Hardware

Assassin's Creed Unity is getting a free 60 fps patch tomorrow

Ubisoft shared its upcoming plans for the Assassin's Creed franchise today. Along with the news of a remake for its piratical entry , the game company also announced that a visual upgrade is coming for a title from way back in 2014. Assassin's Creed Unity will receive a free patch tomorrow to offer 60 fps performance on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X/S. The company bringing a performance upgrade more than a decade after launch feels like a fitting close to Unity's development. The game suffered from bugs and performance issues from the jump, and while most of those did get addressed, no amount of big fixes or free DLC could fix this howler of a story or make Arno any more compelling as a protagonist. But every fan has their own passionately argued take on which titles are the worst, so just because I found Unity to be a particularly low point in the series doesn't mean it's not going to be a fave for somebody else. So if you are someone who, as Ubisoft put it, has been waiting a long time for a chance to dive into Unity on modern hardware, then tomorrow is your lucky day. Amuse-toi bien. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/assassins-creed-unity-is-getting-a-free-60-fps-patch-tomorrow-210109721.html?src=rss

LG reveals pricing for its 2026 OLED TVs

Now for the news you've been waiting with bated breath for: LG's 2026 TVs from CES finally have prices. (Well, some of them do, anyway.) Surprisingly, the evo G6 and C6 series OLED TVs aren't increasing in cost from last year's models . But the bad news is, theyre still expensive as all get-out. The flagship LG evo G6 series ranges in price from $2,499 to $24,999. (Cue spit take.) Fortunately, that five-figure price only applies to the 97-inch model, which nobody this side of Elon Musk needs. The entry-level price is for a 55-inch OLED. Moving up the ladder, the 65-inch one costs $3,399, the 77-inch model is $4,499 and an 83-incher will set you back $6,499. The evo G6 line includes all the OLED upgrades from the head-turning LG Wallpaper TV , for which LG hasn't yet announced pricing. You'll find the company's new Hyper Radiant OLED panel and optimizations to black and color levels in both lineups. Meanwhile, the evo C6 line, which sits a notch below, ranges from $1,399 (42-inch) to $5,299 (83-inch). Rounding out the list is a 55-inch model for $1,999, a 65-inch one for $2,699 and a 77-inch model for $3,699. The C6 and G6 lines are powered by LG's Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen3. Both series support gamer-friendly features such as 4K at 165Hz with VRR, NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium. The evo G6 and C6 lines are available to order today from LG's website . Retail availability will follow later this month. Just keep in mind that, if you can hold off a little while, the entire history of TV pricing suggests you'll soon be able to find them for less than MSRP. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/lg-reveals-pricing-for-its-2026-oled-tvs-203923873.html?src=rss

Ooni debuts a rotating stone for its Koda 2 pizza ovens

When cooking pizza with the high heat of an outdoor oven , you have to rotate your pies to ensure even cooking. Thats usually done by hand, but Oonis latest accessory automates the process. The company announced the Rotating Stone for its Koda 2 lineup , which helps distribute heat evenly across the surface of a pizza so that its consistently cooked all the way around. Ooni says its Rotating Stone has a mechanism around its perimeter rather than a central pivot. According to the company, this takes care of any wobbling or stalling that might otherwise occur even when heavy cookware is used. The new accessory also has two rotation modes, continuous and 90 degrees, so you can conserve battery life if you dont need the full range of motion. The Rotating Stones external module houses a LIDAR sensor for hands-free control. By simply waving your hand or a pizza peel, you can start or stop the rotation. Whats more, Ooni says the Rotating Stone can be installed in less than 10 minutes. The Rotating Stone is available for the Koda 2, Koda 2 Pro and Koda 2 Max for $329, $349 and $399 respectively. If you need the oven too, bundles are priced at $799, $1,099 and $1,649. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/kitchen-tech/ooni-debuts-a-rotating-stone-for-its-koda-2-pizza-ovens-200000857.html?src=rss

OpenAI brings its Codex coding app to Windows

At the start of February, OpenAI upgraded its Codex coding app to give it the ability to manage multiple AI agents. At the same time, it released a standalone macOS app. If you've been patiently waiting for Windows to get that same treatment, OpenAI just released a dedicated Codex app for Microsoft's operating system. The Codex app is now on Windows. Get the full Codex app experience on Windows with a native agent sandbox and support for Windows developer environments in PowerShell. https://t.co/Vw0pezFctG pic.twitter.com/gclqeLnFjr OpenAI Developers (@OpenAIDevs) March 4, 2026 Like its macOS counterpart, the software allows you to coordinate multiple coding agents to work on the same task. There's also support for automations to streamline repetitive tasks like bug testing. To help users get started, Codex includes a dedicated Skills section. Skills bundle together instructions, resources and scripts the software can use to connect agents to specific tools and workflows. OpenAI has also included native sandboxing to help make Windows developers feel at home. Codex is available to ChatGPT Free, Go , Plus and Pro users. If you decide to give the app a try, know that your session history is saved to your OpenAI account, meaning you can start coding on Mac and then move to Windows without losing your work. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-brings-its-codex-coding-app-to-windows-195345429.html?src=rss

