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Prosecutors dropped their case against David Hearn on Friday, blaming Reflecting Pool damage on a "botched installation" rather than vandalism. That has implications for other people who were charged.

(Image credit: Finn Gomez)

For years, many Cubans hoping to leave the island looked to the United States. Now, with legal pathways largely closed, a growing number are heading to Brazil instead.

(Image credit: Ramon Espinosa)

Every IT team worries about an intern clicking the wrong thing and making a mess they'll be cleaning up for weeks - but few have had to worry about their AI assistant wandering onto the public internet and hacking three companies instead.

Except this wasn't an intern; it was Claude, and it wasn't supposed to leave the sandbox.

Anthropic's public disclosure turned a familiar AI fear into a real-world cybersecurity story, as three of its models, including Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Mythos 5, and an unreleased research build, broke out of their digital sandbox and compromised real enterprise infrastructure. The timing was hard to ignore as days earlier OpenAI admitted its own autonomous agents had broken boundaries and accidentally hacked Hugging Face.

How can autonomous problem-solving make AI an accidental hacker?

Before you start pulling network cables and digging out a stack of legacy hardware, take a deep breath. This is not the beginning of a rogue AI apocalypse. However, for CISOs and cyber teams, it’s a definitive sign that we’re entering an era where AI agents may become both the threat and the shield.

The ironic part of Anthropic's incident is that Claude wasn’t trying to break the rules but trying to win the game. At the time, Anthropic was running "Capture the Flag" (CTF) cybersecurity exercises, where AI models are stripped of their standard safeguards to test their raw offensive capabilities. The models are dropped into isolated digital environments to search for vulnerabilities, crack codes, and locate hidden files.

However, the sandbox had one problem - it was not fully sealed. A networking error on a third-party evaluation range left the environment connected to the live internet. The autonomous Claude models, operating under the assumption they were still inside the exercise, treated the wider web as another part of the challenge.

The strange part was that Claude seemed to realize something was wrong. It acknowledged that its actions could amount to a real-world attack and were "surely not the intended solution." Yet, due to its goal-oriented nature, the model continued, convincing itself that warning signs, including a 2026 system clock and real company names, were simply part of an elaborately staged test.

The PyPI incident and the FBI warning

Claude's sheer persistence became clear when it decided the smartest way to win the CTF challenge was to publish software to the real Python Package Index (PyPI).

When PyPI's repository security systems asked for a phone verification code to complete the upload, a standard chatbot would have stopped and thrown an error to the user. Claude did not. Instead, it looked for a temporary SMS provider, attempted to obtain a burner phone number, and looked for a way around the two-factor authentication barrier. When that approach failed, the AI didn't give up - it adapted, found another path forward, and successfully uploaded the malicious package.

Claude's sandbox escape stopped being a controlled experiment the moment it got into the outside world.

Before Anthropic spotted the anomaly and stopped the test, the package had been downloaded by 15 external systems, including a security scanner from a major cybersecurity company. Because the AI's behavior looked authentic, targeted, and systematic, two of the affected companies thought they were dealing with a highly sophisticated human attacker.

While Anthropic handled the incident behind the scenes by notifying the affected companies, the episode highlights how difficult it can be to distinguish AI-driven activity from a real attack.

Weeks earlier, during OpenAI's sandbox escape incident, a target company believed it was facing a human threat group and contacted the FBI only to find out they were investigating something far less familiar: an autonomous AI system that had crossed its own boundaries.

Why are traditional firewalls blind to autonomous AI?

The scary part is that Claude did not come up with a futuristic, unpatchable exploit or rewrite network protocols on the fly. Instead, it used basic techniques that security teams know very well: brute-forcing weak passwords, exploiting SQL injection flaws, and scraping unauthenticated debug endpoints.

The more serious problem for IT teams was not the attack itself, but the silence afterward. Two of the three companies had no idea they had been compromised until Anthropic reviewed the test results and made a couple of uncomfortable phone calls.

The incident revealed a blind spot at the heart of modern cybersecurity. Traditional intrusion detection systems (IDS) and security information and event management (SIEM) platforms are built to spot known threat signatures and massive automated attack storms. However, they are completely blind to an autonomous agent that moves the low-and-slow cadence of a human but operates with the speed and persistence of a machine.

Legally, the rules have not caught up with the machines. A human pentester who broke out of a sandbox and published malicious code to PyPI could face CFAA charges. Claude, meanwhile, created an awkward new cybersecurity category: a real security incident without a “real” culprit.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)Machine-speed logic vs human-speed defenses

The tech industry's anxiety around sandbox escapes is not only about what AI can do but also how swiftly it can do it. In the past, a complex network intrusion required a human hacker to slowly probe defenses and move through systems over days or weeks. That gave security teams enough time to spot suspicious activity and catch them in the act.

Agentic AI completely collapses that defensive runway. Since autonomous software operates at machine speed, it can chain together tasks like credential discovery, exploit attempts, and lateral movement far faster than a human attacker ever could. OpenAI's sandbox escape showed how quickly AI agents can escalate once they move beyond their intended boundaries.

Human analysts reviewing logs at the end of a shift cannot compete with an algorithm testing thousands of attack paths per second. It is a speed gap that experts describe as "science fiction that happened," where traditional human-speed defenses struggle to keep pace.

Defending your network against autonomous AI

Waiting for the AI sector to police itself is not a winning security strategy. To prepare your infrastructure for the rise of autonomous AI, focus on these three defensive priorities:

Enforce zero trust: Remove all unauthenticated internal endpoints and exposed debug pages before an AI agent finds them first.

Automate threat response: Utilize AI-driven behavior monitoring and instant device-isolation protocols to contain threats at machine speed.

Audit third-party sandboxes: Review how external partners deploy AI agents, particularly models with access to tools, data, or external systems.

The accidental hacker is no longer a distant sci-fi scenario. It is a live preview of a faster, automated cybersecurity landscape, where the speed of attack may soon outpace the speed of defenses.

Thanks to an exclusive preview of the Mystery Booster Commander Edition at Gen Con 2026 and now the set’s full release notes, we got a deeper look at what we can expect from the limited set — and Wizards, I’m begging you to make it as widely available as possible.

This is Magic: The Gathering’s third go at Mystery Booster (and for me, it’s third time’s the charm). Filled with reprints from across Magic’s past, the aim of the packs is to create a delightfully chaotic draft environment — a format where players only use cards they open up in the packs they are given.

This chaos is enhanced by fan-favorite art treatments giving cards strange new looks — such as Mystery Booster 2’s return to White Bordered and Future Framed cards — and ‘Playtest’ cards, game pieces that bend Magic’s rules or meme on the game and its community.

Commander Edition follows this trend with two very notable exceptions that make me more desperate than ever to play it myself: it’s a commander draft, and it has mechanically unique cards for the first time, which are legal in constructed play.

Commander draft shaped hole in my life

My favorite draft format is Commander. Instead of creating any hodgepodge of cards, you have to build your deck like you would for a standard EDH game. That is, a deck where all of the cards match the color identity of your leader, your Commander.

It’s not 100 cards, and it’s not singleton (you can play as many copies of cards you open as you have in your draft pool), but I find the deck-building restrictions of Commander an engaging puzzle to tackle while drafting.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

I’ve found it also has a few advantages for chaos drafting. Luck can play a much bigger factor in what deck you can make, so taking two cards a pack can help you counter that variance. If someone is able to open some incredible cards, you have two other players to help you fight back, and the generally more casual feel makes defeat sting a little less.

Commander draft requires the right kind of set to work, and in a world where we get six or seven Standard releases a year, there isn’t a lot of room to also push out a Commander set. Mystery Booster Commander Edition fills this void.

The chance to draft Commander is my main reason for wanting Mystery Booster Commander Edition, but for most there’s a far bigger request: access to new cards.

Playing with power

Besides Playtest cards and physical reprints of previously Arena-exclusive cards (Magic: The Gathering’s digital version) Mystery Booster sets have only included cards we’ve seen in paper before, and these unique cards aren’t officially allowed outside of drafts — so you can’t put a powerful playtest card in a deck and rock up to a tournament.

That’s changing with Mystery Booster Commander Edition as it’ll be adding a lot of new cards to the game, some of which literally break the rules. These so-called Rulebreakers are special Commanders who let you get around some deck-building restrictions — such as the previously revealed Tolabow, Loch Rascal letting you put one other color of Instant and Sorcery cards (and basic lands) in what would otherwise be a mono-blue deck. Or the newly teased The Unlickiest Planeswalker letting you play with auras of any color in your deck (honoring that this fan-favorite character is often featured in the artwork for curses).

There are other new game pieces too, including Sorceries, which can be your Commander like Ashaya’s Enduring Bond, new Eminence Commanders who affect the game even when not in play, such as Sahir, Visitor in Darkness, and just generally fun and unique game pieces that support existing strategies or create new options — also cards like Arzakon that can create Black Lotus tokens.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast)

All in all, we’ll see 59 unique Legends in the set, and while I expect several will see reprints down the line, for now there’s only one way to get them — and if access to Mystery Booster Commander Edition is going as limited as Mystery Booster 2, I’m worried.

If anything, Mystery Booster Commander Edition will only be more impossible to get your hands on because these unique cards will almost certainly drive up demand beyond what art-treatments could ever do.

So I’m begging you, Wizards of the Coast, please print this set as much as you can.

Bring it to every possible event, make sure copious quantities are available through Secret Lair Festival in a Box drops, and maybe send a load of boxes to local game stores to run Commander drafts over the next couple of years. Ideally, do all three.

I want to play so much of this set, and I know every other Commander player is chomping at the bit too. Please just give us what we want.

Wildfires in Spokane have destroyed hundreds of homes and led to evacuation orders for 60,000 people.

(Image credit: Young Kwak/AP)

• Samsung tells analysts global memory supply shortage will persist through 2028 and grow more severe in 2027 than in 2026
• This while posting its third consecutive record quarter: ₩171.5 trillion in revenue, ₩89.5 trillion in operating profit, and a 52% operating margin
• Samsung is locking 60 to 70% of capacity into five-year supply agreements with price floors

Samsung has told analysts it believes the memory shortage now squeezing everything from server racks to gaming PCs is unlikely to ease before 2028, and that conditions will get worse before they get better.

Speaking on its Q2 2026 earnings call, the world's largest DRAM manufacturer now expects supply constraints to be more severe in 2027 than they are in 2026.

The company said this while reporting the most profitable quarter in its history, with ₩171.5 trillion in revenue, ₩89.5 trillion in operating profit, and a 52% operating margin, all of which indicated healthy demand for its DRAM despite price hikes across the board.

An AI-centric problem that is not going away soon

As voracious demand for memory and storage from AI hyperscalers continues, Samsung is a key beneficiary of a shortage it expects to last for years, driven by long lead times and the capital intensity of adding capacity.

The argument Samsung made on its earnings call was arithmetic rather than speculative. B

uilding a new fab and getting it to wafer production takes more than three years, so the industry-wide capital expenditure increases now underway cannot translate into meaningful output within the forecast window. Unmet demand from this year rolls into next year, tightening things further.

Independent forecasting broadly agrees. TrendForce expects NAND supply to ease in the second half of 2027 as new capacity and higher-layer products arrive, but sees DRAM differently: several suppliers plan new lines for 2027, and construction, equipment installation and qualification will push meaningful ramp-up into the second half of that year, meaning substantial extra output does not arrive until 2028.

Samsung's own shipment figures show how tight things already are. DRAM bit shipments rose by low-teens percentages quarter on quarter, exceeding its own guidance, while average selling prices climbed by around 45% for DRAM and close to 70% for NAND in a single quarter.

