smartphones

A new survey in the Netherlands finds that 8 in 10 people aged 16 to 34 say their smartphone use harms their everyday life. The finding has drawn attention for how candid young adults are about the negative impact of their own screen habits, feeding into wider debate about phone addiction, sleep, concentration and mental wellbeing among younger generations.

Qualcomm announced two new smartphone chips as it intensifies its focus on on-device artificial intelligence. The launch comes as chipmakers race to position their processors for AI-driven mobile features. Despite the product news, Qualcomm shares edged lower in after-hours trading, suggesting investors were unimpressed or had already priced in the announcement.

vivo has unveiled OriginOS 7, the newest version of its Android-based operating system. The update introduces improved multitasking tools, a built-in AI agent, and stronger cross-device connectivity, letting users move tasks between vivo phones, tablets and other devices more seamlessly. Coverage so far focuses on the software's AI capabilities and how it positions vivo against rival smartphone makers pushing their own intelligent assistant features.

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, its new flagship smartphone chip, alongside a higher-tier 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 variant. Both chips are positioned as flagships, with differences between them described as relatively minor, largely confined to improved AI processing, video capture and gaming performance. Coverage so far focuses on the naming and the modest spec separation between the two models.

A new opinion piece challenges the increasingly popular argument that smartphones and social media are the main cause of rising anxiety and unhappiness among teenagers. It questions whether the evidence linking phone use to teen mental health decline is as strong as claimed, reopening a debate that has shaped school phone bans and parenting advice worldwide.

PostmarketOS, the community project that brings mainline Linux to smartphones and other mobile devices, is rebranding under a new name: Nura. The rename was announced on the project's blog, and discussion is underway among Linux and open-source enthusiasts about the motivations and what the change means for the distribution's future.

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

Qualcomm has announced its next generation flagship mobile processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The new chips are set to power upcoming premium smartphones, continuing Qualcomm's Elite line of top-tier mobile silicon. Details on performance gains and supported devices are expected as handset makers confirm adoption in the coming months.

The postmarketOS project, which has spent close to ten years building a Linux distribution for mobile phones, is rebranding itself as Nura. The change marks a new chapter for the community-driven effort to bring mainline Linux to smartphones, a niche area of ongoing interest to enthusiasts seeking alternatives to Android and iOS.

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

Qualcomm's chief executive says the smartphone will remain the central device in people's digital lives, pushing back against claims that wearables, smart glasses or AI gadgets could replace it. The comments position the phone as the hub that other devices connect to, with Qualcomm betting its chip business on that continuing role.