Anthropic’s Claude grabs top spot in App Store after Trump’s ban

Anthropic may have lost out on doing business with the US government, but it's gained enough popularity to earn the number one spot on the App Store's Top Free Apps leaderboard. At the top, Claude beat out both ChatGPT and Google Gemini, which respectively sit at the second and third spots on Apple's free apps charts.

The sudden surge in user downloads isn't random. It follows news that President Trump has barred any federal agency from using Anthropic's Claude or other AI tools after the AI company refused to concede on certain guardrails. After declining to have its AI models be used for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, Anthropic was also threatened with a "supply-chain risk" label by the Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The very public spat led to a wave of user support that finally allowed Claude to dethrone OpenAI's ChatGPT on the App Store as the most downloaded free app.

While OpenAI has stepped into Anthropic's shoes after agreeing to a deal with the Department of Defense, the CEO still offered up some thoughts about the debacle during an AMA on X. Even though Claude is a competing model, Sam Altman said that Anthropic's supply-chain risk designation was "a very bad decision" that he's hoping gets reversed. On top of that, OpenAI's CEO called Anthropic's blacklisting "an extremely scary precedent," but he's "still hopeful for a much better resolution."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/anthropics-claude-grabs-top-spot-in-app-store-after-trumps-ban-193610130.html?src=rss

7 Best Tiny Home Accessories That Make Small-Space Living Feel Like a Design Choice, Not a Compromise

Living small has a perception problem. Most people associate compact spaces with sacrifice, with the slow creep of clutter and the resignation that comes from owning less. But the best tiny home accessories flip that narrative entirely, turning constraints into opportunities for deliberate, considered living. The products on this list do not just fit into small spaces; they make small spaces feel intentional.

What separates a well-designed tiny home from a cramped apartment is not square footage. It is the objects inside it. Every item earns its place, or it does not belong. That principle drove our selection here: seven accessories that pull double duty, look better than they have any right to, and solve problems that only people who live in tight quarters truly understand.

1. Miniature Bonfire Wood Diffuser- A tiny bonfire that never burns out.

The miniature bonfire wood diffuser set does something rare for a home fragrance product: it gives you a reason to stare at it. Built from rust-resistant stainless steel, the set recreates a campfire scene at desktop scale, complete with miniature firewood bundled with a tying knot. The essential oil captures the scent of Mt. Hakusan, a Japanese mountain known for its dense cedar forests, and the firewood pieces distribute that fragrance with a slow, even release that synthetic plug-in diffusers cannot match.

In a tiny home, scent fills a room faster and lingers longer than it would in a larger space. That concentration works in this diffuser’s favor, but the real reason it belongs on this list is the trivets. Remove them from the base, and the diffuser transforms into a pocket stove capable of warming small portions of food. For anyone living in a space where every object needs to justify its existence, a centerpiece that doubles as a cooking surface is the kind of thinking that makes compact living feel clever rather than constrained.

Click Here to Buy Now: $99.00 Hurry! Only a few left.

What we like

  • Rust-resistant stainless steel construction means it ages well in humid or kitchen-adjacent environments
  • Trivets convert the decorative diffuser into a functional pocket stove, adding genuine utility to an ornamental object

What we dislike

  • The essential oil scent is specific to Mt. Hakusan, which limits fragrance variety without purchasing additional oils separately
  • The miniature scale, while charming, means the heat output of the stove is minimal to reheating rather than actual cooking

2. Lotus Clock – A wall clock that catches your keys.

The Lotus clock takes its cues from nature in a way that feels functional rather than decorative. Inspired by the way lotus leaves gather water in their gentle curves, the clock integrates a curved metal tray directly beneath its face, sized to hold keys, loose change, or other daily carry items. The wooden frame has soft, rounded corners, and the clean white face keeps time-reading effortless. Broad, flat hands coordinate with the tray’s finish, tying the clock’s two functions into a single visual statement.

Tiny homes struggle with the small-object problem: keys, coins, earbuds, and pens that scatter across every available surface and create visual noise. The Lotus clock solves this by assigning those objects a permanent home on the wall, freeing up counter and table space that compact kitchens and entryways cannot afford to lose. Available in soft gold or gentle green colorways, the piece complements different interior styles without competing for attention. The concept is a wall clock, but the execution is a storage solution disguised as one.