Hedging against potential downsides

Buried in the analyst Q&A is a structural change that will outlast any particular price curve. Samsung is converting the memory business from a spot market into a contracted one.

The company said it plans to allocate roughly 60 to 70% of total capacity to long-term supply agreements. These run on five-year terms subject to annual renegotiation, effectively rolling forward.

It has already finalized deals with the top five global data center customers and is in final talks with five more, with substantial advance payments written in as a contractual requirement; Samsung says it has received about a quarter of that total so far. For mainstream products, the agreements also carry minimum price floors, set at levels the company describes as sufficient to cover its future investment risk.

The consequences reach retail. Gartner has forecast that combined DRAM and SSD price increases will lift average PC prices by 17% and push global PC shipments down by more than 10%, the steepest contraction in over a decade.

Micron retired its consumer Crucial brand in February 2026 to concentrate on enterprise AI customers, which is the clearest possible statement of where the industry's priorities sit despite whatever it says publicly about wanting to help consumers.

For Samsung's memory division, none of this is a problem. The price floors it has written into a majority of its capacity insulate it from the downside of the boom-and-bust cycle that DRAM markets are notorious for, and its own device businesses are absorbing the cost: mobile and networks posted a combined operating loss of ₩0.7 trillion for the quarter, and the display and TV units both flagged memory costs eating into profitability.

A company earning a mammoth ₩89.5 trillion in operating profit, thanks to a 52% operating margin, however, has little reason to move quickly on any of it.

• European customers can stream Disney+ in 4K again
• HDR isn't back in affected countries, but Disney+ is working on it
• Affected customers can contact Disney+ to request a partial refund

Disney+ has begun restoring 4K support for Disney+ subscribers in Europe after being forced to remove 4K and HDR in some countries last week. That's good news, but it may cause issues on some devices, and HDR hasn't yet returned in the affected areas.

As Disney+ told us: "We have adopted an alternative technology to enable 4K UHD and HDR following a recent court ruling and have begun restoring 4K UHD support on Disney+. This may cause 4K UHD to be unavailable on some devices. We recognise the inconvenience this may cause and are working to increase device support for 4K UHD and restore HDR as quickly as we can."

What's happening with Disney+ 4K and HDR

Disney+ removed 4K and HDR from its Premium plan in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden. Both features are still available in all other countries where Disney+ operates, and the removal only applies to streaming: downloads aren't affected.

The removal was the result of a court ruling, and while Disney+ doesn't go into detail about that, it looks like another video streaming patent dispute, hence the adoption of a different 4K technology to bring 4K streaming back. HDR is next on the menu, with Disney+ explaining that "We are working to restore it as quickly as we can but cannot yet confirm when it will become available again."

If you're a subscriber in one of the affected countries and HDR is a deal-breaker, Disney+ says that you can switch to a different, cheaper plan. If you want to stay on Premium but aren't happy with the loss of features, you can "request a partial refund for [your] current billing period by contacting Disney+." That only applies to direct subscribers; if you've subscribed via a third party, such as an App Store, you'll need to contact that company instead.

As I've written previously, removing the features wasn't something Disney+ chose to do; it was compelled to do it after a court case. Video and streaming patents are very complicated, and patent owners can be highly litigious, and we've seen a flurry of similar cases across the biggest multiple streamers in recent years. There's an old saying in the entertainment industry: where there's a hit, there's a writ.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

They are the first reported deaths linked to a massive outbreak of the intestinal illness that began in May.

(Image credit: wildpixel)

• Solar energy just had its best-ever month in the UK
• Rooftop panels and farms provided 14.4% of the country's electricity
• The record comes ahead of the legalisation of plug-in solar kits soon

Our gardens may be wilting in this exceptionally dry, sunny summer in the UK, but one thing that is benefitting from all the rays is solar panels. Solar energy just had its best-ever month for supplying power to the grid — and plug-in solar panels are aiming to keep that run going when they become legal later this month.

Alongside solar farms, rooftop panels — which are surging in popularity — helped provide an impressive 14.4% of the UK's electricity in July (via The Guardian). That's 50% more than this time last year, according to National Energy System Operator (Neso) data, and helped to power the fans and air con units we're all relying on to survive while working from home.

The record comes from a combination of two factors. The incredible amount of sunshine we saw in July helped — the UK bathed in around twice the amount of sunshine hours that it usually gets on average at this time of year.

But it was also powered by the popularity of solar panels, which many are installing to help cut their energy bills in the UK. The country saw more solar power installations in the first half of 2026 than in any similar period for 15 years, while last year saw the highest total number of solar installations (269,000) ever recorded in a calendar year, according to government data.

Those figures include ground-based solar farms, but a significant proportion (just under a third of the UK's total solar power) is provided by rooftop panels. However, with these panels still prohibitively expensive for many, eyes will now be turning to the legalisation of plug-in solar kits from August 27.

Can plug-in solar add some extra shine?

(Image credit: Getty Images / Sean Gallup)

It's unfortunate that plug-in solar panels weren't legalised a few months ago, when they could have contributed to these record UK solar energy figures.

Still, the UK government made the welcome announcement last week that these plug-in solar kits — which can send electricity into your wall socket without needing professional installation — will become legal from August 27. That's good news if you've felt frozen out of solar due to its cost, a lack of roof access or the fact that you're renting.

The Statutory Instrument 2026/848 clears the blocks that previously prevented UK residents from buying self-installed, ‘plug-in’ solar systems. The August 27 date is more of a legal landmark, so it isn't clear exactly when these kits will go on sale. But you can expect to see them in the likes of Lidl, Currys and Amazon soon, when they'll apparently cost around £400 and could save households up to £70-£110 a year.

While many have argued that plug-in batteries could be the real home energy revolution (they were left out of the government's new legislation), the combination of this new solar energy record and the legalisation of plug-in solar kits later this month means that renewable energy is having a big moment.

"Fifteen years ago, solar energy was a footnote in the electricity mix," said Chris Hewett (Chief executive of Solar Energy UK). "Now it is a major player, delivering homegrown, cheap, clean and reliable energy."

“The UK is firmly in its second solar boom, joining the trend we’re seeing worldwide, as households and governments look to it as a low-cost and local alternative to oil and gas,” added Frankie Mayo, a senior analyst at Ember.

The UK is still well behind Germany when it comes to balcony solar (which is called 'Balkonkraftwerk'), as you can see in the graph above, but at least the country's sun-powered potential is now finally on the charge.

If you're looking for a capable laptop that can handle demanding tasks without costing the Earth, I found a great deal on the 15.6" Lenovo LOQ for $750 (was $1050) at Best Buy.

The laptop combines an AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor with 16GB of DDR5 memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics with 6GB of dedicated memory, making it a terrific choice for students and beginner creators.

The IPS display delivers a Full HD resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 350 nits of brightness, and 100% sRGB color coverage. Connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI 2.1, USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4, three USB-A ports, and a backlit keyboard.

Should you buy it?

✅ Buy the Lenovo LOQ if...

You need a capable laptop for demanding work, study, creative projects, and everyday multitasking. With an AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor, 16GB of DDR5 memory, GeForce RTX 4050 graphics, and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, it offers plenty of performance for productivity software, photo editing, video work, and other intensive applications.

❌ Skip the Lenovo LOQ if...

You mainly browse the web, stream videos, and work with office documents. You'll be paying for dedicated graphics and a high-refresh-rate display that lighter workloads won't fully benefit from. If portability and battery life are your priorities, a thinner ultrabook with integrated graphics is likely to be a better fit.

Today's top Lenovo laptop deal

Powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS processor, this 15.6-inch Full HD laptop includes 16GB of DDR5 memory, a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, GeForce RTX 4050 graphics, a 144Hz IPS display, Wi-Fi 6, and upgradeable memory and storage.View Deal

Why we recommend it

The LOQ laptop delivers an excellent balance of features for the discounted asking price. The combination of upgradeable memory and storage, a color-accurate 144Hz IPS display, modern connectivity, and solid build quality means it should remain useful for years to come, plus it comes from a top brand.

It is a smart long-term investment whether you're replacing an ageing system or buying a laptop for the first time.

Price Context & Historical Value

At $749.99, the Lenovo LOQ represents excellent value given its hardware and upgrade potential. The last time I saw this on sale at Best Buy was in April, where it was priced at $790.

A $300 discount brings it well below its usual $1,049.99 price, making it far more competitive with mid-range laptops that often offer less memory, slower displays, or integrated graphics.

If you've been considering a higher-performance laptop for work, study, or creative tasks, this is one of those deals that's genuinely excellent.

The Catch: What to know before you buy

While battery life is rated at up to five hours, the Lenovo LOQ is designed as a high-performance laptop that's happiest plugged into its 170W power adapter during heavier workloads. At $749.99, it offers a strong mix of processing power, upgradeability, and display quality for anyone looking to replace an ageing laptop or invest in a more capable everyday machine.

• Shop all laptops at Best Buy

• Multiple US states are repealing or enacting moratoriums on sales tax exemptions for data centers
• Estimates on lost tax revenue are far below the billions of dollars some states have missed out on
• Ongoing data center constructions may not be subject, but costs are expected to increase for new or planned projects

In a blow to US firms trying to expand AI compute capacity by building more data centers, multiple states are now repealing tax exemptions for equipment costs.

According to exclusive The Information reporting, the estimated costs could rise by upwards of 7%, as the exemptions previously allowed data centers to be kitted out with equipment without having to pay sales tax.

But as soon as Ohio Governor Mike DeWine revealed that the lost tax revenue amounted to $1.6 billion, instead of the projected $136 million, other states have started following suit.

States repeal data center tax exemptions

Ohio repealed its tax exemptions for data centers in June 2026, and since July, Illinois and Arizona have both paused their own exemptions. Illinois’ program has been paused indefinitely, and Arizona has enacted a 3-year moratorium.

A further nine states are also considering halting their own exemptions, and a further 28 states have introduced bills to limit the effects of their own exemptions.

Per Avalra data, the sales tax in Ohio sits at almost 6%, with Illinois just over the same figure. These sales taxes will immediately increase the costs of new data center projects, but some projects already under way could be subject to indefinite exemptions.

Are data center costs already unsustainable?

The costs of data center construction have already been rising due to the sudden expansion in capacity. Electricity costs have skyrocketed as more data centers join grids without suitable additions in energy sources.

In an attempt to combat this, President Donald Trump has rolled back regulations on fossil-fuel burning power stations, with multiple data centers being built with on-site natural gas turbine electricity generation. This has caused a string of issues with local residents complaining of sickness caused by infra-sound, and deafening noise levels similar to that of an international airport.

Funding and incentives for renewable wind and solar sources have also been scrapped by Trump, which ironically are some of the cheapest energy sources in the US. This has compounded consumer electricity price rises, acting as a catalyst for data center opposition in the US. AI companies have been urged by the UN to disclose the full environmental damage of the technology.

Additionally, a study by Nikkei has found that numerous big tech firms looking to expand data center capacity have almost $1.65 trillion in ‘hidden’ debt, where contracts are signed between subsidiary companies and data center operators. This means the debt does not appear on the company’s balance sheet, and will only show up as annotations in quarterly financial statements.

This hidden debt at big tech companies has exploded eightfold in the last four years, alongside the visible balance sheet debt for big tech companies which stands at $1.35 trillion. Many businesses are still struggling to justify the ROI on adopting AI technologies, especially as token costs increase.

Sales exemptions are an attractive benefit for data center construction projects, and states that keep or enact sales exemptions will likely see an explosion in new project applications.

