Apple reportedly cleared Samsung Display to make OLED panels for its first foldable iPhone, with hinge issues still shaping launch timing.
The post Samsung Reportedly Starts OLED Panel Production for Apple’s First Foldable iPhone appeared first on TechRepublic.
The Razer Seiren V3 Pro arrives as a pro‑level streaming microphone that finally feels like the centerpiece of Razer’s recent run of impressive peripherals. It pairs studio‑grade hardware — a large 30 mm dynamic capsule, USB‑C and XLR outputs, and tactile controls — with deep Synapse software and Chroma RGB flair, aiming to satisfy both serious creators and RGB enthusiasts.
This review cuts through the marketing: I’ll show what the mic actually sounds like, how its software and features stack up against rivals, and whether it’s worth swapping in for your current setup.
Razer had no input, nor did it see the contents of this review, prior to publication.
The Razer Seiren V3 Pro ($249.99 / €289.99) is a hybrid dynamic microphone tailored specifically for streamers, podcasters, and music producers.
At its heart sits a custom 30 mm dynamic capsule purpose-built to capture broadcast-style depth and natural warmth.
Structurally, it features a robust, resonance-resistant zinc unibody frame paired with an integrated, vibration-dampened adjustable arm mount.
To round out its premium aesthetic, it includes a gorgeous Razer Chroma RGB lighting ring that doubles as a real-time status and live mute indicator, which can be enabled by the mic button.
Unboxing the Razer Seiren V3 Pro is refreshingly simple. Unlike many high-end microphones that leave you scrambling to buy external accessories, this mic is entirely ready to rock right out of the box.
It features an included desktop stand, a built-in shock absorber, and a removable pop filter. Just plug it in via the included USB Type-C cable, complete a quick configuration, and you are up and running.
If you want to jump into the pro tier immediately, you can just as easily route an XLR cable (not included) straight from the base into an audio interface or mixer.
It’s a frictionless setup that gives you studio-grade enhancements with zero technical expertise required.
The Seiren V3 Pro separates itself from the pack by flawlessly bridging mainstream USB convenience and professional XLR performance.
Its primary direct competitor in this hybrid category is the HyperX Flipcast, which we've also reviewed. However, the Seiren V3 Pro secures a massive hardware victory right away: it includes a high-quality desktop stand and integrated shock mount in the box, whereas the Flipcast notoriously ships without a stand or boom arm, forcing an immediate extra purchase.
Furthermore, the software support here is on an entirely different level. While HyperX’s NGENUITY app offers rudimentary controls, Razer Synapse unlocks deep, granular audio customization:
The biggest hardware triumph here is the dual-connectivity workflow. Having both USB-C and XLR connections on one microphone offers massive advantages, though it comes with standard hybrid trade-offs:
During testing, there wasn't a noticeable difference in tonal warmth when swapping between the two connections, but the USB interface emerged as the clear favorite for me purely because it unlocks Synapse's superior sound features and DSP suite.
My experience otherwise with the mic has been great. You can hear it in action in the short review video accompanying this article, as well as on our recent Windows Central Podcast, Episode #396.
For now, I plan to keep using this mic over my HyperX ProCast. While the ProCast is an excellent, gold-sputtered large-diaphragm XLR condenser, it is strictly analog, requires 48V phantom power, and entirely lacks the modern digital conveniences, RGB integration, and software agility that make the Seiren V3 Pro so effortless to use daily.
Plus, while the ProCast had an original MSRP of $199.99 and dropped as low as $99.99 on sale, it now appears to be discontinued and increasingly hard to find, completely out of stock at both Best Buy and HyperX.
The Razer Synapse software features offer brilliant audio tuning, particularly the automatic environment noise test and AI noise remover. They do a spectacular job of silencing background hums and room reflections.
The Razer Synapse setup here was awesome: Hit a button and record yourself talking for 10 seconds. Hit another button and say nothing for 10 seconds. Then answer a few questions, e.g., what is your goal here (streamer, podcast, general, etc.) and what do you have fans running, environmental noise, etc. From that data, the system suggests your tuning, which you can then accept, and you're done. You can re-run the process anytime in Synapse should anything change.
