This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
You can score a refurbished Sonos Arc SL soundbar for just $320
8 Jan 2026, 3:00 pm by Cameron Faulkner
Woot has an excellent deal on refurbished Sonos Arc SL soundbars, the 2020 model that’s similar to the original Arc aside from not having any microphones. It debuted for $749, but you can get one with a one-year Sonos warranty for $319.99 while supplies last. If this discount doesn’t sell out quickly (which it may), the promotion will end in two days. Definitely a nice deal considering Sonos itself offers the same model refurbished for $539.
We thought the original Sonos Arc was a big deal when it launched. Its slick design, Dolby Atmos support, and strong audio performance — not to mention that it can be added onto with other Wi-Fi Sonos speakers — still make it a solid choice for curious shoppers today. That being said, it’s not the soundbar for everyone. Aside from the aforementioned omission of microphones, which I can’t imagine being a huge con for most people, it lacks Bluetooth connectivity. This soundbar supports Wi-Fi and AirPlay 2 for wireless audio. As for wiring your gadgets, it has a sole HDMI eARC port, along with ethernet. Read our review of the standard Arc.
Other Verge-approved deals
- The Switch 2 has 256GB of storage built-in, but that may not be enough to let you go wild installing new and old games from your library. If that’s the case for you, head over to Amazon where you can get the lowest price yet on Samsung’s P9 microSD Express card with 256GB of storage. Originally $54.99, you can snag it for $34.99, a 36 percent discount. The microSD Express cards used by the Switch 2 are pricier than those that worked on the original Switch model because they offer faster download speeds and loading times. But at least now, you don’t need to pay too high of a premium to double your Switch 2’s internal storage.
- Walmart has a good deal happening now on a two-pack of official 30W Apple single-port USB-C power adapters. I normally would recommend ones from a different brand since you can get more ports and more power for less, but bundling two for $35 is a nice deal. These adapters have fold-out prongs, and swappable plugs in case you require a different plug adapter. 30W is more than enough for iPhones and iPads, and can work in a pinch for MacBook Air models (and, of course, it works with any non-Apple USB-C gadget in need of a charge). I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a power-hungry MacBook Pro, though.
- Some people (raises hand) aren’t ready for the foldable life. Not only do they cost a lot, they’re pretty fragile, although recent Android foldables are much more durable than some of the original models. If $519 sound like a reasonable enough price for you to consider trying a foldable, that’s how much the Google Pixel Fold costs over at Woot. Considering that it originally sold for $1,799, and even its successor (the Pixel 9 Pro Fold) still costs well over $1,000, it’s certainly a big discount. Google’s first crack at a foldable was pretty good, and although the company has made strides with the current model (the 10 Pro Fold is the first foldable with a IP68 rating), you might get a lot out of the Pixel Fold. It launched in mid-2023, so it’ll receive major Android OS updates and security patches through 2028. Here’s our initial review, as well as our follow-up article about what it was like to live with it for a year.
The PC market braces for an AI-driven storm
8 Jan 2026, 2:51 pm by Tom Warren
The personal computer has remained surprisingly resilient to change over the past 15 years. Apple promised a “post-PC” era with the iPad in 2010 and failed to deliver one. Smartphones even overtook laptops as the most popular device to connect to the internet a decade ago, but millions of people still kept buying PCs every year. But this PC resiliency is going to be tested even further this year.
RAM and NAND / SSD prices have surged in recent months due to shortages created by AI data center demand. Some stores have had to sell memory like it’s lobster, prebuilt PC costs have risen, and some assemblers are even selling PCs without RAM.
No …
Bose is open-sourcing its old smart speakers instead of bricking them
8 Jan 2026, 2:42 pm by Stevie Bonifield
In a surprisingly user-friendly move, Bose has announced it will be open-sourcing the API documentation for its SoundTouch smart speakers, which were slated to lose official support on February 18th, as reported by Ars Technica. Bose has also moved that date back to May 6th, 2026.
When cloud support ends, an update to the SoundTouch app will add local controls to retain as much functionality as possible without cloud services. Users will still be able to stream music to SoundTouch speakers with Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Spotify Connect (plus physical AUX connections). Remote control features and grouping speakers will also continue to work, …
Xbox’s Developer Direct returns on January 22nd with Fable and Forza Horizon 6 gameplay
8 Jan 2026, 2:14 pm by Tom Warren
Microsoft’s annual Xbox Developer Direct event is taking place on January 22nd this year. The fourth Developer Direct will provide a closer look at two of Microsoft’s biggest Xbox games this year, Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, as well as a first in-depth look at Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak.