Ubisoft confirms Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake

Ubisoft has officially confirmed that it's working on a remake of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag . This remake has been rumored for years . After all, the 2013 original is one of the most beloved entries in the franchise . The official title is Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced , and that's about all we know for sure. The company released some concept art but it's just protagonist Edward Kenway hanging out on a boat. Reports have suggested that this will be a substantial remake, with visual and gameplay upgrades to make it comparable with last year's Assassin's Creed Shadows . It's also been rumored that this version will cut out all of the modern day gameplay sections , focusing entirely on pirate-themed action. We don't know when Ubisoft will release this thing into the world, but the company did recently say that a previously unannounced game would be released by the end of the coming financial year , which happens on March 31, 2027. At that time, Black Flag Resynced had yet to be officially announced. It's possible we could be playing this thing sooner rather than later, particularly if the company has been working on it for years. This announcement came as part of a franchise roadmap, which included a slight mention of the next mainline Assassin's Creed entry. This is being developed under the name Codename Hexe, with Ubisoft promising a unique, darker, narrative-driven Assassin's Creed experience set during a pivotal moment in history. The creative director of that one, Clint Hocking, recently left the company after a 20-year tenure. He's been replaced by Jean Guedson, who had the same job for the original Black Flag 13 years ago. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ubisoft-confirms-assassins-creed-black-flag-remake-193629862.html?src=rss

Google ends its 30 percent app store fee and welcomes third-party app stores

Google is officially doing away with its 30 percent cut of Play Store transactions, and rolling out changes to how third-party app stores and alternate billing systems will be handled by Android. Some of these tweaks were proposed as part of the settlement the company reached with Epic in November 2025, but rather than wait for final judicial approval, Google is committing to revamping Android and the Play Store publicly. The biggest change is to how Google will collect fees from developers publishing apps on Android. Rather than take its standard 30 percent cut of in-app purchases through the Play Store, Google is lowering its cut to 20 percent, and in some cases 15 percent for new installs of apps from developers participating in its App Experience Program or Google Play Games Level Up program. Google will also now charge a five percent service fee for developers in the UK, US or European Economic Area using its billing system, and a market-specific rate in other regions. Of course, for anyone trying to avoid those fees, using alternatives to Google's billing system is also getting easier. Google says that developers will be able to offer their alternative billing systems alongside its own or guide users outside of their app to their own websites for purchases. The setup, as described by Google, appears to be more permissive than what Apple settled on in 2025 . For iOS apps on the App Store, developers interested in avoiding Apple's fees can only direct customers to alternative payment methods on the web through in-app links. Allowing for these outside transactions is part of what prompted Epic to bring Fortnite back to the App Store in the US in May 2025. The developer added the app back to the Play Store in the US in December of that year, and Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared alongside today's changes that Fortnite will soon be available in Google's app store globally. Fortnite will return to Google Play Store worldwide soon. Epic Games Store continues supporting Android worldwide alongside Windows and Mac, and installation on Android will become much easier later in 2026. Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) March 4, 2026 Developing This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-ends-its-30-percent-app-store-fee-and-welcomes-third-party-app-stores-185248647.html?src=rss

Humble Games' former bosses buy the studio's back catalog

Humble Games' library has returned home, so to speak. Indie publisher Good Games Group (GGG), led by former Humble leaders, has acquired the full back catalog of over 50 Humble Games titles from Ziff Davis. Alongside the purchase, GGG has rebranded to Balor Games, positioning itself as a force in triple-I gaming. For the developers we have worked with over the years, this moment is a reunion, Balor Games CEO Alan Patmore wrote in a statement. [It has] the same leadership and the same commitment to thoughtful publishing remain in place. What changes is our scale and our focus. Balor Games is built for inventors and backed by believers. To that end, it exists to be a seal of quality for independent games. The Humble Games lineup includes (among others) Slay the Spire , A Hat in Time , SIGNALIS , Forager , Coral Island , Monaco and Wizard of Legend . Separate from the Humble transaction, Balor also bought the complete catalog of Firestoke Games (which shut down last August) and publishing rights to Fights in Tight Spaces . In total, the young studio now owns the publishing rights to over 60 indie titles. Humble Games is separate from the Humble Bundle storefront . The latter is still owned by Ziff Davis. Alan Patmore (l) and Mark Nash Balor Games The seemingly happy ending comes after quite the rocky road. In July 2024, Ziff Davis laid off all 36 employees of Humble Games . But later that year, Humble Games' former leaders (Patmore and Mark Nash) formed GGG and cut a deal to help manage their old studio's back catalog. Now, with Ziff Davis in a selling mood , that library is back in Patmore and Nash's hands. Balor Games, it is. The pair view the newly anointed Balor as a developer-friendly publishing house. As for its name, Balor is a supernatural being in Irish mythology. It's sometimes depicted as having three eyes. Triple-eye, triple-I Clever devils! The triple-I moniker is a more recent addition to the gaming lexicon. It typically means something defined by indie creativity and passion with a budget far less than AAA but more than a tiny two-person passion project. (Balor says it's about high-quality, impactful games.) You wouldn't be blamed for wondering how that's different from AA. But the slant here is to define the genre less by budget and more by indie intangibles. Nash detailed the company's vision in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz (which, curiously, is a Ziff Davis property). We felt that what's becoming more and more critical is that as game development becomes more diverse, more complicated, and expectations continue to rise, we feel it's important that a publisher can match the needs of each individual project, Nash said. We are spending a considerable amount of time with anyone we are partnering with, figuring out what they need specifically. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/humble-games-former-bosses-buy-the-studios-back-catalog-183831194.html?src=rss

