Nanoleaf, a global leader in lifestyle tech innovation, announces the launch of two new additions to its wellness line at IFA 2026: the Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask and the Nanoleaf Lymphatic Body Sculpting Massager.
Together, the devices expand Nanoleaf’s red light therapy and recovery technologies beyond the face, delivering advanced wellness care for the entire body.
Targeted Care Beyond The Face
Designed to bridge the glaring gap between facial care and neck rejuvenation, the Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask brings high-performance innovation to one of the most delicate, frequently neglected areas of the body. While traditional routines focus heavily on the face, the neck and chest are often the first to exhibit premature aging, deep-set lines, crepiness, and loss of elasticity.
At the core of its advanced design is Nanoleaf’s proprietary Triple NIR Technology. By strategically combining three clinically validated Near-Infrared wavelengths – 850nm, 940nm, and 1072nm – the mask is designed to reach deeper layers of the skin and support faster skin cell renewal. The specialized 1072nm Deep NIR wavelength is precision-mapped along key concern areas, delivering targeted energy directly where deep neck lines form.
Featuring a flexible wrap-around design and market-leading surface coverage across both the neck and décolletage, the Neck Mask delivers full care for the delicate area below the face. The Neck Mask features seven targeted treatment modes (Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Yellow, Purple, and White) and 5 intensity levels, offering a personalized solution to visibly reduce fine lines, combat acne, fade hyperpigmentation, and restore youthful radiance.
Whole Body Wellness
Completing the head-to-toe care, Nanoleaf is also launching the Lymphatic Body Sculpting Massager – a handheld 4-in-1 device designed to support lymphatic flow, de-puffing and enhance the appearance of more sculpted body contours.
Modern lifestyles, high stress levels and long hours at a desk can contribute to fluid buildup and a visibly swollen or less-defined appearance. Unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system relies on movement and physical stimulation to circulate lymph fluid throughout the body. Lymphatic massage is a proven technique to boost lymphatic flow, but making it part of a regular routine is often time and cost prohibitive.
The Nanoleaf Lymphatic Body Sculpting Massager brings the principles of lymphatic massage into an easy, at-home experience, fusing four powerful therapies in a single device: Microcurrent, Red Light Therapy, Heat, and Vibration. Vibration encourages lymphatic flow to help flush excess fluid and reduce puffiness. Heat therapy melts away tension and relaxes muscles, and Red Light (640nm + 850nm NIR) supports healthier, more radiant-looking skin. Ergonomic sculpting nodes deliver deep, targeted pressure across the abdomen, legs, arms, and shoulders – working with the four therapies together to ease tension and support fluid movement for an accessible at-home body sculpting ritual.
The Body Sculpting Massager features 30 customizable intensity levels and 2.5 hours of cordless runtime, making lymphatic care an effortless daily part of a self-care routine.
Retail Availability
The Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask retails for $149.99 USD, $199.99 CAD. The Nanoleaf Lymphatic Body Sculpting Massager retails for $69.99 USD, $79.99 CAD. Both products are available now at nanoleaf.me and Amazon.
Nanoleaf is an AI-driven lifestyle technology company transforming breakthrough innovations into thoughtfully designed products that enhance daily life. Founded in 2012 as a smart lighting brand redefining the industry, Nanoleaf has evolved to combine advanced hardware, software intelligence, spatial design and wellness tech to improve how people live within their homes. Nanoleaf is headquartered in Toronto with a global presence in Paris and Shenzhen.
Aqara, a global leader in IoT, announced a new lineup of smart lighting products and a global community platform or smart space creators, at IFA 2026 in Berlin.
The announcements reflect Aqara’s ongoing vision for AI-driven spatial intelligence — spaces that understand their users and adapt to how people actually live in them.
The new lighting series — spanning indoor and outdoor use — integrates seamlessly with Aqara’s existing ecosystem of sensors, switches, and hubs, bringing complete whole-space lighting scenarios and automated controls to life.
The new Aqara products showcased include the Floor Lamp T1, LED Downlight T2, LED Strip T2, Outdoor String Lights H1, and Permanent Outdoor Lights H1. In addition, the company will present Aqara Builder, a platform for creators sharing ideas and engaging in discussion. Aqara will demonstrate these innovations at IFA 2026 (Booth #157, Hall 1.2, Berlin).
The Expanded Smart Lighting Lineup
Aqara’s new lighting series brings smart, connected illumination to more parts of the home, indoors and out. Every product in the lineup supports both Thread and Zigbee connectivity, is Matter-enabled, and works seamlessly across major smart home platforms including Apple Home, Home Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings, and Homey. Paired with Aqara sensors, switches, and the Aqara Home app, each light can also respond to presence, routines, and existing automations instead of relying on manual control.
To showcase how smart lighting interacts with the broader home, Aqara’s booth features a fully constructed, real-world living space. Visitors can walk through interactive scenarios to see how the new lighting lineup works synchronously with Aqara’s complete product catalog—including motion and presence sensors, smart switches, and central hubs. Rather than showing standalone devices, this setup illustrates true spatial intelligence: lights adjusting automatically as someone enters a room, setting the mood based on daily routines, or reacting instantly to environmental triggers without touching a button.
Aqara Floor Lamp T1
Standing 1,420 mm tall, the Floor Lamp T1 turns a plain wall into part of the room’s atmosphere, its side-emitting design washing light evenly across the surface for movie nights, gaming, or everyday mood-setting. A new high-precision 16-bit, 5-channel chip drives 18 individually controllable zones, delivering color transitions that feel smooth and cinematic. The ultra-wide tunable white range from 2,000K to 9,000K, and up to 1,000 lumens of brightness also deliver smooth and comfortable everyday illumination. Paired with Aqara sensors and switches, it can shift automatically as the evening changes, dimming down for a movie night or brighten for a game night.
Aqara LED Downlight T2
Built for real homes with real ceiling constraints, the Downlight T2’s ultra-thin profile makes it a practical fit for low ceilings and easy retrofits. Choose the RGB CCT version for both mood lighting and daily use with expanded 2000K–9000K range and 16 million colors, or the simpler CCT version for reliable everyday brightness up to 1,200 lumens. Like other Aqara lights, the Aqara LED Downlight T2 has power-off memory, which means lights return to exactly the state you’d expect , helping maintain a consistent user experience after an outage.
Aqara LED Strip T2
Trimmable and flexible enough to fit under cabinets, along shelving, or around any tight corner, the Strip T2 delivers even, high-quality light rather than visible hot spots. With 108 LEDs per meter, a 16-bit 5-channel chip, and 18 independently controllable zones every 3 meters, it supports smooth color gradients and music-synced effects that keep a gathering feeling alive rather than static. Anyone who’d rather skip manual setup can simply describe a mood or lighting experience they want in natural language in the Aqara Home app and get a coordinated scene automatically.
Aqara Outdoor String Lights H1
Outdoor entertaining often ends the moment the sun goes down. The Outdoor String Lights H1 is built to extend it, with individually controllable zones for rich, weatherproof illumination across patios and decks. An ultra-wide color temperature range from 2000K to 9000K delivers high-precision warmth for evening relaxation and bright, comfortable light for outdoor activities. Beyond aesthetics, it’s practical: the lights can adjust automatically by time of day, environment, or triggers from other Aqara devices, marking a path after dark or responding to a security event without anyone touching a switch. By utilizing Aqara’s AI-powered Gen-Scene feature, users can simply describe their ideal scenario and the H1 can build a full scene across every connected zone.
Aqara Permanent Outdoor Lights H1
The Permanent Outdoor Lights H1 solves a familiar seasonal chore. No more climbing a ladder every holiday season to hang lights, and no more taking them down again in January. Installed only once, it adapts to any occasion with one-tap presets and independently controlled LEDs. It’s extendable, cuttable to fit any roofline, and weatherproof for year-round use.
Beyond the new hardware lineup, Aqara also brings Aqara Builder, a global content-sharing community platform, to IFA, empowering users and experts to explore ideas and enhance their intelligent space experience.
Aqara Builder:
At IFA 2026, Aqara showcases the Aqara Builder which is designed for smart home enthusiasts, developers, installers, integrators, and creators, featuring real-world projects, automation solutions, and design inspiration. With AI-assisted support, users can get more ideas from the AI agent and Aqara Builder to create their personalized intelligent scenarios.
As a global leader and pioneer in IoT, Aqara is committed to creating holistic, personalized smart home experiences that are accessible to everyone. We offer one of the widest selections of smart products spanning more than 30 categories, proudly serving over 12 million users across five continents.
Designed in-house, our products blend cutting-edge hardware technology, sophisticated software design, and AI capabilities, and have been recognized with more than 300 industry accolades. They are thoughtfully designed to integrate seamlessly with major third-party ecosystems, offering users unparalleled flexibility. Aqara’s solutions are tailored to provide the ultimate smart home experience and augment everyday life by making homes smarter, more sustainable, and adaptable to users’ evolving needs.
Limited-time Amazon deals bring savings of up to $50 on Wolfbox’s popular dash cams and MegaFlow 200 electric air duster.
Wolfbox, a leading off-road auto accessories brand trusted by more than 800,000 drivers worldwide, is offering limited-time savings on several of its most popular automotive electronics and accessories. Shoppers can save up to $50 on select Wolfbox dash cams and the MegaFlow 200 high-speed electric air duster on Amazon.
The promotions include discounts of up to 35% on select products, giving drivers an opportunity to upgrade their vehicles with Wolfbox’s smart dash cams and high-performance cleaning accessories at reduced prices.
Wolfbox MegaFlow 200: Save $35
The Wolfbox MegaFlow 200 is a high-speed electric air duster designed for cleaning vehicles and other hard-to-reach areas. It features a removable battery and delivers airflow of up to 87.5 m/s.
The MegaFlow 200 is currently available for $84.99, down from $119.99, providing a $35 savings. The product is also an Amazon’s Choice selection and has seen more than 4,000 purchases in the past month.
The Wolfbox G930 is a smart mirror dash cam featuring a 4K front camera and 1080p rear camera, providing drivers with front and rear video coverage while integrating the cameras into a rearview mirror-style display.
During the promotional period, the G930 will be available for $139.98, reduced from $189.99. That’s a $50 savings, or approximately 30% off the regular price.
The G930 has also surpassed 1,000 purchases in the past month.
The Wolfbox G850 Pro combines a smart rearview mirror design with 4K front and 1080p rear cameras. It also includes advanced driver assistance features, including ADAS and blind spot detection.
The G850 Pro will be available for $179.98, down from $219.99, during the promotion. Customers can save $40, representing a 35% discount.
The dash cam has recorded more than 500 purchases in the past month.
Wolfbox specializes in automotive electronics, including advanced smart mirrors and dash cams, as well as accessories such as jump starters, car fridges, and other vehicle-focused gadgets.
The company says its products have been used by more than 800,000 drivers across 89 countries. Wolfbox continues to develop automotive technology designed to bring additional functionality and convenience to drivers.
The limited-time Amazon promotions provide an opportunity to save on several of the brand’s popular products, but shoppers should note that each deal has its own promotional period and pricing is subject to change.
A look inside UGREEN’s push beyond charging and storage, as HomeAgent aims to make the smart home more connected, proactive, and personal.
For years, home security cameras have largely been designed around the things we do not want to happen. A camera watches for an intruder, detects a package, alerts you when someone approaches the door, or records an unexpected event.
UGREEN wants to change that.
At its Smart Living Launch Event at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on September 1, the company introduced HomeAgent, a new AIoT ecosystem designed to bring local storage, artificial intelligence, home automation, security, and everyday memories together under one system.
The event was not simply a product launch. It was an opportunity to see how UGREEN envisions its products working together, and perhaps more importantly, how the company thinks technology should fit into our lives.
That vision can be summed up in three ideas UGREEN repeatedly returned to throughout the event: Activate. Proactive. Trusted.
Rather than adding another collection of smart devices that each require their own app and setup process, UGREEN is attempting to build a system that understands what is happening in the home and can respond without requiring constant interaction from the user.
Stepping Into UGREEN’s Smart Living Vision
The event was divided into two primary areas. One side of the space was arranged around the stage, where UGREEN presented its vision for the future of the smart home. The other side was dedicated to hands-on demonstrations of the products and technologies introduced during the event.
The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. The UGREEN team was welcoming and genuinely appreciative of the media and clients who had attended. Representatives were readily available throughout the event, which made it easy to stop, ask questions, and spend time with the products rather than simply moving from one presentation station to another.
That was important because UGREEN is entering a much broader category than the one most people traditionally associate with the company.
UGREEN has built a significant business around charging accessories, connectivity products, and storage. The company says it now has more than 300 million users across more than 180 countries and regions. Its expansion into AIoT represents a significant shift in how it wants those products to work together.
The stage presentation laid out that strategy before giving attendees a chance to experience it firsthand.
