Apple unexpectedly launched yet another device, the very long-awaited AirPods Max, plus the MacBook Neo gets more real-world testing, and Family Sharing gets a great update, all on the AppleInsider Podcast.
Nobody saw it coming but the new AirPods Max is here — image credit: Apple
Just when you thought Apple was done with product launches in March — and just when you thought it would never update the AirPods Max — it went and did it. The new AirPods Max brings everything users have been asking for over the last several years. There’s reason to suspect the new AirPods Max is going to feel outdated in even just a few months, though. And also plenty of reasons to assume Apple won’t release a new version for a long time. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Remember when Japan sent a spacecraft to an asteroid 180 million miles away to scoop some dirt off the surface? Six years on from its arrival to Earth, that sample has yielded some insights about what may have seeded life on our planet. Read on to learn more about the latest findings, and other science news we found interesting this week.
DNA ingredients on Ryugu
In 2020, a capsule from the Japanese space probe Hayabusa2 returned to Earth with samples collected from the surface of asteroid Ryugu, and scientists have spent the subsequent years analyzing those materials for clues about the conditions that existed in the early solar system. This week, researchers from Japan reported an exciting discovery: the Ryugu samples contain the five building blocks of DNA and RNA. The findings, coupled with those from other recent studies, could put us closer to understanding how the ingredients for life first made it to Earth billions of years ago.
The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, found the nucleobases adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil — all of which were also found in samples gathered from a different asteroid, Bennu, last year, and before that in meteorites dubbed Murchison and Orgueil. This suggests these nucleobases were widespread in the early solar system, and supports the hypothesis that carbonaceous asteroids like Ryugu and Bennu transported them to Earth, the authors explain in the paper. Ammonia was discovered in the samples as well, which may play a role in how these nucleobases formed.
The discovery of these building blocks “does not mean that life existed on Ryugu,” Toshiki Koga, the study’s lead author from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, told AFP. “Instead, their presence indicates that primitive asteroids could produce and preserve molecules that are important for the chemistry related to the origin of life.”
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Bacteria collaborate to eat plastic waste
Researchers in Germany have identified a trio of bacteria that can digest a common plastic additive, but only when working together. The study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology found that a “consortium” of bacterial strains (two from species in the genus Pseudomonas and one from Microbacterium) was able to break down several phthalate esters (PAEs), which are often used to make plastic materials more flexible. These chemicals are increasingly finding their way into the environment as plastic pollution grows, and research suggests they can have harmful effects on human health and that of wildlife.
The team focused on microbes that could be found right at home in their own lab, taking a sample of biofilm that had formed on the polyurethane tubing of a bioreactor. This sample was then incubated in a growth medium containing the PAE diethyl phthalate (DEP) as the main source of carbon and energy. They eventually ended up with a stable culture of bacteria that could break down DEP, as long as the DEP concentration didn’t exceed 888 milligrams per liter, according to a press release. The consortium could gobble up all the DEP in 24 hours at 30 degrees C. It was also able to grow on the PAEs dimethyl phthalate, dipropyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate.
The researchers identified the bacteria in the consortium through DNA sequencing, but found that they were not individually able to tackle the PAEs, suggesting they break down the chemicals through a “cooperative process” known as cross-feeding. The consortium could make for another tool in the pollution-fighting toolbox, with potential to help break down PAEs in contaminated areas or speed up the degradation of plastics that contain PAEs by making them more brittle. “This approach may also be effective in treating industrial plastic waste streams,” they note.
Hubble witnesses a breakup
Newly released images from the Hubble Space Telescope show the unexpected breakup of Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) — Comet K1, for short — as it made its way out of the solar system back in November. A team of researchers that initially set out to observe a different comet ended up switching targets due to technical issues, only to catch Comet K1 right after it started crumbling. Hubble captured three 20-second images between November 8 and November 10 2025, the first of which the team estimates was about eight days after the fragmenting started. During the observation period, one of the comet’s smaller pieces began to break up too. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.
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“Never before has Hubble caught a fragmenting comet this close to when it actually fell apart,” said John Noonan, a research professor in the Department of Physics at Auburn University, in a statement. “Most of the time, it’s a few weeks to a month later. And in this case, we were able to see it just days after.” You can read more about the rare sighting here.
