Apple’s M6 chip is making its way to the MacBook Pro, joining the new iMac desktop and the company’s recently announced OLED iPad Mini.
At this stage, the M6 chip is only available in the 14-inch MacBook Pro, and it’s not the rumoured touchscreen model. Tomorrow’s “Pro and Tell” event is the expected stage for Apple’s first touch-enabled laptop.
Compared to the M5-equipped MacBook Pro, the new model’s gains are fairly incremental. Apple claims that the 12-core GPU improves graphics performance by up to 30 per cent, and AI performance by up to 25 per cent, while the dual 16-core Neural Engine is up to 90 per cent faster.
Image: Apple.
But who upgrades a laptop every year? For those looking to upgrade from an M1 MacBook, Apple claims up to 11 times faster graphics and up to 13 times faster AI performance. Apple positions its latest laptop as being powerful enough to run complex large language models (LLMs) locally, including the company’s new suite of Siri AI features.
From a design perspective, the M6 MacBook Pro doesn’t change much. Aesthetically, it looks identical to the previous model, reserving the biggest changes for the internals. Both Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 are supported, along with three Thunderbolt 4 ports, a full HDMI port, an SDXC slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
Where does a flip phone fit in the 2026 phone landscape? Once considered the potential future of phones, the foldable flip form factor (say that five times fast) has gone under the radar lately. Larger foldables are in vogue, especially the passport-shaped style adopted by Samsung and Apple in recent months. Even so, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is one of the better flip phones on the market. It’s just a bit overshadowed by other current trends.
Look at the foldable phone section of prominent tech retailers: the pendulum has clearly swung away from flip phones towards book-like foldables. When Samsung announced its annual folding phone refresh earlier in the year, it gave very little attention to the Galaxy Z Flip 8, as if it were the middle child sandwiched between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra.
So too has Motorola embraced the larger foldable trend. It recently debuted one of the stronger first entries in the form of the $2,799 Razr Fold. As it stands, the $1,999 Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is a slick and stylish handset, but is it enough in a world awash with alternatives?
Motorola Razr 70 Ultra specifications and price
Displays
6.9-inch 1224 x 2992 Extreme AMOLED 165Hz main display 5,000 nits peak brightness 4.0-inch 1272 x 1080 Extreme AMOLED 165Hz external display
Dimensions
88.12 x 73.99 x 15.69mm (closed) 171.48 x 73.99 x 7.19mm (open) 199 grams
Processor
Snapdragon 8 Elite
Storage and memory
256GB storage 12GB memory
Cameras
50MP rear wide camera: f/1.8 50MP rear ultra-wide camera: f/2.0, 122-degree field of view 50MP selfie camera: f/2.0
Battery
5,000mAh silicon-carbon
Connectivity
USB-C 2.0 Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 eSIM and physical SIM NFC
Network bands
2G, 3G, 4G, 5G (sub-6)
Software
Android 16 Three years of OS updates Four years of security updates
Motorola loaned me the ‘Pantone Orient Blue’ variant of its flip phone, which was quite the dazzler. Halfway between navy and purple, it’s bright enough to catch the eye, yet subtle enough not to dominate its surroundings.
Along the right side are the usual volume and power buttons. They’re well-positioned, making it easy to unlock the phone via the power button’s integrated fingerprint sensor. On the left side, Motorola’s AI key makes an appearance. I barely touched it; as I’ve said before, the fact that you can’t reprogram it to any shortcut you like hampers its utility.
Image: Chris Button.
I also wasn’t sold on the fabric-like material used on the rear cover. Aesthetically, it looks nice and adds a bit of extra grip. From a practical perspective, though, I could hear my mum’s words ringing in my ears about how difficult it would be to keep clean.
Just after a couple of weeks, the soft surface caught a lot of lint and other miscellaneous particles that were tricky to remove. Once you add sweat and grime to the equation, I fear to think how it would look in a year’s time.
Image: Chris Button.
Obviously, I spent far more time looking at the Razr 70 Ultra’s sleek screens than anything else. Both the 4.0-inch outer display and 6.9-inch main screen looked a treat, sporting 165Hz AMOLED technology.
