It’s fourth period in the auto lab at Vel Phillips Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin, and a dozen students maneuver between nearly as many cars.
At one bay, a junior adjusts the valves of an oxygen-acetylene torch and holds the flame to a suspended Subaru’s front axle to loosen its rusty bolts. Steps away, two classmates tease each other in Spanish as they finish replacing the brakes on a red Saab. Teacher Miles Tokheim moves calmly through the shop, checking students’ work and offering pointers.
After extensive renovations, the lab reopened last year with more room and tools for young mechanics-in-training. What visitors can’t see is the class recently got an upgrade, too: college credit.
Through dual enrollment, high schoolers who pass the course now earn five credits for free at Madison College and skip the class if they later enroll. Classes like these are increasingly common in Wisconsin and across the country. They’ve allowed more high schoolers to earn college credit, reducing their education costs and giving them a head start on their career goals.
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Wisconsin lawmakers and education officials want more high schoolers to have this opportunity. But these classes need teachers with the qualifications of college instructors, and those teachers are in short supply.
That leaves many students — disproportionately, those in less-affluent areas — without classes that make a college education more attainable.
“What’s at stake is access to opportunity, especially for high school students at Title I, lower-income high schools, rural high schools … It’s really been an on-ramp for so many students,” said John Fink, who studies dual enrollment at Columbia University’s Community College Research Center. “But we also know that many students are left behind.”
High school teacher Miles Tokheim earns an extra $50 a year teaching a college course. (Photo by Joe Timmerman, Wisconsin Watch)
To teach the auto class, Tokheim had to apply to become a Madison College instructor. As a certified auto service technician with a master’s degree, the veteran teacher met the college’s requirements for the course.
But for many teachers, teaching dual enrollment would require enrolling in graduate school, even if they already have a master’s degree. That, school leaders say, is a hard sell, despite the state offering to reimburse districts for the cost. Teachers in Wisconsin often don’t make much more money teaching advanced courses the way they do in some other states, and adding these courses doesn’t raise a school’s state rating.
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“You’re asking people who are well educated to begin with to go back to school, which takes time and effort, and their reward for that is they get to teach a dual-credit class,” said Mark McQuade, Appleton Area School District’s assistant superintendent of assessment, curriculum and instruction.
High Standards, Short Supply
Nationwide, the number of high schoolers earning college credit has skyrocketed in recent years. In Wisconsin, the tally has more than doubled, with students notching experience in subjects ranging from manufacturing to business.
Most earn credit from their local technical college without leaving their high school campus. In the 2023-24 school year, one in three community college students in the state was a high schooler.
Education and state leaders have welcomed the trend, pointing to the potential benefits: Students who take dual-enrollment classes are more likely to enroll in college after high school. Theycan save hundreds or thousands of dollars on college tuition and fees. If they do enroll in college, they spend less time completing a degree.
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“It also proves to the kids — to some of our kids that are first-generation — that they can do college work,” McQuade said.
Wisconsin Watch talked to leaders in five school districts. All said the shortage of qualified teachers was one of the biggest barriers to growing their dual-enrollment programs.
In 2015, the Higher Learning Commission, which oversees and evaluates the state’s technical colleges, released new guidelines about instructor qualifications. The new policy required many of Wisconsin’s dual-enrollment teachers to have a master’s degree and at least 18 graduate credits in the subject they teach, just like college instructors.
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In 2023, the commission walked back the new policy.
By then, colleges across the state had already adopted the higher standard.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin high schools have struggled to hire and retain teachers, even without college credit involved. Four in 10 new teachers stop teaching or leave the state within six years, a 2024 Department of Public Instruction analysis shows.
The subject-specific prerequisite is much different from the graduate education K-12 teachers have historically sought: the kind that would help them become principals or administrators, said Eric Conn, Green Bay Area Public Schools’ director of curricular pathways and post-secondary partnerships.
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“To advance in education, it wasn’t about getting a master’s in a subject area. It was getting a master’s in education to develop into educational administration or educational technology,” Conn said. For teachers who already have a master’s degree, he said, going back to school just to teach one or two new classes is “a large ask.”
Funding Tempts Few
When the Higher Learning Commission announced the heightened requirements in 2015, leaders of the Wisconsin Technical College System sounded the alarm. They warned that 85 percent of the instructors currently teaching these classes could be disqualified, whittling students’ college credit opportunities.
