It appears that Motorola is gearing up to enter the book-style foldable market, as it has distributed media packs that strongly suggest a new foldable phone will be unveiled at its CES 2026 press conference. Motorola already has several flip-style foldable phones, having relaunched its iconic Razr brand into flip foldables since 2019. The latest trio of flip foldables, which debuted in April 2025, includes the Moto Razr 2025, Razr Plus, and Razr Ultra 2025. However, it seems that the brand is now ready to explore the more traditional foldable design, and we won’t have to wait long to see what Motorola has planned. Unfold new perspectives I was lucky enough to receive one of the media packs, which came in an adorable grey bag, complete with coffee and cookies to keep me energized during the busy CES week in early January. Inside, however, were a couple of much more captivating items. The first was a meticulously folded square of brown paper that I had to carefully unfold to expose the message: “we’re getting ready to unfold new perspectives at Lenovo Tech World. January 6, 2026.” Motorola is currently a subsidiary of Lenovo, and Tech World serves as their joint press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This is a clear indication that Motorola will have something foldable to showcase during the event, but the second item provides us with a clearer understanding of what kind of foldable might be in the works. Moto’s first book-style foldable? Initially, I thought I was retrieving a small notepad from the bag, which is a common giveaway I’ve encountered during my more than a decade of tech coverage, but it turned out to be something quite unique. The wooden cover and thick spine immediately caught my attention, and upon opening it, the blank pages lit up with a colored light. I soon noticed that this book featured a micro USB port (a nostalgic touch, considering that we're firmly in the USB-C era) for charging the light. When closed, the light turns off. The front cover states “every fold reveals a possibility,” and upon reopening it, the light changed color. In fact, with each opening, it cycled through various colors; pink, blue, red, green, blue, yellow, purple, orange, and white. That’s all we have for now. No additional details have been released, so while it seems probable that a new foldable device is imminent, we’ll have to wait for the January 6 press conference to discover what Motorola has been developing. If it does turn out to be a book-style foldable, Motorola will be introducing a product aimed at competing with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 in this category. Furthermore, we may see another significant contender emerge in the latter half of 2026, as rumors about the iPhone Fold continue to circulate.

      Byron Hurd/The Drive

      

      

      

      

      

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      Earlier this fall, I organized a family sightseeing trip as a reason to take my parents to western Michigan. I had two Mercedes options for this journey: an E-Class wagon or a GLE SUV. My preference leaned towards the wagon, but considering the age and comfort of my baby-boomer passengers, I opted for the SUV. Thus, we took a 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLE580.

      My father, a retired software engineer who recently succumbed to the pressure of getting a smartphone, often quipped he would decide on a retirement home by tying a computer mouse to his truck’s antenna and driving until he met someone who didn’t recognize what it was. In somewhat of a rebellion, I became a PC enthusiast and gadget lover.

      Fortunately (mostly for Mercedes), my father would be spending the majority of the trip in the rear seat, while I tackled the GLE’s array of high-tech features. Long hours in close quarters can challenge even the best of people—and, frankly, even the best machines. This mildly hybridized, luxuriously equipped $122,000 SUV would serve as our mobile base for nearly a week, and I quickly developed an appreciation for it.

      Byron Hurd

      Hybrid Highlights

      The GLE580 isn't a hybrid in the sense of a Toyota Prius, but rather a “mild” hybrid similar to the Dodge/Ram “E-Torque” Hemi. The GLE’s 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 does 99% of the work needed to propel this luxury SUV forward. However, it’s the remaining 1% that makes a surprisingly significant impact. This is where the hybrid system comes into play. This 48-volt arrangement has been available for a few model years and grants the GLE two subtle advantages that greatly enhance the driving experience. The key? Torque.

      You might be wondering: Why would a V8 need any assistance in the torque department? Especially one with dual turbos. For one, it’s a considerable boost—we're talking about 184 pound-feet in the GLE580—but the timing of that added torque is what truly matters. Turbochargers do help engines produce substantial low-end torque; however, even the best internal combustion engines can’t match the responsiveness of an electric motor. The extra "free" torque from the hybrid fills in the GLE’s torque curve until the turbos kick in, making it feel even more powerful off the line than its 510 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque would indicate.

      As the hybrid starter-generator is integrated into the GLE’s driveline, it provides torque even when the engine itself is inactive—in the midst of a gear shift, for example. This represents its second, and arguably most impressive, strength: even when the nine-speed transmission is searching for gears, you have a significant amount of torque readily available. This setup essentially eradicates shift lag as a concept. While that may not seem like a big deal, after spending two weeks traveling across Michigan—first in the GLE and then in a Nissan Armada—my appreciation for this straightforward feature grew immensely.

      Byron Hurd

      Accelerate!

      The Grand Rapids area boasts many picturesque sightseeing locations, but it’s also filled with a lot of drivers who either learned to drive in a cornfield (or didn’t learn at all). That’s the charm of Michigan: getting anywhere necessitates driving, making it absurdly easy to maintain a license while also making it too burdensome to revoke one punishingly. The fix? No-fault insurance. To me, this means no one takes responsibility, and no one is accountable. And did I mention it’s brutally expensive?

      The resulting abundance of full-sized trucks and SUVs acting as mere rolling roadblocks would astonish a driver from Mercedes' homeland. Still, this autobahn-bred machine eagerly takes advantage of passing opportunities. My subsequent week in the Armada underscored this point. I was on the same roads, surrounded by the same drivers. Sure, the Armada has less power compared to the Mercedes, but it has more than enough oomph to maneuver. It wasn’t about the capability, but rather the manner in which it performed.

      Regardless of how many times another driver hesitates or feints a lane change, if you press the GLE’s accelerator, you get immediate throttle, period. The Nissan might find itself caught between gears—or even shift in the wrong direction—simply because surrounding traffic confused me. In the Benz, there’s never a delay, never a missed opportunity. It’s always prepared, awaiting your command… patiently waiting for that individual in the left lane to finish their “pass” at nine under the limit. Again