Apple presents the iPhone X as the “smartphone of the future.” But at least in one key area, its new phones fall short of Android phones that have already been out for months. The iPhone X has new tech like facial recognition, but not when it comes to cellular radios.  James Martin/CNET The iPhone 8, …

Google has reached an agreement with HTC, but it isn’t the much-rumored deal to buy the handset maker. Instead, the tech giant is paying the struggling Taiwanese phone maker $1.1 billion in cash to hire certain HTC employees, many of whom are already working with Google on the Pixel line of phones. Google will also license HTC intellectual property. The …

T-Mobile and Sprint are quickly becoming the Ross and Rachel of the wireless industry.  The nation’s third- and fourth-largest wireless carriers are in active discussions for a merger, according to a person familiar with the talks. It could take anywhere between three and five weeks before the deal might be made official, although there’s no guarantee it will go through. CNBC’s …

The iPhone X is going to cost you.  We talk with special guest CNET editor Dan Ackerman about how he managed to convince himself that the ultra-pricey phone was indeed the right one for him. He employed the Kubler-Ross model (five stages of grief) to get his mind wrapped around the $1,150 iPhone X (because you know you’re getting the …

Talk about making a strong first impression. I’m walking uphill along a curvy concrete path to get to the Steve Jobs Theater at the still-unopened Apple Park campus when a smiling employee, wearing a T-shirt with a fluorescent green version of the company’s iconic logo, asks me, “How are you doing today?” He wouldn’t be the last. The entrance to …

You thought we’d be talking about the iPhone, right? OK, we did end up discussing Apple’s new iPhones, and we got Roger’s impressions from his time in the demo room that was set up after the keynote presentation. We also talked about whether that $1,150 price tag for the iPhone X (who’s buying the 64 gigabyte version?) is too much …

This wasn’t the typical start to an Apple event. Rather than a loud, slickly produced marketing video, Apple played an audio clip of late co-founder Steve Jobs speaking about creating “wonderful things” as his way of showing appreciation for humanity. Later on, an image flashed of Jobs holding the original iPhone during its launch 10 years ago. Apple CEO Tim …

Now, it’s Apple’s turn.  For the past eight months, we’ve watched a parade of flagship phone launches, from power players like Samsung with the Galaxy S8 to scrappy players like Motorola with its family of Moto phones. Premium phones with not-so-premium prices like the OnePlus 5 have also competed for our attention. Meanwhile, rumors about the next iPhone kept trickling out …

Now playing: Watch this: T-Mobile’s latest perk: free Netflix 1:06 T-Mobile and Netflix are new BFFs. The primary beneficiaries of this new friendship will be subscribers to T-Mobile’s “One” unlimited data plans, many of whom will get access to Netflix for free, T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced Wednesday via spray paint on an “Un-carrier Next” webcast video. But the freebie only works if you …

The Galaxy Note 8 is a great phone, but there are some reasons for you to give it a second thought. It’s the Android phone out there, but it’s unclear if it will remain the champ, according to CNET reviewer Jessica Dolcourt in her full review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.  It’s got a ton of features and a …