The Presentation: From Accessories to an AIoT Ecosystem
UGREEN’s presentation began by looking at the company’s growth and evolution, including its expansion into network-attached storage and AI-powered computing.
But the focus quickly moved to the home.
One of the more interesting ideas behind HomeAgent is that UGREEN believes cameras should be capable of doing more than recording problems. A security camera might tell you that someone entered your yard, but it could also recognize a moment worth remembering.
That distinction became important throughout the presentation.
HomeAgent is designed to serve as a local AI hub that brings together storage, computing, security, and control. Instead of sending everything to the cloud, the system is built around processing and storing much of that information locally.
The result is intended to be a smart home that can respond to what is happening without constantly relying on a remote server.
UGREEN demonstrated HomeAgent interacting with cameras and other smart-home devices, including examples such as controlling lights and curtains, checking on pets, and searching through camera footage.
In one demonstration, the system was able to answer questions about where a pet had been and when it had appeared on camera. Another demonstration showed voice commands being used to control devices around the home.
The idea is less about having a collection of smart products and more about having a central system that understands those products.
HomeAgent Is the Center of the System
UGREEN introduced three HomeAgent platforms.
The HA100 is positioned as the entry point to the HomeAgent experience, combining local storage, AI processing, security, and smart-home control in a single device.
The HA100 Pro takes that concept further with more powerful hardware and faster networking, targeting users who want to run more demanding AI workloads.
At the top of the range is the MasterAgent MA100, which UGREEN says is its first agentic AI local hub powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000 technology.
The hardware differences are substantial, but the larger story is what UGREEN wants these devices to become. Rather than another computer that happens to sit in the home, HomeAgent is intended to become the place where the home’s data and connected devices come together.
That is where the company’s AIoT strategy starts to become interesting.
The Round Table: The Smart Home Should Not Feel Like Work
After the main presentation, UGREEN held a round-table discussion that moved away from individual products and toward some of the challenges that have prevented the smart home from becoming as seamless as companies have promised.
One of the biggest problems is fragmentation.
A typical smart home can easily turn into a collection of individual ecosystems. There may be one app for cameras, another for lighting, another for a thermostat, another for a door lock, and another for a robot vacuum.
Every device has its own account, setup process, interface, and way of communicating with the user.
For someone who enjoys technology, that may be manageable. For everyone else in the household, it can quickly become frustrating.
The discussion emphasized the idea that smart-home technology should understand what the user is trying to accomplish rather than forcing the user to understand how every individual device works.
There was also considerable discussion about local AI. Processing information locally can reduce dependence on cloud services, improve responsiveness, and provide greater control over sensitive information. For a system dealing with cameras, family members, conversations, and activity inside the home, that distinction matters.
The discussion also touched on something that is easy to overlook when companies talk about smart-home technology: the person who has to make everything work.
In many households, there is one person who becomes the unofficial technology expert. That person sets everything up, connects the devices, fixes problems, explains how everything works, and often becomes the household help desk. A truly smart home should reduce that burden rather than increase it.
One of the most memorable ideas from the discussion was that technology should know when to appear and disappear.
That may be one of the most useful ways to think about UGREEN’s approach. The best smart-home technology should be visible when it is useful and almost invisible when it is not.
Walking Into the Demo Area
After the presentation and round table, the event shifted from talking about the smart home to showing it.
The demo area was organized almost like a collection of rooms and experiences rather than a traditional product showroom.
HomeAgent devices were displayed along a side wall, where attendees could open the units and get a closer look at their internal storage configuration.
The HA100 units had three drive bays populated for the demonstration, with two labeled for storage and one labeled for surveillance. The MA100 demonstration unit had four drives, with three designated for storage and one for surveillance.
There were also dedicated slots for AI acceleration hardware.
Visually, the HomeAgent devices reminded me of compact NAS systems, although their more vertical design gives them a different presence. The HA100 could also easily be mistaken for a small printer sitting in a home office.
But the most interesting part of the HomeAgent demonstration was not the hardware.
It was what was happening around it.
A Smart Home You Can Walk Through
UGREEN created a miniature living environment for the demonstration, complete with a living room and nursery.
The nursery included a baby doll positioned in a crib. UGREEN representatives could trigger a simulated crying event, which HomeAgent could recognize. The system could then announce that the baby was crying through the connected smart-home system.
That demonstration illustrates an important difference between traditional security cameras and the type of system UGREEN is trying to build. The camera is not simply recording footage. The system is interpreting what it sees and turning that information into something useful.
The living room contained smart lighting and curtains that could also be controlled through HomeAgent. I saw those controls work earlier in the day, although my own attempt later in the event did not go as smoothly.
A printed card beside the HA100 encouraged attendees to try several voice commands, including turning the living room light on or off and opening or closing the curtains.
When I tried the system myself, HomeAgent successfully recognized the “Hi Uliya” wake phrase. However, it was not able to complete the command I gave it and instead indicated that the requested function had not been programmed.
At another point, I was told that the curtain’s battery had been drained.
That experience is worth mentioning, but I would not consider it a failure of the product. This was a launch-event demonstration environment rather than a production HomeAgent system installed in a home for extended testing. More importantly, I had already seen the connected-home controls work earlier in the day.
For me, the experience reinforced how important the final software and setup experience will be. If HomeAgent can reliably make those interactions as simple as UGREEN demonstrated, the concept is compelling.
From Security to Prevention
The outdoor camera demonstration offered another example of how UGREEN is approaching smart-home security. A small artificial pathway led toward a front door, with markers indicating the camera’s movement-detection area.
As someone crossed one of the marked areas, a recorded warning announced that the person was entering private property. Moving farther into the monitored area triggered an alarm, followed by another message indicating that a recording of the trespassing person had been sent.
I do not know whether those exact messages are customizable in the final product, but as a demonstration, they were effective.
Instead of simply recording someone after they reached the property, the system was designed to recognize the movement and actively respond.
UGREEN’s SynCare camera lineup includes an indoor camera along with PoE and battery-powered outdoor cameras, giving the HomeAgent ecosystem multiple ways to bring visual information into the local AI system.
The company’s larger goal is to have that information become useful beyond simple notifications. HomeAgent can recognize people, vehicles, pets, packages, and unusual activity, while AI Highlights are designed to identify meaningful moments in recorded footage and photo libraries.
That is where UGREEN’s original idea about cameras remembering the good things becomes more interesting. A camera could still tell you when something goes wrong. But it could also help surface the moments you actually want to remember.
Gallery Looks Beyond Security
Another product that caught my attention in the demo area was the Gallery E-Paper Smart Frame. The frame itself looked lovely, although I did not get an opportunity to see the Gallery software in operation during the event.
The concept fits naturally with UGREEN’s broader vision. If HomeAgent can identify meaningful photographs and moments, having a dedicated display for those memories makes more sense than simply keeping them buried in a camera roll. Of course, the software experience will be critical.
There are already products designed to turn digital photos into something more like a traditional picture frame. If UGREEN can make Gallery intuitive and easy to use while integrating it directly with HomeAgent, it could offer a compelling alternative.
That will ultimately come down to how well the hardware and software work together.
A Little Help From Bambu Lab
One of the more unexpected details in the demo area was a Bambu Lab 3D printer. UGREEN and Bambu Lab announced a new partnership centered around creating custom 3D-printed accessories and designs for UGREEN’s new products.
The partnership involves creators from Bambu Lab’s MakerWorld platform designing models inspired by UGREEN’s products. Penny Peng, a UGREEN PR Manager, introduced herself toward the end of the event when the crowd had thinned out, and we had an opportunity to talk about the partnership.
She explained that the collaboration could result in practical and playful designs that work with UGREEN’s products, such as a small pet house or bed that can accommodate a camera or a custom case designed for the HA100.
It is a small detail compared with the larger HomeAgent announcement, but it reflects something interesting about UGREEN’s approach. The company is not only thinking about the hardware it sells. It is beginning to think about the ecosystem surrounding that hardware and how users might personalize it.
In the Middle of It All Was MagFlow
While HomeAgent was clearly the focus of the event, UGREEN also introduced a new generation of MagFlow charging products. The MagFlow lineup includes a magnetic power bank, a 3-in-1 desktop charging stand, and a foldable 2-in-1 wireless charger.
The charging products were positioned in a central kiosk with a two-sided table, making them easy to pick up and examine. That turned out to be particularly useful for me because my phone was nearly dead. My iPhone was at 1% when I put it on the UGREEN MagFlow Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand 25W. After approximately 10 minutes, the phone had reached 18%.
That is obviously not a controlled charging test, but it was a convenient real-world demonstration during an event where I needed to keep my phone alive. I was also impressed by how quiet the charger was.
The MagFlow Pro uses active cooling, and I have another charging stand with a fan that works well but is noticeably loud. By comparison, the MagFlow Pro was remarkably quiet during my time with it. That alone made an impression on me.
If a charging stand is sitting on a desk next to you all day, cooling performance is useful, but so is not having to listen to a fan constantly running. UGREEN says the MagFlow Pro 3-in-1 combines Qi2 25W magnetic charging with active cooling and can simultaneously charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods.
The new MagFlow Pro Magnetic Power Bank takes the cooling concept into a portable form, while the MagFlow 2-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger is designed for travel and can also function as a magnetic phone stand.
What the Event Says About UGREEN
Walking through the event, it became clear that UGREEN is trying to connect several parts of its business that previously felt more independent. Storage, charging, smart-home devices, cameras, displays, and AI are becoming pieces of a larger ecosystem. That is an ambitious direction.
The potential advantage is obvious. Instead of having a camera from one company, storage from another, lights from a third, and a collection of separate apps to manage everything, a local AI hub could become the central point through which those devices communicate.
Personally, that is one of the most appealing aspects of what UGREEN is proposing. I do not particularly like having a separate app for every smart-home product in my house. I want technology to make my life easier, not give me another collection of passwords, accounts, notifications, and interfaces to manage.
If UGREEN can make HomeAgent actually unify the home in the way it demonstrated, that would be a significant improvement over the fragmented smart-home experience many people deal with today. But the word if is important.
The success of HomeAgent will depend on much more than powerful hardware. It will depend on interoperability, reliability, ease of setup, communication between devices, software updates, customer support, and how well the system handles the unexpected situations that inevitably occur in a real home. UGREEN appears to recognize that.
During the round-table discussion, a UGREEN user-group manager noted that communication with the company after initial setup is one of the complaints users have raised. Customer experience was identified as an area receiving significant attention.
That is encouraging because an ecosystem this ambitious will require more than good hardware. It needs to be easy to live with.
Pricing and Availability
UGREEN provided the following MSRP and launch pricing for the new AIoT products at the event:
Product
MSRP
Launch Pricing
HomeAgent HA100
$1,799
$899 Super Early Bird
HomeAgent HA100 Pro
$5,999
$2,999 Super Early Bird
MasterAgent MA100
$19,999
$9,999 Super Early Bird
SynCare Indoor Cam ID500 Pro
$149
$89 Early Bird
SynCare PoE Cam OD600 Pro
$269
$159 Early Bird
SynCare Battery Cam OD800 Pro
$399
$199 Early Bird
Smart Speaker for Uliya
$99
$69 Early Bird
Gallery E-Paper Smart Frame
$439
$299 Early Bird
Pre-orders for the HA100, HA100 Pro, and MA100 are scheduled to open September 3 through UGREEN’s AIoT Official Store, ahead of the Kickstarter launch planned for October 27. UGREEN says a deposit starting at $50 can secure the Super Early Bird pricing.
The new MagFlow products are available now:
MagFlow Pro Magnetic Power Bank 10,000mAh 25W: $149.99
MagFlow Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charging Stand 25W: $159.99
MagFlow 2-in-1 Foldable Magnetic Wireless Charger 25W: $59.99
UGREEN says the MagFlow products are available through its official store and Amazon.
Final Thoughts
UGREEN’s Smart Living Launch Event was ultimately less about introducing a handful of individual products and more about showing where the company wants to go next.
HomeAgent is the centerpiece of that strategy, bringing together local storage, AI processing, cameras, smart-home controls, and personal data.
The most compelling part of the concept is not necessarily the ability to tell your lights to turn on with your voice. We already have products that can do that.
The more interesting question is whether HomeAgent can understand what is happening in the home and take useful action without requiring the user to constantly tell it what to do.
That is a much harder problem.
UGREEN is also making a deliberate argument for local AI, particularly when dealing with the intimate data generated inside a home. Keeping more processing and information local could address some of the privacy, latency, and cloud-dependency concerns that come with connected-home technology.
My hands-on experience at the event was limited, and the demonstration environment was not representative of a long-term home installation. I was able to see UGREEN successfully demonstrate several of HomeAgent’s capabilities, while my own attempt to control the living-room devices was limited by the demo setup.