Wisconsin education leaders called on the Legislature to allocate millions of dollars to help teachers get the training they’d need — and they agreed. In 2017, lawmakers created a grant program to reimburse school districts for teachers’ graduate tuition. But of the $500,000 available every year, hundreds of thousands go unused.
“Nobody’s ever, ever requested this funding and been denied because of a funding shortage,” said Tammie DeVooght Blaney, executive secretary of the Higher Educational Aids Board, which manages the grant.
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Tuition and fees for a single graduate credit at a Universities of Wisconsin school can cost over $800, putting the total cost of 18 graduate credits at around $15,000. For teachers who don’t already have a master’s degree, the cost is even steeper. The state grant requires teachers or districts to front the cost and apply for reimbursement yearly, with no guarantee they’ll get it.
A handful of Green Bay teachers have used the grant, Conn said, but many just aren’t interested in returning to school, even if it’s free.
The district offers 50 dual-enrollment courses, but he’d like to offer classes in more core subjects, which help students meet general college education requirements. There just aren’t enough teachers qualified to teach college sciences and math to offer the same options across the district’s four high schools.
Teachers are busy, and not just in the classroom, said Jon Shelton, president of AFT-Wisconsin, one of the state’s teachers unions. Many already spend extra hours coaching, grading or leading after-school activities. Those who do go back to school typically enroll in one class at a time, he said, meaning they could be studying for several years.
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Pros and Cons
The financial perks for teachers returning to school for dual-enrollment credentials are dubious at best.
Some teachers get a salary bump for obtaining a master’s degree, and some earn modest bonuses for teaching dual enrollment. But many teachers make no more than they would have without the extra training.
“There’s no incentive,” said Tokheim, the Madison auto instructor, who receives a $50 yearly stipend for teaching the college course. In contrast to his standard classes, his dual-enrollment class required him to attend two kinds of training.
There’s little incentive for schools either. They receive no extra state funding to offer college-level courses. Plus, the classes don’t factor into their state report card score, which measures students’ standardized test performance and graduation preparation, among other things.
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Leaders at Central High School in Sheboygan wish it did. At that school, where the majority of students are Latino and almost all are low-income, one in three students took dual-enrollment courses in the 2023-24 school year. Still, the state gave the school a failing grade.
“It’s an afterthought in our report card, and it’s always the thing that we can celebrate,” Principal Joshua Kestell said.
So why would a teacher take on the added schooling?
“It’s good for kids,” Tokheim said. “That’s why they get us teachers, because we care too much.”
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Other potential draws: the challenge of teaching more rigorous courses and the opportunity to collaborate with college instructors.
Heather Fellner-Spetz retired two years ago from teaching English at Sevastopol High School in Sturgeon Bay. She taught college-level oral communication classes for 10 years before she retired. When the Higher Learning Commission set the heightened requirements, she was allowed to continue teaching dual enrollment while she studied for more graduate credits.
“There wasn’t much I didn’t enjoy about teaching it. It was just fabulous,” Fellner-Spetz said.
She especially liked having a college professor observe her class, and she said it was good for the students, too. “When they had other people come into the room and watch the lesson or watch them perform, it just ups the ante on pressure.”
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Meanwhile, the jury is still out on whether it’s necessary for dual-enrollment teachers to have the same credentials as college professors.
“Folks running these programs generally would say that teaching a quality college course to a high school student requires a unique skill set that blends high school and college teaching, and that is not necessarily captured by the traditional (graduate coursework) standard,” Fink said.
Wisconsin educators are divided on that question. Fox Valley Technical College has kept the higher standard, limiting the number of Appleton teachers who qualify. McQuade, the Appleton leader, questions those “restrictions,” saying he believes his teachers are well qualified to teach college-level courses. A different standard tied to student performance, for example, could let his district offer more classes across each of its schools.
Schauna Rasmussen, dean of early college and workforce strategy at Madison College, said the answer isn’t to lower the standard, but to help more teachers reach it.
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In October, a group of Republican Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a bill aimed at making it easier for students to find dual-enrollment opportunities. It would create a portal for families to view options and streamline application deadlines, among other changes.
It doesn’t address the shortage of qualified teachers.
“Separate legislation would likely have to be introduced addressing expanding the pool of teachers for those programs,” Chris Gonzalez, communications director for lead author State Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, wrote in an email.
Samsung and the State of Texas have reached a settlement agreement over the alleged unlawful collection of content-viewing information through its smart TVs
As part of the agreement, the TV manufacturer will revise its privacy disclosures to clearly explain its data collection and processing practices to consumers.
