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First there was the phone. Then there was the iPhone. And now, according to Honor, there is the Robot Phone — a “revolutionary, category-creating device that shatters the physical boundaries of traditional mobile technology.”
Now look, I love to call out marketing department hyperbole as much as the next journalist, but notwithstanding its description as the evolutionary successor to Apple’s greatest-ever product — sell 3 billion units, then we’ll have that conversation — the Chinese tech company is right to position the Robot Phone as something wholly different to what’s come before.
No smartphone I’ve ever come across features a fully motorized, three-axis mechanical gimbal built directly into its chassis, nor such a comprehensive suite of professional-grade camera features, some of which are autonomously controlled by a physically expressive AI agent (it even has a name: YOYO). We’re in full The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy territory here, and while the Robot Phone may never become as mainstream as the iPhone, it most definitely is as revolutionary as Honor wants us to believe.
First teased in October 2025, the Robot Phone appeared in prototype form at MWC 2026, before finding its way to the Cannes Film Festival and, more recently, the World Cup final (Spain’s Eric Garcia was spotted filming with the device). Now, it’s officially launched in China for ¥9,999 (around $1,500 / £1,100 / AU$2,100), and I was among the first group of journalists permitted to hold, capture, and critique the Robot Phone at its extravagant Shenzhen showcase.
Gimme, gimme, gimme a gimbalYes, the Robot Phone is like a prop from 2001: A Space Odyssey (Image credit: Future)Let’s start on that gimbal, which marks the Robot Phone out as something entirely different from any of the best phones money can buy in 2026. It really is as if Honor has strapped a DJI Osmo Pocket to its flagship Magic 8 Pro, except the gimbal in question can tuck itself away into the phone’s rear panel when not in use, almost like an S Pen slipping discreetly into a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Why would you want a gimbal attached to your phone? For several reasons. There’s the improved video stabilization, which results in steadier footage; the manual 360-degree control of the gimbal camera itself; the AI-powered subject tracking; or even the many automatic shooting modes like AI SpinShot (a 90- or 180-degree camera roll) and Tilt Locked (which locks the phone’s gimbal at your chosen angle).
@techradar ♬ Venus and Flower - Austin FarwellThis is no knock-off gimbal, either. Honor says the Robot Phone’s mechanical gimbal system — which features more than 100 individual components — is some 65% smaller than mainstream gimbal systems like the Osmo Pocket, and its structure is 200% stronger as a result. The gimbal motor itself weighs just 2.6g and facilitates movement speeds of up to 360 degrees per second, while a dedicated Flip Motor delivers a torque density of 120 Nm/L.
Full disclosure: I did not know what torque density meant before seeing the Robot Phone for myself, but I now know it’s a measure of how much twisting force a motor can produce relative to its size. A figure of 120 N·m/L is, apparently, very good — it means the Robot Phone’s motor is powerful enough to turn the gimbal with speed and precision, despite being small enough to fit snugly into the phone’s rear camera module.
And good news! This mechanical gimbal system works very well. I was skeptical about how effective a phone-mounted gimbal could possibly be, but after playing around with the Robot Phone’s various shooting modes, it produces dynamic, professional-grade footage — or at least footage that’s comparable to what you can achieve with larger, dedicated gimbals like the DJI Osmo Pocket. The key distinction, of course, is that the Robot Phone doesn’t ask you to walk around with (or purchase) a separate gimbal.
The gimbal camera is a 200MP 1/1.28-inch sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, supporting up to 4K video with special recording formats like LogC3 and ARRI Cinema. The latter comes as a result of ARRI’s partnership with Honor on the Robot Phone; the German brand — known for producing motion picture film cameras — lends its expertise to help bring Hollywood-grade color science to Honor’s smartphone pipeline.
The Honor Robot Phone (right) alongside an Insta360 gimbal (left) (Image credit: Future)Not to get too technical, but Honor says the Robot Phone performs noise reduction earlier in the RAW domain, processes data in 14-bit 4:4:4, and outputs 10-bit LogC3 and 4:2:2 video, preserving more usable image information for post-production. ARRI LogC3, meanwhile, preserves more highlights and shadows, while ARRI Wide Gamut 3 provides a broader color spectrum.
If that all sounds like a foreign language to you, that’s because the Robot Phone is absolutely intended for video creators, rather than regular folk; its video stabilization capabilities are certainly useful for everyday shooting, but for me, they’re not leagues ahead of what you’ll get from software-based stabilization features in other phones, like Apple's Action Mode or Samsung's Super Steady with Horizontal Lock. The real juicy benefits are those post-production features, which were hard to capture and quantify in my short hands-on session, but were certainly present.
Say ‘hello’ (again) to YOYOYOYO agent being demonstrated on the Honor Robot Phone (Image credit: Future)I did, however, get a taste of the Robot Phone’s YOYO agent. This agentic assistant initially debuted on the Magic 8 Pro in China as a tool for carrying out cross-app smartphone tasks on your behalf — it’s not dissimilar to Google’s Gemini Intelligence feature in that way — but on the Robot Phone, YOYO uses the existence of a gimbal to express itself physically. At launch, YOYO can nod, shake its (gimbal) head, dance to music, and perform other motorized oddities, which are complemented by over 100 on-screen facial expressions.