Before you go, be sure to check these stories out too:
We’re all used to it by now, but I’d just like to reflect on how insanely power-packed lithium ion batteries are, and everything that’s afforded us. I’m trying to think of a gadget, a hobby, or nearly anything in my house that’s not touched by the battery chemistry.
I’m looking at my portable wireless keyboard in front of me, with a LiPo pack inside. Oddly enough, I’m charging it with a LiPo-based power bank, simply because the cable to the nearest USB-C adapter is too short. A gaming console, cell phone, and a DSLR camera are all within arms reach and powered with lithium.
It’s not just consumer stuff either. I fly FPV quads and airplanes for fun when I can, and of course those are made entirely possible by the combination of smaller brushless DC motors and their drivers, and the high-power-density LiPo packs that power them. For field recharging, I have a huge self-made LiIon pack that can keep them all in the air all day. These days, LiPo and LiIon tech is the heart of hacker projects big and small. Heck, we even powered this year’s Hackaday Supercon badge with a LiPo that allowed it to run all weekend on a charge for many folks, where in the past swapping out AAs during the event was commonplace.
The application that still blows my mind is that we recently got a solar installation on our roof, which means a huge LiFePo battery in the basement. And while it’s one thing to power noisy little quads on the battery tech, it somehow seems another to power our entire house, for multiple hours per day, from a battery. Granted it’s not a couple of AAA cells in a little black plastic box, but it’s simply amazing to run a washing machine, the fridge, the stove, and even the heating off of what amounts to a battery pack.
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Of course, I’m aware of the costs of producing the cells, both in terms of money and the environmental damage. It’s not a free lunch, and I’m looking forward to both cleaner and cheaper energy storage chemistries in the future. But for now, I’m still in awe of the many options that lithium-based battery chemistry has brought us. May your pillows remain non-spicy!
The Unitree As2 is not your typical robot dog. Compact enough to squeeze into spaces where larger machines simply cannot follow, it measures 720 by 378 by 457 millimeters standing upright and tips the scales at just 18 kilograms with the battery fitted, yet it is built to handle the kind of heavy duty work you would not normally expect from something this size.
The As2 moves at speeds of over five meters per second (11.1+ mph) and delivers up to 90 Newton meters of joint torque, giving it the muscle to stay stable under a 65 kilogram (143.3 pound) load or push steadily across uneven ground with 15 kilograms of cargo on its back. Battery life is where things get particularly impressive. The higher end variants will run for over four hours unloaded, and even carrying that 15 kilogram payload it keeps going for more than two and a half hours and covers upwards of 13 kilometers before needing a charge.
Sleek & Durable Design: Standing at 132cm tall and weighing only approx. 35kg, the G1 is constructed with aerospace-grade aluminum alloy and carbon…
High Flexibility & Safe Movement: Boasting 23 joint degrees of freedom (6 per leg, 5 per arm), it offers an extensive range of motion. For safety, it…
Smart Interaction & Connectivity: Powered by an 8-core high-performance CPU and equipped with a depth camera and 3D LiDAR. It supports Wi-Fi 6 and…
The Pro and Edu models carry an IP54 rating, meaning rain, dust, and temperatures anywhere between minus 20 and 50 degrees Celsius are all handled without complaint. Built in lighting and a front facing camera keep things visible in any conditions, and a lidar system clears the path day or night. When person following mode is active it tracks its target with centimeter level accuracy, with side sensors and an onboard eight core CPU working together to keep the movement smooth and consistent. Higher tier models add remote control options and the ability to bolt on additional processing modules as the job demands.
Three variants are on offer, starting with the Air, which handles everyday tasks reliably and serves as the straightforward entry point, while the Pro steps up endurance, speed, as well as weather resistance for more demanding environments. The Edu is aimed squarely at developers who want to build and run their own custom applications on top of the platform. All three share the same core frame, with the hardware scaled to match whatever the job requires.
The As2 is built for a wide range of real world applications, from carrying equipment across difficult terrain and handling delivery routes to conducting industrial inspections and outdoor security patrols. The ability to push through challenging environments without slowing down is one of its strongest selling points. Pricing is handled through direct sales conversations, but early indications suggest it will land well below the six figure territory that most industrial robots occupy. Software updates arrive automatically as well, meaning the machine keeps improving over time without requiring any new hardware.
