous, though.

The 17T seems well-made. The materials feel quite premium, but peer closely and you’ll see it’s not quite on the same level as the best phones. It’s by no means flimsy, but it doesn’t quite match the refinement of others.

The display is sharp, vivid, and bright — as you would expect from a 1.5K AMOLED. The 120Hz refresh rate makes motion smooth, too. However, shades of black are perhaps a little too muddled, making it hard to discern fine details in dark content.
Xiaomi makes much of the Leica lenses in its marketing for the 17T, and on the surface, it's right to. There are three rear cameras: a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 50MP 5x telephoto.

Taking photos is a breeze and the results are clear and vibrant, if not quite as stunning as those of other phone cameras. There are several AI features for shooting, but these are relatively basic compared to others — which I’m thankful for. There are also such features for the phone’s system as a whole, but again these are mercifully limited in scope.

The brand’s HyperOS is a superb instance of Android. It’s incredibly smooth and easy to navigate, free as it is from clutter or confusing UI elements. Numerous first-party apps come preinstalled, but they’re largely unintrusive. Many are poor substitutes for Google’s counterparts, although one or two are genuinely useful.

To read the full article please view the link below.
https://www.techradar.com/phones/xiaomi-phones/xiaomi-17t-review

Image credit: © Future
Article Credit: Lewis Maddison

08/06/2026

Oops! A Samsung employee may have just leaked the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — here's how it compares to the narrower Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

A choice of tall or wide

The long-rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide — which, confusingly, will reportedly launch simply as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — might be Samsung’s worst-kept secret, and now we’ve seemingly seen the phone in the flesh for the first time.

A photo shared on DCInside’s forum (via ) shows what appears to be the phone being used in a restaurant, presumably by a Samsung employee.

It’s housed in an anti-leak case, designed to hide the details, but you can see that it has a wider screen than a typical phone, and that there’s a dual-lens camera on the back.

To read the full article please view the link below.

https://www.techradar.com/phones/samsung-galaxy-phones/oops-a-samsung-employee-may-have-just-leaked-the-galaxy-z-fold-8-heres-how-it-compares-to-the-narrower-galaxy-z-fold-8-ultra

Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future
Article Credit: James Rogerson

04/06/2026

Samsung finally fixed One UI's messy Quick Settings to match the Pixel

I am not the biggest fan of Samsung phones, and that’s mostly due to the software. The plethora of features and options is nice, but I just don’t like some of Samsung’s design choices. Thankfully, One UI 8.5 improved one such thing in a big way: the Quick Settings panel.

Now, I actually have a couple of gripes with Samsung’s Quick Settings panel—the area that houses the buttons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane Mode, and more. First, it’s been pushing separated notifications and Quick Settings. This is the last thing anyone should copy from an iPhone, and I’m worried Google might be following soon. My second problem is simply the weird way in which the Quick Settings toggles are organized. Allow me to explain.

Samsung Quick Settings before One UI 8.5. Not much room for customization

There are a few oddities about Samsung’s Quick Settings panel, and One UI 8.5 has more or less solved them. Previously, when you expanded the full Quick Settings, you’d see various toggles grouped together into sections that could be edited and moved around.

Typically, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth were double-wide toggles paired at the top, followed by a section for small toggles that requires yet another swipe to expand, brightness and volume sliders, and then more double-wide toggles for things like Nearby Devices, Modes, etc. These sections could be moved around, but not mixed together—I always found that very strange.

To read the full article please view the link below.

https://www.howtogeek.com/samsung-finally-fixed-one-ui-messy-quick-settings-to-match-the-pixel/

Image credit: Joe Fedewa How-To Geek
Article Credit: Joe Fedewa

01/06/2026

Samsung and Google, wake up—Nothing is making phones fun again

The modern smartphone landscape is a creative desert. Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is technically outstanding, but held back by an uninspired design and generic software. Google's Pixel 10 Pro? It's better-looking, but won't thrill you unless you prize camera quality and AI. Even foldables have settled into a groove, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 pulling bolder ideas like the S Pen in the name of thinness.

Simply speaking, most phones are boring. They're tools that run your must-have apps and take your vacation photos. That's fine for some, but there's no joy to picking them up, no sense that your Galaxy or Pixel is special. Pablo Picasso, who argued that art washes away the "dust of everyday life," wouldn't be happy.

That's why Nothing, a UK mobile startup launched by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, is so important. Even if its phones aren't always the most powerful, they serve as a wake-up call to Samsung, Google, and other heavyweights: get back to making phones that are genuinely interesting. I've had the opportunity to use the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, and it's a masterclass in how to make a device that's distinctive, opinionated, and even a little fun.