Motorola’s outer screen is fully functional, letting you access standard apps without opening the phone. It’s handy for sending a quick message on a condensed keyboard, but I generally preferred flipping open to the tall inner display.
Image: Chris Button.
There wasn’t much of a crease to speak of, either. I could feel it by running my thumb along the screen, but it wasn’t visually obvious. Like any phone with foldable technology, you can see the crease when viewing the screen at an angle. Last I checked, though, everyone I know looks at their phone dead-on straight, so it’s a non-issue.
Performance
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and 12GB of memory in tow, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is one of the most powerful flip phones around. Swapping between apps is quick and responsive, keeping up with my whims. Once you start looking at phones in this price bracket, it’s tough to visibly discern everyday performance differences. No news is good news, as far as I’m concerned.
This is where benchmarking software helps sort things out. As expected, the Razr 70 Ultra blazes past last year’s Razr 60 (non-Ultra) model. Raw performance-wise, it’s roughly on par with the Razr Fold and last year’s Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, according to Geekbench 6 testing.
For reference, Geekbench 7 is fairly new, so we’re still building a library of benchmarks for comparison. Here, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra returned scores of 1,257 (single-core CPU), 6,743 (multi-core CPU), and 11,505 (OpenCL GPU).
On gaming-specific benchmarks, which test a phone’s graphical limits, Motorola’s latest flip performed reasonably well. On 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme 4K test, the Razr 70 Ultra scored 5,676, sitting on the higher end of the scale.
If mobile gaming is your thing, this is a phone capable of running more resource-intensive software. For how long, though, is another question.
The phone couldn’t complete a 20-minute stress test version of Wild Life Extreme, interrupting the test with an overheating warning. Subsequent attempts saw the same outcome. I reverted to the 1440p Wild Life (sans ‘Extreme’) 20-minute benchmark, which fared better.
During this latter test, the Razr 70 Ultra maintained solid performance throughout the entire 20 minutes. Afterwards, the device was hot to touch, and the battery dropped by 13%.
It’s good to see a 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery make its way into a flip phone. I easily got through an entire day without recharging, although I don’t spend as many hours on my phone as some do. If you’re gaming, though, the battery saps much quicker, as is the case with most phones.
It’s also worth noting that Motorola is only supporting the Razr 70 Ultra with three years of operating system updates, plus four years of security patches. It’s a strange decision when the $1,499 Motorola Signature gets seven years of both. The more you think about it, the more confusing it gets; the Razr isn’t lacking in power, so why not commit to more updates, like foldables from competing brands?
Dude, where’s my optical zoom?
Motorola phones have been on a hot streak when it comes to cameras. Its top-end handsets, like the Signature and Razr Fold, take fantastic pictures, and the brand’s mid-range devices aren’t slouches by any stretch.
The Razr 70 Ultra doesn’t reach the same lofty standards set by those phones, but it’s a capable shooter all the same. A combination of hardware choices and baked-in software processing means it’s not as versatile as some of Motorola’s other models.
I still think fondly about the Razr 50 Ultra’s 2x optical zoom, something the Razr 70 Ultra omits in favour of an ultrawide lens. Motorola isn’t the only culprit preferring ultrawide; Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip never went down the path of a telephoto lens, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 doesn’t have one either.
Image: Chris Button.
Based on conversations I’ve had with executives over the years, if a phone can only fit two rear cameras, the default setup is a main wide lens, supported by an ultrawide snapper. Which, if you spend any time scrolling Instagram and TikTok, you’ll get an idea why. Shooting in ‘0.5 mode’ is trendy, particularly in comedy skits, where the ultrawide camera amusingly distorts people’s faces into odd shapes.
Still, I yearn for a good optical zoom, and I’m always sad when an upmarket phone doesn’t have one.
Camera quality
What you get with the Razr 70 Ultra is a reasonably good set of cameras that produce beautifully vibrant colours during the day. Its main camera in particular takes photos with crisp blue skies at the beach, while highlighting the pristine green turf of Adelaide Oval.
