4 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content

Tech

The latest tech news about the world’s best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. From top companies like Google and Apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, Verge Tech has the latest in what matters in technology daily.

Nilay Patel
Nilay Patel
Whoop and Peloton integration is finally here.

Vee has hands-on coverge of Peloton’s new treadmills, but the highlight for me is that the company has finally launched a full Whoop integration, which will sync detailed metrics and class info from Peloton workouts to the popular health wearable. Full details here.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
The screen-used hero Batmobile from Tim Burton’s Batman Returns is headed to auction.

If you’re on team Burton instead of team Nolan when it comes to which is the best Batmobile of all time, starting on November 23rd you can bid on an amazing piece of Batman memorabilia. Julien’s Auctions will have the screen-matched Batmobile hero car from Batman Returns up for grabs which is expected to fetch upwards of $7 million.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

1/3Image: Julien’s Auctions
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Jsaux’s E Ink and Pixel Matrix Steam Machine faceplates are now available.

After first teasing their designs last November, the $99.99 E Ink and $89.99 Pixel Matrix magnetic faceplates are now available for preorder from Jsaux’s online store. The Verge’s Sean Hollister got some hands-on time with both displays and while the colorful pixelated faceplate needs a constant USB-C connection to the console, the E Ink is wireless with Bluetooth and a battery.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Undead Labs has completed its separation from Xbox.

State of Decay 3 developer Undead Labs is now an independent employee-owned studio. It’s the third studio to successfully separate from Xbox, after Double Fine and Compulsion Games did the same recently. “Development of State of Decay 3 remains actively underway at Undead Labs,” says the team. The game is still planned to release in 2027 on Xbox (and Game Pass), PC, and PlayStation.

Sadly, it looks like Ninja Theory won’t be the fourth Xbox studio avoiding closure, though.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Is Apple Music experimenting with a new logo?

A redesigned wordmark has appeared at the start of a new promotional video for Apple Music Hall, and at the top of the venue’s website. That said, the current version is still being used across the Apple Music website, and displayed inside the new show venue. so it’s unclear if Apple will be using the new logo anywhere else.

A comparison between Apple Music wordmarks.
I rather like the redesigned version on the right, it feels more suited for the Apple style vibe. Thoughts?
Image: Apple
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
The new Apple Watches also reduce heart rate readings while Theater Mode is active.

If you’re worried about the green LEDs being a bigger distraction in a dark theater now that the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 measure your heart rate every five seconds, Theater Mode now reduces readings to five minute intervals while still silencing alerts and keeping the screen off. But you can override that new feature in the Apple Watch’s settings to restore the continuous monitoring.

The front and back of the Apple Watch Series 12 with its heart rate reading LEDs activated.
Image: Apple
The Beats 360 are what I’d bring to the gym if I hated earbuds

7

Verge Score

With swappable ear cushions and IPX4 water resistance, the Beats 360 should stand up better to sweat than most headphones.

John Higgins
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Apple is once again soldering the Mac mini’s SSD preventing aftermarket upgrades.

While the Mac mini M4’s SSD was easily removable and upgradeable, the NAND module on the new Mac mini M6 and M5 Pro is soldered to the logic board, according to a blog post by Expand Mac mini. That’s the same approach Apple took with the Mac mini M1, M2, and M3.

A partially opened Mac mini M4 computer.
Replacing the SSD in the Mac mini M4 was relatively simple after some disassembly.
Image: iFixit
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Clavicular charged with rape and drugging in Massachusetts.

Charges against the 20 year old “looksmaxxing” manosphere influencer (real name: Braden Peters) were filed on September 8th, and include one count of rape, one count of drugging someone for sexual intercourse, and one count of procuring alcohol for someone underage. Arraignment is set for October 14th.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Yashica is upgrading a 67 year old camera to digital but keeping its retro flash.

The original Yashica Y16 debuted in 1959 as a 16mm film camera but the company is reviving it as a 12-megapixel retro digital shooter with an added LCD display on the back. Pricing hasn’t been announced ahead of preorders opening in October, but the new Y16 will still feature a bright Xenon flash instead of using LEDs.

<em>Yashica hasn’t revealed the size of the sensor in the Y16 but it’s expected to be small to keep the camera’s price accessible.</em>
<em>The camera’s optical viewfinder is joined by a small LCD display for framing, adjusting settings, or perusing photos.</em>
<em>The camera will launch in seven different color variations.</em>
1/3
Yashica hasn’t revealed the size of the sensor in the Y16 but it’s expected to be small to keep the camera’s price accessible.
Image: Yashica
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Apple still appears to be working on an “AutoLock” feature for stolen iPhones.

As spotted by 9to5Mac, code in the latest iOS 27.2 beta backs up earlier reporting that suggests Apple may automatically lock iPhones when taken from their owners. Apple may use various signals to determine when an iPhone was stolen, such as a “sharp acceleration” that indicates a device was snatched, the inability to connect to a paired Apple Watch, and a loss of network connectivity.

Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Nvidia’s new driver is ready for Control Resonant and E-Day.

Nvidia is releasing a new Game Ready driver today, in preparation for the release of AION 2, Control Resonant, Gears of War: E-Day, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Remastered. The driver includes optimizations for all four games, as well as enabling DLSS 4.5 Ray Reconstruction in Control Resonant.

Image: Nvidia
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Adobe’s Premiere video editor is now on Android.

After launching for iPhone last year, a free Android version of the Premiere mobile app is now available on the Google Play store. Devices need at least 5GB of RAM and to be running Android 13 or later, and the app provides a multi-track editing timeline with tools for visual effects, audio, transitions, and more.