The only minor catch is that the aggressive noise cancellation can occasionally cut your voice out a bit during quieter moments. Because of this, some manual tweaking of the noise gate threshold may still be needed to get it dialed in perfectly.
Finally, if you are already invested in Razer’s ecosystem—sporting a Razer keyboard, mouse, or monitor—adding this mic beautifully completes the package. The Chroma RGB ring integrates flawlessly into your existing lighting profiles, satisfying RGB enthusiasts while giving clear visual feedback on your live mute status via the tap-to-mute sensor.
This microphone is built for the forward-thinking content creator. It is perfect for game streamers, podcasters, and hybrid musicians who want beautiful aesthetic flair and USB simplicity today, but demand the studio-grade security of an XLR output as their production setup grows.
✅ You want USB‑C now, XLR later.
✅ You use Razer Synapse/Chroma and want full integration.
✅ You need onboard DSP (32‑bit float, AI noise removal) to cut post‑work.
❌ You prefer a pure XLR, software‑free workflow.
❌ You’re on a tight budget and don’t need RGB or Synapse.
❌You need full feature parity on macOS without Windows Synapse.
Admittedly, my "you should not buy ifs" here are nitpicky. You can just use this as an XLR mic with a software-free workflow if you want and not worry about USB or software. But there are also more affordable XLR-only mics, hence the con.
At $249.99, Razer positions the Seiren V3 Pro firmly in the higher-end premium tier compared to the HyperX Flipcast (which currently sits at $179.99 against a $229.99 MSRP) and the now-evaporated ProCast.
However, for me, the incredible Razer Synapse DSP more than makes up for that higher cost. The sheer quality of the out-of-the-box hardware processing saves massive time in post-production. I didn't expect that to be the big selling point, but it's clever software and the kind of "don't think about it" setups I prefer.
While you could look at other heavy hitters at this price point like the Shure MV7+ or SteelSeries Alias Pro, Razer brings an unmatched physical build quality, out-of-the-box completeness, and ecosystem synergy to your desk. It delivers studio sound, simply and effortlessly.
Razer's new studio‑grade mic with 32‑bit float clarity, USB/XLR flexibility, built‑in DSP and pop filter, RGB status ring, and durable zinc design for clean, professional sound in streaming or recording setups.
Low-angle shot of the Razer Seiren V3 Pro mic plugged into a USB-C cable next to its box, illuminated by a vivid blue and cyan background.
Low-angle shot of the Razer Seiren V3 Pro mic plugged into a USB-C cable next to its box, illuminated by a vivid blue and cyan background.
Apple’s next iPhone Air could arrive in spring 2027 with camera and battery upgrades as the company shifts toward staggered iPhone launches.
The post Apple Reportedly Preparing Second-Generation iPhone Air for Spring 2027 appeared first on TechRepublic.
Android 17 is rolling out to supported Pixel devices first, while non-Pixel users and IT teams face separate OEM timelines, beta programs, and app-testing considerations.
The post Android 17 Is Live on Pixel, but Samsung and Other Android Users Still Have to Wait appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google is testing a change that gives some new accounts 5GB by default, with the full 15GB unlocked only after phone verification.
The post Google’s Default 15GB Free Storage Is Ending for Some New Accounts appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google previewed Android 17 with Gemini AI tools, AirDrop-style sharing, privacy upgrades, multitasking changes, and stronger security controls.
The post Top New Features in Android 17 You’ll Notice This Year appeared first on TechRepublic.
Apple expanded Limit Precise Location in iOS 26.5, but the carrier privacy feature still requires select iPhones and iPads.
The post Apple’s iPhone Privacy Feature Expands to More Users Worldwide appeared first on TechRepublic.
Lumia 950
Lumia 950
Samsung’s One UI 8.5 rollout began in Korea on May 6, bringing Galaxy AI upgrades to select flagship phones and tablets in phased markets.
The post Samsung One UI 8.5 Rollout Begins: Eligible Galaxy Devices and How to Check appeared first on TechRepublic.