Main camera (left), ultrawide camera (right). Images: Chris Button.
I did notice, however, some colour difference between the Razr 70 Ultra’s main camera and its ultrawide lens. Swapping to the ultrawide camera introduces a slight green tint to the colour temperature. It’s easily corrected in any decent editing software, but you’ll notice a difference straight out of the camera.
Main camera (left), ultrawide camera (right). Images: Chris Button.Images: Chris Button.
At night, Motorola’s flip phone works overtime to compensate for the lack of available light. While walking along Melbourne’s Docklands on a recent trip, I tried taking a photo of the cityscape, including Marvel Stadium. Compared to what I could see with the naked eye, the photo overexposed the night sky, making it look brighter than it was. I manually dialled down the exposure, which resulted in an image closer to real life, but the bright ‘Marvel Stadium’ signage remained overexposed.
Images: Chris Button.
One of the best things about flip phones (aside from how easily they fit in pockets) is how good they are at taking selfies. Using the generously sized outer screen to frame a shot using the main cameras should mean you get a better result than when using a standard phone’s lower-quality selfie lens.
As I found when snapping a family photo after a footy final, Motorola’s image processing system is overzealous. Rather than exposing for the people occupying most of the frame, it tried to evenly expose the entire photo, including the bright stadium lights in the background.
Image: Chris Button.
You can clearly see how the photo combines multiple exposures into one. There’s a ghost-like effect that makes it look like we were superimposed into the image after the event. This is not an issue exclusive to Motorola — nearly all modern phones try to average multiple exposures into one flat image — but it’s one of the more egregious examples I’ve seen.
So, for the best-looking photos, stick to evenly lit environments when you can.
Who is the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra for?
As far as flip phones go, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is a good showcase for the form factor. It’s slim, stylish, and fun to use. Once you add in the smooth everyday performance and sharp AMOLED screens, there’s not much else that could genuinely improve the core of this phone.
But at $1,999, it becomes a tough sell. Spend a few hundred dollars less, and you can get even more from a conventionally designed phone, like a telephoto camera with optical zoom. Alternatively, you could spend a few hundred dollars more and jump on the larger foldable phone bandwagon.
If a flip is your must-have form factor, keep an eye out for the inevitable discounts.
Motorola Razr 70 Ultra
Slightly overshadowed by the bigger foldable trend, the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra is a fine flip phone with a high asking price.
Features
7.5
Value for money
6
Performance
8.5
Ease of use
8.5
Design
8
Positives
Stylish and useful design
Performance is on par with other foldable phones
Fantastic-looking screens
One of the biggest batteries in a flip phone
Negatives
Overzealous camera processing
Not enough years of software support for the price
Where once you might have used a petrol generator to provide power remotely, a portable power station like the Anker Solix S2000 can, in most cases, replace that noisy, smelly fuel-powered generator.
The main downside of portable power stations is their battery capacity, and you cannot just add more petrol to keep them running. If the sun is shining, you can plug in solar panels, but you may need many panels to keep up with a high power draw.
The simplest solution is to buy a power station with a bigger capacity or bigger battery. Power stations measure capacity in watt-hours. The bigger the battery, the more power you have, but the power station also gets heavier and bigger. In 2023, I bought a power station to run a fridge and Starlink in my 4WD. It had 2,000Wh capacity, weighed 28.1kg, and measured 39 x 42 x 28cm. This unit is really a two-person job to get in and out of my car.
More power in a smaller unit
Fast-forward three years, and Anker sent me their new model: the Solix S2000, which costs $2,199 via Anker’s online store (discounted to $1,399 at the time of writing). It is also a 2,000Wh battery, but it weighs 16.2kg and measures 21 x 28 x 32 cm. Thus, in three years we have seen a 42% reduction in weight and a 50% reduction in size. I can easily get this in and out of my 4WD by myself.
Input and output ports. Image: Anker.
Do we have an even comparison? Both units can provide 240 volt power for appliances. The Solix has a maximum AC output of 1,500 watts, and my old power station has 2,200 watts. This means the Solix is unlikely to power a hair dryer or a coffee machine.
