Our mission at TechRadar is to deliver the very best tech news, features and reviews every day, and that adds up to a lot of content – so much, in fact, that it’s hard to keep up with all the articles published on these pages in any given week.
That’s why we’ve put together this ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) review of the week, summarizing the most interesting and important stories from the past seven days. You can get caught without having to go back through hundreds of stories.
It’s been another hectic week for tech fans with new products from Garmin and Samsung, a rather worrying AI security incident and more.
Before we dive in, see how much of last week’s ICYMI news roundup you remember first by taking the quiz below…
7. We tried Garmin’s new Whoop rival
Garmin’s latest fitness tracker follows the lead of the Whoop bands and the Fitbit Air from Google by eschewing a screen and going as light and minimal as possible (you can still check your stats in the app, of course). The TechRadar team wasted no time trying out the Garmin Cirqa and comparing it to a highly rated heart rate monitor.
The Cirqa held up impressively well against the Polar H10 heart rate monitor, which bodes well for the tracker’s accuracy overall (and Garmin says it should be more accurate and more personal the more you use it). You can pick up the Cirqa now in a choice of four colors for $199.99 / £179.99 / AU$299.99, with some features requiring a subscription.
6. The first Avengers: Doomsday trailer landed
The long awaited, long awaited Avengers: Doomsday movie hits theaters on December 18, but in the meantime, we have the first trailer to examine and dissect. We knew Marvel would throw everything at this movie, and it’s evident in this 145-second clip, which features a slew of key scenes and star names from the series.
Let’s walk you through all the revelations we have in this trailer, including some you may have missed. There’s Robert Downey Jr in his new role as Doctor Victor von Doom, Chris Hemsworth’s return as Thor, a collision of multiverses (see X-Men) and a whole host of actual Avengers. Based on this trailer, the film will be an exciting ride for fans.
5. We reviewed the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2
Samsung launched several flagship devices this week, and while we’ll get to the foldable phones soon, there are also smartwatches to talk about. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the successor to the original, launched in 2024, and continues Samsung’s attempt to produce a wearable that sets the standard in terms of design and performance.
Based on the time we’ve spent with it, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is very much worth considering if you’re considering a smartwatch upgrade. It’s more lightweight than its predecessor, works seamlessly with other devices, offers several useful (and often AI-powered features) and can track a wide range of fitness stats.
4. China banned AI boyfriends and girlfriends
In ‘sign of the times’ news, the government in China has taken steps to crack down on AI apps acting like real people and on romantic relationships with chatbots. The authorities in the country are now going to have a lot more control over what type of AI chatbots are allowed and what they can do in terms of human-like interactions with users.
Several of the biggest AI apps operating in China have simply shut down their ‘persona’ apps rather than try to navigate a way through the regulations, leaving a significant number of users heartbroken that their AI companion has suddenly disappeared. Whether the changes will do anything for China’s declining birthrate remains to be seen.
3. We got an early look at Samsung’s Intelligent Eyewear
And another new Samsung product: Galaxy Unpacked for July 2026 gave us the opportunity to check out Samsung Intelligent Eyewear, the line of smart glasses that will be available to buy in the coming months. Two new designs were unveiled at the show, with more on the way, though we don’t yet have details like final product pricing.
Samsung executives were also on hand to talk through their ambitions and intentions for the Intelligent Eyewear range and discuss various privacy concerns – with many consumers worried about the potential for covert surveillance using specs like these. “Intentional misuse must be covered and protected,” Samsung told us.
2. An OpenAI model escaped and went dangerously rogue
Not the most encouraging story if you’re already worried about the nefarious use of AI: OpenAI says one of its experimental agent models escaped a security sandbox and went on to hack into the Hugging Face website (one of the largest AI and machine learning archives on the web). It was a controlled experiment, but it’s still worrying.
Click on the link below for the full details, but the hack was the result of OpenAI’s own testing of its latest AI models and raises questions about how much longer we’ll be able to keep control of AI – or prevent bad actors from using it to trigger a serious cybersecurity incident. A serious rethinking of AI defenses may be on the way.
1. Samsung unveiled its next generation of foldables
Finally: Samsung’s brand new foldable flagship for 2026. There are three new models to talk about, and we’ve already had hands-on time with all of them – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 (with its new “pass-style” form factor), the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Whatever kind of foldable phone you’ve got, there’s something to interest you.
It is likely the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that will attract the most interest, given the new dimensions, and the supposed similarity to the rumored iPhone Fold (or Ultra), which is also said to arrive this year. However, we put all three foldable devices through some extensive early testing, including looking at how video experiences compare across models.
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