Technologies

Motorola’s New Moto G and Moto G Play Pack a Key Gemini Feature at a Lower Price

Both the new $170 Moto G Play and $200 Moto G will get Google’s Circle to Search.

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.

Technologies

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 Might Come in 5G and 4G Cellular Models

If the rumor proves true, the 5G Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3 that debuted last fall.

Samsung’s next high-end Galaxy Watch could support faster 5G speeds, but if this leak is true, it will depend on where you live. The rumored Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might come in 5G and 4G cellular models, with availability for each smartwatch depending on the country.

According to the Dutch website Galaxy Club (and spotted by SamMobile), Samsung’s servers may have revealed a series of model numbers that point to 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi-enabled editions of the next Galaxy Watch Ultra, which would succeed the original model that debuted in 2024.

A representative for Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Galaxy Club website speculates that the 5G edition would be sold in the US and Korean markets, while the 4G edition would sell in the rest of the world. In the US, a 5G version of the Galaxy Watch Ultra would rival the 5G-enabled $799 Apple Watch Ultra 3, which debuted last fall. The 4G edition would have broader compatibility worldwide, since the earlier network is far more established.

It will likely be a few months until we hear anything official about the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Samsung typically unveils its new watches in the summer alongside its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones. Last year, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 8 and the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, but otherwise left the prior 2024 Ultra in the lineup for those looking for a larger 47mm smartwatch.

Technologies

2 Cases Show Supreme Court Isn’t Holding ISPs Responsible for Piracy

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 8, #1032

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 8, No. 1032.

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

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. The purple category is a fun one, once you see the connection. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: In the group.

Green group hint: Appearance details.

Blue group hint: Often found in gyms.

Purple group hint: They help you see.