I'll be honest, I don't cover smart TV deals very often, but occasionally an OLED TV discount comes along that's simply too good not to mention. Case in point: Amazon's Labor Day sale is currently carving 44% off the 65-inch C6 Series OLED TV by LG, which is widely considered to be one of the best OLED TVs on the market today.
That's a record-smashing discount on a smart TV that our sister site TechRadar called 'the best TV for most people' in 2026. In fact, the only issue that I've had with the LG C6 is its price, so this Labor Day deal is a welcome sight. Amazon will even deliver and unpack the set in the room of your choice at no additional cost. And you don't even need to be a Prime member to enjoy the savings.
The LG C6 OLED TV is an entertainment powerhouse, delivering incredible picture and a bounty of cutting-edge software features, whether you're binging your favorite show or gaming the night away. Grab the 65-inch model during Amazon's Labor Day sale and you'll score a straight $1,200 off your purchase.View Deal
The C6 is powered by LG's very own Alpha a11 Gen 3 AI processor, which means all of your favorite content is intelligently upscaled in real time. The smart TV boasts truly spectacular picture beyond optimization, as well, utilizing over 8 million pixels to deliver deeply immersive colors with rich blacks and lifelike details.
You also get features like Filmmaker mode, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos, while gamers will appreciate optimized specs like NVIDIA G-Sync, a 165Hz refresh rate, and an impressive 0.1ms response time. You even get four HDMI 2.1 ports for all of your consoles and streaming devices!
Is the 65-inch model too big or too small for your space? Amazon is also dropping discounts on the entire C6 TV lineup, so you can take your pick. That being said, going with the 65-inch C6 OLED (or larger) will get you the best value. If you're looking for something smaller, I'd probably wait until Amazon's big October Prime Day sale, which will likely occur sometime in October.
Baseus knows how to make great charging and audio accessories, and the brand is going all-out ahead of the iPhone 18 Pro launch. The Dark Cherry collection includes five products that are debuting in a bold new cherry red colorway designed to match the Dark Cherry variant of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro.
The highlight of the new collection is the PicoGo Pro AH22, the smallest 100W GaN charger with three USB-C ports. It comes with a built-in panel that shows real-time charging details, and it is now available for $59 on Amazon.
There's also the PicoGo AM52, a 25W Qi 2.2 power bank with 10,000mAh battery that's available for $79, and the ultra-thin PicoGo Air AM71 5,000mAh power bank that costs $69. The Bose-tuned Inspire XC1 earbuds get the Dark Cherry makeover as well, and they're $149. Rounding out the list is the 100W USB-C to USB-C cable, and it costs $12.
Baseus has an exclusive deal for AC readers that is live now and runs until October 31, 2026:
I used the PicoGo Pro AH22 as my go-to charger for the last month, and there's a lot to like. It is noticeably smaller than other 100W chargers I have on hand, and it still has three USB-C ports. The smaller size and the vibrant color makes it a great choice for travel (it's going straight into my tech bag), and I like that it has a built-in screen that shows real-time charging details, time left to charge, and what protocol a connected device is using.
It has three charging modes — Smart, Gentle, and Turbo — and the Smart mode is useful while charging several devices at once. The Gentle mode is what you need for overnight charging, and Turbo prioritizes the C1 port to 100W.
There's intelligent device recognition, and I like this feature a lot. Baseus also added a set of fun effects that show up while charging. The individual USB-C ports go up to 100W, and with all three in use, you get a 95W power budget. I used it with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, Find X9 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, iPad Pro M4, and a few dozen accessories, and the charger did a great job.
Baseus PicoGo AM52 25W Qi2.2 10,000mAh Power Bank: Charge anything with ease
The PicoGo AM52 isn't a new product, and I've been using the power bank for the better part of a year. The Qi 2.2 tech allows it to charge phones at 25W, and it's great to use with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL.
Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android CentralApoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central
There's no doubt that the cherry color looks much better than the standard grey model I've been using all this time. The 10,000mAh battery is able to charge the iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL to full, and it has a built-in USB-C cable if you need to plug in other devices, going up to 45W.
Baseus PicoGo Air AM71 5,000mAh Power Bank: The thinnest power bank
The PicoGo Air AM71 is a 5,000mAh magnetic power bank, and it is one of the thinnest I've used yet. It doesn't have 25W charging, instead using the standard Qi standard to deliver a 7.5W charge. There is a USB-C port that gets you 22.5W, and the power bank recharges at 20W.
