Earlier this year, I completed my Samsung ecosystem with a Galaxy Book 4 Edge — and one of the things I loved most about the experience was the features Samsung had added on top of Windows 11. Specifically, all of the deep integrations it offered with my Samsung phone.
Having tested this new version of Galaxy Connect myself, I couldn’t be happier with it.
Are you going to download Galaxy Connect?
2 votes
Galaxy Connect’s two best features
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
Once you’ve downloaded Galaxy Connect onto your PC, you’ll see four features contained within: Continue on other devices, Storage Share, Multi Control, and Second Screen. The first two are included with the initial Galaxy Connect download, whereas Multi Control and Second Screen require additional downloads to use.
Of the features Galaxy Connect brings to Windows, Multi Control and Second Screen are by far my favorites. Multi Control is similar to Apple’s Universal Control. You can connect to your Samsung phone or tablet and position it as you would a secondary monitor. The difference is that instead of mirroring Windows to the device, your phone will continue to show Android. When you move your mouse from your main display, it will appear on the phone’s screen and let you control it with your mouse and keyboard as if they were connected directly to the phone.
There are a ton of things you could use this for, but I’ve narrowed it down to two things I do every day. I always listen to music while working, and instead of faffing around with pairing my earbuds to my PC, I keep them connected to my Fold 7. I have YouTube Music and Telegram in split-screen so I can control my music and message my wife without either app taking up space on my monitors. It’s also a convenient way to use apps that are better on mobile. I prefer the Android version of Google Keep versus the website, and now I can use my mouse and keyboard to quickly make notes while still using the mobile app.
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
Second Screen lets you use a Galaxy tablet as a wireless display for your Windows computer. This isn’t technically new (you’ve been able to do this via the Windows+K menu for years now), but the Second Screen app fixes one of the biggest annoyances with it: lag. When you connect to your tablet via this app, you’ll get a prompt on the computer that says, “Disconnect tablet Wi-Fi to reduce latency.” Clicking this disconnects the tablet from your Wi-Fi and connects it directly to your PC, eliminating the lag issues that prevented me from using it in the past. Now I can use my Galaxy Tab S10 Plus as a secondary monitor and use the S Pen with my PC without infuriating latency.
Share files and sync your clipboard
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
The other two features are undoubtedly useful, but I don’t use them as often.
Storage Share, as the name suggests, lets you access all the files on your Samsung phone or tablet from File Explorer on your PC. If you want to access your photos or anything else stored on your device and can’t be bothered to mess around with cables, this is a great solution. You can drag and drop files into a folder on your PC, or drag them directly into the app you need. The screenshots from my Fold 7 that were used earlier in this post were dragged from the phone’s storage right into our site’s media library.
Continue on other devices syncs your clipboard. One area where this has been handy is using two-factor authentication. I use the Google Authenticator app, which isn’t available on Windows. Usually, I have to manually enter my 2FA code after reading it from my phone screen. Now I can just tap the code to copy it to my phone’s clipboard, then paste it into the relevant field on my PC without waiting. It’s a small thing, but it can save a lot of time. If you use Samsung Internet, you can sync tabs across your devices as well, but I prefer Chrome, so I haven’t tried it myself.
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
Things aren’t perfect. ARM-based PCs are left out, which is weird given that my Galaxy Book 4 Edge is ARM-based and has all these features built in. Likewise, some users whose computers don’t have Intel network adapters report that Galaxy Connect doesn’t work at all.
Aside from those strange limitations, this is one of my favorite things Samsung has done in a long time. Multi Control and Second Screen have made working from my desktop better than ever, especially now that I can use the same workflows as I have on my Galaxy Book.
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Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to offer a 200MP camera when it launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra back in 2023. We’ve since seen many other brands adopt this tech for use on both primary and telephoto cameras.
We haven’t seen a major change in the sensor size of 200MP cameras, though. Until now, that is. The vivo X300 Ultra has just been released, and it offers a significantly larger 200MP main camera. But how does this fare in practice compared to the first-generation 200MP main camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra? I put these two phones to the test in a 200MP camera shootout.
Have 200MP main cameras lived up to the hype?
