As all attention moves over to Gemini, the experience of Google Assistant just continues to crumble, and that’s getting especially bad for Android Auto users as of late.

I’m a really big fan of how Google designs its smartphones, but if there’s one nitpick I have, it’s that the base Pixel phones keep getting a glossy glass finish on the back. After throwing a simple clear matte skin on the back of my Pixel 10 recently, I’m even more convinced Google needs to switch going forward.

Clicks might have cut its teeth developing add-on keyboards for various smartphones — first iPhone, then Android — but its latest announcement appears to be its most promising yet. The Clicks Communicator feels like the first real minimalist device to potentially provide a substantial improvement over your daily driver, even if many of us might feel it’s better as a secondary device rather than a replacement for whatever you already own.

A few months out from its likely launch window, we’re finally starting to get some insight into what Google’s next Pixel might look like. I’m not talking about the Pixel 11, of course — it’s the Pixel 10a that history suggests is set for a spring launch, bringing another value-focused smartphone to consumers. And yet, based on the few pieces of information we’ve seen so far, I’m not sure waiting for the Pixel 10a is the smartest move for your wallet.

This latest Pixel drop brought one of my biggest fears to Android: notification summaries. It’s something Apple botched in iOS 18 last year, and something I didn’t feel like Android needed given its top-tier notification management. After a week with the feature, though, I’m of two minds. Google is definitely doing this the “right” way, but does that mean I’m likely to leave this tool enabled for weeks to come? Unfortunately, not quite.

On the backs of the Pixel 10 Pro XL and latest iPhones, Qi2 25W has been heralded as the “next big thing” in wireless charging. Yet, it really doesn’t feel worth the effort of seeking it out for two key reasons.

If you’re anything like me, you probably have a pile of aging external batteries. Up through this year, I’ve had countless 10,000mAh bricks — the classic “big battery” size through most of the 2010s — along with a handful of smaller cells designed to offer something a little more pocketable and portable. If you haven’t upgraded your battery bank collection in a while, though, it might be time to make a change, especially if you don’t mind dropping some serious cash for a life-changing power solution.

The fight between Disney and YouTube TV might seem fairly commonplace on the surface, especially if you’ve followed any carriage disputes in the pre-streaming era. But despite Google’s cable replacement showing no signs of slowing down its growth, the stalemate between it and the House of Mouse has already expanded well beyond its usual scope, without any signs of peace coming any time soon.

For a lineup set to debut in just a few months, the Galaxy S26 series sure seems to be in a constant state of flux. It wasn’t long ago that Samsung appeared set to launch a radically different trio of phones: the usual Galaxy S26 Ultra paired with a Plus-replacing Galaxy S26 Edge and a smaller Galaxy S26 “Pro.” It took less than the entirety of October for that all to fall apart, with the Edge seemingly scrapped and that “Pro” suffix dropped entirely. In other words, its vision for 2026 seemed to collapse overnight.

The last few months of rumors have set Samsung up for a vastly different Galaxy S-series in 2026 than we’ve seen in recent years. In the span of just a couple of days, however, those looking for a more exciting non-foldable Galaxy release have watched their dreams shatter in real-time.

Google keeps experimenting with new Pixel colors, but after seeing the new Nest Cam and its “Berry” color, all I can think about is a red Pixel phone.

Although it’s been nearly two months since its launch event, Google’s still facing some heat in the aftermath of the Pixel 10’s arrival on store shelves. What started out as simple disappointment over the state of Tensor — following two years of what I can only describe as Tensor G5 overhype — ballooned into full-on outrage in the face of a Genshin Impact-inspired controversy that may or may not have been a controversy after all. Simply put, people are mad about what Tensor isn’t, rather than feeling satisfied with what Tensor actually is.

Alongside Google’s Gemini for Home push this week, the company also unveiled its Google Home Speaker, but it’s not coming until next year. That “delay” has drawn some criticism, but it’s actually a good thing.

Earlier this week, Amazon held its annual fall hardware event, unveiling its next-gen lineup of smart speakers, smart displays, and streaming devices. Alongside the launch of a new $40 Fire TV Stick Select, the company took this opportunity to finally unveil Vega OS, a long-in-the-works move away from its Android-based Fire OS platform. If you’ve been wondering how Amazon managed to score deals with every major platform publisher for streaming apps, however, the company’s solution might make you raise an eyebrow.

It’s been about 2 months since the Galaxy Watch 8 and Watch 8 Classic were made available, and having used the Classic edition nonstop for that amount of time, I can tell you: it’s rare for me to like a smartwatch this much. When the Pixel Watch 4 comes out, it will need to make some serious noise to top it.

It’s iPhone 17 review week, and word on the street is the base model is the one to buy this year. Pitting platforms against each other, Apple has a pretty distinct advantage over the Pixel 10 from the jump, with the iPhone 17 arriving with 256GB in its base $800 configuration, while Google delivers just 128GB for the same price. It’s easy enough to see this as a miscalculation on Google’s part — one it can rectify with next year’s Pixel 11 — but the Pixel 10’s status as a device “designed for AI” really feels at odds with this single decision.

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a new design trend spreading throughout the entire smartphone industry. No, it’s not titanium — not anymore, at least — and premium flagships are still mostly arriving on store shelves in their usual drab colors. No, it’s the camera bar, a fresh method of styling the prerequisite lens bump you’ll find on every flagship smartphone, and in this case, it’s Google that can claim the credit for influencing its rivals.

Yesterday’s iPhone 17 Pro reveal introduced a new design language for Apple, but also a new signature colorway in an orange iPhone 17 Pro and… uh… bring on the orange Android phones. Or, at bare minimum, let’s embrace the return of actual colors on Pro phones.

For many, Google is synonymous with seemingly healthy features suddenly deleted from existence. There’s some truth to it, but one of the crucial changes I’ve taken issue with isn’t in the absence of features; it’s in the convolution. Specifically, in the privacy changes made to Google Maps Timelines.

There’s a lot to love about the Pixel 10. Through four generations of Tensor, we’ve waited for a chipset that could match the thermal performance of Qualcomm’s best, and my experience so far suggests Google’s nailed it. The 5x telephoto lens, while far from the best on the market, helps the camera feel far flexible than non-Pro Pixels in the past, and helps the device stand out from entry-level flagships from Samsung and Apple. It’s sort of the Pixel I’ve wanted for ages, even if it’s not an out-and-out perfect smartphone.

Today’s big Made by Google event for the Pixel 10 was… something, but if nothing else, it showed a Google that was confident in the product it was bringing to the table. That included Google making a lot of jokes directed straight at Apple while talking about the Pixel 10’s various updates and features.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is perhaps one of the worst deals in the foldable market, but the company isn’t helping its case with a revival of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 which is even cheaper, and far more worthwhile.

Next week, Google will take to the stage to announce, among other things, the Pixel 10 lineup. It’s been a long time coming; we first started hearing about the Pixel 10 over two years ago, when word of its TSMC-made Tensor G5 chipset first started leaking. As is usual for Google launches, countless renders and rumors have painted a pretty clear picture of the entire series, pairing an all-too-familiar exterior with, seemingly, some pretty meaningful under-the-hood changes.

While every leaked render and marketing tease for Google upcoming smartphone launch might make the Pixel 10 feel like a year-old rerun, the devil’s seemingly in the details. Even setting aside the usual round of software enhancements — only some of which have just begun to leak — it’s clear Google does have some hardware tricks up its sleeve Chief among them is native Qi2 support, which should bring support for magnetic chargers, wallets, stands, and much more to every device in the Pixel 10 lineup.