Mint Mobile is calling this new deal its 'best offer ever' — so what's the catch?

In my line of work, there is a lot of hyperbole. But sometimes when a retailer or wireless carrier claims that a new offer is its "best deal ever", it's worth taking a closer look. Case in point: Mint Mobile just launched a promotion that drops ALL of its wireless plans down to $15 per month, whether you're signing up for three months or a full year. It's that simple: switch to Mint and the savings are yours. 

Switch to Mint Mobile and get 3, 6, or 12 months of wireless for only $15 per month

Join Mint Mobile with ANY 3, 6, or 12-month data plan and you'll only pay $15 per month. Wireless must be purchased in bulk, but considering that the minimum is $45 for three months, it's still cheaper than much of the competition.

Mint's Unlimited plan is easily the best value here, offering unlimited talk, text, and data, plus a free mobile hotspot and calls to Mexico, Canada, and the UK.View Deal

Mint Mobile has discounted its wireless before, but usually it requires the purchase of a smartphone to enjoy the savings. This is the first time that the T-Mobile-owned carrier has dropped all of its offerings to the same price, regardless of plan or commitment.

The only catch is that you'll need to pay for a minimum of three months of service to receive the savings, but that means it'll only cost you $45 out the door. Three full months of Unlimited wireless powered by T-Mobile for less than 50 bucks? Look at your last phone bill and tell me that doesn't sound good.

Need a new phone too?

Samsung Galaxy S26 256GB: $900 $400, plus 50% off one year of Unlimited

Need a new phone to pair with your new wireless plan? Purchase the Samsung Galaxy S26 with one year of the Unlimited plan and Mint Mobile will give you $500 OFF the phone and 50% off the wireless. In other words, you're getting a top-rated 2026 phone AND a full 12 months of T-Mobile-powered wireless for only $580 (or $49/month using Affirm).View Deal

What is Mint Mobile?

Now owned and operated by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile is a prepaid mobile provider that specializes in selling its wireless in bulk. It's a perfect choice for users who want straightforward coverage for cheap, even if it means they lose the bells and whistles offered by more-expensive unlimited plans. 

You purchase your coverage in 3, 6, or 12-month increments of time, and then you get talk, text, and data on T-Mobile's vast 5G network with no caps or confusing contract to worry about. Once your time allotment is over, you're free to switch to another carrier or upgrade/downgrade to a different plan with no penalty whatsoever. 

Meta paywalls an offline smart glasses feature you’ve already paid for

What you need to know

• Meta is putting a paywall on Conversation Focus, limiting free users to just three hours per month unless they subscribe to Meta One Premium for $20/month.
• The feature runs entirely on the smart glasses, meaning it works offline and doesn't rely on Meta's cloud servers.
• Premium subscribers get up to 15 hours per month, but unused hours don't roll over.

Meta is officially ushering in the subscription era to the hardware sitting right on your face. The company is limiting its Conversation Focus feature on Meta smart glasses to three hours of use per month.

That means if you need more time to listen to the person sitting across from you, you’ll have to cough up $20 a month for a Meta One Premium plan, according to Meta’s updated help page (via The Verge). Conversation Focus, which launched in December 2025, allows you to reduce background noise while making the voice of the person you’re talking to sound a bit more vibrant. It's useful in crowded environments, whether you're in a busier cafe or waiting at a loud airport gate. All you need to do is tell Meta AI to turn it on, and the glasses do the rest.

Here’s the catch, and the reason this change feels so aggressive. Conversation Focus is not a cloud-based, computationally heavy AI tool. It runs entirely on-device. It doesn’t ping Meta’s servers and doesn’t even need an active internet connection. When you purchase the frames outright, you’ve already paid for the chipset that processes the audio.

Meta says the core AI smart glasses experience is free, but once you hit the three-hour limit, the only option is the $20-a-month tier, which bumps your allowance up to 15 hours. Unused hours will not carry over to the next billing period.

When asked about the change, Meta said that three hours is more than enough for the average person and that the subscription is an add-on for “power users,” who also want premium device support. But making it through 180 minutes is surprisingly simple. A few noisy dinner dates, some hours in transit, and a long work meeting will eat up your monthly allowance fast.

Charging users to offset the expensive server costs of cloud AI is one thing, but paywalling local, offline hardware capabilities crosses a new line in the wearables space. That’s a frustrating precedent to set for the tech industry at large.

