Amazon's Big Deal Days sale returns October 6-7, which means we're just days away from seeing some of the best Google Pixel deals of the year. Whether you're shopping for an AI-boosted Pixel 11 or a stylish Pixel Watch 5, Amazon's October Prime Day sale event is expected to slash prices on nearly all of Google's latest tech, along with a few iconic last-gen devices.
What specifically can you expect when the deals go live? Are there any early offers available? I've been covering sale events just like this one for years, and I can tell you exactly what you need to know about shopping Google Pixel tech during Amazon Big Deal Days.
The biggest thing to consider today is whether or not your Amazon Prime subscription is active. Most of the best Pixel deals during Amazon's sale will be exclusive to Prime members, so make sure you're logged in before you start shopping. Not a member yet? Amazon is running a 30-day free trial that lets you explore all of the benefits of a Prime membership (including access to exclusive deals) without paying a cent.
Big Deal Days is Amazon's way of bringing the complete Prime Day experience into the fall season. From October 6th through the 7th, the retailer will be slashing prices on everything from clothing and kitchen appliances to Android tech, and all you'll need is a Prime membership. The sale also marks the beginning of fall sale season, giving shoppers an early look at upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday offerings.
What Google Pixel deals can I expect during Prime Big Deal Days?
Prime Day events like Big Deal Days typically showcase discounts on a wide range of Google products, from smartphones to wearables. This time around, I'd expect some hefty discounts on the entire Google Pixel 11 lineup. The prices on the flagship phones haven't dipped much since their August launch, so I'm anticipating discounts as high as 20% off or more once the sale begins in earnest.
You can also expect the Pixel Watch 5 to get its first-ever discount, while last-gen Google devices like the Pixel Watch 4 and Google Pixel 10a are almost certain to see some historic price drops as well.
Do I need to be a Prime member to shop during Prime Big Deal Days?
Yep. Just like other Prime Day events, the vast majority of deals during Big Deal Days will be exclusive to Prime members. If you haven't signed up yet, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial that lets you enjoy all of the benefits of Prime (including unlimited streaming, free shipping, and access to exclusive deals) without paying a cent. Once the free trial is up, Prime memberships start at just $14.99 per month with the ability to cancel at any time.
If you simply don't want to add another subscription to your monthly bills, it's also worth mentioning that Amazon's biggest rivals — such as Best Buy, Walmart, and Target — are also expected to launch their own competing sales around the same time. These sale events are sure to match (or even surpass) Amazon's discounts, and they typically don't require a membership.
Every parent wants to protect their kids, and while that's pretty easy to do when you're with them, how about all those times when you're not? Getting your child a kid-friendly phone or smartwatch is a great way to keep in touch (and keep tabs on them), but protecting them from the horrors of the internet is extraordinarily difficult, even with good parental controls in place.
That's why I've been using Bark since 2024 on my son's phone and just expanded it to a new Bark Watch so he can keep in touch no matter where he might be. But Bark isn't just any boring old parental control software that restricts or blocks content. It's got an AI-powered engine that understands context and sends you alerts when it thinks something might be wrong, and that's helped me keep him on the safe path online for the past 2 years.
What is Bark?
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Bark offers parental controls for existing Android and iOS devices, as well as its own suite of devices. You can easily install it on your child's devices and link it to their social accounts, including Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Bark's AI engine regularly scans activity on the device and linked accounts and sends you alerts when something is out of the ordinary.
If you don't want to set these up on an existing device, Bark sells two phone models and one smartwatch model that have everything pre-installed and ready to go out of the box. The watch and phones are all Samsung models, so you know they're good products, but I chose something else for my son because Samsung displays use PWM dimming, which causes me health issues and could also cause problems for him. Thanks, genetics.
The whistleblower
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
When your child is little (read: under 10), parental controls are a de facto standard that's an expected norm, even for the kids. As they get older, things get a little trickier. My son is almost 13 now and quite a bit more independent than he was even a year ago. I want to help him grow into a functioning adult, not to need me his entire life, so I've got to help give him more independence as he ages, but that comes with obvious dangers.
You generally know who your child is talking to in real life, but that's a lot harder online. That's where Bark comes in for me. Its AI-powered engine scans everything on the phone (including text, pictures, video, etc.), runs it through a private VPN, then alerts me when something is wrong. And, of course, if I really felt the need to read all his messages, I'd just take his phone away and do it. I'm still the parent, after all.
You'd never know this was a "kids watch" by the look of it. (Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Every so often, I'll receive an alert from Bark about a conversation my son was having on Discord, or some silly video he recorded. I get around 3 per month on average, so this isn't overwhelming to deal with, and all of them are quite useful.