The desired effect is that YOYO feels like a physical companion in your pocket, unlike any other smartphone-based assistant on the market. The reality is that these physical gestures and on-screen expressions are the definition of gimmickry, though the ability to give YOYO gimbal-related commands using natural language — “turn left 45 degrees” or “turn around for five seconds,” for instance — is genuinely useful, and worked well.
Outside of its gimbal and YOYO agent, the Robot Phone is every bit a 2026 flagship. It’s got a 6.3-inch display; it measures just 9.59mm thick (for context, that’s less than 1mm thicker than an iPhone 17 Pro Max); there’s a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, a sizeable 7,060mAh battery, and two additional flagship-grade cameras (a 200MP telephoto and 50MP ultra-wide).
The Robot Phone's gimbal tucks into the rear camera moduleFutureThe Robot Phone is just 9.59mm thickFutureFutureFace-on, with the gimbal deactivated, the Robot Phone looks like a regular 6.3-inch phoneFutureIn the hand, the Robot Phone doesn’t feel too dissimilar to existing 6.3-inch phones on the market, which is quite the feat given that there’s a full-on gimbal on offer here. That said, I’m not sure how well that gimbal is going to hold up to real-world use — I felt, for instance, like I could easily (or accidentally) snap off the plastic shield covering it. And that’s to say nothing of its vulnerability to dust and debris when fully extended.
But none of this really matters. The Robot Phone is not meant to be treated like a regular phone, because it is not a regular phone. Heck, almost nobody reading this can even buy it. It’s a ridiculous, remarkable product that should be thought of more like the Samsung TriFold — i.e., an example of what’s technologically possible — than as a genuine disruptor to an industry that foldable phones have barely managed to dent.
The Robot Phone is essentially Honor saying, “Look at what we’ve been able to do with technology,” and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. To have brought a fully functioning robotic phone to market is no mean feat, and it’s exciting to see and touch a device that’s so drastically different from the phones we’ve become used to.
In many ways, the Robot Phone is like one of those outlandish gadgets from science fiction movies. And using it made me feel like a kid again.
- EU study calls for a block on illegal live sports streams within 30 minutes
- The proposal demands that ISPs, CDNs, and VPNs take an active role
- Experts warn that rushing IP blocks could lead to massive collateral damage
A study commissioned by the European Parliament is calling for strict, binding regulations to block illegal live sports streams across the EU within 30 minutes — and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are also in the firing line.
For users relying on the best VPN to protect their digital privacy, this could be a major turning point. Rather than asking member countries to voluntarily crack down on copyright infringement, the report urges the EU to implement mandatory real-time blocking.
If accepted, this would mean a maximum 30-minute notice-and-takedown window for streaming intermediaries hosting the content. While network infrastructure providers — such as ISPs, CDNs, VPNs, and DNS resolvers — would be subject to dynamic and real-time blocking orders to disrupt access to those streams.
Authored by Professor Giovanni Maria Riccio at the request of the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), the study argues that the EU’s current voluntary guidelines aren't working. Specifically, according to the report, "the current EU response to live-content piracy remains fragmented and not fully adapted to the speed and technical complexity of live broadcasts."
The proposed solution heavily mirrors Italy’s controversial Piracy Shield, demanding a rapid 30-minute blocking window from the moment a rights holder files a copyright complaint.
What a 30-minute takedown means for VPN usersIf these recommendations evolve into binding EU law, VPN providers could be forced to prevent users from circumventing active blocks.
This echoes what the Motion Picture Association (MPA) previously asked for when pressing for VPNs to take a more active role in policing pirated content, and this report adds significant fuel to that fire.
For the everyday internet user, this raises urgent concerns over collateral damage and internet censorship. The push for real-time blocking relies heavily on IP and DNS filtering, which is a technically imprecise method. Because a single IP address can host hundreds of legitimate websites alongside one illegal stream, innocent sites are regularly caught in the crossfire.
We've seen this play out disastrously before. In Spain, an aggressive anti-piracy campaign by La Liga resulted in over 500,000 domains being wrongly blocked. The collateral damage was so severe that critics warned La Liga's war on piracy was breaking the internet in Spain, prompting a European ISP group to demand that rightsholders be held liable for the fallout.
Despite recent legal victories, including a ruling that VPNs are lawful technical tools and NordVPN successfully fighting off piracy fines in Spain, the VPN industry remains under immense legal pressure. Following France’s previous order to block illegal streaming sites, an EU-wide regulation would set an even more dangerous precedent for online privacy.
Can a rapid-fire block actually work?(Image credit: Shutterstock / gonin)Professor Riccio's report acknowledges the very real risks of over-blocking inherent in live-content anti-piracy measures.
