The thing that struck me most watching Google’s launch of the Pixel 7 today was just how much the phone is a repackaged Pixel 6. Sure, the design has been tweaked slightly, and the display is a smidge smaller at 6.3in rather than 6.4in, but otherwise this is an identical device to last year’s. The Pixel 7 has Android 13 software, the same 128GB storage, same 8GB of RAM, and same camera hardware as the Pixel 6 down to the very last spec....

Plenty of other smartphones have launched so far in 2024, but one company got most of the attention: Samsung. Its Galaxy S24 handsets launched to much fanfare, with a host of high-end features and AI at the forefront . But whether you want to buy the regular Galaxy S24 , S24+ or S24 Ultra (here’s how to decide between them ), there are some impressive bundles and deals available. Here’s everything you need to know....

It’s Pancake Day and what this means for me, a home tech writer, is that it’s time for my annual warning not to try making pancakes in an air fryer. Yes, it looks cool, but those TikToks that show someone pouring batter over squares of baking paper and opening the air fryer later to reveal a perfect stack of pancakes are a filthy lie. And I’ve done the homework to prove it....

Crowdfunding is quietly changing the world. Websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo are enabling inventors, artists, and developers a way to fund their projects that up until now was almost impossible. The secret resides in the simple idea of giving creators a chance to pitch to their intended audience rather than to the CEOs of large corporations. Traditionally if you wanted your product made you needed to raise the capital to build it yourself, usually achieved by securing funds from investors....

Google has released the first beta version of its next major Android 16 update, offering a free preview of what Pixel owners can look forward to in early 2026. Android 16 QPR3 Beta 1 is rolling out now to those Pixel smartphone owners ( Pixel 6 through to Pixel 10 ) enrolled in Google’s Android Beta programme. Here’s how to enrol . The full version of Android 16 QPR3 will be available to all Pixel owners in March as one of Google’s quarterly ‘Feature Drop’ updates....

A robot vacuum is one of the best investments you can make in your home life, but it’s also a big investment, which is why you need to ensure that the model you choose does everything you want – at the right price. ECOVACS has two robot vacuums that might just fit the bill, depending on your needs and budget. The first is one of its best priced and most comprehensive models, the N10....

Whether you just bought yourself an air fryer in the Prime Day sale, or already have a trusty countertop cooker, investing in a few accessories will make your life much easier. These add-ons will help you to make the most of your air fryer – and if you buy them today, it’ll cost much less than what you’ll pay tomorrow. And if you’re still searching for the perfect air fryer, see our list of the 5 best Prime Day air fryer deals ....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Thief is a muddled but well-intentioned game that undermines smart, sinister stealth with weird controls and lousy characters. An atmospheric setting and plenty of freedom helps matters enormously, but all told it’s a strange compromise of a game. Best Prices Today: Thief A first-person game in which killing enemies is a last and often near-disastrous result? Thief ’s taking a big risk. This, y’see, is a game about stealth, not combat – the trick is to try to remain undetected as you scoot around a gloomy, gothic, medieval-inspired city, pilfering whatever shiny trinkets you can lay your black-gloved hands upon....

In case you missed it, Samsung has had one of its biggest launch events ever, but we have you covered so here’s everything that was announced at Unpacked 2024. The latest Unpacked launch event took place on 10 July in Paris and the Korean tech giant put on a bumper show with plenty of new gadgets for you to add to your wish list. Not only did we get a new generation of foldable smartphones, Samsung also launched new smartwatches, its first smart ring and new wireless earbuds to boot....

Huawei has announced the global release of its latest flagship folding phone , the Mate X6. It comes hot on the heels of the massive dual-hinged Mate XT , and while this one keeps things a little more traditional, it’s clear that the two phones share some DNA. This phone is also incredibly slim, measuring just 4.6mm thick when unfolded. It’s not quite as slim as Honor’s Magic V3 (4.4mm when closed), but it’s pretty close....

