Today's the last day to make these returns

There are 10 tech stories in today’s Substack issue of The Shortcut
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• 🧠 You won’t hear this tip from other tech blogs that rely on affiliate purchases

• 🤗 But I’m willing to lose affiliate money in order to offer you money-saving tips

• ⏰ Return deadline for stores like Amazon: 11:59pm PT today/2:59am ET tomorrow

• 😅 Don’t sweat it. Many online stores allow you to mark an order for return today and return tomorrow or Monday

• 🍎 The return window for Apple products at many stores (i.e. Amazon) was Jan 15

• 📆 Extended return windows often stretch from Nov 1 to Jan 31

Did it not fit? Did it never arrive? Do you simply regret making that Black Friday purchase? Gentle reminder: You have until tonight to hit that “Return Order” button on most orders.

Almost everything except Apple products (which often have a shorter return window that ended on January 15) can be returned to US stores today if you bought them during the Black Friday season (November 1 to January 31 at many stores). If you can’t make it to return locations like UPS, Kohl’s, or Whole Foods, you may be able to mark an item for return today and take it back tomorrow or Monday.

Here are the top stores to make returns – or make new purchases through our links

• Amazon deals

• Best Buy deals

• Walmart deals

• Target deals

• GameStop deals

• B&H Deal Zone

(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

• 📈 Apple has recorded its best-ever quarter for iPhone sales

• 💰 $85 billion in revenue was generated, according to its latest earnings report

• 💪 Tim Cook attributed Apple’s results to overwhelming popularity and ‘the strongest iPhone lineup yet’

• 🚀 Apple’s $144 billion in total quarterly revenue also saw record Services growth

Apple has reported its latest quarterly results, and the iPhone 17 series has officially entered super-cycle status among upgraders. The quarter, ending December 27, 2025, marked “the best-ever quarter” for iPhone sales for Apple, generating a record-high revenue of over $85 billion for the business.

We think our positive iPhone reviews and iPhone buying guide didn’t hurt. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the “demand for iPhone was simply staggering” during a conference call discussing the results. He also noted that the current crop of iPhones is the “strongest we’ve ever had and by far the most popular.”

Dive deeper: iPhone 17 is a hit

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(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Dual OLED screens in an even smaller package

• 📘 Improved hinge reduces the distance and angle of separation between the two displays

• ⚙️ Panther Lake Intel Core Ultra X9 388H is a beastly chip for work and gaming

• 🎮 Fantastic 60fps gaming at full resolution is finally possible on an Ultrabook

• 🤑 High $2,299 price

• 💻 Thicker than your average laptop

• 🪭 Can get warm and loud under full load

• 👁️ Narrow vertical viewing angles on displays

The Asus ZenBook Duo (UX8407AA) is the laptop you dreamed of traveling with. It has two 14-inch OLED screens built in, long battery life, enough power for gaming, and it’s pretty light, all things considered. This dual-screen laptop is the pinnacle of technology today, with its almost seamless design and the power of Intel’s latest Core Series 3 Ultra processors. The only catch is that this marvelous machine costs $2,299.

Go deeper: read Kevin's full review

(Credit: Ice Universe)

• 👀 Samsung’s first official Galaxy S26 teaser is for a brand new privacy feature

• 🔒 A new display panel includes an integrated privacy layer, so onlookers can’t see what you’re doing

• 🫣 Samsung says you’ll be able to choose which area of the screen to hide, or even enable it for specific apps

• 🤔 The feature is expected to be exclusively for Galaxy S26 devices next month

In a series of new videos, Samsung has showcased its new “Privacy Display” feature, which is expected to come to the flagship, corroborating recent S26 Ultra leaks (seen above).

The cool, new feature will bring the benefits of privacy screen protectors – the ability to hide your screen from any onlookers and ‘shoulder surfers’ – directly into the phone’s display for added convenience.