To mitigate the potential for widespread internet outages or collateral disruption to lawful services, the study recommends that blocking orders be narrowly tailored: limited strictly to the duration of the live event and subject to strict judicial or administrative oversight.
However, the report also underscores a structural driver of piracy that technical enforcement alone cannot resolve. It points out that when legal access to sports is fragmented across multiple costly, geo-restricted subscriptions, many consumers turn to illegal streams simply because lawful options are unaffordable or inaccessible.
In this context, blocking measures, however swift, risk being blunt instruments unless accompanied by improvements in the affordability, availability, and cross-border accessibility of legal offers.
For now, this remains a study rather than immediate legislation. But with the European Commission actively reviewing copyright directives in the digital market, the pressure to act on live-content piracy is mounting, and the clock on faster, more harmonised enforcement is ticking.
Spoilers for Lioness season 3 episode 2 ahead.
Two things can be true at once, and I believe both that Lioness is the weakest TV show in Taylor Sheridan's Paramount+ roster, and that season 3 is its strongest outing yet.
Perhaps it's subjective, but Sheridan seems to thrive much more boldly and openly when he's working with cowboys, a land dispute, and the Wild West. But regardless of what I've been watching, I've been continuously in awe of just how well Sheridan writes his female characters.
From Stacy (Michelle Pfeiffer) in The Madison and Beth (Kelly Reilly) in Yellowstone and Dutton Ranch to Joe (Zoe Saldaña) in Lioness, Sheridan's women are armed with shrewd, fulfilling dialogue, substantial storylines and well-reasoned next steps.
Until now, that is. For the first time ever, I've been left disappointed by Sheridan's treatment of his female characters — though this time, it's women who identify as LGBTQ+.
After Cruz (Laysla De Oliveira) is called away to retrieve a potential hostage in Ukraine, she finally reunites with new love interest Josephina (Genesis Rodriguez) in Lioness season 3 episode 2.
But it's a reunion that left me with a sour taste and a simple question on my lips: why are LGBTQ+ women never allowed to enjoy a single moment of pleasure?
Lioness season 3 episode 2 highlights a fictional pleasure problem with TV's LGBTQ+ women(Image credit: Paramount+)Cruz arrives home to Josephina wearing nothing but a bow wrapped around her midriff. So far, so hot. The pair soon enjoy a bath together, but just as things take a more passionate turn, Cruz's phone rings, calling her back to work with the FBI after undercover Russian operatives raid Joe's house.
The pair are visibly frustrated by the interruption, and have clearly not shared any quality time for some time prior to season 3 beginning. To the untrained eye, you can chalk all of this up to the ebbs and flows of unpredictable military life — but I think the way that this scene is presented stems from a much bigger problem.
There's no doubting that this is a problem for real military soldiers, but I'd bet any money that an emergency work call wouldn't have happened so quickly (the Lionesses are an extra special team, after all). Instead, Sheridan is apparently choosing the time-honored TV tradition of purposefully ensuring that an LGBTQ+ relationship is disrupted.
This doesn't happen quite so often with men, as most Russell T Davies dramas will tell you, but LGBTQ+ women are a much more frequent casualty. Typically, the separation is more overt, killing off one partner in the blink of an eye (much like in The 100 or Last Tango in Halifax).
Here, we're presented with an unusual grey spot. Our two lovebirds can be together ideologically, yet are being denied the pleasure of romance itself by being kept at arm's length. There's something really cruel about this, and I can't help but wonder if Sheridan was aware of his unconscious bias while writing.
If Cruz and Josephina's relationship unravels over the course of Lioness season 3, I won't be surprised. With Joe's life so fatally on the line, the well-being of everyone else is always going to come in second place, and what's a more vulnerable place than flying under the radar?
- Google reveals several new subsea cable initiative in the Americas
- New installations connect North, Central and South America
- Expansion strengthens Google's bid to create a global subsea network
Google has announced three major new subsea cable systems as it looks to improve connections across the American continents.
The new Alisios, Canoa, and OlaLuz installations will not only connect North America to its southern neighbor, but also boost connections with Central America.
The three installations will all pass through the Dominican Republic, and include connections from Florida, down to Panama and Chile.
New connectionsNamed after the Spanish for the trade winds which first blew sailors from Europe to the Americas, the Alisios subsea cable system will connect the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Chile.
Taking its name from the native Taíno word for canoe, the Canoa system will connect the Dominican Republic to Bermuda, and also connect with Google's pre-existing Nuvem and Sol cable systems, to create a connection from Latin America and the Caribbean directly to Europe and North America.
Finally, combining the Spanish words for "wave" (ola) and "light" (luz), the OlaLuz subsea cable system will connect the Dominican Republic directly to Florida, which Google says will "significantly strengthen" network capacity between the Caribbean and the East Coast of the US.
(Image credit: Google)Alongside the new installations, Google is also adding a new branch of its Firmina subsea cable landing in the Dominican Republic, offering extra resilience to a system which connects North and South America.
