Google is ready to reveal its next generation of Pixel hardware. The Made by Google 2026 event takes place later today in New York City, with the livestream beginning at 6PM ET.

The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold are all set to appear. Google has also revealed the Pixel Watch 5 ahead of the event, while a new Pixel Tag tracker could also be part of the presentation.

Watch Made by Google live

If the embedded player does not load, you can watch the event directly on YouTube.

What to expect

Google’s Pixel 11 family is the main attraction. The company has confirmed the Pixel 11 name and its updated store pages now list the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold alongside the rest of its phone range.

Google has also announced the Pixel Watch 5, which brings new Gemini-powered assistance, updated health features, and improved GPS tracking. Pre-orders open today, with general availability beginning August 20.

Pre-order Google’s new Pixel devices

Google has opened pre-orders for its new Pixel phones and Pixel Watch 5. US pricing starts at $899 for Pixel 11, $1,099 for Pixel 11 Pro, $1,299 for Pixel 11 Pro XL, $1,899 for Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and $399 for Pixel Watch 5.

These are non third-party affiliate links.

Check back with DJs Mobiles after the event for the full rundown of Google’s announcements.

The Redmi K100 Pro Max is the flagship model of Xiaomi's Redmi K100 series, featuring a 6.9-inch 185Hz OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 200 megapixel main camera and an enormous 9,070mAh battery.

The Pro Max expands on the K100 Pro with a 50 megapixel periscope telephoto camera, 50 megapixel ultra-wide camera, larger cooling system, USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectivity and a 2.1-channel speaker system.

The full Redmi K100 Pro Max specifications follow:

``` ```

Redmi K100 Pro Max
Announced	August 11, 2026
Release	August 2026 (China)
Operating System	Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0
Thickness	8.45 mm
Weight	238 g
Rear Material	Glass fiber
Colors	Black, Gold, Blue, Red
Water Resistance	IP66, IP68, IP69
Display Type	Flat OLED, M11 luminescent material
Display Size	6.9 inches
Resolution	2608 x 1200 pixels
Refresh Rate	185Hz
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
RAM	12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X
Storage	256GB / 512GB / 1TB UFS 4.1
Cooling	6,300 mm² ice-sealed circulating cooling pump
Rear Camera	200MP main camera with OIS
Telephoto Camera	50MP periscope telephoto
Ultra-wide Camera	50MP
Audio	2.1-channel speaker system with dual 1115D main speakers and Deco 2016 speaker
USB	USB 3.2 Gen 1
Fingerprint Sensor	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Battery	9,070mAh
Wired Charging	100W
Wireless Charging	50W
Reverse Wired Charging	27W
Reverse Wireless Charging	22.5W
Battery Technology	16% silicon content
Starting Price	CNY 4,499 (12GB + 256GB)
Memory Options	12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 16GB + 256GB; 16GB + 512GB; 16GB + 1TB

Source: Gizmochina

 

The Redmi K100 Pro is a flagship Android smartphone from Xiaomi's Redmi brand featuring a 6.59-inch 185Hz OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5V processor, 200 megapixel main camera, and a massive 8,580mAh battery with 100W wired and 50W wireless charging.

The device runs Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0 and also features a 50 megapixel telephoto camera, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and IP66, IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance.

The full Redmi K100 Pro specifications follow:

``` ```

Redmi K100 Pro
Announced	August 11, 2026
Release	August 2026 (China)
Operating System	Xiaomi HyperOS 3.0
Thickness	8.55 mm
Weight	218 g
Colors	Black, White, Shimmering Light, Cabernet Sauvignon Red
Water Resistance	IP66, IP68, IP69
Display Type	Flat OLED, M11 luminescent material
Display Size	6.59 inches
Resolution	2510 x 1156 pixels
Refresh Rate	185Hz
Brightness	Up to 2,200 nits full-screen brightness
Display Features	Full-brightness DC dimming
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5V Series
Graphics	Integrated Qualcomm GPU; Xiaomi D2 discrete graphics chip
RAM	12GB / 16GB LPDDR5X
Storage	256GB / 512GB UFS 4.1
Cooling	5,150 mm² ice-cooled circulating pump
Signal Chip	Xiaomi T1+
Rear Camera	200MP main camera with OIS
Telephoto Camera	50MP
Ultra-wide Camera	8MP
Front Camera	32MP
Fingerprint Sensor	Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor
Battery	8,580mAh Jinshajiang battery
Wired Charging	100W
Wireless Charging	50W
Reverse Wired Charging	27W
Reverse Wireless Charging	22.5W
Battery Technology	26% silicon content; 945 Wh/L energy density
Starting Price	CNY 3,699 (12GB + 256GB)
Memory Options	12GB + 256GB; 12GB + 512GB; 16GB + 256GB; 16GB + 512GB

