Over the past seven days, the tech world has been inundated with more news, events, and exciting announcements, and you can best believe we've had our ears to the ground to cover as much as we can.
Apple kicked off our week of news with another round of announcements, most notably its new M6 upgrades and the launch of its first-ever touchscreen MacBook. But as we prepare to leave 2026 in the past and look forward to a fresh year, we've used this week to reflect on the best tech of the past 12 months, rounding up products across 100 different categories for our Product of the Year winners.
As it is with every ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) recap, these roundups are designed to give you an at-a-glance look of some of the biggest stories we've reported this week, because even we understand that keeping updated with every new tech announcement isn't a walk in the park.
7. We revealed our favorite tech of the year
The past 12 months has been rich with new product announcements, and frankly, we've been spoilt for choice. But after much deliberation, we've put together our full list of Product of the Year winners across over 100 different categories.
It's been a monumental year for Apple to say the least. As far as phones go, the iPhone 18 takes the Phone of the Year crown while the MacBook Neo (Apple's flagship budget laptop) is our laptop of the year — but there's plenty more where that came from.
We didn't honor just the best phones, laptops, cameras, headphones, and soundbars, but streaming services, health tech, and smart home devices also made the final cut — so check out the full list to see which products defined 2026.
6. The $6.3bn Binance hack was the biggest in history
One of this week's last-minute breaking news stories, cryptocurrency exchange Binance was hit with an attack where $6.36 billion in tokens were withdrawn in less than 30 minutes. Researchers at TRM Labs linked the attack to North Korean hacker organization Lazarus Group.
While we don't know exactly what went down, Binance co-CEO Richard Teng confirmed the attack via a LinkedIn post. He also added that “the attacker did not simply use one engineer's permissions, and this was not a single 'one-click' action. It involved a more complex attack process". TRM Labs also said the attackers pulled funds from 10 different chains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Tron, Solana, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Avalanche, and Polygon.
That said, the attack did not target user funds, as Teng confirmed, sharing that “Binance will cover all losses from the SAFU fund and company funds".
- Read more: Binance hit by 'largest crypto theft on record' as North Korean hackers steal $6.3bn in just 20 minutes
5. Apple admitted a ‘small’ number of iPhone Duos have a screen issue
The launch of the iPhone Duo prompted worldwide excitement for Apple's first foldable phone, but a small number of users on Reddit have reported issues with the device's hinge cracking and causing the screen to break.
It's unclear whether these issues are a common occurrence across all iPhone duo devices or whether they're simply isolated incidents, but looking at the reports on social media we've assumed it's the latter. Foldable phones are innately more delicate than standard smartphones, and with many first-time users opting for the iPhone Duo, some may not be equipped with the knowledge of how to treat them.
Following the report, Apple shared a statement with us, saying "We are aware of an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units. If users experience issues with their iPhone Duo display, they should contact AppleCare for a replacement".
- Read more: Apple responds to iPhone Duo 'crackgate' controversy — and admits it's 'aware of an issue' that affects a 'small number of units'
4. Samsung revealed it first open-ear earbuds
Remember when well-sealed noise cancellation was all the rage? Now audio manufacturers are obsessed with open, including electronics giant Samsung, which finally introduced its own pair of clip-on, open earbuds: Galaxy Buds On. They wrap around from the back of your ears to the ear hole and project sound. The coolest thing about Samsung’s pair is how they offer some external noise cancellation, so people next to you don’t have to listen to your music.
3. The iMac and MacBook Pro got M6 upgrades
It's been an eventful few weeks at Apple, especially following the iPhone Duo launch, but the company's latest Mac and iPad upgrades are the icing on the cake, starting with M6 upgrades for the iMac and MacBook Pro. The iMac's pricing starts at $1,499, the same as its predecessor, while the MacBook Pro M6 also starts at the same level as its M5 predecessor, which is $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,199.
Marking the company's first 2nm chip, Apple says it will give new iMacs a notable boost for local AI processing, running 5x faster for on-device AI tasks than the previous-gen all-in-one with the M4 chip. As for the new M6 MacBook, Apple promises 30% faster graphics performance thanks to its 12-core GPU, as well as a 25% performance boost for on-device AI processing versus the M5.
At the same time, Apple unveiled its new OLED iPad mini starting at $699 / £699 / AU$1,099. Central to the refresh is the larger 8.5-inch OLED Super Retina XDR screen, promising a more immersive view with enhanced visuals, as well as a brightness boost, now topping out at 1,200 nits, which is a considerable leap over the previous mini's 500 nits.
2. Amazon gave us 8 new Echo and Alexa gadgets
Amazon gave its range of smart home devices some new siblings this week, announcing eight new gadgets including speakers and smart displays. Most of the products are available now, though some are only available for preorder.
Joining the mix is the new Echo Dot speaker, which packs a full-range driver for improved audio and 50% more bass, as well as a fourth microphone. There's also a new Echo Dot for kids.
But among the new devices is the Echo Studio with Home Camera, which combines audio and home security into one handy gadget. And it doesn't end there; the Alexa Home Map is a new smart display that renders your home in 3D, allowing you to see your entire smart home ecosystem of smart lights, speakers, displays, and cameras at a glance.
1. Apple revealed its first touchscreen Mac
This week, Apple did the previously unthinkable and finally introduced a touchscreen MacBook Pro. New Apple CEO John Ternus got to do the honors at an unusual event in Hollywood, California.
Shortly after the reveal, we got our hands — or fingers — on the new laptops (14-and-16-inch) and found the experience surprisingly intuitive. Guess Apple was right to finally change its mind.
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