The company notes that all of this new expansion will help strengthen its bid to build a global subsea network, particularly its Pacific Connect initiative, stretching across the world's largest ocean.
"With these new investments, Google continues to pave the way for a more connected and open global cloud network centered on increasing reach, reliability, and resilience for all," the company wrote in a blog post announcing the news.
"New systems can further facilitate future connectivity through strategically placed branching units, mirroring the approach of our Pacific Connect initiative to ensure the network and our partners can grow alongside the needs and opportunities of the region."
The Google Pixel Watch 5 has landed, alongside a slew of compatible phones including the Google Pixel 11 and its Pro, Pro XL and even Pro Fold variations. While the phones look great, It’s the watch that’s drawn my attention, and there’s a lot to like here.
Arriving in two sizes (41mm and 45mm) just like in previous years, with Canyon, Obsidian and Fog colored bands, as well as a special NBA-star Stephen Curry-themed edition, the Google Pixel Watch 5 is priced starting from $399.99 / £369 / AU$649 for the 41mm model, and $429.99 / £399.99 / AU$699 for the 45mm model, with LTE-capable models costing extra.
What do you get for your money? Well, the Pixel Watch 5 has received several quality-of-life improvements over last year's model. These include Google’s ever-improving wrist-based Gemini integrations, Google Health's new AI fitness coach, GPS that can reportedly go head-to-head with the likes of the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, and a new suite of handy background health features called Health Guardian, which is available on Pixel Watch 3 and up.
While I haven’t gone hands-on with the watch just yet, judging by its specs sheet the Pixel Watch 5 is every inch a competitor to the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9.
It’s slightly difficult to compare watches from different ecosystems, but while it’s unlikely the quality of a smartwatch is going to be a tipping point for someone changing phones, and possibly tablets or computers to better work within a particular walled garden, these features could be a contributing factor to a decision to switch from Google to Apple or Samsung, or vice versa.
Let’s look at each flagship watch’s specs side-by-side below (I've used the larger models for clarity: the 45mm Pixel Watch 5, the 46mm Apple Watch Series 11 and the 44mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 9), then I’ll go through all the unique stuff Google’s just announced.
Specs comparison tableWatch
Google Pixel Watch 5 (45mm)
Apple Watch Series 11 (46mm
Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 (44mm)
Price
From $429.99 / £399 / AU$699
From $429 / £399 / AU$699
$409.99 / £379.00 / AU$699
Dimensions
45mm x 45mm x 12.3mm
46mm x 39mm x 9.7mm
46.0 mm × 43.7 mm × 8.6 mm
Weight
37g (no strap)
38g (no strap)
34g (no strap)
Case/bezel
100% recycled aluminum
Aluminum or titanium (100% recycled)
Armor aluminum
Display
Actua 360 display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
LTP03 OLED
SuperAMOLED, Sapphire crystal
GPS
Dual Frequency GPS: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou, QZSS
L1 GPS, GNSS, Galileo, and BeiDou
L1+L5 GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou
Battery life
Up to 40 hours
24 hours
Up to 40 hours
Connection
Bluetooth 6.0, wifi, LTE available
Bluetooth 5.3, wifi, LTE available
Bluetooth 6.0, wifi, LTE available
Water resistance
5ATM, IP68
WR50 and IP7X
5ATM, IP68
As we can see above, one of the key things that we can take away from this year’s top crop of smartwatches is that they’re all starting to look and feel the same, at least on paper. Similar prices, specs, battery life and feature sets: there’s very little separation here in terms of nuts-and-bolts quality. However, there are a few aspects — some featured in the table above, some not — that help the Pixel Watch 5 stand out from the pack.
Repairability(Image credit: Google)One of the best things about the Pixel Watch 5, which debuted last year on the Pixel Watch 4, is the fact that it’s repairable. You can use a standard Torx T2 precision screwdriver set to disassemble the watch and replace its battery and display, an unusual feature for small, water-resistant electronics like smartwatches — but certainly a welcome one, as anything that extends the life of the device and reduces e-waste is a fantastic initiative in our books.
It’s a feature we’d love to see adopted across the board — including by Apple and Samsung.
Battery life(Image credit: Google)While the Google Pixel Watch 5’s battery life seems to be roughly equal to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9’s offering, both devices handily beat out the Apple Watch Series 11’s 24 hour guarantee, even though that’s an improvement from the 18 hours of previous iterations. At smaller sizes, the Pixel and Samsung watch’s battery lives return to up to 30 hours; still not a lot and a pain point for people used to the likes of the best Garmin watches, but better than Apple’s offering.
The Google Pixel Watch 5, like Apple's wearable, offers fast charging, with just one hour until full. However, it’s also got a neat little charger held over from last year: a dock that allows you to turn your watch into a little upright bedside alarm clock. Cute!
