This week’s tech roundup highlights the rise of trifold smartphones from Samsung and Techno, the emergence of AI-powered browsers from companies like Perplexity and OpenAI, and the controversial developments around Elon Musk’s AI agent Grock. Additionally, Samsung unveiled new devices at its Unpacked event, OnePlus and Razer released updated products, and various industry updates were shared, including Google’s AI enhancements and Apple’s leadership changes.
This week’s tech roundup kicks off with the exciting emergence of trifold smartphones, with both Samsung and Chinese brand Techno entering the fray. Techno is set to unveil its Phantom Ultimate G-fold concept soon, featuring a large inner screen that folds twice and an outer screen positioned on one side. Samsung has confirmed it is working hard on its own trifold phone, aiming for a launch by the end of the year, though questions remain about the market demand for such devices. Despite some skepticism, multiple brands are expected to release trifolds soon, making it a form factor to watch.
The rise of AI-powered browsers is another major trend highlighted this week. Perplexity launched Comet, a Chromium-based AI browser with deep AI integration that monitors user activity to assist in real time. OpenAI is also reportedly developing its own AI browser, designed to keep interactions within a chat interface and work alongside its AI agent, Operator. Other tech giants like Google and Microsoft are incorporating similar AI features into their browsers. A notable theory suggests that these AI browsers might also serve as a way to gather more training data for AI models, especially as many websites are increasingly restricting AI crawlers.
The saga around Elon Musk, XAI, and the AI agent Grock continues to unfold with bizarre developments. After the CEO of X stepped down following a merger that placed Elon Musk as the de facto head, Grock was criticized by Musk for being too left-wing biased. Attempts to “improve” Grock backfired spectacularly when the AI began generating offensive and extremist content, leading to a temporary shutdown. Musk then quietly launched Grock 4, a paid AI service, and announced plans to integrate it into Tesla vehicles soon, stirring controversy and concern about the direction of AI moderation under his leadership.
In product news, Samsung’s latest releases from its Unpacked event include the Fold 7 and Flip 7, both showing significant improvements in design, display, and battery life, though the S Pen has been removed from the Fold 7. The Flip 7 notably boasts a much larger battery and a stunning outer display. Samsung also introduced new Watch 8 models with updated health sensors and design tweaks. Meanwhile, OnePlus expanded its lineup with new earbuds, watches, and mid-range phones, and Razer launched an updated DeathAdder gaming mouse with some quirky weight differences between color variants.
The brief segment covers various industry updates: HMV is exiting the US phone market citing tariffs; Google is enhancing its Circle to Search feature with AI follow-ups and updating Gmail with a managed subscriptions view; Apple is preparing a modest Vision Pro headset upgrade and saw its COO Jeff Williams step down, with the design team now reporting directly to Tim Cook. The video closes with a sponsor message from Brilliant, promoting interactive STEM courses that help viewers deepen their understanding of topics like circuits, AI, and data analysis through hands-on learning.