For decades, humans have sought to harness the power of the stars to generate electricity here on Earth. And for nearly as long, achieving that goal always seemed just a decade away.
Now, a slew of startups are closer than ever before and rushing to build fusion reactors capable of putting power on the grid.
Fusion startups have drawn more than $10 billion in investment, with more than a dozen raising over $100 million. Many large funding rounds have closed in the last year, with investors drawn to the industry as energy demand from data centers ramps up and as fusion startups draw closer to the finish line.
At its core, fusion power seeks to use the energy released from the fusing of atoms to generate electricity. Humans have known how to fuse atoms for decades, from the hydrogen bomb — an example of uncontrolled nuclear fusion — to any of the myriad fusion devices built in labs around the world. Experimental fusion devices have been able to control nuclear fusion, and one has been able to generate more energy than was required to spark the reaction.
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But none of them have been able to produce enough of a surplus to make a power plant possible.
To solve that problem, fusion startups are trying a number of different approaches. Experts have varying opinions on which have the best chance of success, though the industry is still in its infancy, so nothing is guaranteed.
Here is a brief overview of the main approaches to fusion power.
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Magnetic confinement
Magnetic confinement is one of the most widely used techniques, using strong magnetic fields to confine plasma, the soup of superheated particles that’s at the heart of a fusion device.
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The magnets must be tremendously powerful. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), for example, is assembling magnets that can generate 20 tesla magnetic fields, which is about 13 times stronger than a typical MRI machine. To handle the amount of electricity required, the magnets are made out of high-temperature superconductors, which still need to be cooled to –253˚ C (–423˚ F) using liquid helium.
CFS is currently building a demonstration device called Sparc on a much more accelerated timeline in Massachusetts. The company anticipates turning it on sometime in late 2026, and if all goes well, it will begin construction on Arc, its commercial-scale power plant, in Virginia in 2027 or 2028.
There are two main types of fusion devices that use magnetic confinement: tokamaks and stellarators.
Tokamaks were first theorized by Soviet scientists in the 1950s, and since then, they’ve been widely studied. Tokamaks come in two basic shapes — a doughnut with a D-shaped profile and a sphere with a small hole in the middle. The Joint European Torus (JET) and ITER are two notable experimental tokamaks; JET operated in the UK between 1983 and 2023, while ITER is expected to begin operations in France in the late 2030s.
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UK-based Tokamak Energy is working on a spherical tokamak design. Its ST40 experimental machine is currently undergoing upgrades.
Stellarators are the other main type of magnetic confinement device. They’re similar to tokamaks in that they keep the plasma contained within a doughnut-like shape. But unlike tokamak’s geometric sides, stellarators twist and turn. The irregular shape is determined by modeling the plasma’s behavior and tailoring the magnetic field to work with its quirks rather than force it into a regular shape.
Wendelstein 7-X, a large stellarator with modular superconducting coils that is operated by the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. has been operating in Germany since 2015. Several startups are also developing their own stellarators, including Proxima Fusion, Renaissance Fusion, Thea Energy, and Type One Energy.
Inertial confinement
The other main approach to fusion is known as inertial confinement, which compresses fuel pellets until the atoms within fuse.
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Most inertial confinement designs use pulses of laser light to compress fuel pellets. Several laser beams fire at once, and their pulses of light converge on the fuel pellet from all angles simultaneously.
So far, inertial confinement is the only approach that has broken a milestone known as scientific breakeven, which is when the reaction releases more energy than it consumed. Those experiments have occurred at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Notably, measurements to determine scientific breakeven do not include things like the electricity required to power the experimental facility.
Still, nearly a dozen startups see enough promise in inertial confinement that they’re designing reactors around it. Focused Energy, Inertia Enterprises, Marvel Fusion, and Xcimer are some notable examples using lasers.
There are two companies that aren’t using lasers, though: First Light Fusion, which proposes using pistons, and Pacific Fusion, which plans to use electromagnetic pulses instead of lasers.
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More to come
Those are the two main approaches to fusion power, though they aren’t the only ones. Soon, we’ll add more details about alternative designs including magnetized target fusion, magnetic-electrostatic confinement, and muon-catalyzed fusion.