GPSThis is a tricky one. Practically speaking, there might very little in this competition in terms of GPS accuracy, but Apple is on the back foot here. While Apple’s Ultra 3 comes with some of the most sophisticated and accurate GPS credentials on the market, the mainline Apple Watch Series 11 only offers single-band GPS in comparison to the Galaxy Watch 9 and Pixel Watch 5, which offer dual band L1+L5 GPS.
The Google Pixel Watch 5 also connects to more satellite networks than either watch, and is said to match the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and Apple Watch Ultra 3 in terms of accuracy — according to Google. This is yet to be tested in the field, but I’ll run or cycle my usual routes with an Ultra 3 or Fenix 8 Pro once I get my hands on the watch to test this for myself.
Satellite commsSpeaking of satellites, they’re good for more than just GPS accuracy. While all three watches have LTE-enabled models, allowing you to add them to your phone’s data plan (available at an additional cost) the Google Pixel Watch 5 has a feature usually reserved for premium, Ultra-tier watches: emergency SOS satellite communication messaging.
A holdover from the Pixel Watch 4, satellite connectivity allows you to use the watch to communicate with emergency services using the Skylo satellite network, offering two-way messaging and location sharing. It works without your phone and is optimized for ultra-low power consumption.
New health features: Breathing Emergency Detection and Insulin Resistance Trends(Image credit: Google)The Google Pixel Watch 5 gets a handful of new features, including blood pressure (long thought of as the holy grail for optical LED heart rate sensors, blood pressure or hypertension detection is starting to make its way into the smartwatch market now), and Breathing Emergency Detection. Similar to last year's Loss of Pulse Detection, the Pixel Watch 5 can detect a marked drop in oxygen saturation and auto-contact emergency services, even sharing your location.
Most intriguingly, it also packs an Insulin Resistance Trends feature. This isn’t available yet (said to be coming September 2026) but neither Samsung nor Apple watches have this feature right now. Insulin Resistance Trends is billed as a non-invasive way (unlike continuous glucose monitors, which require needles) to monitor or estimate your body’s efforts to regulate blood sugar.
Google says the feature is 'a personal efficiency meter, giving you a sense of how efficiently your body absorbs energy from food and manages it throughout your activities.' Eating and drinking spikes your blood sugar, and exercise brings it back down as glucose is used for fuel.
The Insulin Resistance Trends feature works as part of Google's new Health Guardian suite of features, monitoring health trends in the background. Essential for diabetics, it’s also useful for weight management in general, and I’m intrigued to see the consensus on this feature, and how it works, once it lands.
After the Apple AirTag, and the Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag, we finally have the Google Pixel Tag too — and at first glance, without having tested it, it seems like a decent device. There's water resistance, ultra-wideband (UWB) support for more precise location reporting, and a replaceable CR2032 battery that should last over a year.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarObviously, the Pixel Tag will work with Google's Find Hub, which already lets you track people and devices (including phones, tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds) from a web browser or an Android app.
But it's that Find Hub that might end up holding the Pixel Tag back, for now at least. In some areas it's not quite as slick and as comprehensive as the equivalent Find My service that Apple offers for its various devices. Here are five improvements I think Google could make to Find Hub, which would really help the Pixel Tag take off.
1. Notify when left behind(Image credit: Future)This is something that Apple's Find My does really well, and something that's genuinely useful: you can set up warnings to appear whenever your iPhone gets separated from your Mac, iPad, AirPods, or a specific AirTag. The idea is it can save you from walking out of the door at home or the office and leaving behind a particular gadget that you'll need.
There's no such feature on Google Find Hub — you can get alerts when specific people leave or arrive at places, but there's not an equivalent option for your devices. If you set off in the morning without your Android tablet or your Pixel Buds, then you're going to have to do without them until you return. It's something I think I'd use in Google Find Hub a lot.
The Google Find Hub on the web (Image credit: Future)2. See location tracking over time(Image credit: Future)Google Find Hub is fine for seeing where devices are now, but what about where they used to be? Seeing a breadcrumb trail of a missing camera or phone can be very useful in terms of tracking it down — and the same feature can be used to map out a walking trail, for example, or to keep an eye on the kids. It's something Samsung SmartThings does well.
Clearly this brings up concerns about potential stalking, but I think Google could build in enough safeguards and enough explicit permissions to make sure the devices you're tracking really do belong to you (specific confirmations could be regularly requested for example). It's another upgrade that would make Find Hub significantly more useful.
3. Reverse tracker ringing(Image credit: Future)Through the Google Find Hub you can get any of your tracked devices to make a sound so they're easier to locate, but there's no option to make your phone ring from a connected Bluetooth tracker — such as, say, a Pixel Tag. It's the kind of reverse tracking that might come in handy if you've still got your tracker but your phone has disappeared somewhere.
What makes the feature omission more frustrating is that you can do this with trackers from the likes of Pebblebee and Motorola, but only if you use them through their own companion apps rather than Google Find Hub. It means owners of these other trackers are more likely to end up not using Find Hub, which makes it less useful for everyone else.
