The Mother of All Tech Deals: Your Guide to the Wildest Two Weeks in Tech History

𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘐 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2026, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺.

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𝗕𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗽, 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀. The past fortnight has been absolutely mental. We're talking historic trade agreements that'll make your next European car affordable, smartphones with batteries that could double as portable power stations, and AI that's now creeping into literally every corner of your digital life. From India's meteoric rise on the global stage to privacy screens built into your phone (yes, really), here's everything that went down while you were probably doomscrolling through your feed.

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𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁𝗮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀"

When Trade Agreements Get Spicy

So here's the thing: India and the European Union just concluded what Prime Minister Modi and EU President Ursula von der Leyen are both calling "the mother of all deals." And for once, the hype might actually be justified.

The India-EU Free Trade Agreement was announced on January 27, 2026, after negotiations that spanned nearly two decades. Yeah, you read that right, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴. Your younger sibling could've been born when this started and would now be applying to colleges. But hey, good things come to those who wait, right?

Here's what makes this massive: This agreement creates a market of two billion people and close to a quarter of global GDP. That's essentially one-quarter of the world's economic muscle flexing in unison. The deal will cut over 90% of tariffs and is expected to double annual EU exports to India.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂? Well, if you've been eyeing that BMW or dreaming about a Volkswagen, listen up. India plans to reduce tariffs on European cars gradually from 110% to 10% and abolish duties on car parts after five to ten years. Your dream ride just got significantly more affordable (though you still have to wait a bit, patience, grasshopper).

On the flip side, the deal reduces or removes high tariffs on agricultural products exported from Europe such as wine and olive oil. So if you're into fancy European wines and premium olive oil, congratulations, your bougie brunch just got cheaper.

For India, this is huge. Textiles, apparel, marine, leather, footwear, chemicals, plastics, sports goods, toys, gems, and jewelry will incur zero duty once the free trade agreement comes into force. These sectors account for $33 billion in exports and were getting hammered by those lovely 50% US tariffs. The EU deal? That's India's power move, diversifying markets like a boss.

And before you ask, yes, this is happening at a 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 strategic time, with the US going full tariff-crazy. The timing isn't coincidental, folks.

5G: India's Not Playing Around

While we're on the subject of India flexing, let's talk about 5G. India now stands as the world's second-largest 5G subscriber base with over 400 million users, second only to China. And this happened in just 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 since the 2022 launch.

Since its launch in 2022, 5G services are now available across the country with a major base of 99.6% and with a population coverage of 85%. That's not a typo, 99.6% coverage. Most developed countries would kill for those numbers.

The infrastructure rollout has been insane. As of March 2025, 4.69 lakh 5G Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs) have been installed by Telecom Service Providers across the country which is one of the fastest rollout of 5G network. 

And here's the kicker: Ericsson's Mobility Report says India's on track to hit 1 billion 5G users by 2031, covering nearly 80 percent of the population. That's billion with a B. At this rate, your grandmother in rural India might have better 5G than your cousin in rural America. Just saying.

Oh, and Indians already burn through more mobile data than anyone else—averaging 36GB per smartphone each month, and that's expected to jump to 65GB by 2031. We're not just adopting 5G; we're absolutely 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 it.

Indian Phone Brands: The Future is Desi, maybe!

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently hinted that we're about to see major Indian smartphone brands emerge within the next couple of years. And honestly? With India's manufacturing ecosystem maturing faster than your Netflix watchlist, this isn't just political hot air. The "Made in India" tag is about to mean a whole lot more than just assembly lines.

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𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆

Privacy Screens That Actually Work

Remember those janky privacy screen protectors that made your display look like garbage 99% of the time just to protect you from nosy subway riders the other 1%? Yeah, Samsung just made them obsolete.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is bringing a smart privacy display feature that takes privacy to a whole new level. This isn't some software gimmick, it's baked into the hardware using something called "Flex Magic Pixel" OLED technology.

When you turn it on, your screen looks normal if you're looking straight at it. But for anyone trying to glance at your phone from the side, top, or bottom, the display obscures itself, essentially blacking out the content.

But here's where it gets really cool: You can supposedly automate it. Instead of turning it on every time you hop on a subway train, the code hints that you can set Privacy Display to turn on automatically based on your location or when you open certain apps. Your banking app? Automatically private. Your memes? Share freely.

Samsung says you can choose to have it on for specific apps, or only when entering access details for more private areas of your phone. You can also only protect specific parts of your experience, such as notification pop-ups.

And get this: This technology took over five years of engineering, testing, and refining. Five. Years. That's longer than most people keep their phones.

Initially rumored to be exclusive to the S26 Ultra, a new report claims that all three models in the Galaxy S26 series, Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra, will have the display privacy feature. Samsung's not gatekeeping this one, apparently.

Battery Wars: The Gigantic Gets More Gigantic

If you thought 5,000mAh batteries were big, sit down. We're entering the age of absolute battery 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴.

𝗶𝗤𝗢𝗢 𝟭𝟱 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁

This phone is basically saying "screw it" to battery anxiety. The iQOO 15 Ultra is tipped to debut with a 7,000mAh battery and up to 200W charging. Let that sink in, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘴. 

The last time iQOO offered 200W charging was with the iQOO 11 Pro, which debuted back in 2022 with a 4,700mAh battery. Now they're pairing that insane charging speed with a battery nearly 50% larger. The future is here, and it charges faster than you can make instant noodles.

