Meta is gearing up to debut a new type of Facebook ads that will allow users in the European Union to download apps without having to visit their mobile platform's app store, according to The Verge. Yes, it will offer a direct download option for users, though the capability will likely debut only on Android, because the company is reportedly working with Android developers for its pilot launch later this year. 

Android users can already install APKs and sideload apps they download through their browsers. However, those apps still use Google's billing system. Meta's alternative way to download apps is supposedly completely independent of both Apple's App Store and Google Play. It'll be possible to introduce such a feature in the EU due to a new law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will go into effect in 2024. Under the DMA's rules, consumers must be able to download apps from competing app stores. "When a gatekeeper engages in unfair practices, such as... preventing installation of applications from other sources, consumers are likely to pay more or are effectively deprived of the benefits that alternative services might have brought," the European Commission said. 

Tom Channick, a spokesperson for Meta, has confirmed the company's plan to introduce app downloads through Facebook ads to The Verge. "We've always been interested in helping developers distribute their apps, and new options would add more competition in this space," he said. "Developers deserve more ways to easily get their apps to the people that want them." We also reached out to Meta for confirmation and more details. Meta reportedly won't be taking a cut from developers' earnings and will allow them to use whatever billing system they want. For now, anyway. That could change as the service evolves, if it ever gets past the pilot testing phase. 

Razer just launched a new premium gaming mouse, the Cobra Pro, that’s packed with buttons and customization options, all wrapped in an eye-pleasing symmetrical design. There’s seven buttons at the top of the device, two on the side and one on the bottom, adding up to ten. As is traditional with modern mice, each button is fully customizable. However, Razer takes this customization to the next level.

The Cobra Pro stores five memory profiles that allow you to instantly swap between customization options to suit whatever game you’re playing. Additionally, the mouse integrates with Razer’s Hypershift feature, which temporarily adds a secondary set of functions to each button.

The symmetrical design is nifty, but this is a modern gaming mouse, so there’s plenty of customizable RGB lighting. As a matter of fact, the Cobra Pro boasts 11 individually addressable Chroma RGB zones, which Razer says is the most zones available in its class. There’s nearly 17 million colors to choose from, so it’s highly unlikely your mouse’s lighting scheme will match your neighbors.

As for regular specs, the Cobra Pro continues some of the traditions present with the company’s well-regarded Basilisk V3. There’s a Focus Pro 30K optical sensor and next-generation optical mouse switches. The Cobra Pro integrates with the Razer Mouse Dock Pro (sold separately) that amps the polling rate up to 4000 Hz.

The built-in battery allows for 100 hours of use when connected via the company’s HyperSpeed Wireless technology and 170 hours when using traditional Bluetooth. It ships with a USB-C cable for quick-charging.

In addition to the Cobra Pro, the company also launched a bare-bones version for budget-conscious gamers. The standard Cobra mouse is wired and boasts eight customizable buttons. Both options are available now, with the Cobra Pro costing $120 and the standard Cobra coming in at just $40.

Shark makes some of the best robot vacuums around and you can currently save quite a bit on a self-emptying model. The device is 50 percent off as it has dropped to $300 at Amazon. That's the lowest price we've seen for it to date.

Robot vacuums are an excellent quality of life upgrade for many people compared with having to clean floors manually with a standard vacuum. Shark's RV1001AE model has several features that make it a strong option. It has a bagless, self-emptying base that Shark says can hold up to 45 days worth of muck. You won't need to buy disposal bags like you would with other models.

The vacuum is able to map out your home. You can schedule cleanings for your entire home or ask the robot to take care of a certain room or area immediately using the SharkClean app, Alexa or Google Assistant.

Shark says the vacuum has powerful suction as well as a self-cleaning brushroll that can pull debris and hair from carpets and hardwood floors. The Shark IQ Robot uses a row-by-row cleaning method. When it's done, it returns to its dock to recharge.

A decent smartphone used to cost upwards of $500, but those days are thankfully over. Now it’s possible to find something that meets most of your needs for as little as $160. However, navigating the budget phone market can be tricky. Many options that look good on paper often aren’t great in use, and some handsets will end up costing you more when you consider many come with restrictive storage. This guide will help you find a bargain and highlight our top picks for the best cheap phones you can buy right now.