Last December, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against several TV manufacturers, including Samsung, alleging that they use Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology to collect and process viewing data without first obtaining their express, informed consent.
In January, Texas obtained a short-lived temporary restraining order (TRO) against Samsung to stop the unlawful collection of consumer data in the state, confirming a violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).
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Although the order was vacated on the following day, the lawsuit remained active.
The allegations against Samsung were that it uses ACR technology to capture screenshots of consumers’ TVs to determine what they’re watching. The South Korean tech giant would use this information for targeted advertising.
In support of the TRO, the Court found that there was “good cause to believe” that Samsung automatically enrolled customers in this system using “dark patterns” that included “over 200 clicks spread across four or more menus for a consumer to read the privacy statements and disclosures.”
In a statement to BleepingComputer, Samsung stated that, while it does not agree that its Viewing Information Services (VIS) system violated any regulations, it has agreed to “make enhancements to further strengthen our privacy disclosures.”
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“While we maintain our original television privacy policy and notices followed existing Texas state regulations, as a trusted brand, Samsung is proud to be at the forefront of protecting consumer privacy and security,” stated a spokesperson of Samsung Electronics America.
“The settlement affirms what Samsung has said since this lawsuit was filed – Samsung TVs do not spy on consumers. In fact, Samsung allows you to control your privacy – and change your privacy settings at any time.”
“As part of the agreement, Samsung must halt any collection or processing of ACR viewing data without obtaining Texas consumers’ express consent,” announced Texas AG Ken Paxton.
“Additionally, it compels Samsung to promptly update its smart TVs and implement disclosures and consent screens that are clear and conspicuous to ensure that Texans can make an informed decision regarding whether their data is collected and how it’s used.”
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Paxton commended Samsung for agreeing to implement consumer safeguards, while he underlined that others haven’t moved with a similar fervor as of yet.
Smart TV manufacturers, including Sony, LG, Hisense, and TCL Technologies, have not made any changes in response to the lawsuits yet.
Malware is getting smarter. The Red Report 2026 reveals how new threats use math to detect sandboxes and hide in plain sight.
Download our analysis of 1.1 million malicious samples to uncover the top 10 techniques and see if your security stack is blinded.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released new details about RESURGE, a malicious implant used in zero-day attacks exploiting CVE-2025-0282 to breach Ivanti Connect Secure devices.
The update focuses on the implant’s undetected latency on the appliances and its “sophisticated network-level evasion and authentication techniques” that enable covert communication with the attacker.
CISA originally documented the malware on March 28 last year, saying that it can survive reboots, create webshells for stealing credentials, create accounts, reset passwords, and escalate privileges.
According to researchers at incident response company Mandiant, the critical CVE-2025-0282 vulnerability was exploited as a zero-day since mid-December 2024 by a threat actor linked to China, tracked internally as UNC5221.
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Network-level evasion
CISA’s updated bulletin provides additional technical information on RESURGE, a malicious 32-bit Linux Shared Object file named libdsupgrade.so that was extracted from a compromised device.
The implant is described as a passive command-and-control (C2) implant with rootkit, bootkit, backdoor, dropper, proxying, and tunneling capabilities.
Instead of beaconing to the C2, it waits indefinitely for a particular inbound TLS connection, evading network monitoring, CISA says in the updated document.
When loaded under the ‘web’ process, it hooks the ‘accept()’ function to inspect incoming TLS packets before they reach the web server, looking for specific connection attempts from a remote attacker that are identified using the CRC32 TLS fingerprint hashing scheme.
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If the fingerprint does not match, traffic is directed to the legitimate Ivanti server. CISA further details Rusrge’s authentication mechanism saying that the threat actor also uses a fake Ivanti certificate to ensure that they are interacting with the implant and not the Ivanti web server.
The agency highlights that the certificate’s purpose is just to for authentication and verification purposes, as it is not used to encrypt communication. Furthermore, the fake certificate also helps the actor evade detection by impersonating the legitimate server.
Because the forged certificate is sent unencrypted over the internet, CISA says that defenders could use it as a network signature to detect an active compromise.
After fingerprint validation and authentication with the malware, the threat actor establishes secure remote access to the implant using a Mutual TLS session encrypted with the Elliptic Curve protocol.
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“Static analysis indicates the RESURGE implant will request the remote actors’ EC key to utilize for encryption, and will also verify it with a hard-coded EC Certificate Authority (CA) key,” CISA says.