Most of the time, Bark identifies conversations as containing "bullying" or "violence," but in my son's case, the flagged conversation is just adolescent boys being goofballs rather than something truly harmful. "I'm going to kill you" sounds really bad with no context, but when I realized it was while they were playing some Roblox game where you fight each other, I'm no longer worried about it.
(Image credit: Android Central)
The same goes with videos or pictures he's taken with friends. One time, I got an alert about some recorded video containing "sexual content," but when I viewed it, I realized it was just potty humor taken a bit too far. A quick conversation with him nipped that one in the bud.
Another time, he skinned his knee quite badly and sent a picture of it to some friends. I got a quick alert when he did that and knew to grab the Band-Aids and Neosporin for when he walked back inside. It works impressively well, and it makes me feel like I have a digital companion helping me better parent him in the digital age rather than having to manually snoop on every conversation he has.
Bark Assistant
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Bark's proactive alerts are a phenomenal way to keep me informed without having to keep the app open all the time, but there are occasions when I want to look something up in the app. Bark does a lot, and I used to find myself fumbling through menus to find what I want, but that all stopped when Bark Assistant launched.
Assistant is launched via the center Bark button in the Bark app's navigation bar. As you might imagine, Bark Assistant is powered by an LLM and can answer any question you have about your child's account or activity. It can also make quick changes to settings or help you set up features you didn't know existed.
My favorite feature is the "who has my child been talking to" option, which generates a one-page summary of the past seven days. It's particularly helpful for kids who have access to apps like Discord, which are anonymous and can be nefariously used.
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
I also love the Advanced Insights tab, which uses a private LLM to summarize recent data and give you quick to-dos. In one humorous example, Bark identified a Google search my son made asking, "where is the eighth heroine?" Bark Assistant says, "the search was auto-flagged for drug/alcohol-related content because early keystrokes matched 'heroin,' but it looks like this was likely research for a book, game, or show character."
That's some fantastic insight, because the "eight heroine" is actually a puzzle in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, not because my son was looking for illicit drugs. It's this kind of semantic understanding that makes Bark actually useful, rather than another app that sends me far too many annoying notifications.
(Image credit: Android Central)
Advanced Insights also gives you conversation starters for problems that it identifies. In the silly Zelda puzzle example, the Bark app suggested I double-check with my son by saying something like, "I saw you were searching for an 'eighth heroine' online -- were you looking up a character from a show or game? I'd love to hear what you were digging into." Good advice, especially if I don't want to rush in and immediately accuse him of something.
There's a lot more to Bark than these features, of course, but these are what set the service apart for me and make it truly special. It feels a bit like the difference between seeing a holistic doctor and stopping by a random clinic whenever you have a problem. Bark seems to understand the big picture, not just the things it should block or restrict, and I absolutely love that about it.
Honestly, any 5,000mAh or 10,000mAh Qi 2.2 power bank will be good enough if you're using an iPhone or recent Pixel and just want something that can charge your phone. It's a little more convoluted with other Android phones as you need to use a magnetic case, but other than that, the usability is similar.
(Image credit: BMX)
But that isn't the case with wide foldables like the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The smaller and wider design means most power banks will be too long, but accessory makers are solving that problem. BMX's SolidSafe Duo is a 5,000mAh magnetic power bank with a semi-solid-state battery cell, and it utilizes a custom square design that's designed to go with the iPhone Duo.
As the image above illustrates, you can attach it to the rear of the foldable and use the provided 360-degree kickstand to interact with the inner panel. The rotating nature of the kickstand makes it inherently versatile, and you can use it to take advantage of the iPhone Duo's unique size.
I also like that the SolidSafe Duo gets a TFT panel that shows battery level and charging details. It isn't a Qi 2.2 power bank, instead going up to just 15W, but it gets a built-in USB-C cable that hits 20W. That's annoying, as 25W charging would have been ideal — considering it costs $79, nearly double that of regular Qi 2.2 power banks.
(Image credit: Baseus)
Baseus is also getting in on the action with the PicoGo Air AM72 Magnetic Power Bank. While it doesn't use a semi-solid-state cell and doesn't have the rotating ring, it has a similar design as Baseus's other power banks, and it should be just as reliable. While I haven't looked at BMX's power banks just yet, I used Baseus's products for well over two years now, and I haven't had any issues whatsoever. Baseus hasn't detailed what the AM72 will cost, with the power bank slated to go on sale in November.