What we like

  • The biomimetic tray design turns a single-purpose wall object into a genuine organizational tool for daily carry items
  • Soft colorway options (gold, green) let it blend into varied interior palettes without adding visual clutter

What we dislike

  • As a concept design, availability and final production specs remain unconfirmed
  • The tray’s capacity is limited to lightweight, small items, so it will not replace a proper entryway organizer for larger households

3. Eames Hang-It-All – Fourteen hooks wrapped in wooden spheres and wire.

The Eames Hang-It-All, designed by Charles and Ray Eames, is one of those rare objects that has remained in continuous production since 1953 for a reason no one can argue with: it works. The design uses a welded steel wire frame with fourteen lacquered wooden balls in various colors, each one with a hook. The structure mounts flat against the wall and occupies almost no depth, which makes it ideal for narrow hallways and entryways where a traditional coat rack would block the path.

In a tiny home, vertical storage is everything, and the Hang-It-All exploits wall space that would otherwise sit empty. The colored spheres turn utilitarian storage into something worth looking at, which matters in a space where every object is visible at all times. Originally designed to encourage children to hang up their belongings, the playful form has aged into an adult staple that brings warmth to minimalist interiors without the heaviness of a wooden coat rack or the coldness of bare metal hooks.

What we like

  • The welded wire frame sits almost flush against the wall, consuming minimal hallway depth in tight entryways
  • Multiple color combinations available, allowing the piece to function as both storage and wall art simultaneously

What we dislike

  • The price point through Design Within Reach positions it as a premium purchase for what is, functionally, a coat hook
  • Fourteen hooks sounds generous, but the spacing means heavy coats can crowd each other and obscure the design

4. CD Jacket Player – Physical media turned into wall-mounted decor.

The CD jacket player does not pretend that CDs are making a comeback in any mainstream sense. Instead, it treats them as objects worth displaying, building a player around the album jacket rather than hiding it inside a drawer. The minimalist frame holds the CD’s cover art front and center, and a wall mount bracket lets the entire unit hang like a small piece of art. A built-in battery means it works on the go, and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity lets it pair with wireless speakers and earphones.

Tiny homes demand that objects do more than one thing, and a music player that doubles as wall art earns its square footage in a way a Bluetooth speaker sitting on a shelf never could. The design acknowledges that people who still own CDs are emotionally attached to the physical format, to the artwork, and the ritual of selecting a disc. Mounting the player on the wall removes it from the counter, the nightstand, or whatever other surface it would otherwise claim. In a 400-square-foot space, that kind of reclaimed real estate adds up.

Click Here to Buy Now: $169.00 Hurry! Only a few left.

What we like

  • Wall-mount capability turns the player into displayable art, removing it from limited counter and shelf space
  • Bluetooth 5.0 means wireless pairing with existing speakers, so it does not demand its own audio setup

What we dislike

  • The audience for a physical CD player in 2026 is narrow, making this a niche purchase even among design-conscious buyers
  • Built-in battery life for portable use remains unspecified, and running both a motor and Bluetooth drains cells quickly

5. Ferm Living Plant Box – A planter that reorganizes your entire floor plan.

The Ferm Living plant box is, at its simplest, a rectangular metal box on thin legs with a powder-coated finish. But its real value in a tiny home has nothing to do with plants. The box’s proportions and height make it a room divider, a bookshelf, a toy bin, or a display surface that creates the illusion of separate zones within an open floor plan. The slim legs keep sightlines open at floor level, which is a small detail that makes a big difference in preventing a small room from feeling boxed in.

Studio apartments and single-room tiny homes rarely have the luxury of walls. The plant box fills that gap by creating what designers call “islands,” small zones of activity defined by furniture rather than architecture. Place it between a sleeping area and a desk, fill it with trailing plants or stacked books, and the eye reads two separate spaces where only one exists. The powder-coated metal is easy to wipe down, resistant to moisture, and available in black, a color that recedes visually and lets the objects inside take focus.

What we like

  • Thin legs preserve floor-level sightlines, preventing the visual weight that closed-base furniture adds to compact rooms
  • Multipurpose use as a planter, divider, bookshelf, or toy storage gives it a role in every room without redundancy

What we dislike

  • The open-top design means dust collects on whatever is stored inside, requiring regular maintenance in exposed layouts
  • Weight capacity is limited by the thin leg construction, so heavier items like large potted plants or dense book collections need caution

6. Key Holder Wakka – Neodymium magnet meets Japanese woodcraft.

The Key Holder Wakka turns the act of putting down your keys into something you look forward to. The system pairs a stainless steel, iron, and brass keyring with an elegant wooden base (available in maple or walnut). A neodymium magnet holds the ring securely in place, and separating the two produces a distinct, brisk tapping sound. That sound is the entire point. In a tiny home, where every habit compounds in visibility, a designated key spot eliminates the daily search-and-panic cycle.