By mimicking legitimate TLS/SSH traffic, the implant achieves stealth and persistence, the American cybersecurity agency says.
Another file analyzed is a variant of the SpawnSloth malware using the name liblogblock.so and contained by the RESURGE implant. Its main purpose is log tampering to hide malicious activity on compromised devices.
A third file that CISA analyzed is dsmain, a kernel extraction script that embeds the open-source script ‘extract_vmlinux.sh’ and the BusyBox collection of Unix/Linux utilities.
It allows RESURGE to decrypt, modify, and re-encrypt coreboot firmware images and manipulate filesystem contents for boot-level persistence.
“CISA’s updated analysis shows that RESURGE can remain latent on systems until a remote actor attempts to connect to the compromised device,” the agency notes. Because of this, the malicious implant “may be dormant and undetected on Ivanti Connect Secure devices and remains an active threat.”
CISA suggests that system administrators use the updated indicators of compromise (IoCs) to discover dormant RESURGE infections and remove them from Ivanti devices.
Malware is getting smarter. The Red Report 2026 reveals how new threats use math to detect sandboxes and hide in plain sight.
Download our analysis of 1.1 million malicious samples to uncover the top 10 techniques and see if your security stack is blinded.
Anthropic’s chatbot Claude seems to have benefited from the attention around the company’s fraught negotiations with the Pentagon.
As first reported by CNBC, Claude has been rising to the top of the free app rankings in Apple’s US App Store. On Saturday evening, it overtook OpenAI’s ChatGPT to claim the number one spot, a position that it still held on Sunday morning.
According to data from SensorTower, Claude was just outside the top 100 at the end of January, and has spent most of February somewhere in the top 20. It’s climbed rapidly in the past few days, from sixth on Wednesday, then fourth on Thursday, then first on Saturday.
A company spokesperson said that daily signups have broken the all-time record every day this week, free users have increased more than 60% since January, and paid subscribers have more than doubled this year.
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After Anthropic attempted to negotiate for safeguards preventing the Department of Defense from using its AI models for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop using all Anthropic products and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he’s designating the company a supply-chain threat.
This post was first published on February 28, 2026. It has been updated to reflect Anthropic reaching No. 1, and to include growth numbers from the company.
In the not-so-distant past, cars weren’t as commonplace as they are today. Naturally, this also means that the now-essential elements of widespread car travel, like highways and mechanics, weren’t around yet. The gas station, which is a building on just about every corner in the modern era, was no exception. Way back in the late 1800s, early drivers had to pay a visit to their local pharmacy to purchase cans of fuel. One had to pour the fuel from the cans into their vehicle to get it running.
The most famous instance of filling up a vehicle using pharmacy supplies was in 1888, when Bertha Benz, the wife of automobile pioneer Carl Benz, drove from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, in the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first car ever invented. Early on in her trip, she made her first benzene refueling stop at the Stadt-Apotheke pharmacy in Wiesloch, giving it the historical distinction of being the world’s first filling station. So began the trend of pharmacies providing drivers with their much-needed vehicle fuel.
Of course, in the over a century since Bertha’s historic trip, car refueling has changed. In fact, it didn’t take long after her landmark drive for the first thing we recognize as a gas station to be established, making pharmacy refueling nothing more than a historical footnote.
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It didn’t take long for true gas stations to appear
Ej_rodriquez/Getty Images
In the years following Bertha Benz’s drive, cars became more and more popular. Thus, a better way to fuel up was needed, and in the United States, the answer came in the year 1905. That year saw the establishment of the world’s first designated filling station, which opened for business in St. Louis, Missouri, and allowed folks to drive up and purchase fuel without having to get it by the canister. At the same time, it has also been claimed by Standard Oil that the real first gas station was opened two years later in 1907. This station pumped gasoline directly into cars from a massive tank.
These systems worked well enough, but there was still some evolution to be done to get use to the gas stations we know today. Less than a decade later, in 1913, Gulf Refining Company opened the doors to its first drive-up gas station. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the corner of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street, this station also offered free air, water, crankcase service, and tire and tube installation. This extensive service is just one of the many reasons why the gas stations of yesteryear are considered better than those in operation today.
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Over the past century-plus, gas stations have come a long way. Even with their flaws, and the comparatively high price of modern gas, the current setup is certainly a far and away improvement on the old pharmacies that early drivers had to work with.
