This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
Nothing’s modular CMF Headphone Pro are down to their lowest price to date
19 Apr 2026, 2:30 pm by Brandon Widder
Over the past several years, Nothing’s budget-centric subsidiary, CMF, has built a reputation for producing attractive, inexpensive products with features often reserved for gadgets that cost twice the price. The CMF Headphone Pro — the company’s first pair of over-ear wireless headphones — fit precisely in that lane, especially now that they’re on sale at Amazon in both light gray and a subtle green shade for an all-time low of $69 ($30 off).
Although the Headphone Pro eschew the retro-transparent design found on Nothing wares like the Headphone 1, I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a bad thing given the polarizing, squared-off design of the latter. Instead, the Pro go all in on the curves, with circular earcups, cushions, and a plush headband. You can also add an additional pop of color with CMF’s $25 interchangeable cushions, which, as of now, are available in either orange or the aforementioned green hue.
Unlike many premium pairs of noise-canceling headphones, the Pro ditch touch-capacitive controls for physical buttons — a plus, as far as I’m concerned — allowing you to control playback, adjust the volume, and tweak a range of other settings using a customizable action button and a multi-function roller. Nothing also includes something called an Energy Slider, so you can adjust the treble and bass balance on the fly without digging into Nothing’s app to make EQ adjustments.
The biggest draw of the Headphone Pro, aside from their adaptive ANC, is that they offer a whopping 100 hours of battery life per charge, ensuring you can travel just about anywhere without having to top them off. That number drops to 50 hours with active noise cancellation enabled; however, that’s still 10 hours more than what you’d get with a higher-end pair like Sony’s WH-1000XM6 and 20 hours more than the latest Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. The fact that they support Google Fast Pair and the higher-quality LDAC codec is just a plus.
Other alternatives to consider
Beats Solo 4
Where to Buy:
Sony WH-CH520
Where to Buy:
The Stars My Destination is classic proto-cyberpunk
19 Apr 2026, 2:00 pm by Terrence O’Brien
This might feel like a somewhat obvious recommendation to some, but it flew under my radar until now. Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination (originally published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK) is a 1956 sci-fi novel that some have cited as a precursor to cyberpunk. It’s a work I admit I have some conflicted feelings about, but one I think is well worth reading if you consider yourself a fan of sci-fi. It’s also well worth seeking out a physical copy, something I wish I had known before I started reading it in the objectively inferior e-book form that can’t capture the ergodic elements of the climax.
It’s hard to explain the plot of The Star …
The future of local TV news has taken a Trumpian turn
19 Apr 2026, 12:00 pm by Tina Nguyen
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more stories on Big Tech versus politics in Washington, DC, follow Tina Nguyen and read Regulator. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
A long time ago, in 2004, the Federal Communications Commission laid down a rule designed to prevent a monopoly: No one company could broadcast to more than 39 percent of all the TV households in the United States. But then Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. Brendan Carr became FCC chairman and immediately kicked off a deregu …
Marathon battery life makes Keychron’s Ultra 8K keyboards its best yet
19 Apr 2026, 12:00 pm by Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Keychron’s expansive keyboard catalog covers everything from basic full-size mechanical boards to niche layouts like southpaw Alice or a one-handed half-keyboard for gaming. Its Q and V series are among our go-to recommendations for off-the-shelf keyboards, and the latest iterations – the Q and V Ultra models – are a straightforward upgrade to the lineup, with benefits for regular users and deep-in-the-weeds keyboard nerds alike.
I’ve been testing two Ultra keyboards: the Keychron V5 Ultra 8K and Keychron Q1 Ultra 8K. The $119.99 V5 Ultra is a near-full-size 1800-layout board with a number pad in a plastic case, while the $229.99 Q1 Ultra i …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