Phone cases have largely settled into two camps: the ones that protect your phone without anyone noticing they exist, and the ones that make a statement with printed graphics, colors, or textures. Neither approach has found a way to make the back of a phone genuinely interesting rather than just decorated. Designer Daniel Idle found a third option that neither camp seems to have considered.
The Terrarium Phone Case is a clear resin case for the iPhone 16 Pro Max with an actual planted environment sealed inside the back cavity. Moss, small-leafed plants, and a stabilized soil substrate are embedded within the transparent shell, creating a thin cross-section of living terrain that you carry around with you wherever the phone goes. It’s a working phone case, a functional terrarium, and an oddly calming thing to have in your pocket all at once.
Designer: Daniel Idle
The construction involved 3D modeling and fabrication in clear resin, producing a case with enough depth in the back wall to house soil, roots, and plant matter. The plants are packed using a stabilized substrate that keeps the arrangement intact when the phone is picked up, rotated, tilted, or slipped into a bag. The camera cutout is fully preserved; the charging port at the bottom remains accessible; the phone continues to work exactly as it always did.
What keeps everything alive inside the sealed cavity is a closed-loop moisture system. The plants and soil generate humidity, which evaporates toward the inner surface of the resin, condenses back into droplets, and cycles down again. Light passing through the clear shell feeds the plants from outside, while the substrate provides gradual nutrient release. The whole thing is, in a fairly literal sense, a miniature ecosystem that sustains itself without any intervention from the person carrying it.
The condensation that forms on the inside of the shell during high-humidity moments is part of the visual appeal rather than a flaw to be engineered away. Seeing that vapor cycle through the case is a reminder that something in there is alive, actively breathing and responding to its environment, in the same pocket or bag as a device specifically engineered to minimize all biological interference.
There’s a running thread through design culture about bringing nature back into objects and spaces that have drifted too far from it. Biophilic design has become a recognizable term for everything from moss walls in offices to plant-filled shelving in apartments. Most of those applications treat plants as decoration layered on top of an existing design. Idle’s approach is different because the plant system isn’t decoration; it’s structural, sealed directly into the object’s body as a core component rather than an afterthought.
Of course, there will be some reservations about putting moisture and soil so close to your phone, which might be resistant to water and dust, but only from brief encounters. Good thing, then, that it’s still a concept project right now. But as a thought experiment about what a phone case could reasonably contain, it lands somewhere between genuinely novel and gently absurd, which is probably the most honest place for a good idea to start.
The post Phone Cases Are Boring, This One Puts a Living Terrarium Inside first appeared on Yanko Design.
Microsoft Edge Vertical Tabs
All eyes were on Microsoft Edge this week after it was revealed the browser stores and loads passwords in plaintext upon startup.
Close-up of a Microsoft smartphone displaying colorful app tiles like Word, Facebook, and Messenger. A Surface tablet is partially visible beside it.
Microsoft abandoned Windows Phone years ago, but that hasn't stopped developers from trying to keep the platform alive.
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Omni photographs
Headset ascending.
Sleek gaming headphones in green and purple hues sit on a dark desk, surrounded by a glowing RGB keyboard and a smartphone, creating a vibrant tech ambiance.
Stylish and functional headset for gaming and music
Android 17 rumors point to Motion Assist, App Bubbles, native app locking, Gemini updates, and Android XR news ahead of Google I/O 2026.
The post Android 17: Everything We Know About Google’s Biggest Year Yet appeared first on TechRepublic.
Nokia Lumia 735 in orange on grass with autumn leaves
Promotional image for 8Marketplace, giving Windows Phone a new life in 2026.
Hand holding a red Nokia Lumia smartphone displaying the Discord logo against a bright screen. Background shows a blurred room with large windows.
Fans bring Discord to Windows Phone 7 using self-made apps.
Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1
A Nokia phone running Windows Phone 8.1.
The vivo X300 FE proves that a compact phone doesn't have to feel like a lesser one.
