The 2026 Smartphone Awards Discussion Episode
Summary
In this mid-October episode, hosts Marques and Andrew discuss the recent $100 price hikes on Samsung Galaxy S26 and Apple devices, alongside rumors of an Apple-LG partnership for smart home accessories. They also analyze production yield reports for the upcoming iPhone Duo and mourn the layoff of all writers at Android Central. The episode concludes with preliminary discussions on the year's smartphone award categories, including best big phone and best foldable.
Topics discussed
Intro: On Investing with Schwab
Sponsor: Jira for AI agents
Techtober lull and phone price hikes
Bonus episode recap: Podcasting advice
UI bug: Minute-by-minute time picker
New desk mat and texture control surface
Samsung S26 Ultra pricing and storage costs
Micro SD card price comparison
LG home devices for Apple HomeKit
iPhone Duo production yields and first-gen issues
Second-gen Air and foldable predictions
Android Central staff layoffs and AI impact
Trivia: LG Display Apple products
Sponsors: Framer, T-Mobile, Gemini
Award categories: Big, Small, and Thin phones
Best Camera award candidates and debates
Value, Battery, and Design award discussions
Best Foldable and Most Improved awards
Bust of the Year and Phone of the Year
Trivia: World of Warcraft system requirements
Sponsor: LinkedIn Hiring Pro
MMO deep dive: WoW, RuneScape, and nostalgia
Trivia answers and score tally
Outro and next week preview
Apple Watch medical disclaimer
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