While I'm not a huge fan of ultra-thin power banks, I will admit that the AM71 has unmatched portability. It's just 0.3 inches and weighs 105g, and is easy to slot into a bag or trousers — I have one in my tech EDC bag. The 5,000mAh battery isn't enough to charge a phone to full, but it will get your iPhone 17 Pro Max to the halfway point. This is down to energy conversion, and is true of all power banks.
I like the Inspire XC1 because of the open ear design, and they're a good choice if you have issues getting a good fit with regular buds. The cherry color makes these buds stand out a lot from the regular model, and they definitely get a lot of attention while outdoors.
The Bose-tuned sound quality is terrific, and the buds have meaningful bass along with a clean mid-range and good treble. They're pretty great with calls as well, and have LDAC and IP66 ingress protection. I get over seven hours of battery life between charges, and that's more than adequate in daily use. The only point of contention is that the cherry variant is $149, which is a sizeable increase over the $99 that the regular model costs these days.
I have a lot of these cables in the house, and they're reliable in everyday use. The cherry color is the only difference here, and other than that, it's the same cable: it can deliver a 100W charge over USB PD, is 6.6ft in length, and the braided design is built to last.
Baseus is going all-in on Dark Cherry, and I like that the brand has an entire range of accessories available in the new colorway. While there's a little bit of a wait before we know all about the iPhone 18 Pro, you can get a head-start by grabbing the accessories you need.
I like portable SSDs a lot, and I have one always on hand in my EDC tech bag. I look for two things in a portable drive: fast transfers, and long-term durability. I don't really think about the size or weight, as SSDs tend to be smaller and lighter than mechanical drives anyway.
But Lexar clearly felt like this was an area to focus on for its next SSD, the Muse. Dubbed the world's thinnest SSD, the Muse is 3.8mm at its thickest point, going down to just 1mm at the edges. Lexar says it used an "ultra-thin PCB architecture, high-density NAND stacking, and an integrated internal structure" to maximize the internal space.
LexarLexar
The Muse has 1,050MB/s read and 1,000MB/s writes and can handle ProRes content at 4K120, which is in line with most portable SSDs. What isn't usual is the connector; instead of a regular USB-C port like every other SSD, the Muse uses a proprietary PogoPin magnetic connection, and you'll need to use the bundled cable in the box to connect the drive to your phone.
Oh, and it doesn't have the requisite magnets built-in (obviously), so you'll need to put it in a magnetic carry sleeve to attach it to a phone. Lexar notes portable SSDs can add "bulk and cable clutter," so it created the Muse to deliver a more "considered approach." It doesn't quite feel that way when you consider that you have three things to manage when using the Muse: the SSD itself, the magnetic sleeve, and the proprietary cable, which will inevitably get left behind when you're out and about.
(Image credit: Lexar)
I just don't get the need to tech industry's obsession to make products thinner. A regular-sized portable SSD doesn't have these limitations, and if anything, I like using drives like the LaCie Rugged SSD4, which are chunky but can take an absolute beating. The Muse adds a layer of complexity you don't need in a storage device, and that's before you factor in overheating. With such a small size and a sealed chassis, where does the heat go? There doesn't seem to be any room to manage the heat that builds up in a drive, so it will likely get quite hot when moving data.
Anyway, the Muse is coming out in Q4 2026, and it will be sold in 512GB and 1TB variants. Lexar didn't share pricing details, but it is bound to be on the higher side. Don't want to wait that long to get a magnetic SSD? This is the one I use.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has only been out since August 7th, but you can already score some impressive discounts if you know where to look. The best part is that these are straight discounts, which means you don't need to worry about meeting any kind of eligibility requirements to receive the savings.
No confusing contracts, no trade-in process: just good old-fashioned discounts on a powerful Android phone. Considering that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at a steep $2,099.99, these straightforward Labor Day deals are a very welcome sight.
Surprisingly, Samsung itself might have the best Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra deal of the bunch, slashing $350 off the phone when you skip the trade-in process. You'll also be eligible for an exclusive color variant and several additional discounts when you bundle the unlocked phone with a Samsung watch or earbuds.