Android Central's Take

The reason Meta’s Conversation Focus is one of the smartest features the company has put into its glasses; it solves a real-world problem. Which is why putting a timer on a feature that runs locally on hardware you already own feels like an unnecessary cash grab. If that’s the direction Meta is going, I’d much rather see subscriptions limited to cloud-powered AI features that actually cost money to operate — not for things your own smart glasses can already do for themselves.

PSA: Samsung Messages app on your Galaxy phone will stop working this month

What you need to know

• Samsung Messages is shutting down this month, though the company hasn't confirmed an exact date yet.
• Users on Android 11 and earlier are unaffected, and emergency calls still work after the shutdown.
• Google Messages is the official replacement, and Samsung has made the transition fairly easy to do.

It's July, which means the month has finally arrived for the Samsung Messages app on Galaxy phones to shut down.

Back in April 2026, Samsung announced it would be shutting down its Messages app later this year. The company published an official notice on its U.S. website confirming the change and specifying July 2026 as the cutoff. That month is now here, which means the app could stop working at any point.

Samsung still hasn't confirmed the exact date, but the shutdown is expected to happen fairly soon. The company has already stopped preloading the Messages app on flagship Galaxy devices since 2024, and while users could still install it from the Galaxy Store, even that option was pulled with the Galaxy S26 Ultra earlier this year. A full shutdown now looks imminent.

It's over for Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / Android Central)

Users on Android 11 and earlier won't be affected and will still be able to use Samsung Messages on their devices. It's also worth noting that even after the shutdown, you'll still be able to use Samsung Messages on a Galaxy device to contact emergency services. However, you won't be able to send or receive messages from regular contacts.

Samsung has already confirmed it's transitioning Galaxy phones to Google Messages, and the company has made the switch fairly straightforward. We've written a detailed guide on how to move your messages from Samsung Messages to Google Messages that you can follow to transfer all your messages from the old app to the new one.

If you'd rather not use Google Messages, there are a few Samsung Messages alternatives worth exploring. That said, none of them are a true one-to-one replacement, so there's a good chance you'll end up going with Google Messages anyway.

Android Central's Take

I get why some people are upset about this. Nobody likes being forced off an app they've used for years. That said, Google Messages is in a much better place than it used to be, so the switch isn't as painful as it sounds.

Best Buy launches huge 4th of July sale event — see the 25+ deals that Android users should actually care about

The 4th of July is swiftly approaching, and Best Buy is marking the occasion by dropping hundreds of outstanding deals across its site. Whether you want a kitchen appliance, smart TV, or top-rated smartphone, there is no shortage of discounts to check out this week.

That said, if you don't feel like scrolling through page after page of products to find the right deal for you, you're in luck: I've picked out all of the best discounts for Android users and dropped them below.

These offers range from deals like 52% off the Samsung S90F OLED TV, no strings attached, to this Prime Day-level $600 discount on the Motorola Razr Ultra (2025). Needless to say, there are plenty more offers where those came from, so keep reading for all of my favorites.

• Best Buy's 4th of July sale is LIVE: see the full list of deals

Phones

Motorola

Razr Ultra (2025) 512GB

Samsung

Galaxy A57 5G 128GB

Samsung

Galaxy Z Flip 7 512GB

Motorola

Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) 256GB

Motorola

Razr (2025) 256GB

Motorola

Razr Plus (2025) 256GB

Samsung

Galaxy S25 Ultra 256GB

Motorola

Edge (2025) 256GB

Samsung

Galaxy A37 5G 128GB

Wearables

Samsung

Galaxy Watch 8

Samsung

Galaxy Watch 8 Classic

Samsung

Galaxy Watch Ultra

Oura

Ring 4

Amazfit

Balance 2XT

Garmin

Instinct 3

Tablets and Chromebooks

HP

14 2-in-1 Chromebook

Lenovo

Idea Tab w/ Pen, Folio Case

Acer

Chromebook 315

Headphones and earbuds

Bose

QuietComfort Headphones

Beats

Studio Pro

Sennheiser

Momentum 4

JBL

Tune 245NC

Sennheiser

Momentum 4 Earbuds

Samsung

Galaxy Buds 3 Pro

Smart TVs

Samsung

65" Class S90F Series OLED

Insignia

55" Class F50 Series Fire TV

Samsung

75" Class U7900 Series 4K TV

LG

65" Class C5 Series OLED TV

Toshiba

43" Class M450 QLED Series Fire TV

Insignia

55" Class F70 Series 4K Fire TV

When does Best Buy's 4th of July sale end?

Best Buy's 4th of July sale ends Sunday, July 5th, which gives you a little less than a week to explore the retailer's discounts.