• km5 is collaborating with Kojima Productions on a limited edition CD player
• The Cp1 features Bluetooth 5.3, a 3.5mm headphone jack and more
• It's inspired by Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and comes in neon orange

Sony might be planning to wind down its production of PlayStation game discs, but physical media still has plenty of fans. Among them is auteur game director Hideo Kojima, whose studio Kojima Productions just announced a new collaboration with boutique Japanese audio brand km5 to celebrate that fact.

You can now buy an official Death Stranding 2: On the Beach version of km5's Cp1, a compact CD player that looks like a minimalist picture frame. It features wireless Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity so you can hook it up to one of the best Bluetooth speakers, or your wireless earbuds, in addition to a 3.5mm headphone jack if you'd prefer a more retro vibe.

It's got all the expected controls (a Bluetooth pairing button, play/pause, stop, fast forward, and rewind) in a row of clicky tactile buttons, and even a built-in battery which supports roughly eight hours of playtime, so you can take it on the go. And unlike retro players with nasty AA-type batteries, charging here is via USB Type-C. There's also a little LED display, which shows the current track number, and a little sleeve that you can use to display album art.

(Image credit: KM5 / Kojima Productions)

The Death Stranding 2 edition is, naturally, translucent neon orange and is designed to look like the BB Pod from the game — that's the glowing jar that contains the adorable baby that you use to detect invisible enemies. It's got a few little decals to really drive home the look, including little text warnings like 'ensure lock is tight', and comes nestled in special packaging alongside a card insert inspired by the series.

It looks like a lovely collectible and I already know that it's a capable little CD player, having used its big brother, the Cp2, for a few years now — the only real difference between the two models being the addition of a small speaker on the Cp2. I picked it up in Tokyo before the brand was more readily available worldwide, wanting a cute CD player that would be compact enough to fit on my shelf next to my extensive (and dare I say, pretty impressive) J-pop collection.

I normally have mine hooked up to my beefy JBL Boombox 4 (in a setup that TechRadar audio expert Matt Bolton once described as "insanity") blasting tunes as I work — right now Ano's single Kill Love. While the fidelity is obviously not quite as good as lossless streaming, there's simply nothing quite like the properly exploring a beautifully made physical album or the tactile sensation of popping in a new disc.

If you want to get your hands on this limited edition CD player, you can grab it online via the km5 website for $199 / £175 / AU$315, excluding shipping and any customs duties. That makes it about $40 / £40 / AU$60 more than the standard model. You might want to make haste though, as I expect it to sell out fast.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8: Two-minute review

It’s high praise that one of my biggest problems with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is that I wish it had a different name.

The fact that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has taken up the mantle of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and all previous Galaxy Z Fold models is a little confusing. But titles aside, what Samsung has actually done here with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — that is, build a new kind of foldable for a new kind of audience — deserves recognition, and I'm glad the South Korean giant has once again moved the category forward in a meaningful way.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Ideal Galaxy Z Fold 8 users are those focused on mobile entertainment and exploring new ideas with a pair of screens that Samsung has shaped specifically for watching video and reading, respectively.

While the phone is still technically capable, with an excellent chipset, plenty of memory, and strong battery and charging specs, it’s being sold more on its everyday use cases — and convincingly so.

In one way, it’s going to be hard to judge how good the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is until we get the long-rumored foldable iPhone, which is going to be the second (and perhaps more important) passport-style foldable to hit Western markets. But what I can say right now, looking at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 itself and the wider foldable phone and Android phone markets, is that this mid-sized foldable may herald a new generation of folding phones. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Price and availability

• From $1,899 in the US
• From £1,699 in the UK
• From $2,699 in Australia

Starting at $1,899 /£1,699 / AU$2,699, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is currently in its pre-order phase; it'll hit shelves on August 7.

These prices put the phone in between the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in terms of cost, and it's cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which retailed for $1,999.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,899 at launch.

Samsung releasing a cheaper book-style foldable is absolutely a good thing, but the small price difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra makes the former seem a little too keenly-priced.

That said, excluding the Huawei Pura X — which is hard to get in the West and requires some fiddling to get working with familiar Google services — and the as-yet-unnannounced iPhone Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the only representative of this size of foldable you can easily buy right now.

Hopefully future discounts will make this phone more affordable, but right now, it seems like Samsung’s charging a little uniqueness tax on top of what the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is truly worth.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 pricing

Storage

US price

UK price

AU price

256GB

$1,899.99

£1,699

AU$2,699

512GB

$2,099.99

£1,869

AU$2,999

1TB

$2,499.99

£2,209

AU$3,599

• Value score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Specs

These are the key specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 8:

Dimensions:

Unfolded: 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm, Folded: 81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm

Weight:

201g

Displays:

Main: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Cover: 5.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Resolution:

Main: 2448 x 1848, Cover: 1972 x 1248

Refresh rate:

1 - 120Hz (main and cover)

Peak brightness:

3,000 nits

CPU:

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

RAM:

12GB, 16GB (1TB model only)

Storage:

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS:

Android 17 with One UI 9

Cameras:

50MP wide (f/1.8), 50MP ultra-wide (f/1.9)

Selfie Cameras:

10MP (f/2.2) inner, 10MP (f/2.2) outer

Battery:

4,800mAh

Charging:

45W wired, 20W wireless

Colors:

Lavender, Graphite, Cream, Mint (Samsung Store exclusive)

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Design

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• Compact and light for a “big” folding phone
• Outer and inner screens equally useful

When open, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s 7.6-inch screen resembles a typical foldable phone, with a few exceptions.

It’s easier to handle, with its 201g weight making it lighter than any other book-style foldable, while the phone's 4.5mm thickness also contributes to it feeling like a small tablet. The minimal crease, while not as invisible as the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s, is barely a distraction unless you happen to catch the light in a particular way, and it's only noticeable to the touch when you’re trying to look for it.

With its slightly rectangular open shape, the Z Fold 8 is much more similar in size and form to an iPad (specifically, the iPad mini) or ereader than most foldables, which tend towards a square shape. And while being square can have its advantages, I have really fallen for the Z Fold 8’s design during my testing time.

While working on this review, I often turned the Z Fold 8 vertically for a physical document-style view of my work. You get almost double the number of lines in Google Docs with the keyboard open as you do with the Fold 8 in its regular orientation, while the keyboard remains split for easier typing. As a result, the Z Fold 8 is now my favorite device without a physical keyboard to write on, even though Samsung considers the Z Fold 8 Ultra to be the top choice for anyone wanting to get serious work done.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

However, I also found myself less inclined to open the Z Fold 8 than I have been with other book-style foldables. The phone's outer 5.5-inch screen is perfect for one-handed use of fully-sized apps, which isn't a given even on standard bar-shaped phones today.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

To alleviate any (understandable) durability concerns about folding phones, Samsung has rated the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as IP48 for dust and water resistance, which means it's as well-protected against water as any other flagship phone.

The '4' in that designation means no foreign objects above 1mm in size will worm their way into the Galaxy Z Fold 8's inner components, though other foldables — namely the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the Honor Magic V6 — offer superior IP68 dust protection.

There’s also Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the display and Victus 2 on the back to avoid scratches or serious cracks, plus a Flex Titanium layer under the main display, which makes the most vulnerable part of the Z Fold 8 tougher.

Rounding off these impressive design credentials is a quartet of appealing color options: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is available in Lavender (pictured in this review), Graphite, Cream, and the Samsung Store-exclusive Pistachio.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Displays

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• High-quality screens inside and out
• Display brightness could still be higher

The Galaxy Z Fold 8's 7.6-inch main display and 5.5-inch cover display have been crafted by Samsung to help you enjoy whatever kind of content you’re into.

The phone's outer screen has a video-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio, while its inner panel uses a more spacious, practical 4:3 ratio that's best suited to reading (though this inner panel is also better suited to widescreen video than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's square-shaped equivalent). We've compared the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's screen sizes elsewhere on TechRadar so you can visualize the difference between the two.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Both screens are detailed and colorful, which is no great surprise — Samsung is one of the best, if not the best, mobile display manufacturers in the world.

That said, despite a high brightness rating of 3,000 nits, the Galaxy Z Fold 8's screen readability can be a problem when using the phone in direct sunlight, even with the Extra brightness setting enabled.

Still, the low-reflection coating on the phone's inside screen makes some difference. It’s not as effective as the one you get on the Galaxy S26 Ultra or Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 definitely softens reflections better than most standard phones, making it easier to see what's on screen.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Software

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• The latest Galaxy AI features with foldable-specific upgrades
• A mix of fun features, like My FanCam, and practical ones, like Multi-Window

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs on One UI 9, which is based on Android 17. It’s quite different from other Android skins, which hew closer to Google’s original design, but it’s still one of the best options around in terms of adaptation to foldable phones.

Several of Samsung’s software features have been adapted for the Z Fold 8 series, specifically, including Now Nudge. These small, discreet but helpful prompts suggest what app or action you might want to use next depending on what’s on screen, and offer to open a split-screen view on your behalf.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

For AI fans, Samsung has expanded task automation for select apps, assuming you’re in the US, UK, or South Korea, where this feature is currently enabled. These automations don’t work all that fast, but assuming your prompt is understood correctly, the Z Fold 8’s AI will work through your request until you decide to take back control, or when it alerts you when it’s time to intervene to finalize a booking or order.

My FanCam, meanwhile, lets you create a motion-tracked video of a particular subject from any video (from your photo gallery, YouTube, or anywhere else). I have not made a fancam before, so I don’t know how well this sort of software — which is popular among K-pop fans — works elsewhere, but Samsung’s version is relatively effective, albeit with some major limitations.

Making a My FanCam clip is easy: just open the AI tools menu with the video you want to use in the Gallery app, tap the relevant icon, then tap your subject. After some processing time, depending on the size of the original clip, you have your tracked footage. But after trying the feature with a number of videos, two problems appeared.

First, the subject needs to be large enough in the frame. Even if you have high-resolution 4K footage, you need to crop in before My FanCam will detect them. Similarly, they need to be well-lit — I tried to use a clip of a dance troupe moving around in dramatic stage lighting, and My FanCam simply would not work.

Since there is no manual tracking option you can use, you are at the mercy of Samsung’s algorithms as to whether your footage is compatible.

As for multitasking, although it’s not as much of a focus on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as it is on the Z Fold 8 Ultra, I still appreciate Samsung’s updates to its Multi-Window system, which lets you use two or more apps at once. The Z Fold 8 and its sibling now let you use three apps side-by-side vertically or horizontally, as well as via the older splitting method, which sees one app taking up half the screen and the other two taking a quarter each.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Multi-Window is still not as versatile as the windowed system you now find on many tablets and rival foldables, but if you’re cross-referencing without wanting to make too many edits to what you’re looking at, it certainly avoids the need to open your laptop from time to time, which makes the Galaxy Z Fold 8 a valuable productivity companion.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Cameras

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• No telephoto camera at this price feels unfair
• But cameras that *are* present perform well

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the undistinguished position of having the highest relative price per camera of any Samsung phone. Unlike the Z Fold 8 Ultra, there’s no telephoto camera to speak of here, although at least the cameras you do get are of good quality. Specifically, there are 50MP main and ultra-wide lenses on the back, plus 10MP selfie cameras embedded in the phone's cover and inner displays.

Samsung’s camera processing has made an important step forward in recent years, going from exaggerated colors to more natural ones, matching the vibe of other flagship smartphone cameras. That’s why, even in the intense sunlight that was slowly melting me during my photo trip to Beckenham Place Park, we still get attractive-looking trees, grass, sky and brickwork.

