Welcome back. Here are the most important tech stories you should know today, from rising smartphone costs to a major Chrome security alert affecting billions of users.

Let’s dive in.

Smartphone Prices Could Rise in 2026

Smartphones could get more expensive next year. A new report from Counterpoint Research says the cost of memory components used in smartphones has surged in early 2026. DRAM prices rose over 50% quarter-over-quarter, while NAND Flash prices jumped more than 90% in the same period.

The biggest impact may hit entry-level smartphones. Devices priced under $200 typically use 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB storage, and rising memory prices could increase their bill of materials by more than 25% in Q1 2026 alone.

In fact, memory could now account for around 43% of the total component cost in such devices. If the trend continues, manufacturers may have little choice but to pass some of those costs on to buyers.

Apple’s Foldable iPhone Could Start Around $2,000

Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone might finally arrive later this year. According to new leaks, the device referred to as the iPhone Fold, could launch in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

The foldable model is expected to feature 12GB of RAM, matching Apple’s upcoming Pro iPhones. The extra memory would help handle multitasking and demanding apps on the larger foldable display.

Storage options could include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Samsung is reportedly supplying the LPDDR5X RAM, continuing its long relationship as a key component supplier for Apple.

Pricing could be steep. One leak suggests the base model may start around $2,300, with the 1TB version approaching $2,900.

Chrome Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Under Active Attack

Google has issued an emergency warning for billions of Chrome users after discovering two critical zero-day vulnerabilities.

The flaws including CVE-2026-3909 and CVE-2026-3910 are already being actively exploited by attackers. Google quickly released a security patch and is urging users to update their browsers immediately.

The emergency update comes just days after another Chrome release that fixed 29 security vulnerabilities, highlighting the growing pace of security threats.

Because of this, Google is also changing its update schedule. Starting with Chrome 153, stable releases will move to a fortnightly cycle, meaning updates will arrive every two weeks.

Instagram Is Removing Encrypted Direct Messages

Meta is shutting down the end-to-end encryption feature for Instagram DMs. The company says the decision was made because very few users were actually using the feature. When enabled, end-to-end encryption ensured that only the sender and receiver could see the messages, not even Meta.

Encrypted messaging has been a controversial topic for years. Tech companies have faced criticism for both sharing user data with authorities and offering encryption that could potentially hide criminal activity.

Meta hasn’t confirmed an exact timeline, but the feature will gradually disappear from Instagram.

Scrape Websites. Get Clean AI-Ready Data

Geekflare API lets you scrape any website and instantly convert it into clean, structured data for your AI workflows. Just enter a URL, and it returns the content in Markdown, JSON, or HTML. You can also capture screenshots and extract LLM-ready data without worrying about blocking, CAPTCHAs, or messy page code. It’s a simple way to collect reliable data for RAG, AI agents, and automation.

How to Make a Professional Invoice for Clients

Cheers,

Keval, Editor