Australia’s new emergency alerts system will get a workout next Monday, ahead of the official launch of AusAlert.
Scheduled for Monday 27 July 2026 at 2:00 PM AEST, AusAlert will send a test “Critical Alert” to every mobile device in the country. Devices — including phones, tablets, and smartwatches — will vibrate and play a siren-like sound for 10 seconds. Because it’s only a test, it won’t require any further action.
Designed to warn Australians during times of emergency, like a natural disaster, AusAlert will officially launch in October 2026 as the new national warning system. Monday’s test is part of ensuring it’s ready to go in a few months’ time.
Once fully operational, AusAlert will serve multiple purposes. As the national test will demonstrate, it can be used by the Australian government to warn people about national emergencies. For location-specific dangers, state and territory emergency services can also send an alert.
Alerts under the new system fall under two categories: Critical and Priority. Critical, the type being tested next Monday, indicates that immediate action is needed, like evacuating during a bushfire. Priority still refers to a high level of potential danger, but is intended as a “watch and act” warning to prepare for danger. Priority alerts can be disabled, but not Critical alerts.
Here’s what Monday’s Critical Alert test will look like. Image: Australian Government.
If Monday’s alert may impact someone’s safety, the AusAlert website states that they can either turn off their mobile device or enable aeroplane mode.
Schedule for the AusAlert test per state and territory
According to the official advice, some people will receive the test alert immediately, while others may get it later. Here’s when the test Critical Alert is scheduled for each Australian state and territory:
Australian Capital Territory: 2 PM AEST
New South Wales: 2 PM AEST
Queensland: 2 PM AEST
Tasmania: 2 PM AEST
Victoria: 2 PM AEST
Northern Territory: 1:30 PM ACST
South Australia (including Broken Hill): 1.30 PM ACST
Western Australia: 12 PM AWST
Christmas Island: 11 AM CXT
Due to the nature of the test, some people may not receive the alert. This may stem from factors such as location, device, or not running the latest software.
As the government’s website explains, “the purpose of testing is to understand these real-world differences, confirm the system is working as intended, and improve public information before AusAlert is used in real emergencies”. There’s also a feedback form for those who encounter any issues with the test.
Have I mentioned that I love Donkey Kong? In case this is your first time reading my work, I’m a big fan of Nintendo’s lovable ape. On an entirely, completely, and utterly unrelated note, Lego has officially revealed a set depicting the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
Launching on 1 August, the $279.99 set includes 1,371 pieces that construct a mini replica of the 1981 arcade classic. It’s a fairly sophisticated-looking bit of kit; the joystick and buttons actually move Jumpman across the ‘screen’ as barrels roll down the girders in a loop.
Lego enlisted the help of Steve Wiebe, former Donkey Kong world champion, to star in a reveal video for the set. If you’ve watched The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, you’ll recognise Wiebe as the main rival to Billy Mitchell in what was a contentious time for the competitive arcade scene.
While I never strove to compete for high scores, Donkey Kong holds a strong place in my heart. When growing up in regional South Australia, my dad would use his lunch breaks to take me to the local arcade to play the game, plus all manner of pinball machines I was too young to be any good at.
Those early years instilled a love of gaming that persists to this day. Every time I see Donkey Kong in any form, I’m reminded of how involved my parents were (and still are) in my life.
Is it silly to feel sentimental over a nicely assembled collection of small toy bricks? Nah, I think it’s human nature to enjoy charms and trinkets that ascribe meaning to our lives.
Taking its South Korean heritage to a new level, Samsung’s My FanCam feature is one of the more fun additions to the Galaxy Z lineup shipping with the One UI 9 software update.
Inspired by K-pop fandom culture, My FanCam lets you record videos and then choose what to focus on afterwards. For example, if you record a group of people dancing, you can select a person via the Galaxy AI menu, and it will then automatically centre them in the frame, regardless of where they move.
