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Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold has a square screen and a very obvious crease.

The foldable phone market is in the middle of a huge transformation, but no one told Google.

Last year, Samsung transformed its Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a dramatically thinner design. This year, it made its phones thinner and lighter again, almost eliminated the crease, and introduced a new passport-sized form factor that feels like the future. Next month, Apple is expected to enter the market with a foldable iPhone that, rumor has it, includes all of the above and adds iOS too.

In the face of all that flux, Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold has hardly changed a thing.

Like the other Pixel 11 phones, this is an iterative hardware upgrade, but unlike …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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The women’s soccer league trying to fix fantasy sports

Render of three phones showing screenshots from the WSL fantasy football app
The WSL’s first official fantasy game is putting player photos front and center, which is less common than you might expect. | Image: WSL Football

Most fantasy sports leagues suffer the same problem: retention. Leagues play out over monthslong seasons, require regular attention, and can punish players severely for missing even a single week. I've started Fantasy Premier League (FPL) multiple times, but never finished a season.

That's a problem for any fantasy league, but especially so for a new game in a growing sport, hoping to attract new fans who might grow along with it. And so when Manchester United take on London City Lionesses on the opening day of the Women's Super League (WSL) season next month, fans will have a chance to compete in a fantasy league that's a little different …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US

The Fairphone 6 Plus is the first Fairphone to officially launch in the US. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The Fairphone 6 Plus is a minor hardware refresh, but a major launch for the company: It's the first phone that Fairphone is selling directly in the US. It's on sale now for $649.99, available through Fairphone's website and Amazon, and is sold unlocked with support for both T-Mobile and AT&T. In Europe, it costs €649, a €50 increase on last year's phone.

Fairphones from the 4 onwards have been available to buy in the US, but never from Fairphone itself. They were exclusively sold through a partnership with Murena, the developer of /e/OS, a "de-Googled" version of Android. That meant buyers were forced to use Murena's software - which is c …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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How to take better photos of your pets

Photo of two tortoiseshell cats on an iPhone screen on a background of tabby cat fur.
Meet Noodle and Loaf, aka Carb Cats. | Image: The Verge, Getty Images

Like the pets of any self-respecting millennial, my cats have their own Instagram account.

Noodle and Loaf - aka Carb Cats - aren't exactly celebrities. But they are used to having their photos taken a lot. Between their Instagram account, my regular need to test smartphone cameras, and the fact that they are two adorable idiots, I've taken on an unofficial household role as pet photographer.

I know I'm not the only one. It's become standard practice to maintain a camera roll full of blurry bleps and dozing dogs. But pets are rarely easy to photograph. They're usually small, fast, and don't take direction well. Here are a few ways to impr …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Honor’s Robot Phone is better than a gimbal in a phone has any right to be

The Robot Phone takes pop-up cameras to a whole new level.

The Robot Phone, which launches today in China, doesn't sound like a good idea - and not only because it's not actually a robot. Instead it's a regular Android smartphone with its main camera installed on a compact gimbal arm that unfolds from the phone's rear. Cramming the equivalent of a DJI Osmo Pocket inside a smartphone sounds like a great way to get the worst of both worlds, but after an hour of testing, I'm cautiously optimistic that Honor has made this Frankenphone work.

This is a smaller gimbal than you'll find on DJI's compact Osmo Pocket line - Honor claims it's the smallest in the world. It still makes the phone bulkier than no …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Google’s upcoming Pixel phones are for the fans, even if its launch event isn’t

A teaser image of Google’s Pixel 11 Pro.
The Pixel 11 Pro has a flashy new light on the back. | Image: Google

Last year's Made by Google event for the Pixel 10 resembled a late night talk show, complete with Jimmy Fallon as host, and it aired an hour after the phones were revealed. Spec dives and executive appearances were replaced with celebrity cameos and awkward skits, to the confusion of many diehard Pixel fans. But it served its purpose in reaching a broader audience: Last year's stream racked up 8.4 million viewers on YouTube; the launch the year before only managed 1.4 million.

This year, Google has only escalated matters. For tomorrow evening's livestream, Fallon has been replaced by Trevor Noah, who will lead a "stacked" lineup of celebrit …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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The first rival Android app store just arrived in the US Play Store

Screenshot of Aptoide Games as seen on the Play Store website
Google appears to have prepared a dedicated section for third-party app stores within Google Play, and Aptoide is just the first. | Screenshot: Google Play Store

Following the latest twist in Google's legal battles with Epic, US Android users are now able to open Google's Play Store and download a third-party digital store with its own selection of apps. Aptoide, a store specializing in mobile games, is the first to become available.

Third-party app stores have always been available on Android, which is a more open platform than iOS in that respect. However, until now they've only been available if pre-installed on a device - as with the Amazon Appstore on Fire tablets or Samsung's Galaxy Store - or installed via sideloading. Listing rival storefronts within the Play Store makes them much easier for …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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Samsung’s Z Fold 8 Ultra is more of the same, but better than ever

Photo of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in front of a bookcase, showing the inner display
The Z Fold 8 Ultra retains the boxy shape of Samsung’s previous foldables.

What makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so Ultra? Samsung's first foldable with the Ultra name isn't a souped-up version of the regular Fold 8, as you might expect. Where the Z Fold 8 is squat and wide, the Fold 8 Ultra retains the thin outer screen and square inner panel of the previous Folds. It does have a substantially better triple rear camera system and a slightly larger battery. But with no support for the S Pen stylus and no Privacy Display, it's not Ultra in the same way as the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

But compare it to last year's Z Fold 7 and the upgrades look more substantial. Samsung has improved the displays, battery, charging, …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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