102 votes
What to know about Samsung and vivo’s 200MP main cameras
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s main camera features a 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 sensor, which was cutting-edge at the time. This is a large, 1/1.3-inch sensor with tiny 0.6-micron pixels. But it also featured tricks like 16-in-one pixel binning (equivalent to a 12.5MP, 2.4-micron pixel camera) or conventional four-in-one binning (equivalent to a 50MP, 1.2-micron pixel camera). Other notable tricks include Super Quad Phase Detection autofocus, as well as dual-slope gain and Smart ISO Pro for improved dynamic range.
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Meanwhile, the vivo X300 Ultra’s main camera uses the Sony LYT-901 camera sensor. This is Sony’s first 200MP camera sensor, and the 1/1.12-inch sensor size makes it notably larger than Samsung’s 200MP cameras. The Sony sensor also offers 0.7-micron pixels, which are still small by the standards of other camera sensors, but larger than those in previous 200MP sensors. Bigger pixels mean greater light capture, which should lead to brighter, cleaner photos with less blur. Sony adds that the sensor offers all-pixel autofocus, DCG-HDR tech for improved single-frame HDR, and Hybrid-Frame HDR.
I approached this shootout by sticking with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s regular camera settings, save for enabling the Quick Tap Shutter option. I also mostly used the X300 Ultra’s default settings, though I switched from the default Vivid color profile to the Authentic option for more realistic colors.
Galaxy S23 Ultra vs vivo X300 Ultra: Pixel-binned shots
Early 200MP cameras often took full-resolution photos with minimal processing compared to the pixel-binned snap. This meant that there was often a stark difference between the 200MP and 12.5MP photos. Nevertheless, the latest sensors offer more advanced HDR tricks, while today’s flagship processors offer multi-frame processing at 200MP. So how do the two phones and their camera sensors fare in a demanding, backlit scenario?
The difference between full-resolution and pixel-binned shots seems to be narrowing in 2026. vivo’s 200MP and 12.5MP images look very similar, featuring a washed-out appearance that’s ostensibly due to the more realistic color profile. However, the lower-resolution shot offers slightly lifted shadows and a brighter face, likely due to better HDR capabilities at 12.5MP.
There’s a massive difference between Samsung’s 12.5MP and 200MP photos, though. The pixel-binned snap offers an aggressive HDR treatment with very saturated colors, while the full-resolution shot features plenty of blown-out highlights (particularly in the background and around the subject’s head). What’s more concerning is that the Samsung phone’s 200MP photo has grid artifacts when zooming in. Take a closer look at the image below.
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
It’s clear that vivo’s 200MP shot is the better full-resolution snap, owing to tamed highlights and a lack of grid artifacts. Neither 12.5MP shot was perfect, though, as I felt the ideal picture was somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, both phones did a solid job of exposing the subject’s face.
I then switched to the standard 12.5MP mode and a more conventional scenario to see how the phone’s pixel-binning capabilities compare. It’s worth noting that the X300 Ultra’s main camera has a 35mm focal length, which is effectively equivalent to 1.5x of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 24mm focal length, as seen on the vast majority of smartphone cameras. Colleague Rob Triggs previously noted that he preferred a 35mm camera as he felt the 24mm perspective was too wide, especially when he already has an ultrawide camera on tap for wide shots. So this perspective comes down to your own preference. Check out the gallery below.
The Samsung phone opts for a more saturated shot, while vivo’s authentic color profile understandably delivers a colder, more washed-out look. However, a closer peek also reveals that the vivo handset offers far more detail and less smearing than the S23 Ultra. The 35mm focal length ostensibly works to vivo’s advantage here, but that doesn’t fully explain the gulf in detail.
What about low-light photography, though? Shooting a moving subject after dark is a tough challenge, so how did the two phones handle my cat in the dimly lit backyard? Check out the pixel-binned samples below.
I kept automatic night mode processing enabled on both phones. Needless to say, this scene required a few snaps on both devices, as my cat kept moving her head. Nevertheless, the Samsung phone clearly struggled compared to the vivo handset. Note how the fur in the Samsung photo is basically a noisy smear. The X300 Ultra’s main camera also delivered good subject separation, presumably due to the focal length and larger sensor.