4. Too many tracking optionsIf you delve into the settings screen for Find Hub on most Android devices, you'll see four options for controlling how those devices are found by, and contribute to, the network crowdsourcing that's needed for locating lost gadgets. For example, you can opt to get a ping when one other Android device sees your lost item, or wait for multiple reports.
To Google's credit, this is designed to give you more control over your devices and how they contribute anonymously to the Find Hub network. What's more, the four options are reduced to two on newer Android devices starting from the Pixel 10. Even so, it's still a bit of overly onerous configuration that is more difficult to understand than it should be.
There are certain options that could be simplified (Image credit: Future)5. You can't revert to Bluetooth-only operation(Image credit: Future)The Find Hub app on your Android phone requires both an internet connection and Bluetooth in order to locate your trackers, and while most of the time that's all well and good, there may be occasions when you don't have the Wi-Fi or cellular signal you need — and on those occasions you can't simply switch to Bluetooth-only operation for tracking.
So if you're traveling on trains and planes with a spotty connection, or just arrived in a foreign country and haven't been able to get online yet, or you're hiking in the wilderness with no signal, you're pretty much cut off from your Bluetooth trackers even though they might be nearby and detectable — another missing function I'd like to see Google add in.
After many months of leaks, renders, and even actual device photos shared by Google itself, the technology giant is making its latest lineup of phones officially official. And while Trevor Noah, of The Daily Show fame, and Alex Cooper, of Call Her Daddy fame, will take the stage later this evening, August 12, to help unveil the lineup, I've already spent time with the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarAnd this isn't a year where Google is going back to the drawing board and starting from scratch. Instead, the Pixel 11 lineup feels like the company is doubling down on a design language it has spent the last few years developing.
There are fresh colors, some upgraded hardware, and an even faster chip under the hood, but don't expect a revolution here.
All three phones are powered by Google's new Tensor G6 chip, which could help the Pixel lineup put up a stronger fight against Qualcomm's latest silicon, including the chips powering the latest Galaxy phones, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.
I haven't put the Tensor G6 through extensive testing yet, but Google is promising a faster processor for things like web browsing and app launches, alongside a more efficient neural processing unit (called the TPU) that should let the Pixel 11 series handle AI tasks faster without draining the battery as quickly.
The Tensor G6 is also built on a 2nm process for better efficiency overall, and all three phones start with 12GB of RAM.
My early experience is that everything feels suitably quick and responsive, but I wouldn't make any sweeping performance claims just yet. For now, the bigger story is that Google seems to be building on the Tensor formula, focusing on efficiency rather than simply chasing speed.
The Pixel 11 in its fun 'Hibiscus' finish (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)That approach is perhaps most obvious with the standard Pixel 11. Of the three, I think it has the best color options. The new Hibiscus (above) is particularly eye-catching — a bright, almost neon pinkish berry that gives the phone considerably more personality. There are also Obsidian, Pistachio, and Frost options, but Hibiscus is the one that immediately caught my eye.
It's still a 6.3-inch phone, making it a comfortable size for anyone who doesn't want a massive flagship in their pocket.
Around back, there's a welcome change. If you've never loved the sheer thickness of the Pixel's camera bar, Google has slimmed it down by 40%, and the difference is noticeable.
The Pixel 11's smaller camera bump is very welcome (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)The rear panel remains glossy, while the edges have a matte finish. Still, after spending time with the Pixel 10a, I can't help but wish Google would bring that phone's fully flush camera design to its higher-end models.
The Pixel 11 gets a 48-megapixel main camera with a larger sensor that Google says should improve overall performance, alongside a 10.8-megapixel telephoto and 13-megapixel ultrawide.
But there's nothing here that feels radically different from what Google has been doing with Pixel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The Pixel 11 Pro has a smart look, but the camera bar is prominent (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)If you want a little more from the hardware, the Pixel 11 Pro is where things start to get more interesting. It's the same 6.3-inch size as the Pixel 11, but gets a display that's higher resolution and brighter, plus a more premium build and improvements to all the rear cameras.
I particularly like the finish, with Google sticking with a matte rear panel and glossy edges. It looks best in Canyon, a mix of pink, orange, and gold. You can also get it in Olive and Fog, as well as Obsidian, which gets a glossy treatment.
At $1,099 (about £1,079 / AU$1,560), the Pixel 11 Pro isn't cheap, but this feels like the model that could hit the sweet spot for people who want Google's best features without carrying around a massive phone.
If you do want something bigger, there's the Pixel 11 Pro XL for $1,299 (about £1,279 / AU$1,840), with a 6.8-inch display and a bigger battery under the hood. Otherwise, it's essentially the same Pro experience, just larger.
Both the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL also benefit from a new main camera sensor designed to improve low-light performance. The setup remains a very robust one: a 50-megapixel main camera paired with a 48MP ultrawide and 48MP telephoto.
But Google is pushing the zoom capabilities considerably further this time around, with up to 120x zoom.
Is a 120x image really a photograph, or is it an AI-generated interpretation of what Google thinks should be there?
