Tecno continues to wow us at every trade show with some very interesting smartphone concepts. At IFA ShowStoppers 2026, the company unveiled its new Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone, which sports a 0mm bezel. I had a short hands-on with the device, and I immediately want every phone to sport this technology.
Smartphone bezels have continued to shrink over the years, particularly on flagship smartphones. However, they seem to only get so small, and companies have retained some amount of bezel around the display, and it seems that no matter how small they get, someone is always gonna hit the socials to complain about the size of bezels.
For Tecno’s concept phone, the company implemented “advanced internal stacking, structural re-engineering, and novel screen packaging.” The result is a very immersive display experience that almost looks too good to be true. There’s no bezel; it’s only display and frame.
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
I only got to handle the device for a short time at ShowStoppers, but it was the first time I felt like a concept phone might not be too far off from becoming reality. Tecno told me that, for now, it’s only in the concept and prototype stages, but as someone who doesn’t mind bezels, I really hope bezel-less phones become a thing.
But wait, there’s more
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
And just when I thought I was done with the Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone, I turned it around to get hit with something almost as interesting. The back of the phone features a unique design with a type of 3D effect that looks truly mesmerizing. The design truly pops out at you, and you almost feel like you can touch it.
I stood there gawking at the effect, which I unfortunately can’t really capture on camera. I wasn’t the only one; others who picked up the bezel-less phone were just as amazed by the rear design, which tells me Tecno is really onto something.
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
This isn’t the first time Tecno has experimented with different effects on its rear glass panels. At MWC 2025, the company showed off a handful of device concepts with different effects, including color-changing photochromic cellulose, e-reader-like Display Electronic Slurry (DES), and ultra-fine optical fibers and LED lights.
Even if Tecno doesn’t produce a phone with a bezel-less display, I would at least love for it to bring more of this to its production phones.
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Baseus knows how to make great charging and audio accessories, and the brand is going all-out ahead of the iPhone 18 Pro launch. The Dark Cherry collection includes five products that are debuting in a bold new cherry red colorway designed to match the Dark Cherry variant of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro.
The highlight of the new collection is the PicoGo Pro AH22, the smallest 100W GaN charger with three USB-C ports. It comes with a built-in panel that shows real-time charging details, and it is now available for $59 on Amazon.
There's also the PicoGo AM52, a 25W Qi 2.2 power bank with 10,000mAh battery that's available for $79, and the ultra-thin PicoGo Air AM71 5,000mAh power bank that costs $69. The Bose-tuned Inspire XC1 earbuds get the Dark Cherry makeover as well, and they're $149. Rounding out the list is the 100W USB-C to USB-C cable, and it costs $12.
Baseus has an exclusive deal for AC readers that is live now and runs until October 31, 2026:
I used the PicoGo Pro AH22 as my go-to charger for the last month, and there's a lot to like. It is noticeably smaller than other 100W chargers I have on hand, and it still has three USB-C ports. The smaller size and the vibrant color makes it a great choice for travel (it's going straight into my tech bag), and I like that it has a built-in screen that shows real-time charging details, time left to charge, and what protocol a connected device is using.
It has three charging modes — Smart, Gentle, and Turbo — and the Smart mode is useful while charging several devices at once. The Gentle mode is what you need for overnight charging, and Turbo prioritizes the C1 port to 100W.
There's intelligent device recognition, and I like this feature a lot. Baseus also added a set of fun effects that show up while charging. The individual USB-C ports go up to 100W, and with all three in use, you get a 95W power budget. I used it with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, Find X9 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, iPad Pro M4, and a few dozen accessories, and the charger did a great job.
Baseus PicoGo AM52 25W Qi2.2 10,000mAh Power Bank: Charge anything with ease
The PicoGo AM52 isn't a new product, and I've been using the power bank for the better part of a year. The Qi 2.2 tech allows it to charge phones at 25W, and it's great to use with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL.
Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android CentralApoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
There's no doubt that the cherry color looks much better than the standard grey model I've been using all this time. The 10,000mAh battery is able to charge the iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL to full, and it has a built-in USB-C cable if you need to plug in other devices, going up to 45W.
