Technology
Samsung set to launch cheapest cutting-edge Galaxy smartphone yet

Foldable phones have been on the market for four years now, ever since the Samsung Galaxy Fold was unveiled in 2019. Prices for folding phones remain sky-high but according to a new report, Samsung intends to release a cheaper Galaxy Z foldable in 2024 as competition ramps up with Android rivals.
The Korean company’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 impressed Express.co.uk when we tried them out, but they cost £1,749 and £1,049 respectively – hardly pocket change.
Analysts at TrendForce have reported that Samsung intends to try and bring prices down on its foldables – perhaps to compete with Motorola, whose Razr 40 flip-style foldable costs just £799, and is already on sale.
“Samsung is planning to bring foldable phones to the mid-range market next year, further reducing price barriers and making foldable phones more accessible to a broader range of consumers,” TrendForce said.
It added that “other Android manufacturers are expected to follow suit, driving accelerated expansion in the foldable phone market.”
This is music to the ears of phone fans who may have been on the fence about a foldable given the eye-watering prices Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, and others are currently demanding for the cutting edge tech. It is common in consumer electronics for new innovative products to start off very expensive but then come down in price as companies find ways to manufacture more cost effectively.
In this instance, folding displays and their hinges need to decrease in price before consumers will see cheaper Z Flips and Z Folds on shelves – but it appears as though that will happen next year.
The report does not say if Samsung will target the Flip or Fold line with its cheaper foldables, but the reference to “foldable phones” – plural – in the report has us hoping it is both. The firm just launched the Galaxy S23 FE alongside tablets and earbuds also in the mid-range price bracket with the FE branding – perhaps we are in for a Z Flip FE and Z Fold FE?
Samsung could cut costs by taking away the outer displays, using plastic instead of glass, and putting mid-range chipsets in the devices. But foldable phones by their nature are complicated, expensive devices, so don’t expect to see prices hit rock bottom. But if Samsung could release a Galaxy Z Flip phone for, say, £699, that would shake up the market considerably.
TrendForce mentions Honor, Oppo, Xiaomi, Samsung, Huawei, and Transsion as the Android makers who brought foldables onto the market this year. Interestingly the report does not once mention Google, whose £1,749 Pixel Fold was released in June. We called it “the best and worst foldable we’ve ever tested”, which may help indicate why the analysts deemed not to include the American firm in their thinking.
Technology
Microsoft sparks backlash after it rebrands Office software


Microsoft Office users have slammed the software’s rebranding (stock) (Image: FinkAvenue via Getty Images)
Microsoft Office users have criticised the tech giant’s latest rebranding decision after it changed the name of its widely-used software suite.
The package, featuring Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, was initially launched by Bill Gates’ company in 1990 and currently serves approximately 400 million users globally. However, last week users encountered a dialogue box informing them of the name change.
“Welcome to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app,” it stated. “The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office) lets you create, share and collaborate all in one place with your favourite apps now including Copilot.”
Copilot, which was introduced in 2023 as Cortana’s successor, is an artificial intelligence chatbot designed to enhance user productivity through content generation and task automation.
Upon learning of the rebrand, meanwhile, software developer and business owner Peter Dedene expressed his frustration: “RIP MS Office. RIP Microsoft 365. Now it’s ‘Microsoft 365 Copilot’. We’re one rebrand away from Excel being a prompt box that says ‘trust me bro, the math checks out’.”
RIP MS Office.
RIP Microsoft 365.Now it’s “Microsoft 365 Copilot”.
We’re one rebrand away from Excel being a prompt box that says “trust me bro, the math checks out.” pic.twitter.com/S1M87W8XwV
— Peter Dedene (@dedene) January 5, 2026
A second person criticised the move: “Microsoft Office is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. This is worse than renaming Twitter to X. I want to have a 2-hour podcast discussion with the middle manager who approved this decision.”
A third observer remarked: “It’s dumb and brand destroying, yes, but note that the brand destruction actually happened back in 2020 when they renamed Office to ‘Microsoft 365’ – it didn’t have anything to do with AI.”
Whilst a fourth X user weighed in: “They spent decades building the most recognisable brand in productivity only to hide it behind a new AI label! It is a clear signal that they want to be seen as an AI company first and a software suite second. Most of us will probably still call it Office until the sun burns out regardless of what the icon says.”
Microsoft defended the rebrand, explaining: “The Microsoft 365 (Office) app is now called the Microsoft 365 Copilot app across web (office.com, microsoft365.com), mobile (iOS, Android), and Windows. The new app name and icon reflects the integration of Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app.”
The tech giant added: “The Microsoft 365 Copilot app continues to serve as your everyday productivity app for work and life. But in the era of AI and integration of Copilot, it’s become much more than that. We’ve made several enhancements to innovate the work and education experience, as well as for consumers with a personal account.”
Elsewhere, Gareth Oystryk, Senior Director of Marketing at Microsoft 365, addressed the backlash, clarifying: “We have not made any recent naming changes to our Office apps. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, the Office apps within the Microsoft 365 productivity suite, remain unchanged.
“In November 2022, we renamed only the Office “hub” app for web and mobile to the Microsoft 365 app. In January 2025, we updated it to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to reflect its role in bringing Copilot and Microsoft 365 productivity experiences together in one place.”
Microsoft has advised users: “Existing users with a work and/or personal account can see these changes reflected on their web (office.com, microsoft365.com), mobile (iOS, Android) and Windows app.
“If you’re signed in and still not seeing the change, make sure to connect to the internet and then restart the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.”
Technology
Your Freeview TV matches Sky and Virgin with blockbuster channel upgrade today