I could use the S2000 to power my fridge and Starlink in the car, but only on 240 volts, as there is no 12-volt output, which would also mean that I could not run the fridge as long on AC (rather than DC) without charging. This is notable because AC power draw from a DC battery wastes power doing the conversion.
However, the S2000 has some new technology to minimise that power loss both when running the inverter (to provide 240V) with no power draw and when running low loads like a camping fridge.
Power station improvements in recent years
Over the past three years, we have seen size and weight decrease, far more efficient power transfer from the battery, and other advancements.
The usable life of lithium batteries has improved from around 3,500 recharge cycles in my old power station to 10,000 cycles. The power station has two USB-C sockets instead of one, plus a USB-A socket. Notably, the maximum USB-C wattage remains at 100W. I would have been happier to see 140W on the latest model.
If you use the S2000 as a UPS to keep critical devices online during a power outage, it switches over in <10 ms, so sensitive electronics don’t lose power. Power input plugs are also standardised rather than proprietary, so if you damage a cable while travelling in Australia, you are more likely to get a replacement.
Like a lot of portable power stations, the Solix S2000 supports various recharging methods. Plugging it into a power point goes from 0-80% in 1.2 hours. It also supports up to 400W of solar charging, where full sunlight charges the battery to 80% in 4.5 hours. While driving, using the car’s cigarette lighter tops up the battery in 18 hours of driving, and an optional alternator charger tops it up to 80% in 4.5 hours. Why 80%? Because that last 20% takes a lot longer to charge (up to 30 minutes more on mains).
While I was testing, a friend rang me; he had a planned home power outage and borrowed the unit to run his fridge and freezer. After about a three-hour outage, the battery was down to 85%. The app could have measured this precisely, but because it was set to my Wi-Fi network, I discovered it doesn’t store data; it uploads in real time. This makes no sense, since you most likely won’t have Wi-Fi during a power outage or when using it remotely.
General information (left) and time-of-use mode (right). Screenshots: Angus Jones.
Beyond that, the app is useful not only for monitoring the power station (via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) but also for remotely switching on the AC and controlling charging. If you have solar panels and no home batteries, you could use this power station to save money by charging it during the day when you are producing solar and, say, running your fridge or TV at night off the battery.
Personally, would I run the Anker Solix S2000 in my car for touring? No. But that’s because it has no 12-volt output, although the weight and size savings are a big incentive. If you are an occasional camper, you probably don’t have 12-volt gear, so this would be a great unit, especially if you can also use it at home. This unit may also be great for a tradie for remote power, but check your power tool’s wattage rating, as it may exceed the 1,500W output. I am planning to run my TV on it.
Refreshing its pint-sized tablet for the first time in two years, Apple has announced the first iPad Mini with an OLED screen.
Wielding the A20 Pro chipset also used by the iPhone 18 Pro range, Apple’s latest tablet is also more powerful and thinner than its predecessor. Apple claims the A20 Pro iPad Mini produces up to 2.7 times faster graphics performance, and up to 1.6 times faster CPU performance than the previous tablet.
Replacing the 2024 iPad Mini’s backlit LED screen, the 2026 model’s OLED display is also slightly bigger, at 8.5 inches compared to 8.3 inches. OLED technology uses self-lit pixels instead of a backlight, which means more precise light control and contrast.
Alongside the new display technology, Apple trimmed down the iPad Mini’s overall size. This year’s tablet is 5.4mm thick, shaving nearly an entire millimetre off the 2024 tablet’s 6.3mm thickness. Apple’s new tablet bears an IP67 rating, the first time an iPad Mini advertises water and dust resistance.
Apple’s new iPad Mini tablets come in Midnight and Starlight colours. Images: Apple.
Apple also responded to calls to shift the front-facing 12MP camera’s position. Rather than sitting at the top of the screen when in portrait mode, the camera is now landscape-aligned, a more natural position for FaceTime calls.