That leaves plenty of questions for a full review once production hardware and software are available. Still, the direction is easy to understand. The smartest home may not be the one filled with the most devices. It may be the one where those devices finally stop feeling like separate products.
If UGREEN can make HomeAgent deliver on that promise, the company’s move from charging and storage into AIoT could become one of its most significant expansions yet. And perhaps the best smart-home experience is one where technology knows when to appear, when to disappear, and quietly makes life easier in between.
At IFA 2026, SwitchBot, a leading provider of smart home automation and embodied AI products, today announced the launch of SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo, a complete retrofit smart-entry solution for European households that combines the all-new SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max, SwitchBot Keypad Vision Pro, and SwitchBot Hub Mini Matter Enabled.
Designed to let households keep their existing lock cylinder while upgrading the entire experience at the door, the combo brings together faster lock performance, up to 19 ways to unlock, layered power backup, local biometric protection, real-time status awareness, and Matter connectivity. The result is a flexible entry system built for different family members, everyday situations, and connected-home platforms. SwitchBot will showcase the Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo at IFA 2026. Visitors can experience the system firsthand at booth #H1.2-146.
Faster, More Refined Retrofit Performance
At the heart of the combo, SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max upgrades an existing door lock from the inside without requiring users to replace the cylinder or modify the door. Its UltraDrive brushless motor reaches 160 rpm, delivering 3.2 times the motor rotation speed of SwitchBot Lock Ultra. Max Mode can complete unlocking in as little as 1.1 seconds, while more than 9 kg of turning force provides the power needed for everyday European lock mechanisms.
Users can choose Max Mode for a more immediate response or Quiet Mode for more discreet locking and unlocking during late-night arrivals, early mornings, and shared living situations. A high-precision magnetic encoder helps the lock track movement accurately, supporting smooth and consistent operation through frequent daily use.
Performance is matched by a more premium industrial design. Lock Ultra Max combines an aluminum-alloy body with brushed electroplated stainless-steel detailing, while SwitchBot’s Fluted Light Design creates subtle highlights and shadows across the surface. Together with a closely fitted base ring, the design helps the retrofit lock feel more integrated with the door rather than like a separate device added afterward.
Up to 19 Ways to Unlock
SwitchBot Keypad Vision Pro expands the combo into a multi-user entry system with 3D facial recognition, contactless palm vein recognition, fingerprint recognition, passcodes, and NFC card access. Across the complete system, households can choose from up to 19 unlock methods, including the SwitchBot App, remote control, voice control, smartwatch access, widgets, Home Sharing, Auto-Unlock via geofencing, a physical key, and SwitchBot Remote.
For hands-free entry, Keypad Vision Pro projects more than 30,000 infrared points to create a millimeter-level 3D facial map and complete recognition in under one second under laboratory conditions. The depth-based system is designed to resist spoofing attempts using photos or videos and can recognize users in low-light environments with built-in infrared illumination.
Contactless palm vein recognition uses near-infrared sensing to read the unique vein pattern inside a user’s palm. This provides another biometric option for children, older family members, and users whose fingerprints may be difficult to read because of dry, worn, wet, or dirty fingers. Fingerprint, passcode, and NFC access remain available for family members and visitors who prefer more familiar entry methods.
Triple Power System for Dependable Everyday Access
Lock Ultra Max uses three layers of power to help keep the door accessible in unexpected low-battery situations. Its 4200 mAh rechargeable main battery provides up to 9 months of typical use, while an independent CR123A backup battery keeps the lock operational when the main battery is removed for charging or depleted, supporting approximately 500 locking or unlocking operations.
Even when the battery is depleted, Micro-Power Unlock gathers residual energy for approximately 30 seconds before providing emergency unlocking assistance up to 5 times. The SwitchBot App also shows main and backup battery status and provides low-battery notifications, giving households time to recharge or replace the relevant power source.
Keypad Vision Pro includes a 5000 mAh rechargeable battery designed to last up to 12 months on a single charge under typical use. Its approach-detection system activates biometric recognition when a user arrives, helping reduce unnecessary power consumption between entries.
Security, Privacy, and Awareness at the Door
The combo is designed with multiple layers of protection across communication, biometric storage, locking, alerts, status awareness, and power. AES-128 encryption helps protect access communication, while facial, palm vein, and fingerprint data is processed and stored locally on the device rather than made available through third-party smart-home platforms.
Auto-Lock helps secure the door after entry or exit, and users can review lock status, door status, battery levels, notifications, and event history in the SwitchBot App. Lock Ultra Max also provides on-device voice alerts and in-app text notifications for important conditions, including a low main battery, backup-battery use, a door left open or unlocked, and 13 categories of weather warnings such as rain, snow, thunderstorms, and fog.
Made for European Doors and Connected Homes
SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max is designed to support 99% of European locks, including common EU profile cylinders, knob cylinders, Swiss round cylinders, and UK oval cylinders, with additional adapters available for less common installations. The lock mounts inside the door while retaining the existing cylinder, and Keypad Vision Pro can be installed outside using adhesive or screws, allowing many households to complete the upgrade without drilling or permanent changes.
SwitchBot Hub Mini Matter Enabled is included in the combo, adding remote control through the SwitchBot App without requiring a separate hub purchase. It also brings the lock into compatible smart-home ecosystems through Matter over Bridge, including Apple Home and Home Assistant, so users can connect entry routines with the wider home rather than building a separate system around the lock.
Max Service for More Confident Ownership
For added peace of mind after purchase, customers who purchase the SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo during the launch period will receive Max Service for Lock Ultra Max at no additional cost. Combining an additional one-year warranty with fast return and exchange support, Max Service is designed to make ownership simpler and more reassuring from day one.
Pricing and Availability
Pre-orders for SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo begin on September 03, 2026 through SwitchBot’s official EU and UK websites(activated on September 3) , with an MSRP of EUR 339.99 / GBP 339.99.
The one-year Max Service extended-warranty option has an MSRP of EUR 24.90 / GBP 24.90.
SwitchBot, a leading provider of AI-enabled embodied home robotics systems, today announced the launch and availability of SwitchBot AI MindClip at IFA 2026, a lightweight clip-on wearable AI assistant powered by Qwen. Designed for work, family, study, and everyday life, AI MindClip turns conversations, ideas, promises, and to-dos into summaries, reminders, searchable memories, and next actions.
From a partner’s morning reminder and a quick note at school pickup, to a client’s last-minute request or an idea during a commute, AI MindClip is designed to capture what slips away and remember it when it matters.
Visitors can experience SwitchBot AI MindClip hands-on at booth #H1.2-146.
Capture Ideas and To-Dos Before They Slip Away
Weighing just 16.8g, SwitchBot AI MindClip can be clipped to a collar, shirt, jacket, or bag strap, making it easy to wear throughout the day without changing how users move, dress, or communicate. With over 20 hours of continuous recording, 64GB of local storage, and a 3-meter near-field pickup range, it supports long workdays, busy family routines, and spontaneous moments of inspiration across meeting rooms, cafes, clinics, classrooms, and everyday environments.
AI MindClip also supports speaker recognition, speaker separation, and voiceprint recognition to help identify who said what in multi-person conversations. This makes captured content easier to understand and review later, especially when conversations involve family members, classmates, teammates, clients, or multiple meeting participants.
Captured Memories Turned into Timely Reminders
Drawing on AI capabilities from ChatGPT, Gemini, and other SOTA large language models, AI MindClip organizes recorded conversations into searchable, actionable information.
When charging, the device can automatically transfer recordings and help organize them into transcripts, summaries, key points, and structured notes. Users can also upload recordings after ending a conversation, allowing tasks, deadlines, and follow-ups to be extracted before they get buried in long audio files.
In the dedicated app and website for SwitchBot AI MindClip, captured moments are arranged into Timeline, Priority, Daily Memory, Weekly Summary, and To-Do Overview. AI-generated to-dos can be sorted by timeline and categorized into groups such as Work, Personal, Interests, and Holidays, helping users separate professional follow-ups from personal reminders, family planning, and everyday errands.
AI MindClip also supports syncing to-dos with Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, and Reminders, allowing captured action items to appear alongside existing schedules. When connected through the same calendars, users can also check to-dos summarized by AI MindClip on the SwitchBot E-Ink Home Dashboard, making reminders easier to see at home, at a desk, or in shared family spaces.
Ask AI, Searchable Memory, and Connected AI Workflows
With Ask AI, users can search past conversations using natural language, whether they need to recall what was promised, which follow-up was mentioned, what gift ideas came up for a friend, or what a partner asked them to handle that day. Instead of scrolling through long recordings, users can ask for the details they need and return directly to relevant memories.
This searchable memory layer also helps users bring real-world conversation context into broader AI workflows. With support for SwitchBot OpenAPI CLI, transcripts from AI MindClip can be used as contextual data sources for AI agents such as Codex, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, and other AI workflow tools. For users who rely on AI assistants to plan, write, code, summarize, or manage tasks, AI MindClip helps connect spoken context from everyday life to the tools they already use.
Powered by Qwen for Enhanced Experience
AI MindClip also uses Qwen-powered AI capabilities to support some of its key features. For audio transcription, AI MindClip uses the Qwen-Audio-ASR speech recognition service, enabling recorded conversations to be converted into searchable text.
For the Ask AI function, AI MindClip uses Alibaba Cloud’s RAG architecture with ADBSQL as the retrieval database, while a Qwen-based model serves as the model used for question-answering.
Keep Private Memories Under Your Control
Built around privacy protection and user control, AI MindClip lets users start, pause, or stop recording through the device or app, with recording status visible via a blinking light indicator*. Records, transcripts, summaries, and to-dos can be reviewed, managed, and deleted in the app.
AI MindClip has passed EN18031, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701 certifications. The device also supports encrypted pairing and file transfer, end-to-end encryption, and in-app privacy and data management settings that help users stay in control of their recordings and personal content.
*Users are highly encouraged to inform any other parties present before recording. For specific practices, please refer to local legal regulations, which may differ by region.
Pricing and Availability
SwitchBot AI MindClip will be available for purchase via SwitchBot’s official website (activated on September 3) on September 3, with an MSRP of USD 119.99 / CAD 159.99 / GBP 119.99.
SwitchBot AI MindClip includes 300 minutes of free monthly transcription and AI service. For pricing of the paid subscription services, please refer to SwitchBot’s official website.
Subscription Pricing
Pro Plan:- 1200 minutes of transcription- Full access to AI summary functions & Ask AI
Unlimited Plan:- Unlimited transcription – Full access to AI summary functions & Ask AI
Engineered for premium home entertainment, AWOL Vision’s new flagship ultra-short-throw projector delivers 4K 120Hz performance, 6,000 ISO lumens of brightness, optical lens shift, and intelligent setup.
AWOL Vision, a global home entertainment brand delivering immersive audiovisual experiences through large-format displays, home cinema technology, and connected entertainment.
At IFA 2026, AWOL Vision makes its first appearance following a refreshed global brand identity unveiled in June 2026, marking a new stage in the company’s evolution toward a broader home entertainment experience. Centered around its new vision, “Bring Wonder Home,” the upgrade brings the AWOL Aetherion Series for ultra-short-throw projectors and AWOL Valerion Series for long-throw projectors under one cohesive AWOL Vision brand framework.
Joining the AWOL Aetherion Series in the ultra-short-throw lineup, AWOL LuxVision debuts as the brand’s new flagship projector for premium home entertainment and home theater spaces. The world’s first 4K 120Hz ultra-short-throw projector with optical shift, it combines 6000 ISO lumens, RGB triple-laser projection, a 0.18:1 throw ratio, and support for screen sizes up to 200 inches – delivering flagship-grade, large-format home entertainment in one seamless experience.
AWOL LuxVision: Nothing Between You and the Moment
At the heart of LuxVision is 4K at 120 frames per second, processing nearly one billion pixels every second to keep fast-moving scenes sharp, smooth, and naturally detailed — whether it’s a game-winning play, a high-speed racing sequence, or an action-packed movie. For gamers, that speed pairs with 1ms input lag, ALLM, VRR, and Dolby Vision Gaming, while three HDMI 2.1 ports, a DisplayPort, and 4-channel HDMI Multiview make it easy to bring multiple screens and sources into the moment.
With 6000 ISO Lumens of RGB triple-laser brightness, LuxVision keeps big-screen color vivid from bright daylight to late-night movies. 110% Rec. 2020 coverage, Dynamic Tone Mapping, and a 7-level dynamic IRIS fine-tune color, contrast, and light scene by scene, while Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, Filmmaker Mode, and 3D support deepen the cinematic experience across every type of content.
Optical performance gives LuxVision another level of flexibility. A 0.18:1 throw ratio turns an ultra-short distance into up to 200 inches of cinematic scale, while one-touch vertical optical lens shift lets you position the image exactly where it belongs — with true 4K detail fully intact. A motorized lens cover and zero-light-leakage lens keep the picture pure, aligned, and free of distraction.