The design logic here is behavioral rather than decorative. By making the act of placing keys enjoyable, the Wakka trains a habit through positive reinforcement rather than guilt. The wooden base is small enough to sit on a windowsill, a narrow shelf, or beside a door frame without claiming space that other items need. The material combination of warm wood and cool metal reads as considered rather than cluttered, which matters when every object on a surface contributes to the visual temperature of the entire room. Losing your keys in 300 square feet should be impossible, but anyone who has lived small knows it happens constantly.

Click Here to Buy Now: $45.00

What we like

  • The neodymium magnet holds the keyring firmly in place, preventing the drift that happens with open trays and bowls
  • Audible feedback when placing or removing keys creates a sensory ritual that reinforces the habit of using the holder

What we dislike

  • The system requires using the specific Wakka keyring, so existing keychains or fobs need to be transferred or replaced
  • At its core, this is a single-purpose object: it holds one set of keys, which limits utility for multi-person households

7. TUMBA Modular Shelf System – Lego logic applied to storage furniture.

The TUMBA modular shelf system addresses the single biggest frustration with flat-pack furniture: fixed dimensions. Where conventional shelving forces rooms to conform to predetermined sizes, TUMBA offers stackable modules made from recycled polymer that lock together without tools. High-strength plexiglass provides structural transparency, stainless steel connections snap securely into place, and the swirled textures in each panel carry visible traces of the material’s previous life. The bold colors and playful forms make the storage itself worth looking at.

Tiny homes change. A shelf configuration that works in January stops making sense after a furniture rearrangement in March, and traditional shelving punishes that flexibility with disassembly headaches and leftover hardware. TUMBA’s tool-free construction means reconfiguring takes minutes, and the modular format lets it grow vertically in tight corners or stretch horizontally along narrow walls. For renters in compact spaces who move frequently, a shelf system that breaks down and rebuilds without damage is less of a convenience and more of a necessity. The recycled material story is a bonus, but the real selling point is permission to change your mind.

What we like

  • Tool-free assembly and reconfiguration mean the shelf adapts to layout changes without the frustration of traditional flat-pack rebuilds
  • Recycled polymer construction gives each panel a unique swirled texture that standard particle board or MDF cannot replicate

What we dislike

  • Bold colors and playful forms may clash with more subdued or neutral interior palettes common in compact living spaces
  • Plexiglass panels, while visually light, are more prone to surface scratching than solid wood or metal shelving alternatives

Where Small Living Gets Interesting

The common thread across these seven products is not size. It is intent. Each one was designed with the understanding that small spaces do not need small thinking. They need objects that work harder, look better, and respect the reality that in a tiny home, there is no junk drawer to hide mistakes in. Every surface is a display, every object is a statement, and every purchase is a commitment.

What makes compact living feel like a design choice rather than a compromise has less to do with architecture and more to do with curation. The right diffuser, the right clock, the right shelf system: these are the decisions that turn 300 square feet into a space that feels chosen rather than settled for. And in a world that keeps building bigger, there is something satisfying about proving that less, when it is the right less, is more than enough.

The post 7 Best Tiny Home Accessories That Make Small-Space Living Feel Like a Design Choice, Not a Compromise first appeared on Yanko Design.

The US reportedly used Anthropic’s AI for its attack on Iran, just after banning it

In a lengthy post on Truth Social on February 27, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to "immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology" following strong disagreements between the Department of Defense and the AI company. A few hours later, the US conducted a major air attack on Iran with the help of Anthropic's AI tools, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

The president noted in his post that there would be a "six-month phase-out period for agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products," so federal agencies are still expected to eventually move away from using Claude or other Anthropic tech. It's also not the first time that the US used Anthropic's AI for a major military operation, as the WSJ previously reported that Claude was used in the capture of the now-removed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

Moving forward, the Department of Defense may begin transitioning towards other AI options, especially after reaching deals with both xAI and OpenAI to use their models within the federal agency's network. However, the WSJ reported that it would take months to replace Anthropic's Claude with other AI models.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-us-reportedly-used-anthropics-ai-for-its-attack-on-iran-just-after-banning-it-172908929.html?src=rss

Honor MagicPad4 Review: The World’s Thinnest Tablet Nails Portability and Performance

PROS:


  • Excellent portability

  • Immersive content-consuming experience

  • Great battery life

  • Powerful performance

CONS:


  • No microSD card slot

  • No IP rating

  • Underwhelming software support period

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The Honor MagicPad4 nails extreme portability with a gorgeous OLED screen, strong performance, and a surprisingly complete productivity toolkit that makes it feel like a real work-capable tablet.