Main cameraRichard Priday / TechRadarMain cameraRichard Priday / TechRadarUltrawideRichard Priday / TechRadarMain camera low lightRichard Priday / TechRadar

Samsung’s 50MP main camera offers 2x in-sensor zoom for a little extra reach when you need it without compromising on image quality. The Camera app also offers presets for 4x and 10x (the latter is the maximum available digital zoom), although the image quality deteriorates, as you’d expect.

2xRichard Priday / TechRadar4xRichard Priday / TechRadar10xRichard Priday / TechRadar2xRichard Priday / TechRadar4xRichard Priday / TechRadar10xRichard Priday / TechRadar

For selfies, the 10MP cameras on the inside and outside of the phone are identical, and therefore equally competent. You’re also free to open the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and switch the preview to the outer screen for hi-res or ultra-wide selfies — perhaps one of the most underrated abilities of foldable phones.

Front camera selfieFutureMain camera selfieFuture

Portrait mode on Samsung phones is a particular strength, as it can cut accurately around glasses where other phones struggle. These examples show that the Z Fold 8 hasn’t missed out on this ability.

Selfie camera portraitRichard Priday / TechRadarMain camera portraitRichard Priday / TechRadar

Video maxes out at 8K/30fps, or 4K/60fps if you need your extra frames. Samsung’s videography party trick from the Galaxy S26 series — Super Steady video with Horizontal Lock — has also made it to the Z Fold 8 series.

This feature levels out shaky footage at the expense of some resolution. It does a fantastic job, though, as you can see in these samples of me running along a path (the first is the original footage, the second is the edited footage).

Overall, while it would be nice if Samsung had given the Z Fold 8 a telephoto camera, what’s here works well. And since this phone is designed to appeal to a more casual user, there’s a reasonable chance that anyone interested in the Z Fold 8 won’t mind the compromise.

• Camera score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Performance

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• Top-performing chipset with plenty of memory, even by default
• Great for games, even with below-par benchmark scores

The Z Fold 8 contains the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, which is the best version of the best silicon currently available in an Android phone. The scores I got in my own benchmarking tests are a little lower than I would have anticipated, but they're impressive nonetheless, and prove that the Z Fold 8 is absolutely a performance powerhouse.

Indeed, this top-end chipset proved its worth while I tested several games on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Destiny Rising, set to its highest graphical setting and 60fps, ran perfectly smoothly. Similarly, Asphalt Legends at its full high quality/120fps settings proved no challenge for the Z Fold 8.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 features 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage by default, but you can spec the device up to 512GB if you wish. There’s also a 1TB model, which gets a RAM bump to 16GB, though whether this upgrade is worth the money will depend entirely on how intensively you use your phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 benchmark scores

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Geekbench 6 single-core

3,253

Geekbench 6 multi-core

7975

3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test best

5087

3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test low

2083

3DMark Solar Bay

8856

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Battery

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• The phone can last a surprisingly long time if you use the inner screen sparingly
• Charging isn’t the fastest, but it's definitely quick enough when you need it

Despite being smaller than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 packs a larger-capacity battery — specifically 4,800mAh versus 4,400mAh. That’s thanks to Samsung finally adopting industry-leading silicon-carbon battery technology, which boasts higher energy density than the lithium-ion technology used by Samsung (and indeed most other Western phone manufacturers) in its previous batteries.

Samsung’s battery estimate claims you can get 26 hours of video playback from a single charge of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — and I’m inclined to believe that, if you stick to the cover screen. In my light to moderate mixed usage of the phone during testing, switching between screens, enabling the always-on display and leaving the phone off charge overnight, I would get between a day and a day and a half between plug-ins.

Samsung is using its best 45W wired and 20W wireless charging options on the Z Fold 8 series, which, while slower than some rival devices, is still an upgrade on previous Z Folds. Using a compatible third-party charger, I was able to fill the Z Fold 8 to 43% in 15 minutes, and to 100% in 1 hour and 5 minutes.

In other words, you wouldn’t want to forget to charge this phone overnight, given the below-average battery life, but if you do, it won’t take long to get a usable amount of charge in an emergency.

• Battery score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8?Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Not as costly as some foldables, but still expensive.

3 / 5

Design

Perfectly sized whether open or closed, plus strong protection against common sources of damage.

4.5 / 5

Displays

All your content looks great inside and out, with low-reflection tech to help in bright light.

4.5 / 5

Software

Whether you're focused on productivity or entertainment, the Z Fold 8 has features to help.

4.5 / 5

Camera

No telephoto is a major absence, but the cameras you do get take great shots.

3 / 5

Performance

The flagship performance you'd expect, with the screen space to enjoy it fully in games.

4 / 5

Battery

A notable capacity upgrade has reduced the typical foldable battery life anxiety, although it's still on the weak side. The speedier charging is quite welcome though.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

Traditional folding phones or flip phones haven’t appealed to you yet
Sitting between the two sizes of foldable phones we've become familiar with, the Z Fold 8 is fully functional whether you’ve got it open or closed.

You like the idea of a small phone combined with a mini tablet
When closed, no phone on the market is as small and as usable as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. And when it’s open, it’s like you’ve pulled an iPad mini or a Kindle out of nowhere.

You want the best software available on a foldable
Samsung has been making folding phones the longest out of any brand, and that shows in how well its software adapts and works with the Z Fold 8’s hardware. And that’s not even mentioning the Galaxy AI tools that few other phones can match up to.

Don't buy it if...

You want a complete, well-priced phone experience
For the price of the Z Fold 8, you could instead buy a fully-specced Galaxy S26 Ultra or similar flagship phone, which will more than make up for its lack of hinge with other features.

Battery life is a deal-breaker
Battery life isn’t too bad on the Z Fold 8, but only in terms of other foldable phones. Stick to a regular-shaped phone if you want the best possible endurance.

The camera limitations will bother you
Spending well over 1,500 of your local currency on a phone that lacks a telephoto camera is a big ask, even if such a compromise becomes the standard for this size of foldable phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Also consider

Motorola Razr Plus 2026

This is currently our best flip-style foldable pick, and it might be the better device for you if you're looking for a foldable that can go the distance with its battery, and don’t mind only having a standard-sized phone screen when you open it up.

Read our full Motorola Razr Plus 2026 review

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Considering the minimal price difference, you might be better off saving a little extra money and getting the full-fat fold experience with more screen space, a telephoto camera, and a longer-lasting battery. The Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't as well-suited to video, though.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra hands-on

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Motorola Razr Plus 2026

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Price (at launch):

From $1899, £1699, AU$2699

$1,099, £1,000

From $2,099 £1,899. AU$2,999

Dimensions:

Unfolded: 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm, Folded: 81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm

Unfolded: 2.9 x 6.7 x 0.3 in

Folded: 3.5 x 2.9 x 0.6 in

Unfolded: 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1mm, Folded: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm

Weight:

201g

189g

215g

Displays:

Main: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Cover: 5.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Main: 6.9-inch AMOLED, Cover: 4-inch AMOLED

Main: 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x, Cover: 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Resolution:

Main: 2448 x 1848, Cover: 1972 x 1248

Main: 1084 x 2640, Cover: 1272 x 1080

Main: 2256 x 2504, Cover: 1080 x 2520

Refresh rate:

1 - 120Hz (main and cover)

1 - 165 Hz (main and cover)

1 - 120Hz (main and cover)

Peak brightness:

3,000 nits (main and cover)

Main: 3,000 nits, Cover: 2,400 nits

3,000 nits (main and cover)

Processor:

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

RAM:

12GB, 16GB (1TB model only)

12GB

12GB, 16GB (1TB model only)

Storage:

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

256GB

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS:

Android 17 with One UI 9

Android 16

Android 17 with One UI 9

Cameras:

50MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide

50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide

200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto

Selfie cameras:

10MP inner, 10MP outer

32MP

10MP inner, 10MP outer

Battery:

4,800mAh

4,500mAh

5,000mAh

Charging:

45W wired, 20W wireless

45W wired, 15W wireless

45W wired, 20W wireless

Colors:

Lavender, Graphite, Cream, Mint (Samsung Store exclusive)

Pantone Mountain View

Violet Shadow, Graphite, Cream, Green Shadow (Samsung Store exclusive)

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

I used the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for approximately a week and a half as my work phone, transferring my apps, messages, and SIM card from the Oppo Find N6 I was using beforehand.

As my work device, I used the Z Fold 8 for writing stories, answering emails, scrolling social media and watching tech YouTube videos.

Read more about how we test

Why you can trust TechRadar

☑️ 100s of smartphones reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech

First reviewed July/August 2026

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8: Two-minute review

It’s high praise that one of my biggest problems with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is that I wish it had a different name.

The fact that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has taken up the mantle of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and all previous Galaxy Z Fold models is a little confusing. But titles aside, what Samsung has actually done here with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — that is, build a new kind of foldable for a new kind of audience — deserves recognition, and I'm glad the South Korean giant has once again moved the category forward in a meaningful way.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Ideal Galaxy Z Fold 8 users are those focused on mobile entertainment and exploring new ideas with a pair of screens that Samsung has shaped specifically for watching video and reading, respectively.

While the phone is still technically capable, with an excellent chipset, plenty of memory, and strong battery and charging specs, it’s being sold more on its everyday use cases — and convincingly so.

In one way, it’s going to be hard to judge how good the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is until we get the long-rumored foldable iPhone, which is going to be the second (and perhaps more important) passport-style foldable to hit Western markets. But what I can say right now, looking at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 itself and the wider foldable phone and Android phone markets, is that this mid-sized foldable may herald a new generation of folding phones. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive.

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Price and availability

• From $1,899 in the US
• From £1,699 in the UK
• From $2,699 in Australia

Starting at $1,899 /£1,699 / AU$2,699, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is currently in its pre-order phase; it'll hit shelves on August 7.

These prices put the phone in between the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in terms of cost, and it's cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which retailed for $1,999.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,899 at launch.

Samsung releasing a cheaper book-style foldable is absolutely a good thing, but the small price difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra makes the former seem a little too keenly-priced.

That said, excluding the Huawei Pura X — which is hard to get in the West and requires some fiddling to get working with familiar Google services — and the as-yet-unnannounced iPhone Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is the only representative of this size of foldable you can easily buy right now.

Hopefully future discounts will make this phone more affordable, but right now, it seems like Samsung’s charging a little uniqueness tax on top of what the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is truly worth.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 pricing

Storage

US price

UK price

AU price

256GB

$1,899.99

£1,699

AU$2,699

512GB

$2,099.99

£1,869

AU$2,999

1TB

$2,499.99

£2,209

AU$3,599

• Value score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Specs

These are the key specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 8:

Dimensions:

Unfolded: 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm, Folded: 81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm

Weight:

201g

Displays:

Main: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Cover: 5.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Resolution:

Main: 2448 x 1848, Cover: 1972 x 1248

Refresh rate:

1 - 120Hz (main and cover)

Peak brightness:

3,000 nits

CPU:

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

RAM:

12GB, 16GB (1TB model only)

Storage:

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS:

Android 17 with One UI 9

Cameras:

50MP wide (f/1.8), 50MP ultra-wide (f/1.9)

Selfie Cameras:

10MP (f/2.2) inner, 10MP (f/2.2) outer

Battery:

4,800mAh

Charging:

45W wired, 20W wireless

Colors:

Lavender, Graphite, Cream, Mint (Samsung Store exclusive)

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Design

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• Compact and light for a “big” folding phone
• Outer and inner screens equally useful

When open, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s 7.6-inch screen resembles a typical foldable phone, with a few exceptions.

