Google sets a new standard with a full IP68 rating for foldable phones. Google sets a new standard with a full IP68 rating for foldable phones. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. G oogle's third-generation folding phone promises to be more durable than all others as the first with full water and dust resistance while also packing lots of advanced AI and an adaptable set of cameras.

NVIDIA CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang commends President Donald Trump's A.I. agenda and outlines what the country's job future will look like on'Special Report.' I would love a foldable phone. It's fun to imagine strutting into a coffee shop, flipping open your phone like you're Batman calling Alfred. But now Samsung's dropped the seventh-gen Galaxy Z Fold and Flip, Google threw in the Pixel Fold, Motorola whipped out retro with the modern Razr, and it all sounds exciting until you start looking closer. Foldable phones use ultrathin flexible glass over OLED displays, combined with a mechanical hinge system.

In recent years, reflecting on the past 12 months has seemed to bring back nothing but woe. Surprisingly, though, 2024 saw a higher number of candidates for good things in tech than bad. In spite of the continued AI onslaught, widespread dissatisfaction and worldwide political conflict, there were some bright spots this year that put smiles on faces and took minds off things. As we get ready to start saying "2025" when making plans, here's hoping that reminiscing about the best things in tech in 2024 can help us remember joyful times. You likely don't know the name LocalThunk, which is the handle of a Canadian game developer who has yet to share his real identity.

Google has confirmed in a teaser video that its upcoming line of smartphones includes a new foldable model. The company called the Pixel 9 Pro Fold a "foldable phone built for the Gemini era" in its promo tweet, and it even focused on its gen AI chatbot in the video. Similar to the non-foldable Pixel 9 Pro, this model also has a prominent camera bump. Its lenses are arranged vertically near one side of the phone, so the camera bump is mostly there and doesn't take up the whole width of the folded device. A foldable phone built for the Gemini era.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard the term "generative AI" at least a handful of times now, perhaps thanks to the wildly popular ChatGPT service. The AI-powered chatbot's success didn't just shine a spotlight on OpenAI, the creator behind it, but it also catalyzed an AI arms race in the tech industry – a race from which Apple has been noticeably absent. Earlier this month, Google made a flurry of AI-related announcements at its annual developer conference, including a new AI-infused version of search and Bard, its AI-powered chatbot, which is being rolled out across the world. Before that, Microsoft built generative AI into its suite of long-established productivity apps like Word, PowerPoint and Outlook in a move that's changing how more than a billion people work. In February, Meta released its own sophisticated AI model, which has many of the same capabilities at ChatGPT and Bard, as open-source software for public use.

Google has confirmed the Pixel Fold, its first foldable smartphone, with video teasers on both YouTube and Twitter. The company was expected to reveal the Pixel Fold at Google I/O next week, but leaks ruined that surprise. The device has a vertical hinge that unfolds into a tablet-like 7.6-inch display. Rumors suggest the price could be around $1,700, fetching a premium far beyond Google's flagship Pixels. However, I could be convinced – if the foldable can deliver a rumored 24-hour battery life.

Google has released an official video of its first ever foldable smartphone - the Pixel Fold. A video shows the sleek, silver device which opens up like a book with a vertical hinge, and has a camera array on the back that is similar to other Pixel devices. The tech giant has yet to release any technical details or price, as the full announcement will come on May 10 during its developer conference, Google I/O. This comes just a week after footage was leaked on Twitter of an alleged Pixel Fold prototype, which looks very similar to the one in the official video. The smartphone will see Google join Samsung, Huawei and many more of its rivals in offering a foldable device.

Xiaomi had a busy Thursday. It revealed a new slimmer foldable smartphone to go up against Samsung's just-announced Galaxy Z Fold 4, then made that appear dull when its own humanoid robot prototype walked on stage. The Xiaomi CyberOne is 177cm (5.8 feet) tall, weighs 52kg (115 pounds) and is, apparently, a Leo. It comes before Tesla's humanoid vision arrived as a real-world prototype. But there's some definite style overlap.

In 2022, there will be even more niche phones that offer a rich experience and a narrow appeal like gaming phones and foldables. New phones for 2022 are already debuting left and right, and it's barely been two weeks. During CES 2022, Samsung announced the Galaxy S21 FE, the follow-up to its popular 2020 phone the Galaxy S20 FE. OnePlus teased us all with a slow trickle of details about the new features and CPU in the OnePlus 10 Pro. Sony finally brought the photography-focused Xperia 5 III to the US.

Motorola has hit back at claims that its resurrected Razr can only withstand 27,000 folds before showing signs of damage. CNET conducted a durability test with the new foldable phone last week with a FoldBot and after thousands of rapid folds and just three hours, the Razr's hinge was failing and not fully closing the foldable device. However, the US smartphone-maker says the robot'put undue stress on the hinge' and did not allow the foldable phone to'open and close as intended', the firm told Engadget in a statement. Motorola conducted its own tests with a robot it claims folds the phone properly and revealed users should get'years of use.' In a statement to Engadget, Motorola said: 'razr is a unique smartphone, featuring a dynamic clamshell folding system unlike any device on the market.