Honor is pitching the MagicPad4 as a tablet that can travel like a notebook and work like a small laptop, without dragging you into the usual compromises. The headline numbers are bold. 4.8mm thin and about 450g, paired with a 12.3-inch OLED panel that runs up to 165Hz and hits a claimed 2400 nits peak brightness in HDR. 

Under that sleek shell, HONOR is also treating this as a proper flagship. You get Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, Wi-Fi 7, a 10,100mAh typical battery with 66W wired charging, and a cooling system designed to keep performance consistent under load. With the headline specs out of the way, let’s get into what the MagicPad4 is actually like to live with.

Designer: Honor

Aesthetics

The MagicPad 4 looks like it was designed with a single obsession. Make the body feel impossibly slim, then let the display do the talking. Its design language is clean, modern, and very display-forward, and it feels intentionally restrained in the best way. Instead of chasing flashy accents, the tablet leans into a minimalist, yet elegant look that quietly simmers.

Flip it over, and the styling stays just as composed. On the back, the MagicPad 4 features a square camera bump in the upper left corner, while the HONOR logo sits centered for a balanced, gallery-like finish. Color options are simple and confident, with Gray and White both pairing naturally with the tablet’s understated aesthetic.

Ergonomics

In hand, the MagicPad4’s defining ergonomic feature is slimness and weight, or the lack of it. The MagicPad 3 was already ahead of the pack on portability, listed at 5.79mm and about 595g, but the MagicPad4 still makes a meaningful leap at just 4.8mm thin and about 450g. The screen is slightly smaller this time around, dropping from 13.3 inches on the MagicPad 3 to 12.3 inches here, yet the reduction in thickness and weight is still impressive, even with that display size change in mind.

On paper, those numbers can sound like a modest revision. In use, they show up as less hand fatigue and less hesitation to pick it up for quick reading, quick edits, or a short sketching session. To underline how light it is for its size, HONOR even notes that the 12.3-inch MagicPad4 is lighter than an 11-inch iPad Air at around 462g, which is a helpful reality check for just how portable it feels.

Attach the optional keyboard, and that light, sheet-like feeling largely stays intact. That is when it becomes obvious the MagicPad4 is meant to be used as a full kit. HONOR’s three-piece mobile office set, meaning tablet plus keyboard plus stylus, comes in at about 852g, which is still easy to treat as a grab-and-go setup.

Typing feels surprisingly firm, but the slim keyboard has shallower key travel, so long sessions are a bit less comfortable than on a thicker, more laptop-like keyboard. Still, it is a tradeoff I am willing to take for how portable the whole setup is. Typing on your lap is doable, but the keyboard does not feel as planted as a laptop or a more rigid keyboard setup, so it can wobble a bit when you shift around.

Where the keyboard design really helps is flexibility. You fold the top half of the back cover to prop the tablet up, and it gives you a wide range of display tilt angles. It is the kind of flexibility you end up using constantly, especially on the go, when you are stuck working with whatever table and chair height you find.

Performance

Performance starts with the panel, because it sets the tone for everything you do on the tablet. There was a lot of backlash when HONOR switched from OLED to IPS LCD on the MagicPad 3, so bringing OLED back on the MagicPad4 feels like a direct response to what people actually wanted. Here, you get a 12.3-inch OLED with a 3000 x 1920 resolution and up to a 165Hz refresh rate, framed by a 4mm ultra-narrow bezel and a 93% screen-to-body ratio that makes the front feel almost all screen.

In use, the MagicPad4 feels smooth when you scroll, sharp when you read, and fluid when you bounce between apps. The high refresh rate is not something you consciously track all the time, but it helps everything look a bit more stable and refined, especially when you are moving quickly through feeds, documents, and multi-app workflows. It also supports 1.07 billion colors and a claimed 2400 nits peak brightness for HDR and strong light scenarios, which is a strong fit for both entertainment and everyday browsing.

Just like its flagship smartphones, HONOR treats eye comfort as part of the performance story, not a footnote. The MagicPad4 is TÜV Rheinland flicker-free and low blue light certified, and it stacks 5280Hz PWM dimming with Chip-Level AI Defocus Display and DOT Eye Comfort Technology. None of this is medical, but it is the kind of feature set that matters if you read, write, and edit for hours, because it gives you a concrete way to talk about comfort over long sessions.

The display performance also matters for pen input, and the MagicPad4 is compatible with the HONOR Magic-Pencil 3. For note-taking and sketching, it makes the tablet feel more like a digital notebook than just a consumption screen, and it is the accessory that turns that big OLED into something you can actually work on, not just look at.

HONOR pairs the display with an eight-speaker setup featuring HONOR Spatial Audio. It sounds excellent overall, with a wide soundstage and solid clarity. Dialogue comes through cleanly, and music has enough separation that it does not blur into a flat wall of sound, though bass is a bit limited, as you would expect from a tablet this slim.