I disabled the automatic low-light processing on both phones for this early morning scene of some flowers. This should give us a rough idea of how well each phone’s camera performs in terms of autofocus, light capture, and more. Unfortunately, neither phone captured truly sharp flowers. However, the Samsung photo has significant splotchiness upon closer inspection compared to the vivo’s cleaner, slightly brighter presentation. The X300 Ultra also delivers a shallower depth of field, helping the flowers stand out from the background.
What about 200MP photos?
I also took plenty of full-resolution 200MP photos during the shootout. The gallery above shows the Camps Bay beachfront in Cape Town, and both phones understandably offer plenty of detail at this resolution. There’s enough headroom here to crop in on either snap. But look closer, and you’ll see that the vivo handset does a much better job of capturing fine detail, which is especially important when it comes to people. By contrast, the people in Samsung’s shot look splotchy and feature color banding.
The vivo device also offers greater definition and detail for the scenery and buildings. Go back to the full scene and take a look at the white houses at the foot of the mountain, as well as the small building on the beach. There’s still some minor fringing in this scene, such as white buildings, as you might expect in the late afternoon. I’m also not a fan of the excess sharpening in some parts of the scene, such as the roofs of some buildings.
Moving on to the next comparison, conventional wisdom says you should stick with the pixel-binned 12.5MP mode when shooting in low-light scenarios. But I decided to shoot a few full-resolution photos at night to see how the first-generation and new-generation sensors perform. Check out the gallery below, showing my gaming shelf in a dimly lit room.
A close look at these 200MP crops reveals that the vivo handset delivers a cleaner, less washed-out rendition of the scene. The X300 Ultra image also offers sharper text, although I think the AI-assisted processing makes some characters look overly sharp and janky.
A trip to the local indoor market after dark also gives us a good full-resolution workout. The Samsung phone’s wider perspective and vivo’s more realistic color profile presumably account for the differences in exposure and white balance. More specifically, the Galaxy S23 Ultra lifted the shadows compared to the vivo shot while offering a warmer scene. Neither phone accurately captures the “Mojo Bar” lighting, though. The vivo rendition is just too dull while the Samsung snap has notable fringing.
Take a closer look at this scene, and it’s clear that the X300 Ultra delivers more resolvable detail. Text is significantly more legible on the bottles and beer taps compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra shot. The light sources are also kept in check by the vivo handset’s ZEISS lens coatings. You can view the image comparison below for a closer look.
Want to pixel-peep our full-resolution photos? You can view and download all these snaps via our Google Drive folder.
How far have 200MP cameras progressed?
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
I’m a big proponent of 200MP cameras for zoom, but I’ve otherwise been a 200MP skeptic for a few years now. The first 200MP cameras were capable of capturing decent detail at full resolution, but this was often undone by slow processing times, tiny pixels, and rudimentary processing. While these sensors could capture great pixel-binned snaps in most conditions, so could lower-resolution 50MP cameras with large sensors.
However, our comparison between the first 200MP cameras and the latest hardware suggests that these sensors are finally living up to the hype. Detail is far better, as is HDR and low-light performance, which really make high-resolution photography much more viable. I’m keen to see more phones with cutting-edge 200MP sensors like the Sony LYT-901. In fact, I’d love to see Samsung adopt a similarly large 200MP camera next year.
200MP photography is much more versatile on recent phones.
It’s also worth noting that other factors, such as chipsets and brand-specific camera tuning, can make a big difference. In fact, phones like the vivo X300 series and OPPO Find X9 series support multi-frame image processing at 200MP. This allows for full-resolution photos with improved noise and blur reduction, as well as 200MP portraits and night mode snaps. This was unthinkable just a couple of years ago. I’m therefore interested to see what else phone makers can do with these cameras in the future, thanks to these newfound processing capabilities.
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Samsung introduced Sokatoa, a new GPU profiling tool designed to help Android developers diagnose performance issues.
Sokatoa features multi-frame GPU profiling, allowing developers to analyze several frames of GPU activity at once to spot patterns and identify rendering problems more easily.
The tool is free to download now, and Samsung plans to release it as open source later this year.
If you’ve ever been in the middle of a high-end mobile game and noticed your phone heating up while the frame rate suddenly drops, you’ve run into the mystery of mobile GPU performance. Android developers have often found it hard to figure out exactly why a game stutters or drains the battery. Samsung aims to change this with Sokatoa, a new performance analysis tool built to help developers get the most out of Android GPUs.