Premium smartphones have been trending bigger, heavier, and more visually imposing for years. It’s reached the point where “flagship” is almost synonymous with large, and carrying one all day feels less like convenience and more like a commitment. The compact phone hasn’t disappeared, but finding one that doesn’t sacrifice performance, battery life, or camera quality in exchange for a smaller footprint has been genuinely difficult.
That’s the gap the vivo X300 FE is aiming to fill. It pairs a 6.31-inch flat display with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, a 6,500 mAh battery, and a ZEISS co-engineered camera system, all within a compact design that stays remarkably light for its class. On paper, it reads like a phone that shouldn’t be this compact. But does it actually work in practice? We give it a spin to find out.
Designer: vivo
The X300 FE follows a flat-design language that’s become increasingly standard among more expensive flagships. There aren’t any curved glass edges or aggressively contoured surfaces, just a clean, rectangular form with ultra-narrow bezels, an aerospace-grade aluminum frame, and a front face that looks symmetrical and composed. The centered punch-hole is small and unobtrusive, and those slim borders give the display a neat, purposeful presence that doesn’t need theatrics to feel premium.
Our review unit came in white, which turns out to be a great choice for a phone this carefully considered. The matte rear panel uses vivo’s Metallic Sand AG glass treatment, giving it a soft, slightly chalky texture that resists fingerprints well and picks up ambient light in a way that shifts subtly between warm and cool tones. It doesn’t try to be eye-catching; it just looks well-made.
The flat aluminum frame wraps cleanly around the body, with edges that make it comfortable to grip without feeling sharp or slippery. The white model measures 8.10mm thick and weighs 192g, a hair more than the other colorways, but those differences don’t register in hand. What does register is the overall sense of a phone that’s been assembled with genuine attention to detail.
The camera module deserves its own mention. Rather than going for the oversized circular island that’s become visual shorthand for “serious camera phone,” vivo opted for a horizontal bar that spans the upper portion of the back. Three lenses are arranged neatly across it, with a ZEISS badge centered between them. It’s recognizable and distinctive without domineering the rest of the design. Admittedly, it’s going to be a divisive design, but it at least lets the vivo X300 FE easily stand out from the competition.
At 150.83mm tall and 71.76mm wide, the X300 FE sits firmly in one-handed territory. It isn’t trying to be a miniature phone. It’s simply sized more sensibly than most flagships on the market. You can reach across the screen without adjusting your grip, slip it into a front pocket without thinking, and hold it for extended periods without the wrist fatigue bigger phones tend to bring.
The 192g weight for the white model falls in a range that feels present without being burdensome. There’s enough substance here to reinforce the premium feel of the materials, but not so much that you’re constantly aware of it. The 8.10mm profile isn’t exactly wafer-thin, though that’s a reasonable trade-off for a 6,500 mAh cell packed inside a frame this compact.
The flat-sided frame also contributes more to the ergonomic experience than it might seem. It gives your palm a stable, consistent surface to press against during typing and scrolling, which feels more controlled than on rounded-edge designs. The compact footprint, flat back, and balanced weight distribution all work together to make this a phone that feels designed around how it’s actually used.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 inside doesn’t need much introduction. It’s a flagship-class mobile processor, and the X300 FE puts it to good use. The 12GB RAM, expandable with another 12GB taken from the generous 512GB storage, clearly marks it as a class above your typical mid-tier compact phone. It runs Origin OS 6, based on the current Android 16 release, embracing a more minimalist and flat aesthetic that perfectly matches the phone’s design.
Day-to-day tasks feel completely effortless, from switching between apps and browser tabs to occasional gaming sessions, and nothing about the experience suggests the compact body is in any way holding the hardware back. Thermals are pretty impressive, given the vivo X300 FE’s size, but its compact form factor might work against it when it comes to how you hold it during those long periods.
Thankfully, the display backs that up well. It’s a 6.31-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with an adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz, a 1.5K resolution at 460 PPI, and a local peak brightness of 5,000 nits. The 2,160 Hz PWM dimming also makes prolonged reading and scrolling noticeably more comfortable on the eyes, a detail that matters far more than most spec sheets would have you believe.