Arguably one of the most feature-packed fitness bands that you can buy right now, the Huawei Band 11 Pro has become a must-have wearable at this price.
If you want a set of features that could give the Apple Watch SE a run for its money, but without spending a fortune, this is the one to go for.
The Huawei Band 11 Pro is less than a month old and already 21% off today
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It’s barely been on the market a month, yet the Huawei Band 11 Pro already has a 21% discount today, that’s a rare early price drop for a brand‑new smartwatch.
At the heart of the Band 11 Pro is its bright 1.62-inch AMOLED display, which can reach an incredibly high brightness level of 2000 nits.
Having that level of brightness not only helps to make key pieces of information jump off the display at a glance, but it also helps to keep the display visible when you’re out and about and affected by direct sunlight.
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Where the Huawei Band 11 Pro really proves itself is in the level of fitness tracking that it can offer, all of which is fully supported by the inclusion of independent GPS, which allows the watch itself to accurately map your run and not be reliant on a nearby phone.
Whether it’s running, swimming (thanks to a 5 ATM level of water resistance), or any of the other 100+ sports modes that are available, the Band 11 Pro can track your workout and, thanks to heart rate and SpO2 sensors, offer a wide degree of insight into your body after the exercise has taken place.
There’s even an emotional well-being helper in the form of a ‘burst test’ that helps to identify how much work your body has gone through during a workout, allowing you to adjust your training properly.
Every year, millions of tons of sawdust accumulate in mountains as a result of lumber mills around the world producing wood products. The majority of it is either put into a furnace to generate energy or ends up in landfills, where it does nothing but release all of the carbon it has accumulated. However, researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered a technique to convert that garbage into solid panels that will work well as inside walls and partitions.
Photo credit: Dan Vivas Glaser / from Kürsteiner R et al. Chem Circularity 2026, CC BY 4.0 The main ingredient in these panels is struvite, a mineral that occurs naturally in sewage treatment plants. One issue is that it clogs pipes, but that’s not all it does; it also has some built-in fire resistance. There is one catch, though: the mineral is extremely brittle on its own, and mixing it evenly with wood particles is difficult. However, this challenge was overcome when the team discovered that an enzyme extracted from watermelon seeds could be used to help guide how the struvite crystals grow.
The enzyme takes a simple mixture of a mineral precursor called newberyite and a small amount of water and leads it into creating enormous crystals that spread across the gaps between the sawdust particles. This secures everything in place and makes it solid. All the team needs to do is combine the enzyme, struvite, and water, pour the mixture into a mold, and allow it to sit under pressure for two days. After that, simply allow the slabs to air dry at room temperature until ready to use.
The fire safety tests provide a solid indication of how effective these panels are. When untreated spruce wood is exposed to a standard heat source, it will catch fire in about fifteen seconds, but panels made this way will wait for over 45 seconds before ignition even begins, giving people at least three times more time to escape. Once the fire starts, the struvite breaks apart and releases water vapour and ammonia gas, which basically sucks the air right out of the room while also cooling the surface. That results in a thin coating of inorganic debris and burned wood, which effectively protects the rest of the panel.
They’re also quite sturdy, as they can be compressed sideways and hold up far better than raw spruce lumber. They’re also much lighter than traditional cement-bonded particleboards because they use a lot less binder, 40% struvite versus 60-70% cement in those older options, making them a direct replacement for traditional materials in interior partitions where fire codes require some level of protection.
They’ve already got recycling covered. Simply grind up an old panel and heat it to 100 degrees Celsius, then sift out the sawdust to leave behind the mineral precursor, which can then be reused in new batches. If you’re feeling particularly useful, you can even use the leftover newberyite as a slow-release fertilizer for plants. Cement boards, on the other hand, tend to go straight to the tip after the structure they’re in is demolished.
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Ronny Kürsteiner developed the method as part of his dissertation at ETH Zurich, in collaboration with colleagues from Empa and the Polytechnic University of Turin, and the team is now considering using raw struvite from sewage plants as a steady supply to keep costs low on a larger scale. Early results look good, and they believe these panels meet the fire safety criteria of today’s cement choices while being lightweight and easy to handle. [Source]
Apple already announced a lot of new devices in 2026 and we’ve been busy reviewing them all. In this installment of our bi-weekly roundup, we revisit the MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e and more, in addition to the “regular” Galaxy S26 and Dell XPS 16. There’s even more than those gadget to catch up on, so sit back, relax and cozy up to some fresh reviews.