The specs are equally bonkers: A 6.85-inch Samsung M14 display with a 2K resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. Oh, and it includes an active cooling fan integrated near the lower part of the phone. Yes, an actual 𝘧𝘢𝘯. Because apparently, we're putting PC cooling into phones now.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝟰 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗴𝘂𝗻" 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆

But wait, there's more! Realme looked at iQOO's 7,000mAh battery and said "hold my chai."

The Realme P4 Power houses a 10,001mAh battery. Ten. Thousand. And. One. Why 10,001 specifically? Because in India, that extra "1" makes it an auspicious "shagun" number. Realme literally added one extra mAh for good luck. That's the most wholesome battery capacity flex ever.

The Realme P4 Power is said to last for 1.5 days on a single charge, though realistically it'll probably go way further depending on usage. The device can provide 11.7 hours of gaming, 32.5 hours of YouTube, and 185.7 hours of Spotify. That's over a week of Spotify playback. Your playlist will run out before your battery does.

And it gets better: The smartphone comes with 80W fast charging, along with bypass charging and 27W reverse charging. So the Realme P4 Power can easily double as a power bank to charge other devices.

The device launched in India at Rs 25,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, making this battery behemoth surprisingly affordable.

The trend is clear: we're done with daily charging anxiety. The future is multi-day battery life, and manufacturers are racing to deliver it.

OnePlus 16: The Rumor Mill Goes Wild

Speaking of massive batteries, rumors suggest the OnePlus 16 might pack a 9,000mAh battery. That's not confirmed yet, but if true, OnePlus is clearly reading the room. People want phones that last, and these companies are delivering.

iPhone's Evolution: Smaller Islands, Bigger Ambitions

Apple's not sitting idle either. Leaks suggest the iPhone 18 Pro will feature a much smaller Dynamic Island. And the rumored iPhone Fold? It might ditch the island entirely, opting for a punch-hole camera and bringing back Touch ID. 

Plus, the Pro line is getting a variable aperture camera, which is basically Apple saying "fine, we'll let you have DSLR-level control over your photos." About time.

NexDock NexPhone: Your Phone is Now a PC

The NexDock NexPhone is doing something genuinely wild, it offers multiboot capabilities for Android 16, Linux, and Windows 11. This thing wants to be your phone, your laptop, and your desktop all at once. It's ambitious as hell, and honestly? I'm here for it.

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𝗔𝗜: 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗲

ChatGPT: Free with Ads, Because Nothing Lasts Forever

OpenAI just announced a low-cost plan for ChatGPT that comes with ads. The free lunch is officially over, folks. They're trying to keep it accessible while monetizing, which... fair enough? But it does feel like the end of an era.

Google Gemini Goes Full Creeper (In a Good Way?)

Gemini is taking personalization to the next level. With user permission, it will soon be able to scan your Gmail, Photos, and Search history to provide hyper-tailored responses.

On one hand, that's genuinely useful. On the other hand, that's Google knowing 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 about you. But hey, if you're already balls-deep in the Google ecosystem, might as well get some benefits from all that data they're hoarding, right?

Instagram Gets Multilingual with AI Dubbing

Meta's expanding AI dubbing for Reels to Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi, complete with lip-syncing. This is actually huge for breaking language barriers and making content accessible across India's linguistic diversity. Props to Meta for this one.

ASUS Says Bye to Phones, Hello to Robots

In a strategic pivot, ASUS is ditching smartphones to go all-in on AI, robotics, and smart technology. It's a bold move, but it makes sense. Why fight in the cutthroat phone market when you can build the future instead?

Swiggy x ChatGPT: Because Why Not?

You can now order food or book tables directly through ChatGPT using natural language. The future is weird, and I love it. "Hey ChatGPT, I want Kadhai Paneer and naan" is now a valid way to order dinner. What a time to be alive.

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𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗚𝗧𝗔 𝗩𝗜 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀

GTA VI: The Drama Never Ends

Grand Theft Auto VI will release on Thursday, November 19, 2026. That's official from Rockstar, after multiple delays. But here's where it gets interesting.

Reports suggest GTA 6 may launch digitally without a physical disc version on day one. Why? To avoid leaks of gameplay and story spoilers. Physical copies have been a nightmare for Rockstar in the past, appearing weeks early and getting streamed online.

Physical disc copies might release a few weeks after launch or within the first half of 2027. So if you're a collector who loves physical media, you might be waiting a while. Or buying the game twice.

In a heartwarming note, Rockstar reportedly granted a terminal cancer patient's wish to play GTA VI before its official release. That's the kind of humanity we need more of in gaming.

Subway Surfers 2: The Endless Run Continues

Subway Surfers 2 is apparently coming with the name of Subway Surfers City, bringing fresh challenges, characters, and vibrant new locations. Details are scarce, but if you spent your teenage years endlessly running from that train inspector, get ready for round two.

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𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁

These past two weeks have been a masterclass in technological disruption. India's flexing its economic muscle with the EU deal while dominating 5G adoption. Smartphones are getting batteries that last longer than most people's New Year's resolutions. AI is becoming genuinely useful (and slightly creepy). And gaming continues to be as dramatic as ever.

The most exciting part? This is just the beginning. We're watching India transform into a genuine tech powerhouse, seeing battery technology make quantum leaps, and witnessing AI integration that's actually solving real problems instead of just generating weird images.

𝗦𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁? The prospect of affordable European cars? A phone that lasts three days on a single charge? Privacy screens that actually work? Or maybe you're just excited to play GTA VI whenever Rockstar finally decides we're worthy.

Drop your thoughts in the comments. And if you're reading this on a phone with less than 20% battery... well, maybe it's time for an upgrade.

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