Ahead of the official unveiling of the Realme GT 7, the company has offered a glimpse at a fascinating prototype with potentially phenomenal stamina and epic charging speeds. But will it ever see the light of day here in the UK? Realme’s global X account has posted an image (via GSMArena ) of a so-called “10000mAh concept phone”. As that label suggests, the key feature of this prototype is a whopping great 10,000mAh battery, alongside rapid 320W wired charging....

Lara Croft has been the star of numerous video games, several major Hollywood movies, and is now set to now get the small-screen treatment in a new animated series from Netflix. So, what kind of adventures will she be having and who will be responsible for bringing them to life? Here’s all we know about the upcoming animated Tomb Raider TV show. When is the release date for the animated Tomb Raider show?...

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Trendnet TEW-818DRU looks better on paper than we experienced in practice. Thanks to its 3×3 MIMO configuration, its short-range performance is up there with some of the fastest 802.11ac routers, but it was less impressive at long range. The software has all the necessary functions buried within it, but it’s simply not as good as the interface found on more familiar models from Linksys, Asus and others....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Versatile Easy to set up Looks great Affordable Cons Heavy Volume could be higher Our Verdict Trust Fyru GXT 258 is a solid, good-looking mic that lights up in a delightful range of colours, but crucially, also delivers clear recording quality in four versatile modes. Best Prices Today: Trust Gaming GXT 258 Fyru USB 4-In-1 Streaming Microphone The Trust brand name may not immediately spring to mind when thinking of microphones, among the Yeti, Shure or Sennheisers of this world, yet the Dutch company has been manufacturing affordable electronics since 1983....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The VTech Kidizoon Smart Watch DX is a good-looking fun wristband that’s packed with fun multimedia functions. The still and video camera plus voice recorder with effects will liven up any party. There are tons of analogue and digital watch faces, plus a stopwatch and timer. The five built-in games are the weakest part of the package, but the rest of the features make the Kidizoon Smart Watch DX a fun wristband for kids or irony-friendly hipsters....

CPUs are complicated, but there are rules of thumb to follow if you want to get the best performance. If you want a gaming PC, buy the best Intel CPU that your budget can afford; for just about everything else, AMD chips are cheaper and more versatile. Before you buy a new CPU, remember to check if you’ll need a new motherboard or other components, and that they’ll all be compatible with the new chip....

Kevin Bankston of the Electronic Frontier Foundation recently said: “Google knows more about you than your mother.” A few years ago, it might have sounded far-fetched. But if you’re one of the growing number of people who are using more and more products in Google’s ever-expanding stable (at last count, I was using a dozen), you might wonder if he isn’t on to something. It’s easy to understand why privacy advocates and policymakers are sounding alarms about online privacy in general – and singling out Google in particular....

In these days when most people get their news from Facebook, Twitter, Google News, Apple News or similar services, RSS feeds have become something of a forgotten son in the world of technology. It wasn’t that long ago that these feeds were a vital part of a daily digital routine, automatically gathering together all our favourite bloggers and stories from mainstream sites. So, what is an RSS feed and what happened to them?...

In 2013, Google introduced Android Device Manager to assist users in locating lost or stolen Android devices, later rebranding it as Find My Device in 2017. Now, the company is rolling out a full revamp of the service – the Find My Device network. Unlike its predecessors, which primarily located Android phones connected to the internet, the enhanced version can now locate a wider range of items, including those without internet or location capabilities....

Microsoft’s Bing search engine has been around for years, but while we’ve found it to be perfectly good, not many people use it compared to the 3.5 billion searches made each day using Google. To change that, Microsoft has launched (another) Rewards programme which gives you points each time you search using Bing. And you know what points mean: prizes. Well, you can enter competitions to win prizes (including an Xbox One S and other Microsoft hardware) but there are other options that guarantee you an actual reward, rather than merely the chance of one....