What to look for in a cheap phone

For this guide, our recommendations cost between $100 and $300. Anything less and you might as well go buy a dumb phone or high-end calculator instead. Since they’re meant to be more affordable than their flagship and midrange siblings, entry-level smartphones involve compromises; the cheaper a device, the lower your expectations around performance and experience should be. For that reason, the best advice I can give is to spend as much as you can afford. In this price range, even $50 or $100 more can get you a dramatically better product.

Second, you should know what you want most from a phone. When buying a budget device, you may need to sacrifice a decent camera for a long-lasting battery or trade a high-resolution display for a faster processor. That’s just what comes with the territory, but knowing your priorities will make it easier to find the right phone.

It’s also worth noting some features can be hard to find on cheap handsets. For instance, you won’t need to search far for a device with all-day battery life — but if you want a great camera, you’re better off shelling out for one of the recommendations in our midrange smartphone guide, which all come in at $600 or less. Wireless charging and waterproofing also aren’t easy to find in this price range and forget about a fast processor. On the bright side, all our recommendations come with headphone jacks, so you won’t need to get wireless headphones.

iOS is also off the table, since the most affordable handset Apple sells is the $400 iPhone SE. That leaves Android as the only option. Thankfully, in 2023, there’s little to complain about Google’s OS – and you may even prefer it to iOS. Lastly, keep in mind most Android manufacturers typically offer far less robust software support for their budget devices. In some cases, your new phone may only receive one major Android update and a year or two of security patches beyond that. That applies to the OnePlus and Motorola recommendations on our list. If you’d like to keep your phone for as long as possible, Samsung has the best software policy of any Android manufacturer in the budget space, offering four years of security updates on all of its devices.

The best budget phone: OnePlus Nord N30 5G

The recently announced $300 OnePlus Nord N30 5G offers the best value of any of the smartphones on our list. No other phone in the price bracket features a processor as fast as the N30’s Snapdragon 695 5G. Moreover, OnePlus has specced the N30 with a generous 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, meaning you probably won’t need to budget for a microSD card or cloud storage. It also comes with a 120Hz IPS display, a feature that’s great for both gaming and everyday use. Best of all, the N30 ships with a 50W power adapter that you can use to get a full day of battery life in 30 minutes. The N30 would be almost perfect if it had waterproofing and OnePlus had committed to pushing more than one major Android update to the phone.

Another great option: Samsung Galaxy A14 5G

Don’t let the Samsung Galaxy A14 5G’s modest price and uninspired design fool you — it has a lot to offer. For $200, you get a phone that is surprisingly fast and features a competent camera. Additionally, it has NFC connectivity for contactless payments, something you won’t find on a lot of phones in this price range. Battery life is also excellent, coming in at two days with moderate use. Plus, there’s that great software policy I mentioned above, with Samsung promising to support the A14 with two major Android updates and four years of security patches. The only thing missing from the A14 is waterproofing, so you may want to opt for something sturdier if you live by the beach or like to doomscroll in the tub.

An ultra-budget pick: Samsung Galaxy A03s

If you want to spend as little as possible but still want something from a reputable brand, the $160 Samsung Galaxy A03s is your best bet. Thanks to its MediaTek Helio P35 processor, the A03s performs better than you would expect. Unfortunately, the phone feels about as cheap as it costs and the camera isn’t much better. Oh, and did I mention the A03s ships with a measly 32GB of internal storage? In other words, be prepared to buy a microSD card to store all your photos and music. Thankfully, the A03s, like its more expensive sibling, will receive four years of security updates from Samsung. You won’t find that kind of software support on any other handset in the sub-$200 category.

Honorable mention: Motorola Moto G Stylus

The $200 Motorola Moto G Stylus offers something none of the other picks on this list do: a built-in stylus. If you love doodling and jotting down notes, then this is the cheap phone to buy. Thankfully, it has a few other things going for it too. The Moto G Stylus sports a big and responsive 6.5-inch display and a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery. Plus, it’s available in two lovely colors: midnight blue and glam pink.

As with other options in this price range, it would be nice if the Moto G Stylus came with a more capable camera, a fast charger and better protection against water. One word of advice: steer clear of Moto G Stylus 5G. It doesn’t offer enough of an upgrade to justify costing $400.

Apple's rumored Beats Studio Pro headphones may be more compelling than AirPods for some listeners. 9to5Macclaims to have leaked specs indicating the Studio Pro will be the first Beats earphones to support head-tracking spatial audio. Until now, only more recent AirPods (such as the AirPods Pro, AirPods Max and third-gen base model) offered the feature. If you like the thought of sounds seeming to have fixed positions, these new over-ears may be worth considering.