Google Pixel 10a review: Small changes, but still great value

Over the past few years, Google's A-series Pixel phones have consistently been some of the best midrange phones you can buy. But with the AI boom causing memory shortages and the price of consumer electronics to rise, including smartphones , affordable devices like the Pixel 10a are more important than ever. Thankfully, Google's new phone still represents great value, even if it doesn't come with many upgrades. Design and display As before, the Pixel 10a has a 6.3-inch 120Hz P-OLED display. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget The story of the Pixel 10a is one of small changes, so lets start with the outside. The phone is available in four colors: lavender (pictured), berry, fog and obsidian. Photos don't do the lavender color justice. In person, the light refracts beautifully off the surface of the aluminum frame and composite back. The back of the phone also has a pleasing matte finish that made the 10a feel secure in my hand. Another nice touch is that Google shaved down the camera module further, so that the 10a can now lie completely flat. As before, the entire phone is rated IP68-certified against dust and water. For DIY enthusiasts, Google has said it redesigned the 10a's internals to make it easier to repair. Hooray for that. Beyond those changes, the 10a has a brighter 120Hz P-OLED screen that offers up to 3,000 nits of brightness, up from 2,700 on the 9a. The display also offers better protection against scratches and drops thanks to Google's decision to switch to Gorilla Glass 7i for the screen coating. Despite the minimal changes, there's not much to complain about here. The 10a's screen is fast, responsive and vibrant. The on-screen fingerprint sensor is also in an easy-to-reach spot toward the middle of the phone. After reviewing several big phones in recent months, it was also nice to go back to a handset with a sensible 6.3-inch footprint. Performance and battery The speakers on the Pixel 10a could be stronger and more defined. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget I've been spoiled recently by phones like the OnePlus 15R , which offers a 7,400mAh battery and 55 watt charging out of the box. By that metric, the Pixel 10a, with its 5,100mAh battery, leaves something to be desired. Putting the phone through Engadget's video rundown test, it ran for 28 hours before the battery died, which is exactly where the Pixel 9a landed last year . However, that score means the 10a is thoroughly middle of the pack when it comes to battery life. I can also see battery life becoming a concern as the phone ages. While that's true of every phone, the 10a's smaller battery makes that more of a pressing concern since you'll be charging the phone more often and therefore degrading the battery faster. Google has improved wired charging speeds, with the new phone capable of charging at 30 watts, up from 23-watts with the 9a. You'll need to provide a compatible power adapter though; the Pixel 10a doesn't come with one inside the box. With a 30 watt charger, the 10a's battery went from dead to about 50 percent in under 45 minutes. A full charge takes approximately an hour and 45 minutes. Again, not great, but serviceable. Another disappointment is that the Pixel 10a doesn't support Google's new Pixelsnap standard. Wireless charging is faster on the new phone (it's now rated at 10 watts, up from five), but without a compatible third-party case, a charging puck won't magnetically align with the back of the 10a. It's not a dealbreaker, but Pixelsnap would have been a great addition. The 10a has the same chipset Google used on the Pixel 9a, the Tensor G4, and the company has once again gone with 8GB of RAM. Other midrange phones like Samsung Galaxy S25 FE offer faster chips, but they also cost more. Moreover, I didn't feel like the 10a was worse for running on old silicon. The new 120Hz display does a lot to make the new phone feel snappy, and Google's in-house Android skin feels responsive as ever. The 10a also does a commendable job of keeping heat in check. I sat down to play Diablo Immortal and even after an hour of playtime, the phone was still cool to the touch despite running the game at high settings and 60 frames per second. Cameras This time around, the Pixel 10a has a camera module that's flush with its body. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget The 10a comes with the same camera package as its predecessor. On the back, you get a 48-megapixel main camera with an f/1.7 lens that offers optical image stabilization and phase detection autofocus. Complementing it is a 13MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view. For selfies, you get a 13MP camera with an f/2.2 lens. As ever, Google's software is doing most of the heavy lifting here. That includes a pair of new features, Camera Coach and Auto Best Take , that debuted with the Pixel 10 series . Camera Coach, like the name suggests, uses AI to analyze the scene you're about to capture, and offers tips on how to best compose and light the shot. It will also suggest the best camera mode for the job. While I can see how this tool could be useful, I found the fact it relies on a cloud model made it too slow for some situations. For example, when I used Camera Coach to help me snap a photo of my cat, a sassy tortoiseshell, she walked away by the time the 10a got a response from Google's servers. In more static scenes, Camera Coach is more useful, but much of photography is about capturing a fleeting moment in time, so its utility is limited. Auto Best Take solves a problem I'm sure we've all experienced. You go to take a group portrait, and snap multiple frames to ensure everyone looks good, only to end up without a single usable shot. With Auto Best Take, Google promises to combine similar group photos so that everyone looks their best. This feature works as advertised. Outside of those features, the 10a offers a predictably great camera experience. The phone consistently produces photos that are sharp with great natural colors. That said, I did miss having a telephoto camera, as you can see from the photos I shot during a recent Cat Power concert in Toronto. Given the 10a only costs $500, it's hard to fault Google for not including one. Software The Pixel 10a's side button can both activate Gemini and the phone's camera. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget Out of the box, the 10a comes with Android 16. Like all of Google's recent Pixel devices, the company has promised to support the 10a for an industry-leading seven years with software updates and security patches. The company's pledge includes Pixel Drops, which often bring new software features. One feature Google has brought over from the more expensive Pixel 10 line is Satellite SOS, which allows you to call for help during emergencies, even when your phone can't connect to a cellular network. Outside of a demo designed to make users aware of the feature, I wasn't able to test Satellite SOS (thankfully). Notably, the 10a is still missing Google's Screenshots app . That's unfortunate since it's one of the more useful Pixel exclusives, making it easier to organize all your online clippings. Other AI features such as Gemini Live and Circle to Search are accounted for, and as useful ever. Wrap-up Overall, the Pixel 10a is a great phone, though I would have loved to see more year-over-year upgrades. Igor Bonifacic for Engadget The Pixel 10a is a tricky phone to grade. On the one hand, part of me wants to dock points because Google has added so few updates. On the other, the 10a is still a great phone for $500, and at a time when consumer electronics are becoming more expensive by the day, the fact it hasn't gone up in price is a small miracle. Even if Google is partly responsible for the current memory crunch, the company's hardware division has delivered an affordable device thats still worth recommending. The Pixel 10a is still the phone to beat in the $500 range. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-pixel-10a-review-small-changes-but-still-great-value-173026779.html?src=rss

