The Vergecast

Smart phone cameras have been getting better and better at capturing flawless, true-to-life images. But is that what the people really want?David Imel joins Nilay Patel and Jake Kastrenakes to talk through the Pixel 11's Camera Looks. They're Google's nod to the trend of retro digital and analogue cameras, and alter how a photo is processed on the sensor level. At the same time, its super zoom is still hallucinating text and making stuff up.

Then it's a supersized Brendan Carr is a Dummy, with increasingly infuriating tales of how Brendan Carr is being a Dummy, culminating in the FCC's quest to make sure your internet connection remains slow.

Plus, we talk through the confounding AirPods camera leak, the Fairphone, and YouTube's new method for counting views.

Further reading:

Google is making the Pixel cameras better by making them worse

Revealed: FCC chair Brendan Carr’s close coordination with White House and rightwing media

ABC sues the FCC over Trump and Carr’s campaign of threats

FCC abolishes gigabit speed goal, suggesting it is unfair to slower technologies

Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods appear in leaked video

Meta glasses are a workplace menace

Apple reportedly won’t launch AirPods with cameras until next year.

Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US

YouTube is changing how it counts views to give the numbers a boost

YouTube is reportedly offering channels “millions of dollars” not to cross-post videos on Netflix.

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For better or worse, Amazon Alexa and Google Home's smart voice assistants have been imbued with the powers of generative AI. The promise is that you can use natural language with your smart speaker to adjust your thermostat, lock the doors, and find out what your pets have been up to. The reality is smart home voice assistants seem to be going through an identity crisis. Senior reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy invites Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel onto his own podcast to compare notes on life with Alexa Plus vs. Gemini for Home.

Further reading:

⁠GTA VI keeps leaking ahead of its gameplay premiere⁠

⁠I bought DJI’s banned camera — it was cheap and easy⁠

⁠Does giving a camera wings dodge the FCC’s drone ban?⁠

⁠Meta glasses are a workplace menace⁠

⁠Google’s Pet Memory forgot who my cats are⁠

⁠I tasked Alexa Plus with tackling my to-do list — it was hit or miss⁠

⁠With Alexa Plus, Amazon finally reinvents its best product⁠

⁠How AI broke the smart home in 2025⁠

⁠I let Gemini watch my family for the weekend — it got weird⁠

⁠Google built a great smart speaker, but Gemini isn’t ready for it⁠

⁠Jony Ive’s first OpenAI gadget is reportedly a hockey puck-sized smart speaker⁠

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Pixel reviewers assemble: Senior reviewer Victoria Song leads a Vergecast roundtable with editors Dominic Preston and Cameron Faulkner to discuss the Pixel 11/Pro/Fold and the Pixel Watch 5. We discuss if HiLight is a LowLight, whether we miss the temperature sensor, and if the Watch 5’s GPS truly beats Garmin and Apple. And stay tuned for more camera discussion on Friday’s Vergecast.

Further reading:

Nvidia’s new financial strategy does not compute

Amazon’s drones will soon deliver to nearly 500 US cities and towns | The Verge

Framework gave its 12-inch laptop some hardware upgrades | The Verge

This robot vacuum solves my kitchen stool problem

The Pixel 11 isn’t the best Pixel of 2026, but it’s the smartest buy

The Pixel 11 Pro is a great phone, no thanks to its flashiest new features

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

Google’s Pixel Watch 5 is promising — but it isn’t finished

Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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It feels right now like prices are going up, gadgets are getting worse, and everything is getting harder to buy. Leo Mastrolia, the Digital Doctor and the owner of a repair shop in New Jersey, is seeing this all play out first hand. For the second part of our conversation (and the first part of our RAMageddon survival guide), he tells us what he’s telling his clients about fixing their gadgets, managing upgrades, and surviving a parts crisis.

Further reading:

Elon Musk made flying even worse so Palantir could profit

Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods appear in leaked video

Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US

Spirit in the machine

Polaroid’s new Pokémon collection captures memories, not Pikachus

Digital Doctor Repairs on YouTube

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We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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A few years ago, Leo Mastrolia started a gadget repair shop. Little did he know he’d eventually become known across the internet as The Digital Doctor, and would learn to fix practically every gadget you can think of. On this episode, which is part one of our conversation with Leo, he tells us about his journey as a gadget fixer, the growth of his social channels, and how right-to-repair fights and upgrade cycles are affecting life in his store.

Further reading:

ChatGPT’s Computer History tracks your clicks and keystrokes

Amazon is trying to crush class action suits before they get started

Uber partners with Zipline on Eats drone deliveries

Disney D23 2026: Everything announced for Star Wars, Marvel, and more

Digital Doctor Repairs on YouTube

Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.
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