It’s easier to handle, with its 201g weight making it lighter than any other book-style foldable, while the phone's 4.5mm thickness also contributes to it feeling like a small tablet. The minimal crease, while not as invisible as the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s, is barely a distraction unless you happen to catch the light in a particular way, and it's only noticeable to the touch when you’re trying to look for it.

With its slightly rectangular open shape, the Z Fold 8 is much more similar in size and form to an iPad (specifically, the iPad mini) or ereader than most foldables, which tend towards a square shape. And while being square can have its advantages, I have really fallen for the Z Fold 8’s design during my testing time.

While working on this review, I often turned the Z Fold 8 vertically for a physical document-style view of my work. You get almost double the number of lines in Google Docs with the keyboard open as you do with the Fold 8 in its regular orientation, while the keyboard remains split for easier typing. As a result, the Z Fold 8 is now my favorite device without a physical keyboard to write on, even though Samsung considers the Z Fold 8 Ultra to be the top choice for anyone wanting to get serious work done.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

However, I also found myself less inclined to open the Z Fold 8 than I have been with other book-style foldables. The phone's outer 5.5-inch screen is perfect for one-handed use of fully-sized apps, which isn't a given even on standard bar-shaped phones today.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

To alleviate any (understandable) durability concerns about folding phones, Samsung has rated the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as IP48 for dust and water resistance, which means it's as well-protected against water as any other flagship phone.

The '4' in that designation means no foreign objects above 1mm in size will worm their way into the Galaxy Z Fold 8's inner components, though other foldables — namely the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the Honor Magic V6 — offer superior IP68 dust protection.

There’s also Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the display and Victus 2 on the back to avoid scratches or serious cracks, plus a Flex Titanium layer under the main display, which makes the most vulnerable part of the Z Fold 8 tougher.

Rounding off these impressive design credentials is a quartet of appealing color options: the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is available in Lavender (pictured in this review), Graphite, Cream, and the Samsung Store-exclusive Pistachio.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Displays

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• High-quality screens inside and out
• Display brightness could still be higher

The Galaxy Z Fold 8's 7.6-inch main display and 5.5-inch cover display have been crafted by Samsung to help you enjoy whatever kind of content you’re into.

The phone's outer screen has a video-friendly 16:10 aspect ratio, while its inner panel uses a more spacious, practical 4:3 ratio that's best suited to reading (though this inner panel is also better suited to widescreen video than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's square-shaped equivalent). We've compared the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra's screen sizes elsewhere on TechRadar so you can visualize the difference between the two.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Both screens are detailed and colorful, which is no great surprise — Samsung is one of the best, if not the best, mobile display manufacturers in the world.

That said, despite a high brightness rating of 3,000 nits, the Galaxy Z Fold 8's screen readability can be a problem when using the phone in direct sunlight, even with the Extra brightness setting enabled.

Still, the low-reflection coating on the phone's inside screen makes some difference. It’s not as effective as the one you get on the Galaxy S26 Ultra or Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 definitely softens reflections better than most standard phones, making it easier to see what's on screen.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Software

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• The latest Galaxy AI features with foldable-specific upgrades
• A mix of fun features, like My FanCam, and practical ones, like Multi-Window

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 runs on One UI 9, which is based on Android 17. It’s quite different from other Android skins, which hew closer to Google’s original design, but it’s still one of the best options around in terms of adaptation to foldable phones.

Several of Samsung’s software features have been adapted for the Z Fold 8 series, specifically, including Now Nudge. These small, discreet but helpful prompts suggest what app or action you might want to use next depending on what’s on screen, and offer to open a split-screen view on your behalf.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

For AI fans, Samsung has expanded task automation for select apps, assuming you’re in the US, UK, or South Korea, where this feature is currently enabled. These automations don’t work all that fast, but assuming your prompt is understood correctly, the Z Fold 8’s AI will work through your request until you decide to take back control, or when it alerts you when it’s time to intervene to finalize a booking or order.

My FanCam, meanwhile, lets you create a motion-tracked video of a particular subject from any video (from your photo gallery, YouTube, or anywhere else). I have not made a fancam before, so I don’t know how well this sort of software — which is popular among K-pop fans — works elsewhere, but Samsung’s version is relatively effective, albeit with some major limitations.

Making a My FanCam clip is easy: just open the AI tools menu with the video you want to use in the Gallery app, tap the relevant icon, then tap your subject. After some processing time, depending on the size of the original clip, you have your tracked footage. But after trying the feature with a number of videos, two problems appeared.

First, the subject needs to be large enough in the frame. Even if you have high-resolution 4K footage, you need to crop in before My FanCam will detect them. Similarly, they need to be well-lit — I tried to use a clip of a dance troupe moving around in dramatic stage lighting, and My FanCam simply would not work.

Since there is no manual tracking option you can use, you are at the mercy of Samsung’s algorithms as to whether your footage is compatible.

As for multitasking, although it’s not as much of a focus on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as it is on the Z Fold 8 Ultra, I still appreciate Samsung’s updates to its Multi-Window system, which lets you use two or more apps at once. The Z Fold 8 and its sibling now let you use three apps side-by-side vertically or horizontally, as well as via the older splitting method, which sees one app taking up half the screen and the other two taking a quarter each.

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

Multi-Window is still not as versatile as the windowed system you now find on many tablets and rival foldables, but if you’re cross-referencing without wanting to make too many edits to what you’re looking at, it certainly avoids the need to open your laptop from time to time, which makes the Galaxy Z Fold 8 a valuable productivity companion.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Cameras

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• No telephoto camera at this price feels unfair
• But cameras that *are* present perform well

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has the undistinguished position of having the highest relative price per camera of any Samsung phone. Unlike the Z Fold 8 Ultra, there’s no telephoto camera to speak of here, although at least the cameras you do get are of good quality. Specifically, there are 50MP main and ultra-wide lenses on the back, plus 10MP selfie cameras embedded in the phone's cover and inner displays.

Samsung’s camera processing has made an important step forward in recent years, going from exaggerated colors to more natural ones, matching the vibe of other flagship smartphone cameras. That’s why, even in the intense sunlight that was slowly melting me during my photo trip to Beckenham Place Park, we still get attractive-looking trees, grass, sky and brickwork.

Main cameraRichard Priday / TechRadarMain cameraRichard Priday / TechRadarUltrawideRichard Priday / TechRadarMain camera low lightRichard Priday / TechRadar

Samsung’s 50MP main camera offers 2x in-sensor zoom for a little extra reach when you need it without compromising on image quality. The Camera app also offers presets for 4x and 10x (the latter is the maximum available digital zoom), although the image quality deteriorates, as you’d expect.

2xRichard Priday / TechRadar4xRichard Priday / TechRadar10xRichard Priday / TechRadar2xRichard Priday / TechRadar4xRichard Priday / TechRadar10xRichard Priday / TechRadar

For selfies, the 10MP cameras on the inside and outside of the phone are identical, and therefore equally competent. You’re also free to open the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and switch the preview to the outer screen for hi-res or ultra-wide selfies — perhaps one of the most underrated abilities of foldable phones.

Front camera selfieFutureMain camera selfieFuture

Portrait mode on Samsung phones is a particular strength, as it can cut accurately around glasses where other phones struggle. These examples show that the Z Fold 8 hasn’t missed out on this ability.

Selfie camera portraitRichard Priday / TechRadarMain camera portraitRichard Priday / TechRadar

Video maxes out at 8K/30fps, or 4K/60fps if you need your extra frames. Samsung’s videography party trick from the Galaxy S26 series — Super Steady video with Horizontal Lock — has also made it to the Z Fold 8 series.

This feature levels out shaky footage at the expense of some resolution. It does a fantastic job, though, as you can see in these samples of me running along a path (the first is the original footage, the second is the edited footage).

Overall, while it would be nice if Samsung had given the Z Fold 8 a telephoto camera, what’s here works well. And since this phone is designed to appeal to a more casual user, there’s a reasonable chance that anyone interested in the Z Fold 8 won’t mind the compromise.

• Camera score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Performance

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• Top-performing chipset with plenty of memory, even by default
• Great for games, even with below-par benchmark scores

The Z Fold 8 contains the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset, which is the best version of the best silicon currently available in an Android phone. The scores I got in my own benchmarking tests are a little lower than I would have anticipated, but they're impressive nonetheless, and prove that the Z Fold 8 is absolutely a performance powerhouse.

Indeed, this top-end chipset proved its worth while I tested several games on the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Destiny Rising, set to its highest graphical setting and 60fps, ran perfectly smoothly. Similarly, Asphalt Legends at its full high quality/120fps settings proved no challenge for the Z Fold 8.

Under the hood, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 features 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage by default, but you can spec the device up to 512GB if you wish. There’s also a 1TB model, which gets a RAM bump to 16GB, though whether this upgrade is worth the money will depend entirely on how intensively you use your phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 benchmark scores

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Geekbench 6 single-core

3,253

Geekbench 6 multi-core

7975

3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test best

5087

3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test low

2083

3DMark Solar Bay

8856

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 review: Battery

(Image credit: Richard Priday / TechRadar)

• The phone can last a surprisingly long time if you use the inner screen sparingly
• Charging isn’t the fastest, but it's definitely quick enough when you need it

Despite being smaller than last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 packs a larger-capacity battery — specifically 4,800mAh versus 4,400mAh. That’s thanks to Samsung finally adopting industry-leading silicon-carbon battery technology, which boasts higher energy density than the lithium-ion technology used by Samsung (and indeed most other Western phone manufacturers) in its previous batteries.

Samsung’s battery estimate claims you can get 26 hours of video playback from a single charge of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 — and I’m inclined to believe that, if you stick to the cover screen. In my light to moderate mixed usage of the phone during testing, switching between screens, enabling the always-on display and leaving the phone off charge overnight, I would get between a day and a day and a half between plug-ins.

Samsung is using its best 45W wired and 20W wireless charging options on the Z Fold 8 series, which, while slower than some rival devices, is still an upgrade on previous Z Folds. Using a compatible third-party charger, I was able to fill the Z Fold 8 to 43% in 15 minutes, and to 100% in 1 hour and 5 minutes.

In other words, you wouldn’t want to forget to charge this phone overnight, given the below-average battery life, but if you do, it won’t take long to get a usable amount of charge in an emergency.

• Battery score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Fold 8?Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 scorecard

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

Not as costly as some foldables, but still expensive.

3 / 5

Design

Perfectly sized whether open or closed, plus strong protection against common sources of damage.

4.5 / 5

Displays

All your content looks great inside and out, with low-reflection tech to help in bright light.

4.5 / 5

Software

Whether you're focused on productivity or entertainment, the Z Fold 8 has features to help.

4.5 / 5

Camera

No telephoto is a major absence, but the cameras you do get take great shots.

3 / 5

Performance

The flagship performance you'd expect, with the screen space to enjoy it fully in games.

4 / 5

Battery

A notable capacity upgrade has reduced the typical foldable battery life anxiety, although it's still on the weak side. The speedier charging is quite welcome though.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if...

Traditional folding phones or flip phones haven’t appealed to you yet
Sitting between the two sizes of foldable phones we've become familiar with, the Z Fold 8 is fully functional whether you’ve got it open or closed.

You like the idea of a small phone combined with a mini tablet
When closed, no phone on the market is as small and as usable as the Galaxy Z Fold 8. And when it’s open, it’s like you’ve pulled an iPad mini or a Kindle out of nowhere.

You want the best software available on a foldable
Samsung has been making folding phones the longest out of any brand, and that shows in how well its software adapts and works with the Z Fold 8’s hardware. And that’s not even mentioning the Galaxy AI tools that few other phones can match up to.