Built on the natural smoothness of 4K 120Hz, AWOL’s second-generation Anti-RBE technology combines an optimized algorithm that covers all formats with TÜV Harmful Light Reduction, minimizing visible rainbow artifacts and visual fatigue for cleaner, more comfortable viewing across 2D and 3D content — especially in fast, high-contrast scenes.
Beyond performance, LuxVision is designed to belong in the home. Inspired by the architectural harmony of the Parthenon, LuxVision transforms classical column rhythm into a sculptural, modern UST form that feels refined in any room. With customizable CMF options, its color, material, and finish can be tailored to complement the mood and character of different living spaces.
Together, these technologies are designed around a simple idea: true immersion is not just about making the screen bigger, but about removing the distractions between the viewer and the experience. With LuxVision, there is Nothing Between You and the Moment.
Price and Availability
MSRP: $5,999 / €5,999 / £4,999
Launch Time: Around October
For more information about AWOL LuxVision, please visit AWOL’s Booth: H22-113
Founded in 2020, AWOL Vision is a home entertainment brand focused on delivering immersive audiovisual experiences through large-format display solutions, home cinema technologies, and connected entertainment products. AWOL Vision’s projector portfolio covers two core lines: the Valerion Series for premium long-throw projection, and the Aetherion and LuxVision Series for premium ultra-short-throw projection.
ⓘWe may earn a commission when you buy through our links. This helps support MacSources and keeps our content free. Thank you!
The Razer Prio combines a compact foldable design, USB-C connectivity, responsive controls, and extensive customization in a mobile gaming controller that’s easy to take anywhere.
I’ve been an avid player of first-person shooter games since I was a kid. Call of Duty is one of my favorites, and a few years ago, I picked up Call of Duty: Mobile on my iPhone. At the time, I wasn’t a fan of on-screen controls, so I investigated mobile gaming controllers and ended up with the Razer Kishi. It was a great controller to use with the iPhone, and I did really well in-game with its help.
I did step away from mobile gaming for a short period of time, but I recently decided to pick it back up. Fortunately for me, Razer happened to release a brand new controller for mobile gaming called the Razer Prio. Given my previous experience with the Kishi, I was particularly interested to see how the Prio compared and whether its compact, foldable design could provide the same type of gaming experience in a more portable package.
About the Razer Prio
The Razer Prio is a mobile gaming controller designed to provide a more traditional console-style gaming experience without the bulk typically associated with mobile controllers. Its most notable feature is its foldable design, allowing the controller to collapse into a compact form that is easy to carry when you’re not gaming. At just 101 grams, the Prio is also considerably lighter than many traditional mobile gaming controllers.
When unfolded, the Prio provides a familiar controller layout with two analog sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, shoulder buttons, and triggers. Razer also equipped the controller with contactless capacitive analog sticks, which are designed to provide precise input while eliminating the physical contact points found in traditional potentiometer-based sticks.
The Prio connects directly to compatible smartphones through USB-C, eliminating the need for Bluetooth pairing or a built-in controller battery. This means there’s no controller to charge before a gaming session, although the controller does draw power from the connected smartphone. Razer says the Prio supports iPhone and Android devices, including phones with cases, making it compatible with a wide range of mobile gaming setups.
The controller also includes a dedicated Razer Cortex button for accessing supported games and services, including cloud and remote-play options. With its combination of a compact folding design, direct USB-C connection, and full controller controls, the Prio is designed for mobile gamers who want a more portable alternative to larger controllers without giving up the physical controls needed for serious gaming.
Specs
Connectivity: USB-C
Charging: None
Battery Life: None
Thumbsticks: Capacitive Thumbsticks
Thumbstick Sensitivity Adjustment: None
Multi-Function Buttons: 4 Multi-Function Buttons
Action Buttons: Silent Tactile Face Buttons
Triggers: Dual Bumper Triggers
System Requirements: Android 14 or higher; iOS 18
Supported Phone Dimensions: Devices up to 7 inches
Size: 101 mm × 67 mm
Weight: 101 g
Mobile App: Razer Cortex Mobile
Pricing & Availability
The Razer Prio is available for $99.99 on razer.com and Amazon.
User Experience
The Razer Prio comes in a classic Razer-branded box. It’s primarily white with Razer green used as an accent color, and there’s a full-color image of the controller on the front. When you open the box, you’ll find the controller folded up into itself, different sizes of rubber inserts, a manual, and the usual Razer stickers.
When I first took a look at the folded-up Prio, I was a little confused about how to unfold it. I tried to figure it out without looking at the manual, and once I pulled the rubber band off to one side, the two halves of the controller split apart. At first, I thought I had broken something, but this is actually part of the Prio’s design. Rather than trying to game with it right away, I spent a little time figuring out how to put it back together. While the process does feel a little awkward at first, after a couple of attempts, opening and closing the controller became fairly easy.
As I mentioned, Razer includes replacement rubber inserts for different iPhone models. The different configurations are:
iPhone: A + A
iPhone Pro Max: E + A
iPhone Air: A + D
I tested the Prio with both an iPhone 17 Pro Max and an iPhone 16 Pro, and the inserts worked as expected. One important thing to note is that the controller is not designed to work with all cases. The iPhone 16 Pro had a slim Defender-style case on it, and the Prio was unable to connect properly with the case installed. Removing the case resolved the issue.
Gaming with the Razer Prio
With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I tested the Prio with Call of Duty: Mobile. The controller connected immediately and worked as expected as a wired controller. Overall, I think the Prio does a good job when it comes to responsiveness and general gameplay, although there are a few personal preferences that hold it back for me.
First, the thumbsticks sit almost flush with the rest of the controls. I prefer thumbsticks that sit higher, as they give me a greater sense of control and range of movement. I’m accustomed to the feel of an Xbox controller, and the Prio’s low-profile sticks feel noticeably different. This isn’t necessarily a flaw, but it did take some adjustment.
I also wasn’t a big fan of the L2 and R2 triggers. They have a somewhat squishy feel and lack the definitive tactile bump I prefer from a gaming controller. They also seem to have more travel than necessary. As a result, the triggers don’t feel quite as responsive or precise as I’d like, particularly during fast-paced gameplay.
Razer Cortex Mobile
With the iPhone 16 Pro, I connected the Prio to Razer Cortex Mobile and used the app as recommended. While Cortex is optional, I wanted to see how it integrates with the Prio and whether it adds anything meaningful to the overall experience.
One of the most useful aspects of Cortex is the additional customization it provides. The app can be used to update the controller’s firmware and change various controller settings. Most notably, I was able to adjust the thumbstick dead zones and polling rate.
This was one of the more surprising features I encountered while testing the Prio. I haven’t encountered many controllers in this category that offer this level of customization, particularly when being used with iOS devices. Having the ability to adjust the dead zones and polling rate gives users considerably more control over how the controller responds to their inputs.
After making sure the firmware was up to date, I played a few rounds of Combat Master, which provides a very similar first-person shooter experience to Call of Duty: Mobile. This gave me an opportunity to see whether my initial impressions of the Prio’s controls carried over to another FPS rather than relying solely on my experience with COD: Mobile. Since the controls felt virtually the same, I found that my initial impressions of the Prio carried over to another FPS.
After playing Combat Master, I moved over to Asphalt Legends Unite and found the controls to be more than adequate for this type of game. It doesn’t use as much of the controller as an FPS, but the controls were responsive and felt natural on the Prio. The overall experience was a significant improvement over using the touchscreen controls.
Final Impressions
I think the Prio is a very capable mobile gaming controller. It’s clearly designed with portability in mind, and much of my testing actually took place during a very long road trip. The compact, foldable design makes it remarkably easy to travel with, although I do wish Razer had included a carrying case. While the controls are protected when the controller is folded up, I still think a small case or sleeve would have been a worthwhile addition for protecting the Prio while it’s being carried around.
Overall, I found the controls to be responsive, and if you’re familiar with a console-style controller, the Prio should feel comfortable for mobile gaming. That said, the biggest adjustment for me was the overall layout and feel. Rather than reminding me of an Xbox controller, the Prio actually feels much more like the original Nintendo gamepad. The low-profile thumbsticks and overall arrangement of the controls give it a distinctly different feel from the traditional Xbox-style controllers I’m accustomed to using.
Conclusion
The Razer Prio is an interesting take on the mobile gaming controller. Rather than trying to replicate the size and feel of a traditional console controller, Razer took a different approach by making portability one of its biggest priorities. The foldable design makes the Prio easy to take with you, and the fact that it doesn’t require a battery or Bluetooth connection makes it especially convenient for mobile gaming on the go. It may take some adjustment if you’re accustomed to an Xbox-style controller, but the combination of its compact design, responsive controls, USB-C connectivity, and Cortex customization makes the Prio a compelling option for mobile gaming.
Building on its expertise in stylish, minimalist design, Arc brings its signature ethos to its first wallet.
Arc, a design-led technology accessory brand known for creating jewelry for devices, announces the Arc Vault, its first wallet. Where Arc Pulse became jewelry that protects your tech, Arc Vault is jewelry that protects your essentials. The launch extends Arc’s signature design language into a new everyday carry category.
The Arc Vault is a precision-machined aluminum card holder built around a proprietary one-motion fanning mechanism, with MagSafe compatibility built in. Its fully enclosed metal body also forms a faraday cage, blocking RFID signals and shielding your cards from electronic skimming. Available in two premium finishes, Polished Silver and Onyx Black, the wallet is designed, machined, and polished to the standard of jewelry. The Onyx Black edition is coated in tungsten carbide, the same material used in armor-piercing tank shells, one of the hardest coatings available, built to resist scratches for years of daily carry.
Most wallets ask you to choose between function and luxury. The Arc Vault refuses that split, bridging tech accessories and fine goods the same way the Arc Pulse first brought phone cases and jewelry together. Where most wallets bury cards behind each other or reveal them one at a time, the Arc Vault holds up to five cards and opens in a single motion, fanning every card into view at once while keeping everything locked in place.
The fanning mechanism is integrated directly into the Arc Vault itself. It’s proprietary, patent-pending technology, the result of more than a year of development. Paired with the Arc Pulse, the Arc Vault carries the same design language from pocket to phone.
“A wallet shouldn’t ask you to choose between security and style,” said Niclas Bertelsen, co-founder of Arc. “The Arc Vault is our first step outside devices, built to the same standard of precision we’ve always held ourselves to.”
Availability & Pricing:
The Arc Vault is available to order on September 1, 2026 on arc.cc in two finishes.
Polished Silver – $149.99
Onyx Black – $189.99
About Arc
Founded in 2019 by three friends from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, Arc merges fashion and technology to create high-quality accessories that redefine our daily interactions with devices. With a focus on minimalist design and precision engineering, Arc offers eye-catching products with top-tier protection—empowering people to enjoy tech without sacrificing style.
After 15 years at the helm of Apple, Tim Cook is officially stepping down as the company’s chief executive officer.
As of September 1, 2026, John Ternus takes over as Apple’s new CEO, marking the first major change at the top of the company since Cook succeeded Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011. Cook, however, isn’t leaving Apple. He will transition to the role of executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors, where he will continue to play a role in the company’s affairs.
The leadership change was first announced by Apple in April following what the company described as a carefully planned, long-term succession process. The transition was unanimously approved by Apple’s board of directors.
Tim Cook’s 15 Years as Apple’s CEO
Cook became Apple’s CEO in August 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned from the position because of his declining health. Taking over from one of the most influential figures in technology history was an enormous challenge, but Cook ultimately established a leadership style of his own.
Rather than attempting to replicate Jobs, Cook focused heavily on Apple’s operations, supply chain, services business, global expansion, and continued development of its hardware ecosystem.
During Cook’s tenure, Apple introduced several major product categories, including the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro. The company also significantly expanded services such as Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud, Apple TV+, and the App Store.
Apple’s financial and global footprint also grew substantially during Cook’s leadership. When he became CEO, Apple had a market capitalization of approximately $350 billion. By the time he stepped down, Apple had grown to a company valued at roughly $4 trillion, while annual revenue had increased from $108 billion in fiscal 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal 2025. Apple’s active installed base also grew to more than 2.5 billion devices.
Cook also oversaw Apple’s transition toward designing more of its own technology, including the company’s custom Apple silicon. The move has become one of the most significant developments in Apple’s modern hardware strategy, particularly across the Mac lineup.
Under Cook, Apple also placed greater emphasis on privacy, accessibility, environmental initiatives, and the company’s services business, which has grown into a more than $100 billion annual business.
John Ternus Becomes Apple’s New CEO
Taking over for Cook is John Ternus, a longtime Apple executive who has spent nearly his entire professional career at the company.
Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and became vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013. In 2021, he joined Apple’s executive team as senior vice president of Hardware Engineering.
That makes Ternus a particularly interesting choice to lead Apple.
While Cook built his reputation around operations, supply-chain management, and business execution, Ternus comes from a deeply technical and engineering-focused background.
During his time at Apple, Ternus has been involved with hardware development across virtually every major product category. Apple specifically credits him with work involving the iPad and AirPods, as well as numerous generations of the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch.
His team has also played an important role in Apple’s recent hardware developments, including Apple silicon, improvements in product durability and repairability, and innovations in materials and manufacturing.
Ternus holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Apple, he worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems.
Cook Isn’t Leaving Apple
Although today marks the end of Cook’s tenure as CEO, it isn’t the end of his time at Apple.
As executive chairman, Cook is expected to remain involved in certain aspects of the company. Apple specifically noted that he will assist with matters including Apple’s engagement with policymakers around the world.
That means Apple isn’t completely severing ties with the executive who has led the company for the past 15 years.
The arrangement could also provide Ternus with an experienced resource as he takes on one of the most demanding leadership positions in the technology industry.
Cook has already expressed strong confidence in his successor, describing Ternus as someone with “the mind of an engineer” and “the soul of an innovator.” Apple chairman Arthur Levinson similarly called Ternus the best possible leader to succeed Cook.
What Does Ternus’ Leadership Mean for Apple?
Perhaps the biggest question now is what an engineer at the top of Apple could mean for the company’s future.
Ternus has spent 25 years working on Apple’s products, giving him an unusually deep understanding of the company’s hardware development process and product philosophy.
His promotion comes at an important time for Apple.
The company is facing increasing pressure to demonstrate that it can compete effectively in artificial intelligence, while also continuing to develop new hardware categories and maintain the enormous ecosystem that Cook helped build.
Apple’s AI efforts will be particularly important. The company has been working to expand Apple Intelligence and improve Siri as competition from companies such as OpenAI and Google continues to accelerate.
At the same time, Apple is expected to continue exploring new hardware categories and product designs. The company’s next generation of products could give Ternus an opportunity to put his hardware expertise directly into the CEO role.
That could make the transition more than a simple change in management. It could eventually signal a renewed emphasis on Apple’s product and engineering culture.
A New Era for Apple
Tim Cook’s departure as CEO represents the end of one of the longest and most consequential leadership eras in Apple’s history.
He inherited a company that had already become one of the world’s most important technology companies, but he leaves behind an Apple that is considerably larger, more diversified, and more deeply integrated into the lives of its customers around the world.
Now John Ternus has the difficult task of determining what comes next.
Unlike the transition from Steve Jobs to Cook, this change has been carefully planned and does not represent a sudden change in Apple’s leadership. Ternus has worked alongside Cook for years and has already spent more than two decades helping shape Apple’s products.
That could make the transition considerably smoother.
But the expectations will be enormous.
Ternus is taking control of Apple at a time when the company must navigate artificial intelligence, changing consumer expectations, new hardware categories, increasing competition, and the continued evolution of its enormous services business.
For now, one thing is certain: September 1, 2026, marks the beginning of a new chapter for Apple.
PNY Flash drives, SD cards, microSD cards, and high-performance memory cards are available at discounted prices on Amazon through August 29
PNY is helping students, parents, creators, and professionals prepare for the upcoming school year with savings on a wide selection of storage solutions available through Amazon. Just in time for the Back-to-School season, shoppers can save up to 34% on select PNY USB flash drives, SD cards, microSD cards, and high-performance memory cards through August 29.
Whether it’s expanding storage for a laptop, tablet, camera, gaming device, or mobile device, PNY’s current Amazon offers provide a variety of capacities and performance levels for different storage needs.
ⓘWe may earn a commission when you buy through our links. This helps support MacSources and keeps our content free. Thank you!
The Galaxy Z Fold8 combines flagship performance, a versatile foldable display, and improved One UI 9, but its high price and ecosystem compromises make the decision more complicated.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 arrives at an interesting point in the evolution of foldable smartphones. Samsung has had several generations to refine the concept, and the Fold8 represents the company’s latest attempt to make a foldable feel less like an experimental alternative and more like a legitimate flagship. With a new generation of Snapdragon hardware, updated software, a redesigned chassis, and a growing collection of AI features, there is plenty here to evaluate beyond the novelty of having a phone that folds.
For this review, I wanted to look at the Fold8 as a smartphone I could actually live with rather than simply evaluating its specifications. That means looking at its performance, battery life, software, cameras, design, and everyday usability while also considering where it fits among the other flagship phones available today.
About the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 is Samsung’s latest flagship foldable smartphone, combining the portability of a traditional smartphone with a 7.6-inch foldable display that provides a much larger workspace when opened. The Fold8 features a slimmer and lighter design than previous generations, a 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover and inner display, and is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor. It also includes a 50MP wide camera, 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a range of Galaxy AI features designed to make multitasking, communication, photography, and everyday productivity easier.
With up to 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, the Galaxy Z Fold8 is positioned as both a premium smartphone and a compact productivity device. Its large inner display makes it particularly suited to multitasking, content consumption, document editing, and other tasks that benefit from additional screen space, while its redesigned hinge and thinner profile make it more practical to carry throughout the day.
Features & Specs
Weight & Size
Cover Display Dimension: 5.5”
Main Display Dimension: 7.6”
Weight: 201g
Camera
Wide: 50.0 MP
Ultra Wide: 50.0 MP
Front: 10.0 MP (Cover) + 10.0 MP HID (Main)
Zoom: Optical Quality Zoom 2x, Digital Zoom up to 10x
Specifications and benchmark numbers only tell part of the story with a device like the Galaxy Z Fold8. A foldable can have all the right hardware on paper, but what matters is how that hardware comes together when you actually use the phone every day. After spending time with the Fold8, there are several things about the experience that stood out to me.
First of all, the Galaxy Z Fold8 has a bright display that does an excellent job of hiding the crease in most lighting conditions. When the screen is on, the crease is almost impossible to see, which makes the display feel much more like a traditional smartphone screen than I expected.
The hinge also feels tight and well made. Samsung has put a significant amount of R&D into the hinge, including testing how many times it can be opened and closed, and that engineering is apparent in the way it feels during everyday use.
The glass on the front of the phone is nice, although it does not seem to be as scratch-resistant as the glass on the iPhone. If you take care of the phone or use a screen protector, I don’t expect this to be a major issue. The enter screen can potentially scratch, but this isn’t necessarily Samsung’s fault. It is simply where we are with current screen technology. We haven’t quite caught up with what we want to be able to do with glass while maintaining the durability we expect from it.
A Form Factor That Works
Using the wider form factor has been a joy for my eyes. I’ve been noticing that I have to squint when looking at text on my iPhone, but text renders comfortably on the Fold8’s larger display. Reading on this phone has been a joy.
The phone is smaller than an iPhone Pro Max when it is closed, yet the screen still feels like you’re reading from a much larger display. The combination of its compact closed form and large inner display is one of the things I have enjoyed most about using the Fold8.
If you’re an Apple fan, this form factor could be particularly interesting when Apple eventually releases its own foldable iPhone coming up in a month. The Fold8 provides a good example of what a larger foldable phone can offer without requiring you to carry a tablet-sized device.
Typing
Typing on the Fold8 has been a joy, both open and closed. The wider body when the phone is closed gives me a better grip while texting.
One of my concerns was that typing with the phone open would feel unwieldy, similar to typing on an iPad mini. Instead, the split design of the keyboard felt natural after just a few minutes of use and has been very comfortable.
That was one of the surprises of using the Fold8. I expected the larger screen to make typing more awkward, but Samsung’s approach to the keyboard makes good use of the additional screen real estate.
Setup and Connectivity
When setting up the phone, I wanted to test the transfer option between Android devices. Unfortunately, this is where I ran into a problem. The phone would get so far into the transfer process and then fail.
This may have been related to the Google Pixel I was transferring from, but I also ran into an issue when trying to transfer my eSIM. I was ultimately unable to complete the transfer and had to have a brand-new eSIM sent to me via email.
The setup experience wasn’t as seamless as I had hoped, although I don’t necessarily think the transfer issue can be attributed entirely to Samsung.
Samsung’s Magnetic Case
I’m currently using Samsung’s magnetic case with the Fold8. This case is designed only to fit on the back of the phone. It isn’t intended to protect the front or sides. Its primary purpose is to provide MagSafe-style charging and compatibility with magnetic accessories.
When using this case, the phone actually feels lighter than my iPhone Pro Max with a thin case attached to it. That’s an impressive difference considering how much more screen the Fold8 provides when opened.
The magnetic functionality also gives the Fold8 access to a range of charging options and MagSafe-style accessories, which adds another layer of flexibility to the phone.
Performance and Software
Overall, I am very excited about the hardware in this phone. The Snapdragon processor is extremely fast, and the phone comes with a 12GB of RAM. If you keep the phone for more than a year, I expect that combination to make it a relatively future-proof device.
The software experience has also surprised me.
The last time I used a Samsung device, I believe we were on One UI 6 or 7, and I wasn’t a huge fan of it. With One UI 9 and Android 17, the experience feels much more polished. The software feels stable and much more visually appealing than I remember.
I can see how casual iPhone and Pixel users could be tempted to switch to Samsung because of the Fold8. There is a lot to like here, particularly when you combine the hardware with the improved One UI experience.
That said, there are small things I miss from iOS.
For example, I frequently take screenshots, and copying text from a screenshot is incredibly simple on an iPhone. I also miss being able to tap text within an image and select it directly. If this functionality is available in Android 17, I haven’t been able to find the setting that enables it.
These may sound like small things, but when you use a particular operating system for years, those small conveniences add up.
Ecosystem Matters
Having my phone work seamlessly with my Mac, iPad, Apple TV, and the other devices in my Apple ecosystem is another factor that is difficult to overlook. Those little conveniences can turn an otherwise excellent hardware experience into more of a challenge when you move outside of that ecosystem.
For someone who is already heavily invested in Apple, the Fold8 would require giving up some of those conveniences. The hardware may be compelling enough to make that worthwhile, but it is something potential buyers should consider before making the switch.
The same is true for Google users. If you enjoy the Google ecosystem, it is worth remembering that Google has an event coming up on Wednesday where it is expected to introduce its next generation of foldable devices, while Apple is expected to make its own announcements the following month.
Pixel vs. Fold8
For me, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL has been my secondary phone. It is a great flagship testing phone and has worked well for my second number.
However, as my primary device, as much as I enjoy the new form factor and the speed of the hardware in the Fold8, it can’t push my iPhone into the secondary position. What it has done is knock the Pixel down a spot and taken its place as my secondary phone.
That puts me at something of a crossroads.
I enjoy the bare-bones approach of Google Pixel phones, but that more stripped-down version of Android can sometimes feel a little plain. I previously strongly disliked Samsung’s One UI, but the current version feels much more stable and visually appealing.
Ultimately, both devices are running Android, and your data belongs to either Samsung, Google, or both depending on the services you use. With the Google Pixel, you have options such as GrapheneOS, while there are also Android debloating tools that can be used on the Fold8 to remove some of the software you don’t want.
For most people, the default experience will be perfectly fine. It’s simply nice to know that tools exist to give you more control if you need it.
Overall Feel
After spending time with the Fold8, I’m very impressed with the hardware. The display is bright, the crease is surprisingly easy to ignore, the hinge feels solid, and the phone is comfortable to hold and use.
The rounded corners are a nice touch, although I think a more pronounced curve could have made the phone slightly more comfortable to hold for long periods. This is a relatively minor complaint, but when you’re using a device this large for extended periods, small ergonomic details matter.
The biggest consideration for me isn’t whether the Fold8 is a good phone. It absolutely is. The question is whether its excellent hardware and improved software experience are enough to overcome the ecosystem conveniences I get from using an iPhone.
For me, the answer is no, at least as my primary phone. But the Fold8 has absolutely earned its place as my secondary device, replacing the Pixel 10 Pro XL in that role.
Benchmark Testing
To get a better understanding of how the Galaxy Z Fold8 performs beyond everyday use, I ran a series of industry-standard benchmarks covering CPU performance, GPU performance, artificial intelligence, everyday productivity, battery life, and sustained graphics performance. These tests provide a consistent way to measure the hardware and compare the results with Samsung’s published performance claims.
Benchmarks don’t necessarily represent how a phone will perform during every real-world task, but they can reveal the capabilities of the processor, GPU, NPU, memory subsystem, and battery. They can also help determine whether a device can maintain its performance under sustained workloads rather than simply delivering a high score during a short test.
Geekbench 7
Geekbench 7 provides a standardized way to measure CPU and GPU performance. The CPU tests are particularly useful for evaluating the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy’s ability to handle both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. Single-core performance is important for many everyday tasks, while multi-core performance becomes more important when several demanding processes are running simultaneously.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 produced a single-core score of 3,056 and a multi-core score of 9,629.