Google thinks you’re too lazy to read your own notes, launches AI video summaries instead

What you need to know

• Google's NotebookLM now condenses massive documents and notes into 60-second, TikTok-style vertical videos.
• The feature is fueled by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Image, Google’s fastest and most cost-efficient image generation model, boasting four-second render times.
• Google is also previewing a robust full-video generation model that supports natural language editing, multimodal inputs, and native audio syncing.

Nobody really enjoys reading through a massive stack of notes or a 50-page research document when they're cramped for time. Google knows this, and so it’s rolling out a huge upgrade to NotebookLM that takes your uploaded documents and turns them into bite-sized, 60-second AI-generated videos.

For the uninitiated, NotebookLM started out as a simple AI research assistant, but it’s now a powerful learning tool. The latest feature, Short Video Overviews, expands on the Cinematic Video Overviews we saw earlier. But the real star of the show is the engine that powers it: Google's new Nano Banana 2 Lite.

Officially dubbed Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite Image, Nano Banana 2 Lite is Google’s fastest and most cost-efficient image generation model to date. You get a whopping four-second image generation time and a big jump in visual quality over the original Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (the first Nano Banana). This engine combines world knowledge with rock-solid consistency of character. It lets you quickly sketch accurate scenes, develop storyboarding tools and render legible typography for localized ads without compromising object fidelity.

Using Short Video Overviews in NotebookLM activates this model, which condenses your sources into a vertical video packed with narrative explanations and educational animations. It's purpose-built for people revising notes, presentations, or lengthy PDFs who just want the key takeaways. Before generating, you simply select "Short" from the output formats (alongside Explainer and Cinematic), pick your specific sources, and set the video's focus using a custom prompt or a suggested topic.

(Image credit: Google)

Alongside this, Google also pushed Gemini Omni Flash into public preview. This model is aimed at full video generation, with conversational editing (relighting scenes and swapping characters with natural language) and multimodal inputs. It has native audio pairing for each video output and syncs on-screen text with kinetic movements.

Short Video Overviews aren't available to everyone just yet. The feature begins rolling out over the coming weeks to English-speaking users aged 18 and older. When it goes live, you’ll be able to access it on the web, Android and iOS, whether you’re signed into a regular consumer account or Google Workspace.

Android Central's Take

If you’re a student cramming for finals or someone who hates reading dense reports, turning a 50-page PDF into a digestible, TikTok-style recap is a massive win. But are we really so allergic to actual reading that we need an AI to hallucinate a 60-second clip from our notes? Google wants to sell the service as the ultimate productivity hack, but it feels disturbingly like a crutch for our fast-shrinking attention spans.

Motorola gives its earbuds a luxury twist, but the Moto Tag 2 might be the bigger upgrade

What you need to know

• Motorola's new Moto Tag 2 arrives in North America with Bluetooth 6.0, UWB support, Google Find Hub integration, and over 500 days of battery life.
• It adds Find My Phone, remote camera controls, location sharing, IP68 durability, privacy protections, and support for third-party accessories.
• The Moto Buds 2 Plus are getting new looks with Swarovski-studded Brilliant Collection and new Pantone color options while keeping the same hardware.

Motorola’s connected ecosystem is getting a little boost, but only one of its latest accessories is actually new. The company is bringing the all-new Moto Tag 2, an upgraded Bluetooth tracker that includes newer wireless technology, longer battery life, and tighter integration with Google's Find Hub network, to North America along with fresh color options for the Moto Buds 2 Plus.

In North America, the Moto Buds 2 Plus are available in the eye-catching Brilliant Collection, which pairs a PANTONE Violet Indigo finish with Swarovski crystals, or a more understated PANTONE Cool White. There is also a Canadian PANTONE Silhouette option available.

The Brilliant Collection includes 12 Swarovski crystals embedded in each earbud, plus another 41 hand-placed crystals around the Motorola logo on the charging case.

Motorola

Motorola

Motorola

The styling is new, but the hardware is the same. The Moto Buds 2 Plus still have Sound by Bose tuning, dual 11mm dynamic drivers with Knowles balanced armature drivers, Hi-Res Audio support, Spatial Audio on compatible Motorola phones, and Dynamic Active Noise Cancellation. Transparency Mode and six microphones with CrystalTalk AI also return to enhance calls and keep users aware of their surroundings when necessary.

Motorola hasn't skimped on features, either. Bluetooth 6.0, dual-device connectivity with auto-switching, wear detection, customizable EQ, Bass Boost, low-latency Gaming Mode, Audio Share, Fit Test, and Motorola AI integrations are still present on compatible devices.