Unlike consoles, where the hardware is fixed, Android phones use a wide range of chipsets and driver versions. Historically, developers relied on generic profilers that gave a broad overview of performance and didn’t provide the detailed data needed to fine-tune graphics. When a game lagged, it was hard to tell if the problem was a texture issue, a shader error, or thermal throttling.
Sokatoa helps fill this gap. It is a GPU software profiler that gives real-time, detailed information about how graphics tasks are managed, as per Samsung’s announcement. The tool was developed by Samsung’s Austin Research and Development Center (SARC) and Advanced Computing Lab (ACL), both teams that focus on GPU design and system architecture.
Why graphics debugging is getting harder
Mobile graphics have become much more complex in recent years. Games now use advanced lighting, high-resolution textures, and more complicated rendering methods. Even regular apps can have demanding visual effects or augmented reality features.
Pipeline debugging view in Sokatoa
The problem is that many performance issues don’t show up in just one frame. Instead, they appear off and on over several frames, making them hard to spot with standard profiling tools.
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Sokatoa addresses this with its main feature: multi-frame GPU profiling. Rather than looking at one frame at a time, developers can review several frames of GPU activity together. This helps them spot patterns and find the exact moment when a rendering issue happens.
In practice, this means developers can find performance bottlenecks more quickly, whether they are caused by slow shaders, sudden GPU workload spikes, or differences between frames.
Tools designed for faster iteration
Another important feature is that developers can edit shaders and replay workloads right on the device. They can adjust graphics code, replay the rendering process, and see the results right away.
This makes the usual cycle of optimizing, testing, and repeating much faster for graphics engineers. Teams can quickly try out ideas and see how they affect performance, so they don’t have to rebuild the whole app to test small changes.
Sokatoa also offers detailed data visualizations and a modern interface, making it easier for developers to understand complex GPU metrics without getting overwhelmed by numbers.
Although the tool works best with Samsung’s Xclipse GPU, it is not limited to Samsung devices. Sokatoa also supports other major Android GPUs from companies like Qualcomm and ARM, according to Taekhyun Kim, vice president of GPU Software Development at SARC/ACL.
Samsung developed Sokatoa together with Google and LunarG, making sure it fits with modern Android graphics workflows like Vulkan. The company says Sokatoa is free to download and use, and it plans to make it open source later this year.
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This week, we’re diving into the big changes at Xbox and what it all means for Microsoft’s gaming future. Phil Spencer, the longtime face of Xbox, announced he’s retiring last week. He’ll be replaced by Microsoft’s former CoreAI CEO Asha Sharma, instead of his longtime deputy Sarah Bond, who plans to leave the company. Will this change actually help the beleaguered Xbox division, or is it another example of Microsoft shoving AI into everything?
Also, Samsung held its latest Unpacked event this week to announce its new Galaxy S26 family. They look pretty much the same as last year, but the Ultra model includes a unique privacy feature that can instantly make the screen unreadable to bystanders. It’s one of those features we expect to see in every phone eventually.
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Xbox leadership falls apart. what happens next with Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond out? – 1:53
Samsung Unpacked: Privacy display on the S26 Ultra looks amazing – 27:27
U.S. Defense leadership gives Anthropic a Friday deadline to let it use Claude as it sees fit – 42:38
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Pop culture picks – 1:08:21
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Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Igor Bonifacic Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O’Brien
When Samsung releases new versions of One UI, it usually breaks some of the Good Lock modules I use every day. The One UI 8.5 beta is no exception — several Good Lock modules have been incompatible since the beta started, including Home Up. Home Up is a module that lets you tweak everything from your home screen icons to the overview menu. Samsung recently updated Home Up, and it does more than make it compatible with the latest version of One UI — it adds new features that have made my favorite Good Lock module better than ever.
Do you use Home Up?
5 votes
Widget resize
Home Up has been able to resize app icons for a long time now, and this update extends the same functionality to widgets. On all of my Samsung devices, I set the screen zoom to the smallest size because I find a lot of the UI elements in One UI to be too big. An unfortunate side-effect of this is that a lot of widgets, Google’s search bar included, don’t scale correctly and look tiny, as you can see in the second image above.