Hot off the heels of Samsung’s S26 launch, Xiaomi has just unveiled its own flagship smartphone series outside of China.
The series includes the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but what really separates the handsets? Is it a given that the premium Ultra model will offer more features than its cheaper alternative?
Ahead of our review, we’ve assessed the specs of the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra and noted the key differences between the Android smartphones below. Keep reading to see whether you think either the Xiaomi 17 or Xiaomi 17 Ultra looks set to make it into our best smartphones or best Android phones guide.
At 6.9-inches, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s display is the same size as the Galaxy S26 Ultra and considerably larger than the 6.3-inch Xiaomi 17. As we always say, whether you prefer a larger screen or not comes down to personal preference and how you plan on using your phone. For example, if you’ll spend time streaming or gaming, then you might prefer a larger display.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s display also benefits from the new Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0, which supposedly offers 30% more drop resistance than the Xiaomi 15 Ultra’s Shield Glass 2.0. In comparison, the Xiaomi 17 sports the same Xiaomi Shield glass as the Xiaomi 15.
Otherwise, both phones are fitted with a 1-120Hz LTPO refresh rate and offer up to 3500 nits peak brightness too.
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Xiaomi 17 Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Xiaomi 17 has a bigger battery
Somewhat surprisingly, the Xiaomi 17 not only boasts a larger-sized battery compared to the Ultra, but it also supports faster charging too. While the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is fitted with a 6000mAh cell and supports 90W HyperCharge wired speeds, the Xiaomi 17 benefits from a 6330mAh battery with a whopping 100W HyperCharge. Both phones support 50W wireless HyperCharge too.
As we’re yet to review either handset, we can’t comment on their battery life or charging ability. Having said that, considering that the Xiaomi 15 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra sport smaller batteries, both handsets still provide a comfortable all-day battery life. With that in mind, we can expect both the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra to offer a similar performance.
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Xiaomi 17. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Both run on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but the Ultra is fitted with more RAM
As to be expected from many of the best Android phones, both the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. We’ve reviewed a few phones sporting the chip, including the OnePlus 15 and Redmagic 11 Pro, and have been blown away by its speed and ability to run intensive tasks with ease.
With this in mind, we expect the same performance with both the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
Although both handsets sport the same chip, it’s worth noting that the Xiaomi 17 Ultra comes equipped with 16GB RAM as standard whereas the Xiaomi 17 includes 12GB. The difference here is significant, not only because the limited supply and rising RAM prices are still dominating headlines, but it also means the 17 Ultra should run that bit faster compared to the Xiaomi 17.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Xiaomi 17 Ultra has a 200MP telephoto lens
Judging by its specs, it seems that the reason to choose the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is for its photography skill. Although both the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra were co-engineered with Leica and are each fitted with three rear lenses and a 50MP selfie camera, the 17 Ultra has a few tricks up its sleeve.
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Firstly, the 17 Ultra benefits from a 200MP telephoto lens which features a 75-100mm mechanical optical zoom and is the first Leica APO optical lens in its flagship line-up too. According to Xiaomi, this lens should achieve up to 17.2x of optical-level zoom without in-sensor cropping.
The Ultra’s mighty telephoto supports the camera’s 50MP main and 50MP ultrawide lenses , all of which are built around Leica’s UltraPure optical design for better focus and less interference. Finally, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra allows you to film 4K@120fps, which was first introduced to Androids with the OnePlus 15.
In comparison, all three of Xiaomi 17’s rear lenses are 50MP. While its telephoto lens doesn’t quite offer the same prowess as the Ultra, and instead offers 5x optical-level and 20x AI Ultra zoom, its main and ultrawide lenses promise to capture bright and detailed images across most light conditions.
Otherwise, unlike the Ultra, the Xiaomi 17 supports 4K@60fps video recording.
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Xiaomi 17 Ultra supports two photography add-ons
Following on from the above, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra also supports two Leica photography add-ons which should see the handset reach our best camera phones guide. Firstly, there’s the Photography Kit which weighs just 48g and includes a wrist strap, a customisable two-stage shutter button and a video recording button for precise control.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Or you can opt for the Photography Kit Pro, which is designed for more dedicated photographers. According to Xiaomi, the kit combines a slip-resistant texture with a PU leather surface for a more secure grip, and boasts an integrated 2000mAh battery which doubles as a power bank too.