Battery life is rated at up to nine hours on the earbuds alone, or up to 40 hours with the charging case, with a quick 10-minute top-up delivering up to two hours of listening. The earbuds also boast an IP54 rating, while the charging case comes with an IPX2 splash resistance rating.

Pricing hasn’t changed much either. The Swarovski Brilliant Collection edition is priced at $200 in the US, while the PANTONE Cool White version is $150. Availability begins June 30 through Motorola’s online stores.

Android Central's Take

The Moto Buds 2 Plus has a lot of meaningful upgrades beyond the flashy Swarovski crystals, and the Moto Tag 2 finally catches up to newer Android tracking features. That said, I can't help but feel Motorola is trying a bit too hard to convince us that crystals belong on earbuds. I’d prefer companies to spend more time on pushing battery life, smarter software, and better ecosystem features than dressing up gadgets like fashion accessories.

The bigger announcement is the Moto Tag 2. Motorola's new Bluetooth tracker includes Bluetooth 6.0 with Channel Sounding and supports Ultra Wideband (UWB) on compatible Android phones, helping you locate lost items more accurately.

It also works with Google’s Find Hub network, so Android users can find tagged items through the crowdsourced network of devices.

Motorola is also emphasizing practicality. The Moto Tag 2 runs for more than 500 days on a user-replaceable CR2032 battery, carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, and works with Android 9 and newer devices.

(Image credit: Motorola)

In addition to basic item tracking, it has Find My Phone, remote camera controls, location sharing, unwanted tracking alerts, and end-to-end encryption and works with third-party accessories. Those additions make it more versatile and address growing privacy concerns around Bluetooth trackers.

After 25W, Qi2 chases 50W wireless charging with the WPC at Xiaomi HQ

What you need to know

• Recently, the World Power Consortium held a Qi Off-Cycle meeting at Xiaomi's HQ in Beijing, China.
• Xiaomi and several more companies were there to discuss a new Qi2 charging standard: 50W.
• The major talks have concluded, but there's more work to be done, and it's been reported that Qi2 50W might not debut until 2028.

Times are changing, and it looks like the World Power Consortium (WPC) wants to upgrade Qi2 to match what consumers are looking for.

It was reported by ITHome (Chinese) that the WPC's Qi Off-Cycle meeting at Xiaomi's HQ in Beijing, China, was to discuss the future of the wireless charging standard (via 9to5Google). Specifically, Xiaomi is spearheading the future of Qi2 by chasing a 50W charging standard. The publication reports that Xiaomi is focused primarily on "small inductance, low voltage, high power solutions" (machine-translated). Each of these is said to directly influence safety/charging efficiency, coil module loss, and more.

In short, what this new 50W direction wants to solve is "high-powered wireless charging."

The publication states that the meeting featured Xiaomi, as well as "over 20 companies" that have been working alongside it and the WPC to advance the Qi2 wireless standard. The companies met in Beijing to talk about Qi2's 50W "interoperability verification" and to highlight the prototype testing stage. These companies have been encouraged to continue working together to push 50W through, so the market (and consumers) can see it in their future phones.

However, there's nothing official just yet. Right now, what Xiaomi and its partners have been working on is just the groundwork. It's been reported that following Xiaomi's partnerships with domestic companies, Qi2 50W could be a reality by 2028.

25W was almost a year ago

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Android Central's Take

It's all about giving users options, right? But if you see that wired charging is still the best route, why would you even look or think about a wireless charger? Xiaomi and its partners and other companies involved with the WPC and Qi2 see this issue and are actively working to solve it. It's pretty clear that this will take some time, but it's probably worth it.

Let's not forget that in July 2025, the WPC announced Qi2 v2.2.1. The version numbers equates to the wireless charging we have today: 25W. The WPC highlighted this new version as being "more powerful" than the original Qi2. A primary critique from consumers about wireless charging is its speeds. They're slow. The latest 25W version aimed to solve that, but it hasn't quite nailed that yet.

Charging speeds were previously stuck at 15W, and now they're 25W. However, if Xiaomi has anything to say about it, things won't stay there for long. It's not satisfied with 25W charging, and consumers aren't either. At the time, iPhones were among the first to bring this to its consumers, with Android makers adopting it soon after. There's a chance we'll see a similar occurrence whenever Qi2 50W arrives.

The WPC was also confident that even more Android phones would see Qi2, and that's thanks to Google and Samsung.