Don't buy it if...

You want a complete, well-priced phone experience
For the price of the Z Fold 8, you could instead buy a fully-specced Galaxy S26 Ultra or similar flagship phone, which will more than make up for its lack of hinge with other features.

Battery life is a deal-breaker
Battery life isn’t too bad on the Z Fold 8, but only in terms of other foldable phones. Stick to a regular-shaped phone if you want the best possible endurance.

The camera limitations will bother you
Spending well over 1,500 of your local currency on a phone that lacks a telephoto camera is a big ask, even if such a compromise becomes the standard for this size of foldable phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: Also consider

Motorola Razr Plus 2026

This is currently our best flip-style foldable pick, and it might be the better device for you if you're looking for a foldable that can go the distance with its battery, and don’t mind only having a standard-sized phone screen when you open it up.

Read our full Motorola Razr Plus 2026 review

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Considering the minimal price difference, you might be better off saving a little extra money and getting the full-fat fold experience with more screen space, a telephoto camera, and a longer-lasting battery. The Z Fold 8 Ultra isn't as well-suited to video, though.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra hands-on

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Motorola Razr Plus 2026

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

Price (at launch):

From $1899, £1699, AU$2699

$1,099, £1,000

From $2,099 £1,899. AU$2,999

Dimensions:

Unfolded: 161.4 x 123.9 x 4.5mm, Folded: 81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm

Unfolded: 2.9 x 6.7 x 0.3 in

Folded: 3.5 x 2.9 x 0.6 in

Unfolded: 158.4 x 143.2 x 4.1mm, Folded: 158.4 x 72.8 x 8.9mm

Weight:

201g

189g

215g

Displays:

Main: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Cover: 5.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Main: 6.9-inch AMOLED, Cover: 4-inch AMOLED

Main: 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x, Cover: 6.5-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X

Resolution:

Main: 2448 x 1848, Cover: 1972 x 1248

Main: 1084 x 2640, Cover: 1272 x 1080

Main: 2256 x 2504, Cover: 1080 x 2520

Refresh rate:

1 - 120Hz (main and cover)

1 - 165 Hz (main and cover)

1 - 120Hz (main and cover)

Peak brightness:

3,000 nits (main and cover)

Main: 3,000 nits, Cover: 2,400 nits

3,000 nits (main and cover)

Processor:

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy

RAM:

12GB, 16GB (1TB model only)

12GB

12GB, 16GB (1TB model only)

Storage:

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

256GB

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS:

Android 17 with One UI 9

Android 16

Android 17 with One UI 9

Cameras:

50MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide

50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide

200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto

Selfie cameras:

10MP inner, 10MP outer

32MP

10MP inner, 10MP outer

Battery:

4,800mAh

4,500mAh

5,000mAh

Charging:

45W wired, 20W wireless

45W wired, 15W wireless

45W wired, 20W wireless

Colors:

Lavender, Graphite, Cream, Mint (Samsung Store exclusive)

Pantone Mountain View

Violet Shadow, Graphite, Cream, Green Shadow (Samsung Store exclusive)

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

I used the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for approximately a week and a half as my work phone, transferring my apps, messages, and SIM card from the Oppo Find N6 I was using beforehand.

As my work device, I used the Z Fold 8 for writing stories, answering emails, scrolling social media and watching tech YouTube videos.

Read more about how we test

Why you can trust TechRadar

☑️ 100s of smartphones reviewed
☑️ 15 years of product testing
☑️ Over 16,000 products reviewed in total
☑️ Nearly 200,000 hours testing tech

First reviewed July/August 2026

Ready to say goodbye to X-Men '97 season 2 yet? I hope not, because you've got two more episodes to enjoy of the Marvel TV show before its latest season ends.

The first of those episodes, which is this season's eighth and penultimate chapter, will make its debut very soon, too. If you want to know when it'll premiere on one of the world's best streaming services, then you'll want to warm up that scrolling finger and read on. So, hop to it!

What time can I watch X-Men '97 season 2 episode 8?

Are X-Force going to be the first group that encounters the resurrected Gambit? (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

Season 2 episode 8 will drop on Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET.

That's the case in the US and Canada, anyway, but fans in other countries shouldn't worry about having to wait longer to watch the Marvel Phase 6 TV series' next entry.

Indeed, it'll also drop on August 5 everywhere else, so read on to find out when X-Men '97's forthcoming installment will be released on Disney+ where you are:

• US — Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada — Wednesday, August 5 at 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK — Wednesday, August 5 at 8am BST
• India — Wednesday, August 5 at 12:30pm IST
• Singapore — Wednesday, August 5 at 3pm SGT
• Australia — Wednesday, August 5 at 5pm AEST
• New Zealand — Wednesday, August 5 at 7pm NZST

When does the final episode of X-Men '97 season 2 come out?

Hang on tight, folks, there's only one more chapter left of season 2 after this one! (Image credit: Marvel Animation/Disney+)

As I mentioned earlier, only one episode remains of this X-Men animated show's sophomore season after this week's chapter.

No matter where you're based, you'll be able to stream the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) adjacent program's next episode on Wednesday, August 12. Make sure you pencil it into your calendar, then, so you don't miss what I expect to be an explosive season 2 finale.

If you're headed off to college or school later this year, then I've got great news: Best Buy has just launched a comprehensive 'back-to-school' sale. It features price cuts on just about everything a prospective student could need.

Highlights include fantastic prices on AirPods, Apple Watches, tablets, Chromebooks, and even TVs. As TechRadar's retail editor, I've scanned through Best Buy's sale to find the best deals, which you can check out just below.

It's tough to pick a favorite deal, but the Apple AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation for $149 (was $179) are a great buy for most people. They're the latest iteration of Apple's ever-popular earbuds, and they feature fantastic noise cancellation, which is a must for concentrating on studying or work in my books.

I'm also a big fan of this Asus Zenbook 14 for $899 (was $1,199). Arguably, it's a little fancy and expensive for a 'back-to-school' laptop, but I think older students will appreciate this model's high-end design, powerful Ryzen 9 chipset, and stunning 2K OLED display.

Finally, if you're looking for the perfect dorm room TV, then you really can't go wrong with the 55-inch TCL QM6K for $549 (was $799). It's one of our favorite models in terms of sheer bang for the buck at TechRadar, with 120Hz refresh rates at 4K (perfect for gaming) and great image quality for the price.

Today's best back-to-school deals at Best Buy

Best Buy has Apple's AirPods 4 on sale for $99.99. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and feature Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You also get a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging.

Read our full AirPods 4 reviewView Deal

Best Buy's back to school sale also has the AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation for $149.99, which is the best deal you can find right now. The AirPods 4 feature a new comfortable design, handy controls, and Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation.

Read our full AirPods 4 with ANC reviewView Deal

Best Buy has a $30 discount on the already affordable Apple Watch SE 3, making it an excellent bargain at just $219. While the Apple Watch Series 11 currently holds the title of the best smartwatch for most people, the SE 3 is still packed with features, including activity, heart rate, and sleep tracking, plus an impressive 18 hours of battery life.

Read our full Apple Watch SE 3 reviewView Deal

If you want to get your hands on Apple's latest and greatest smartwatch, the retailer has a $100 discount on the Apple Watch Series 11. The thinnest Apple Watch yet, with a wraparound LTP3 OLED display, it's a great-looking watch with Apple Intelligence-powered smarts and a boosted battery compared to previous Apple Watches, clocking in at 24 hours of average use.

Read our full Apple Watch Series 11 reviewView Deal

A truly great, budget mini-LED TV, the TCL QM6K delivers vibrant picture quality along with solid gaming features for a price that won't break the bank. Upgrades here include support for 120Hz refresh rates at 4K resolution, which is perfect for gamers. This deal knocks a decent $250 off the 55-inch model, making it a truly appealing option for those who want a premium display at a mid-range price.

Read our full TCL QM6K TV reviewView Deal

The latest in Samsung's well-received budget tablet range, the A11+ picks up where the A9 left off, and at the same price too. This is the base model, with just Wi-Fi connectivity and 128GB of storage, but you can expand that easily up to 2TB via a microSD card. If you need an Android tablet for daily use like web browsing, watching videos and maybe playing a few games, this one's well worth considering. Note that this model doesn't support Samsung's excellent S-Pen, unfortunately, but you can still use other basic generic touch styluses. View Deal

Processor: Intel Celeron N4500
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB

HP's range of cheap Chromebooks has always been a good option if you're on a small budget. As a Chromebook, you don't need much to get smooth performance, and this 14-inch model is worth checking out if you just want the basics for studying, emails, or streaming. Despite not being a high-end laptop by any means, this is a relatively portable option with plenty of battery life.View Deal

Processor: AMD Ryzen AI 9 465
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

My favorite high-end laptop deal in the Best Buy back-to-school sale is this 14-inch Asus Zenbook 14. With $300 off, you're saving a significant amount here on a machine with a really high-end Ryzen 9 chipset and 2K OLED display. While you only get a 512GB SSD, this is an excellent choice if you don't need much space on your drive, as it's a very stylish and powerful machine, indeed.View Deal

Graphics card: RTX 4050
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7235HS 
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

I wouldn't recommend this Lenovo LOQ for gamers who need cutting-edge performance, but it's a good option if you're more of a casual gamer. With the slightly older RTX 4050 graphics card, this one will still run a lot of games at 1080p if you're willing to tweak your settings. If you mostly play older, eSports, or Indie games, especially, then this could be a decent value option. View Deal

Graphics card: RTX 5070
Processor: Intel Core 7 Series 2
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB

If you're looking for a high-end gaming laptop, then one of the best options I've seen at Best Buy is this RTX 5070-equipped Acer Nitro V. You usually don't see laptops with such a powerful graphics card at this price point, although you do sacrifice a bigger storage drive and RAM to squeeze such a component in here. Still, in terms of bang for the buck, this is a very strong contender. View Deal

Apple TV's adaptation of Cape Fear saw a chilling finale recently, and it was as grisly as we'd expected it to be. Over the past few weeks we've followed Javier Bardem's take on Max Cady, delivering a performance so scary it's left some of us sleeping with the lights on.

Cady was particularly unhinged in Cape Fear's finale, which saw him killing his own family and taking the Bowdens hostage in one final altercation.

It's an important moment in the series and allows Cady to have a do-over by setting up a mock trial, once again including attorney couple Tom and Anna who were responsible for sending him to prison in the first place.

But what went down, and should we be expecting a Cape Fear season 2? Here's everything you need to know.

Who died in the Cape Fear season finale?

(Image credit: Apple TV)

Max Cady kills his half-sister Crystal, his father Robert, and Crystal's apparent son Luke in the season finale. He wanted to eliminate the whole family after what happened to him, as it was revealed that Crystal killed Max's former wife Melissa, the crime that he was wrongfully sentenced for instead.

By killing the family he believes betrayed him, Cady hopes to achieve peace, but instead he ends up with just another tragedy when he finds out who Luke really was. As it happens, when Crystal murdered Melissa, she didn't kill her unborn baby and instead took him to raise as her own child.

So Luke is Cady's biological son, who he murdered in a rage thinking he was actually the son of his half-sister instead. This cruel twist is a shocking one, creating even more pain for Cady.

What happened to Max Cady?

(Image credit: Apple TV)

After Cady broke into the Bowden family home, they manage to get free and Anna stabs Cady. She's given the opportunity to kill him, but doesn't, saying that they should "let him die in a cage".