Google is using specialized AI processing to make those extremely zoomed-in images look better, so that's something I absolutely want to put through its paces before passing final judgment.
The biggest hardware change on the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, though, lives around the flash.
Google calls it HiLight — yes, with that interesting capitalization — and it's an array of LEDs surrounding the flash that can glow in various colors. It doesn't impact your photos or replace the flash; instead, it's a smart little indicator that Google can use for different things.
At launch, its capabilities are relatively limited, but I think Google might have something interesting here.
Flip the Pixel 11 Pro or Pro XL face down on a table, and HiLight can spring to life when Gemini is listening, giving you a visual indication without needing to turn the phone over and look at the screen.
It's a small thing, but I like it. There's also a more personal use that seems more helpful: You can assign specific colors to select contacts, and those alerts can break through Do Not Disturb or silent modes.
So, for example, you could assign a particular color to your partner, parent, or kid. If that person calls while your phone is face down, HiLight can glow in that color and tell you who's trying to reach you without you needing to pick up the phone.
That feels particularly clever because flipping a Pixel face down has traditionally been a way to disconnect from it and silence notifications.
HiLight doesn't completely undo that idea. Instead, it gives you a way to stay disconnected while still knowing when something important is happening.
Notification lights are nothing new, but this feels like the clearest and smartest implementation of one yet that doesn't involve just putting a second screen on the back — I just hope Google does more with it, because it feels like Google is playing it safe so far.
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)And that's really my takeaway from the Pixel 11 lineup. Google doesn't seem particularly interested in reinventing the Pixel this year.
The design is familiar, but more refined. The camera bar is thinner. The colors are excellent. The Tensor G6 promises meaningful gains in performance and efficiency, while the Pro models get better displays and cameras and a genuinely new hardware trick in HiLight.
The Pixel 11 Pro feels like the sweet spot, offering a true flagship experience that feels very much like a Pixel and tosses in some flair with HiLight.
So, that's an early look at the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL. It might seem underwhelming if you were hoping for a complete rethinking of Google's flagship phones, but I think this lineup also shows that Google has landed on a design and formula that it's really starting to hit its stride with.
For Pixel loyalists, that's probably a good thing. Google is keeping what's working, refining it where it can, and adding a few new tricks along the way. I just wish HiLight was coming to more of the lineup, and perhaps Google had one or two extra tricks up its sleeve that really felt 'new' like that.
Google has had a big day of launches — not only did we get our first official look at the Pixel 11 series, which have leaked extensively over the past few weeks, we also got a new Pixel Watch, and even an AirTag rival.
Those leaks and rumors meant we already had a good idea of what to expect, but that doesn’t mean there weren't any surprises.
This year's Made by Google 2026 event takes place later today, at 3pm PT / 6pm ET / 11pm BST on August 12 ( that's 8am AEST on August 13) — here's how to watch it. But we've already had some hands-on time with the new devices, and below we’ve picked out the seven biggest things we learned about the Pixel 11 series, Pixel Watch 5 and Pixel Tag...
1. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL should be the best models yet — and even have lights on the backThe Google Pixel 11 Pro (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)Google’s non-foldable flagships for 2026 are the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, and they have numerous upgrades over their predecessors. But the most interesting element is arguably ‘HiLight’.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarThis is an array of LED lights built into the camera’s flash module, which can alert you to calls from favorite contacts via customized color glows when your phone is face down and silenced. And these lights will also pulse when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding.
Beyond that, the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL also boast some camera and chipset improvements that we’ve detailed below, plus brighter screens that can reach 3,600 nits.
Not everything has been upgraded though — in fact these phones have a starting RAM capacity of 12GB, while their predecessors came with 16GB as standard. You can still get 16GB here, but you’ll have to pay for the privilege.
Read more: I tried the new Pixel 11 range, and Google's made loads of improvements, with a surprising 'HiLight'
Check out the best Google Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro preorder deals
2. The cameras have received numerous upgrades, including a new Magic Capture modeThe Google Pixel 11 Pro XL (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)At first glance the cameras on this year’s Pixels might look much the same as their predecessors, given that the megapixel counts haven’t changed. But look closer and there are plenty of upgrades.
For example, the Pixel 11’s 48MP main camera now has a larger sensor for 56% more light sensitivity. The Pro models also gain some new sensors, plus a 120x digital zoom — up from 100x on the Pixel 10 Pro series.
And there are new modes, like Magic Capture, which with a single tap will capture both a video and multiple images of a scene — complete with automatic cropping and unblurring.
There’s also a new Camera Looks feature, which allows you to create a set of personalized film styles and photo aesthetics.
3. The new Tensor G6 chipset is faster and more efficientThe Google Pixel 11 Pro (Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)It’s no surprise that the Pixel 11 series sports a new chipset, but the Tensor G6 sounds like quite an upgrade in some areas, with up to 20% better power efficiency, 25% faster browsing, and 15% faster app loading, as well as boosting image processing and Gemini performance.