Apple MacBook Neo
Apple
The MacBook Neo is the best $599 laptop we’ve ever seen. The only downside is you’re stuck with low storage and 8GB of RAM.
Pros
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$599!
Premium design
Surprisingly bright screen
Decent performance
Excellent keyboard and trackpad
Cons
Only 8GB of RAM
Maxes out with 512GB storage
Only two USB-C ports
The main attraction for Apple’s early device deluge was the $599 MacBook Neo. The company is finally giving us something we’ve been begging for: a low-cost Mac laptop that’s good enough for most people. “It’s a $599 computer that can handle basic workloads just fine, all the while looking like one of the company’s more expensive notebooks,” senior reporter Devindra Hardawar said. “Most importantly, it delivers more speed, a brighter screen and an overall better user experience than any competing $600 Windows PC.”
Apple iPhone 17e
Apple / Engadget
The iPhone 17e is a solid entry-level handset for those who need a basic, no-frills path into the Apple ecosystem.
Pros
Improved Portrait photography
MagSafe and faster wireless charging are welcome
A19 is a solid processor
Pretty new pink color
Cons
Display is outdated
Single camera setup is limiting
The MacBook Neo wasn’t the only affordable device Apple announced recently. The company also debuted the iPhone 17e, which is also $599 and offers an economical choice for iOS devotees. “The name “iPhone” carries its own premium, and the iPhone 17e is a solid entry-level handset for those who need a basic, no-frills path into the Apple ecosystem,” managing editor Cherlynn Low said.
The rest of the new Apple gear
The remainder of the new Apple devices were primarily chip upgrades. The company added the M4 to the iPad Air, which deputy editor Nathan Ingraham still argues is the best Apple tablet overall. Apple also put the M5 chip inside the MacBook Air and the M5 Pro and M5 Max silicon in the MacBook Pro,. Our staff maintains that those two laptops are among the best choices in their respective categories.
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We also tested Apple’s claims on the Studio Display XDR, where we discovered the high price could be worth it for pros who need supreme color accuracy and high brightness.
Samsung Galaxy S26
Samsung/Engadget
Samsung’s smallest flagship phone is a solid if safe addition to the Galaxy series. However, it’s far too similar to its predecessors.
Pros
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Bigger battery
A flagship phone that isn’t huge
More AI assistant options
Cons
Too similar to last year’s S25
Cameras could be improved
Perplexity integration is limited
The Galaxy S26 Ultra may get the bulk of the attention in Samsung’s 2026 lineup thus far, but the “regular” S26 is capable in its own right. However, it’s time for bigger updates on this model. “There’s nothing wrong with this safe, solid Android phone, but you could pick up last year’s S25 and get an experience that’s 99 percent the same for $99 less,” UK bureau chief Mat Smith said.
Dell XPS 16 (2026)
Dell / Engadget
The XPS 16 has nearly everything you want from a premium 16-inch productivity laptop and it’s a worthy flagbearer for one of the most iconic notebook lines of all time.
Pros
Exquisite design
Ample performance
Beautiful OLED display
Solid battery life
Cons
A bit pricey
Keyboard needs tuning
No SD card reader
Dell pulled a 180 after nixing its XPS brand last year. Enter the XPS 16. Thankfully, the first devices after the fiasco show an expected return to form, albeit with one issue. “My one complaint is that I wish Dell would bring back the chiclet-style keyboards we got on models from the early 2020s,” senior reporter Sam Rutherford said. “Though as long as the company can release updated software to fix the ghosting issues I’ve encountered, what’s on there now is more than good enough.”
But wait, there’s more
If portable projectors are more your speed, contributing reporter Steve Dent put the Soundcore Nebula P1i through its paces. Mat also spent some time with the Nothing Phone 4a Pro, which is undoubtedly the most uniquely designed handset we’ve tested this year. Lastly, Sam used an upgraded version of Belkin’s Switch 2 charging case to keep his gaming handheld safe and topped up in transit.