The Beats Studio Pro might also have an edge over the AirPods Max for some of the fundamentals. They'll reportedly last up to 24 hours with active noise cancellation enabled (40 without ANC) versus the 20 hours of the Max. You may also get both a 3.5mm jack and a USB-C port, and the 3.5mm cable could even be included in the box. On top of previously rumored personalized spatial audio, you'd get adaptive, environment-sensitive ANC and microphones that improve call quality versus the Studio 3 Wireless (pictured above).

The design is said to be similar to the Studio 3, but with improved ear cushions that promise better comfort and durability. Metal sliders may also deliver a more adjustable fit.

While the Studio Pro won't use Apple's self-branded chips, it will supposedly use a custom Beats chip that bolsters support for both Apple devices and Android. Both platforms will apparently support easy pairing, seamless device switching and lost-item tracking. Apple hardware may also support hands-free "hey Siri" voice commands.

Leaker Myke Hurley claims the Beats Studio Pro will arrive on July 19th, and 9to5 believes they'll match the $349 price of the Studio 3. If so, they could be a compelling option if you're looking for advanced Apple-made headphones but can't justify a $200 premium to get the design and sound characteristics of the AirPods Max.

Unless you count flip foldables, there aren't many options left when it comes to true compact smartphones these days, but somehow, ASUS has remained in this niche market. The freshly announced Zenfone 10 looks like a carbon copy of its predecessor, and even its 50-megapixel main camera has remained unchanged. Still, the company claims that this is now powered by a new version of 6-axis gimbal stabilization — a combination of hardware optical stabilization, upgraded electronic stabilization algorithm and fast auto-focus. This apparently lets you capture smoother videos and less blurry photos while on the move.

As you'd expect, the Zenfone 10 is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and now with faster LPDDR5X ROM of up to 16GB, along with faster UFS 4.0 storage option of up to 512GB — doubling that of the previous gen. While the battery remains at an impressive 4,300mAh, it is now supported by 15W wireless charging in addition to the original 30W wired charging. This does mean a gentle bump in thickness — from the old 9.1mm to 9.4mm, but the footprint remains at 146.5 x 68.1mm. The AMOLED display is again specced at 5.9 inches with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution, though its top refresh rate has been boosted from 120Hz to 144Hz for slicker gaming.

ASUS

The ultra-wide camera has been swapped out with a 13-megapixel sensor, along with a bump in field of view — from 113 degrees to 120 degrees. The old 12-megapixel front punch-hole camera now uses a 32-megapixel RGBW sensor instead, and this apparently gives an 8-megapixel output with vastly improved low light selfies, thanks to the extra white sub-pixels on the sensor.

Like before, you still get stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with dual microphones with support for Nokia's OZO Audio spatial capture and wind noise reduction. Other familiar goodies include the ZenTouch customizable unlock button (namely for toggling the camera or scrolling in a browser), NFC and IP68 ruggedness for resistance against dust and liquids.

ASUS has extended its "Connex" modular case system to the Zenfone 10, which lets you snap either a kickstand or a silicone cardholder into the grid of holes on the back of the case. You can even assign an app — YouTube, by default — to auto-launch whenever the kickstand is flipped out. If you'd rather go with thicker cases, ASUS has also partnered with Rhinoshield and DevilCase for some more rugged options.

ASUS

The Zenfone 10 will be available for pre-order in Europe from June 29, starting from €799 (about $870), with color options including "Aurora Green," "Midnight Black," "Comet White," "Eclipse Red" and "Starry Blue." As before, US availability to follow later, so stay tuned.

Your local store might only need a smartphone to accept your payments. PayPal is rolling out tap to pay on Android for Venmo and Zettle businesses in the US. Shops can accept Apple Pay, Google Pay and other contactless services or cards, including digital wallets, without requiring a card reader. You might not have to bring out your wallet, in other words. Setup takes just minutes, PayPal claims.

Initial setup is free. Tap to pay will roll out to all Venmo businesses in the country over the "coming months," PayPal says, but would-be clients can sign up for early access now. The approach is already available for all PayPal Zettle users in the US. The company adds that Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available for some American users, and should reach all of them "soon."