Baseus PicoGo Air AM71 5,000mAh Power Bank: The thinnest power bank
The PicoGo Air AM71 is a 5,000mAh magnetic power bank, and it is one of the thinnest I've used yet. It doesn't have 25W charging, instead using the standard Qi standard to deliver a 7.5W charge. There is a USB-C port that gets you 22.5W, and the power bank recharges at 20W.
While I'm not a huge fan of ultra-thin power banks, I will admit that the AM71 has unmatched portability. It's just 0.3 inches and weighs 105g, and is easy to slot into a bag or trousers — I have one in my tech EDC bag. The 5,000mAh battery isn't enough to charge a phone to full, but it will get your iPhone 17 Pro Max to the halfway point. This is down to energy conversion, and is true of all power banks.
I like the Inspire XC1 because of the open ear design, and they're a good choice if you have issues getting a good fit with regular buds. The cherry color makes these buds stand out a lot from the regular model, and they definitely get a lot of attention while outdoors.
The Bose-tuned sound quality is terrific, and the buds have meaningful bass along with a clean mid-range and good treble. They're pretty great with calls as well, and have LDAC and IP66 ingress protection. I get over seven hours of battery life between charges, and that's more than adequate in daily use. The only point of contention is that the cherry variant is $149, which is a sizeable increase over the $99 that the regular model costs these days.
I have a lot of these cables in the house, and they're reliable in everyday use. The cherry color is the only difference here, and other than that, it's the same cable: it can deliver a 100W charge over USB PD, is 6.6ft in length, and the braided design is built to last.
Baseus is going all-in on Dark Cherry, and I like that the brand has an entire range of accessories available in the new colorway. While there's a little bit of a wait before we know all about the iPhone 18 Pro, you can get a head-start by grabbing the accessories you need.
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I like portable SSDs a lot, and I have one always on hand in my EDC tech bag. I look for two things in a portable drive: fast transfers, and long-term durability. I don't really think about the size or weight, as SSDs tend to be smaller and lighter than mechanical drives anyway.
But Lexar clearly felt like this was an area to focus on for its next SSD, the Muse. Dubbed the world's thinnest SSD, the Muse is 3.8mm at its thickest point, going down to just 1mm at the edges. Lexar says it used an "ultra-thin PCB architecture, high-density NAND stacking, and an integrated internal structure" to maximize the internal space.
LexarLexar
The Muse has 1,050MB/s read and 1,000MB/s writes and can handle ProRes content at 4K120, which is in line with most portable SSDs. What isn't usual is the connector; instead of a regular USB-C port like every other SSD, the Muse uses a proprietary PogoPin magnetic connection, and you'll need to use the bundled cable in the box to connect the drive to your phone.
Oh, and it doesn't have the requisite magnets built-in (obviously), so you'll need to put it in a magnetic carry sleeve to attach it to a phone. Lexar notes portable SSDs can add "bulk and cable clutter," so it created the Muse to deliver a more "considered approach." It doesn't quite feel that way when you consider that you have three things to manage when using the Muse: the SSD itself, the magnetic sleeve, and the proprietary cable, which will inevitably get left behind when you're out and about.
(Image credit: Lexar)
I just don't get the need to tech industry's obsession to make products thinner. A regular-sized portable SSD doesn't have these limitations, and if anything, I like using drives like the LaCie Rugged SSD4, which are chunky but can take an absolute beating. The Muse adds a layer of complexity you don't need in a storage device, and that's before you factor in overheating. With such a small size and a sealed chassis, where does the heat go? There doesn't seem to be any room to manage the heat that builds up in a drive, so it will likely get quite hot when moving data.
Anyway, the Muse is coming out in Q4 2026, and it will be sold in 512GB and 1TB variants. Lexar didn't share pricing details, but it is bound to be on the higher side. Don't want to wait that long to get a magnetic SSD? This is the one I use.
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GPT-6 Astra is the first OpenAI model to hit the "critical" cybersecurity threat level, but deployment is moving forward with significant safeguards in place.
It is currently limited to defensive tasks like secure code review. Advanced capabilities like exploit creation are blocked for now, but trusted users in the Daybreak program will eventually get access to complex workflows.
Astra drastically outperforms GPT-5.6 Sol, hitting a perfect 100% on ExploitBench and 42.4% on ExploitGym.
OpenAI just released GPT-6 Astra, and it’s the company's first model to reach the “critical” threat level in the company’s Preparedness Framework for cybersecurity. Despite these unprecedented security risks, OpenAI is moving ahead with the deployment.