Source: Gizmochina

TikTok and The Walt Disney Company have announced a new short-form content-sharing agreement designed to connect Disney fandom with TikTok’s creator community.

The deal will give eligible TikTok creators access to assets from hundreds of Disney films and series, including content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and FX. Selected creator videos will also appear in a new Disney+ destination called Verts.

Disney content meets TikTok creators

The agreement is focused on fan creativity. TikTok creators who take part will be able to use approved material from Disney’s catalogue to create short-form videos, while Disney+ will feature a curated selection of participating creator content.

It is a notable change from the usual relationship between major entertainment companies and social platforms. Rather than simply promoting trailers and clips, Disney is building a direct path for selected fan-made TikTok content to reach its streaming audience.

A US pilot comes first

Despite being described as a global agreement, the first rollout is a US pilot planned for the coming months. TikTok and Disney say they intend to expand to other markets afterwards, but they have not announced a full launch schedule or country list.

Google has officially confirmed its next major Pixel launch. The company will unveil the next-generation Google Pixel 11 at its Made by Google event on August 12, 2026.

The event will take place in New York City and be streamed live. Google has not yet revealed the full product lineup, but its event page explicitly names the Pixel 11 and says pre-orders will open on the day of the announcement.

Pixel 11 is officially on the way

Google’s event page leaves little room for doubt: the Pixel 11 will headline this year’s Made by Google presentation. That makes August 12 the first official look at the company’s next flagship phone generation.

Beyond the Pixel 11 name, Google has not confirmed specifications, variants, pricing, or which other devices will appear on stage. Any claims about those details before the event should be treated as unconfirmed.

Pre-orders start on launch day

Google says Pixel 11 pre-orders will begin on August 12. Availability, final pricing, colours, and regional launch dates should be announced during the event.

DJs Mobiles will cover the confirmed announcements from Made by Google once the event begins.

Pokemon is the highest-grossing entertainment media franchise of all time. Not the highest-grossing game franchise. The highest-grossing media franchise, ahead of Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, and Mickey Mouse. Of that $150 billion in lifetime revenue, video games account for just over $30 billion. Merchandise alone accounts for over $100 billion. I want you to sit with that for a second. The games, the thing Game Freak actually makes, are the smallest piece of the pie. And somehow they still feel underfunded. If you handed Scarlet or Violet to someone who had never played a Pokemon game and asked them to guess the budget, they would not guess it came from the studio behind the world's most valuable entertainment property. They might guess mid-tier indie. Ambitious concept, tight schedule, shipped a bit early. And honestly? They wouldn't be wrong on either count. That's the contradiction I keep coming back to. The franchise has more cultural capital than almost anything else on the planet. The studio making the games doesn't operate like it does. And the gap between what Pokemon could be and what it actually is gets wider every generation. So I want to do something a bit different with this one. Not a review. More of a design wishlist meets industry critique. What would the dream Pokemon game actually look like if Game Freak operated like the studio behind the world's biggest franchise?