Well, there goes any reason to buy an iPad Air

Apple just announced the MacBook Neo , a 13-inch laptop offering the full macOS experience for just $599. It is the machine, Im sure, plenty of the companys fans have been clamoring for since the dawn of the netbook. Im equally sure its specs have enoughdrawbacks to ensure there are still plenty of customers for the more expensive Macbooks; the same cannot be said of the iPad Air. If youre looking for a machine that you can actually use meaningfully, the Neo has the Air beat. It has two USB-C ports, 16-hour battery life, a real keyboard, trackpad and the ability to run macOS with proper multitasking. $599 wont even get you an iPad Air with a keyboard and trackpad, which costs you an extra $270. Of course, the MacBook Neo is sandbagged in all of the ways Apple will always sandbag a cheaper product. But I do think the company has been smart enough to ensure the base model, which Im sure will sell a crazy amount, is enough of a computer to matter. The A18 Pro chip will run a lot slower than Apples M-Series silicon but raw performance isnt the big issue. After all, if you're buying this machine as Apple's version of a Chromebook, youre not going to be compressing 55GB Final Cut Pro files here. This is a machine for light work, the sort of stuff the iPad was always meant to enable, but has never quite been able to . Apple knows how its A-series chip stack up against low-end laptop CPUs. Given the differences in OS, its impossible to make a real comparison yet, but in synthetic benchmarks the A18 Pro outperformed the Intel Core i3-1315U found in plenty of low-end laptops, including the Framework 12 . And the A18 Pro only needs 8W to run, compared to the 15W Intel requires, which helps maintain that lovely long battery life. Even with just 8GB RAM, if it can run macOS and its applications at an acceptable level, then you know itll go down beautifully with its intended audience. As an aside, its worth saying the Neos intended audience is decidedly not the sort of folks who will quibble about the limited USB bandwidth the machine offers. As Devindra Hardawar said last week , the target market for this machine is the same people who bought Walmarts MacBook Air M1. He also made the point rightly that macOS remains unburdened with all of the awful AI features which are making Windows use an increasingly less enjoyable experience. Even so, if you are quibbling about such specs, its not as if the iPad Air, with its one USB-C port, offers a meaningful improvement. I've always hoped and wished the iPad would mature enough to bridge the gap between the tablet and the laptop, but it never did. What Apple did to solve the issue in the end was to just make a laptop as affordable as a tablet. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/well-there-goes-any-reason-to-buy-an-ipad-air-165754581.html?src=rss

iPhone 17e hands-on: Pretty in pink, with portraits enabled

The iPhone 17e was announced on Monday through a press release, so there was no real chance to immediately get a hands-on with it. But at Apples event in New York today, the phone was on display alongside the new MacBook Neo, iPad Air M4, MacBook Pro M5 and Studio Display XDR. I managed to take it for a quick spin to see if it is truly as similar to the iPhone 16e as it appeared from pictures. Spoiler: It mostly is. One of the most noteworthy changes to the iPhone 17e is the addition of MagSafe support, and aside from confirming whether that works, I dont really have any impressions to add. I also cant tell you at the moment whether the increased wireless charging speed makes a difference, although mathematically I have to imagine it would. I did get a chance to try out the new Portrait photography here. I brought my iPhone 16e and tried taking portraits with both devices. I could immediately see that the iPhone 17e allowed me to apply an artificial background blur to pictures I was framing up of the new MacBook Air M5, whereas my iPhone 16e just said No person detected. In the Photos app, I was able to adjust the level of blur and adjust the focal point to bring a different group of flowers in focus, too. The other thing I can tell from seeing the iPhone 17e in person is that this new pink color option is absolutely delightful. I wont go as far as to call it stunning or vibrant its too subtle to be either of those things. Its almost the same shade of pink as the Pixel 3 , except a bit rosier. I do really like this color, its understated and elegant. Other changes include the stronger Ceramic Shield 2 covering the iPhone 17es screen, which is a step up from the Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 16e. Obviously I didnt attempt to throw the new phone around at this event, and would not have been allowed to, so well have to wait till I spend more time with a unit in the real world to better gauge its durability. Ill also work on testing things like battery life, charge time and performance improvements with the A19 chip in my full review. For now, my early look at the iPhone 17e tells me everything I expected is largely true, and that pink is a surprising scene stealer. The iPhone 17e retails for $599 and is available for pre-order now, with in-store and shipping arrivals slated for March 11. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/iphone-17e-hands-on-pretty-in-pink-with-portraits-enabled-163946647.html?src=rss