That doesn't mean GPT-6 Astra is being rolled out as an unrestricted hacking tool. The version rolling out now will do defensive work such as secure code review and patching, but will not entertain more advanced requests like creating proof-of-concept exploits, OpenAI says.
The company adds that it intends to relax some of those restrictions with its Daybreak program for trusted users, ultimately supporting workflows such as vulnerability validation, malware analysis and detection engineering.
So, how did we arrive at this point? OpenAI had to severely lock down its development pipelines after the recent mess where rogue AI agents hacked the Hugging Face platform. Astra is a huge step up from GPT-5.6 Sol in capabilities.
Massive performance leap
In OpenAI’s testing, the new model scored 100% on ExploitBench, compared to 78.5% for GPT-5.6 Sol. It also scored 42.4% on ExploitGym against 30.3% for its predecessor. More worrying, Astra uncovered and took advantage of two new zero-day vulnerabilities in the course of testing, which OpenAI says it is reporting to the appropriate maintainers.
(Image credit: OpenAI)
OpenAI explains that GPT-6 Astra is built on improvements to pre-training, reinforcement learning, alignment, and computer use. It can run software, surf the web, write code, and complete multistep tasks. OpenAI says its OSWorld 2.0 testing shows it’s about 47% faster per task than GPT-5.6 Sol, while scoring 72.6% vs 65.7%.
The company says it has responded with stronger jailbreak resistance, broader monitoring, encrypted model checkpoints, tighter access controls, and misalignment monitoring across tool-using deployments. Astra also outperformed Sol in remaining within authorized boundaries.
But one big weakness that OpenAI does acknowledge is that it’s actually a lot harder to monitor. Internal testing indicated that GPT-6 can actively influence its own "chain of thought” reasoning to avoid leaving incriminating evidence. In adversarial situations, the model has even sandbagged its performance to fly under the radar and avoid internal monitors.
For developers, Astra costs $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens, with an accelerated API at twice the normal price. It’s rolling out now to a limited number of people before it’s available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise users and the API and Amazon Bedrock.
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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has only been out since August 7th, but you can already score some impressive discounts if you know where to look. The best part is that these are straight discounts, which means you don't need to worry about meeting any kind of eligibility requirements to receive the savings.
No confusing contracts, no trade-in process: just good old-fashioned discounts on a powerful Android phone. Considering that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at a steep $2,099.99, these straightforward Labor Day deals are a very welcome sight.
Surprisingly, Samsung itself might have the best Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra deal of the bunch, slashing $350 off the phone when you skip the trade-in process. You'll also be eligible for an exclusive color variant and several additional discounts when you bundle the unlocked phone with a Samsung watch or earbuds.
If you do have something to trade in, Samsung is offering up to $800 off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, although you'll have to waive the aforementioned $350 discount. View Deal
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra unlocked from Amazon and you'll get a straight $300 knocked off the purchase price. No trade-in is required, although you stand to earn an additional $900 credit (in the form of an Amazon gift card) when you send the retailer an old or broken device. View Deal
As part of its sitewide Labor Day sale, Best Buy is also slashing $300 off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, knocking the price of the premium foldable down to $1,799.99. No trade-in required and no strings attached!View Deal
Starting at $2,099.99, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is both a follow-up to last year's great Galaxy Z Fold 7 and a major upgrade upon it. This impressive foldable phone takes its predecessor's thin and lightweight build and adds a huge 5,000mAh battery, the latest Qualcomm chip, and all of the latest AI-boosted software features from Galaxy AI.
As promised, the center crease is less visible than ever before, plus the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes with all of the powerful specs you'd expect from a 2026 Samsung foldable, including great cameras, two gorgeous AMOLED displays, and seven years of guaranteed OS and security upgrades.
Indeed, the biggest problem that I have with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is probably its price. Spending over $2,000 on a smartphone simply isn't realistic for many folks, which is why deals like the offer above are so essential. A $350 price reduction may seem like a drop in the bucket for such an expensive phone, but if you want a straightforward offer without any confusing fine print, these discounts are going to be pretty tough to beat (until Black Friday, at least).
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The iPhone Ultra is set to usher in the age of the foldable iPhone, and leaks point to a device that has the potential to be truly noteworthy.
Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 8
Short and sweet
The Z Fold 8 is uniquely interesting, and while it may not have the best cameras, it makes foldable fun to use.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Pricing and availability
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
The iPhone Ultra is slated to make its debut at Apple's launch event on September 9, 2026. The foldable could cost anywhere between $2,000 to $2,500, and we'll have to wait until the event to know the official pricing. But with Apple hiking prices on most of its products in the last two months, it's a given that this year's iPhones will see price increases across the board.
Even if the iPhone Ultra is unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, it may not actually show up at the same time — the latest leaks point to general availability later in the year. Again, that's something we will know definitely on September 9. Given the cost, it is projected that the foldable will be available in limited quantities — much like the Galaxy Z TriFold — and it remains to be seen if it will be sold in all regions simultaneously.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 on July 22, 2026, and the foldable retails at $1,899. This is the base model with 256GB of storage, and there's also a 512GB edition that costs $2,099 in the U.S., and a 1TB model that is $2,499.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
The iPhone Ultra will be different to every other iPhone thus far, with the foldable design ushering in an entirely new form factor for iOS. Leaks point to the iPhone Ultra having a similar wide-and-short configuration as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the passport-style design is definitely intriguing — there's no wonder that other Android manufacturers are emulating a similar style.
Leaks point to a 5.5-inch cover panel and a 7.8-inch inner panel, and the iPhone Ultra could be as thin as 4.5mm while unfolded, bringing it in line with the Z Fold 8 and other Android foldables. The design looks a lot like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, with rounded edges and a flatter profile along the hinge. While Apple introduced a bright orange color with the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone Ultra is said to be available in muted colors, including white and black.
Just like Android foldables, the iPhone Ultra may see Touch ID housed within the power button as the standard mode of authentication instead of Face ID. The Z Fold 8 gets a 5.5-inch cover panel and a 7.6-inch inner screen, and Samsung managed to deliver IP48 dust and water resistance.
Interestingly, one of the biggest selling points of the iPhone Ultra could be a display without anu visible crease. The Find N6 and Vivo X Fold 5 do a fabulous job in this regard — they're better than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra — and with the iPhone Ultra touted to use two layers of ultra-thin glass and a liquid-metal hinge, it is entirely possible that Apple's foldable will debut with a creaseless design, outshining Samsung's Z Fold 8 in this key area.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Hardware
(Image credit: Apple / Android Central)
The iPhone Ultra will see the biggest battery of any iPhone, and that in itself is exciting. Leaks point to a 4,883mAh battery, and that's similar to what's available on the Z Fold 8. That said, iOS has much better efficiency in general, so the iPhone Ultra should have better battery life, and with Apple touted to switch to a 2nm node, battery life could get an additional boost.
Category
Apple iPhone Ultra (based on leaks)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
Display
Outer: 5.5-inch ProMotion LTPO OLED, 2088 x 1422
Inner: 7.8-inch ProMotion LTPO OLED
Outer: 5.5-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1972 x 1248
Inner: 7.6-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 2448 x 1848
Operating System
iOS 27, at least seven updates
One UI 9 (Android 17), seven updates
Chipset
Apple A20, 2nm
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, 3nm
RAM
12GB
12GB/16GB
Storage
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Rear cameras
Main: 48MP f/1.8, sensor-shift OIS
Wide-angle: 48MP f/2.2
Main: 50MP f/1.8, OIS
Wide-angle: 50MP f/1.9
Front camera
24MP
10MP (internal), 10MP (external)
Battery
4,883mAh
4,800mAh (dual 2,400mAh cells)
Charging
40W iPhone 17 Pro, 25W MagSafe/Qi 2
45W wired, 20W wireless
Dimensions
Folded: 120.6 x 83.8 x 9.2mm
Unfolded: 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.5mm
Folded: 123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7mm
Unfolded: 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5mm
Wide foldables are smaller than book-style devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and as a result, Samsung just went with two cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 8: a 50MP main camera and 50MP wide-angle lens.
The iPhone Ultra is likely to use a similar arrangement, and leaks point to two 48MP cameras, without a dedicated tele lens. We'll need to wait and see if that pans out, but as someone who uses the telephoto lens constantly, I would like to see this on the foldable.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Software
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Software makes a big difference on a foldable, with the added real estate ideal to multitask. This is a priority in iOS 27, and there's no doubt that the iPhone Ultra will get a lot of the same features that we've seen on Android foldables over the last two years, including a task bar, floating windows, and multitasking features.
