Motorola’s new low-cost Android phones will be among the cheapest to get Google’s Circle to Search. The new $200 Moto G and $170 Moto G Play for 2026, announced Tuesday, will ship with Android 16 and come with access to the Gemini-powered feature along with the Gemini assistant.

Google’s Circle to Search has been a particularly useful AI-powered feature since its debut, making it particularly noteworthy that it will now be available in devices that cost under $200. The $170 Moto G Play will arrive first on Nov. 13, followed by the $200 Moto G on Dec. 11.

Both phones will come with a 6.7-inch display and a 120Hz refresh rate, include 5G connectivity (which is a first for the Play series) and get a 5,200mAh battery.

The lower-cost Play phone will run on a Mediatek Dimensity 6300 processor and include 4GB of memory that can be virtually expanded to 12GB with the RAM Boost feature. That perk essentially borrows from the phone’s 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded to 1TB with a microSD card slot, while its battery can be recharged at an 18-watt speed. It will also have a 32-megapixel main camera on the back, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. It will come in one color called Pantone Tapestry, which has a blue-green shade.

The slightly pricier Moto G will also run on the same processor, but step up with 128GB of storage and a 30-watt wired charging speed. Its rear camera system leads with a 50-megapixel wide angle camera paired with a 2-megapixel macro camera, while its selfie shooter is a 32-megapixel camera. It will come in two colors, the Pantone Cattleya Orchid (a magenta-like shade) and Pantone Slipstream (a gray shade).

While I am glad to see lower-cost phones get Circle to Search, I am somewhat concerned that many of the specs in the 2026 edition of the Moto G are similar to the 2025 model — particularly the inclusion of 4GB of onboard RAM. I found the prior Moto G to have stability issues initially, which were largely resolved by using the RAM Boost setting to make the software simulate additional memory to assist with loading apps and multitasking. We’ll have to test to see if the new 2026 Moto G phones will optimize better under Android 16, and hopefully the bigger batteries will also allow these less-powerful phones to go even longer between charges.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle begins with one of the least-used letters in the alphabet. (Check our full list ranking the letters by popularity.) If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has one repeated letter.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels, but one is the repeated letter, so you’ll see that one twice.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with V.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with E.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to the place where something happens, especially an organized event such as a concert, conference, or sports event.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is VENUE.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Nov. 3, No. 1598 was AWOKE.

Recent Wordle answers

Oct. 30, No. 1594: LATHE

Oct. 31, No. 1595: ABHOR

Nov. 1, No. 1596: MOTEL

Nov. 2, No. 1597: RABID

Travel is challenging enough, and this year adds a new hurdle. US border agents are stepping up searches of travelers entering the country — even US citizens returning from overseas — and that extends to their personal devices. These searches can go beyond a quick look, giving agents the authority to copy or analyze a phone’s contents.

According to new figures from US Customs and Border Protection, nearly 15,000 device searches were carried out between April and June, with over 1,000 of them using advanced tools that copy or analyze what’s on a phone. The rising numbers raise questions about how much personal data travelers may be handing over without realizing it.

So what’s the solution? A burner phone. It’s the ultimate defense for keeping your personal data private when you travel, ensuring you stay connected without handing over your entire digital life at the border.

But the appeal goes beyond privacy. A stripped-down phone is also the perfect escape from the constant notifications and screen-time vortex of your primary device. Even celebrities such as Conan O’Brien have embraced simpler phones to cut through the noise. Whether you’re crossing a border or just trying to cross the street without distractions, a burner might be the smartest tech you own.

Read more: Best Prepaid Phone of 2025

Although carriers have offered prepaid phones since the ’90s, «burner phones» or «burners» became popular in the 2000s following the celebrated HBO series The Wire, where they helped characters avoid getting caught by the police. Although often portrayed in that light, burners aren’t only used by criminals; they’re also used anyone concerned with surveillance or privacy infringement.

What is a burner phone, and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know about burners and how to get one.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

What is a burner phone?

A burner phone is a cheap prepaid phone with no commitments. It comes with a set number of prepaid call minutes, text messages or data, and it’s designed to be disposed of after use.

Burners are contract-free, and you can grab them off the counter. They’re called burner phones because you can «burn» them (trash them) after use, and the phone can’t be traced back to you, which makes them appealing to criminals. Burner phones are typically used when you need a phone quickly, without intentions of long-term use. 

Burners are different from getting a regular, contract-bound cellphone plan that requires your information to be on file.

Why should you use a burner phone?

Burner phones are an easy way to avoid cellphone contracts or spam that you get on your primary phone number. Burners aren’t linked to your identity, so you can avoid being tracked down or contacted.

You don’t have to dispose of a burner phone after use. You can add more minutes and continue using it. Burner phones can still function as regular phones, minus the hassle of a contract.

You can also get a burner phone as a secondary phone for a specific purpose, like having a spare phone number for two-factor authentication texts, for business, or to avoid roaming charges while traveling. Burner phones are often used by anyone concerned with privacy.

Read more: The Data Privacy Tips Digital Security Experts Wish You Knew

Burner phones, prepaid phones, smartphones and burner SIMs: What’s the difference? 

Burner phones are cheap phones with simple designs that lack the bells and whistles of a smartphone. Because they’re designed to be disposable, you only get the essentials, as seen by the most common version, the flip phone.

All burner phones are prepaid phones, but not all prepaid phones are burners. What sets a burner apart is that you won’t have to give away any personal information to get one, and it won’t be traceable back to you. Again, a burner phone is cheap enough to be destroyed after use.

Prepaid smartphones are generally low-end models. You can use any unlocked smartphone with prepaid SIM cards, essentially making it a prepaid phone.

If you want a burner, you don’t necessarily have to buy a new phone. You can get a burner SIM and use it with an existing phone. Burner SIMs are prepaid SIMs you can get without a contract or giving away personal information.

Where can you buy a burner phone?

Burner phones are available at all major retail outlets, including Best Buy, Target and Walmart. They’re also often available at convenience stores like 7-Eleven, local supermarkets, gas stations and retail phone outlets like Cricket and Metro.

You can get a burner phone with cash, and it should cost between $10 and $50, although it may cost more if you get more minutes and data. If you’re getting a burner phone specifically to avoid having the phone traced back to you, it makes sense to pay with cash instead of a credit card.

If you just want a prepaid secondary phone, you can use a credit card. Just keep in mind that credit cards leave a trail that leads back to you.

There are also many apps that let you get secondary phone numbers, including Google Fi and the Burner app. However, these aren’t burners necessarily because the providers typically have at least some of your personal information.

If you’re just looking to get a solid prepaid phone without anonymity, check out our full guide for the best prepaid phone plans available. We also have a guide for the best cheap phone plans.