Go deeper: Samsung's privacy display

(Credit: Sony)

• 🆕 A new and improved version of the PlayStation Portal could be released this year

• 📆 Sony will release a PlayStation Portal OLED in 2026, according to a reliable leaker

• 🤩 OLED screens offer better contrast, perfect black levels, and improved battery life

• 📈 Sony previously revealed that 7% of PS5 owners have a PlayStation Portal

Sony could be preparing to release a PlayStation Portal with an OLED screen in the near future. According to leaker KeplerL2, who has shared various reports in the past, Sony will upgrade the popular device with a superior display. The PS Portal recently received an update that added cloud streaming support, and Sony revealed that 7% of PS5 players in the US also own a PlayStation Portal.

Dive deeper: more on the PS Portal OLED

PlayStation Portable 2 rumors

(Credit: The Shortcut)

• 💰 Google has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over Google Assistant

• 👂 The lawsuit alleges that Google Assistant was inadvertently triggered on the claimant’s devices, leading to it recording private conversations

• 🧑‍⚖️ The settlement was filed this past Friday and requires approval from a US District Judge

• 🤔 It’s alleged that lawyers for the plaintiffs may ask for a third of the settlement in legal fees, working out to around $22m

Google has agreed to settle a $68m class action lawsuit over claims it secretly listened to people’s private conversations through their phones. The lawsuit alleges that Google Assistant recorded private conversations after it had been inadvertently triggered on people’s devices.

Traditionally, smart assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri require a ‘wake’ word in order for the system to activate and start listening in. Apple has been hit with a similar claim for Siri listening in, to which it agreed to pay $95m to claimants.

Go deeper: Google's settlement explained

(Credit: Apple)

• 🏷️ Apple has announced a new version of AirTags

• 🛜 The upgraded version comes with the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip and a louder speaker

• 📍 You can use Precise Finding on your iPhone or Apple Watch to locate your AirTag

• ⚪️ The design remains unchanged from the original version

• 💰 It’s still priced at $29 for a single AirTag or $99 for a pack of four

There’s a new AirTag on the market. Apple has finally upgraded its tiny tracker that hasn’t gotten a spec bump or design change since it was unveiled in 2021. For the second generation, Apple has exactly two updates to talk about: better precision finding and a louder speaker.

Go deeper: new AirTags explained

(Credit: Sony)

• 🆕 Sony’s latest special edition PS5 controller is available to pre-order today

• 🔫 It’s a Marathon special edition, featuring bright colours and small intricacies

• 💰 The controller is priced at $84.99, the same as other recent special editions

• 📆 It’s scheduled to be released on March 5

You can now pre-order the Marathon Limited Edition PS5 controller. The controller’s bright design is designed to pay “homage to the bold graphic design, vibrant color and visual art direction of the game and its industrial design, architecture and environmental surfaces and equipment”, according to developer Bungie.

The Marathon PS5 controller will release alongside the game on March 5, and costs $84.99. Sony has released 36 PS5 controller colors so far.

Pre-order Marathon PS5 controller

• 😲 Google launched Project Genie, a new model for generating interactive worlds

• 🎮 Users can create a character, art style, and explore a 3D environment

• 👉 Creations are capped at 60 seconds, 720p resolution, and 24 frames per second

• 🔒 It is currently available to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US (18+)

Google has debuted its Project Genie, an extremely impressive model that lets you generate your own interactive worlds and characters. It’s now available to try for Google AI Ultra subscribers, and you’ll also need to live in the US and be 18 years or older.

As the trailer shows, you can create a character, define the perspective, art style, and then explore freely. Your character will even interact with physical objects. It’s important to note that this isn’t a traditional game engine. Project Genie creations are limited to 60 seconds, and it’s capped at 720p, 24fps. However, it provides a glimpse of how video game developers could rely heavily on AI in the future.

• 📆 The release date has been pushed forward to April 1 (originally April 3)

• 🥚 We got a new trailer, which confirms the appearance of Yoshi

• ✨ The Super Mario Galaxy Movie features the same star-studded cast

• 💫 Brie Larson and Benny Safdie are also joining the cast as Rosalina and Bowser Jr.

Nintendo released a new trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which confirmed that Yoshi will play a prominent role in the upcoming film. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’s release date has also been pushed forward from April 3 to April 1. Fans will notice even more nods to classic Mario games in the film’s latest trailer, including locations from Super Mario Odyssey and iconic power-ups like the Frog Suit.