Geekbench 7 CPU
Single-Core: 3,056
Multi-Core: 9,629
These results provide a useful baseline for the Fold8’s overall processing capability and help demonstrate whether Samsung’s flagship hardware delivers the level of performance expected from the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy.
Geekbench 7 also includes a GPU compute test. Rather than measuring traditional gaming performance, this test evaluates how effectively the GPU handles compute workloads.
Geekbench 7 GPU
OpenCL: 17,377
The OpenCL result gives us another way to evaluate the Adreno GPU and provides a useful point of comparison with other flagship smartphones. While it shouldn’t be treated as a direct representation of gaming frame rates, it helps establish how much computational power is available for GPU-accelerated workloads.
Geekbench AI
The Fold8’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy isn’t only designed to deliver high CPU and GPU performance. Samsung also places considerable emphasis on AI capabilities, making Geekbench AI an especially relevant benchmark for this phone.
Geekbench AI measures machine-learning performance across different hardware acceleration paths. Running the benchmark using the CPU, GPU, NNAPI, and Qualcomm’s QNN framework helps show how the phone handles AI workloads depending on which processing hardware is being used.
CPU
Geekbench AI CPU
Single Precision: 2,552
Half Precision: 4,109
Quantized: 6,153
The CPU results provide a baseline for AI workloads without relying on the phone’s dedicated AI acceleration hardware. These numbers are useful for understanding how the Snapdragon processor handles AI tasks when they are executed through the general-purpose CPU.
GPU
Geekbench AI GPU
Single Precision: 2,984
Half Precision: 4,576
Quantized: 4,082
The GPU results demonstrate how the Fold8 handles AI workloads using its graphics processor. This is particularly relevant for applications that can take advantage of GPU acceleration rather than relying entirely on the CPU or dedicated NPU.
NNAPI
Geekbench AI NNAPI
Single Precision: 670
Half Precision: 646
Quantized: 1,476
NNAPI, or Android’s Neural Networks API, provides a standardized way for Android applications to access available neural-network acceleration hardware. These results help show how AI workloads can perform through Android’s broader machine-learning framework.
QNN
Geekbench AI QNN
Single Precision: 659
Half Precision: 27,041
Quantized: 67,208
The QNN results are particularly interesting because QNN is Qualcomm’s neural-network framework and is designed to take advantage of Qualcomm’s AI hardware. The dramatic increase in the half-precision and quantized results compared with the CPU, GPU, and NNAPI results highlights the difference between general-purpose AI processing and the specialized acceleration available through Qualcomm’s QNN framework.
The 67,208 quantized QNN score is especially noteworthy. Quantized models use reduced numerical precision to make AI workloads more efficient, which is important for running AI features locally on a smartphone while minimizing power consumption and processing overhead.
These results don’t mean that every AI application will achieve anything close to the Geekbench AI scores. Applications use different models and APIs, and software optimization plays a significant role. However, they provide evidence that the Fold8 has the specialized hardware needed to support the local AI processing Samsung is promoting with this generation of Galaxy devices.
PCMark for Android
PCMark provides a different perspective than Geekbench because its Work benchmark is designed around common smartphone tasks rather than isolated processor workloads.
For this test, the Galaxy Z Fold8 achieved a PCMark Work 3.1 score of 20,546.
PCMark Work 3.1
Overall: 20,546
PCMark Work 3.1 evaluates tasks representative of everyday smartphone use, including web browsing, document and data manipulation, image editing, and other productivity-oriented workloads. This makes it useful for putting the synthetic CPU and GPU results into a more practical context.
A strong Geekbench score tells us that the processor is powerful. A strong PCMark score helps demonstrate how that hardware translates into everyday productivity.
3DMark
To evaluate the Galaxy Z Fold8’s sustained graphics performance, I ran 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme Stress Test. Unlike a standard benchmark that measures peak performance during a relatively short workload, the Stress Test repeatedly runs the same demanding graphics workload to determine how well the phone maintains performance as it heats up.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 produced the following results:
3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test
Best Loop Score: 5,949
Lowest Loop Score: 3,037
Stability: 51%
The most notable result here is the difference between the best and lowest loop scores. The Fold8 started with a score of 5,949 but dropped to 3,037 during the later loops. That’s a reduction of approximately 49% from its best performance.
The resulting 51% stability rating indicates that the phone was unable to maintain anywhere near its initial level of GPU performance throughout the extended workload. This is important because it demonstrates the difference between peak performance and sustained performance. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is capable of delivering very strong graphics performance, but when the GPU is pushed continuously, thermal limitations have a significant impact on how much of that performance can be sustained.
This doesn’t mean the Fold8 will constantly operate at half of its benchmark performance during normal use. Everyday tasks typically don’t place the same continuous load on the GPU that a stress test does. Gaming sessions, however, can create workloads that are much closer to this type of sustained testing, particularly with demanding 3D titles.
For Samsung’s performance claims, the result provides an important qualification. The Fold8 clearly has the hardware necessary to deliver flagship-level peak performance, but the Stress Test shows that sustained performance is considerably lower than peak performance under prolonged heavy workloads. That’s not unusual for a thin, powerful smartphone, but it is something potential buyers should keep in mind if they intend to use the Fold8 for extended gaming or other graphics-intensive tasks.
What the Results Tell Us
Taken together, these benchmarks show that the Galaxy Z Fold8 has the hardware to deliver a true flagship-level experience. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy provides strong CPU and GPU performance, while the Geekbench AI results, particularly through QNN, demonstrate the potential of Qualcomm’s dedicated AI hardware. The PCMark Work 3.1 score of 20,546 also shows that this performance translates well to everyday productivity workloads.
The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test provides an important look at what happens when that hardware is pushed for an extended period. While the Fold8 achieved a strong Best Loop Score of 5,949, its Lowest Loop Score fell to 3,037, resulting in 51% stability. This shows that sustained GPU performance is considerably lower than peak performance under a prolonged, demanding workload. While most users won’t place this kind of continuous load on the phone, it is worth considering for extended gaming sessions or other graphics-intensive tasks.
No benchmark can completely reproduce the way someone uses a smartphone. However, by combining CPU, GPU, AI, productivity, and sustained-performance testing, we get a much more complete picture of what the Galaxy Z Fold8’s hardware is capable of. The results largely support Samsung’s positioning of the Fold8 as a high-performance flagship, while also showing that peak performance and sustained performance are two very different things.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 has left me with a somewhat unexpected conclusion. I went into this review expecting to evaluate another generation of Samsung’s foldable hardware, but I came away genuinely impressed by how mature the overall experience has become. The hardware is excellent, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy provides plenty of performance, the displays are impressive, and One UI 9 is considerably more polished than I remember from my previous experiences with Samsung.
The Fold8 also demonstrated why foldable smartphones continue to be interesting. The larger inner display isn’t simply a novelty. For reading, typing, multitasking, and working with content, it can fundamentally change how you use a smartphone. At the same time, the device remains relatively compact when closed, making the form factor surprisingly practical.
The biggest drawback is the price. The Fold8 is an expensive smartphone, and while the hardware helps justify some of that premium, buyers need to decide whether the foldable form factor provides enough additional value to warrant the cost. The 3DMark results also show that while the Fold8 delivers excellent peak performance, sustained GPU performance can drop considerably under prolonged workloads.
The Galaxy Z Fold8 isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t have to be. What matters is that Samsung has continued refining the concept rather than simply making a phone that folds. The Fold8 feels like a mature flagship with a different approach to what a smartphone can be. For users who want a larger screen without carrying a tablet, it is one of the most compelling options available. For those deeply invested in another ecosystem, however, the decision is more complicated.
For me, the Fold8 doesn’t replace my iPhone. It does something arguably more interesting: it made me enjoy using a Samsung phone.
ⓘWe may earn a commission when you buy through our links. This helps support MacSources and keeps our content free. Thank you!
The Shuffle Wallet 2.0 combines an innovative fan-style card mechanism, premium aluminum construction, MagSafe compatibility, and an integrated Find My tracker to offer a fresh take on the minimalist wallet.
Minimalist wallets have become increasingly popular over the past few years, promising slimmer pockets and quicker access to everyday essentials. While many follow the same formula of stacking cards inside a compact aluminum frame with a pop-up ejection mechanism, meaningful innovation in the category has been relatively rare. I’ve tested several minimalist wallets over the years, but none have become my daily wallet.
The Shuffle Wallet 2.0 aims to change that with a fresh approach to card organization and accessibility. Instead of simply pushing cards upward in a staggered stack, its patented fan-style mechanism spreads cards out so you can instantly see and select the one you need.
About the Shuffle Wallet 2.0
The Shuffle Wallet 2.0 is a premium minimalist wallet designed to make carrying and accessing everyday essentials faster and more convenient. Built from lightweight aluminum, the wallet combines a slim profile with durable construction while offering RFID protection for contactless cards. In addition to its unique card access system, the Shuffle Wallet 2.0 includes a built-in rechargeable tracker compatible with Apple’s Find My network and Android’s Find Hub, helping users locate a misplaced wallet without the need for a separate tracking accessory.
The wallet also features a Quick Draw slot for frequently used cards, MagSafe compatibility for supported smartphones, and optional modular accessories for added versatility. Designed for users who prefer a streamlined everyday carry, the Shuffle Wallet 2.0 balances modern functionality with a clean, minimalist aesthetic.
Features
Innovative Fanning Mechanism: Instantly see every card
MagSafe Ready: Secure, instant magnetic attachment
Built-in Tracker: Instantly pinpoint your wallet’s location via your phone
RFID Blocking: Ensures privacy, security and identity protection
Modular Build: Easily expandable with add-ons
Specifications
Dimensions: 4.3” x 2.5” x 0.57” (109.3 x 64.5 x 14.5 mm)
Weight: 5.29 oz (150 g)
Card Capacity: Holds up to 7 cards
MagSafe Compatible: iPhone Pro Max models only
Pricing & Availability
The list price for the wallet is $139.99, but it’s currently being offered for $99.99 (at the time of publishing) on shuffle.life.
User Experience
Getting started with the Shuffle Wallet 2.0 couldn’t have been much easier. Aside from loading my cards into the wallet, there was virtually no setup required. Pairing the built-in tracker with Apple’s Find My network was equally straightforward. After fully charging the wallet using the included magnetic charging cable, I pressed the power button, and it was immediately recognized by Find My as a “Square tag.” From there, I assigned it an icon and added it to my devices, completing the setup process in just a few minutes.
My first impression of the wallet was positive. The Forged Carbon finish gives it a modern, premium appearance while maintaining a clean, minimalist aesthetic. Despite its aluminum construction, it doesn’t feel overly heavy, and its dimensions are comparable to a traditional wallet while remaining noticeably thinner than the bifold wallet I normally carry. The build quality also inspired confidence. Having tested several minimalist wallets with similar card ejection mechanisms, I’ve seen some develop problems or break over time. The Shuffle Wallet 2.0 feels substantially more solid and well constructed.
During my testing, I carried between six and seven cards, including four credit cards, my driver’s license, and two insurance cards. The retention system held everything securely, even when I reduced the load to only two or three cards. I never felt like the cards would slip out, regardless of how many I was carrying.
The wallet’s fan mechanism is its standout feature. While the thumb slider requires a little more force than I expected, it consistently deploys the cards for quick access. The cards don’t always spread into a perfectly even fan, and the middle cards can occasionally be a bit harder to grab, but I still found the design more intuitive than the staggered ejection systems used by many competing wallets because it makes identifying the correct card much easier. Inserting cards requires slightly more effort than removing them, although this became less noticeable after a few days of use.
For everyday carry, the wallet proved comfortable in both my front and back pockets. Its footprint is similar to that of a compact smartphone, and the smooth, rounded edges made it easy to slide into a pocket without catching on clothing.
I also tested the wallet’s MagSafe functionality with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. The magnetic connection felt secure during normal use and held the wallet firmly in place. However, attaching it noticeably increased the phone’s thickness, making the combination less comfortable to carry for extended periods. While the feature is convenient when you want to keep everything together, I generally preferred carrying the wallet separately.
The built-in tracker performed reliably throughout my testing. Apple’s Find My network located the wallet quickly, and location updates appeared without delay. I also tested the audible alert, but the speaker was quieter than I expected. The alert uses a higher-pitched tone that was difficult for me to hear because of my hearing loss, and there are currently no options to adjust the volume or change the sound.
Charging the tracker was the one aspect of the experience that felt less refined. Although the proprietary magnetic charging cable is simple to connect, it can be knocked loose fairly easily while charging. Because the cable is unique to the wallet, it also means you’ll need to keep track of it, since a standard USB-C cable can’t be used as a replacement.