A screenshot showing visual filters on the Adobe Premiere mobile app.
There are also basic tools like filters alongside the more professional editing features.
Image: Adobe
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Therabody is giving its smallest massager an iMac-inspired upgrade.

The new Theragun Mini Y2K Collection exposes the Theragun Mini 3’s tech through a new translucent shell with color options inspired by the original iMac G3. The colors launching today through Therabody’s online store for $229.99 each include blue raspberry, grape blast, orange crush, strawberry splash, and green apple.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

1/2Image: Therabody
Peloton is back with a ‘cheaper’ folding treadmill

Plus two other refreshed treadmills and a host of AI running features.

Victoria Song
It’s time for the Mac NeoIt’s time for the Mac Neo
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Can you forget how you feel about Meta?

‘Pervert glasses.’ Thousands of lawsuits. Mark Zuckerberg wants to sweep it all away with a new bid on AI.

Mia Sato, Victoria Song and 2 more
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
The constant drone of Amazon drones.

Amazon plans to expand Prime Air to nearly 500 cities and towns this year, but some residents in one US city already covered by the drone delivery service say that it’s “been a disaster.” The drones are a privacy and safety concern, according to people living in Richardson, Texas, and sound like flying lawn mowers.

Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Microsoft planning Xbox layoffs today.

Microsoft is due to announce another round of Xbox layoffs today, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans. The cuts will reportedly be part of a larger restructuring, with The Information reporting that Microsoft plans to “consolidate several of its game studios.” Today’s layoffs will reportedly affect hundreds of employees, and are part of the 3,200 Xbox layoffs that Microsoft is planning by the end of June 2027.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Birdfy’s new Roku app lets you watch your backyard birds on TV.

If you have one of Birdfy’s smart birdwatching devices, you can tune into its video feed on the biggest screen in the house now on the Roku version of the Birdfy companion app.

A promotional image for Birdfy’s Roku app
Image: Birdfy
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Microsoft patent application shows how it might start using in-game context to show ads.

A system for “contextually aware” ads described in the patent application could pause gameplay “at the operating system level” to show an ad when certain in-game events or triggers happen. For instance, players might get an ad break after a boss fight or when their avatar “is determined to be in a safe location, such as the user’s team base.”

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Insta360 is extending the Luna Ultra’s zoom with a $50 lens and AI.

Insta360’s Luna Ultra and the DJI Osmo Pocket 4P added telephoto lenses to baby steadycams this year. The Ultra’s zoom originally offered 3x optical, 6x lossless crop, or 12x with reduction in detail, but a firmware update now gives you an AI-enhanced 15x. Or make it 4.5x optical and up to 22.5x zoom by adding the new $50 “Ultra Telephoto Lens,” too:

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

The new 1.5x “ultra telephoto” blocks your main lens in favor of extra zoom.
The new 1.5x “ultra telephoto” blocks your main lens in favor of extra zoom.
Image: Insta360
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Googlebooks, Googlebooks, Googlebooks.

As I mention in my Googlebook hands-on piece, Google’s new laptop OS has clever ideas about how an Android-based laptop and an Android phone interact. It’s worth checking out in motion, like in our short video that went up today.

We’ll of course be testing and reviewing Googlebooks to see if they actually have the juice. In the meantime, watch me hold a microphone like a goof.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Apple’s smart display could finally arrive next month.

According to Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, the long-rumored Apple home hub with a screen is now being positioned as an AI hub for the home, working in tandem with your personal AI hub, the iPhone. He writes:

“It will bring together all of your connected-device controls, video calls, intercom capabilities and media, while giving you access to Apple services and apps. It also will feature a new operating system built around Siri AI.”

I shared my ideas for what I want to see Apple do with a truly “intelligent home hub” in this piece, but in the meantime I’ll make do with Apple just shipping something here.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Got an Intel Panther Lake laptop or handheld? Auto SR could boost your gaming.

Microsoft’s DLSS competitor isn’t just for Qualcomm laptops and Xbox Ally X anymore — the MSI Claw EX handheld and anything else Intel Core Ultra Series 3 should now qualify. Microsoft claims it’s enough to play at ultra instead of high, among other examples, and I see the hard-to-find Claw EX is now back in stock at B&H, MSI, and ExcaliberPC.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
MediaTek’s new Dimensity CX C10 Max chip will go into Googlebooks.

MediaTek is announcing its new Dimensity CX C10 Max processor. It’s an Arm-based chip built on TSMC’s 3nm process, with an 8-core CPU, 11-core GPU, and an NPU capable of up to 55 TOPS. This will be MediaTek’s Googlebook chip, as it’s designed for thin-and-light laptops like the five initial Googlebooks that were just announced.

This is the first chip of a new line from MediaTek, yet it still manages to have “Max” in its name.
This is the first chip of a new line from MediaTek, yet it still manages to have “Max” in its name.
Image: MediaTek
Can CEO John Ternus find Apple’s next big thing?
Play

Bloomberg chief Apple correspondent Mark Gurman on Siri, Tim Cook’s legacy, and what to expect from Ternus.

Nilay Patel
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
This tiny scroll wheel mouse doubles as a page-turning smartphone remote.

The TimeXplayer V2 shrinks a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel down to the size of a matchbook, including a 2.4GHz USB receiver hidden inside. But it’s also got Bluetooth so you can connect it to your phone and use it as an alternative to the Boox Tappy as a handheld remote for doomscrolling or reading.

A person holds the tiny TimeXplayer V2 wireless mouse between their fingers.
The TimeXplayer V2 is launching through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Early bird backers can preorder one discounted from $85 to $55 with shipping expected to start in November.
Image: Kickstarter