This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
How BYD beat Tesla
20 Jan 2026, 1:40 pm by David Pierce
The Model S. The Mach-E. The Ioniq. The… Dolphin Surf? That’s right, friends: There’s a new biggest name in EVs, and it means you might soon be cruising down the highway in the Dolphin Surf. And you might love it.
After years of Tesla dominance, a Chinese company called BYD has become the world’s biggest seller of electric vehicles. On this episode of The Vergecast, The Verge‘s Andy Hawkins explains where BYD came from, why its cars are so compelling, and what its rise means for the future of EVs. He also helps us figure out whether and when BYD cars might come to the US and how an influx of Chinese cars – which the influencers already love …
Netflix revises Warner Bros. bid to an all-cash offer
20 Jan 2026, 12:26 pm by Jess Weatherbed
Netflix has updated the acquisition terms for its Warner Bros. Discovery offer to an all-cash deal, replacing its initial $82.7 billion cash and stock agreement. The changes are designed to expedite the sale of WBD studios and streaming businesses, following repeated attempts by rival bidder Paramount to pressure shareholders into accepting its own $108 billion all-cash offer.
“The WBD Board continues to support and unanimously recommend our transaction, and we are confident that it will deliver the best outcome for stockholders, consumers, creators, and the broader entertainment community,” said Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. “Our revise …
Spotify is testing a feature that syncs audiobooks with paper editions
20 Jan 2026, 11:20 am by Jess Weatherbed
Spotify appears to be working on a novel feature that will allow audiobook listeners to pick up where they left off in the physical book. Android Authority reports that version 9.1.18.282 of the Spotify app includes code references to a Page Match beta feature that can quickly sync audiobooks on the platform with their paper and ebook counterparts.
Using Page Match will require users to unlock or purchase the audiobook on Spotify and own either the paper or ebook version of the same book. The feature works by scanning the page you’re currently reading with your device camera, using optical character recognition (OCR) to identify passages th …
Microsoft’s free Xbox Cloud Gaming is coming soon with ads
20 Jan 2026, 10:38 am by Tom Warren
Microsoft has been testing its ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming service over the past few months, as I exclusively revealed in October. Now, the software giant is getting close to testing the free streaming option with Xbox Insiders.
Over the weekend, Microsoft updated its Xbox app with loading screens for Xbox Cloud Gaming that mention “1 hour of ad-supported playtime per session.” That lines up with Microsoft’s internal testing, which has been limited to one-hour sessions, with up to five hours free per month.
Sources told me in October that internal testing includes around two minutes of preroll ads before a game is available to stream fo …
Sony’s TV business is being taken over by TCL
20 Jan 2026, 10:21 am by Jess Weatherbed
Sony has announced plans to spin off its TV hardware business, shifting it to a new joint venture with TCL. The two companies have signed a nonbinding agreement for Sony’s home entertainment business, with TCL set to hold a 51 percent stake in the new venture and Sony holding 49 percent.
With this partnership, TCL is elevating itself into the premium television landscape after innovating with technology over the last few years. If the deal goes through it would mark the end of an era for Sony, and could open the door for cheaper Bravia TVs built with excellent Sony image processing and leading TCL tech.
Sony and TCL are aiming to finalize …
Realme promises days of battery from its 10,001mAh phone
20 Jan 2026, 8:57 am by Dominic Preston
After teasing 10,000mAh and 15,000mAh concept devices, Realme is ready to make those big batteries a reality with the P4 Power, which launches in India on January 29th with a 10,001mAh capacity.
Realme says the P4 Power will last for three and a half days of light use, which I can believe – I got between two and three days’ battery with the 7,500mAh Oppo Find X9 Pro. Maybe more impressively, the P4 Power supports 27W reverse charging, fast enough that this could double as a power bank for some other devices.
We’ve seen bigger batteries, but not often in phones this size – the P4 Power only weighs 218g, and looks fairly slim, thanks to usi …
Roland’s Go:Mixer Studio turns your phone into a mobile music studio
20 Jan 2026, 8:00 am by Terrence O’Brien
Roland now offers a more capable audio mixer for phones and tablets with the launch of the Go:Mixer Studio. The Go:Mixer audio interface lineup has always been a bit limited, better suited for scrappy livestreams and capturing quick demos on their phones than professional recording. The Go:Mixer Studio is an attempt to actually reach that lofty goal, with more inputs and outputs, built-in effects, and up to 24-bit / 192kHz audio. There’s even an iOS app that allows you to capture video and multitrack audio simultaneously.
Streaming and social video are still the major use cases here. The Go:Mixer Studio can even be mounted on a mic stand so …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