Combined with the 93% screen-to-body ratio and those slim bezels, the MagicPad4 can feel genuinely immersive for movies and video. It is the kind of tablet that makes you want to watch one more episode, because the screen and speakers work together in a way that feels closer to a tiny home theater than a typical mobile device.

Under the hood, it runs on Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, which gives it the headroom to stay responsive when you start stacking tasks, juggling multiple apps, or pushing more demanding games and creative workloads. Configurations include 12GB RAM with 256GB storage, or 16GB RAM with 512GB storage.

The MagicPad4 runs MagicOS 10 based on Android 16, and a lot of its performance feel comes from the PC-style features and multitasking tools built into the software. For instance, the moment you attach the keyboard, the system prompts you to switch into PC Mode, which immediately reframes the tablet as more of a small desktop than a giant phone.

With PC Mode on, you can open up to four floating windows at once. You can resize them, move them around freely, and set up your own layout depending on what you are doing, like notes on one side, a browser on the other, and a couple of smaller apps layered in. It is a simple feature, but it makes multitasking feel natural on a 12.3-inch screen. On top of that, HONOR bundles a full suite of AI features, so the tablet is not just fast, it is clearly designed to help you get through work faster too.

The cameras are not the reason you buy the MagicPad 4, but they are perfectly fine for what a tablet usually gets used for. You get a 13MP autofocus rear camera for quick document scans and occasional shots, plus a 9MP fixed-focus front camera that is mainly for video calls, and both are serviceable without being a main selling point.

Sustainability

HONOR does not lean heavily on sustainability messaging for the MagicPad4. What it emphasizes instead is structural durability. The MagicPad4 uses aerospace-grade special fiber as part of its body, which HONOR says reduces weight while increasing stiffness by 30%.

There is also a practical durability caveat. There is no IP rating mentioned, so I would be careful around water and treat it like a device that is not meant to handle spills. Software support matters for longevity, too, and HONOR’s promise of three years of major OS updates and three years of security updates is far from class-leading, so it is worth factoring in if you plan to keep the tablet for the long haul.

Value

Value is where the MagicPad4 starts to make a lot of sense, because HONOR is not pricing it like a niche luxury tablet. In the U.K., the 12GB plus 256GB model is £599.99 (about $760 USD), and the 16GB plus 512GB version is £699.99 (about $890 USD). Accessories are priced separately, with the HONOR MagicPad4 Smart Keyboard listed at £140.98 and the Magic-Pencil 3 at £30, which is worth factoring in if you plan to use it as more than a media tablet.

What makes this feel like great value is the overall hardware and feature mix. You are getting a flagship Snapdragon chip, a 12.3-inch 165Hz OLED, a sleek form factor, and a software experience that leans into PC-style multitasking. At these prices, the MagicPad4 makes the most sense for people who will actually use that work-capable tablet angle, not just the big-screen entertainment side.

Verdict

The HONOR MagicPad4 nails the parts of tablet life that actually matter day to day. It is exceptionally portable, the 12.3-inch 165Hz OLED is excellent for reading and media, and the eight-speaker setup helps it feel more immersive than most thin tablets. With the keyboard attached, PC Mode and floating windows make it feel closer to a small laptop than a typical Android tablet.

The compromises are more about the physical keyboard experience and long-term ownership than the software itself. The keyboard is convenient and flexible, but the shallow key travel and slightly wobbly lap use remind you that it is still a tablet-first setup. Honor also does not say much about sustainability, and the promised two major OS updates and four years of security patches are not class-leading, so it is worth weighing if you plan to keep the tablet for many years.

The post Honor MagicPad4 Review: The World’s Thinnest Tablet Nails Portability and Performance first appeared on Yanko Design.

RIP iPad Mini? The iPhone Fold’s 7.8-Inch Display Changes Everything

RIP iPad Mini? The iPhone Fold’s 7.8-Inch Display Changes Everything iPhone Fold

  Apple is reportedly preparing to unveil its first foldable iPhone, potentially named the iPhone Fold, later this year. This highly anticipated device is expected to combine Apple’s renowned design expertise with innovative technology, aiming to establish a new benchmark in the foldable smartphone market. By focusing on premium materials, advanced engineering, and seamless hardware-software […]

The post RIP iPad Mini? The iPhone Fold’s 7.8-Inch Display Changes Everything appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Posted in Uncategorized

Apple Pro Display DR Alternative : Kuycon G32P 32-inch 6K Monitor Priced Under $2,000

Apple Pro Display DR Alternative : Kuycon G32P 32-inch 6K Monitor Priced Under $2,000 Kuycon G32P mounted on the optional stand, demonstrating height adjustment, tilt range, and portrait rotation.