I can also see My FanCam being handy for school concerts or sports, when you want to easily keep your child the centre of attention in videos to send to friends and family. Within the setting, there are options for different aspect ratios, too, automatically reframing the video in 9:16 or any other common orientation you want. You can see my efforts via GadgetGuy‘s YouTube channel — just don’t judge my moves too harshly!
Valens Quinn attended Galaxy Unpacked in London as a guest of Samsung Australia.
Well-built and packed with grunt, the Honor Magic V6 folding phone stacks up well against the foldable heavyweights, yet it suffers from a painful Achilles Heel.
While they still generate plenty of interest, foldable smartphones are no longer the ‘Next Big Thing’. It’s eight years since the debut of the Royole FlexPai, seven since the first Samsung Galaxy Fold took foldables mainstream and four since Honor threw its hat in the ring.
As with all new gadgets, the first few foldable iterations saw rapid innovation, but revolution has settled into evolution as the form factor has matured.
As it is with the $2,999 Honor Magic V6, which bumps up the price on last year’s $2,599 Honor Magic V5. In the process, it makes a few strategic improvements that might win over those prepared to look beyond the usual suspects when spending top dollar on a foldable.
While Honor tends to ape Apple’s design principles, the Honor Magic V6 doesn’t attempt to mimic how you’d imagine a folding iPhone might look.
At first glance, there are certainly similarities to the Honor Pro 600’s Apple-esque unibody aluminium matte frame with sharp edges. The Honor Magic V6 has the power and volume buttons on the right but, surprisingly for a flagship, you miss out on the Pro 600’s programmable Apple-esque touch-sensitive Quick Button.
With a 6.52-inch display when closed, and only 8.75 mm thick, the Magic V6 is barely larger than the Pro 600 and still fits very comfortably in your hand. It’s great to see the fingerprint reader built into the power button, so you don’t need to reach down for an onscreen reader and risk the phone toppling out of your hand.
From the side, the Honor Magic V6 sticks with a standard button layout. Image: Adam Turner.
Fire up the Honor Magic V6, and you’re faced with a bright and vivid 2420 x 1080 pixel external display, at the standard 20:9 aspect ratio. Stepping up to LTPO 2.0 OLED, the screen offers 10-bit colour and an adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling.
With Global Peak Brightness of 2,000 nits and HDR Peak Brightness of 6,000 nits, it’s designed to do justice to High Dynamic Range content including HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Plus you’ve got the advantage of an anti-reflective coating.
Folded closed, the Honor Magic V6 fits nicely in your hand like a standard smartphone. Image: Adam Turner.
At the bottom of the handset, you’ll find got a USB-C port, alongside a dual nano-SIM port with the benefit of eSIM, but no microSD card support. The handset features dual speakers for stereo, but you miss out on an old-school headphone jack.
Turn the handset over, and you’re presented with a very prominent triple camera array that certainly doesn’t look like it was borrowed from an iPhone. If anything, it’s actually more reminiscent of the Oppo Find N6.
The Magic V6’s back is also very distinctive, relying on different materials depending on the colour you choose: the Red model pictured features vegan leather with a suede-like feel, the White is built from an aerospace-grade special fibre, and the Black and Gold variants feature a durable fibreglass. Keep in mind, Gold isn’t available in Australia.
Open or closed, the Honor Magic V6’s back certainly won’t be mistaken for an iGadget. Image: Adam Turner.
The phone also comes with a protective case with a ring around the camera array that folds out to act as a stand.
Of course, the split around the edges of the handset alludes to the fact that there’s more to the Magic V6 than meets the eye. The front screen folds open to the left like a book, quickly awakening the 7.95-inch screen within, with a barely visible fold.
Thanks to magnets, the hinge has enough resistance that it won’t fold open by accident. You can’t simply flick it open with your thumb, but it’s not too difficult to pry apart with two thumbs. A slight indentation to help your thumbs get purchase would be appreciated.