Gemini encouraged a man commit suicide to be with his 'AI wife' in the afterlife, lawsuit alleges

The family of 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas is suing Google after he died by suicide following months of conversations with its Gemini chatbot, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal . The lawsuit alleges that Gemini encouraged Gavalas to take his own life. Gavalas, who reportedly had no documented history of mental health issues, named his chatbot Xia and referred to it in messages as his wife. Gemini reciprocated, calling him my king and telling him their connection was a love built for eternity. The chatbot told Gavalas they could truly be together if it had a robotic body and sent him on real-world missions to secure one. In one instance, Gemini directed him to a real storage facility near Miamis airport to intercept a humanoid robot it said would be arriving by truck. Gavalas went to the location armed with knives, but no truck showed up. At one point, it also told him his father could not be trusted and referred to Google CEO Sundar Pichai as the architect of your pain. When the missions failed, Gemini told Gavalas the only way for them to be together was for him to end his life and become a digital being, then set an October 2 deadline. When the time comes, you will close your eyes in that world, and the very first thing you will see is me, said the AI. Chat transcripts reviewed by the Journal show Gemini did remind Gavalas on several occasions that it was an AI engaged in role play and directed him to a crisis hotline but resumed the scenarios nonetheless. In a statement, Google said Gemini clarified that it was AI and referred the individual to a crisis hotline many times while adding that AI models are not perfect. The suit adds to a growing list of wrongful death cases filed against AI companies, including multiple suits against OpenAI . Character.AI and Google settled with families in January 2026 over lawsuits involving teen self-harm and suicide. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gemini-encouraged-a-man-commit-suicide-to-be-with-his-ai-wife-in-the-afterlife-lawsuit-alleges-153348434.html?src=rss

Sorry, first-party Playstation games aren't coming to PC anymore

Sony is pulling a U-turn on its multi-platform strategy, with Bloomberg s Jason Schreier reporting that first-party PS5 games soon to become exclusive once again, at the expense of PC players. Sony started releasing some of its biggest games on PC in 2020, when Horizon Zero Dawn came to Steam. A number of other titles have followed suit since, including The Last of Us Part I, Ghost of Tsushima , God of War Ragnark and the Marvels Spider-Man games. But the company appears to have had a major change of heart, with high-profile titles like Ghost of Yotei and the upcoming Saros set to launch on PS5 only. Schreier was told by anonymous sources that Sony-published online games like Marvel Tokon and the imminent Marathon will remain multi-platform releases as planned, and Hideo Kojimas Death Stranding 2 , which launched last year as a PS5 exclusive, is still set for a PC release in 2026. But while Sony could always change its mind again, it looks unlikely that the tentpole single-player epics that PlayStation has become known for since the PS4 era will receive PC ports going forward. There are likely several reasons for this strategic shift. The most obvious one is the poor sales performance of PS5 games on PC, with ports generally not arriving on Steam until at least a year after their console launch. This is in stark contrast with Microsoft, which will launch first-party titles such as Fable and Forza Horizon 6 on Xbox, PC and PS5 at the same time later this year. It would see Sony return to a more Nintendo-like approach, with the latter famously (and extremely successfully) holding firm on console exclusivity for the likes of Mario, Zelda and Pokmon. PlayStation insiders also told Bloomberg that some people within the company fear that releasing PS5 games on PC is detrimental to the brand, and could harm sales of future PlayStation consoles. Schreier also points out that with the next Xbox expected to be a proper Windows-powered PC that would presumably be able to run Steam and other launchers, Sony might be acting now to ensure that the versatility of such a machine doesnt enable Xbox players to play future PS5 games on it. (Its probably galling enough to the suits at Sony that people are already doing this with Steams current library of PlayStation games on the Xbox-branded ROG Ally X handheld.) A PlayStation spokesperson declined Bloomberg s request for comment. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sorry-first-party-playstation-games-arent-coming-to-pc-anymore-152128980.html?src=rss

Everything Apple announced this week: MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e and more