The Studio Problem

Game Freak was founded on April 26, 1989 by Satoshi Tajiri, Ken Sugimori, and Junichi Masuda. As of March 2025, it has 207 employees. Rockstar has over 2,000. Nintendo as a whole employs over 8,200. CD Projekt Red shipped The Witcher 3 with around 1,500 people on the team. And the small size isn't accidental. Junichi Masuda told Game Informer he'd work with just 20 people if he could. His argument is that bigger teams create too many cooks, and that communication is everything. That philosophy built Red and Blue. It also built Scarlet and Violet, so make of that what you will. For the first couple of decades, working small was genuinely impressive. Red and Blue were engineering miracles on the original Game Boy. Gold and Silver somehow fit two entire regions into a cartridge that had no business holding them. But the franchise outgrew the studio somewhere around Generation 5, and the structure never changed to match. Black and White is still the creative peak for me. A story with actual moral weight, a rival with a real ideology, a full regional Pokedex, and creature designs that divided everyone at launch and aged brilliantly. N is one of the most interesting antagonists in any JRPG, not just the series. That game showed what Pokemon could be when someone cared about the writing. And then the series never went back there. Legends: Arceus was the most interesting pivot in years. Stripping back the formula, dropping you into a historical Sinnoh, making catching Pokemon feel dangerous for once... there was a real philosophy behind it. The open areas were sparse and rough around the edges, but fans called it the freshest the series had felt in over a decade, and I'd agree with that. Then Scarlet and Violet arrived. The ambition was real. A fully open region, three storylines running in parallel, a climax that genuinely caught people off guard. But the execution was rough. Pop-in rendering drawing trees fifty metres ahead of you, frame rates dropping into the teens in busy areas, a world that looked unfinished in broad daylight. And Scarlet and Violet still sold approximately 27.2 million copies, making them the second best-selling Pokemon games ever. That number tells you everything about where the commercial incentive sits, and nothing about whether it was earned.

What Other Studios Have Already Proved

Before I get into what the dream game looks like, I want to ground this in what other studios have actually shipped. Because none of this is theoretical.

The Dream Game — What I'd Actually Want

I've narrowed it down to four things. Not because there aren't more, but because these are the ones that would change everything else if you got them right.

Why It Hasn't Happened

Scarlet and Violet sold 10 million copies in their first three days, the best launch of any Nintendo game at that point. The market has never punished Game Freak for underdelivering. So the incentive to overdeliver has simply never been there. There's also a genuine creative conservatism at the studio, and I don't think it's entirely wrong. Tajiri and Sugimori built something that has worked across three decades. Legends: Arceus was critically praised and commercially solid but also divisive among fans who wanted a traditional structure. Not every departure lands. But the performance memes aren't affectionate anymore. They stopped being affectionate a couple of years ago. The conversation now is whether Game Freak is actually the right vehicle for the IP it holds, and that's a very different conversation to be having about the world's biggest franchise.

What Legends: Z-A Actually Delivered

Pokemon Legends: Z-A launched on October 16, 2025, on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, set in Lumiose City with an urban redevelopment story at its centre. It landed a 79/100 average on OpenCritic with 65% of critics recommending it. TechRadar's reviewer gave it 4.5 out of 5, calling it near perfection and praising a story focus not seen since the GameCube era, while flagging Lumiose City feeling repetitive over time and some bugs in the new battle systems. A score in the high 70s to mid 80s with real critical praise for narrative ambition is not where the series was two years ago. Z-A is proof that the appetite for a more serious Pokemon game exists, and that Game Freak can move toward it when it tries. One good entry isn't a trend. But it's a better starting point than another Scarlet and Violet.

Final Thoughts

None of this is impossible, or even radical. It's applying to Pokemon the same investment and seriousness that other major franchises have received from studios with smaller audiences and less room to get away with a bad launch. The lore is there. The regional concept is one of the most flexible world-building frameworks in gaming. The creature design language, at its best, is genuinely singular. The battle system has sustained a competitive community for thirty years. The foundation is extraordinary. What it's never had is a studio operating at the scale the franchise actually deserves, with the headcount and the time to match the ambition that's clearly there when Game Freak is allowed to reach for it. Z-A is a step in the right direction. What I want to see now is whether it changes anything about how the next mainline game gets built, staffed, and scheduled. That's the real test. What would your dream Pokemon game look like? And after Z-A, do you think the series is finally moving somewhere, or is one good entry not enough to call it a trend? Let me know in the comments.

ChatGPT’s free tier is about to become considerably less restrictive for everyday conversations. OpenAI says Free and Go users will get unlimited text chats next week, removing the message cap that could previously interrupt a longer back-and-forth.