If you use Freeview to get your nightly fix of entertainment, there’s some very good news coming to your television. A new channel is launching today, January 13, that brings this free-to-view platform up to speed with more premium services such as Sky and Virgin Media. The blockbuster boost means all Freeview TVs and set-top boxes can now access the TLC service – that’s a platform which has only been broadcast on premium subscription services in the past.
For those not aware, TLC features popular reality programmes such as Dr Pimple Popper and Say Yes To The Dress. That will continue, but this channel is also getting a boost, with it set to include a range of extra shows, such as sitcoms and Hollywood movies.
Once the update lands on Freeview, you should get access to shows including The Big Bang Theory, Mock the Week and Young Sheldon. Movies arriving soon include Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
It’s reported that TLC will go live later today on channel 12, although Freeview is yet to update its listings page, so you might need to hold tight until the upgrade takes place.
Once the change arrives, there will be a slight reshuffle. Quest will move from its current slot on channel 12 and move to channel 17.
Sadly, it’s not all good news. It’s also been confirmed that HGTV is closing with content such as My Lottery Dream, Celebrity IOU and Building Alaska being removed from the listings.
We’re expecting Freeview to confirm all the latest changes in the next 24 hours and will update this article once an official update has been posted.
Technology
Instagram users placed on red alert and told to check for ‘password reset’ email

Instagram users are being warned to stay vigilant and watch out for suspicious emails claiming that their passwords need to be reset. It appears that a bug in the Meta-owned platform’s system has been allowing cyber crooks to issue the urgent alert, with some reports suggesting that millions of accounts may have been affected. Instagram has now responded to the danger, with the social media giant saying it has now patched the issue and all accounts remain secure.
The company also states that passwords do not need to be reset and users must simply disregard the message if it lands in their inbox.
Speaking to Bleeping Computer, Instagram said: “We fixed an issue that allowed an external party to request password reset emails for some Instagram users.
“We want to reassure everyone there was no breach of our systems and people’s Instagram accounts remain secure. People can disregard these emails and we apologise for any confusion this may have caused.”
It’s currently unclear how widespread the issue is and how many people have been caught up in the drama. However, the cyber team at Malwarebytes recently posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) saying that over 17 million Instagram accounts may have been compromised – although this has not been confirmed by Meta.
“Cybercriminals stole the sensitive information of 17.5 million Instagram accounts, including usernames, physical addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and more,” Malwarebytes posted.
“If you haven’t enabled two-factor authentication on your Instagram account, today is a great day to do so.”
Whether this hack is real or not, this latest Instagram attack highlights the importance of keeping accounts secure by using things such as two-factor authentication. As always it’s a good idea not to click on links embedded in emails or hand any data over to people unless you know they are from Instagram. Following those rules should keep things safe.
“Following reports of widespread Instagram password reset prompts, many users were left questioning whether their accounts were compromised,” said Mayur Upadhyaya, CEO of security firm APIContext.
“Following reports of widespread Instagram password reset prompts, many users were left questioning whether their accounts were compromised. Even when accounts aren’t breached, a wave of password reset requests can shake user confidence. It’s a reminder of how critical it is to monitor from both the inside and outside, catching abnormal behaviour before it escalates. If you’re only watching internal systems, you might miss what real users are experiencing. That outside-in signal is often where trust gets tested first.”
Video3 weeks agoThe Left Summed Up in One Clip 🙃
Video2 weeks agoWorld News | ख़बरें विदेश की | 30 August 2025 | Donald Trump| International News | Russia Ukraine War
Video3 weeks agoরাতের বাংলাদেশ | Latest News and Bulletin | Rater Bangladesh | 10 PM | 08 October 2025 | Jamuna TV
Video2 weeks agoআন্তর্জাতিক সব খবর | Banglavision World News | 14 August 2025 | International News Bulletin
Video3 weeks agoWorld News | ख़बरें विदेश की | 7 September 2025| Donald Trump| International News| Russia Ukraine War
Video3 weeks agoहेर्नुहोस यो के भयो? Today nepali news | badhi pahiro news | nepali samachar live | nepali khabar
Video2 weeks ago🔴LIVE : News 1st: Prime Time Sinhala News – 10 PM | 10.10.2025 රාත්රී 10.00 ප්රධාන ප්රවෘත්ති
Sports4 weeks agoJake Paul vs Anthony Joshua LIVE updates from £140m super-fight | Boxing | Sport





















