If you’re tired of seeing Instagram posts with a seemingly endless list of hashtags, Instagram is making a change to stop that. In a post today, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said that the platform will now cap hashtags to five per post.
“While I know it can be tempting to use more, a few specific tags actually perform better than a long list of generic ones,” Mosseri says on his “Instagram advice” channel. “Quality over quantity is key.” Mosseri notes that hashtags do help with search, but “don’t increase your reach” – instead, you should “focus on working out what kind of content resonates with your audience.”
A foldable phone isn’t for the faint of heart. They’re generally heavier, pricier, and have less capable cameras than a standard slab-style phone. They’re also still not as durable as regular smartphones, though they’re not nearly as fragile as they once were. In fact, thanks to Google, we finally have a foldable phone we can take with us to the beach.
There are basically two kinds of foldables at the moment — the kind that fold like books and the ones that fold clamshell style, like your old flip phone. Here’s how I think of it: a book-style foldable is like a phone plus a tablet, and a flip-style foldable is a phone plus a smartwatch. The book foldables provide an outer screen for all your regular phone needs, and then a tablet-like inner screen when you want, well, more screen. Flip phones come with a smaller secondary display on the outer panel that’s useful for checking information quickly. When you need to do regular phone stuff, you unfold it.
So while they all fit in one category of folding tech, they’re suited to two very different kinds of people — someone who wants even more phone with their phone and someone who wants to be fully immersed a little less. Whichever category you fit into, you’d be wise to get the manufacturer’s extended warranty with your purchase; fixes can be expensive, and you won’t be able to walk into just any phone repair shop to get them. If you don’t opt for the warranty, you’ll want to be sure you can comfortably afford to replace your phone in the event of a sudden sand-related catastrophe. Death can come swiftly to a folding screen.
If I haven’t scared you off by this point, then you’re probably the kind of person who will have a heck of a good time with a foldable. I’ve used every phone under the sun, and folding phones are some of my favorite gadgets. Run four apps at once! Prop it up like a tiny laptop! Hold it like a camcorder when you shoot video! There are tons of possibilities, and the thrill you get when you fold your phone shut never fully wears off.
Best book-style foldable
Google Pixel Pro 10 Fold
Score: 8
Pros
Cons
Full dust resistance! On a foldable!
Qi2 support with built-in magnets
Heavy and chunky
Cameras aren’t as good as the other 10 Pro phones’
Durability has long been the North Star of the foldable category, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold marks a real milestone in that journey. With an IP68 rating, it’s the first foldable to offer full water and dust resistance. That means you can take the $1,799 device on a hike or to the beach without worrying that a stray grain of sand will absolutely destroy it. Add in Qi2 support with built-in magnets for accessories and wireless charging — along with Google’s more powerful Tensor G5 chip — and you have the most well-rounded foldable available.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn’t without its shortcomings, though. It offers all-day battery life with minimal use of the inner display; however, if you spend most of your time using the inner screen, your battery will likely be in the red by bedtime. Also, while we love the device’s improved durability, its cameras fall short of Google’s other 10 Pro models, especially in low light. The foldable is a bit heavier and thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, too, which is a fair trade for greater peace of mind.
The latest Galaxy Z Flip may not be as fun as the newest Razr Ultra, but it does offer a few new tricks. Samsung ditched the old file-folder cover screen in favor of a glorious, 4.1-inch edge-to-edge panel that wraps around the cameras. The extra real estate means you have more room to quickly respond to messages or perform any task that doesn’t require you to open your phone (and risk getting lost in a digital rabbit hole).
In addition to the larger cover screen, the Flip 7 offers a couple of other thoughtful updates. It’s thinner than its predecessor and features a bigger 4,300mAh battery, which is a step up from the 4,000mAh battery found in the last-gen Flip 6. The camera system remains unchanged from last year’s model, too, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The 50-megapixel main shooter still produces great images, and you get all the versatility the flip form factor has to offer, including the ability to easily take selfies using the rear camera.