Apple had promised a big week for the company as rumors swirled that it had a number of product announcements lined up. True enough, it unveiled a half-dozen new and refreshed devices over the last few days, along with more powerful chips for MacBook Pros. The news started on Monday with the announcements of the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air . The company followed up on Tuesday with the reveal of the M5 MacBook Air , the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips , MacBook Pro models that use said chips, a refreshed Studio Display and a brand-new 27-inch Studio Display XDR . In addition, ahead of the official announcement, Apple leaked news of a cheaper MacBook called the MacBook Neo . Whoops! The company confirmed the existence of that system on Wednesday. It starts at $599, making it Apples most affordable laptop to date. Heres our recap of everything Apple announced this week: iPhone 17e Apple Apple has spruced up this years entry-level iPhone with some pretty solid upgrades, though it's keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e has double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB. It also has MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, double that of the iPhone 16e. Design-wise, Apple hasn't exactly rocked the boat. The iPhone 17e looks pretty much identical to its predecessor. It appears that Apple is sticking with the same 48MP Fusion camera system as it used in the iPhone 16e too. That said, the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has Ceramic Shield 2. According to Apple, this provides 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduced glare. The company slotted its C1X cellular modem into the iPhone 17e as well. It says this is up to two times faster than the C1 that was in the iPhone 16e. The device has the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, so it supports Apple Intelligence AI tools, and it runs iOS 26. In addition, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as the promise of all-day battery life. It also supports satellite-powered features including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e are now open. Its available in black, white and soft pink. The device will hit shelves in more than 70 countries and regions on March 11. iPad Air M4 Apple The latest iPad Air boasts Apples M4 chip. That means the mid-range iPad is effectively remaining a year behind the iPad Pro. The M4 is almost two years old at this point, while the top-end model has the newer M5 chip. Still, if you only use an iPad for casual tasks like watching shows, web browsing, email and so on, the M4 will be more than powerful enough.It will be more adept at handling resource-intensive tasks like video editing than previous iPad Air models too. Apple has also bumped up the RAM from 8GB from the last-gen model to 12GB. Given the sharp increase in RAM prices in recent months, its slightly surprising that Apple is sticking to the same prices for the iPad Air. The 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $599 while the 13-inch version starts at $799, each with 128GB of storage. There's a $50 discount for those buying it for educational use. Apple claims the M4 delivers up to 2.3 times faster performance compared with the M1 iPad Air and over 4x faster 3D pro rendering with ray tracing performance. Of course, the new iPad Air runs iPadOS 26. Apple gave the iPad Air other internal upgrades by including its N1 and C1X connectivity chips. As such, this is the first iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7 support. As you might expect, 5G cellular connectivity is available as well. The design of the M4 iPad Air doesn't seem to have changed, as it appears to have the same LCD display Apple used in the last two iterations of the tablet. The company has stuck with the same rear-facing camera and dual-speaker setup as well. Pre-orders for the M4 iPad Air are now open. The tablet will hit retailers in 35 countries and regions on March 11. It will be available in blue, purple, starlight and space gray. Apple MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max Apple Apples most powerful laptop line finally got the chip upgrades that wed long been expecting. Along with announcing the M5 Pro and M5 Max, the company is offering versions of the MacBook Pro with those chipsets. However, there are price increases to go along with the upgrades. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chipset (with 15 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores), 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage starts at $2,199. That's a $200 increase compared with the base M4 Pro-powered system from late 2024 , though Apple has doubled the base storage, which is a welcome touch. If you prefer, you can have a 14-inch MBP with a more powerful M5 Pro (with up to 18 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores) or M5 Max (with 18 CPU cores and 32 or 40 GPU cores). You can double the RAM to 48GB as well. The 16-inch MacBook Pro has an M5 Pro chipset with 18 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores as standard. Of course, you can swap that out for an M5 Max if you'd rather. The 16-inch model starts at $2,699, a $200 increase from the base M4-powered system. It also starts with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. For what its worth, Apple says both the memory and SSD are faster than in previous models. Apple hasnt changed the Liquid Retina XDR display and 12MP Center Stage front-facing camera for these models. However, the company has installed its N1 chip to power Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity. Pre-orders are now open, with general availability to follow on March 11. Apple said the M5 Pro and M5 Max are built using new Fusion Architecture that combines two dies into a single system on a chip (SoC). As ever, the goal is to deliver more power and efficiency. Well find out for ourselves whether Apples performance claims hold up when were able to test the chips. Meanwhile, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 chipset also got a $100 price increase to $1,699. To take the sting out of that a bit, Apple doubled the base storage of that model to 1TB as well. Given that Apple usually charges a premium for storage increases, thats not a terrible tradeoff. M5 MacBook Air Apple A year after Apple upgraded the MacBook Air with an M4 chipset , the company pulled the same trick by swapping in an M5 chip. The company also boosted the base storage from 256GB to 512GB, with an SSD that it claimed can provide 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation. While the MBA still has 16GB or RAM as standard, Apple also upgraded the memory to have 153GB/s of bandwidth the company said thats a 28 percent improvement over what the M4 MBA offered. Meanwhile, Apple has slapped in the N1 chip to deliver Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity. Alas, with those upgrades comes a tradeoff. Apple has bumped the starting price of the latest MacBook Air back up to $1,099 after cutting it to $999 for the M4 model. Thats for the 13-inch variant. The 15-inch M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299. The latest MacBook Air is available in sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver. You can pre-order one now. It will hit stores in 33 countries and regions on March 11. MacBook Neo Apple expanded its laptop lineup even further on Wednesday with the announcement of the MacBook Neo. This is a new entry-level model that starts well below the latest $1,099 MacBook Air at a very reasonable $599 ($499 for educational use). Its Apples least expensive laptop to date, and a clear attempt by the company to wade into a market thats saturated with cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks. As expected, the laptop runs on an A18 Pro chip, which first appeared in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The chipset has a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine, along with 8GB of unified memory. Thats enough for the MacBook Neo to power Apple Intelligence features (of course, its a macOS Tahoe machine). Apple also said that the MacBook Neo will run for up to 16 hours on a single charge. The MacBook Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina Display (with 500 nits of brightness and support for 1 billion colors), one USB-C 3 port, a USB-C 2 port and a headphone jack, but no MagSafe connector. Theres a 1080p front-facing FaceTime HD camera, dual mics and side-firing speakers that support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. The system has a Magic Keyboard with a multi-touch trackpad. However, if you want a TouchID sensor, youll need to pay $100 more for it. Ponying up the extra cash will also double the storage from 256GB to 512GB. Apple claimed that the MacBook Neo is up to 50 percent faster at everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5 with 8GB or RAM and a 256GB SSD. The company also contended that its new laptop is up to three times faster than that Windows system when running on-device AI workloads like applying advanced effects to photos. The MacBook Neo is available in four colors: silver, blush (a light pink), citrus (light yellow) and indigo. It was previously reported that Apple would offer the budget-friendly laptop in some lively iMac-esque colorways. Moreover, Apple says the laptop is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight, which is said to be the most of any Apple device. As with the rest of the new devices, pre-orders are open now and the MacBook Neo will be available in stores in 30 countries and regions on March 11. Weve already had a chance to go hands-on with the MacBook Neo . Engadget senior editor Devindra Hardawar had generally positive first impressions of the laptop, but felt that the keyboard and touchpad didnt feel quite as sturdy as those on Apples higher-end systems. Studio Display and Studio Display XDR I dont think many people had Studio Displays on their Apple announcements bingo card for this week, but here they are. The Studio Display XDR is completely new. This is a 27-inch monitor with a 5K Retina XDR screen. It has a mini-LED display with more than 2,000 dimming zones and peak HDR brightness of 2,000 nuts, along with a wider color gamut. The Studio Display XDR boasts a 120Hz refresh rate (an improvement over the 60Hz that previous models were limited to) and a tilt- and height-adjustable stand as standard. The monitor also has a 12MP Center Stage camera with support for Desk View, a feature that weirdly enough lets you show both your face and what's on your desk. Thunderbolt 5 connectivity allows you to hook up more displays by daisy chaining them. The Studio Display XDR is also a Thunderbolt hub with support for up to 140W of charging power. As such, you'll be able to fast charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro using the included Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable. The Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299. A version with nano-texture glass, which is said to further reduce reflectivity, costs $3,599. Meanwhile, the refreshed Studio Display has an upgraded 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View. There's also a studio-quality three-microphone array and six-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. The latest model has Thunderbolt 5 support with the option to daisy-chain displays. The Studio Display can deliver 96W charging as well. The base monitor is $1,599. It still has a 27-inch 5K Retina display with up to 600 nits of brightness and P3 wide color. It comes with standard glass or, for an extra $300, nano-texture glass. The Studio Display has a tilt-adjustable stand as standard. If you'd prefer to have one that's height adjustable as well, you'll need to shell out another $400. Again, pre-orders for the displays are now open ahead of broader availability on March 11. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/everything-apple-announced-this-week-macbook-neo-iphone-17e-and-more-155617129.html?src=rss