Then there’s the battery, arguably the X300 FE’s most impressive engineering accomplishment. A 6,500 mAh cell in a phone this slim and light isn’t something you see every day, and in practice, that capacity means genuine all-day endurance with room to spare. The 90W wired and 40W wireless charging mean you’re rarely stuck waiting long when it runs low, at least with the appropriate chargers.
The camera system is led by a 50 MP ZEISS main camera and a 50 MP ZEISS super-telephoto camera, with an 8 MP ultra-wide rounding out the rear. The main and telephoto cameras handle portraits, street photography, and concert scenes with real confidence. An optional telephoto extender accessory also exists for those who want extended reach, though it’s firmly in niche territory.
The results are impressive, especially when starting to zoom in on subjects. Even without the telephoto extender, you can enjoy clear and detailed shots, even at night. The 8MP ultra-wide, though usable, is a bit of a letdown, but vivo had to cut some corners to bring down the price and differentiate this model from its more powerful and more expensive siblings. You do have a ton of settings to tweak to get your perfect shot, but even the defaults are good enough to make fleeting moments more memorable.
The X300 FE carries IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance ratings, alongside an SGS five-star drop resistance certification, giving it a reassuring level of durability for daily use. It also carries an SGS five-star drop resistance certification, which gives it more formal durability credentials than most phones in its class. Together, those ratings make a convincing case for a phone built to survive daily life without requiring any particularly careful handling.
Software longevity is where the X300 FE makes its strongest long-term case. On that front, vivo is committing to five years of OS upgrades, seven years of security maintenance, and a five-year smooth experience promise. That support window is competitive with the best in the Android space, and it signals that this phone is meant to be genuinely used for years, not replaced the moment something newer comes along.
At around €1,000, The X300 FE isn’t a budget phone, and it doesn’t try to be. It competes in the premium compact flagship space, where the particular combination it offers is harder to find than you’d expect. A current-generation chipset, a genuinely large battery, fast wired and wireless charging, ZEISS-branded imaging, and a durable premium build in a package that remains notably light for a flagship is a rare and coherent offering.
The person this phone is designed for isn’t shopping for the biggest or most spec’d-out device available. It’s someone who wants a phone that keeps pace with their life without dominating it, one that fits in a jacket pocket, lasts a full day, and still takes genuinely good photos. Frequent travelers, urban commuters, and anyone who’s tired of unwieldy flagships will feel right at home here.
The vivo X300 FE is the kind of compact flagship that doesn’t feel like a compromise once you’re actually using it. The design is restrained and coherent, the battery is frankly impressive for the size, the chipset handles everything you throw at it, and the camera does its best work in exactly the situations most people find themselves in, out in the world rather than on a lab bench.
What the X300 FE offers is a phone that’s easy to carry, genuinely long-lasting, and capable enough for the photography and day-to-day demands you’ll actually encounter. It’s well built, well supported, and clearly designed with a specific kind of person in mind. That clarity of purpose is refreshing, and for the right buyer, it’s exactly what makes this phone worth serious consideration.
The post vivo X300 FE Review: The Compact Flagship That Earns Its Keep first appeared on Yanko Design.
The headphone has become something it was never originally designed to be: a silhouette. Worn around the neck on a subway platform or draped over a chair at a coffee shop, a great pair of over-ears communicates taste in much the same way a watch or a well-chosen bag does. The best ones are now designed with that resting moment in mind, not as an afterthought, but as a deliberate part of the brief.
What separates a good headphone from a great one is increasingly less about frequency response and more about how the object behaves when it’s not in use. The five pairs on this list earn their place on both counts. Worn on the head, they deliver. Worn around the neck, they still look like they were built by people who thought carefully about that exact resting moment, collarbone and all.
Most headphones achieve lightness by sacrificing material quality somewhere along the way. StillFrame achieves it by rethinking the entire structure from scratch. At 103 grams, it sits on your head with the kind of effortless presence most pairs spend an entire product page trying to claim. The ultra-minimal design, clean lines, no exposed hardware, and no decorative flourish anywhere on the frame is the kind of restraint that reads as confidence rather than budget constraint.