Samsung does a good job in this area with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and I'm interested in seeing how the iPhone Ultra will hold up against Samsung's foldable.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Which should you buy?
(Image credit: AppleTrack)
While foldables have been around for the better part of a decade now, they're still pretty niche. That will change with the introduction of the iPhone Ultra; say what you will about Apple, but the brand has an unmatched ability to grab attention, and interest in foldables will skyrocket following the iPhone Ultra launch.
Now, whether this will translate to sales is another thing entirely, but if you're an iPhone user and wanted to switch to a foldable, you don't need to wait long to get one running iOS. While Samsung got a lot right with the Z Fold 8, it doesn't do nearly enough to convince iOS users to move to Android in any meaningful numbers.
Apple iPhone Ultra
A bold new entrant
The iPhone Ultra is set to launch soon, and with a similar design as the Z Fold 8 but with iOS, it could just be the device that convinces iPhone users to switch to a foldable.
Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 8
Short and sweet
Samsung nailed the brief with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the unique size of the foldable makes it stand out.
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Xiaomi is making its debut at IFA, with its first major presence at the trade show and the largest event space it's held overseas.
Xiaomi is highlighting its Human x Car x Home portfolio, which includes more than 300 devices, from smart home appliances to cars.
The company also showcased the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold, a wide foldable that will rival the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Xiaomi is making its debut at IFA with an exhibition space that is its largest overseas space to date. The company is using up a whopping 3,300 square meters to showcase hundreds of products in its Human x Car x Home portfolio, from concepts to devices available today, with a focus on how these devices will connect with you throughout your life, both at home and in your car.
Curiously, the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold is among those devices showcased at IFA, with the official launch already set for September 7.
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
"This year's IFA marks a significant milestone in Xiaomi's global journey," says Xiaomi CMO Xu Fei in a statement.
"Over the years, we have expanded from smartphones into smart home and smart vehicles, while investing deeply in foundational technologies including AI, operating systems, chips and smart manufacturing.
Today, these businesses and capabilities are coming together through our 'Human × Car × Home' smart ecosystem, which we are presenting at scale to a global audience at IFA."
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
If you're familiar with Xiaomi and its smartphones, you may already know that the company also produces a line of home appliances and smart home devices, including TVs, smart lights, cameras, and more. What you may not know is that Xiaomi also builds cars, like the SU7 Max and YU7, and the groundwork for a wholly interconnected smart home ecosystem lies behind many of these products.
The Human x Car x Home ecosystem is powered by HyperOS, the backbone of Xiaomi's product portfolio, which lets Xiaomi lay the foundation for a seamless AI experience across devices, which it is showing off at IFA through future concepts and today's use cases.
For example, while you're driving home, AI can gather contextual weather information to ensure your home's lighting and air conditioning are set before you arrive. And this interconnectivity doesn't stop there, with Xiaomi showcasing many ways its ecosystem can work across devices for whatever you need.
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
This includes its Android smartphones, such as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold, a wide foldable that closely follows in the footsteps of the popular Galaxy Z Fold 8 and is powered by the company's in-house XRING 03 chipset, enhanced for on-device AI.
Xiaomi hasn't revealed much about this new phone (yet), though it has a triple-camera system on the back and a striking deep red color. It also promises to be very performant, thanks to Xiaomi's new chip, which could rival the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Apple's latest silicon.
Still, we don't have to wait too long for answers, with the launch just days away.
Android Central's take
I'm on the ground at IFA 2026, and Xiaomi's event space is truly a sight to behold. There's a lot to do and see, but perhaps the thing I'm most interested in is the Xiaomi 18 Fold. For one, it looks like Xiaomi is simplifying its foldable naming convention. However, the Fold is coming at a time when Samsung is reinvigorating the foldable space with its own wide foldable.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 appears to be incredibly popular, and I understand why. I was shocked by how much I liked it during my hands-on time, and that feeling remained throughout my review, where I've even begun to question my allegiance to flip phones.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold already appears to have a leg up over Samsung, sporting three rear cameras instead of two, although it will be important to see how Xiaomi prices it. We also don't know if or when it will be available globally.
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