Playground Games will debut the first gameplay of Forza Horizon 6 during the Developer Direct show, after first revealing that the next instalment in the Forza Horizon franchise is set in Japan. Forza Horizon 6 players will be able to experience the neon lights and buildings of Tokyo City, as well as an open world set in various other parts of Ja …
The best TVs of CES 2026
8 Jan 2026, 2:00 pm by John.Higgins
CES serves a few different purposes – to give us the sense of what’s to come during the year, to introduce strange devices, and for companies to show off the newest technology. While there wasn’t as much of the first as I had hoped, there sure was a lot of the latter. TV manufacturers delivered enormous displays with additional subpixels, intriguing advancements on existing technologies, and the return of a stylish and slim favorite.
LG W6 Wallpaper TV
First launched back in 2017, LG’s Wallpaper TV redefined what a slim TV could be. After a few years away, the Wallpaper TV has returned with the W6. This new model is only 9 millimeters thic …
The best tech announced at CES 2026 so far
8 Jan 2026, 1:48 pm by Andrew Liszewski
The CES show floor officially closes its doors at the end of tomorrow, but that hasn’t slowed the flood of announcements and reveals coming out of Las Vegas. If you’re struggling to stay on top of all the new tech, gadgets, concepts, and AI-powered devices as day three of CES gets underway, we’ve rounded up some of the best hardware and upgrades that have debuted so far so you can quickly get up to speed.
There’s still lots more to come, so you can check back here every day, or catch up on all of The Verge‘s CES 2026 coverage here.
L’Oréal Light Straight flat iron
Two years ago at CES 2024 L’Oréal introduced its Airlight Pro hairdryer tha …
Google is taking over your Gmail inbox with AI
8 Jan 2026, 1:00 pm by Jay Peters
Google is announcing a new AI Inbox view for Gmail that, instead of presenting your emails in a traditional list, uses AI to offer personalized to-dos and summaries of topics you might want to follow from your emails.
It’s a potentially huge shift in how you might navigate your Gmail, especially if you have a lot to sort through or if you (like me) already use your inbox as a to-do list. In a demo video, AI Inbox suggests tasks like rescheduling a dentist appointment, replying to a coach, and paying a sports tournament fee, and also summarizes topics to catch up on, like a team’s soccer season and a family gathering.
Google is initially r …
America’s new era of energy imperialism is about more than oilÂ
8 Jan 2026, 12:00 pm by Justine Calma
President Donald Trump has no shame in admitting what he wants to get out of attacking Venezuela and threatening other energy resource-rich nations. “We’re gonna get the oil flowing the way it should be,” he said January 3rd, soon after his administration stunned the world with what many policy experts and Democratic lawmakers are calling an unlawful incursion into Caracas that led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump’s fixation on so-called “energy dominance” is also more pretext – on top of federal drug trafficking charges against Maduro – for a plain-old power grab. “Under our new national security strategy, American dominanc …
The gap between premium and budget TV brands is quickly closing
8 Jan 2026, 12:00 pm by John.Higgins
For all the time that I’ve been covering technology, there’s been a hierarchy when it comes to TV brands. The big three – Sony, Samsung, and LG – have been on top for a while. Pioneer and Panasonic were up there with plasma TVs, and Panasonic is getting back in the game in the States. Hisense, TCL, and Vizio battled it out as midrange tiers for years before Vizio pivoted from hardware profits to an ad-centric model under Walmart, leaving the other two to one-up each other by offering the most bang for the buck.
But over the past couple years, both TCL and Hisense have made impressive strides in performance, bringing them closer and closer t …
Volvo touts EX60’s range and charging speed ahead of official debut
8 Jan 2026, 8:00 am by Andrew J. Hawkins
Volvo is starting to trickle out some details about its upcoming midsize electric SUV, the EX60, before its official debut January 21st. The EX60 will have an estimated range of 400 miles (or 810km based on the generous WLTP standard in Europe). That’s significantly more range than any previous Volvo EV – at least until the 434-mile-range ES90 sedan comes out. And the EX60 will be the first vehicle to benefit from the automaker’s new megacasting production process to reduce weight and improve manufacturing efficiency.
“One of the things that we wanted to do was to create an electric vehicle with no compromises,” Akhil Krishnan, head of prog …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