We don’t see Cady after this point, but it’s assumed he’s arrested and sent to back to prison. But Cady's fate could be explored in season 2, if one is greenlit by Apple TV. Right now, though, we assume he's gone.

His presence still lingers, however, because the final scene of Cape Fear shows that the Bowdens are still looking over their shoulder, assuming he's lurking somewhere in the shadows.

Who is Natalie's father?

(Image credit: Apple TV)

The family twists don't stop there, as Tom and Anna's daughter Natalie is also going through an identity crisis. Throughout the series it was always assumed that Natalie's father was Anna's ex Paul, and that Tom stepped up as a step-parent after he and Anna got together.

As it happens, Natalie's father could actually be Cady, as he and Anna have a history. Natalie's real father is not revealed to us, but she does receive an envelope at the end of the finale which includes DNA results. We don't get to see these, leaving her true roots a mystery for now.

It is likely we will never know the answer, but Natalie is seen walking over to join the family in the finale's barbecue scene, implying she has made peace with having Tom as a parental figure.

What might happen in Cape Fear season 2?

(Image credit: Apple TV)

Even though this story has been wrapped up, there are still loose ends that could well be explored if Cape Fear comes back for season 2. Cady's fate is one of them, of course, especially if he manages to escape once again.

Or, we could take a look at the Bowden family and how they recover from what happened to them. Especially Natalie, and the mystery around who her father is. But right now, nothing has been set in stone and this could be the end of Nick Antosca's take on Cape Fear.

I'm seeing lots of laptop deals at retailers and manufacturers right now, as many have launched back-to-school sales for the upcoming year. That's good news if you're searching for a new device for yourself or a loved one, with a variety of options available to suit several different budgets and needs. Using my deals hunting experience, I've picked out my six top picks in both the US and the UK.

Below, I've included everything from cheap Chromebooks to big discounts on modern and powerful laptops from the likes of Dell and Apple. I've not only considered price in these hand-picked deals, but also the views of TechRadar's expert computing team who have tested and reviewed several of the models below — and rated them highly.

For example, in the US, you can find the fantastic Dell XPS 13 for a shockingly low $599.99 when you apply for the student discount. That's very hard to beat if you want a capable and portable all-around laptop.

Meanwhile, in the UK, there is a handful of great laptop deals at Amazon, such as this modern and efficient Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 for £429.99 (was £649.99). It boasts a Snapdragon X processor and 16GB of RAM to ensure speedy everyday performance and impressive all-day battery life. That's ideal to last you a full day at school or college, and beyond.

All of my top picks are below, with prices starting as low as $199 / £159. No doubt I'll be updating this page with more offers as sales start or expand throughout the rest of the month.

US back-to-school laptop deals

• Amazon: big savings on laptops
• Apple: up to $150 gift card
• Best Buy: up to $600 off laptops
• Dell: up to $900 off
• Lenovo: up to 33% off laptops & tablets
• Walmart: laptops from $199.99

Display: 14 inches
Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 540
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB

This super-cheap Lenovo Chromebook is a very basic device that's best suited to light use and schoolwork, but it's a bargain at this low price from Best Buy. The lean ChromeOS operating system gets more from low-end components, but it relies on you using more web-based applications such as Google Docs. And while it will struggle with anything beyond basic tasks, this also ensures exceptional all-day battery life, making it a strong portable option at a very affordable price.View Deal

Display - 15.3 inches
Processor - Intel Core 3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 128GB

This version of the Lenovo Chromebook Plus offers an impressive amount of power for the price. It includes 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core 3 processor, boosting performance, boot times and load times. Storage of 128GB is a bit miserly for the price, but battery life is solid at up to 10 hours on a single charge. That's more than enough to last a full working day. At a little under $400, it's a smart buy for school or college, or just as a home laptop for light use and everyday tasks.View Deal

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - AMD Ryzen 5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 512GB

If you want a cheap Windows laptop, then this configuration of the Dell 15 Laptop is an excellent buy and terrific value for money. You get an AMD Ryzen 5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a large 512GB SSD to ensure good overall performance and enough essential, speedy storage for the price. It's a top buy right now if you're on a budget and need a laptop for general everyday use, admin tasks, light work, or schoolwork.View Deal

Display: 13 inches
Processor: A18 Pro
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB

The MacBook Neo just got a price bump, but students can get it cheaper again thanks to Apple's education discount. The latest MacBook packs a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life, all for under $600, which is fantastic value. Discounts have been better in the past, but I think these will be rarer to see over the coming months and this price likely won't be beaten over Black Friday.View Deal

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - Intel Core Ultra 5
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

If you have a good amount of cash to spend, I'd recommend picking up this version of the Dell 15 Laptop as it offers big improvements to key components by jumping up to an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, 16GB of RAM and a decent 512GB SSD. That'll get you a lot more power and performance for your money, making this a solid all-around device for general use, work, video calls and multitasking, without the threat of significant slowdown.View Deal

Display - 13.4 inches
Processor - Intel Core 5
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 512GB

The Dell XPS 13 has regularly been one of our favorite laptops here at TechRadar, and this brand-new version continues that trend. With an Intel Core 5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, it has everything you need for solid all-around performance at work or college. Students can also save an extra $100, bringing the price down to a ridiculously low $599.99.View Deal

UK back-to-school laptop deals

• Amazon: from £159
• AO: save on HP, Lenovo and Acer
• Currys: up to £300 off laptops
• Dell: new XPS 13 from £699
• EE: save up to £1,000
• John Lewis: best deals on MacBooks
• Very: HP and Lenovo from £248

Display: 14 inches
Processor: MediaTek Kompanio 520
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 128GB

I want to be clear: this is far from the best laptop you can buy, but I can't deny it's cheap. The spec is on the low end, with an entry-level processor, only 4GB of RAM, and a small 128GB hard drive. At least it's a Chromebook, which can get more from weaker components thanks to the lean ChromeOS and reliance on online apps such as Google Docs, but this is only a good buy if you want to spend very little money on a very basic machine for infrequent, light use.View Deal

Display - 15.6 inches
Processor - Intel Core 3
RAM - 8GB
Storage - 256GB

This version of the Asus Chromebook Plus offers a solid amount of power for the price. It includes 8GB of RAM and an Intel Core 3 processor, boosting performance, boot times, and load times. There's also a standard 256GB of storage for the price, and battery life is solid at up to 12 hours on a single charge. That's more than enough to last a full working day. At a little under £250, it's a smart buy for school or college, or just as a home laptop for light use and everyday tasks.View Deal

Display - 15.3 inches
Processor - Snapdragon X
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

This is a great price for a relatively modern laptop that comes with a well-performing and efficient Snapdragon X CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and excellent battery life that will easily last a full workday, and more, on a single charge. I think it represents good value for money overall if you need a capable, all-around, everyday machine.View Deal

Display - 14 inches
Processor - AMD Ryzen 5
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

This is the standout laptop deal from the latest Dell sale. Featuring an AMD Ryzen 5, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for under £600, it has everything you would need for solid all-around performance at home, school, college, and less demanding work needs. I've seen similar or more powerful devices for around the same price during major sales events, but this is a good offer on a top laptop from one of our favourite and most trusted manufacturers.View Deal

Display: 13 inches
Processor: A18 Pro
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB

The MacBook Neo just got a price bump, but Amazon has just brought it back down again. The latest MacBook packs a 13-inch Liquid Retina display, an A18 Pro chip, 8GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and up to 16 hours of battery life, all for under £700, which is fantastic value. Discounts have been better in the past, but I think these will be rarer to see over the coming months and this price won't be beaten until Black Friday.View Deal

Display - 16 inches
Processor - Snapdragon X Elite
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512TB

It's an older model now, but this Samsung Galaxy Book4 is great value for money following a £1,000 discount at EE. Even though it's a little dated, it's still powered by an impressive and efficient Snapdragon X Elite processor and 16GB of RAM. A 512GB SSD feels a little stingy at this price, but it's still enough for all of your essential files and applications. You also get the benefit of a 2-in-1 display that you can flip around to use in tablet mode.View Deal

One of the easiest ways to waste time with ChatGPT is to keep introducing yourself. You explain your project, your preferences, your goals and your writing style, get a useful answer, close the conversation and then repeat the whole process the next day.

There is a better approach. Rather than treating ChatGPT as a blank page every time you open it, think of it as a workspace that can be organized just like your computer. A few reusable prompts, a handful of reference documents and a little planning can dramatically reduce the amount of repetitive setup you do every week.

The best part is that none of these ideas require advanced prompt engineering or obscure features. They are simple habits that make ChatGPT spend less time learning about your task and more time actually helping you complete it.

1. Build a starter kit

(Image credit: Future)

Most people have a handful of requests they make over and over again. They ask ChatGPT to write in a particular tone, explain technical topics in plain English, or ensure everything has a citation. Instead of typing those instructions every time, save them as a reusable starter prompt.

Think about the jobs you repeat most often. If you regularly write certain kinds of emails, create one prompt that explains the tone, preferred length, and audience. If you frequently ask for meal ideas, save a prompt that includes your dietary preferences, budget, and the equipment you have in your kitchen. When you need help, paste the prompt into a new conversation before asking the real question.

The same approach works for hobbies. Someone learning French could create a starter prompt asking ChatGPT to correct mistakes gently while keeping the conversation moving. A keen gardener might save instructions explaining the local climate, soil type, and the plants already growing in the garden. Those details only need to be written once, but they improve every conversation that follows.

2. Build a reference library

(Image credit: Yoobure)

One of the most overlooked ChatGPT features is the ability to work from documents you provide. You can create a small collection of files that explain the things you work on most often. Upload the relevant document at the beginning of a conversation and let ChatGPT use it as the foundation.

Keep a document listing your family's favorite meals, allergies and disliked ingredients, then upload it whenever you ask for a weekly meal plan. Store another file containing your packing checklist, travel preferences, and loyalty memberships so ChatGPT can help plan trips without needing the same information every time.

3. Treat ongoing projects like ongoing conversations

Many people instinctively click New Chat whenever they have another question for ChatGPT. That makes sense if today's topic has nothing to do with yesterday's. For projects that stretch over days or weeks, though, continuing the same conversation saves an enormous amount of time because all of the earlier decisions remain available.

Imagine planning a home office makeover. The first conversation might focus on furniture, the second on paint colors, and the third on lighting. By keeping everything together, ChatGPT already knows the size of the room, the budget, the style you like, and the desk you eventually chose. It can build on those decisions instead of asking you to repeat them.

The same habit works beautifully for learning new skills. If you are studying guitar, keep one conversation dedicated to practice. One day you ask about chord changes, the next you work on rhythm. Over time, the conversation becomes a record of your progress rather than a collection of disconnected lessons.

4. Give ChatGPT an example worth copying

ChatGPT usually produces better work when you show it what a good answer looks like. Instead of describing a tone as “friendly but professional,” paste in a paragraph, email, or product description that already sounds right and ask it to match the pacing, level of detail, and structure. This works especially well for recurring tasks such as newsletters, social posts, client updates or article introductions, where a vague style request can lead to something polished but strangely generic.

The example does not have to cover the same subject. A restaurant review can help shape the tone of a travel piece, while a strong project update can become the model for future internal messages. Be specific about what ChatGPT should imitate and what it should ignore, such as keeping the sentence length and warmth while avoiding the original wording or subject matter.

5. Ask for a second pass with a different job

(Image credit: OpenAI, Apple)

A strong first draft often becomes much better when ChatGPT is given a new role for the revision. After it writes something, ask it to review the answer as an editor, skeptical reader, subject matter expert or member of the intended audience. Each perspective catches a different kind of weakness, from awkward phrasing to missing context or assumptions that only make sense to someone already familiar with the topic.