The new version of Home Up has a “Widget setting” menu that lets you increase the scaling of widgets in the home screen, which has resolved the issue I have with the search bar, as seen in the third photo. You can also remove the blur effect from Samsung’s first-party widgets from this menu, which is a nice touch if you don’t like how that looks.
Direct Share exclusions
Direct Share is a part of the share menu in One UI. It suggests contacts from across your apps that you frequently share things with, and it intelligently remembers what types of files are often shared with which contact. That’s the idea, anyway. In practice, I find that it seldom suggests the right person, and I totally ignore it. For a long time, Home Up has let you pick favorite Direct Share targets, letting you pin the chats you use most for quick access. The Home Up update takes this further by adding an exclusion list. As the name suggests, this means you can block individual chats and share targets from ever appearing.
Edge Panel tweaks
I love the Edge Panel. It’s been my multitasking secret weapon for years now, and Home Up has offered some neat options for Edge Panel ever since One UI 7. The latest update adds some quality-of-life options that rectify some of the annoyances I’ve always had with the feature. Apps, shortcuts, and contacts have always been separate panels, making it a bit of a faff to set up and navigate. In fact, I’ve always left the shortcuts and contacts panels switched off because of the extra effort involved. Home Up has added an “Integrated Panel” toggle, which combines the three categories into one Edge Panel. When you turn it on, it’ll start as a blank slate, but there’s a button that syncs over your existing apps panel. I’m already finding this useful, adding direct shortcuts to add a new task in Tick Tick and the Telegram chat I have with my wife.
Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
Edge Panel touch width
Finally, there’s a new option to adjust the width of the touch area for the Edge Panel. You’ve always been able to do this in the Edge Panel settings, but changing the width would make the handle itself wider, which would often cover content on the screen. This option in Home Up alters how big the touch area is without changing the handle you see. This way, you can have the handle on the smallest setting to make reading content on screen easier, while having the touch area big enough that it’s easier to reach. This is especially useful if you’re using a case that adds a lip around the screen. Bezels are so small these days that cases like that can make swiping from the very edge of the display.
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One UI 8.5 is already one of my favorite versions of Samsung’s Android skin, and the updated Good Lock modules are only making me love it even more. What about you? Are you looking forward to trying out the new features from One UI 8.5 and Good Lock? Let us know in the comments.
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The Galaxy S26 series is expected to feature built-in magnets for native MagSafe accessory compatibility.
A new “Magnet Wireless Charger” (EP-P2900) has been spotted, and it could support up to 25W charging for the Ultra and 20W for the other S26 models.
Older devices like the Galaxy S25 and Z Fold 7 will also work with this charger, though at reduced 15W speeds.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch next month, and one of the key upgrades across the lineup is expected to be the presence of Qi2 magnets built into the phones themselves. This would allow the Galaxy S26 series to be immediately compatible with a wide range of MagSafe accessories. Samsung plans to launch its own magnet accessories, too. Samsung’s upcoming magnetic wireless charging power bank has been spotted before, and now Samsung’s upcoming magnetic wireless charger has been spotted as well.
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Sammobile has obtained images of Samsung’s upcoming Qi2 25W charger for the Galaxy S26 series. Called the Magnet Wireless Charger, model EP-P2900BBEGWW, this charger is expected to provide up to 25W of wireless charging to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus could be limited to 20W wireless charging, based on previous leaks.
Older Galaxy phones with Qi2 certification, such as the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy Z Fold 7, are also said to be compatible with this charger. However, these could be limited to a maximum of 15W.
The charger features a USB-C port on one end, and the cable appears to be braided, which is good for durability. The report states that Samsung recommends pairing this 25W wireless charging puck with a 45W USB PD charger.
We’ll have to wait for Samsung to officially announce the product to know pricing and availability details. Samsung recommends using official accessories to charge its phones, so this charger could be a top choice for wirelessly charging the Galaxy S26 series.
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A leaker has revealed more details about the Galaxy S26’s new 24MP shooting mode.
The mode will apparently avoid image quality issues seen in the Expert RAW app’s 24MP mode.