Despite some welcome changes, the Flip 7 carries the same IP48 rating as last year’s model, which means long-term durability against fine dust particles remains a concern. However, Samsung offers a great warranty and repair program, along with seven years of OS and security updates. The Flip 7 isn’t perfect, but it’s the most powerful and polished version yet — just don’t drop it while lounging on the beach.
The Razr Ultra is the newest and most advanced member of Motorola’s foldable lineup. Compared to the Razr Plus, it boasts a higher-resolution inner screen, Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile processor, double the storage space, and an upgraded selfie camera. The device is also one of the best-looking phones you can buy — the gold-bronze chassis and wooden back panel lend the Ultra a real elegance. When every phone tends to look the same — even in the foldable market — the Razr Ultra stands out in a crowd, which only adds to its charm.
Beyond its appearance, the Ultra is just plain fun to use. The 4-inch outer screen covers almost the entire front of the phone, making it perfect for checking notifications, responding to messages, and taking quick actions such as hailing an Uber. The titanium hinge is also an upgrade over the stainless steel found in the Razr Plus. While the Ultra is enjoyable, it can’t overcome the gripes we’ve had with previous Motorola foldables, like inconsistent camera processing. Meanwhile, Motorola is only promising three OS upgrades and four years of security updates, which is on the shorter side considering the $1,300 retail price.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first: if you live in the US or Europe, you can’t buy the Oppo Find N5. That rules out, well, a lot of us. But if you live in China, Singapore, or any of the other Asian countries Oppo included in its so-called “global” release, then you’re in luck: you can pick up one of the world’s thinnest book-style folding phones, and the rest of us are all very jealous of you.
The Find N5 isn’t all about thinness, either. Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is highly capable, the phone is fully water-resistant, and battery life is excellent. It utilizes silicon-carbon battery technology to accommodate a large (by foldable standards) 5,600mAh battery, which easily holds up after a long day of heavy use. What’s even more impressive is that, like the aforementioned Z Fold 7, the Find N5 is still barely thicker than a standard slab-style phone and only slightly heavier. That matters when you’re using the phone via the cover screen for long periods of time or stashing it in the side pocket of your yoga pants. When a foldable is only about as heavy and bulky as a regular phone, using the inner screen feels like getting away with something fantastic — not a benefit you have to make many other sacrifices for. Oppo delivers this in spades, and I just wish more of us could… find it.
The latest Huawei Mate XTs gets an honorable mention for its sheer wow factor alone. It’s Huawei’s second trifold phone and features some minor upgrades over the original, which we found to be a great foldable that’s far too expensive. The second-gen Mate XTs is cheaper than the original at 17,999 yuan (about $2,520) and adds several new features, including stylus support, an upgraded Kirin 9020 chipset, and an improved 40-megapixel ultrawide.
The Motorola Razr Plus 2025 is relatively new to the scene, replacing last year’s model. Although the two devices look identical, there are a few notable changes. The biggest difference is that the $999 Razr Plus 2025 now features a titanium hinge, rather than stainless steel, promising better durability and a less noticeable crease when the device is open. Additionally, the Razr Plus 2025 offers IP48 dust and water resistance, whereas last year’s model featured an IPX8 rating. While we haven’t tested the newest model, it appears to be a solid alternative to the Ultra.
The standard Motorola Razr 2025 is a more affordable entry point into the world of foldables, starting at $699. The Razr 2025 offers improved performance, battery life, and durability — the kind of bumps we expect year after year. It boasts a smaller cover screen compared to the Razr Plus and Ultra, but still offers a spacious 6.9-inch internal display. We haven’t tested the Razr 2025, but its relatively budget-friendly price is a good option for jumping into the foldable market.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an excellent alternative to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The slim, lightweight foldable is just 8.9mm thick when folded shut, which is nearly as slim as standard slab-style devices. It has a spacious inner display that’s great for multitasking, and the battery can last a full day with moderate use. That being said, the Z Fold 7 has a starting price of $1,999 and doesn’t offer full dust and water resistance, making the hinge more susceptible to damage. Read our review.