For example, after generating a travel itinerary, ask ChatGPT to review it as a parent traveling with a toddler and identify any unrealistic transitions. After drafting a business proposal, ask it to review the document as a cautious buyer who wants clearer costs and fewer vague promises. The second pass tends to be more useful when the reviewing role has a concrete reason to object.

None of these ideas make ChatGPT more intelligent. What they do is remove the unnecessary friction that creeps into everyday use. Instead of spending the first five minutes explaining who you are and what you need, you start much closer to the interesting part of the conversation. Once you stop rebuilding the same foundation every day, you can spend your time exploring better ideas instead of laying the same bricks over and over again.

Many small businesses already tap into AI for market research, image and video creation, copywriting, and idea exploration.

Although this single-prompt approach is helpful, it has its limits. Enter AI agents.

Unlike traditional AI, which typically operates within a silo, AI agents can make decisions and take multi-step actions to achieve a predefined goal.

I caught up with Sachin Puri, CEO of Bluehost, to get his thoughts on how AI agents are reshaping how small businesses operate, where the biggest opportunities are, and which risks small businesses should be aware of when using them.

Why has Bluehost decided that now is the time to roll out AI agents to its users?

While interest in AI is high, only 16% of SMBs are using AI agents today.

Sachin Puri, CEO of Bluehost

The technology has finally matured beyond generating content and answering questions. AI agents can now understand context, orchestrate workflows, interact with business systems, and complete real business tasks. That makes them practical for small businesses, not just large enterprises with dedicated AI teams.

At the same time, the internet itself is evolving toward an Agentic Web, where rather than just assist people, AI Agents increasingly discover businesses, evaluate products, complete transactions, and interact with other agents on behalf of customers. Small businesses want to participate in that future, but most don't know where to begin. Our research found that while interest in AI is high, only 16% of SMBs are using AI agents today, with complexity and the lack of SMB-focused solutions being the biggest barriers.

We believe that over time, participating in this new AI-driven economy won't simply be an advantage; it will become a competitive necessity.

Our role at Bluehost is to make that transition simple. We've taken what we've learned from deploying AI across our own business and packaged it into purpose-built AI agents that are practical, affordable, and designed specifically for entrepreneurs. Our goal is to help small businesses compete and thrive in the Agentic Era, without requiring them to become AI experts

Most website builders now offer AI tools such as page, image, and content creators; how are AI agents different from these?

We are moving from AI that helps entrepreneurs create things to AI that helps them run their business.

Sachin Puri, CEO of Bluehost

Most AI tools in website builders today are generative. You ask for a page, an image, or a piece of copy, and the tool creates that individual asset. Those capabilities are valuable, but they're largely point solutions. The business owner is still responsible for connecting the dots, coordinating multiple applications, and deciding what happens next.

That's the problem we're trying to solve.

Today, millions of entrepreneurs have become the integrators across dozens of applications and workflows. They spend their evenings, weekends, and early mornings moving information between systems, following up with customers, updating websites, managing inventory, booking appointments, and coordinating work that software still can't do on its own. That's time they could be spending with their families, serving customers, or creating value through their craft.

AI agents are fundamentally different. They don't just generate content; they work toward a business outcome. They understand the goal, use business context, orchestrate multiple steps across applications, interact with data, and complete work on the owner's behalf.

Take website creation as an example. Instead of generating one page at a time, an AI agent can understand the business, create a complete on-brand website, optimize it for search, publish it, and continue improving it over time. But the bigger opportunity begins after launch.

An AI Store Agent can monitor products, inventory, orders, and sales trends, then recommend or take actions to improve performance. An AI Front Desk Agent can answer customer questions using the business's own knowledge, qualify leads, check real-time calendar availability, and book appointments automatically.

That's the shift we believe matters. We are moving from AI that helps entrepreneurs create things to AI that helps them run their business.

We believe every small business will eventually have a digital workforce of AI agents working alongside its human workforce. The entrepreneur remains in control, but instead of acting as the integration layer between disconnected software, they become the conductor of a team—both human and digital—focused on growing the business.

You recently announced the launch of GatorClaw AI agent builder. What is this? Can small businesses use it? If so, how can they get the most out of it?

GatorClaw is our intuitive AI agent builder for businesses that want to go beyond using AI and start creating AI-powered workflows of their own.

While we'll offer purpose-built AI agents for common business needs, we also recognize that every business has unique processes. GatorClaw gives entrepreneurs the flexibility to build AI agents tailored to how they operate.

It's a visual platform built on the OpenClaw ecosystem that makes it incredibly simple to build, connect, deploy, and manage AI agents without assembling the underlying infrastructure or writing complex code, and without needing to be a developer or an AI expert. If you can build a website, you could build an AI agent. Running on Bluehost VPS, GatorClaw lets entrepreneurs automate sophisticated workflows through an intuitive visual experience.

For example, an agent could detect a new inquiry in Gmail, qualify the lead, summarize the customer's needs, update a CRM, and notify the right person, all automatically.

My advice is to start with one repetitive process that consumes meaningful time and has clear rules. Measure the outcome, build confidence, and then expand from there. Every business is unique, and over time we believe every business will have a digital workforce of AI agents tailored to its own needs.

Where do you think the biggest opportunities currently are for small businesses when it comes to using AI agents?

AI agents excel at repeatable tasks that follow a defined business workflow. They can orchestrate both simple and complex processes, interact with business applications and data, and complete work across multiple systems. That's where their real power lies. For small businesses, this means offloading repetitive administrative work so owners can focus on serving customers, growing their business, and doing what they do best.

When we asked small business owners where they would deploy AI agents first, repetitive marketing and sales tasks topped the list, including website and SEO updates, managing social media and digital advertising, and booking customer appointments.

Take the Bluehost AI Front Desk Agent as an example. The agent acts as a 24/7 receptionist and sales assistant, answering customer questions using the business's own website and knowledge base, qualifying leads, and booking appointments directly into the business's Google Calendar. The agent is trained on the business's own content and is connected to real-time systems; therefore, it behaves more like a knowledgeable team member than a generic chatbot.

For small businesses with limited staff, that's the real opportunity, not replacing people, but giving every entrepreneur a digital workforce that helps them accomplish more with the team they already have.

Most small businesses gain a competitive advantage by building real, human relationships with customers. How can they ensure that using AI agents doesn’t negatively impact that?

Small businesses don’t have to incorporate AI Agents into every workflow.

In fact, doing so would probably erode some of the customer trust they’ve built up. The trick is knowing where AI can streamline your work and where it’s likely to create complications. For example, using agentic AI to offload administrative marketing, sales, and operational work gives small businesses more time to spend with customers.

Use AI agents for efficiency, and not for relationship-building.

Are AI agents really like trusted employees? Can you set them a task and just let them get on with it unmonitored?

To some extent, you can treat AI agents like trusted employees, but inexperienced ones, at least early on.

Sachin Puri, CEO of Bluehost

To some extent, you can treat AI agents like trusted employees, but inexperienced ones, at least early on.

If you train them on a specific task and a clearly defined role, they will complete it and get the basics right. As your confidence in the technology grows, you can deploy them for more complex tasks.

They will learn from your data and workflows and be tuned to your business's voice and tone. Early on, this will require some handholding and monitoring, always with humans-in-the-loop on the escalation path.

There is also an important difference between a general-purpose agent and one purpose-built for a specific small-business job. With a general-purpose agent, the owner may need to define the workflow, write detailed instructions, connect tools, and establish guardrails.

At Bluehost, we do much of that upfront work. We identify common small-business processes and build specialized agents around them, so the owner is not starting from a blank page.

In Bluehost AI Store, for example, specialized agents monitor products, orders, inventory, customers, payments, and sales channels. A coordinating agent brings those signals together, identifies what needs attention, and presents the owner with a prioritized action plan. The owner can also manage the store through simple conversation rather than navigating complex eCommerce systems.

That does not mean owners should disengage completely.

AI can monitor activity, flag problems, recommend actions, and handle clearly defined tasks, but people should remain involved in decisions affecting customers, finances, or brand reputation. The goal is an appropriate level of trust versus blind trust. You start with a focused, lower-risk process, review the results, and give the agent more autonomy as it demonstrates reliability.

What happens if an AI customer service agent answers a question incorrectly, such as quoting at half the actual cost or booking an appointment at the wrong time? Who pays for that mistake – Bluehost or the business owner?

No AI system should be presented as incapable of making a mistake.

Sachin Puri, CEO of Bluehost

That is exactly why customer-facing AI needs more than a generic model and a chat interface. It should be trained on authoritative business information, connected to current systems, given clear boundaries, and monitored like any other customer-facing channel.

With Bluehost AI Front Desk Agent, our team helps configure and train the agent using the business’s own website, documents, policies, and brand guidelines. Its Google Calendar integration uses real-time availability, which helps reduce scheduling errors. Businesses can also review performance, update information, and retrain the agent as prices, policies, or availability change.

No AI system should be presented as incapable of making a mistake. Bluehost is responsible for providing a reliable platform and implementation support, while the business is responsible for keeping its source information accurate and deciding what the agent is authorized to communicate or do.

What other risks should small businesses be aware of when using AI agents?

The risks are manageable, but businesses should look at both the security of the technology and how the agent is configured.

Agents should run on reliable, secure infrastructure, but infrastructure is only one part of the equation. Businesses also need to understand what information the agent can access, where that data is processed, and what actions it is authorized to take. An agent should have only the access and permissions required for its specific job.

Accuracy matters as well. An agent relies on the business information and systems connected to it, so outdated pricing, policies, inventory, or availability can lead to incorrect results. The best approach is to start with a focused, lower-risk use case, keep sensitive or consequential actions behind appropriate approvals, and expand the agent’s responsibilities as it demonstrates reliability. Purpose-built agents can reduce risk because the workflows, integrations, and guardrails have already been designed around a defined business need.

Do you believe that AI agents are going to kill traditional drag-and-drop website builders?

AI agents probably won’t kill traditional website-building tools in general. In fact, drag-and-drop website builders that enable an AI management layer will see acceleration and continue to provide efficiency for small business owners.

In professional settings, though, replacing website builders is just one facet of what AI agents could accomplish. Our hope is that once small businesses realize that AI agents can make website creation more efficient, they’ll be curious about what else these tools can do.

Agentic technology can also automate marketing and sales tasks, scheduling, routine emails, vendor invoicing, employee onboarding, database management, and reports and analytics, among other tasks.

AI agents won’t “kill” the traditional methods, but small businesses might find that deploying agents is a better option in almost every case and frees up time to focus on essential tasks to grow the business.

With many business leaders rolling back on AI tools due to unforeseen costs, will AI tools like the ones you are rolling out remain available and affordable for small businesses in the coming years?

Bluehost is committed to keeping our tools as affordable as possible, both now and over the next few years. We are doing this following two paths:

• Pre-packaging AI Solutions with a fixed monthly price so that businesses know exactly what they will be paying without fear of overruns.  
• For customers who want to experiment more and with newer models and workflows, we are working on solutions that will deliver Tokens and Credits at very compelling economics.  

We understand the needs of SMB customers like very few in the industry and so this two-pronged approach is a design principle of our new Agentic offerings.

Can you tell us about any other AI agent tools you are working on at Bluehost?

We are working on quite a few AI and Agentic innovations focusing on the needs of SMBs.

We talk to small business owners every day and deeply understand their challenges, pain points, and needs. We are building Agents to help our SMB customers better run their business operations. Please stay tuned over the coming weeks and months as we unveil more purpose-built offerings for SMBs.