For creative professionals and enthusiasts seeking a high-resolution display without the premium price tag of the Apple Pro Display XDR, the Kuycon G32P 32-inch 6K monitor offers a compelling alternative. As highlighted by KevZ, this monitor delivers a sharp 6K resolution with 223 pixels per inch (PPI), making it particularly well-suited for tasks like photo […]

The post Apple Pro Display DR Alternative : Kuycon G32P 32-inch 6K Monitor Priced Under $2,000 appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Posted in Uncategorized

A closer look at Honor’s Robot Phone

While Honor has already made plenty of product announcements, with tablets, foldables and more, its most interesting device at MWC 2026 is the Robot Phone — and maybe the humanoid robot that came alongside it.  

After briefly showing off a model at CES, Honor isn't quite ready to launch its Robot Phone. However, we got more specs, tech demos and a closer look following the company's MWC press event in Barcelona. The Robot Phone is currently set to launch later this year.

Honor Robot Phone at MWC 2026
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Honor has put a lot of effort into ensuring its camera gimbal is highly mobile, to the point of creating a tiny personal robot that is, dare I say, adorable? The Robot Phone's pop-up camera can cock its head, shake to say no, nod to agree, and even "flip" – or at least rotate 360 degrees. According to Honor's presentation, it can even bop along to songs. A spokesperson told me that it's got five songs in its repertoire, so it's not clear whether they're programmed for these kind of demos, or will be a feature of the final retail device.

Another demo here at MWC showed how you could make the Robot Phone "sleep" by covering its gimbal eye, though it's odd that the camera is still exposed rather than folded away. My main concern with the Robot Phone is the robustness and durability of its robotic mechanisms. We've lived through several waves of smartphones that attempted much simpler mechanical camera functions and the threat of dust or heavy-handed users can't be ignored.

Honor Robot Phone at MWC 2026
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

The company says it's taken what it learned from foldables, regarding high-performance materials and simulation accuracy, and applied it to shrinking the camera module. On stage, Honor CEO James Li revealed what he calls the industry's smallest micro motor, much smaller than a 1-euro coin and, he added, 70 percent smaller than existing micro motors. 

As this component has been reduced substantially, the Robot Phone's gimbal will be the industry's smallest 4-degrees-of-freedom gimbal system. That's a spec – we finally got a spec! It'll also offer three-axis stabilization in this tiny camera package, with the primary camera using a 200-megapixel sensor. 

The fold-away panel that the primary camera tucks into also reveals more typical cameras, so you're not forced to use the gimbal if you don't need it. Still, that's one very thick camera unit:

Honor Robot Phone at MWC 2026
Image by Mat Smith for Engadget

Honor has already started building out camera modes and features, with a Super Steady Video mode that enhances stability while swinging the Robot Phone around to capture video. AI Object Tracking will apparently intelligently follow subjects, while AI SpinShot supports intelligent 90-degree and 180-degree rotational movement for more cinematic transitions. We've seen these sorts of pre-programmed movements and functions in full-size phone gimbals and action cams. If Honor can nail it in such a tiny form, it'll be impressive. 

Other specifications during Honor's press event were sparse, although the company announced a collaboration with ARRI Image Science to bring its cinematic smarts to the Robot Phone's gimbal camera. 

In a press release, Honor's Li said the collaboration would bring ARRI's "cinematic standards and professional workflows" into mobile imaging. It's apparently the first time elements of ARRI Image Science are being integrated into a consumer device. Dr. Benedikt von Lindeiner, VP at ARRI, said the goal is to bring a true cinematic aesthetic, such as "natural color, gentle highlight roll-off, and a sense of depth," to shooting with an Honor smartphone.

Honor Robot Phone at MWC 2026
Image by Mat Smith

Honor also made a humanoid robot companion for its Robot Phone. The bot took to the stage alongside the Robot Phone, danced alongside human dancers, did a backflip and shook hands with CEO James Li. It didn't say a thing, but fortunately, during some on-the-rails banter between the robot, Robot Phone and Honor's CEO, the Robot Phone was particularly chatty.