What’s coming next
After months of teasing, Samsung has finally announced the Z TriFold, which the company is planning to launch during the first quarter of 2026 here in the US. The device takes the foldable concept a step further with not one, but two hinges, which open to reveal an inner screen that measures 10 inches diagonally. The outer display, meanwhile, is 6.5 inches and features a normal 21:9 aspect ratio, similar to what you’d find in a standard smartphone. The device also features a ceramic-glass, fiber-reinforced polymer back panel that’s designed to resist cracking, plus an IP48 rating, meaning it’s fully water-resistant but not dust-tight.
Update, December 18th: Adjusted pricing / availability and added info about the Z TriFold to the “What’s coming next” section. Brandon Russell also contributed to this post.
Google is generally happy to see people using generative AI tools to create content, and it’s doubly happy when they publish it on its platforms. But there are limits to everything. Two YouTube channels that attracted millions of subscribers with AI-generated movie trailers have been shuttered.
Screen Culture and KH Studio flooded the site with fake but often believable trailers. The channels, which had a combined audience of more than 2 million subscribers, became a thorn in Google’s side in early 2025 when other YouTubers began griping about their sudden popularity in the age of AI. The channels produced videos with titles like “GTA: San Andreas (2025) Teaser Trailer” and “Malcom In The Middle Reboot (2025) First Trailer.” Of course, neither of those projects exist, but that didn’t stop them from appearing in user feeds.
Google demonetized the channels in early 2025, forcing them to adopt language that made it clear they were not official trailers. The channels were able to monetize again, but the disclaimers were not consistently used. Indeed, many of the most popular videos from those channels in recent months included no “parody” or “concept trailer” disclosures. Now, visiting either channel’s page on YouTube produces an error reading, “This page isn’t available. Sorry about that. Try searching for something else.”
Peacock subscribers will see ads immediately upon opening the streaming app or website next year. It’s a bold new strategy for attracting advertisers—something that’s been increasingly important to subscription-based streaming services—but it also risks alienating viewers
As reported by Variety, the new type of ads will display on the profile selection page that shows when a subscriber launches Peacock. Starting next year, instead of the profile page just showing your different Peacock profiles, most of the page will be dominated by an advertorial image. The circles of NBCUniversal-owned characters selected for user profiles will be relegated to a vertical column on the screen’s left side, as you can see here.
To avoid seeing what NBCUniversal is calling “Arrival Ads” every time you open Peacock, you need to subscribe to Peacock’s most expensive plan, which is ad-free and starts at $17 per month (Peacock’s ad-based plans start at $8/month.)
The first few months of 2025 were full of graphics card reviews where we generally came away impressed with performance and completely at a loss on availability and pricing. The testing in these reviews is useful regardless, but when it came to extra buying advice, the best we could do was to compare Nvidia’s imaginary pricing to AMD’s imaginary pricing and wait for availability to improve.
Now, as the year winds down, we’re facing price spikes for memory and storage that are unlike anything I’ve seen in two decades of pricing out PC parts. Pricing for most RAM kits has increased dramatically since this summer, driven by overwhelming demand for these parts in AI data centers. Depending on what you’re building, it’s now very possible that the memory could be the single most expensive component you buy; things are even worse now than they were the last time we compared prices a few weeks ago.
Some SSDs are getting to the point where they’re twice as expensive as they were this summer (for this comparison, I’ve swapped the newer WD Blue SN5100 pricing in for the SN5000, since the drive is both newer and slightly cheaper as of this writing). Some RAM kits, meanwhile, are around four times as expensive as they were in August. Yeesh.
This is an excerpt of Sources by Alex Heath, a newsletter about AI and the tech industry, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week.
By all measures, Meta’s Threads app had a very good year. The app was Apple’s second-most-downloaded iOS app of the year, trailing only ChatGPT. Threads now has 400 million monthly and 150 million daily active users.
“There are consumers who are ravenous to consume the content.”