After several days of daily use, the fan mechanism remained my favorite feature. It offers a genuinely different way to access cards and makes selecting the one you need faster than many traditional minimalist wallets. Overall, the Shuffle Wallet 2.0 is best suited for people who primarily carry cards and want a slim, premium everyday wallet. Those who regularly carry cash may find its minimalist design a bit limiting.
Conclusion
The Shuffle Wallet 2.0 brings meaningful innovation to a product category where many designs have become increasingly similar. While there are a few areas that could be improved, particularly the proprietary magnetic charging cable and the relatively quiet tracker speaker, neither significantly detracts from the overall experience. The wallet consistently performed well throughout my testing, securely holding my cards while remaining comfortable to carry.
If you’re looking for a premium minimalist wallet and primarily carry cards rather than cash, the Shuffle Wallet 2.0 is one of the most compelling options I’ve tested. Its thoughtful design, solid construction, and innovative card access system make it stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
New Samsung devices arrive in Verizon stores August 7 with simplified monthly pricing, trade-in promotions, device bundles, and waived activation fees
Verizon today announced full in-store availability of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Watch9, and Galaxy Watch Ultra2.
To celebrate the launch, Verizon is offering customers several ways to save, including simplified monthly pricing, trade-in promotions, free companion devices, and waived activation and upgrade fees.
Galaxy Z Fold8 for $30 per month
Customers who switch to Verizon’s new Simplicity Plan can get the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 with 256GB of storage for $30 per month for 48 months. No trade-in is required.
Save up to $420 on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
Customers who add a new line or upgrade an existing line on the Simplicity Plan can get the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra for $35 per month for 48 months, representing savings of up to $420.
Save up to $1,100 with an eligible trade-in
Customers on an Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate plan can trade in an eligible smartphone and receive up to $1,100 off the Galaxy Z Fold8 or Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.
Get a Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Tab S10 FE on Verizon
Customers who purchase a new Samsung smartphone, or bring their own compatible device to Verizon, can receive a new Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Tab S10 FE on Verizon with qualifying service.
Bring your own phone and save on a Galaxy Watch
Customers who bring an eligible Android smartphone to a new Verizon line can receive a Galaxy Watch9 on Verizon. They can also purchase the rugged Galaxy Watch Ultra2 for as little as $8 per month.
Waive activation and upgrade fees
Verizon postpaid customers can have activation and upgrade fees waived by enrolling in Verizon Loyalty through the My Verizon app.
Six months of streaming included
For a limited time, customers who purchase a qualifying Galaxy Z Fold8 or Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra can receive the Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ with Ads perk for six months on Verizon.
Offers for Verizon Business customers
New and existing Verizon Business customers can receive up to $900 off devices in the Samsung Galaxy Z8 series with a qualifying trade-in. Savings depend on the customer’s My Biz or Business Unlimited plan tier.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Watch9, and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 will be available beginning today at Verizon stores and through Verizon’s online store.
Availability, eligibility, device payments, service requirements, trade-in values, and promotional credits may vary. Additional terms and conditions may apply.
The 100W and 140W GaN chargers are up to 43% smaller than the charger that ships with a Mac, with four ports, global adapters, and a retro-futuristic pixel LED display that makes charging visible.
BMX (Better Mobile Xperience), the mobile power company behind the award-winning SolidSafe™ range, today unveiled GaNsta™ Pixel, a 100W and 140W GaN charger line built around two ideas: make the laptop charger smaller, then make charging visible. GaNsta™ Pixel delivers MacBook-class power in a charger up to 43% smaller than the one it replaces, with a pixel LED display that shows live wattage and gives the charger a reason to be seen GaNsta Pixel available on BMX Website, AmazonUKand coming soon to Amazon US, 140W GaNsta Pixel $89.99/£99.99 on BMX websiteand AmazonUK, 100W GaNsta Pixel $79.99/£79.99 on BMX website and AmazonUK.
Smaller Than The Charger In Your Bag
The charger that comes with the Mac does the job. It also takes up more room than it needs to. GaNsta™ Pixel starts there: 140W Pixel is 43% smaller than the charger that comes with a MacBook Pro, while 100W Pixel is 37% smaller than the charger that comes with a MacBook Air or 96W-class laptop charger.
The proof is physical: both models measure 62 x 65 x 35.9mm. The smaller body is not a tradeoff, either. The 140W model delivers full-speed MacBook Pro charging from either primary USB-C port. The 100W model is built for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 14-inch, iPad, phones, earbuds, and the rest of a daily carry setup.
Live Wattage With Personality
The pixel LED display is what makes Pixel different. It is useful first: the screen cycles through C1, C2, C3, A1, and TTL views, showing live wattage by port and total output as devices charge. Pixel animations show charging, standby, and fault states, so users can see which port is active and how much power is moving.
It is also the part that gives the charger its character. The retro-futuristic readout turns a normally invisible process into something visible, expressive, and easy to understand at a glance. Gray, Blue, and Orange make Pixel feel like something people would want in their house, on their desk, on a nightstand, or in a travel bag.
One Charger For Travel And Commute
Pixel is built for the bag people actually carry: laptop, phone, tablet, earbuds, and the cables that come with all of them. The four-port layout lets one small charger cover the commute, the desk, the hotel room, and the flight delay without forcing people to pack a separate charger for every device.
The hardware backs that up. USB-C1 and USB-C2 are the laptop-first ports: up to 140W each on the 140W model, or up to 100W each on the 100W model. USB-C3 supports up to 65W for tablets, smaller laptops, or fast-charging phones, while USB-A supports older cables and smaller accessories up to 22.5W. Pixel also includes a foldable US plug, EU/UK/AU adapters, a 1m braided USB-C cable, a suede travel pouch, and a 24-month limited warranty.
From BMX
“We think travelers are going to love seeing 140W laptop power, four ports, and global adapters in a charger that fits in the palm of their hand. Pixel shows the wattage as it charges, and it finally gives people a charger that can stand out and fit their style.”
— Barry Miller, Head of Marketing, BMX
GaNsta™ Pixel Range
Model
Max Output
Ports
Display
Colors
In The Box
MSRP
GaNsta™ 140W Pixel
140W
3C + 1A
Pixel display
Gray, Blue, Orange
Cable, pouch, EU/UK/AU adapters
$89.99
GaNsta™ 100W Pixel
100W
3C + 1A
Pixel display
Gray, Blue, Orange
Cable, pouch, EU/UK/AU adapters
$79.99
GaNsta™ 140W Pixel is the MacBook Pro option: 140W over USB-C with PD 3.1 EPR and 28V support on C1/C2. GaNsta™ 100W Pixel is the compact laptop option for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 14-inch, tablets, phones, and travel setups that do not need 140W.
Full Specifications
Specification
GaNsta™ 140W Pixel
GaNsta™ 100W Pixel
Ports
3x USB-C + 1x USB-A
3x USB-C + 1x USB-A
USB-C1/C2 Max
140W each, PD 3.1 EPR, 28V/5A
100W each, PD 3.0, 20V/5A
USB-C3 Max
65W
65W
USB-A Max
22.5W
22.5W
Single Device
Up to 140W from C1 or C2
Up to 100W from C1 or C2
Example Split
Laptop + C3 device: up to 100W + 30W
Two primary USB-C devices: up to 70W + 30W
All Four Ports
Up to 65W + 45W + 7.5W + 7.5W
Up to 45W + 30W + 7.5W + 7.5W
Dimensions
62 x 65 x 35.9mm
62 x 65 x 35.9mm
Weight
259g bare charger
259g bare charger
AC Input
100-240V, 50/60Hz
100-240V, 50/60Hz
Plug System
Foldable US plug, EU/UK/AU adapters
Foldable US plug, EU/UK/AU adapters
Included
1m braided USB-C cable, suede pouch, user guide
1m braided USB-C cable, suede pouch, user guide
Warranty
24-month limited
24-month limited
Protection Built In
Both Pixel models inherit the GaNsta™ protection stack: overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, overpower protection, electrostatic protection, fire resistant housing, and intelligent temperature management. The GaN chipset has been tested across 17 billion+ hours with fewer than one failure per billion.
Better Mobile Xperience (BMX) is a performance-focused mobile power brand built on semi-solid-state battery technology and intelligent charging. BMX products, including the SolidSafe power bank line and GaNsta™ charger family, are designed for people who carry their office, studio, or life in a bag and need power that keeps up. Based in Singapore, BMX launched in December 2025. Learn more at heybmx.com.
TickerNotch transforms your MacBook’s notch or external display into a live dashboard for market data, news, and alerts. Find out how it performed during weeks of real-world testing.
I spend a lot of my day in front of my Mac, whether I’m writing, editing photos, responding to emails, or researching products for reviews. Like many people, I also like to keep an eye on what’s happening in the news and financial markets every so often. The problem is that doing so usually means leaving a browser tab open, checking a trading platform throughout the day, or constantly switching between apps. While none of those things are difficult, they do interrupt my workflow. That’s what caught my attention about TickerNotch. Rather than requiring another window or taking up valuable desktop space, it displays market information in an area that’s normally unused.
What is TickerNotch?
TickerNotch is a native macOS application designed to keep financial market information visible while you work by turning the otherwise unused space around your MacBook’s display notch into a live information hub. On Macs without a notch or when using an external display, the app can create a simulated island that provides the same experience. Rather than relying on a browser tab, menu bar utility, or a dedicated trading platform that consumes valuable desktop space, TickerNotch keeps your watchlist, portfolio performance, news headlines, and alerts in constant view so you can stay informed without interrupting your workflow.
Built by a Trader, for Traders
The app was created by an independent developer whose background is in materials engineering and advanced informatics. After spending nearly a decade trading the financial markets, they found themselves constantly monitoring charts, news feeds, and market data throughout the day. What began as small personal software projects to solve their own workflow challenges eventually led to the development of TickerNotch. Before creating the app, they built HyperBot, a private automated trading system used to manage their own investment accounts. While HyperBot has never been released publicly, the experience of developing software responsible for trading real money around the clock shaped the reliability and production mindset that carried over into TickerNotch.
The concept behind TickerNotch was inspired by both software and hardware. The developer cites boring.notch and the TickrMeter desktop ticker among their biggest influences, along with Apple’s philosophy of transforming hardware limitations into useful features, much like the Dynamic Island on the iPhone. Instead of treating the MacBook’s notch as wasted space, TickerNotch turns the surrounding black areas into a persistent source of useful information. The developer is also expanding this concept beyond the Mac with an upcoming companion iPhone app.
Designed to Keep Market Information in View
TickerNotch is designed primarily for anyone who follows the financial markets while working on a Mac, whether that’s active traders, long-term investors, or users who simply want financial headlines and market information available at a glance. Its centerpiece is the customizable live ticker, which can display a watchlist, portfolio profit and loss, and continuously scrolling RSS news feeds simultaneously. Users can configure native macOS price alerts, and selecting a ticker opens an interactive candlestick chart complete with technical indicators such as RSI, MACD, and Bollinger Bands. Multiple chart windows can remain open at the same time, and nearly every aspect of the interface, including fonts, colors, scrolling behavior, and animated shader backgrounds, can be customized.
Unlike many competing market applications that either occupy the menu bar or require users to switch into a full trading platform, TickerNotch focuses on keeping information permanently visible while remaining unobtrusive. It uses screen space that would otherwise go unused, allowing users to monitor multiple symbols at once without sacrificing valuable workspace.
Native Performance with a Privacy-First Approach
TickerNotch is built exclusively for macOS 14 Sonoma or later and is written entirely in Swift, SwiftUI, and AppKit without relying on Electron or web-based interfaces. Charts are rendered using SwiftUI Canvas, while market data is delivered through WebSocket connections for cryptocurrency, HTTP polling for stock quotes, and RSS feeds for news. Automatic updates are handled through Sparkle, and despite its capabilities, the entire application is only about 6.5 MB in size.
Privacy is another area where the developer intentionally keeps things simple. TickerNotch does not require an account or collect personal data. The app includes optional anonymous usage statistics, which can be disabled in the Settings menu. According to the developer, these statistics only report high-level feature usage, such as how many ticker slots or weather widgets are enabled, without collecting the contents of that information or any personally identifiable data. Watchlists, settings, and other app data remain stored locally on the user’s Mac, and the application only requests notification permissions for price alerts and internet access to retrieve market data. It does not require screen recording, accessibility, location, or file system permissions. The app is Developer ID signed, notarized, and uses cryptographically signed updates to help ensure a secure installation and update process.
Pricing, Support, and What’s Next
The app is available with a seven-day free trial that doesn’t require a credit card. After the trial, users can continue using a permanent free version that supports one ticker, one news channel, and one alert. Those who need additional functionality can upgrade to Pro, which unlocks unlimited watchlists, chart windows, portfolio tracking, and alerts through monthly or lifetime licensing options. One license can be transferred between Macs, although it may only be active on one machine at a time.
