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The recent Windows 11 security update didn’t cause those SSD failures, according to Microsoft (via BleepingComputer). But the root cause is still unknown.

Users began reporting their SSDs and HDDs getting bricked soon after installing a Windows update (KB5063878), released by Microsoft on Aug. 12. The issue was first noticed by Japanese users who reported failed and corrupted drives when working with large files or lots of files on SSDs that were over 60 percent full and had the new update installed. Users reported problems with SSD drives from brands including Corsair, Phison, Fikwot, Maxio, and others.

Microsoft investigated the issue and said they were unable to reproduce the issue, finding no link between between the Windows 11 update and the bricked drives. “After thorough investigation, Microsoft has found no connection between the August 2025 Windows security update and the types of hard drive failures reported on social media,” said Microsoft said in an update to the service alert reported by Bleeping Computer.

Microsoft worked with controller-maker Phison to investigate why SSDs with their chips failed. Phison also said it was unable to reproduce any issues, but “continues to closely monitor the situation in collaboration with our industry partners,” in a statement to Neowin.

Until the root cause is determined, Phison advised users to use a heatsink or thermal pad to prevent the device from overheating during long, power-heavy sessions. Additionally, a Phison spokesperson told BleepingComputer that users with over 60 percent storage used should “avoid downloading, copying, or writing large files” that are in the tens of gigabytes.

With artificial intelligence systems getting better day by day, the raging question in the AI community has been whether the new models will soon be able to surpass humans at most tasks we do today or attain a state of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Google DeepMind Chief Scientist Jeff Dean, while steering clear of the term AGI, believes that the current AI models may already have surpassed humans in most day-to-day tasks, with a few caveats.

In an episode of the Moonshot Podcast, Dean says that the current models are “better than the average person at most tasks” that do not require physical activity.

“Most people are not that good at a random task if you ask them to do that they’ve never done before, and you know some of the models we have today are actually pretty reasonable at most things.”

“You know, they will fail at a lot of things; they’re not human expert level in some things, so that’s a very different definition and being better than the world expert at every single task,” Dean cautioned.

The host then asked Dean how far away the current models are from making breakthroughs faster than humans. To which Dean replied, “We’re actually probably already you know close to that in some domains, and I think we’re going to broaden out that set of domains.”

“There will be a lot of domains where automated search and computation actually can accelerate progress — scientific progress, engineering progress,” he said. “All these things I think are going to be important for advancing what we as people can do over the next five, 10, 15, 20 years,” he added.

The one area that Jeff Dean won’t talk about:

Dean, however, chose to stay clear of the AGI debate, in part because the term does not have any clear definition within the field of artificial intelligence.

“The reason I tend to steer away from AGI conversations is lots of people have very different definitions of it and the difficulty of the problem varies by like factors of a trillion.”

Dean’s boss and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is more optimistic about AGI and claimed in a recent interview with WIRED that the breakthrough would be achieved in the next 5-10 years.

When Apple’s Vision Pro arrived last year, it was hailed as a glimpse into the future of mixed reality. But its high price and heavy build drew criticism.

Now, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has stepped into the arena with its own answer — the Vivo Vision — a headset that looks strikingly familiar, but comes with some important differences.

Unveiled during Vivo’s 30th anniversary event, the Vivo Vision Discovery Edition shares the sleek design and gesture-based interface of Apple’s headset. Yet it weighs only 398 grams, roughly a third lighter than its American rival, and is also expected to cost about one third of the price. That difference alone may draw many curious users.

It is a familiar strategy for Chinese hardware makers: offering high specifications at lower prices to beat the competition.

The headset features two micro-OLED displays with a combined 8K resolution, designed to produce sharp, cinema-like visuals. It runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 platform, which delivers more powerful graphics and faster processing than its predecessor.

Eye tracking and fingertip gesture recognition allow users to control the system without physical controllers, while strap options offer flexibility for comfort.

If the suggested price of around 10,000 yuan (roughly £1,100) holds true, the Vivo Vision would significantly undercut Apple’s Vision Pro, which starts at nearly 30,000 yuan in mainland China.

Samsung’s latest foldables have only been on shelves for a month, but one is already picking up an unwelcome bit of déjà vu from last year’s Z Fold 6. As Android Authority drew our attention to, multiple Galaxy Z Fold 7 owners are reporting that the paint — or more accurately, the anodized finish — is chipping off their $2,000-plus devices. And in most cases, they swear it’s not from drops or abuse.

A curious case of chipped paint

Suspiciously similar to last year’s

This is what the edge of the Blue Shadow model should look like with no flaking paint.

Reports started surfacing on Reddit nearly three weeks ago. Multiple posts and comments have emerged containing photos of the aluminum frame showing flakes of missing finish near the power button, around the USB-C port, and along the side rails. One owner, who claims to have “babied my phone the day I purchased it,” said the coating started peeling despite only ever using Samsung’s 25W charger and a high-quality case. Another said they woke up to what looked like a speck of lint, only to discover it was a bare patch of aluminum after the finish chipped away further.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The Fold 6 had a nearly identical controversy last year. That prompted Samsung to issue support documentation suggesting poorly grounded third-party chargers could degrade the anodization on its foldables. The company recommended using only first-party power bricks, warning that current leakage from non-OEM chargers might corrode the protective surface.

However, the latest complaints complicate that narrative. Several users say they only used Samsung’s official charger, while others point out that the anodized layer shouldn’t fail under normal circumstances at all. One particularly detailed comment argued that the aluminum wasn’t treated properly during manufacturing, meaning the finish simply wasn’t bonded to the frame the way it should have been.

What’s being done about the finicky anodization?

Most reports center on Blue Shadow, with few on Jetblack, and seemingly none on Silver Shadow.

Samsung’s customer service responses seem mixed. A few users report being told cosmetic damage isn’t covered under warranty since it doesn’t affect performance. Others, like a Z Fold 7 buyer in Denmark, say Samsung arranged a pickup to evaluate whether the defect qualifies for repair or replacement. In at least one case, a service center escalated the issue to corporate for review.

Still, for a phone that starts at over $2,000, spontaneous paint flaking is more than a minor annoyance. It’s a quality control problem. It also risks undermining confidence in Samsung’s premium foldables at a time when Chinese brands are heating up the competition.

We’ve reached out to Samsung for comment and will update if the company provides an official response. In the meantime, if you’re the proud owner of a new Z Fold 7, try not to get caught up staring too closely at the frame.