The change arrives alongside another model update: GPT-5.6 Luna will become the default ChatGPT model for Free and Go users this week.

Unlimited chats, with important limits still in place

“Unlimited” applies specifically to text conversations. Users will be able to keep asking questions and following up without running into the usual chat-message limit, although OpenAI says the feature remains subject to abuse guardrails.

That does not mean every ChatGPT feature becomes unlimited. File uploads, image creation, and other tools will still have separate usage limits, so heavy users may still encounter restrictions when working with documents or generating visuals.

A new default model for Free and Go

GPT-5.6 Luna will replace the current default model for ChatGPT Free and Go users. OpenAI has not positioned it as a paid-tier replacement, but pairing the new model with unlimited text chats should make the free experience feel much more useful for research, writing, planning, and everyday questions.

Free and Go users will also gain a Think button for tougher prompts. This should give people a simpler way to ask ChatGPT to spend more effort on a difficult question without needing to understand the differences between models.

What is not changing?

This update applies to ChatGPT itself. OpenAI says its Work and Codex experiences are not changing as part of this rollout.

OpenAI announced the changes in its ChatGPT release notes.

Google Assistant’s final chapter on Android now has a date. Google will begin removing its long-running voice assistant from supported Android phones and tablets on September 4, 2026, completing its move to Gemini.

The change is not limited to phones. Google Assistant will also begin disappearing from connected Wear OS watches, compatible headphones and earbuds, and Android Auto when it is projected from a phone. Google says the rollout may take several weeks to reach everyone.

Gemini replaces Assistant on Android

Google has been moving users from Assistant to Gemini for more than a year, but September 4 marks the beginning of the permanent transition for remaining Assistant users. Gemini keeps the familiar assistant role on Android, including voice access through “Hey Google,” while adding a more conversational AI experience.

For Google, the switch makes sense: maintaining two competing assistants on the same platform was never going to last. For users, however, it means Gemini is no longer simply an option. It will be the assistant experience on supported devices.

Which devices are affected?

The distinction matters for anyone who uses Assistant across multiple screens. Your phone may move to Gemini in September while Assistant remains available on some home and in-car devices for now.

What should Assistant users do now?

If you have kept Google Assistant as your default, this is a good time to try Gemini before the forced change reaches your device. Check the tasks you use most often: calling or messaging people, controlling smart-home devices, starting navigation, setting timers, and managing music.

Gemini can handle many of the same everyday requests, but it is a different product with a different interface and behavior. Testing it early gives you time to decide whether its voice settings, connected apps, and permissions are set up the way you want.

Google’s Assistant-to-Gemini transition will start September 4 and continue over the following weeks. For the latest official context on Google’s broader migration plan, see Google’s Gemini announcement.

An email from Sunbird made me pause. Months earlier, when iMessage support was first announced, I tried the service's free trial. I wanted to know whether Android users had finally found a way into Apple's messaging world. I never made it through setup. The iMessage connection kept getting stuck, and I eventually deleted the app and moved on. But I could not honestly answer a question Android users have asked for years. Is iMessage on Android actually worth paying for? So instead of unsubscribing from another marketing email, I subscribed to Sunbird. What happened next became the story.