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread connectivity are all supported on the OLED iPad Mini, courtesy of Apple’s N1 networking chip. Apple also claims that the chip improves AirDrop and AirPlay performance. Cellular versions of the tablet benefit from up to 50 per cent faster mobile data speeds, Apple claims, than the 2024 iPad Mini, due to the company’s C2 modem.
2026 OLED iPad Mini price
Prices start at $1,099 for the new 128GB Wi-Fi iPad Mini in Australia, a $300 and 37 per cent price increase compared to the 2024 model’s launch pricing. It’s a much bigger jump than the $50 increase between the 2021 and 2024 iPad Minis, another example of consumer technology getting more expensive amidst the global memory shortage.
Meanwhile, the cellular-compatible variant starts at $1,349 locally. For an additional $200, models with 256GB of storage and above can also be fitted with Apple’s “Nano-texture glass”, a glare-reducing coating previously exclusive to the iPad Pro range.
Here’s how much each storage configuration costs with the default screen coating:
Wi-Fi 128GB: $1,099
Wi-Fi 256GB: $1,299
Wi-Fi 512GB: $1,649
Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB: $1,349
Wi-Fi + Cellular 256GB: $1,549
Wi-Fi + Cellular 512GB: $1,899
Pre-orders for the OLED iPad Mini begin on 29 October, with launch scheduled for 6 November.
Apple’s announcement confirms earlier reports about a new tablet coinciding with a yet-to-be-announced touchscreen MacBook Pro, the latter of which is expected at an event on Thursday.
If there’s one thing you can be sure of following a major tech launch, it’s that tinkerers will pore over every detail. iFixit recently published its teardown analysis of the iPhone Duo, and it’s one heck of a deep dive into Apple’s first foldable phone.
The good news? iFixit gave the Duo a provisional repairability rating of five out of 10. This might seem like a low score, but it’s the highest rating a foldable phone has received from the company pushing consumers’ right to repair.
iFixit praised the Duo’s battery removal process, claiming it was easier than on other foldables. Based on the teardown, the phone’s internals are spread relatively evenly, making it simple to access hardware for repairs. Apple’s outer screen also held up to scrutiny.
iFixit’s analysis speculates that the early faulty units could come from a stress point caused by a support bar in the hinge not functioning as intended. Supposedly, this support mechanism should lower when the phone folds. In the case of the broken Duos, it doesn’t lower far enough, potentially causing the damage.
Although iFixit’s theories remain speculation at this point, it’s a solid hypothesis behind what some users have encountered. Fortunately, Apple has immediately replaced Duos that have broken under general use.
It’s not known how widespread the inner screen issues are; the data would be a closely guarded secret. From Apple’s perspective, the silver lining is that the iPhone Duo has the makings of a reasonably repairable phone — once it sorts out the inner screen issue.
Depending on how into running you are, and more specifically what types of running events you enter, you may have never considered a running headlamp. For the most part, they are used for ultra marathons where runners compete through the night. That said, they’re also useful for those who regularly run in the early morning or late at night.
I compete in ultra marathons, but typically stick to the 50km distance. So a headlamp like this would mostly benefit me for my late-night runs after the kids are in bed. But I do plan to one day tackle a 100km ultra, meaning a headlamp would become vital. So I was keen to test out this highly recommended option, the Ledlenser NEO9R.
Ledlenser NEO9R specifications and pricing
Lighting modes
Low Power (20 lumens), Mid Power (200 lumens), Power (600 lumens), Boost (1,200 lumens)
Beam distance
Up to 200 metres (Boost)
Battery life
Up to 120 hours (Low Power), 12 hours (Mid Power), 5 hours (Power). Boost not stated
Battery
Replaceable 5,000mAh lithium-ion
Charging
Magnetic USB-C charging cable, approx. 5.5 hours
Weight
199 grams including battery
Head tilt
45 degrees
Water resistance
IP54
Other features
Red flashing rear light, battery indicator, backup mode, transport lock, removable overhead strap
In the box
Headlamp, magnetic charging cable, chest belt, comfort pad
Comfort is something I find rather difficult. No headlamp is comfortable for me, as it adds weight to my head and I would much prefer running without it. In saying that, sometimes there is no choice, so I am forced to make my peace with it.