If you do have something to trade in, Samsung is offering up to $800 off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, although you'll have to waive the aforementioned $350 discount. View Deal
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra unlocked from Amazon and you'll get a straight $300 knocked off the purchase price. No trade-in is required, although you stand to earn an additional $900 credit (in the form of an Amazon gift card) when you send the retailer an old or broken device. View Deal
As part of its sitewide Labor Day sale, Best Buy is also slashing $300 off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, knocking the price of the premium foldable down to $1,799.99. No trade-in required and no strings attached!View Deal
Starting at $2,099.99, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is both a follow-up to last year's great Galaxy Z Fold 7 and a major upgrade upon it. This impressive foldable phone takes its predecessor's thin and lightweight build and adds a huge 5,000mAh battery, the latest Qualcomm chip, and all of the latest AI-boosted software features from Galaxy AI.
As promised, the center crease is less visible than ever before, plus the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra comes with all of the powerful specs you'd expect from a 2026 Samsung foldable, including great cameras, two gorgeous AMOLED displays, and seven years of guaranteed OS and security upgrades.
Indeed, the biggest problem that I have with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is probably its price. Spending over $2,000 on a smartphone simply isn't realistic for many folks, which is why deals like the offer above are so essential. A $350 price reduction may seem like a drop in the bucket for such an expensive phone, but if you want a straightforward offer without any confusing fine print, these discounts are going to be pretty tough to beat (until Black Friday, at least).
The iPhone Ultra is set to usher in the age of the foldable iPhone, and leaks point to a device that has the potential to be truly noteworthy.
Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 8
Short and sweet
The Z Fold 8 is uniquely interesting, and while it may not have the best cameras, it makes foldable fun to use.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Pricing and availability
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
The iPhone Ultra is slated to make its debut at Apple's launch event on September 9, 2026. The foldable could cost anywhere between $2,000 to $2,500, and we'll have to wait until the event to know the official pricing. But with Apple hiking prices on most of its products in the last two months, it's a given that this year's iPhones will see price increases across the board.
Even if the iPhone Ultra is unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, it may not actually show up at the same time — the latest leaks point to general availability later in the year. Again, that's something we will know definitely on September 9. Given the cost, it is projected that the foldable will be available in limited quantities — much like the Galaxy Z TriFold — and it remains to be seen if it will be sold in all regions simultaneously.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 8 on July 22, 2026, and the foldable retails at $1,899. This is the base model with 256GB of storage, and there's also a 512GB edition that costs $2,099 in the U.S., and a 1TB model that is $2,499.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Design
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
The iPhone Ultra will be different to every other iPhone thus far, with the foldable design ushering in an entirely new form factor for iOS. Leaks point to the iPhone Ultra having a similar wide-and-short configuration as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the passport-style design is definitely intriguing — there's no wonder that other Android manufacturers are emulating a similar style.
Leaks point to a 5.5-inch cover panel and a 7.8-inch inner panel, and the iPhone Ultra could be as thin as 4.5mm while unfolded, bringing it in line with the Z Fold 8 and other Android foldables. The design looks a lot like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, with rounded edges and a flatter profile along the hinge. While Apple introduced a bright orange color with the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone Ultra is said to be available in muted colors, including white and black.
Just like Android foldables, the iPhone Ultra may see Touch ID housed within the power button as the standard mode of authentication instead of Face ID. The Z Fold 8 gets a 5.5-inch cover panel and a 7.6-inch inner screen, and Samsung managed to deliver IP48 dust and water resistance.
Interestingly, one of the biggest selling points of the iPhone Ultra could be a display without anu visible crease. The Find N6 and Vivo X Fold 5 do a fabulous job in this regard — they're better than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra — and with the iPhone Ultra touted to use two layers of ultra-thin glass and a liquid-metal hinge, it is entirely possible that Apple's foldable will debut with a creaseless design, outshining Samsung's Z Fold 8 in this key area.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Hardware
(Image credit: Apple / Android Central)
The iPhone Ultra will see the biggest battery of any iPhone, and that in itself is exciting. Leaks point to a 4,883mAh battery, and that's similar to what's available on the Z Fold 8. That said, iOS has much better efficiency in general, so the iPhone Ultra should have better battery life, and with Apple touted to switch to a 2nm node, battery life could get an additional boost.