Week 1: The Journey Begins

Day 1: Becoming a Sunbird Customer

The first surprise came before I even subscribed. I was using a Pixel 10 Pro XL. I could not complete the purchase while connected to Wi-Fi. I tried a few times, turned Wi-Fi off, and switched to cellular data. The purchase completed immediately. I do not know whether that was my network, Google Play, or Sunbird. I only know it was the first thing that happened when I tried to become a paying customer. It is a small detail, but first impressions are usually made of small details. Round two with iMessage While preparing to try again, I learned something that may explain why my first attempt months ago went nowhere. Back then, I had created a brand-new Apple ID specifically for testing. This time, I used my existing Apple account instead. I entered my Apple ID and password. Apple asked on my iPhone whether it was me attempting to sign in. I confirmed that it was. There was no verification code. Just that prompt, and then the waiting began. The longest 99% I have ever watched Sunbird immediately told me that iMessage server availability was limited. Fair enough. I watched the progress indicator climb: 7%, 47%, 90%, then 99%. Then nothing. More than half an hour later, I received a notification saying the sync had completed. The progress bar was still showing 99%. Thirty minutes after that, it was still there. An hour after I started, I was still staring at 99%. At that point I was not looking for a technical explanation. I was wondering the same thing any customer would wonder. Should I keep waiting? Google Messages told a different story While iMessage was sitting at 99%, I tried connecting Google Messages instead. The first attempt failed. The second attempt worked. What caught my attention was the way it connected. It appeared to use the same kind of device pairing I have seen with Google Messages for Web. That made me stop and ask a bigger question: what exactly is Sunbird supposed to be? Is it becoming part of my Android messaging experience, or is it a bridge between services that already exist? Trying Google Messages also appeared to reset the iMessage setup, so I was back where I started with the connection I had spent an hour watching. I am not ready to turn that into a verdict. It was simply the moment where this stopped feeling like a question about blue bubbles and started feeling like a question about what kind of bridge Sunbird is trying to build.

Day 2: The Support Path

I explored Sunbird's support chatbot and support flow. One thing stood out: it automatically prepared an email containing my device, app version, and diagnostic information. When something goes wrong, the hardest part is often explaining what happened. Here, the app seemed ready to collect those details before I had worked out how to describe them. I sent my support request at 9:13 AM.

Day 3: Another 99%

Testing credential handling As part of the process, I deliberately entered an incorrect Apple password. Sunbird did eventually reject it with a "Wrong credentials" message, but the rejection was not instant. It took a short time for the app to identify the incorrect password rather than failing immediately. I also tested an Apple app-specific password. That was rejected more quickly. The result does not explain what happens during a normal connection attempt, but it shows that Sunbird can recognise credentials that are not accepted. The second attempt I started another sign-in attempt at around 12:12 PM. This time the early progress was quicker: 76% at 12:21 PM, 94% at 12:34 PM, 99% at 12:45 PM. That was encouraging for a moment. But by 1:18 PM, after more than an hour in total and over 30 minutes at 99%, the attempt ended without connecting. A faster start, the same result. A clearer answer from support Later that day, Sunbird gave me a more definite answer. After reviewing my account, support said its message engine could not connect with my existing Apple Account because it falls into a "rare connection edge case" the service does not yet support. The recommended workaround was to clear Sunbird's cache and data, restart the phone, then try again with a different Apple Account, either another existing account or a new one.

Week 2: Living With the Workaround

Day 1: The Workaround Starts With Another Barrier

Week 2 was meant to test Sunbird's official workaround. Support had confirmed my existing Apple Account falls into a connection case the service does not yet support, and recommended trying again with a different Apple Account. Because Sunbird says no Apple device is required, I began the process directly on my Android phone. I created a new account in Brave on Android and completed Apple's email verification. But at the final phone-verification stage, Apple stopped the process with the message: "Account cannot be created at this time." That is not a Sunbird failure in itself. It may be an Apple security or rate-limit issue. But it is still part of the practical experience of following Sunbird's recommended workaround. Before I could test whether a new Apple Account would solve the iMessage connection problem, creating that replacement identity became another obstacle.

Day 2: A Different Browser and Network, the Same Result

I tried again using Chrome rather than Brave and cellular data rather than Wi-Fi. I also tried the phone number assigned to my Android phone, and a secondary VoIP number. Apple again stopped the process during phone verification with the same message. My Gmail address may already be associated with an Apple Account, and I cannot rule out having used my Android phone number with Apple in the past. To avoid either possibility, I attempted the new account with a Proton Mail address and a secondary number. The result did not change. That does not establish why Apple is rejecting the account, and it is not a Sunbird failure by itself. But it does show that the new-Apple-ID workaround is not straightforward in practice.

Day 3: Apple Support

I reached out to Apple Support for help. Support was able to review my situation and allow me to complete creating a new account. I verified the newly created Apple Account directly with Apple before trying Sunbird again. The account and password work there. Sunbird, however, still reported that the credentials were incorrect. Because the account was brand new, I allowed a short activation window before drawing any conclusion. But the immediate result was clear: creating the replacement identity was difficult, and even once Apple accepted it, Sunbird could not yet use it.