As far as headlamps go, I was impressed with the comfort of the Ledlenser’s straps. It’s also highly adjustable, letting me tighten and loosen everything to find that perfect fit. Also included is a comfort pad, made from a rubber-like material, that sits behind the headlamp. It creates a barrier between my head and the plastic of the headlamp backing, which also helps the whole thing stay in place.
Images: Jay Marshall
As someone who is not the biggest fan of headlamps, I found the beauty of the NEO9R is its flexibility, as there is a chest strap included. I was able to very quickly attach the additional strap, remove the over-the-top strap, and the headlamp was instantly converted into a chest light.
I enjoyed using it in this configuration, and it’s not something many headlamps provide. A big tick in my opinion. As for wearing it in the traditional head strap configuration, I found it comfortable enough. Once I got the strap dialled in, it stayed in place and didn’t cause any rubbing or irritation.
The one big downside of this highly capable headlamp is its weight. I am, by nature, very competitive. So for me, I never want to carry any extra weight during a race. And, although there are heavier headlamps, this one is still not light. With the headlamp weighing 199 grams, I couldn’t help but prefer a lighter option.
Headlamps range from around 35 grams to 200 grams, so this one is on the heavier side. The one part I found hard to adapt to was the weight of the battery positioned at the back of my head. I guess it’s a trade-off, as none of the lighter options has anywhere near the capabilities of the NEO9R. Take this with a grain of salt, as this product is likely ideal for someone running 100km+ trail ultra marathons.
Image: Jay Marshall.
Features and lighting modes
The NEO9R is a beast when it comes to brightness and range. It can deliver up to 1,200 lumens of brightness and reach up to 200 metres. That being said, those numbers are based on its Boost mode, which won’t last very long. The good news is there are four lighting modes: Low Power, Mid Power, Power, and Boost. It may not seem like a big deal, but for trail runners looking to conserve battery to get them through the night, the option to turn the light down to Low Power is helpful.
There is something to be said for the tilting ability of the lamp head. It’s typically a matter of preference, as each runner and the environment they are in may call for a different angle of lighting. I also like the additional lights that add safety and quality of life to the product. There is the battery status indicator located on the top of the light head with four small lights. Then there is the tail light, which provides some safety by making the wearer visible from behind with a red bar light that flashes. Some great little additions.
Images: Jay Marshall
Overall, I enjoyed using the Ledlenser NEO9R. I took the headlamp on several runs, both at sunset and starting in the dark at night. During my sunset runs, I carried the headlamp with me until it was dark enough to use. This is a situation where I would suggest a smaller, lighter option would be preferable, as I only needed it for the very end of my run.
The night runs were a different story. I wore the NEO9R from the beginning, and it performed very well. I mostly used Mid Power mode, as it provided more than enough light to make me comfortable. Although I didn’t get a chance to use the NEO9R during an ultra marathon, I can clearly see how well this headlamp would shine (pun intended) on trails when running through the night.
Battery life
Ledlenser advertises the NEO9R as having an incredible battery life of up to 120 hours. However, this 120-hour battery life is only achievable in Low Power mode. Different modes will drastically alter the battery life. For example, Mid Power mode lasts around 12 hours, and Power mode is rated at five hours. Ledlenser doesn’t give a runtime for Boost, which is designed for short bursts.
The big takeaway here is that in Mid Power mode, which is likely the most popular mode, the headlamp will last around 12 hours, enough to get through the night. A big tick for the ultra runners out there. The battery pack is also interchangeable, so having a backup is a great option.
Image: Jay Marshall.
Who is the Ledlenser NEO9R headlamp for?
Although this headlamp can work for anyone running in the dark, the excellent battery life, bright light output and multiple modes, coupled with the rather bulky, heavy build, make it purpose-built for ultra runners.
For those early-morning or late-night runners, I would suggest a lighter, more compact alternative, as you won’t need all of the features the NEO9R delivers.
Ledlenser NEO9R
Ideal for late-night runners, the Ledlenser NEO9R is a versatile, albeit slightly bulky, headlamp for lighting your way.