So these phones should be noticeably faster and more fluid than their predecessors, across a range of tasks.
4. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is brighter and thinner than its predecessorThe Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)Google’s priciest new phone is the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and this of course benefits from the Tensor G6 chipset and some of the camera upgrades detailed above, along with the new HiLight feature.
But it also has a peak brightness on its foldable screen of 3,600 nits — up from 3,000 nits on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and it’s slimmer and lighter too, coming in at 10.1mm thick when folded, 5.0mm thick when unfolded, and 239g.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarFor comparison, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is 10.8mm thick when folded, 5.2mm thick when unfolded, and 258g.
Read more: I spent a couple of hours with the new Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold — it’s not a reinvention, but a nudge toward perfection
These are the best Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold preorder deals
The Pixel 11 also has a Tensor G6 chipset, plus the camera upgrades highlighted further up, and on top of that it’s received a storage boost, now starting at 256GB rather than the 128GB of its predecessor.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarThat said, the starting price has actually increased too, so you’re paying the same as you would have for a 256GB model last year, there’s just now no option of a cheaper 128GB version.
Many of the specs — camera and chipset aside — are also very similar to the Google Pixel 10’s, and you don’t get Google’s new HiLight feature with the Pixel 11, so it will be interesting to see whether this tempts many buyers.
6. The Pixel Watch 5 is Google’s most advanced health and fitness wearable yetThe Google Pixel Watch 5 (Image credit: Google)This event wasn’t just about phones — we also saw the Pixel Watch 5, and this is very much focused on health and fitness upgrades.
On the health side, that includes being able to track blood pressure patterns before they can put strain on your heart, and track insulin resistance over time. For fitness, Google claims this offers its most accurate GPS yet, and it also sports a new Key Metrics view, which helps you analyze your performance after a workout.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarAnd when you’re sleeping, the Google Pixel Watch 5 has a Sleep Breathing Quality feature that analyzes minute-by-minute variations in your blood oxygen levels. And of course all the core Pixel Watch 4 features have made a return too.
Read more: I test smartwatches for a living, and the Google Pixel Watch 5 beats Apple and Samsung in 5 key ways
7. The Pixel Tag has landed as an AirTag rival(Image credit: Future)Google has also launched its first tracker, called simply the Pixel Tag. There’s not too much to say about this yet — if you’ve used an AirTag, Samsung Galaxy Smart Tag, or anything along those lines you know basically what to expect.
@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadarBut it comes in a ‘Fog’ shade, has a built-in speaker, includes ultra-wideband for precision finding, has an IP67 rating (so it’s moderately water resistant), and is powered by a replaceable coin cell battery that should last over a year. It’s also light, at just 11.8g.
Read more: The Pixel Tag is here — but it won't be an AirTag for Android until Google fixes these Find Hub issues
- A new 8-in-1 smart display dock is now on Kickstarter
- Cabletime's ScreenDock features a 5.5-inch screen which can be used as a secondary display
- The device could prove an interesting alternative to Corsair's Xeneon Edge thanks to its extra docking capabilities
Multi-tasking on a PC is made easier using Corsair's Xeneon Edge touchscreen LCD as a secondary display — but now this solution seemingly has some strong competition.
As reported by Notebookcheck, the Cabletime ScreenDock is a new 8-in-1 smart dock with a 5.5-inch built-in display, and it could be ideal as a secondary display alongside a desktop PC or laptop. This device is a Kickstarter project with an early-bird price of $119.
There are some marked differences in comparison to Corsair's Xeneon Edge. The ScreenDock has a much smaller 5.5-inch display (with a 1080 x 720 resolution) instead of 14.5-inches, and it lacks any touchscreen capability. The latter is what gives the Xeneon Edge its Stream Deck-style functionality (Elgato's shortcut command center with programmable keys), especially with the official virtual Stream Deck widget.
However, the ScreenDock serves the same broad purpose as Corsair's handy display, allowing PC owners to use it for overlays, third-party applications, or simply as an extended screen on Windows 11.
And the ScreenDock has two major advantages itself. Unlike the Xeneon Edge, Cabletime's device is also a dock, with multiple USB-C, USB-A, and Ethernet ports, as well as an HDMI port (4K 60Hz). The ScreenDock has a foldable design too, helping users preserve desk space, with brightness and power on/off buttons which aren't present on Corsair's display.
So small it looks like a mobile phone... (Image credit: Cabletime)Caution firstIf you're liking the look of Cabletime's ScreenDock, bear in mind that it's still at a relatively early stage. A lot could go wrong with a crowdfunded device as we've seen in the past, between potential manufacturing issues or shipping delays, so be suitably cautious about committing your cash.
If this crowdfunding effort is successful, it could serve as a strong competitor to Corsair's device, which has been considered overpriced (starting at $249.99 / £219.99 / AU$389).
The ScreenDock is only at early-bird pricing right now, so naturally it will be more expensive at its full price. With its 8-in-1 smart dock capabilities, it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Corsair's premium device.