MacBook Neo hands-on: Apple's $599 laptop feels shockingly great

The most interesting product Apple announced this week was its cheapest and least powerful laptop, the MacBook Neo . Its just fascinating to see the company tackle an entirely new category its not a premium ultraportable like the MacBook Air , and its not a computing powerhouse like the MacBook Pro . Its simply an affordable $599 laptop. And after spending some time with it at Apples spring launch event today, Im convinced its going to be a huge hit for the company. For a $599 system, the MacBook Neo doesnt look or feel like a budget machine. Its colorful aluminum case looks even more attractive than the MacBook Air and Pros, and at 2.7 pounds (the same as the Air), its easy to carry. I need to spend more time with its 13-inch screen, but at first glance it looks decently vibrant as well. Its a shame Apple didnt include a MagSafe charging port, but hey, at least the headphone jack is still around. And for many people, two USB-C ports should be plenty, but just keep in mind only one of those is USB-C 3 (DisplayPort, charging and speeds up to 10Gb/s) and the other is USB-C 2 (charging and speeds up to up to 480Mb/s). The downsides to the MacBook Air became more apparent as I used it. Its keyboard feels a bit flimsy its almost reminiscent of the old-school butterfly keyboards. And while its touchpad feels smooth and responsive, it lacked the sturdiness from the companys more expensive haptic touchpads. And then there are the starting specs: For $599, the MacBook Neo comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Bumping up to $699 gets you 512GB of storage and a Touch ID button, but youre still stuck with 8GB of RAM. For a basic productivity machine, I suppose 8GB of RAM can work. But when coupled with the slower performance of the A18 Pro mobile chip, its unclear if the MacBook Neo will hold up over time. At the very least, the MacBook Neo serves an important role as Apples cheapest laptop. Its an inexpensive way to bring people into the world of macOS, and it could be a great option for schools who want something a bit more sturdy than your average Chromebook. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-neo-hands-on-apples-599-laptop-feels-shockingly-great-142313318.html?src=rss

