Week in Review: The top stories in phones, AI, computing, and more

Tesla bets on bots, Microsoft's mea culpa, and Netflix's towering failure
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January 30, 2026
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Welcome
 
 
Welcome
The tech world never stands still, but sometimes in order to go forwards you have to make some tough decisions. 
 
Take Tesla – which this week announced that it was ending production of the Model S and Model X in order to focus on AI and robots. The company also made some eye-opening claims about its newest robot, the Optimus 3 – although we’re not convinced that, as Tesla claims, you could “easily” mistake it for a person
 
Or there’s Microsoft, which admitted that “we need to improve Windows”, and that it intends to make that a major focus of its work in 2026. Or even Wordle – which will start repeating answers from next week in what may be the biggest change in the game’s history.
 
None of these changes will be easy, and in some cases they may draw large amounts of criticism – although I doubt too many people will complain about Windows improvements. But, if successful, they could open up a bright new future for each brand.
 
Netflix is another company that’s received its fair share of complaints in recent years, and based on the reactions to its Skyscraper Live event, that doesn’t look like changing in 2026. I can’t see it shifting focus to making robots instead – but maybe it could put a bit of focus on improving its sports commentary?
 
But let’s not end on a negative note. Scroll down and you’ll find our top tips to improve your iPhone experience, our suggestions for what to watch this weekend, and much, much more.
 
Enjoy! 
 
Marc McLaren, Global Editor-in-Chief
 
 
 
 
The week in Apple
 
The iPhone 17 Pro Max being held in a hand
Dig deeper into your iPhone (Future)
Get more from your iPhone with these hidden iOS features
There's a lot of useful functionality hidden away under the surface of iOS – and if you know where to find them, these lesser-known features can transform your iPhone experience.
 
Read the full story
 
 
Apple's next-generation AirTags have better range and a louder speaker
 
 
Here's why the iPhone 18 could be a bargain compared to the Galaxy S26
 
 
Your iPhone just got 10x optical zoom via this impressive teleconverter kit
 
 
 
 
The week in AI
 
Google AI Overview graphic
Google's AI Overviews are getting smarter (Google)
Google Search is getting even smarter AI Overviews
Google is improving the AI Overviews that appear atop your search results – and with the help of Gemini 3, complex queries and follow-up questions should now be better handled.
 
Read the full story
 
 
OpenAI sparks fresh fury by retiring GPT-4o model again
 
 
Napster's back, with new AI tools for creating music
 
 
Mark Zuckerberg says it's 'hard to imagine' a future without AI glasses
 
 
 
 
The week in Phones
 
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra being held
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is about to be replaced (Future)
The Galaxy S26 is set to get a clever new privacy feature
Samsung has unveiled privacy display tech that keeps your screen hidden from the people around you – and all the indications are that it's going to appear on the Galaxy S26.
 
Read the full story
 
 
The Galaxy Z TriFold finally has a US price and launch date
 
 
Is the flagship era over? Nothing CEO says there'll be no Phone 4 this year
 
 
The Galaxy S26 Series looks to be getting one of the best Pixel features
 
 
 
 
Today's best deals, hand-picked by TechRadar's experts
 
TechRadar
I’ve covered Super Bowl TV sales for 8 years — these are the deals I’d actually buy ahead of next Sunday
There's still time to treat yourself to a new TV for this year's Super Bowl, and we've found today's best deals on LG, TCL and more, plus deals on soundbars and streaming sticks.
 
View US deals
 
 
This 55-inch Amazon Fire TV has all you need in a budget screen – and right now it's well under $300
 
 
The Garmin Venu X1 is back to its lowest-ever price – save $200 on Garmin's slimmest smartwatch at Amazon US
 
 
The Currys New Year sale is about to end — grab these 14 top tech deals before they're gone
 
 
 
 
The week in Computing
 
A woman cheering in front of a laptop
There could be reasons to cheer for Windows 11 fans (Antonio Guillem / Shutterstock)
Microsoft promises to fix Windows 11 this year
Microsoft has committed to smoothing out performance issues and bugs in Windows 11 through the course of 2026, based on the 'clear' feedback from users of the desktop OS.
 
Read the full story
 
 
Microsoft is making belated under-the-hood repairs to Windows 11
 
 
Microsoft tells us Windows 11 has hit a billion users — which is confusing
 
 
Miss Windows 10's movable taskbar? This new PowerToys feature helps
 
 
 
 
The week in Entertainment
 
The Wrecking Crew on Prime Video
The Wrecking Crew on Prime Video (Prime Video)
The best new movies and shows to watch this week
Bridgerton is back, there's a great new Marvel show on Disney+, and Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista team up: find all this and more in our weekend streaming recommendations.
 
See our top picks
 
 
Ted Lasso season 4 gets big release-window update from Apple
 
 
Does Wonder Man set up a major storyline in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
 
 
Our review of Bridgerton season 4 part 1: we're hooked
 
 
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