It’s believed 24MP shots will take roughly three seconds to process, but offer noticeably better image quality than 12MP snaps.
Twitter tipster Ice Universe posted more apparent information about this shooting mode, corroborating reports that it needs to be enabled in the Camera Assistant app first. Once you’ve turned on this feature, it’ll be available as an option in the Galaxy S26’s default camera app.
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The leaker claims that this 24MP shooting mode will differ from the Expert RAW app’s 24MP option in terms of execution. More specifically, the new 24MP mode might avoid current 24MP issues like over-sharpening and purple fringing when shooting backlit scenes or faces. Ice Universe explains that it’ll take roughly three seconds for the image to be processed, but claims that the final picture is “clearly better” than a conventional 12MP shot.
The leaker later added that this processing takes place in the background, but that there was no lag when hitting the shutter key. They also explained that the mode supports continuous shooting, so you can grab multiple 24MP shots in quick succession.
In any event, previous leaks suggest that this shooting mode will work in both Photo and Portrait modes. Ice also claims that this is a Galaxy S26-exclusive feature, so you might be out of luck if you’ve got an older Galaxy phone.
A 24MP shooting mode should offer a great compromise between conventional 12MP photos and 50MP full-resolution shots. More specifically, this mode should capture more details than a 12MP snap due to the increased resolution, but it should be faster and offer a smaller file size than a 50MP snap. We’re therefore happy Samsung is embracing this feature in the default camera app.
News of this apparent 24MP shooting mode also comes as rivals OPPO and realme embrace high-resolution photo capture by default. I recently used the realme GT8 Pro, and it’s capable of dynamically adjusting image capture resolution. For example, the device can shoot at 50MP or ~26MP in broad daylight, and then automatically switch to 12MP photo capture at night for brighter, cleaner images. So I hope Samsung offers a similarly dynamic image capture option down the line.
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Samsung is adding two brand new speakers to its audio lineup, along with updated soundbars boosted with AI features. While not as inconspicuous as the Samsung Frame, the new WiFi speakers, called the Music Studio 5 and 7, were designed to blend into your living room’s atmosphere with their minimalist design. However, if you’re looking for a more convenient option, Samsung also updated its flagship HW-Q990H soundbar, while also introducing the more affordable choice of the HW-QS90H.
Samsung built the Music Studio 5 with a four-inch woofer and dual tweeters, pairing them with a built-in waveguide to deliver better sound. To customize the sound, Samsung added its new AI Dynamic Bass Control that can make bass sound better without any distortion. You can even control the “gallery-inspired” speaker via voice or Bluetooth and it’s compatible with WiFi casting and streaming services.
Samsung
For an upgraded option, the Music Studio 7 comes with a 3.1.1-channel spatial audio that has top-, front-, left- and right-firing speakers to give a more immersive 3D audio experience. You can calibrate the sound even further with the Samsung Audio Lab Pattern Control Technology and the same AI Dynamic Bass Control feature seen with the Music Studio 5. Samsung says the Music Studio 7 can play Hi-Resolution Audio with up to 24-bit/96kHz audio processing and can either be used as a standalone speaker or paired with other Samsung audio devices.
Samsung
To round out its new audio offerings, Samsung debuted the HW-QS90H, or its All-in-One Soundbar, with a 7.1.2.-channel system that features 13 drivers, nine of which are wide-range speakers. The new soundbar’s built-in Quad Bass Woofer system means you can achieve deeper bass without a separate subwoofer. The All-in-One Soundbar even features Samsung’s Convertible Fit design that can handle being mounted on a wall or placed on a table, and a gyro sensor that can automatically adapt channel distribution depending on its orientation, like we saw with the QS700F.
Samsung even refreshed its flagship HW-Q990H soundbar this year and introduced to it the Sound Elevation feature that makes dialogue sound more natural and Auto Volume, which regulates a consistent volume across its channels for a more balanced sound. All of Samsung’s latest soundbars and speakers will be on display at CES 2026.
A reliable outlet has discovered that Samsung is working on a new magnetic wireless charger.
The charger offers 25W speeds and comes after Samsung launched two Qi2 chargers in October.