That growth is still coming mainly from Meta’s other platforms. “We do a lot of work in Instagram and Facebook to show off what’s going on in Threads,” Connor Hayes, the head of Threads, told me this week. The playbook: s …
The OhSnap Snap Grip 5 next to a Syncwire magnetic ring. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
In 2022, we called a simple magnetic ring from Anker the best MagSafe phone grip, but things have evolved dramatically since then! You can buy two or even three magnetic rings joined at the hip these days to wield your iPhone, recent Pixel, or really any phone if you stick a magnetic case or included mounting ring on the back.
Just when I thought I’d found the perfect PopSocket alternative for my phone, the fifth-gen OhSnap Snap Grip came along. The magnets are so good now! It’s so thin! …
Google expanded Gemini’s AI verification feature to videos made or edited with the company’s own AI models. Users can now ask Gemini to determine if an uploaded video is AI-generated by asking, “Was this generated using Google AI?”
Gemini will scan the video’s visuals and audio for Google’s proprietary watermark called SynthID. The response will be more than a yes or no, Google says. Gemini will point out specific times when the watermark appears in the video or audio. The company rolled out this capability for images in November, also limited to images made or edited with Google AI.
Between all the new phones, smartwatches, and laptops we see throughout the year, it often feels like we’re constantly being nudged toward shinier, more expensive gadgets. And I get it. As a self-professed gadget nerd, few things are more exciting than unboxing and setting up a new device.
You can save $50 on the latest AirPods Pro and still have it arrive in time for Christmas.
You don’t need to deal with long mall lines or crowded parking lots just to wrap up your holiday shopping, but you probably already knew this. Some of the best deals are online, and even though Christmas is now just a few days away, a lot of Verge-approved gifts should still arrive on time if you order them online.
We know that everyone’s wishlist looks different from the next, so we’ve got you covered with 30 gift ideas to suit gamers, music lovers, bookworms, and more. Below, you’ll find products like the latest AirPods Pro to the Meta Quest 3S and Kindle Paperwhite. On a tighter budget? There are many sub-$50 presents below, too.
Headphones and earbuds
AirPods Pro 3
The recently released AirPods Pro 3 have a new design that improves their fit, superior noise cancellation, better bass, and fairly accurate heart rate sensors. Read our review.
If your recipient doesn’t need fancy features like active noise cancellation and wireless charging found in the AirPods Pro 3, Apple’s entry-level AirPods 4 are a great value at $74 ($56 off) from Walmart, which is $5 shy of their all-time low price. The wireless earbuds improve upon their predecessor with better sound quality and spatial audio with head tracking, while delivering even clearer voice call quality and a more durable IP54 rating for both water and dust resistance. Read our review.
Sony WH-1000XM5 (with free WF-C700N earbuds)
Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones improve upon the previous model with richer sound quality, slightly more powerful ANC, and improved comfort. Meanwhile, Sony’s WF-C700N earbuds offer a secure in-ear fit, decent sound, and an IPX4 rating against water and sweat. Read our Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sony WF-C700N reviews.
You can buy Google’s Pixel Buds 2 Pro for $165.04 ($64 off) at Amazon, which marks a new low price by a few dollars. The buds are our top pick for Google Pixel device owners, boasting an exceptionally comfortable and secure design that’s much easier to wear than the previous version. They deliver good active noise cancellation, a top-notch transparency mode and longer, and 12-hour battery life. If you own a recent Pixel phone, you also get access to Google’s Gemini AI and head-tracking spatial audio. Read our review.
The Beats Solo 4 are down to a new low of $79 ($120 off) in select colors at Walmart, while Amazon and Best Buy have them on sale for $129.95 ($70 off) in a wider range of shades. The on-ear headphones don’t offer ANC, but they do deliver rich bass, along with lossless audio over USB-C or 3.5mm cables. They’re also platform-agnostic, supporting both Apple’s Find My and Google’s Find My Device networks, while iPhone users get personalized spatial audio with head tracking and Android users benefit from automatic device switching. Read our review.