Day 4: The New Account Reaches Validation

After allowing time for the new Apple Account to activate, I tried again. Apple still accepted the account details directly, but Sunbird again reported that the account information was incorrect. I sent a new support request. As with earlier contact, Sunbird's support flow immediately asked for my UID rather than appearing to identify my existing account or carry forward the previous conversation. From the customer side, this creates a fragmented experience: each follow-up begins by supplying account information again, while earlier questions about my subscription and the recommended workaround remained unanswered. At 1:11 PM, a later attempt finally moved beyond the "account information is incorrect" error and into Sunbird's validation process. I do not have the exact account-creation timestamp, so I cannot say how long the new Apple Account needed before Sunbird began accepting its credentials. That suggests the earlier error may have been tied to the activation state of the new account rather than an incorrect password. Validation was still in progress. The next step was to confirm whether the connection completed and whether iMessage actually worked in real conversations.

Day 5: The Subscription Catch-22

Sunbird Support finally replied about a promo code. It said the extension could not be applied because I had already subscribed, and suggested I cancel my subscription if I wanted to use the code instead. That does not resolve the problem. Cancelling a subscription normally prevents a future renewal. It does not refund a payment already made or restore the time spent testing the service. I declined that option and asked again whether a refund was possible, this time including my UID in the email to avoid another request for the same account information. Meanwhile, the new Apple Account did not complete its validation attempt on Day 4. On Day 5, I am trying the connection again.

Week 3

Week 3, Day 1: The Final Connection Attempt

At 8:00 AM, I started one final attempt to connect the replacement Apple Account. This was not the account Sunbird originally failed to support. It was the new account Support had recommended, created specifically to test whether its workaround could get me into the service.

The attempt initially looked more promising than earlier ones. It moved past the “account information is incorrect” error and reached 77% within ten minutes. But it eventually stalled at 99% again.

At 6:40 PM, more than ten hours after the attempt began, Sunbird was still displaying its 99% validation screen. The app said that, if the attempt was unsuccessful, it would send a notification within 25 minutes to try again. No connection completed and no notification arrived.

I have now paused further connection attempts. For the past two weeks, I have mostly been repeating connection attempts rather than receiving new troubleshooting from Sunbird. Its Support team identified my original Apple Account as unsupported and told me to create another one, but the replacement account has reached the same 99% dead end. I will wait for specific new guidance, but I will not keep repeating the same setup process without it.

Week 3, Day 2: A Possible Cause That Does Not Fit

After I sent a follow-up, Sunbird Support finally came back with a more specific explanation. It said the connection is failing at the two-factor authentication step and asked whether the Apple Account used with Sunbird is also signed in on an iPhone, iPad or Mac with Advanced Data Protection enabled. Sunbird said that feature is not currently supported.

That could matter for someone connecting an Apple Account already used on an Apple device. But it does not explain the replacement account I am testing. I created that account on my Pixel 10 Pro XL after Support told me my original Apple Account was unsupported. It has never been signed in on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, so Advanced Data Protection is not enabled.

I replied with that information, along with my UID again. The replacement account works when I sign in directly with Apple, but Sunbird has repeatedly stalled at 99% while validating it.

The reply is the first new troubleshooting lead I have received in two weeks, but it has not yet provided a path forward for the account currently failing to connect. It also continues to show how fragmented the support process feels: even inside an existing email thread, each contact begins by supplying the same account information again rather than building on the previous attempts.

Conclusion: Sunbird Is Not Ready

I started this review hoping to spend a month living with Sunbird. I wanted to find out whether iMessage on Android was finally practical enough to justify paying for.

Instead, I spent most of that time trying to get through setup.

My established Apple Account could not connect. Sunbird Support called it a rare connection edge case and told me to create a different account. Creating that new Apple Account on Android required help from Apple Support. Once it existed, Sunbird first rejected its valid credentials, then eventually accepted them only to stall at 99% again.