News of the charger also comes amid rumors that the Galaxy S26 series could have integrated magnets.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is expected to debut early next year, and one enduring rumor is that the phones will finally offer integrated magnets for wireless charging and accessories. Now, a trusted outlet has discovered an interesting Samsung accessory.
WinFuture combed through retailer data and discovered that Samsung is working on a new magnetic wireless charging dock. The so-called Samsung Magnetic Wireless Charger has the model number EP-P2900 and offers 25W wireless charging speeds.
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The retailer data also suggests that this charger is dark gray and supports Galaxy S phones, Galaxy Z devices, and Galaxy Buds.
This isn’t definitive proof that the Galaxy S26 series will have integrated Qi2 MPP magnets. After all, it’s not the first time Samsung has launched Qi2 chargers with integrated magnets, as it launched two chargers back in October. The Galaxy maker noted at the time that you need a phone case with magnets to take advantage of these chargers.
Nevertheless, it certainly seems like Samsung is increasingly focused on Qi2 MPP chargers. It also comes after Google announced its PixelSnap charger for the Pixel 10 phones, which are indeed equipped with integrated Qi2 magnets. So we hope this is just a sign of things to come for the Galaxy S26 family.
News of the charger also follows reports that the new Samsung phones could get faster wireless charging speeds. It’s believed that the S26 Ultra will get 25W wireless charging while the S26 and S26 Plus top out at 20W.
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As promised, we’re back to normal. Don’t even think about buying Kindles or subscribing to a new streaming service until Black Friday 2026.
Instead, let’s talk about a new Samsung foldable with even more folds. The Galaxy Z TriFold is breaking cover and will launch in Korea and other select countries (read: not the US) on December 12.
Unlike the early trifold from Huawei, the smartphone has an inward-folding display meant to protect the wider main display, 10 inches wide. The cover screen is 6.5 inches when folded, while the entire TriFold is 12.9mm when collapsed and 3.9mm at its thinnest when unfolded.
Engadget
That might seem a bit chunky in the face of super-thin smartphones, but it’s much thinner than Samsung’s first Z Fold (17.1mm), back in 2019. Arguably, it’s a 10-inch tablet (with the right screen ratio) crammed into a smartphone form factor.
The phone runs on a custom Snapdragon 8 chip, with a 5,600 mAh three-cell battery and support for 45W super-fast charging. Like the Z Fold 7, the rear camera lineup includes a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, a 200MP wide-angle lens and a 10MP telephoto lens.
Intrigued? Samsung says the TriFold will be available in the US and elsewhere in the first quarter of 2026. The company hasn’t stipulated pricing yet, but it could be .
— Mat Smith
The other big stories (and deals) this morning
You should still be able to cast to older Chromecast or Google Cast devices.
Struggled to cast Stranger Things over the long weekend? It wasn’t you — and it probably wasn’t your TV’s fault either. Netflix is ending support for casting from mobile devices to many TVs. According to a help page spotted by Android Authority, “Netflix no longer supports casting shows from a mobile device to most TVs and TV-streaming devices. You’ll need to use the remote that came with your TV or TV-streaming device to navigate Netflix.” The company previously removed AirPlay support in 2019 due to “technical limitations.”
Embattled exec John Giannandrea is leaving the company.
Apple has hired AI researcher Amar Subramanya, a longtime Google exec, pulling him away from Microsoft to push its AI efforts forward. Subramanya, who Apple describes as a “renowned AI researcher,” spent 16 years at Google, where he was head of engineering for Gemini. The company also announced that current AI exec, John Giannandrea, will retire in 2026.
Giannandrea has shouldered much of the blame for the delays in delivering the next-generation version of Siri. He joined Apple in 2018 after a stint at Google that included VP of search. While his hiring was seen as a major coup for Apple at the time, the company has failed to deliver its more personalized AI-centric version of Siri, previewed earlier last year. Not earlier this year: last year.
Google has announced that free users can currently generate two images per day, down from three previously, on its Nano Bana Pro image generator. “Image generation and editing is in high demand,” the company writes. “Limits may change frequently and will reset daily.”
This is due to the new model being a big improvement on what came before. The text rendering portion is significantly improved and can even render legible text on top of an existing image. It can also blend multiple elements into a single composition, supporting up to 14 images at once. Google is also limiting free Gemini 3 Pro use.