Category
Apple iPhone Ultra (based on leaks)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
Display
Outer: 5.5-inch ProMotion LTPO OLED, 2088 x 1422
Inner: 7.8-inch ProMotion LTPO OLED
Outer: 5.5-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 1972 x 1248
Inner: 7.6-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED, 2448 x 1848
Operating System
iOS 27, at least seven updates
One UI 9 (Android 17), seven updates
Chipset
Apple A20, 2nm
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, 3nm
RAM
12GB
12GB/16GB
Storage
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Rear cameras
Main: 48MP f/1.8, sensor-shift OIS
Wide-angle: 48MP f/2.2
Main: 50MP f/1.8, OIS
Wide-angle: 50MP f/1.9
Front camera
24MP
10MP (internal), 10MP (external)
Battery
4,883mAh
4,800mAh (dual 2,400mAh cells)
Charging
40W iPhone 17 Pro, 25W MagSafe/Qi 2
45W wired, 20W wireless
Dimensions
Folded: 120.6 x 83.8 x 9.2mm
Unfolded: 120.6 x 167.6 x 4.5mm
Folded: 123.9 x 81.9 x 9.7mm
Unfolded: 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.5mm
Wide foldables are smaller than book-style devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and as a result, Samsung just went with two cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 8: a 50MP main camera and 50MP wide-angle lens.
The iPhone Ultra is likely to use a similar arrangement, and leaks point to two 48MP cameras, without a dedicated tele lens. We'll need to wait and see if that pans out, but as someone who uses the telephoto lens constantly, I would like to see this on the foldable.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Software
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Software makes a big difference on a foldable, with the added real estate ideal to multitask. This is a priority in iOS 27, and there's no doubt that the iPhone Ultra will get a lot of the same features that we've seen on Android foldables over the last two years, including a task bar, floating windows, and multitasking features.
Samsung does a good job in this area with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and I'm interested in seeing how the iPhone Ultra will hold up against Samsung's foldable.
Apple iPhone Ultra vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: Which should you buy?
(Image credit: AppleTrack)
While foldables have been around for the better part of a decade now, they're still pretty niche. That will change with the introduction of the iPhone Ultra; say what you will about Apple, but the brand has an unmatched ability to grab attention, and interest in foldables will skyrocket following the iPhone Ultra launch.
Now, whether this will translate to sales is another thing entirely, but if you're an iPhone user and wanted to switch to a foldable, you don't need to wait long to get one running iOS. While Samsung got a lot right with the Z Fold 8, it doesn't do nearly enough to convince iOS users to move to Android in any meaningful numbers.
Apple iPhone Ultra
A bold new entrant
The iPhone Ultra is set to launch soon, and with a similar design as the Z Fold 8 but with iOS, it could just be the device that convinces iPhone users to switch to a foldable.
Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 8
Short and sweet
Samsung nailed the brief with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and the unique size of the foldable makes it stand out.
Xiaomi is making its debut at IFA, with its first major presence at the trade show and the largest event space it's held overseas.
Xiaomi is highlighting its Human x Car x Home portfolio, which includes more than 300 devices, from smart home appliances to cars.
The company also showcased the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold, a wide foldable that will rival the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Xiaomi is making its debut at IFA with an exhibition space that is its largest overseas space to date. The company is using up a whopping 3,300 square meters to showcase hundreds of products in its Human x Car x Home portfolio, from concepts to devices available today, with a focus on how these devices will connect with you throughout your life, both at home and in your car.
Curiously, the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold is among those devices showcased at IFA, with the official launch already set for September 7.
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
"This year's IFA marks a significant milestone in Xiaomi's global journey," says Xiaomi CMO Xu Fei in a statement.
"Over the years, we have expanded from smartphones into smart home and smart vehicles, while investing deeply in foundational technologies including AI, operating systems, chips and smart manufacturing.
Today, these businesses and capabilities are coming together through our 'Human × Car × Home' smart ecosystem, which we are presenting at scale to a global audience at IFA."
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
If you're familiar with Xiaomi and its smartphones, you may already know that the company also produces a line of home appliances and smart home devices, including TVs, smart lights, cameras, and more. What you may not know is that Xiaomi also builds cars, like the SU7 Max and YU7, and the groundwork for a wholly interconnected smart home ecosystem lies behind many of these products.
The Human x Car x Home ecosystem is powered by HyperOS, the backbone of Xiaomi's product portfolio, which lets Xiaomi lay the foundation for a seamless AI experience across devices, which it is showing off at IFA through future concepts and today's use cases.
For example, while you're driving home, AI can gather contextual weather information to ensure your home's lighting and air conditioning are set before you arrive. And this interconnectivity doesn't stop there, with Xiaomi showcasing many ways its ecosystem can work across devices for whatever you need.
