An Instagram iPad App, a New Motorola Razr, and Gemini’s Latest—Here’s Your Gear News of the Week

An iPad Instagram app might be on the horizon. According to The Information, a Meta employee claims the long-asked-for app is finally in development, fueled by Meta’s desire to ramp up user activity on Instagram as a whole.

Right now, Instagram is available on the iPad, but it’s the iPhone version and is designed for smaller, narrower displays—so it doesn’t take up the full screen. Images and Reels maintain the same aspect ratio, resulting in an awkward experience.

But the terrible user interface hasn’t been enough for Instagram chief Adam Mosseri to green-light a version designed for the iPad. Still, Mosseri hasn’t been quiet on the topic—despite past pleas, he’s taken to posting on X multiple times over the last few years to explain that there’s not a big enough group to make an Instagram iPad app a priority. But as TikTok’s future remains unclear, Mosseri might have changed his tune.

As the report outlines, Instagram is using the looming ban as an opportunity to drive more users to its app. Before the short-lived ban in January, Instagram released an update centered solely on enhancements to Reels—its short-form video feature—to steer users from TikTok to its app. The company extended the maximum length of videos, changed the profile grid to a rectangular format (specifically a 4:5 aspect ratio), and launched a new video app called Edits (similar to CapCut from TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance).

Instagram hasn’t confirmed the iPad app’s development, and so we don’t have a release window. The TikTok ban has been extended for another 75 days, so keep your eyes peeled on the App Store. —Brenda Stolyar

A New Razr Is on the Way

Motorola has given us a date for the launch of the next Razr: April 24. This folding flip phone follows on the success of the Razr and Razr+ from 2024, and while the teaser video shows us a silhouette of a phone that looks identical (in multiple colors), the words “AI” flash on the screen at the end. Motorola’s Moto AI has been in beta since late 2024—it’s an AI companion that can remember things about you, summarize notifications, and transcribe and summarize recordings. Maybe it’ll finally come out of beta with the Razr 2025?

The Razr isn’t the only phone Motorola announced this week. There’s a new Moto G Stylus 2025, which retains the $399 price of its predecessor. It remains the only smartphone that comes with a stylus under $500, and Motorola is putting a little more emphasis on it this time around. You’ll be able to turn basic sketches into AI-generated art, write down math problems and have them convert to text with the solution in tow, and you can even use it with Google’s Circle to Search.

The Moto G Stylus is also IP68 water resistant now, is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, and still features a headphone jack, OLED 120-Hz screen, and wireless charging. It launches on April 17 for $399.

Nothing’s Next CMF Phone Is Almost Here

Last year, the CMF Phone 1 blew me away with its stellar performance and design—it outperformed several phones that cost more money, all while looking far more stylish. CMF is Nothing’s sub-brand that focuses on affordable tech, and we’re about to get a successor to the Phone 1 at the end of the month.

A teaser was posted on Nothing’s Community forum, with video glimpses of the CMF Phone 2 Pro. The focus seems to be on the phone’s build, with Nothing stating, “Ultra-slim. Ultra-light. Ultra-sleek.” Nothing also highlighted a new finish that’s textured. We’ll be able to glean more details on April 28 at 9 am ET, where Nothing will also take the wraps off three new wireless earbuds: CMF Buds 2, Buds 2a, and Buds 2 Plus.

Google’s Gemini Live Gets a Video Upgrade

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Got a Google Pixel 9 or Samsung Galaxy S25? If you’re on Google’s Gemini Advanced subscription, you now have a new perk: camera sharing with Gemini Live. Rolling out this week, this feature supposedly lets you have a free-flowing conversation with Gemini when it’s in Gemini Live mode with your phone camera open. Gemini will be able to see everything you show it. That means you can ask it for a product’s name by just pointing the camera at it, or ask for inspiration or ideas on how to redecorate your office.