Lilbits: A WiFi 7 router for under $100, sideloading apps on Samsung phones, and Apple’s foldable iPhone is coming (in a two years… maybe)

The Wi-Fi Alliance finalized the WiFi 7 standard earlier this year, paving the way for faster wireless speeds, lower latency, and improved performance when connecting to multiple devices. But it’s a pretty new standard. And that means upgrading your networking gear can be expensive.

Most of the WiFi 7 routers available so far sell for around $300 and up (with some models costing more than twice as much). The good news is that now there’s a cheaper option. The bad news is that while the TP-Link Archer BE230 is a WiFi 7 router that sells for just $99, that’s because it’s missing some of the key features found in higher-priced models.

TP-Link and Walmart tout first sub-$100 Wi-Fi 7 router, but it lacks speedy 6 GHz band [Tom’s Hardware]

Available exclusively from Walmart, this $99 WiFi 7 router is a dual-band BE3600 router that lacks support for the 6 GHz band, which means that bandwidth and transmission speeds will be significantly lower than what you’d get with a tri-band WiFi 7 router. topping out at just under 2900 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and just under 700 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.

On the bright side, the router also has a 2.5 Gbps WAN port, a 2.5 Gbps LAN port, and three 1 Gbps LAN ports for wired data, four beamforming external antennas, and support for EasyMesh, allowing you to create a mesh wireless network. 

PSA: New Samsung phones block sideloading by default. Here’s how to re-enable it [Android Authority]

Samsung’s Auto Blocker is enabled by default on Galaxy phones that ship with One UI 6.1.1 (including the new Z Flip6 and Z Fold6), preventing you from sideloading apps from outside the Google or Samsung’s app stores. But Auto Blocker can be disabled.

Apple Moves Forward With Foldable iPhone [The Information]

Apple has allegedly been working on a foldable iPhone for years. The latest rumor suggests that the first to launch could be a flip-phone set to arrive in 2026.

Alexa Is in Millions of Households—and Amazon Is Losing Billions [The Wall Street Journal]

Amazon’s devices business lost $25+ billion between 2017 and 2021, largely because people who buy Echo devices at below-cost prices never end up using them to buy things or sign up for subscription services. That’s why Amazon is expected to launch a premium version of Alexa soon for customers willing to sign up for a subscription.

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