Hardware | Read the latest product reviews on TechCrunch

iPad sales help bail out Apple amid a continued iPhone slide

Brian Heater — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 21:31:50 +0000

In spite of a drop for the quarter, iPhone remained Apple’s most important category by a wide margin.

Neura shows off humanoid robot 4NE-1

Brian Heater — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:53:28 +0000

This week’s video shows 4NE-1 doing a lot; in some sense, it’s doing more than we’ve seen from other humanoids in the space.

How Back Market built a marketplace of refurbished tech

Dominic-Madori Davis, Rebecca Szkutak — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 17:33:02 +0000

The popularity of refurbishing technology has only increased these past few years and with it, the understanding of how important sustainability is in the industry. Studies estimate that simply throwing away old tech products can contaminate the soil and drinking water, harming the environment and requiring an increase of material products that only further exploit […]

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon chip aims to bring 5G to sub-$100 devices

Jagmeet Singh — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Qualcomm has launched the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chip to 5G smartphones in the sub-$100 price segment in India and other emerging markets.

A tale of two foldables

Brian Heater — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Samsung is still foldables’ 500-pound gorilla, but the company successes have made the category significantly less lonely in recent years.

Max Space reinvents expandable habitats with a 17th-century twist, launching in 2026

Devin Coldewey — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Max Space's expandable habitats promise to be larger, stronger, and more versatile than anything like them ever launched, not to mention cheaper and lighter by far than a solid, machined structure.

Alphabet X spinoff partners with Arc’teryx to bring ‘everyday’ exoskeleton to market

Brian Heater — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:26:46 +0000

Skip, a wearable tech startup that began as a secretive project inside Alphabet, exited stealth this week to announce a partnership with outdoor clothing specialist Arc’teryx. The deal is the first to bring Skip’s technology to market: “powered pants” that utilize a soft exoskeleton. The tech, called MO/GO, short for “mountain goat,” is a hybrid […]

Elon Musk sets 2026 Optimus sale date. Here’s where other humanoid robots stand.

Brian Heater — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 20:10:23 +0000

Tesla was not the first company to begin working on a humanoid form factor, but while being the first to market does carry weight in this high-tech space, we’re at the very beginning of the humanoid robot story.

Former Velodyne CEO’s delivery robot startup is ditching LiDAR for foundation models

Brian Heater — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Vayu Robotics is working to make delivery robotics cheaper and more scalable. Ditching LiDAR is a piece of that puzzle.

Made by Google 2024: Pixel 9, Gemini, a new foldable and other things to expect from the event

Brian Heater — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Google is expected to announce four Pixel devices: the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Premium, running Android 15.

Dyson’s new OnTrac headphones don’t purify air

Brian Heater — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 04:00:00 +0000

Given the years and money invested in the Zone’s creation, there’s logic in Dyson’s decision to turn its R&D work into a more standard set of headphones with the OnTrac.

Bird Buddy’s new AI feature lets people name and identify individual birds

Brian Heater — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 18:33:22 +0000

Name That Bird determines individual members of a species by identifying distinguishing characteristics that most humans would be hard-pressed to spot.

India clings to cheap feature phones as brands struggle to tap new smartphone buyers

Jagmeet Singh — Sun, 14 Jul 2024 02:00:00 +0000

India is struggling to get new smartphone buyers, as millions of Indians don’t go for an upgrade and continue to be on feature phones.

TechCrunch Minute: Unpacking Samsung Unpacked

Amanda Silberling — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:00:00 +0000

It’s a big day in the Samsung universe. At Samsung’s Unpacked 2024 event, the company debuted new phones, headphones and even a wearable ring. As expected, Samsung is emphasizing its Google-enabled AI features in these new phone models: the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Not only are these phones thinner […]

Formlabs acquires 3D printing startup Micronics mid-Kickstarter campaign

Brian Heater — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000

What this means for the future of the Fuse line remains unclear, though the companies confirmed with TechCrunch that the Micronics branding is going away.

Samsung unveils Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Buds 3, available for preorder now and shipping July 24

Brian Heater — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:14:00 +0000

While Samsung has maintained its own familiar design with the standard Galaxy Buds 3, the Pro are experiencing a sort of Apple identity crisis.

Samsung’s Galaxy Ring, its first smart ring, arrives July 24 for $399

Brian Heater — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:04:00 +0000

At Unpacked 2024, the company shared more details about the Galaxy Ring, which represents the first take on the category from a hardware giant.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip 6 arrive with Galaxy AI and Google Gemini

Brian Heater — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:03:00 +0000

At the heart of the features is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which is the same system on a chip that powered the Galaxy S24.

Samsung Unpacked 2024: What we expect and how to watch Wednesday’s hardware event

Brian Heater — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 17:56:35 +0000

The Samsung event will feature updates to the Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Flip, as well as more details on the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy AI.

Amazon revives its Echo Spot with an upgraded look and improved audio

Aisha Malik — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 16:45:22 +0000

Amazon has released an all-new version of its Echo Spot ahead of Prime Day, the company announced on Monday. The 2024 version of the Alexa-enabled smart alarm clock costs $79.99, but is currently on sale for $44.99 for Prime members. The company says the latest iteration of the product comes with better visuals and improved […]