Good phone design should be polarizing. Samsung and Google are playing it safe

It's understandable why brands like Samsung and Google are so conservative with their modern phone designs. They want to reach as many customers as possible, and the easiest way to achieve that is through style that's broadly appealing and inoffensive.

To read the full article please view the link below.

https://www.howtogeek.com/samsung-and-google-wake-up-nothing-makes-phones-fun/?utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=HTG-202605310645&utm_source=HTG-NL&user=ZmFybWdvb2xhbTRAZ21haWwuY29t&lctg=728eb0fa316bb8d1250be86c4c5331c58c6489152c2cbcc3a9827bb0cb454639

Image credit: Jon Fingas
Article Credit: Jon Fingas

29/05/2026

The Xiaomi 15T is an impressive mid-ranger that feels way more premium than the Google Pixel 10a.

The Xiaomi 15T offers great bang for your buck

The majority of the best Xiaomi phones share one core trait: they offer a premium experience without the associated price tag. The Xiaomi 15T is no exception.

Building upon the so-so Xiaomi 14T, the Xiaomi 15T brings the core features of the excellent Xiaomi 15 lineup to a lower price point and is one of the more compelling choices in its category.

If you’re coming from an Ultra-branded phone, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, look past a few mid-range indiscretions, and you have a phone that offers everything the average user needs, and at an incredibly wallet-friendly price (especially so right now, given that the Xiaomi 17T is reportedly just around the corner).

Most people want a large, vibrant screen, solid performance, a reliable camera, and excellent battery life. The Xiaomi 15T ticks all of these boxes and adds a stylishly chamfered camera design into the mix (not to mention a gorgeous color), resulting in a unique yet pleasing overall experience.

If you’re looking for the very best AI features, cutting-edge performance, or a camera that can see far into the distance, you’ll be better served by the pricier Xiaomi 15T Pro or even the flagship Xiaomi 17 Ultra. But if you’re comfortable with a few compromises, the Xiaomi 15T is absolutely a phone you should consider.

To read the full article please view the link below.
https://www.techradar.com/phones/xiaomi-phones/xiaomi-15t-review

Image credit: Future
Article Credit: Nirave Gondhia

26/05/2026

Android phone comes with two built-in tools for freeing up storage space

Your Android phone comes with two built-in tools for freeing up storage space — here's how to use them and keep your mobile running smoothly

Reclaim some lost gigabytes

Nobody wants to get a "storage full" warning on their Android handset: running out of room means you won't be able to install any new apps or save any new photos or videos, and performance can quickly start to suffer too.

Google knows how important it is to keep a chunk of space free on Android, though, and the mobile operating system comes with two built-in tools for clearing out some room. You might not have previously discovered them, but they're straightforward to use, and can solve your storage woes in just a few minutes.

What you get with Android can vary from device to device of course, but the two apps we're talking about here are Google Photos and Google Files — which should be preinstalled on phones from most Android manufacturers (including Google and Nothing). If you can't find them on your phone, you can download them via the links above.

Free up space in Google Photos
Photos and videos probably take up a sizable block of storage space on your Android device: now that we've all got high-quality cameras to use, it's all too easy for images and clips to pile up (most of which you'll probably never look at again).

To read the full article please view the link below.
https://www.techradar.com/phones/android/your-android-phone-comes-with-two-built-in-tools-for-freeing-up-storage-space-heres-how-to-use-them-and-keep-your-mobile-running-smoothly

Image credit:
Article Credit: David Nield TechRadar

25/05/2026

21/05/2026

This latest OnePlus phone could finally kill your battery anxiety

A battery this big, and OnePlus is hoping you won't go looking for what's missing.

For a company that’s supposedly going through a rough patch, OnePlus isn’t acting like it. If anything, it’s pushing hardware harder than ever. Just weeks after rolling out the OnePlus Nord 6, the brand is back with the OnePlus Nord CE6. If there’s a direction here, it’s hard to miss — battery life is clearly at the center of it all.

The Nord CE6 packs an 8,000mAh cell, which is still massive by mainstream standards. It’s paired with 80W fast charging, and OnePlus is confidently pitching 2.5 days of battery life. That might sound like typical marketing, but based on how the Nord 6 performs in real-world use, it doesn’t feel unrealistic.

Performance-wise, the phone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, along with a touch reflex chip. OnePlus is claiming 144fps gameplay, which sounds ambitious. Whether it consistently hits that number is another question, but the phone is meant to feel fast and very responsive.

To read the full article please view the link below.

https://www.androidauthority.com/oneplus-nord-ce6-launch-3664566/

Image credit: OnePlus Android Authority
Article Credit: Shimul Sood Android Authority