This is just the initial wave of accessories, and I have no doubt that we will see plenty of other brands roll out iPhone Duo-related power banks, chargers, and cases over the coming weeks as we get closer to the foldable's availability.
Google has started warning users in Gemini Gems that it will replace this feature with "Skills."
Gems will be replaced by Skills on November 17, 2026; however, users can continue to use Gems until they migrate.
Skills are "reusable custom instructions" that are stackable and easier to access for users in Gemini chats.
Google introduced Gemini Gems in August 2024.
Google is shutting down an old Gemini feature in the next couple of months. It states it will replace Gems with the next iteration of its AI tech.
In Gemini's Gems view, Google has posted an alert to inform users that Gems will be replaced by Skills on November 17, 2026 (via 9to5Google). The company's alert reads, "...we'll automatically begin migrating your Gems to skills. You will be able to use your Gems until they migrate." Learning more sends users to a support page where Google details its move from Gems to Skills.
According to the post, Skills are "reusable custom instructions" that users can utilize for automated tasks in Gemini. However, there are a few more uses. Skills are "stackable." Google states this means users can combine multiple Skills in one chat with Gemini for complex tasks. What's more, the company says you can type the Skill's name in a chat with Gemini for easier access.
It's worth noting that Google is working on a way to type "@" followed by the Skill's name for an even easier experience. Gemini's awareness of your Skills will have it "automatically recognize when a skill is relevant to your current prompt." Gemini will then apply that Skill for you without much manual input. If you've been using Gems and are curious about how to recreate them as a Skill, we suggest reading this.
The support document states Skills are available now in Gemini's chats for users over 18 years old and signed in (personal account). Google says it plans to expand Skills to work and school accounts in the future.
Watch the skills
(Image credit: Google)
We've had Gemini Gems for two years. Perhaps it's been a good run? Google first introduced these custom Gems in August 2024, stating they let users "create a tailor-made version of the AI for a specific need." Users can instruct the AI on its purpose and "how it should respond." Gems were available (still are, technically) on desktop and mobile. Since its introduction, Google has brought Gems to Workspace.
Google delivered a pre-made selection of Gems for Gmail, Drive, Sheets, and Slides. Users still had the ability to create their own, too. What's replacing it now—Skills—is the result of Gemini Spark. This is Google's latest proactive AI agent to help streamline users' workdays. Gemini Spark can manage tasks and workflows in the background without disturbing you. Google explains that Skills are "a set of instructions and preferences that teaches Gemini how to handle a specific type of task the way you would."
I'm one of those people who believes that we don't need a new generation of smartphones every year (can we take 2027 off please?), but this trend does come in handy when you're on the hunt for Motorola Razr Ultra deals.
Order last year's Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) unlocked from Best Buy today, for instance, and you'll get a straight $600 off your purchase, no trade-in required and no strings attached. This is an excellent clamshell device that still holds its own against many of the best foldable phones on the market, but since it's officially "last-gen", discounts like this are becoming more common.
Will the price drop even further when Amazon's Big Spring Sale kicks off next week? It's hard to say for certain, but I wouldn't worry about feeling any FOMO once the deals go live on October 6th: $600 off is an impressive discount no matter how you look at it.
If you want the premium flip phone experience without paying a premium price, the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) is as good as it gets. Currently discounted to $699.99 at Best Buy, the clamshell foldable boasts two stunning displays with a titanium-reinforced hinge, 16GB of RAM, and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. View Deal
We called the Razr Ultra (2025) the 'flip phone, nearly perfected' in last year's 4.5/5-star review, and most of this praise still rings true today. Straight out of the box, you'll find two gorgeous pOLED displays (7-inch internal, 4-inch external) with a titanium-reinforced hinge and a premium vegan leather finish.
Under the hood, the Razr Ultra (2025) is equipped with an all-day 4,700mAh battery, 16GB of RAM, and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, in addition to 512GB of onboard storage.
How does the 2025 foldable compare to this year's Motorola Razr Ultra (2026)? Well, the newer phone adds an upgrade to the camera system and a larger battery without affecting the weight, plus a few new finishes that look great. That's about it. Both phones share the same processor, they have identical charging speeds, and there's no change to the display technology.
Iterative upgrades between smartphone generations are hardly uncommon in this day and age, but the Razr Ultra (2026) is selling for a jaw-dropping $1,499.99 right now. There is no universe in which I could recommend the 2026 flip phone when the nearly-identical Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) is selling for $800 cheaper at Best Buy.
Needless to say, unless you simply have to have the latest and greatest devices on the market, grab the 2025 Razr Ultra while it's on sale. You won't be disappointed.