(Image credit: Xiaomi)
This includes its Android smartphones, such as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and the upcoming Xiaomi 18 Fold, a wide foldable that closely follows in the footsteps of the popular Galaxy Z Fold 8 and is powered by the company's in-house XRING 03 chipset, enhanced for on-device AI.
Xiaomi hasn't revealed much about this new phone (yet), though it has a triple-camera system on the back and a striking deep red color. It also promises to be very performant, thanks to Xiaomi's new chip, which could rival the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Apple's latest silicon.
Still, we don't have to wait too long for answers, with the launch just days away.
Android Central's take
I'm on the ground at IFA 2026, and Xiaomi's event space is truly a sight to behold. There's a lot to do and see, but perhaps the thing I'm most interested in is the Xiaomi 18 Fold. For one, it looks like Xiaomi is simplifying its foldable naming convention. However, the Fold is coming at a time when Samsung is reinvigorating the foldable space with its own wide foldable.
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 appears to be incredibly popular, and I understand why. I was shocked by how much I liked it during my hands-on time, and that feeling remained throughout my review, where I've even begun to question my allegiance to flip phones.
The Xiaomi 18 Fold already appears to have a leg up over Samsung, sporting three rear cameras instead of two, although it will be important to see how Xiaomi prices it. We also don't know if or when it will be available globally.
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
In Hardwired, AC Senior Editor Harish Jonnalagadda delves into all things hardware, including phones, audio products, storage servers, and networking gear.
Samsung didn't change too many things with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but a key area of differentiation is silicon-carbon battery tech. This is one of the reasons how Samsung managed to slot in a bigger 5,000mAh battery in the foldable while retaining a similar svelte design as the Z Fold 7. In fact, all of Samsung's latest foldables use silicon batteries, but it's the Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra where the difference is immediately noticeable. I asked Samsung a list of questions around its implementation of silicon-carbon tech, and it is interesting to see how the brand is going about integrating the tech into its latest foldables.
As a refresher, a silicon battery has a small mixture of a silicon-carbon material in the anode, leading to an increased energy density. The amount of silicon content in the anode varies by brand, and Samsung didn't share how much it is using in its foldables. To give you some context, most brands use around a mixture of 10% silicon by weight in the anode, with some — like Xiaomi's Redmi Note 17 Pro Max that has a 9,210mAh battery — going with a slightly higher 16% silicon ratio to provide greater energy density.
Why don't brands just use an anode that's entirely made out of silicon-carbon? That's because while silicon has much better energy density — ten times as much as graphite — it undergoes expansion and contraction during charging, something you don't want in a phone battery. As there is a greater risk of long-term stability or battery swelling with extended use, it is mixed with carbon to deliver a mechanically stable structure while offering better electrical conductivity.
Brands are being (justifiably) cautious of the tech, and a Samsung spokesperson said the brand "reengineering the battery system" to facilitate the use of silicon-carbon in the anode, and to ensure that the higher-density batteries it is using this year are just as safe to use as traditional lithium-ion batteries:
"On the anode side, a thin carbon coating helps manage the reactivity of silicon-carbon particles, helping mitigate sudden volume changes during charge and discharge and supporting long-term stability," said Samsung. "On the cathode side, coating and doping help maintain surface stability and structural integrity, even under higher voltage conditions."
Another thing to consider is long-term durability, and Samsung says it added "additives" to the electrolyte to "help form a protective layer on the silicon surface, reducing silicon reactivity and supporting long-term cell stability."
Samsung also made tweaks to the separator — a polymer sheet that sits between the cathode and anode — which has a "high-porosity structure" to "improve ion movement while maintaining strength and thermal stability."
What's interesting is that Samsung is using different battery architectures for its foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra use a "dual-path charging architecture that distributes power more efficiently across the battery system, enabling faster, more stable and reliable charging while improving heat management." This system enables 45W charging on both devices, but with the Flip 8, Samsung "separately optimized for the unique spatial and thermal requirements" of the compact foldable, so it has a battery size and charging tech that's unchanged to last year.
With Samsung just getting started with silicon-carbon batteries, it's understandable that it is playing it safe. While foldables like the Razr Fold, Vivo X Fold 5, and the Find N6 come with 6,000mAh silicon batteries, the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a much more modest 5,000mAh unit. It is still considerable progress from last year, and I'm glad to see Samsung leveraging this tech — I can't wait to see how it evolves with the Galaxy S27 next year.
Samsung
Galaxy Z Fold 8
The unique size of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 makes it exciting in its own right, and it is a delightful foldable.