Early Verdict
At this early stage, it’s fair to say that if photography is the most important aspect of a phone, then the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is an easy recommendation, thanks to its mighty 200MP telephoto and the additional photography kits too.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for more of an all-rounder then the Xiaomi 17 is still a brilliant alternative, thanks to its Leica lenses, flagship chip and even bigger battery than the Ultra.
We’ll update this versus once we’ve reviewed the Xiaomi 17 and Xiaomi 17 Ultra.
It’s been a busy week for Androids, as Samsung and Xiaomi have both launched their respective flagship smartphones globally.
Keen to see how the Xiaomi 17 Ultra compares to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra? You’ve come to the right place, as we’ve looked at the specs of both phones and highlighted the key differences between the two here.
Keep reading to learn more about the smartphones and whether either look set to grace our best Android phones guide.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is currently available for pre-order, and will launch officially on March 11th. The handset has a starting RRP of £1279/$1299.99 and comes in a choice of five colours: Black, White, Cobalt, Violet and Sky Blue.
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Both run on Qualcomm’s flagship processor, but Galaxy S26 Ultra has a custom version
As will likely be the case with most of the best Android phones of 2026, both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra are equipped with Qualcomm’s flagship processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, in true Samsung fashion, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s version is a custom-made process specifically designed for Galaxy smartphones (aptly titled Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy).
Although we haven’t reviewed either phone yet, our experience with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 has been extremely positive. During our time with other handsets sporting the chip, we found things ran quickly and smoothly, and even intensive tasks were handled with ease. With that in mind, we can expect a similar performance from both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Either way, the Qualcomm chip is not only known for its speed and efficiency, but also for its ability to run on-device AI without a hitch. This is especially noteworthy for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is fitted with Samsung’s entire Galaxy AI toolkit including Circle to Search and Gemini access.
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Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Image Credit (Xiaomi)
Galaxy S26 Ultra is thinner and slightly lighter
Although both handsets are equipped with a 6.9-inch display, their measurements differ slightly. While the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is 8.9mm thick, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is just 7.9mm – making it the thinnest Galaxy Ultra model ever. Considering the S26 Ultra still includes the S-Pen, this is a pretty impressive feat.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Despite the difference in thickness, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is only slightly lighter than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra weighs 214g, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra weighs up to 219g (for the Starlit Green model, whereas Black and White weigh 218.4g), so the difference between the two shouldn’t be particularly noticeable.
Galaxy S26 Ultra sports a Privacy Display
Perhaps one of the most exciting new features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is its clever built-in Privacy Display which shields itself away from prying eyes. The Privacy Display is customisable too, which means you can choose to set it on a per-app basis or even just hide specific areas of your display instead.
Sure, this might not be the main reason you choose the Galaxy S26 Ultra over the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, however it’s still a brilliant addition that we wish was available on more smartphones.
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Privacy Display on Galaxy S26 Ultra. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Xiaomi 17 Ultra supports faster wired and wireless charging
Samsung has never been famed for its mighty batteries and super speedy charging, and although the S26 Ultra sees some improvements over its predecessors, its specs don’t quite measure up to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s own. Even so, we should note that we’ve always found recent Samsung Galaxy handsets offer a comfortable all-day battery life.
Firstly, there’s a pretty large difference between battery sizes. While the Galaxy S26 Ultra has an average-sounding 5000mAh cell, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra sports a 6000mAh battery instead. In addition, the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports 60W wired and 25W wireless charging too, with the former promising 75% charge in just 30 minutes. It’s certainly an improvement over the 45W of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it undoubtedly falls short of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s whopping 90W.
Not only that, but the 17 Ultra also benefits from 50W wireless charging too.
Galaxy S26 Ultra has four rear lenses
It’s fair to say that both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Xiaomi 17 Ultra have their eyes set on the best camera phone title and, although we haven’t reviewed either yet, their respective specs sound promising.
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The Galaxy S26 Ultra sees more of a tweak rather than an overhaul from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with the promise of brighter images captured from the 200MP main and 50MP telephoto lenses. Although we would have preferred more of an upgrade, considering the Galaxy S25 Ultra captured brilliant images in most lighting conditions, it’s somewhat understandable why Samsung kept things similar.
Otherwise, the Galaxy S26 Ultra also sports a 50MP ultrawide and another 10MP telephoto too, making for a total of four rear lenses.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Photography Kit. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
In comparison, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is made up of three rear cameras that were co-engineered with Leica: a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and a mighty 200MP telephoto which promises to reach an optical zoom of up to 17.2x. That’s an impressive claim, and one we’re keen to put to the test.