In an interview with Club386, Hallock gave a short but telling answer when asked whether he envisioned Intel sockets supporting more CPU generations. “I do,” he said. “That’s it – I do.” Although he offered no technical details, the simplicity of that response hints at a deliberate and possibly overdue… Read Entire Article Source link
Silicon-carbon batteries have been leading phones to eyebrow-raising battery life, and the Realme P4 Power includes one of the biggest batteries we’ve seen in a phone. It’s setting an even higher benchmark with a 10,001mAh battery. By comparison, this is double the capacity we see in more mainstream phones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which includes a 5,000mAh battery.
The Realme phone surpasses what we’ve seen in other phones with this type of battery, including the OnePlus 15‘s 7,300mAh battery and the RedMagic 11 Pro‘s 7,500mAh battery. Phones with batteries of this scale provide up to two days of use and often have faster charging speeds to go with it.
The Realme P4 Power is currently available in India — it’s unlikely to ever come to the US — but despite its chart-topping battery capacity, it’s relatively inexpensive at INR 25,999, or approximately $285. It’s just a little bigger than the 10,000mAh battery in the Honor Win, which I got to try out last year but didn’t get extended time in order to really test it out.
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That’s why I was excited to put my SIM into the Realme P4 Power, during which I was able to test this phone through all of CNET’s battery tests, use it as my primary device and even as a power bank for my iPhone along the way.
All that battery without any major drawbacks
It doesn’t sacrifice on design or features to fit a big battery.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
The best part about the Realme P4 Power is that it doesn’t sacrifice comfort for additional battery capacity. It isn’t a slim and light phone but at 9.1mm thick and 219g weight, it is lighter than some big flagship phones, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL.
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Realme’s TransView Design has a translucent look around the camera module, which accentuates its “Power” branding. I like this distinct design and in-hand feel. It has curved corners as well as slight curves on the back that make it easy to hold. (Please take note, Samsung.)
The Realme P4 Power has a plastic back and frame, while the front is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i. It is also rated for durability with IP66, IP68 and IP69 dust- and water-resistance ratings. This means, it can survive freshwater submersion and high-pressure water jets and is also protected against small dust particles.
On the front, you get a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 2,800×1,280-pixel resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 1,800 nits brightness and 6,500 nits peak brightness for HDR-supported content. Like many phones, you have to manually set it to a higher resolution and refresh rate to take advantage of these features.
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The screen is easily legible outdoors.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
I had no issues with the screen, and using a curved panel after a long time was a refreshing experience. It was easily legible outdoors, and I enjoyed watching videos. However, I don’t like the absence of stereo speakers. The device has just one speaker at the bottom; while it is loud, you’ll need to connect your earbuds for a better movie experience.
I used the Realme P4 Power in day-to-day life, which included doomscrolling on social media apps like Instagram and X, answering emails and messages on Gmail, WhatsApp and Slack navigating on Maps and snapping a few photos. It comfortably lasted me up to two days of regular use and one and a half days on heavy use. And when you do need to charge it, you can use the bundled charger to top up the battery at 80 watts.
To better judge the new Realme phone, I put it through CNET’s 3-hour video streaming test and 45-minute battery endurance test.
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Realme P4 Power battery benchmarks
YouTube streaming drain test starting at 100%
45 min battery endurance
Realme P4 Power
1 hr: 97%; 2 hr: 95%; 3 hr: 91% (144Hz)
100% to 99%
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
1 hr: 100%; 2 hr: 96%; 3 hr: 91% (1-120Hz)
100% to 99%
OnePlus 15
1 hr: 98%; 2 hr: 94%; 3 hr: 90% (1-120Hz)
100% to 97%
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
1 hr: 97%; 2 hr: 92%; 3hr: 87% (1-120Hz)
100% to 95%
In the video streaming test, where I streamed a video over Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness and the battery starting at 100%, it lost 3% battery per hour and ended at 91%. This puts it on top of CNET’s charts alongside the iPhone 17 Pro Max, followed by the OnePlus 15 (90%) and iPhone 17 (89%).
It performed similarly well during CNET’s 45-minute endurance test, during which we play games, stream videos, scroll social media and take a video call with the battery starting at 100%. The Realme P4 Power ended up losing just 1% battery, sharing the top spot with the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 99%.