Like the many humanoid robots we've reported on and seen in person, Honor hopes to put it to work in both industrial and domestic settings, pitching it as a central part of the company's multi-million-dollar push into AI. For now, it's being called Honor Robot.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/a-closer-look-at-honors-robot-phone-145935198.html?src=rss

A Swiss Designer Just Replaced Your HVAC System With a 500-Year-Old Pot

We spend a lot of time looking forward when it comes to solving the climate crisis. Better batteries, smarter thermostats, AI-optimized HVAC systems. And sure, some of that will matter. But I keep finding myself more drawn to designers who have the nerve to look backward, who dig through centuries of human ingenuity and ask why we ever stopped doing things that clearly worked. Salla Vallotton is one of those designers, and her project Celcius is one of the most compelling arguments I’ve seen for ancient technology dressed in modern form.

Celcius is a terracotta-based heating and cooling system developed at ECAL in Lausanne, Switzerland. At its core, the idea is almost absurdly simple. Terracotta absorbs heat slowly and releases it gradually, which means in winter it can soak up warmth from a small source and radiate it back into a room for hours. In summer, the same material’s porosity allows it to draw in water, and as that moisture evaporates from the surface, it pulls heat from the surrounding air. It’s the same physics behind why sweating cools you down. One object, two seasons, zero complexity.

Designer: Salla Vallotton

What strikes me about this project isn’t the material science, which is well-established and has been for centuries. It’s the framing. Vallotton isn’t presenting Celcius as a nostalgic throwback or a craft exercise. She’s making a pointed observation about how we’ve organized our relationship with the spaces we live in. Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of global energy consumption, and in cold climates like Switzerland, heating eats up a disproportionate share of that number. Yet our systems remain stubbornly split: fossil-fuel heating that shuts off in June, air conditioning that kicks in to replace it. Two separate infrastructures for one continuous problem. Celcius merges them.

I think the cultural dimension is what elevates this beyond a clever prototype. Vallotton looked at the Alpine masonry stoves called Kachelofen, those massive ceramic structures that didn’t just heat a room but organized life around them. People understood how they worked. They could maintain them, repair them, build their daily rhythms around their cycles. There was a literacy to domestic technology that we’ve almost entirely surrendered. Today, our heating and cooling systems are hidden behind walls, managed by apps, and serviced by specialists. We’ve traded understanding for convenience, and I’m not sure we got the better end of that deal.

That’s the tension Celcius sits in, and it’s the reason the project sticks with me. It’s not anti-technology. It’s anti-invisibility. Vallotton places her terracotta system in the room as a physical, sculptural presence, something you live with rather than forget about. There’s a quiet radicalism in that choice. At a time when every product wants to disappear into the background, to be seamless and ambient and smart, here’s an object that insists on being seen, touched, and understood.

Of course, Celcius is still a prototype, and I don’t think Vallotton is claiming it will replace your furnace. The project operates more as a provocation than a product, a proof of concept that opens up questions rather than closing them. What if domestic infrastructure were legible again? What if the objects that regulate our comfort also had aesthetic and cultural weight? What would it mean to actually understand the systems that keep us warm?

These aren’t rhetorical questions. As European summers grow hotter and the pressure to decarbonize intensifies, the search for alternative thermal strategies is becoming urgent. And while the tech industry races to build ever more sophisticated solutions, projects like Celcius remind us that sophistication isn’t always the answer. Sometimes the most radical move is rediscovering something we already knew.

I find that idea genuinely exciting. Not because I think we should abandon modern engineering, but because the best design has always known how to hold the old and the new in the same hand. Vallotton does that with remarkable clarity, and Celcius is better for it.

The post A Swiss Designer Just Replaced Your HVAC System With a 500-Year-Old Pot first appeared on Yanko Design.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which 2026 Flagship Has the Best Camera?

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which 2026 Flagship Has the Best Camera? Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max camera comparison for HDR and zoom

Smartphone cameras have become a defining feature of modern devices, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro Max represent the pinnacle of this evolution. Both phones promise innovative performance, but their strengths vary depending on the scenario. This detailed comparison explores their capabilities across key areas such as HDR, zoom, stabilization, and night […]

The post Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which 2026 Flagship Has the Best Camera? appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

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Honor’s Magic V6 doesn’t have a new rabbit to pull out of its hat

Honor launched the Magic V5 in August 2025 and yet its successor is being announced just seven months later. Speak to Honor’s representatives, and you can imply that it’s racing to push the envelope against both its real competition (Samsung) and its anticipated one (Apple). With so little time between launches, you’ll be unsurprised to learn that little has changed. The only other real reason this device has been pushed out so swiftly is because it’ll help Honor retain the title of making the world’s thinnest foldable. I’ll leave you to decide if you think that’s a valid enough reason to release a whole new smartphone so soon.

