Gadget Prices Are Getting Ridiculous

April 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Hosts of the Waveform podcast cover a mix of fresh gadget announcements, software fixes, price changes, and updates on prior stories, with Samsung's broad price hikes emerging as a key theme amid ongoing memory shortages.

Samsung Foldables and Rising Prices

Samsung is reportedly set to unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 8 "Wide"—a wider-aspect-ratio foldable—alongside the standard Z Fold 8 at a July 22 event in London, mirroring their preemptive S25 Edge launch ahead of rumored Apple equivalents. Rumors also point to an S27 Pro, positioned between the S27 and S27 Ultra: same size as the Ultra but without the S Pen, higher-res display, or extra camera, offering a cheaper flagship option akin to Cadillac's Vistiq SUV versus the heavier Escalade IQ.

More pressingly, Samsung raised prices on nearly all Galaxy phones and tablets except the core S26 series and Ultra, with hikes from $40 to $280 per model. The Z Fold 7's 1TB version now hits $2,500 (up $80), and the S11 Ultra tablet jumped $280 to $1,899. Co-CEO TM Roh cited a global memory shortage as unavoidable, even for Samsung as both maker and buyer; internal divisions negotiate like separate entities, padding margins on lower-volume items like foldables and tablets amid carrier-locked flagships.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:43) **Podcast Intro and Tease** - Hosts introduce episode as callback to past stories with new updates on Samsung foldables, Google fixes, GoPro cameras, price hikes, and sports-tech crossover
2 (02:46) **Xiaomi Lyra Phone Global Bug** - Hilarious weather app glitch shows Fahrenheit temps but Celsius "feels like" values on global Xiaomi Lyra model
3 (05:46) **iPhone Air Long-Term Use** - Hosts share updated experiences with iPhone 16 "Air" after initial reviews, focusing on thinness, battery drain, and camera trade-offs
4 (17:26) **Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide Event Rumor** - Leaked July 22 London event for wide-aspect foldable to preempt Apple rumors, plus standard Fold 8 and S27 lineup
5 (22:09) **Samsung Price Hikes Across Lineup** - Quiet increases up to $280 on phones/tablets due to memory shortage, hitting low-volume models hardest
6 (25:48) **Google Cracks Down on Back Button Hijacking** - Chrome to penalize sites abusing back button for retention, marking as spam in search after decade-long issue
7 (28:33) **GoPro Mission One Camera Launch** - New 1-inch sensor cinema-grade action cam with MFT lens mount, 8K open gate, rig accessories beyond Hero line

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This week, the crew spoke about everything from Samsung price hikes to 3D printed golf clubs. Along the way Marques and David talk about their experiences using the iPhone Air and Andrew gets excited that Google finally defined back button hijacking as spam. Plus, there's no GoPro cameras and a bunch of updates from past news stories. It's a long one!

Links:

MrMobile - Leica phone

9to5Google - Google classify back button hijacking as spam

9to5Google - Samsung price hikes

Verge - New GoPro cameras

CNBC - Allbirds AI pivot

Business Insider - Khaby Lamy update

Google Search app for desktop

Gamers Nexus - NZXT video

Verge - John Deere right to repair lawsuit

Andrew Martonik tweet

This episode brought to you by:

Hostiner: https://www.hostinger.com/waveform

Shopifyh: https://www.shopify.com/waveform Socials: Waveform Threads: https://www.threads.net/@waveformpodcast Waveform Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waveformpodcast/?hl=en Waveform TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@waveformpodcast Hosts: Marques: https://www.threads.net/@mkbhd Andrew: https://www.threads.net/@andrew_manganelli David: https://www.threads.net/@davidimel Adam: https://www.threads.net/@parmesanpapi17 Ellis: https://twitter.com/EllisRovin Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/mkbhd Intro/Outro music by 20syl: https://bit.ly/2S53xlC Waveform is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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