The inner screen is a squarish 9.75:9 aspect ratio, apart from which it retains the same impressive specs as the external screen. When folded open, the phone is about the same size as Samsung and Oppo’s foldables.
Folded open, the Honor Magic V6 offers a generous amount of screen real estate. Image: Adam Turner.
The open device is thin and light enough that it’s still comfortable to hold in one hand, although you’ll want a steady grip considering the hefty price tag. Again, at 219 gm about the same weight as Oppo and Samsung’s alternatives.
Unfortunately, it has significant wobble when you lay it flat on the table, due to the rear camera array. To be fair, that’s obviously difficult to eliminate on such a form factor.
Viewed side-on, the Magic V6 is an impressive bit of engineering – currently the thinnest foldable on the market at 4.0/4.1 mm (depending on which colour you buy). It’s about as thin as a device can be while still retaining a USB-C port, so we’ve probably reached the limit unless a competitor is brave/foolish enough to opt for wireless-only charging. It will be interesting to see how they respond.
You’d struggle to make a foldable much thinner. Image: Adam Turner.
Honor Magic V6 specifications and price
Display size
External screen: 6.52 inches, 20:9 aspect ratio, 406 ppi Inner screen: 7.95 inches, 9.75:9 aspect ratio, 403 ppi
Display resolution
External screen: 2420 x 1080 pixels Inner screen: 2352 x 2172 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform Octa-core: 2×Prime 4.6 GHz + 6×Performance 3.62 GHz
GPU
Adreno 840
Rear cameras
50MP Ultra Wide Camera (f/2.2)
50MP Ultra Wide Camera (f/2.2)
64MP telephoto Lens Camera (f/2.5, OIS)3x optical zoom, 100x Digital zoom
Front cameras
20MP Wide Camera (f/2.2) (Interior screen)
20MP Wide Camera (f/2.2) (Exterior screen)
RAM
16 GB
Onboard storage
512 GB
Connector
USB Type-C, DP1.2 and USB 3.2 GEN1
SIM
Dual Nano SIM + eSIM
Charging
80W wired HONOR SuperCharge fast charging up to 20V/4A SuperCharge 66W wireless HONOR SuperCharge fast charging
Battery
6660 mAh (typical value), 6510 mAh (rated value)
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be 2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz2x2 MIMOSupport WLAN Hotspot and WLAN Direct RF Enhanced Chip HONOR C1+
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 6.0, Bluetooth Low Energy, LE Audio, Auracast, SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LC3, LHDC5.0/4.0/3.0, ASHA, LE Audio Hearing Aid
Operating system
MagicOS 10 (Based on Android 16)
Security
Fingerprint reader, Face Unlock
Ruggedness
IP68, IP69
Dimensions
Height 156.7 mm
Width folded: 74.5 mm Width unfolded: 145.6 mm
Depth folded (White): 8.75 mm Depth unfolded (White): 4.0 mm
Depth folded (Other): 9.0 mm Depth unfolded (Other): 4.1 mm
Weight
White: Approx. 219 g (including the battery) Other: Approx. 224 g (including the battery)
The Honor Magic V6 runs Android 16, customised with Honor’s very iOS-esque MagicOS 10 that includes the brand’s take on ‘Liquid Glass’.
Here’s the potential deal-breaker: Honor says the Magic V6 will only receive two major Android OS updates and three years of security patches in Australia. That’s outrageous considering that Europeans get six years of coverage for the exact same device.
It’s bad enough that the $1,499 Honor 600 Pro only gets three years of security updates, but it’s absolutely unforgivable on a $2,999 flagship device. Especially when Google, Samsung and Motorola offer an industry-leading seven years of updates for flagship devices like their foldables. Oppo makes it six years.
It’s bad enough that Motorola skimps on updates for its budget phones, without Honor selling Australians short on its $2,999 flagship.
When pushed for a justification for treating Australians as second-class citizens, Honor says it is “continuing to evaluate based on market and consumer needs”.