Smart home tech
Tapo RV30 Max Plus
Our favorite budget-friendly robot vacuum offers high-end features, including room-specific cleaning, a capable mop, carpet boost, and smart navigation. It also features an auto-empty dock.
The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro is on sale for $134.99 ($45 off) at Amazon, which matches its best price to date. The color-changing smart lamp offers preset scenes to help you set the mood, but also lets you create lighting effects. It’s also a Bluetooth speaker, delivering decent sound that syncs with the lights. Plus, thanks to Matter support, it’ll work with all major smart home platforms.
You can grab the latest Blink Video Doorbellwith a Sync Module Core included at an all-time low of $29.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, or Target. The 1080p video doorbell improves on its excellent predecessor with a new head-to-toe view and more accurate motion alerts, while retaining perks like motion-activated recording, night vision, and two-way audio. And while it runs on batteries by default, you can hardwire it if you choose to.
The Petcube Fountain is on sale for $54.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, which is its best price to date. The 57-ounce fountain uses a four-layer filtration system to help remove bacteria and other impurities from your pet’s water, and it can send alerts via the companion app when it’s time to swap in a new filter. It’s also rechargeable and designed to run only when your pet is nearby, helping to save power.
Amazon Echo Spot
Amazon’s Echo Spot smart speaker-meets-alarm clock has a 2.83-inch squared-off display for showing the time, weather, album art, and other bits of info you may want at your bedside. Unlike the original Spot, there’s no camera to worry about having in your bedroom — though it does have a mutable microphone for Alexa voice controls. Read our review.
Amazon’s latest Paperwhite features a larger 7-inch display and noticeably faster performance. It also boasts longer battery life than the previous model, retains IPX8 waterproofing, and includes a USB-C port. Read our review.
Other Kindle models are down to some of their best prices too, including the ad-supported versions of the Kindle (Amazon, Best Buy, and Target) and Kindle Colorsoft (Amazon, Best Buy). The last-gen Kindle Scribe with 32GB of storageand adsis receiving the biggest discount, though, matching its best price to date starting at $279.99 ($140 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The monochromatic e-reader comes with a stylus so you can jot notes directly in Kindle books or in the built-in notebook. It also offers AI-powered tools that can summarize your notes, and its 10.2-inch, 300ppi display has adjustable warm lighting for comfortable reading day and night. Read our reviews of the Kindle Scribe (2024) and Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition.
11-inch iPad Air M3
The new 11-inch iPad Air comes with Apple’s M3 chip and GPU upgrades. It’s available in dark gray, blue, purple, and a “starlight” cream shade. Read our review.
If you’re after an affordable tablet for a child, the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids is back at its all-time low of $104.99 ($85 off) at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. The 10.1-inch slate features a sharper 1080p display than most other Fire HD models , while offering a long 13-hour battery life. It also comes with a case and a year of Amazon Kids Plus, which grants access to ad-free, kid-friendly books, movies, apps, and more.
Gaming
Meta Quest 3S
The Meta Quest 3S is a battery-powered standalone VR headset that has the same chipset as the pricier Quest 3, but with the same lenses and screen resolution as the Quest 2. In addition to being able to play many games from the Meta Store, it can also be connected to a gaming PC to play VR games like Half-Life Alyx.Read our review.
You can grab a copy of Astro Bot at its all-time low of $39.97 ($20 off) at Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. The PlayStation 5 game stars an adorable robot on a mission to save his friends after an alien attacks his ship. The platformer draws on familiar tropes but delivers them in fresh, quirky ways, making it a delight to play. Read our review.
PlayStation 5 Pro
The “pro” version of Sony’s PlayStation 5 has a bigger GPU, new PSSR AI-based upscaling, advanced ray tracing, and 2TB SSD (with expandable storage). The new features allow for better graphics at higher frame rates, allowing for the blending of “fidelity” and “performance” modes in some games. Read our review.