Around the neck, StillFrame does what minimal design always promises and rarely delivers: it disappears into your outfit rather than competing with it. The 24-hour battery means you’ll reach for these in the early morning and still have charge well into the evening without thinking about a cable. For anyone who wants headphones that age well, that look as right in three years as they do today, this is where the search ends.
Click Here to Buy Now: $245.00
Romanian audio atelier Meze has spent two decades treating headphones as craft objects, and the Strada makes that philosophy fully explicit. Hand-carved walnut and ebony ear cups, each unique in grain and tone, sit alongside a magnetic ear pad system that snaps on and off cleanly, making them the first pair that genuinely anticipates its own aging. The leather headband drapes naturally against the collarbone. At $799, you’re investing in the idea that daily objects deserve this level of material care.
Worn around the neck, the Strada does something genuinely rare: it makes you look considered rather than plugged in. Those hand-carved wood cups catch light in a way that aluminum never quite manages, and the closed-back design delivers warmth and isolation without the clinical precision of most audiophile gear.
Bang & Olufsen has been designing objects that make a room better simply by existing in it since 1925. The Beoplay H95 carries that logic to your ears. Brushed aluminum arcs support lambskin ear cushions with the quiet authority of something that was never trying to impress anyone. Custom 40mm titanium drivers deliver an expansive, unhurried soundstage, and 38 hours of battery life with ANC active means you rarely need to think about charging. At $1,250, it reads as inevitable rather than expensive.
Around the neck, the H95 makes its strongest case. The slim profile rests cleanly against the collarbone, the aluminum catches light without glare, and the lambskin ages into something better than what you started with. Vogue Scandinavia named it the headphone that pairs best with the softest cashmere roll-neck and a cocooning wool coat, which is not exactly a mid-range endorsement. The tactile control dial and hard carrying case complete the picture of a brand that hasn’t needed to shout for a century.
The Px8 S2 looks like it was designed by someone who spent too much time around luxury automobiles and not enough time worrying about what people thought. Diamond-quilted Nappa leather ear cups sit inside angular aluminum driver housings that don’t apologize for taking up space. Bowers & Wilkins built their reputation on speaker cabinets in British living rooms, and that obsession with material quality is fully present in the Px8 S2. At $799, it’s the most visually assertive pair on this entire list.
Worn on the head, the 40mm Carbon Cone drivers deliver a focused sound that rewards careful listening. Worn around the neck, the quilted leather and aluminum geometry create a silhouette that reads closer to jewelry than consumer electronics.
Sonos spent two decades being the most thoughtfully designed speaker company in the world before ever touching headphones. The Ace is what happens when a brand famous for restraint and material quality finally commits to an entirely new product category. Stainless steel arms, memory foam ear cushions, and a clean form in Midnight or White carry the same quiet authority as Sonos’s best home equipment. At $449, it sits below the B&O and B&W while fully matching them on design character and material coherence.
What makes the Ace genuinely stand out is what you don’t notice: no visible seams on the headband, no mismatched materials, no hardware that apologizes for itself. Active noise cancellation and a 30-hour battery complete a pair that wears as well around a neck as it sounds through the drivers, making it the most versatile pick on this list.
What all five of these pairs share is a seriousness of intent that goes well beyond frequency response. They were built by companies that think about how objects live in the world, not just during a listening session, but on a train platform, at a desk, hanging around a neck. That’s a harder problem to solve than noise cancellation, and the brands that crack it tend to stay relevant far longer than those that don’t.
The range here runs from $449 to $1,250, but the price gaps matter less than they appear at first. What you’re really choosing between is design language: Romanian craft warmth, Scandinavian restraint, British precision, speaker-first material thinking, or clean minimalism that genuinely disappears. Any of these pairs earns the right to hang around your neck. The question is which one earns it in a way that feels made for how you actually move through the world/
The post 5 Over-Ear Headphones That Look as Good When They’re Around Your Neck as When They’re on Your Head first appeared on Yanko Design.
Connexion