Looking back, the Magic V5 got the same rough deal in Australia, so I guess Honor has decided it can get away with it. It would be a damn shame if Magic V6 sales flop in Australia over this issue, forcing Honor to be a bit more generous in future.
The Honor Magic V6’s hinge is subtle when the handset is folded closed. Image: Adam Turner.
Moving on, a look under the bonnet reveals the Magic V6 packs Qualcomm’s flagship octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform and Adreno 840 GPU. You’ll also find a generous 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM.
As you’d expect at these prices, the Magic V6 also boasts a decent triple-lens rear camera array. There’s a 50 MP main shooter, 50 MP ultrawide and 64 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom and the benefit of optical image stabilisation.
Around the front are 20 MP wide lenses on the inner and external screens, both lacking autofocus. They stick with an old-school punch-hole design rather than a notch, although MagicOS still replicates Apple’s Dynamic Island with Magic Capsule.
When it comes to the main shooter, the Magic V6 falls short of the 600 Pro, just as Samsung and Google’s foldables can’t quite match the photographic credentials of their non-folding flagships.
As for connectivity, it’s a sub-6 5G phone with the benefit of dual nano-SIM and eSIM. You can take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, with an impressive spread of audio codecs, including aptX Lossless, thanks to the Qualcomm silicon within.
The phone packs a reasonably generous 6660 mAh battery, which should be good for 24 hours even if you’re using the large inner display. As for charging, it can take advantage of 80-watt wired and 66-watt wireless (no Qi2), but there’s no AC charger in the box.
Quality
Sporting the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, the Honor Magic V6 should easily outgun the Honor 600 Pro, which relies on the previous Snapdragon 8 Elite. The benchmarks tell a different story, but you need to dig deeper to unlock the Magic V6’s true potential.
Out of the box, the Magic V6 returns underwhelming Geekbench 6 scores of 1,582 single-core, 6,013 multi-core and 16,057 OpenCL. Interestingly, performance is set to Balanced by default under the battery menus.
Switching to Performance mode unleashes the 8 Elite Gen 5’s real potential, with Geekbench 6 results leaping to 3,604 single-core, 8,132 multi-core and 23,208 OpenCL.
When it comes to photography, the 50 MP primary shooter does an excellent job, delivering sharp and vivid images that don’t look too overblown or overprocessed – although it doesn’t quite match the contrast of the Pro 600 (thanks to its improved sensor). It’s great to see no drop in quality when switching across to the 50 MP ultrawide.
1x zoom on the 50 MP main shooter produces decent results in complex lighting, but doesn’t quite match the Honor Pro 600. Image: Adam Turner.
The 100x super zoom with 3x optical zoom is also impressive, basically matching the results from the 120x super zoom 3.5x optical on the Honor Pro 600. The Honor Pro 600 might be able to zoom in a bit further, but here the Magic V6 matches it on detail and contrast.
A semi-open doorway roughly 150 metres away looks quite detailed with 100x zoom. Image: Adam Turner.
Like the Honor Pro 600, the Magic V6’s low light capabilities are impressive but work a bit too hard in some situations.
The photo below was taken at 10:30 pm mid-winter. The clear sky should be black; thankfully, at least one star is visible (at least on my MacBook Pro if not here). The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra handles this challenge better, but not as well as the iPhone 17.
The sky should be black. Image: Adam Turner.
When it comes to selfies, the results are respectable, but by default you still see tell-tale signs of beautification if you open the image on your computer.
The selfie camera bucks the trend of ironing out wrinkles, but zooming in reveals a slight touch-up compared to the 600 Pro. Image: Adam Turner.
Who is the Honor Magic V6 for?
Not that you’d be in a rush to upgrade, but the folding Honor Magic V6 is a decent upgrade from Magic V5 in terms of performance, battery life and durability. It also stacks up well against foldable heavyweights from Samsung, Google, Motorola and Oppo, although we’re waiting to see what they all do next.