How about everything else?
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Realme’s “Power” branding is accentuated by its translucent design around the camera module.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
The Realme P4 Power has a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra chipset, paired with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. (The base model has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.) This is more of a midrange chip that’s in a similar class as the Motorola Razr‘s Dimensity 7400X. It handles day-to-day tasks smoothly, and it has no major flaws. As for minor issues, I did notice apps taking longer than usual to load sometimes and the camera app taking a few seconds to process, but these issues are not a deal-breaker.
Realme’s user interface is smooth, snappy and highly customizable. It is similar to OnePlus and Oppo. However, you get multiple preloaded apps. (I uninstalled them as soon as I set up the phone.) Overall, this Realme UI 7.0 (based on Android 16) is fast and responsive. You’ll get three years of Android OS upgrades and four years of security upgrades.
The Realme P4 Power has two rear cameras and a 16-megapixel selfie shooter on the front. You get a 50-megapixel main camera and an 8-megapixel ultrawide-angle sensor on the back. Plenty of AI-powered tools are available to help you enhance or edit a shot.
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The camera system is satisfactory for a budget smartphone.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
It delivers a satisfactory camera experience. In daylight, the P4 Power can snap some good-looking photos. The colors are mostly accurate, contrast is balanced and the dynamic range is decent. It processes 2x portraits digitally, which works fine for the most part, but at times, certain areas can have a cutout-feel to them — like you’ve been pasted on a background.
Overall, the Realme P4 Power is a great phone for its excellent battery life. I was expecting it to perform well with its 10,001mAh battery, but I didn’t expect it to blow out every other Android phone in our tests. I love it more because this battery innovation is accessible to the masses, thanks to its lower price and not being gatekept on more expensive models.
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Watch this: Our Experts’ Favorite Products at MWC 2026 | All Things Mobile
Kalshi isn’t having a very good week. On Tuesday, the attorney general of Arizona filed a 20-count criminal complaint against the online prediction market, accusing it of running an illegal gambling business. Now, another southwestern state has taken a big swing at the company: A judge in Nevada has temporarily banned the service from operating there as part of an ongoing court case brought by state regulators.
Nevada, on behalf of its Gaming Control Board, sued Kalshi in February in an effort to block the prediction site from operating. Officials maintain that Kalshi has failed to acquire the appropriate gaming licenses that would cover the kind of betting activity its users are engaged in and that, by allowing users under the age of 21 to use its services, it violates state law.
Earlier this month, the state requested a temporary restraining order against Kalshi as part of its ongoing case. In a state court on Friday, Judge Jason D. Woodbury granted the state’s request and scheduled a hearing on the restraining order for early next month, court documents show.
In his order, Woodbury wrote that Kalshi was not licensed under the Nevada Gaming Control Act and that, given Kalshi’s policy of taking a commission from contracts purchased through its system, it was clearly operating a “percentage game” (which the state defines as gambling).
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Kalshi has argued that, due to its registration with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, it is under that federal agency’s exclusive regulatory domain, which should exempt it from state laws, court documents show. However, Woodbury noted that the issue of whether federal law overrides state law is still unsettled for now, but the courts have not been leaning in that direction.
Kalshi declined to comment on the development when reached by TechCrunch. Wired first reported on the judge’s decision. Reuters reports that Nevada had previously convinced judges to ban Kalshi competitors like Coinbase and Polymarket.
The Nevada case in which the prediction market finds itself is but one in a growing number of state cases across the country that seek to argue that sites like Kalshi and Polymarket are illegal operations that skirt state gambling laws.
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San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026
Conversely, current federal officials have positioned themselves as protectors of the prediction industry. Case in point: Following Arizona’s decision to file criminal charges against Kalshi earlier this week, the CFTC’s chairman, Mike Selig, came out swinging against the decision, posting online: “The Arizona Attorney General today filed criminal charges against one of our registered exchanges related to prediction markets. This is a jurisdictional dispute and entirely inappropriate as a criminal prosecution. The @CFTC is watching this closely and evaluating its options.”
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The increasingly hostile posture of state officials and the lenience of the CFTC have all but guaranteed a regulatory battle between states and the federal government over prediction markets and their future.
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