The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
A leak says Samsung's next two foldables may keep older camera hardware, which could make them a weaker upgrade if you buy for photos.
Read more: Leak says Samsung's next foldable phones may reuse old camerasA $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and free software can replace a $30-plus wireless adapter, so a car that needs a USB cable for Android Auto can go cable-free.
Read more: A $15 Raspberry Pi can make your car's Android Auto wirelessCNET tested 32 phones and found Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max lasts longest, while a bigger battery on paper often did not mean more time between charges.
Read more: Tests of nearly three dozen phones find iPhone 18 Pro Max lasts longestApple's CEO says the new Siri is only the start, with more abilities planned and a fee coming for higher usage limits on some features.
Read more: Apple's CEO says the new Siri is just the start of bigger changesXiaomi began sending HyperOS 4, based on Android 17, to Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco phones today, in waves. Here is what it brings and why yours may be late.
Read more: Xiaomi starts rolling out its big Android 17 phone update todayGoogle may be redesigning Ask Gemini in the Gmail phone app to look more like the Gemini app. It is a spotted change, not a confirmed launch.
Read more: Gmail's Gemini assistant may get a fresh look like the Gemini appPopular AI chatbots got election facts wrong in almost 40 percent of answers, so use your official election office for deadlines, polling places and candidates.
Read more: AI chatbots get election facts wrong, so check before you voteScam sites that copy US banks show a fake 'suspended' page on a second visit, so checkers think they are dead. Victims still see the real trap on the first.
Read more: Fake bank sites show a fake 'suspended' notice to dodge shutdownGoogle's privacy policy now lets info from connected Gmail and Photos shape your ads. Two separate settings decide how much, and neither is automatic.
Read more: Google can now use connected Gmail and Photos info to tailor adsA reviewer who used Samsung's Galaxy S26 FE for two weeks says it is a much bigger upgrade over the S25 FE than usual, which matters if you are shopping mid-priced.
Read more: Samsung's Galaxy S26 FE is a big step up from last year's modelApple's smallest iPad is thinner and lighter, with a larger OLED screen and water resistance. One limit on the screen may bother some buyers.
Read more: Apple's new iPad mini is thinner, lighter and gets a better screeniOS 27 runs on every iPhone back to the iPhone 11. It can turn a plain-words request into a shortcut and a screenshot of a ticket into a Wallet pass.
Read more: iOS 27 lets your iPhone build shortcuts and Wallet passes for youPolice in six countries arrested seven people and seized over 100 servers tied to a company that allegedly supplied fake investment sites to scam call centers.
Read more: European police raid company that built fake trading sites for scammersAdaptlyPost, a social media scheduling tool, now works inside ChatGPT, so you can schedule and publish posts without leaving the chat.
Read more: A new ChatGPT add-on can now schedule and post your social media updatesA new TechPP guide lists WhatsApp privacy settings to review in 2026, and most take only a few minutes to change from one menu.
Read more: WhatsApp privacy settings worth changing on your phone this yearTexts claiming an Apple Pay charge or a suspended card are meant to rush you into calling or tapping. A text alone does not prove anything happened.
Read more: Got a text about an Apple Pay charge? Don't tap or callA Samsung Galaxy with an eSIM is harder for a thief to take offline, which helps Samsung Find locate it. One setting needs to be switched on first.
Read more: An eSIM can make a stolen Samsung phone easier to track downAnthropic's new Message Threads feature cuts the wait for Claude's first words by about 35 percent in very long conversations, with no change in text read.
Read more: Claude now answers long chats about 35 percent fasterSamsung's One UI 9 update changes the small outer screen on the Galaxy Z Flip, and many owners are unhappy. Here is what to check before you update.
Read more: Samsung redesigns the Galaxy Z Flip's outer screen, and owners push backA report says Samsung's Galaxy A38 may finally get a bigger battery after more than six years, which could mean fewer midday charges for budget phone buyers.
Read more: Samsung's popular Galaxy A38 may finally get a bigger batteryZDNet's reviewer says the RedMagic 12 Pro is the fastest Android phone he has tested, and it is now launching worldwide, not just in China.
Read more: Reviewer calls RedMagic 12 Pro the fastest Android phone he's testedOpenAI held a ChatGPT for Everyday event, and one attendee left with seven uses worth trying, from cooking to budgeting, plus one privacy warning.
Read more: ChatGPT can coach you in the kitchen, plan trips and sort budgetsApple's new AirPods 5 add noise cancelling to every model at $129 or $149, but Wired still prefers the $249 AirPods Pro 3 for some buyers.
Read more: Apple's new $129 AirPods finally include noise cancellingA non-programmer says he built stand-ins for three paid apps with a $20 Claude plan, and the apps keep working even if he cancels.
Read more: A writer used Claude to replace $400 a year in app subscriptions