The incentive for PayPal is clear. TechCrunchnotes Venmo and Zettle take 2.29 percent plus nine cents for every transaction. If a store relies on either brand's tap to pay for many of their sales, they stand to profit even if the customers themselves never use those services. You can already use Venmo as a customer in major stores like Starbucks — this theoretically gives PayPal more of a stake in the entire retail process.

As with Square, Apple's Tap to Pay on iPhone and similar offerings, PayPal's approach potentially makes contactless payment more accessible. It lowers the costs of entry, and lets small businesses take your preferred payment method wherever they happen to be, such as outdoors or at a convention. That, in turn, could reduce the need for cash and conventional credit or debit cards. It's just a question of whether or not the tech and its costs gain enough traction among retailers.

If Vizio's TV interface has felt stale as of late, don't worry — it's getting a makeover. The company is rolling out a redesigned home screen that it hopes will make it easier to find content. The revamp is meant to be more intuitive, with new navigation features, menus and settings. There's also a reworked on-screen keyboard to help you search faster.

Discovery is likewise a major focus. The updated home screen incudes recommendations as well as parental guidance and Rotten Tomatoes scores. Genre pages help you dig into a given category faster. There's more customization, too, with a personalized "app row" that lets you flag favorites with one remote click. You'll get recommendations on a per-app basis, and a My Watchlist section pools together movies and shows from multiple apps.

Vizio hasn't detailed just which TV models are receiving the new home screen, or when the rollout will be complete. We've asked the company for more details. There's no guarantee older sets will get the upgrade, then, but you won't necessarily need to buy new hardware.

Interface updates aren't new to TVs, but there is a tendency in the industry to limit major revamps to new or very recent TV sets. LG didn't bring 2018's webOS 4 to webOS 3 TVs released just a year earlier, for example. If Vizio delivers the new home screen to more than its latest sets, it's providing better aftermarket support than some of its larger competitors.

Although Big Tech is still (sometimes clumsily) figuring out generative AI’s ethics and implications, the genie is out of the bottle, and the technology is already integrating into the workforce. From that perspective, Microsoft announced a new program today to train workers on AI. The initiative will offer free coursework through LinkedIn, including certification. It’s somewhat ironic since the appeal of generative AI is that it’s dead simple to use: It automates content creation using everyday language. But the courses could still provide tips for composing the most effective prompts while showing beginners the ropes, giving them a chance to keep pace with our rapidly changing world.

Microsoft’s AI Skills Initiative, part of the company’s Skills for Jobs program, will include free courses created by (Microsoft subsidiary) LinkedIn, offering learners “the first Professional Certificate on Generative AI in the online learning market.” Microsoft says the courses will cover introductory AI concepts and “responsible AI frameworks,” culminating in certification. It’s launching in English only, but the company says it will add Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Simplified Chinese and Japanese “over the coming months.”

In addition, the company is launching a trainer toolkit for educators with “downloadable, bite-sized content for trainers” and a separate AI course for teachers and other trainers.

Microsoft also announced an open grant program for AI with an eye on boosting historically marginalized populations. The Generative AI Skills Grant Challenge is a collaboration between data.org, Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab and GitHub. It aims to “explore, develop, and implement how nonprofit, social enterprise and research or academic institutions can train and empower the workforce to use generative AI.” Grant recipients will receive financial support, group learning opportunities, data training / guidance and access to Microsoft events and cloud-computing resources. The grant program is accepting applications now with an August 15th deadline. You can learn more and apply here.

Google is about to make it a lot easier for you to buy and rent movies across streamers — for better or worse for your wallet. The company has announced it's adding a Shop tab on Android TV, where you can browse, purchase and store movies.

Though it looks a bit similar, the Shop tab differs from the Android TV's Discover tab in a few ways. Both pages show content from a variety of streaming platforms, but the Discover tab displays recommendations based on your viewing habits, whether or not the titles cost anything to watch. On the other hand, the Shop tab only features content you can, well, shop. Instead of having to click through each app individually, you can see all the movies that are available to rent or buy across the streamers you subscribe to.

The Shop Tab also has a Library section that displays every title you've purchased with your Google account on Google TV devices and its mobile app, Android TV devices and YouTube. Speaking of the Google TV mobile app, you can log in to it on your phone or tablet to download content from your Library for offline access later on. The wait to access this new feature shouldn't be long, as Google reports that the Shop tab will roll out across the US and 23 other countries over the next few weeks.