Despite launching with several admirable qualities, Google’s Pixel 6’s fingerprint sensor proved to be the phone’s Achilles heel. Google’s Pixel 6a is ditching that for a much faster fingerprint sensor. And now, a video has emerged to show just how fast its improved sensor really is.
Google had typically offered some of the best fingerprint sensors on smartphones with its ‘Pixel Imprint’ sensors. Debuting on the original Pixel in 2016 and running all the way through the Pixel 5a, the Pixel Imprint’s location on the rear of the phone made unlocking an easy and convenient task, with Pixel phones being unlocked as soon as they came out of pockets.
The Pixel 6 didn’t have that luxury, as Google switched to a more futuristic — but ultimately unreliable — front-facing in-display sensor. A slew of software updates have rolled out to attempt to fix it, but software can only go so far to cover for flawed hardware.
An early review of the Pixel 6a shows the faster fingerprint sensor in action, and it truly competes more than favorably with the 6 Pro despite the phone being much cheaper. By way of comparison, our Pixel 6 Pro review called out that fingerprint sensor for being “rubbish,” “slow,” and “unreliable.”
Google’s seemingly learned from the reception of the Pixel 6 and targeted areas where it can squeeze out a tangible improvement, despite the Pixel 6a being a more affordable and less technically impressive handset. It has the first-generation Tensor chipset, warts and all. It also touts the older camera of the Pixel 5 and 5a, a smaller battery, and a slow 60Hz display where Android rivals from the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi feature 90Hz or even 120Hz displays. Still, the Pixel 6a should be a good phone for the price — especially if you need something with a fast and reliable fingerprint sensor. The 6a is set to launch on July 28.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.