RTP

Qualcomm announced two new smartphone chips, strengthening its push into on-device artificial intelligence as competition among chipmakers intensifies. The announcement came alongside the company's earnings update, but investors were unmoved: Qualcomm shares slipped modestly in after-hours trading despite the new product launches. Attention is on how the company's AI-capable silicon will fare against rivals in the premium smartphone market.

Huawei has released what it calls the world's slimmest and largest foldable smartphone, a claim picked up by outlets across the United States. The launch underscores the Chinese company's continued push into premium foldable hardware despite Western sanctions, and it is drawing attention as a fresh challenge to rivals like Samsung in the foldable phone market.

Huawei's latest smartphone chip is closing the performance gap with leading competitors, according to industry coverage. The development signals continued progress by the Chinese tech firm in domestic semiconductor design despite export restrictions limiting its access to advanced foreign chip technology.

Alibaba has launched Qwen Intelligence as a full-stack agentic AI platform designed for smartphones. The platform is positioned to let phone makers run AI agents that can handle tasks on a user's behalf, extending Alibaba's Qwen model family beyond cloud services and into on-device mobile experiences. Coverage so far frames it as Alibaba's push to compete in the fast-moving smartphone AI space, where Google, Apple and Chinese rivals are also racing to embed assistants.

A new survey finds that 8 in 10 Dutch people aged 16 to 34 believe their smartphone use harms their everyday life. The finding highlights growing concern among young adults about the impact of constant phone use on wellbeing, concentration, and daily routines, sparking debate about digital habits and possible measures to curb excessive screen time.

Rosetta Stone is rolling out Sapphire, a revamped language learning product aimed at today's smartphone users, as it tries to stay relevant in a market dominated by newer, app-first competitors. The company says the update is designed to appeal to modern learners who want shorter, more flexible lessons on their phones. The move is drawing attention as the veteran education brand attempts a comeback.

Portugal are taking on Norway, with the match drawing search interest in multiple countries, ranking first in Canada and high in France, Spain, Mexico and elsewhere. Portuguese broadcaster RTP quotes the coach saying he would not set up a team 'to draw' as he names an eleven built to win, and fans are debating his line-up choices ahead of kick-off.

Attention is turning to how young South Korean children are when they first begin using smartphones, with reports highlighting exposure starting in the toddler years. The topic has fuelled wider debate about screen time, child development and parenting habits in one of the world's most connected countries.

A Northeastern University project examines how modern cars, packed with microphones, sensors and internet connections, collect data about drivers and passengers and who has access to it. The reporting frames the connected car as a smartphone on wheels, raising questions about in-car privacy, data sharing with insurers and manufacturers, and how little control drivers have over what their vehicles transmit.

A Guardian money article asks why bus passengers who do not use smartphones should have to pay more for their tickets. It highlights how cheaper digital fares and app-based ticketing leave passengers without mobile phones facing higher prices. Readers are debating the fairness of smartphone-only discounts and what it means for older or low-income travellers who rely on cash and paper tickets.

A guide ranks gadgets designed to replace screen time with simpler technology, ordering them by how little attention they demand from users. The list reflects growing interest in digital minimalism, with devices such as e-readers, basic music players and other single-purpose tools positioned as alternatives to constant smartphone use for people looking to cut back on phone habits.

A Guardian money article asks why bus passengers who do not use smartphones have to pay more for their tickets than those using mobile apps. With contactless and app-based payment becoming the default on public transport, cash or paper-ticket users can face higher prices or extra hassle. Readers are debating whether digital-first ticketing unfairly penalises older or less tech-savvy travellers.

A short haiku-style poem shared on the social network Mastodon notes that as autumn weather cools, the urgency of the climate crisis feels less pressing, even though it isn't. The author, writing under the climate justice community, tagged the piece with themes of climate denial, emergency, collapse and extinction, using the change of seasons to make a point about complacency.

Writer Thu-Huong Ha tested life in Singapore with no smartphone, in one of the world's most digitally dependent cities. Her account describes navigating QR-code payments, app-only bookings and services that assume constant connectivity, highlighting how difficult everyday tasks become for anyone offline in a hyperconnected society.

Ahead of Flipkart's Big Billion Days sale, a buyer's guide is circulating recommending the top five smartphones available under ₹20,000. The list is drawing heavy attention from budget-conscious shoppers looking to time their purchase with the sale's discounts. Interest reflects the broader rush each year to find the best value phone deals during India's biggest festive shopping events.

Engadget explains that despite modern smartphone operating systems being designed to update apps automatically, users should still check for updates manually from time to time. The piece walks through the reasons automatic updates may not always be enough and why giving your apps a periodic manual refresh is worth the small effort.

A widely shared observation argues that young people raised on social media, AI, smartphones and other products of information capitalism — so-called digital natives — hold the most negative views of these technologies' social impact. The point being circulated is that their first-hand experience gives their concerns weight, and that society perhaps ought to listen more closely to what they are saying about the tools shaping their lives.

The Motorola Signature 27 is likely to become the first Motorola smartphone to support GrapheneOS, the privacy-focused Android operating system previously limited to Google Pixel devices. If confirmed, it would mark a significant expansion for the security-focused platform, giving privacy-conscious users a hardware option outside Google's own lineup for the first time.

The Dutch government is moving to impose a complete ban on smartphones in schools, according to NL Times. The decision follows earlier efforts to restrict phone use in classrooms and reflects growing European concern over mobile devices' impact on pupils' concentration and wellbeing. Reactions online are mixed, with some welcoming stricter rules and others questioning enforcement.

Renault is drawing attention to the contrast between vehicle and smartphone recycling, arguing that cars are far easier to process at end of life. The carmaker points to established dismantling and recovery systems for vehicles, while smartphones are rarely recycled in comparable volumes, leaving valuable materials uncollected.

Huawei has increased the prices of its flagship smartphones by as much as US$200, attributing the hike to rising memory procurement costs that have pushed per-unit manufacturing expenses up by roughly the same amount. The move, reported by DigiTimes Asia, highlights how surging memory chip prices are being passed on to consumers, and it fuels broader discussion about component costs squeezing smartphone makers.

A debate is underway among writers and readers over whether smartphones should appear in fiction. Critics argue that phones eliminate tension by making characters instantly reachable and traceable, while defenders say ignoring them makes contemporary stories feel unrealistic. The discussion has reignited a familiar argument about how novelists should handle modern technology in realistic settings.

A concept called the iPhone Duo is drawing attention for reimagining what Apple's smartphone could become. Reports suggest the design points to possible future directions for smartphones generally, not just Apple's next model. Details about the concept remain limited, with discussion centring on whether such a dual-device or foldable-style approach could shape upcoming industry trends.