For especially keen photographers, you also have the option to purchase additional kits to further enhance your snaps. There’s the standard Photography Kit which weighs just 48g and features a two-stage shutter button and a video recording button for precise control, while the Photography Kit Pro boasts an integrated 2000mAh battery which doubles as a power bank and a detachable shutter button.
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Early Verdict
Both the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra are undoubtedly promising flagship Android smartphones, so choosing between them might be a difficult undertaking. Sure, both offer premium features but the Galaxy S26 Ultra does benefits from the inclusion of a Privacy Display and Galaxy AI.
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That’s not to say the Xiaomi 17 Ultra doesn’t sport impressive features, as the Android boasts a mighty battery, speedy charging and Leica cameras too.
We’ll have to review both handsets before coming to a clear verdict. Once we do, we’ll be sure to update this versus.
ISAC allows smartphones to detect unconnected objects without interfering with connectivity services
Echo-based pulses let mobile networks visualize their surroundings, like bats in the dark
ISAC trials successfully detected people and objects without disrupting mobile functions
Integrated Sensing and Communication, or ISAC, is a technology which converts ordinary smartphones into radar-like sensors capable of detecting unconnected objects in real time.
Vodafone and Tiami Networks are testing ISAC to explore how smartphones could warn people about nearby dangers.
The pair are also examining its potential to monitor crowded areas, detect intruders, and support tasks in industrial and environmental settings.
Vodafone and Tiami test ISAC
The new system relies on echo-based pulses, similar to the echolocation bats use to navigate dark environments, allowing mobile networks to visualize their surroundings without additional hardware.
Users could theoretically receive alerts about crowded spaces, nearby hazards, or other dangerous situations simply through their devices, and industries and public facilities could monitor intruders, unauthorized drones, or environmental risks.
ISAC could track natural disasters and monitor livestock, offering real-time insights in areas that are hard to observe directly, and could also create 3D maps using smart glasses, detect contaminated food, and assist robots in understanding human hand gestures.
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Although ISAC is expected to play a central role in future 6G networks, which may begin operating around 2030, the technology can function over existing 5G infrastructure.
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Vodafone and Tiami Networks conducted trials at Vodafone’s Málaga R&D facility in Spain, employing Tiami’s PolyRAN software to turn base stations into wide-area sensors.
“Our vision for PolyRAN is simple. Deploying ISAC should be as seamless as enabling a software application within a 5G network without disrupting existing connectivity services,” said Amitav Mukherjee, CEO and Founder of Tiami Networks.
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“Testing with Vodafone allows us to evaluate realistic performance and deployment pathways with a leading operator that is deeply engaged in 6G research.”
During these trials, unconnected objects and even people were successfully detected across a live 5G network without causing any interference to voice calls, messaging, or internet usage.
This means ISAC’s adoption does not require a complete network overhaul, making the technology more immediately applicable.
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The trials also explored interoperability between different vendors’ hardware and software through Open RAN-compliant antennas.
This flexibility allows mobile networks to integrate new sensing capabilities through software updates rather than expensive equipment replacements.
By transforming base stations into intelligent edge computing platforms, operators can perform advanced environmental sensing alongside traditional connectivity services.
Beyond industrial or urban monitoring, ISAC could influence personal safety and everyday convenience.
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Business phones may alert users to hazardous conditions in crowded transport hubs or to hidden maintenance issues, such as burst pipes, within buildings.
“Our 6G-ready test shows that your phone could soon do a lot more than connect you. It could be used to help keep you safe wherever you go,” said Marco Zangani, Director of Network Strategy and Architecture, Vodafone.
The technology could also support privacy-conscious public applications, for example, counting visitors in a shopping mall without relying on cameras.
While the full scope of ISAC remains to be proven, initial trials indicate that turning ordinary smartphones into active environmental sensors is technically feasible.
The Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi was developed in partnership with the iconic German camera brand Leica.
Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Chinese phone-maker Xiaomi announced the Leica Leitzphone here at MWC, a Xiaomi 17 Ultra with a circular hardware dial around the back camera puck and Leica branding. That control dial, which feels like the focus ring on a manual camera lens, can be programmed to perform a number of actions when taking a photo, like changing the exposure.