TickerNotch Pro is available for $5 per month or a $40 lifetime license. With a permanent free tier, flexible upgrade options, and a lifetime purchase option, TickerNotch provides users with multiple ways to access the features that best fit their workflow.
As a solo developer, they handle every aspect of the project, from development and testing to customer support and marketing. They also embrace the use of AI coding assistants during development, describing them as collaborative programming tools that accelerate implementation while emphasizing that the architecture, design decisions, testing, and final review of every shipped line of code remain their responsibility.
Looking ahead, the roadmap includes a Focus Mode that expands a single ticker across the entire strip for improved concentration during earnings or other important events, smarter percentage-based alerts that trigger over rolling time windows, support for additional market data providers and broker integrations, a future Mac App Store release, and the launch of TickerNotch for iOS, which brings the same concept to the iPhone.
Main Features
Live Tickers
Weather Slots
Social Counters
System Metrics
News, one side or both
Menu bar pins
Candlestick charts
One search box
No account required
Privacy-focused design
Optional anonymous usage statistics (can be disabled)
User Experience
I’ve been using TickerNotch throughout my workday for the past couple of weeks, and it has become one of those utilities that quietly does its job without demanding attention. Despite displaying a constant stream of information, the interface never felt cluttered or distracting. Instead, it strikes a nice balance between keeping important market data, computer specs, and news visible and staying out of the way while I’m writing, editing, or working on other projects.
One of the first things that stood out to me was just how clean the interface is. Everything is easy to read, and I really like that I can decide exactly what information is displayed. Whether it’s stocks, cryptocurrency, weather, news, or other data, it’s simple to tailor the ticker to match my workflow. Even better, any changes I made in the settings were reflected immediately in the ticker, so I could experiment with different layouts without waiting for the app to refresh or restarting it.
Getting started was equally straightforward. Installation only took a few moments, and once the app was up and running, the hardest part was deciding what information I wanted to include in the ticker. The settings are well organized, making it easy to customize the experience without feeling overwhelmed.
Since I spend much of my day working on an external monitor, I was especially happy to see support for the simulated notch on displays without a physical notch. After enabling the feature, TickerNotch worked well on my LG UltraGear monitor, allowing me to keep using the app even when my MacBook Pro was connected to an external display. I also experimented with different display resolutions and found that the simulated notch scaled properly every time, which was reassuring since display scaling can sometimes create unexpected issues.
Over the course of my testing, TickerNotch proved to be reliable. I left it running all day, every day, for a couple of weeks and never experienced a crash or found myself needing to restart the application. It also had no noticeable impact on my Mac’s performance. CPU and memory usage remained low enough that I often forgot the app was running in the background until I glanced up at the ticker for an update.
Overall, I think TickerNotch succeeds because it focuses on doing one job well. It makes excellent use of screen space that would otherwise go unused and provides a convenient way to keep market information and news within view without interrupting my workflow. For anyone who spends long hours at their Mac, especially those who regularly follow the financial markets, it’s a thoughtful utility that quickly becomes part of your daily routine.
I also want to note that this is a fairly new app and the developer has been very responsive to feedback. We suggested a few things that would make the app more useful and he rolled out those features quickly. If you decide to give it a try, and think of something that would make it better, don’t hesitate to reach out as he’s very responsive and open to suggestions.
Conclusion
TickerNotch is one of those utilities that solves a problem you may not have realized you had until you start using it. By transforming the unused space around your MacBook’s notch, or creating a simulated notch on external displays, it keeps market data, news, and other information readily available without cluttering your desktop or interrupting your workflow.
While the app is clearly geared toward investors and traders, anyone who wants glanceable information available throughout the day may find it useful. Combined with a generous free tier and reasonably priced Pro options, TickerNotch delivers an experience that feels polished and genuinely useful. If you spend most of your day working on a Mac and regularly monitor the financial markets, TickerNotch is an easy recommendation.
Consumers can save on Arlo’s latest security cameras, video doorbells, and smart home security solutions through August 16, with additional deals returning later this month.
Arlo has kicked off its Labor Day savings event, offering discounts of up to 41% off on a wide range of home security products. The promotion is available now through August 16, with a second round of savings scheduled to run from August 24 through September 20.
The limited-time sale includes discounts on Arlo’s popular video doorbells, indoor cameras, outdoor security cameras, floodlight cameras, and multi-camera bundles, making it an ideal opportunity for homeowners looking to upgrade or expand their smart home security system.
“Labor Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year, and Arlo is making it easier for customers to invest in home security with significant savings across its product lineup,” the company said.
Featured Arlo Labor Day Deals (Available Through August 16)
Shoppers browsing Amazon may notice lower prices on select products due to dynamic price matching, though pricing may vary throughout the promotion.
With home security remaining a priority for many households, Arlo’s Labor Day event provides an affordable way to add features such as high-resolution video monitoring, smart alerts, indoor and outdoor surveillance, and enhanced front door security.
The current promotion ends on August 16, with another opportunity to save beginning August 24 and continuing through September 20. Customers interested in upgrading their home security setup are encouraged to take advantage of these limited-time offers before they expire.
By pairing Liquid Foundation Models with MacPaw’s own AI stack, the partnership aims to turn Eney into the first Mac assistant that unites on-device intelligence, persistent memory, and native task execution, with more products to follow
MacPaw and Liquid AI announced a strategic, long-term partnership to co-develop the technology stack for local AI on the Mac. The partnership grows out of a shared vision: the everyday intelligence people rely on should be able to run on their personal computers.
The collaboration combines Liquid Foundation Models (LFMs) – which will be designed specifically for macOS AI assistance – with Elix and Mnemos, MacPaw’s own on-device inference and memory technologies. For Mac users, this means AI that’s designed to keep personal data private on their Mac, respond quickly, and handle core tasks even without an internet connection. Eney, MacPaw’s AI assistant for macOS, will be the first product to benefit from this partnership; results are expected later this year.
Combining Model Efficiency with Deep macOS Engineering
“After almost two decades of building software for the Mac, MacPaw is evolving its standalone products into a connected ecosystem, with AI as a core technology we build and own,” said Oleksandr Kosovan, CEO and founder of MacPaw. “We believe intelligence should live where people work: private by design, fast by default, and be able to reach the cloud when that’s the better tool. By combining MacPaw’s engineering expertise with Liquid AI’s model efficiency, we are building the AI stack for the Mac, one where your personal data stays on device and the heavy lifting happens wherever it makes the most sense.”
Liquid AI’s models already bring on-device intelligence to companies like Mercedes-Benz, Insilico Medicine, and Shopify.
MacPaw and Liquid AI are jointly building a new local AI architecture for the Mac, with the work running in two directions.
Bring Eney’s intelligence on-device: Liquid AI develops and fine-tunes its foundation models for the assistant’s real tasks, so its core work runs locally through Elix on Apple silicon, while cloud models will remain available where they are the better tool.
Develop Mnemos, MacPaw’s memory layer, which lets the assistant retain context across interactions and become more useful over time.
That combination of on-device intelligence, persistent memory, and native macOS task execution in a single product has not existed on the Mac before.
Building Infrastructure for the Mac Ecosystem
“We build efficient foundation models and the tools around them so that companies can bring intelligence onto the devices their customers already use,” said Ramin Hasani, Co-Founder and CEO of Liquid AI. “This partnership will bring efficient, private, on-device LFMs to millions of Mac users.”
For MacPaw and Liquid AI, implementing the on-device AI stack in Eney is the starting point of a longer-term plan. The models, inference framework, and memory layer are designed as shared infrastructure, built for the MacPaw ecosystem of products and beyond. Once deployed in Eney, the same technologies could eventually be made globally available to thousands of Mac developers through Setapp, MacPaw’s unified software marketplace.
New premium USB-C dock connects up to three displays and 14 ports including 100W power, 2.5Gb Ethernet, and 10Gbps USB for Windows and ChromeOS users
Plugable Technologies, a longtime leader in USB-C and Thunderbolt connectivity solutions for professionals and businesses, today announced the UD-MSTH3, the company’s first triple-display USB-C docking station for Windows and ChromeOS built around driver-free Multi-Stream Transport (MST) technology for triple-display PC setups.
Built for hybrid workers, IT teams, and everyday productivity users, the UD-MSTH3 supports up to three displays, fast charging, and pro-grade connectivity. Windows and ChromeOS users can connect with a single cord for a plug-and-play experience designed around how they actually work.
“For most docks in this space, manufacturers rely on drivers and software, or expensive Thunderbolt solutions to achieve a solid triple display experience,” said Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy, CEO of Plugable. “With the UD-MSTH3, we wanted plug-and-play simplicity for Windows and ChromeOS users without the higher price tag. This dock gives users the flexibility to create a workstation that meets their individual display and performance needs.”
Flexible Display Configurations
The UD-MSTH3’s focal point is dual 4K 60Hz display output for sharp, high-fidelity visuals. For users who need more screen real estate, the dock also supports triple-display mode, running one display at 4K 60Hz alongside two additional displays at 1080p 60Hz. The dock’s three native HDMI ports make it easier to build a multi-monitor workspace using the HDMI displays already found in most homes and offices.
Because MST is native to Windows and ChromeOS but not available on macOS, the UD-MSTH3 is designed and optimized specifically for those platforms. Mac users can still connect the dock, but will see one extended display, with any additional monitors mirrored rather than extended. For full multi-monitor support, Plugable recommends its Thunderbolt and DisplayLink-based docks for Mac setups.
Compatible with full-featured USB-C, USB4, and Thunderbolt 4/5 ports, full high-resolution performance also requires a laptop running an Intel 12th Gen or AMD 6000-series processor or newer. On select DSC-capable hosts, triple-display output may reach 2x 4K 60Hz + 1x 4K 30Hz. Actual support varies by host, graphics, DSC ratio, and display setup.
Designed for the Modern Desk
Beyond its display flexibility, the UD-MSTH3 delivers up to 100W of Power Delivery to keep laptops charged during heavy use, along with a dedicated 30W USB-C charge-only port for charging devices like phones and tablets. A 2.5Gbps Ethernet port provides fast, stable wired networking, ideal for video calls, large file transfers, and hybrid office environments. Its space-saving design allows users to stand the dock up or lay it down to better fit their desk.
Features & Specifications
Three HDMI 2.0 ports; driverless support for as many as three extended displays on compatible Windows and ChromeOS systems
Up to 100W power delivery to the host device
2.5Gbps Ethernet connectivity
Two Front 10Gbps USB-C ports
Dedicated front USB-C port with up to 30W charging
One Front 10Gbps USB-A port
Two Rear 5Gbps USB-A ports
One Rear USB-A 2.0 port
SD and microSD card readers
3.5mm audio connectivity
150W UL 62368-1 compliant power supply included
Space-saving vertical or horizontal design
K-lock security slots
Backed by Plugable’s two-year warranty and North American-based customer support
Availability
The Plugable UD-MSTH3 is available starting August 4, 2026, at Amazon and Plugable.com for $149.99 plus a 30% discount at launch, bringing the special launch price to $104.99.
USA-founded and owned, Plugable Technologies is one of the world’s best-known brands for USB devices. With a focus on better products, better information, and better support, Plugable’s range of business-grade products has built trust with over 200K companies worldwide by leveraging industry-leading quality, a 100% compatibility guarantee, and a 2-year warranty. Should you ever have a question, Plugable’s US-based technical support team consists of the very engineers who design the devices.
Save up to 24% instantly, plus an exclusive additional 10% discount for readers on the Dreame A3 AWD Pro 3500 and A3 AWD Pro 1000.
Dreame is helping homeowners simplify lawn care this summer with limited-time savings on its flagship Dreame A3 AWD Pro robotic lawn mower lineup. Through a combination of promotional pricing and an exclusive reader discount, customers can enjoy substantial savings on two of Dreame’s most advanced all-wheel-drive robotic mowers.
The Dreame A3 AWD Pro 3500, designed for larger properties and demanding terrain, is on sale from August 3 through August 17. During the promotion, the mower is available for $2,429.99, reduced from its regular price of $3,199.99, representing a 24% savings. Readers can save even more by using the exclusive promo code GENPRA3P, lowering the final price to approximately $2,186.
The Dreame A3 AWD Pro 1000 is also receiving a limited-time discount. Available for $1,599.99 (regularly $1,999.99), the mower is 20% off during two promotional periods: August 1 through August 10 and August 18 through August 31. Applying the exclusive GENPRA3P discount code further reduces the final price to approximately $1,440.
Both models feature Dreame’s advanced robotic mowing technology, combining intelligent navigation, all-wheel-drive traction, and automated lawn maintenance designed to deliver a consistently manicured yard with minimal user intervention.
Customers can purchase either model through the Dreame online store or Amazon using the links below:
Login