I always enjoy using limited-edition phones (who doesn't?), and I liked what Realme did last year with the 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition. The brand is following that up with another fantasy-related collaboration, this time launching the Harry Potter Edition of the 16 Pro.
I'm a Potterhead; I grew up with the Harry Potter books, and not being content with the canon, I went down the fanfic rabbit hole (HPMOR is incredible). My wife and sister also like the books, and we went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios a few years ago (it was a thoroughly enjoyable three days, and I highly recommend it).
Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android CentralApoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
Anyway, let's talk about the device itself. Realme has proven that it knows how to make a limited-edition phone, and the brand outdid itself with the 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition. The attention to detail with the box, accessories, and the phone itself makes this one of the best collaborations in this category, and I know what I'm talking about — I used every phone-based collab to come out in the last decade.
The design is centered around Hogwarts, and the box that the phone comes in reflects that. The box is styled after Harry's Hogwarts trunk, and it comes with a ton of accessories: you get the Hogwarts letter (which is just plain cool), Platform 9 3/4 train ticket, bookmarks of each house, and four postcards.
There's a delightful SIM card ejector styled like the Hogwarts crest, a phone case with the crest on the rear, and a charger and cable that are of the same color as the phone itself. This is a big deal in and of itself, because most limited-edition collabs use the same charger as the regular models.
All of this leads to an unboxing that feels quite special, and honestly, it's clear that Realme put a lot of thought into this edition. The phone itself continues the Hogwarts livery, with the four-house crest highlighted on the rear along with Harry Potter and Realme inscribed underneath.
I also like the soft brown leather texture, and the pattern contrasts really well with the crest (it's also a good choice if you're into Burberry). Realme says the camera island is styled to look like Hedwig's eyes, and there's a laser-engraved Welcome to Hogwarts etched on to the mid-frame on the right.
I didn't notice this in the beginning, but the crest has what Realme calls Quadra Light-Sensing Color-changing Tech, which basically means it shows the colors of each house when you shine a UV light over it. This is undeniably cool, and I'll admit I wouldn't have come across it if I didn't go to Realme's product page.
There's a lot to like with the software as well. Realme added unique icons and animations, and it makes the device stand out from the regular model. If you don't like the styling, you can use the standard icons that come with Realme UI.
Other than that, the rest of the phone is similar to the Realme 16 Pro. It's a reliable mid-ranger, and it honestly is one of the better choices available in this category. You get a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel, Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Max, 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, a 200MP main camera, and 7,000mAh battery.
Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android CentralApoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
On the whole, the Realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is one of the best limited-edition phones I used. It does a great job reliving the magic of the Wizarding World, and I like the number of accessories Realme included this time around. of course, the result of that is the phone being costlier than the regular model; it costs ₹62,999 ($656) in India, and that's a considerable hike over what the standard 16 Pro costs in the country. Still, if you're a Potterhead and want a new phone, it is a great choice.
Qualcomm provided travel and lodging to Snapdragon Summit. There was no additional compensation, and Qualcomm did not have any input on this article prior to publication.
This year's Snapdragon Summit came and went, and I was fortunate enough to be on the ground in Maui to check out everything that Qualcomm and its partners had to show off. From powerful new smartphone chips to very interesting smartphones, more capable earbuds to chonky AR smart glasses, and, of course, the first batch of Googlebooks.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Extreme was the star of the show, but Summit also showcased a host of devices powered by Qualcomm's latest chip and other Snapdragon platforms. Here are some of the most interesting things I saw during Snapdragon Summit 2026.
Xiaomi 18 Pro comes with two unique displays
(Image credit: Android Central)
It's not too surprising, but Xiaomi was the first Android OEM to launch a smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series. In fact, it has two phones, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, sporting each of the new Snapdragon chips.
Beyond using some of the most powerful smartphone chips, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series has unique features you won't find on most Android smartphones. The most obvious is the rear display, which lets users set customizable wallpapers, check notifications, adjust settings, and even take selfies using the rear 200MP cameras.
(Image credit: Android Central)
In addition, the front OLED display utilizes a new pixel layout that lets the Xiaomi 18 Pro utilize a new privacy display feature, similar to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. With it, you can hide the contents of your display from onlookers while still seeing your display clearly. It's also customizable, so you can hide only notifications or specific apps.
The Xiaomi 18 Pro is available in China, with a global launch coming soon.