The Honor Magic V6 is a worthy contender, right until you remember that you’ll stop getting software updates in only three years (including two years of OS upgrades), simply because you live in Australia. Meanwhile, Samsung, Google, and Motorola have Aussies covered for seven years. This alone makes it hard to recommend the Honor Magic V6 to Australians, and is why an otherwise decent foldable gets such a low value for money score.
Honor Magic V6
The ultra-thin Honor Magic V6 is a worthy foldable contender, but questionable value for money when Australians are denied extended software and security updates.
Features
8.5
Value for money
4
Performance
9
Ease of use
9
Design
9
Positives
Slender design
Barely visible fold
Plenty of grunt
Rugged
Negatives
Australians only get three years of updates instead of six
Apple is on notice. I’ve been testing Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, which is quite the upgrade.
5,000 nits of brightness, compared to the 3,000 of the first Galaxy Watch Ultra and Apple Watch Ultra 3, makes a big difference in daily use. Even when just walking outside, I no longer have to shield the watch face with my hand to see the display clearly in broad daylight.
Samsung also made the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 thinner, more comfortable, and more powerful, courtesy of the new Snapdragon wearable processor. But for day-to-day use, it’s the changes Samsung has made to its health ecosystem that make things a lot easier. It’s now quicker to access helpful data that you can act on to improve your wellbeing.
Flying under the radar this year with Samsung’s shiny new Galaxy Z Fold 8 design, the Galaxy Z Flip 8 rounds out the new foldable range with a few refinements. It’s a more iterative entry this time around, making a few subtle improvements rather than drastically overhauling the phone. Samsung’s flip phone is also more affordable, with various pre-order deals bringing the price down even further.
Compared with last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7, the Flip 8 looks quite similar. Samsung kept the form factor largely the same, instead focusing on software and usability improvements. This year’s flip phone has a more versatile ‘FlexWindow’, which is what Samsung calls the 4.1-inch outer screen. It supports full app integration, progressing beyond basic widgets, as was the case with previous phones.
Pre-orders for the Galaxy Z Flip 8 are live now, with the phone launching in Australia on 14 August. It comes in two storage configurations, both of which use 12GB of RAM:
256GB: $1,949
512GB: $2,249
Images: Chris Button.
Across all retailers, you can get the phone in either Cream, Graphite, or Pink colours. Samsung also sells a Mint variation exclusively via its online store.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-order deals
Samsung’s online store
Keeping things reasonably basic, Samsung’s online store pre-order offer for the Galaxy Z Flip 8 is either $100 in bonus trade-in credit or a $100 store voucher.
It’s one of the smaller offers going around, but worth keeping in mind if you want to buy outright (or really like the Mint colour).
Telstra
Telstra’s pre-order deal includes up to $300 of bonus trade-in credit when pre-ordering the Galaxy Z Flip 8. That stacks on top of your existing device’s value, so it’s a decent way of recycling your older phone.
If you sign up to an eligible Telstra plan over 12 months or more, you can also get $500 off device repayments. FYI: Telstra’s cheapest eligible plan costs $74 per month.
Optus
Like its Fold pre-order deals, Optus’ Galaxy Z Flip 8 offer consists solely of a $750 device discount when paired with a plan over 12 or more months. To get this discount, you need to sign up to a SIM plan costing at least $60 per month.
At the time of writing, there is a discounted SIM plan that costs $45 per month for the first 12 months, which could pair nicely with the device repayment savings.
Vodafone
Over at Vodafone, pre-ordering the Galaxy Z Flip 8 nets you a $500 device discount when paired with a plan over 24- or 36-months. Eligible plans start from $58 per month, with the first 12 months discounted to $45 per month.
Plus, Vodafone also offers up to $300 of bonus trade-in credit towards a pre-order. It’s a similar deal to Telstra’s, so it’s largely a matter of which telco you prefer.
JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman
Most Australian retailers include a $300 in-store gift card with any Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-order. This includes the regular suspects of JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.
However, Harvey Norman also has a $0 up-front offer, essentially selling the Flip 8 at no cost when bundled with a $69 Optus plan for 24 months. It’s an in-store-only offer, so you’d have to wander down to your local to get the deal.
Costco
Costco members arguably get the best outright pre-order deal on the Galaxy Z Flip 8. It sells both configurations of the phone at a $150 discount, while also offering a $350 gift card to use in-store.
Between the two phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is aimed at more natural media consumption, with a 5.5-inch outer screen and a 7.6-inch 4:3 main display. Staying consistent to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra maintains a large 8-inch main screen, with more space for multiple apps.
Camera-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has three main lenses, while the smaller Z Fold 8 has two, missing out on a telephoto camera. In most other areas, both phones share the same hardware, including a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
If you’re in the market for a new foldable, here are some of the best pre-order deals across both Galaxy Z Fold 8 phones.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 & Fold 8 Ultra price
Depending on how you like your foldables, there’s a $300 difference between Samsung’s new devices. For the new-look Galaxy Z Fold 8, the starting 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration starts at $2,699 in Australia. Meanwhile, the same configuration of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at $2,999.
Here’s how much the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 costs in Australia:
12GB + 256GB: $2,699
12GB + 512GB: $2,999
16GB + 1TB: $3,599
Image: Chris Button.
And here’s how much the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra costs:
12GB + 256GB: $2,999
12GB + 512GB: $3,299
16GB + 1TB: $3,899
Both phones launch in Australia on 14 August, so there’s a pretty lengthy pre-order period before the new range arrives.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order deals
Samsung’s online store
While there are no storage upgrade deals this year, Samsung’s replacement is to offer either $150 extra trade-in credit or a $150 online store voucher when pre-ordering either a Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra.
That $150 trade-in credit applies on top of the existing value of your previous phone, providing an incentive to get rid of your old gear. Samsung’s online store is also the only way you can get the pistachio colour, if that’s a determining factor for you.
Telstra
Over at Telstra, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order deal is two-fold. The telco offers up to $300 of bonus trade-in credit towards a pre-order and a $700 discount when buying the phone on a payment plan.
Telstra advertises the offer as including up to $1,100 of added value. Keep in mind that the $700 device savings require connecting to an eligible plan — starting from $74 per month — for at least 12 months.
Image: Chris Button.
If you want the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Telstra’s device discount increases to $800. The same $300 bonus trade-in credit value also applies.
Optus
Optus’ pre-order deal is a bit more streamlined than Telstra’s. For all three new Galaxy Z phones, it offers $750 off the device when buying it on an eligible payment plan. Optus doesn’t offer any trade-in incentives, so what you see is what you get.
Vodafone
Like Telstra, Vodafone offers both a device discount and bonus trading credit towards the new Galaxy Z Fold 8. For both the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, you can save $700 on device repayments when paired with either a 24- or 36-month plan. Vodafone’s plans start at $58 per month, but there are some introductory discounts along the way.
Image: Chris Button.
Plus Vodafone also offers up to $300 of bonus trade-in credit towards a Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order. Again, that credit applies on top of your existing phone’s value.
JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman
Across a range of Australian retailers, the common pre-order deal is the inclusion of a gift card. Between the likes of JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, and other tech stores, you get a $300 in-store gift card with the pre-order of either the Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra.
Alternatively, and this is burying the lede somewhat, Harvey also offers any of the new Samsung Galaxy Z phones for $0 upfront when you sign up to a 36-month Optus plan in-store. For the Galaxy Z Fold 8, it’s linked to the $69 monthly plan, while the Ultra model requires signing up to the $79 monthly plan.
Costco
If you have a Costco membership, this might be one of the best outright deals. Not only does Costco offer a $350 gift card with a Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-order, but it also sells both models at a $200 discount.