The final attempt began at 8:00 AM and was still sitting at 99% at 6:40 PM. Sunbird's own screen said an unsuccessful attempt would result in a notification within 25 minutes. It never connected, and that notification never arrived.

Sunbird did eventually provide one more troubleshooting lead: it said Advanced Data Protection is not supported. That is useful information for people using an Apple Account on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. But it did not apply to the replacement account I created for this test, because that account had never been signed in to an Apple device.

I do not think my experience proves Sunbird fails for everyone. I have seen that it can work for some people. But that is not enough for a service charging a monthly subscription. Customers need to know whether they are likely to be compatible before paying, and they need a clear path forward when setup fails.

Sunbird gave me neither. It gave me a paid subscription, a string of 99% progress bars, and Support conversations that repeatedly began by asking for the same UID instead of building on the account history already in front of them.

For now, I am pausing active testing and cancelling my autorenewal. I will update this review if Sunbird provides a workable fix, resolves the refund request, or materially improves the connection process. But I will not keep repeating the same setup steps without new guidance.

The Design and Modules

The SP-01 is a small phone by modern standards. It is 5.5 inches tall, weighs less than 5 ounces, and fits comfortably alongside keys and a wallet. The top half houses a 2.8-inch IPS touchscreen running at 480x640, which is genuinely small in 2026, though that is partly the point. Below it sits a USB-C port, SIM tray, volume and power buttons, and a rear loudspeaker. The plastic body feels functional rather than premium, and the camera is notably low quality for real-world use.

The bottom plate is where it gets interesting. Keypads attach using magnets and micro-latches, snap in without tools, and can be swapped without powering the phone off. The Classic T9 keyboard ships in the box and uses predictive text to get through messages. The Sundial module is the one that catches the eye though — nine reprogrammable buttons designed around music playback, built to feel a bit like an old iPod click wheel with its own personality. A QWERTY module is also in the works. The swappable system works well physically and gives the SP-01 a genuine point of difference in the dumbphone space.

Setup and Software

This is where reality sets in. The SP-01 does not run Google's version of Android, and there is no Play Store. Sidephone ships with a curated set of essentials including WhatsApp, Maps, and Uber, and you access additional apps through the App Library using App Packs accessed by scanning a QR code. If you want something outside that list, you are sideloading it manually.

The modules also require their own setup steps. Each one needs a QR scan, a companion app download, and integration before it functions properly. None of it is impossible, but for a device marketed at people who want less friction in their phone life, there is a fair amount of friction in getting started. Once it is all configured the experience smooths out considerably, but that first hour or two is a barrier that will put some people off entirely.

Battery, Camera, and the Basics

Battery life is one of the genuine highlights. Verizon rated it at up to eight days with calls and messages as the primary use, though real-world use with apps running will cut that closer to four. Either way, it comfortably outlasts any flagship Android or iPhone, which is exactly what you want from a phone built around doing less.

The 13MP Samsung ISOCELL 3L6 camera with autofocus sounds reasonable on paper, but reviewers have been consistently clear that real-world output is well below what the spec suggests. It is usable in good light for quick snaps, but if photography matters to you at all, this is not the phone for it. There is no front camera either, so video calls are out entirely. No NFC means no contactless payments, which will be a dealbreaker for some. And with no headphone jack and no wireless charging, you are also relying on USB-C for everything audio and power related.

Who Is This Actually For

The Sidephone SP-01 is not a phone for everyone, and it does not pretend to be. The founder's stated goal is reducing distraction through hardware choices rather than willpower alone, and the device makes a reasonable case for that approach. Physical keys naturally slow you down. The small screen discourages endless scrolling. The absence of social media apps removes the temptation at the source rather than relying on app timers and focus modes that are easy to dismiss.

Where it works best is for someone who already knows what they want: a secondary device to carry when they want to disconnect, or a primary phone for someone technically comfortable enough to enjoy the tinkering that comes with it. If you are expecting a polished out-of-the-box experience similar to a Light Phone or even a budget Nokia, you may find the SP-01 frustrating. If you enjoy configuring hardware and the idea of a phone that grows with new modules genuinely appeals to you, it is a compelling first-generation device with clear room to mature.