Professional photographer and CNET editor Anredw Lanxon tested the Leitzphone and said, “The Xiaomi Leica Leitzphone is the best, most exciting camera phone I have ever used. And I’ve used them all, including Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. And while they’re both great phone cameras for most people, Xiaomi and Leica’s latest collaboration has resulted in a handset that’s arguably more camera than it is phone.”
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In fact, after taking more than 2,000 photos with the phone, he gave the Leitzphone by Xiaomi a CNET Editors’ Choice award, saying, “Its images aren’t just ‘good for a phone’; they’re downright superb for any camera.”
A yearlong Europol-coordinated operation dubbed “Project Compass” has led to 30 arrests and 179 suspects being tied to “The Com,” an online cybercrime collective that targets children and teenagers.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Europol said that investigators identified 62 victims and directly safeguarded four of them from the group’s attacks.
Launched in January 2025 and led by Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, the Project Compass joint action has brought together law enforcement agencies from 28 countries to combat The Com (short for Community).
Described by Europol as a decentralized nihilistic extremist network, The Com is a loose-knit network of English-speaking cybercriminals known for targeting, victimizing, and recruiting young people for extortion, violence, and the production of child sexual exploitation material (CSAM).
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The Com operates across a wide range of social media, online gaming environments, messaging apps, and music streaming platforms, and is organized into multiple subgroups, including:
Offline Com, which promotes property damage, harming others, and committing acts of terrorism,
Cyber Com, which orchestrates network intrusions and ransomware attacks,
(S)extortion Com, which coerces minors into sex crimes and encourages self-harm and suicide.
Another subgroup that first surfaced in 2021 and is known as “764” is especially notorious within The Com as it grooms young people into producing explicit content, which is then used for blackmail or shared among members.
Two alleged 764 leaders (21-year-old Leonidas Varagiannis and 20-year-old Prasan Nepal) were arrested in April 2025 and charged with operating an international child exploitation ring, and are now facing life in prison.
“These networks deliberately target children in the digital spaces where they feel most at ease,” said Anna Sjöberg, the head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre.
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“Project Compass allows us to intervene earlier, safeguard victims and disrupt those who exploit vulnerability for extremist purposes. No country can address this threat alone – and through this cooperation, we are closing the gaps they try to hide in.”
Malware is getting smarter. The Red Report 2026 reveals how new threats use math to detect sandboxes and hide in plain sight.
Download our analysis of 1.1 million malicious samples to uncover the top 10 techniques and see if your security stack is blinded.
Samsung quietly slipped a 27-inch QD-OLED gaming monitor onto the market at a much lower price than anyone expected. The Odyssey OLED G5, that’s the G50SF model, comes in with a 2560×1440 resolution and a 180Hz refresh rate, a 0.03 millisecond response time, gray to grey, being the icing on the cake. It’s currently selling for around $350, which is significantly cheaper than the original asking price of close to $550.
QD-OLED technology combines quantum dots and organic LEDs to provide per-pixel lighting. The end product is true black. In other words, the individual pixels just turn off, resulting in a contrast ratio of millions to one. The colors also provide a lot of bang for their buck, with a wide gamut and 99 percent DCI-P3 coverage in tests, and Pantone even approves the panel for accurately reproducing more than 2100 colors and skin tones. In addition, HDR10 support is incorporated, which adds depth to highlights and shadows without relying on local dimming zones, as other display types do.
The monitor’s motion performance definitely punches above its weight, as the 180Hz limit via DisplayPort keeps frames flowing smoothly in fast-paced games, and the super-fast response time effectively eliminates ghosting when making quick turns or performing frenzied action scenes. It also receives a thumbs up from NVIDIA and AMD for G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility, which means tearing and stutter are eliminated, but if you’re confined to HDMI, it still max out at 144Hz, which is still quite decent for consoles or secondary setups.
Despite the fact that OLED screens can be prone to long-term issues, Samsung has made steps to limit those concerns. A thermal modulation system adjusts the brightness dynamically to help manage heat, and logo and taskbar detection activates to automatically dim static elements. If the monitor has been idle for ten minutes, a screen saver activates to prevent screen burn-in, which is a big deal for anyone concerned about permanent image retention. As an added benefit, the three-year guarantee specifically covers burn-in if you use it normally.
Another thing to note is that the Glare Free coating effectively reduces reflections when compared to a regular anti-glare film. This means it’s much easier to operate the monitor even if it’s illuminated from above or by a nearby window. The matte finish does a fantastic job of keeping clarity, although it sacrifices some perceived sharpness in exchange for the ability to use the monitor in brighter settings.