Motorola Signature 27 brings the heat to Samsung
(Image credit: Future)
The original Motorola Signature didn't make it to North America, but its successor, the Signature 27, will launch globally later this year. The phone is a true Motorola flagship, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, with a completely new design and some impressive-sounding cameras.
The main camera is a 50MP Lytia 910, and there's also a 200MP periscope telephoto lens, with cameras supported by Qualcomm's Image Stabilization tech and the device’s 3.5-degree OIS hardware. This is all housed in a striking camera layout, covered in ceramic and brushed aluminum.
(Image credit: Future)
Motorola is also partnering with Bang & Olufsen to deliver a high-quality audio experience and has promised up to seven years of software updates, which is pretty rare for Moto phones.
We don't know exactly when the Signature 27 will be available, but it's at least coming in 2026, so it won't be much longer.
Snapdragon gaming is getting a major boost
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 is a powerful chipset that promises to upgrade your gaming experience with a new Adreno Neural Fusion. This enables new features like advanced AI frame generation for smoother gameplay and Super Resolution to improve graphics quality.
During my hands-on with reference devices, I played a game that used both features and could toggle them on or off to see the difference. This also included Unreal Engine's Lumen lighting engine.
Derrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android Central
The visual and gameplay differences were quite obvious, and Qualcomm says developers could decide themselves which of the Adreno Neural Fusion features they want to utilize for their games for the best experience.
Googlebooks bring your phone to your laptop
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Google has finally introduced the next evolution of Chromebooks, and it features a lot more Android. The first batch of Googlebooks is here, with devices from HP and Dell running the new Googlebook OS and powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
The result is a more premium experience than what you'd expect from most Chromebooks. For starters, the Googlebook OS is built on an Android foundation, so it's more capable than what's possible on current Chromebooks. This makes it easier to add more features to the OS and supports AI features like Rambler, Gemini Live, Magic Pointer, and more.
Derrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android Central
Googlebooks can also access the full suite of apps on the Play Store, and connecting to your phone is now easier and more intuitive. You can access your phone's files from your laptop without plugging them in, drag and drop files between devices, and even cast apps from your phone to the laptop with ease.
Googlebooks start at $899, and they'll eventually come down in price and replace Chromebooks. But for now, the Googlebook experience is shaping up to be a premium one.
Snap Specs are cooler than I thought
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Snap Specs were announced in July, but I finally got my hands on Snap's rather divisive AR glasses. Given their bulky design, I expected to hate them. However, once I put them on, it was clear that Snap has done something quite impressive.
Unlike other dual-display smart glasses, Specs don't require an external puck for battery and processing; everything is squeezed into the glasses, including the two Snapdragon processors, which is part of why they're so huge. That said, despite their size, they're surprisingly light and comfortable to wear.
Derrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android Central
I was able to play with a few demos, including a Harry Potter experience and a putting app. I was rather impressed with how well the glasses tracked my hand movements and anchored content to my environment. It felt a bit like using a Meta Quest 3 headset, but on a smaller, more comfortable pair of glasses. And while the Specs features some surprisingly good visuals, I was fairly disappointed in the field of view, which was rather narrow.
I can't imaging these going mainstream, but they're still pretty cool for anyone willing to spend $2,195 on these.
Your headphones are getting new superpowers
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series, Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, which promises some pretty neat features for your next pair of headphones.
While headphones and earbuds generally route AI requests to your smartphone, Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 brings micro-power Wi-Fi, so your earbuds can connect to your AI assistant or other services without your smartphone. And with Snapdragon Sound Apps & Agents, manufacturers can build on these experiences, which could greatly enhance your audio experience.
Derrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android Central
In one demo, I translated audio from several languages into English directly on the headphones I was using. Another demo highlighted the AI capabilities, where the earbuds enhanced the voice of the person speaking directly in front of me.
The best part is that Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 is targeting not only headphones and earbuds, but also smart glasses, AI wearables, hearing aids, and even a new category of camera buds.
Your glasses want to be your next doctor
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
In an interesting demo, I saw how medical professionals could use smart glasses to help diagnose you. A nurse or doctor could wear smart glasses while assessing you, and the glasses would use visual cues to decide what questions to ask next to get the right information.
While I'm not sure if something like this would be well-received by the public right now, especially when there's so much scrutiny surrounding the use of smart glasses, I can see how something like this could be used to help medical professionals triage patients, especially during busy times when there may be a wait to see an actual doctor.
Derrek Lee / Android CentralDerrek Lee / Android Central
This also appears to be part of Qualcomm's new Personal AI Health Alliance, which aims to make the health data our wearables capture meaningful through a more proactive, detailed, and accessible approach.