Last year, just one of the four Magic V5 colorways measured in at 8.8mm folded and 4.1mm open while the rest clocked in at 9mm and 4.2mm respectively. This year Honor is marking its own homework with a similarly generous spirit, with the white version of the Magic V6 measuring 8.75mm folded and 4.0mm open. The black, gold and red colorways will have to settle for the indignity of measuring 9mm folded and 4.1mm open. Now, I appreciate the engineering savvy necessary to make a device this slim, but this push for more thinness needs to stop. Last year’s Magic V5 crossed the millimeters-wide rubicon from slender to dainty, to the point where, while holding it, I was worried about how durable it was. After all, foldables are regularly put through mechanical stresses that regular phones never have to deal with in normal duty.

Honor says the phone is well built to withstand the rigors of normal life, including a scratch-resistant display cover. The screen is impact-resistant, there’s a far stronger hinge and it’s rated for IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance. Claims that, I’m sure, will be tested to its limits by sceptical reviewers when the device goes on sale. The company has also been scraping away at the V6’s weight, with the white model weighing in at 219 grams, while the other three colorways are 224 grams. That’s lighter than an iPhone 17 Pro Max (233 grams), and you can bet Honor mentioned that fact in its briefings to the press more than once.

Honor has also seen fit to make some massive design changes to the inside of the V6 to help shrink many of its components. This redesigned internal structure includes a new antenna, speaker chamber, vibration motor, NFC module, SIM card slot and USB-C housing. All of the space vacated by those components has been filled by a new 6,660mAh battery with 25 percent silicon content. Honor says you should expect to be able to play a video on the primary display for 24 hours with that beefy battery.

It’s worth noting only the international version is equipped with this 6,660mAh cell, while the China-only variant gets an even better model. Honor said its domestic edition will have a CATL-manufactured battery with 32 percent silicon content and a rated capacity of more than 7,000mAh.

Honor Magic V6 on its side
Honor

“And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, seeing as he had no more worlds to conquer.” The quote comes from Die Hard — although it’s an urban myth that film coined the phrase entirely — but the sentiment applies to much of the rest of this handset. The rest of the spec sheet is more or less the same as found on the Magic V5, which itself was a modest revision of its predecessor. Essentially, there aren’t too many more worlds to conquer even at the highest end of smartphone components, so grab your weepin’ tissues.

Dab at the corners of your eyes when you see the cameras are more or less identical both in the main setup and for selfies. There are two 50-megapixel lenses paired with a 64-megapixel telephoto, and up front on both the cover and internal display, there’s a 20-megapixel f/2.2 selfie lens.

You’ll find similarly-meager fare in the list of changes made to the displays, since the primary screen remains the same size and resolution as before. The bezels on the cover screen have been trimmed, so it now measures in at 6.52-inches, up from the 6.43-inch on the V5. But in most of the other ways in which it matters, you’ll find that here it’s business as usual.

The V5 shipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and that was plenty fast enough. The V6 can boast that it’s the first foldable to ship with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage). While it is an upgrade on the older SoC, it’s not transformative. Let’s be honest, it’s hard not to see Honor’s desire to shuffle a new handset out the door with some marketing claims comes at the cost of any meaningful substance.

On the software side, it’s business as usual, although one thing caught my eye enough to be worth comment. At several points during Honor’s briefing, the company went hard on the idea that its devices play wonderfully well with Apple’s. If you install Honor Connect onto your iPhone and Mac, you’ll be able to share files, extend your desktop and even control your AirPods. This was something the company has been pushing for a while now, but it surprised me how much it was brought up here.

On one hand, it makes sense that any would-be Apple challenger would offer a friendly way in for iPhone diehards. Tell them that your Android handset will integrate with your existing devices and then hope to show them what you’ve got to offer. On the other, if you’re so eager to tag your gear onto another company’s ecosystem, it doesn’t suggest a lot of confidence in your own. Especially when you’re marketing your pricey, ultra-premium flagship foldable as “an ideal macOS companion” in your own marketing materials. Still, being able to use the V6 as an extended display for your Mac is a cool idea, no matter the broader narrative.

At first blush, Honor’s Magic V6 looks like a phone that exists to satisfy a marketing demand rather than out of necessity. (I’m sure someone will point out that’s the case for a lot of new phones these days, but I’m sure you take my meaning.) To stay ahead of its rivals, it’s nipped and tucked every corner of this phone to within an inch of its life, and the end result is more or less the same handset we saw less than a year ago. That’s not to say it’s a bad phone, the V5 was a lovely piece of kit, but I can’t help but wonder if holding this device back until Honor had more meaningful improvements wouldn’t have been better.

At the time of publication, Honor hasn’t shared pricing and availability information, which we will update here when it’s announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/honors-magic-v6-doesnt-have-a-new-rabbit-to-pull-out-of-its-hat-130048729.html?src=rss