This week we released our full reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, saw that Amazon has been ordered to recall over 400,000 dangerous and defective products, and learned how an incredible Olympics photo was taken with a Nikon Z9.
In case you missed this and more, we have this guide to catch you up on the biggest tech news of the week. Scroll down for quick summaries of everything you need to know and links to the top stories so you can learn more if you want.
Be sure to check back next week for another ICYMI recap, but for now, let's get into our first story…
7. We analyze Samsung's new foldables
There may be some objections that Samsung didn't do enough to shake up its foldable line, such as too few camera upgrades and an insufficient redesign, but in our view, Samsung took the best of the foldable genre and polished and refined it all.
The new designs are incredibly clean and durable, and what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 lack in major photography upgrades, they more than make up for with impressive AI capabilities. There are so many cool things you can do with these new foldables, like creating pro-grade art from doodles, adding photorealistic elements to photos on the Fold 6, and making impressive image edits or adding post-capture slow motion to video on the Flip 6.
The Fold is more expensive than ever, but these foldable form factors, especially in the case of the Fold 6, give you two devices in one. It would be great if the Z Flip 6 Cover's display was more eye-catching, but even so, it wins major points for cuteness. The Fold 6, on the other hand, is a powerful, large-screen phone with a gorgeous 7.6-inch tablet hidden inside. In a word, we're in love.
Countless television shows like the excellent Living with yourself They've explored the idea of cloning themselves to share life's heavy lifting, and this week, Meta introduced the digital equivalent with its new AI Studio. The new feature, exclusive to the US, allows Instagram's professional creators to “create an AI as an extension of themselves” to respond to their direct messages and story replies.
If that's not creepy enough, you can also create “AI Characters” based on your chosen interests so you always have a virtual gym buddy on hand to quiz with questions. Meta at least retired its AI celebrity avatars this week. But with similar ideas explored this week by the bizarre AI Friend necklace, it definitely feels like we've strayed into a dystopia. Black mirror timeline.
5. Apple Intelligence made its first appearance
The developer betas for iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 finally showed us an early form of Apple Intelligence, suggesting that rumors about its delay may have been greatly exaggerated.
When it launches, Apple Intelligence promises to offer features like writing assistance, natural language search, context persistence in Siri, and more — though not all of it was available in this preview. It focused on generative writing tools, email summaries, and some natural language search features in Photos — with no Genmoji creation, photo cleanup, or ChatGPT integration.
Google and Samsung have a significant lead in the smartphone AI game, and while this gradual arrival is a start, Apple will need to be ready to surprise us when iOS 18 fully launches later this year.
4. The Olympic Games have begun and they have given us some podium-worthy photos
It’s almost too surreal to be real, but the viral photo from the 2024 Olympics so far immortalizes the moment Brazilian surfing star Gabriel Medina celebrated a near-perfect score of 9.9 with a kick-out: several feet in the air, superhero-like, and perfectly aligned next to his surfboard. Shot by French photographer Jerome Brouillet on the Nikon Z9, the photo will go down in surfing and Olympic history, just like Medina’s record-breaking individual score.
Despite carrying a professional camera that can shoot up to 20fps at full quality or 120fps with cropped JPEGs, Jerome only had time to capture four images of the moment, one of which is the one that appears on everyone's feeds.
Positioned in just the right spot on a boat, Jerome said capturing the image was a matter of “preparation, devotion, timing and a touch of luck,” and we were the lucky ones that all the elements came together that day.
3. The new Google Nest smart thermostat was leaked in a TikTok unboxing video
See in the
We got our first proper look at the slim, sleek, all-new Google Nest smart thermostat thanks to a TikTok user who managed to get his hands on not one, but three of the unreleased devices. The fourth-generation thermostat has a virtually bezel-less curved glass front, a stainless steel case instead of plastic, and a customizable display. It's also smarter than its predecessor, and can suggest adjustments to your heating schedule that will help save energy.
We're not sure if the update will be as simple as removing the old learning thermostat and placing the new one in the stand, but everything should become clearer at the Made by Google event on August 13.
2. Amazon ordered to recall more than 400,000 items
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) ordered Amazon to recall 400,000 dangerous items sold through its store this week. Interestingly, these items were not sold by Amazon, but rather make up more than 60% of sales through its site made by independent sellers who simply use Amazon as a virtual marketplace.
Amazon plans to appeal the decision, arguing that it already does enough to protect customers. However, the CSPC believes that Amazon meets the legal definition of a “distributor” and should do more.
This decision may not only affect Amazon, but potentially have repercussions on other popular marketplaces like Temu, but we'll have to see how things play out.
1. The leaked DJI Neo drone flew into dangerous “impulse buy” territory
We don't need to buy a tiny drone, but DJI is about to test our tenuous resolve, according to new leaks of its upcoming Neo model. If those rumors are true, the Neo will be its lightest drone yet and can practically be carried in your pocket without its propeller guards.
What will the Neo actually do? Apparently its 4K camera and AI-powered subject tracking could make it the ultimate selfie drone for travel photos and videos. There's also the possibility that it could support FPV (first-person view) headsets so you can shoot spectacular indoor videos. Either way, we've put the family cat up for sale in anticipation of a full release soon…