Now through December 19th, you can buy Sony’s DualSense Wireless Controller starting at $54 (about $21 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. The PlayStation 5 gamepad stands out for its immersive haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which offers various degrees of resistance. It supports USB-C, comes with built-in speaker, and works with macOS and Windows, too. Read our review.
PlayStation Portal
The PlayStation Portal is a handheld that allows you to stream games from your PS5 over the same network, or via the cloud for certain titles if you have a PS Premium Plus subscription. The Portal has an 8-inch 1080p display with a 60Hz refresh rate, decent speakers, and a long-lasting battery. It also supports DualSense features, including haptic feedback and motion sensing. Read our review.
Although the Apple Watch Series 11 is the same size as its predecessor, it features a 5G cellular modem, a display that Apple claims is twice as durable, and slightly improved battery life. Read our review.
The 40mm Apple Watch SE 3 with GPS is down to its all-time low price of $199 ($50 off) at Amazon and Walmart. Despite being Apple’s entry-level smartwatch, it’s one of the best wearables we tested this year, offering impressive upgrades like an always-on display and significantly improved durability. You don’t get EKGs a blood oxygen sensor, and hypertension detection, but you do get sleep apnea notifications and Apple’s powerful S10 chip, which enables on-device Siri requests along with double-tap and wrist-flick gestures. Read our review.
Fitbit Charge 6
The Fitbit Charge 6 features a haptic side button, an improved heart rate algorithm, turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps, and the ability to broadcast your heart rate on certain Bluetooth gym equipment.
Google’s terrific TV Streamer (4K) is the company’s best attempt at a streaming device yet, with built-in ethernet, an excellent interface, and smart home compatibility with both Matter and Thread. Read our review.
You can purchase the second-generation Sonos Beam for $369 ($130 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, which is one of its better prices to date. The soundbar supports Dolby Atmos through its virtual height channels as well as HDMI eARC. It also doubles a smart speaker with Bluetooth support and compatibility with Amazon Alexa for hands-free control. Read our review.
Hisense’s 55-inch U8QG is on sale for $727.99 ($772 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, while the 65-inch is down to an all-time low of $949.99 ($548 off) at the same retailers (Amazon / Best Buy). The mini-LED TV offers gamer-friendly features like snappy 165Hz refresh rate, three HDMI 2.1 ports, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to prevent screen tearing. It’s also great for watching TV shows and movies, with full-array local dimming to reduce blooming, as well as support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos in content that supports them. Plus, it runs on Google’s easy-to-use TV platform — granting quick, easy access to all the major streaming apps — and offers an impressive maximum screen brightness of 5,000 nits.
Other great gadgets you can still gift
Hoto PixelDrive
The cordless electric screwdriver delivers an adjustable six Nm of torque, along with a built-in pixelated display that lets you check information like battery life.
Apple’s two-meter-long MagSafe Charger is on sale for $39.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, while the one-meter-long model is down to $29.99 ($10 off). Those are among the best prices we’ve seen on the magnetic charger, which supports 15W MagSafe and Qi2 charging. When paired with a 30W USB-C power adapter, it can also deliver up to 25W to compatible iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 models, as well as the iPhone Air.
MasterClass is offering 50 percent discount on its annual subscription, with plans starting at $50. The service provides access to virtual lessons covering a wide range of subjects — from science and tech to cooking, sports, business, art, film, music, and more — all taught by experts and well-known creators, including David Lynch, Stephen Curry, Ringo Starr, Kevin Hart, and hundreds more.
You can buy the Glocusent Bookmark Style Reading Light in multiple colors for $12.99 ($6 off) at Amazon, which is one of its better prices to date. The clip-on USB light offers adjustable warmth and brightness, providing a soft glow that makes it easy to read at night without waking anyone nearby.
2024 Tile Pro
The latest Tile Pro is its most capable Bluetooth tracker to date. It has a wider range than its predecessor and offers a user-replaceable battery. It’s platform-agnostic, and can send SOS alerts if you pay $14.99 per month for its Life360 Gold subscription.