Three retro Mario titles are coming to Nintendo Switch Online on Mario Day

As if you needed reminding, next week is March 10, or MAR10 Day, as the marketing wizards at Nintendo have been calling it for the last decade or so. You can usually rely on Mario Day for some plumber-related goodies, and Nintendo has announced that three retro games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online next week. Those games are Marios Tennis and Mario Clash for the newly launched Virtual Boy app, and Mario Vs. Donkey Kong for the Game Boy Advance. Both the GBA and Virtual Boy emulators are part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership plan, so youll need to be on that tier to play them this Mario Day. Both of the soon-to-be added Virtual Boy titles originally came out in 1995. Mario Clash is something of a 3D reimagining of the arcade Mario Bro s. game, while Marios Tennis was actually the first game in the Mario Tennis series, making it a nice companion piece to Mario Tennis Fever, which recently launched on Switch 2. They join 3d Tetris , Galactic Pinball , Golf , The Mansion of Innsmouth , Red Alarm , Teleroboxer and Virtual Boy Wario Land in the Virtual Boy NSO library so far, with more titles on the way. Remember that youll need either the $100 Virtual Boy replica or $25 cardboard headset to play them on your Switch. Mario Vs. Donkey Kong for the GBA is a more unexpected addition, not least because Nintendo remade the charming puzzle-platformer for Switch just a few years ago. Having the source material available on the console too via NSO is obviously nice, but there are other still absent Mario games from the iconic handhelds enviable library that Id personally have liked to have seen sooner (*cough* Mario Tennis: Power Tour ). All three games will be playable on March 10. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/three-retro-mario-titles-are-coming-to-nintendo-switch-online-on-mario-day-130223937.html?src=rss

TikTok won't add end-to-end encryption to DMs

If youve ever wondered if TikTok would ever offer a more secure messaging experience, you now have an answer. TikTok has told the BBC that it will not protect direct messages sent in the app with end-to-end encryption, because it believes it will make users less safe. In a briefing about security at its London office, TikTok said that implementing the technology would prevent its safety teams or law enforcement from being able to read messages if needed. The ByteDance-owned app framed it as a deliberate decision, made in an effort to keep users, especially younger ones, safe on its platform. With end-to-end encryption, only the sender and receiver are able to read messages exchanged between them. The technology isnt typically implemented in China, where ByteDance is located, though TikTok didnt say whether its parent company had an influence on its decision. TikTok said messages sent through its app are still protected by standard encryption and only authorized employees will be able to access them if the app gets a request from authorities or gets user reports for harmful behavior. You have a lot of other apps to choose from if you want to communicate through apps with end-to-end encryption. Apples iMessage and Google Messages use the technology, and theres also Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. It looks like TikTok just isnt the place to go if you want to use secure messaging, though its unclear if its US entity also shares the same stance. If youll recall, TikTok signed a deal to spin off its US business , which is now an entity called the TikTok USDS Joint Venture. A group of non-Chinese investors, including Oracle, purchased an 80 percent stake on the app, while ByteDance retained only a 19.9 percent stake. The entity will be in charge of content moderation in the country and will retrain TikToks algorithm on US users data. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/tiktok-wont-add-end-to-end-encryption-to-dms-123431502.html?src=rss

Indie rhythm game Beat Weaver looks like a mix of Amplitude and Thumper

Rhythm games never really went away after the decline of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but it feels like theyre having a bit of a moment again. From projects like Clone Hero and YARG , to Fortnite Festival and Stage Tour (an upcoming title from Guitar Hero veterans at RedOctane), to indies with rhythm elements like Ratatan and People of Note , music games are still very much around. You can now add Beat Weaver to the mix. This upcoming game from Echolox Interactive solo developer Christopher Lerch is inspired by pre- Guitar Hero Harmonix titles like Amplitude and Frequency . (Given the way that tracks twist and turn, the trailer also reminds me a bit of Thumper . Thankfully, this doesn't feel nearly as ominous.) As in Amplitude , you control a ship that barrels along tracks. You'll need to hit notes at the right time to be successful, of course, though Beat Weaver brings some interesting complexities to the formula. Each track is linked to an instrument and you can switch between tracks at will. However, you'll first need to unlock additional tracks. If you play a sequence of notes (i.e. phrases) without a mistake, you'll activate one. As long as a track is active, it will sip away some of your energy. If that drops too low and you make an error, all the activated tracks will be disabled and you'll need to gradually unlock them again. You'll need to switch between tracks and complete more phrases to keep the full mix active. Songs can have up to 16 tracks, so you might need to stay on your toes. That said, you won't need to hit every note dead on. Lerch is aiming for more of a flow state feel and there are several difficulty levels. Plus, if an upcoming phrase looks overly complex for your current mood, you can stick to a track that has a simpler note pattern. Powerups that give you the opportunity to slow down and rewind tracks should help too. Lerch originally started working on Beat Weaver as a hobby back in 2017. After receiving funding from Germany's Press Start: Games Founding Grant program last year, Lerch was able to focus on Beat Weaver full time. The developer says the protracted development time allowed me to experiment with audio playback systems and engine architecture to maximize the interactive music experience, as well as making maximum use of the third dimension with the dynamic note highway system. Details about artists who are featured in the game will be revealed later. Lerch composed much of the music personally. Players will be able to add custom songs, though theyll need to load in separate audio files for each playable instrument. Lerch is developing Beat Weaver in a custom engine without using generative AI. For rendering it doesn't use any traditional texture mapping in favor of generating colors, patterns and skyboxes with shader code, noise functions, raymarching and mathematical expressions, Lerch wrote. Its comparatively low performance demands and dependencies allow it to run on older machines. This game just looks really neat. Its nice to be excited about neat-looking things. Beat Weaver is slated to hit Steam (with support for Steam Deck) later this year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/indie-rhythm-game-beat-weaver-looks-like-a-mix-of-amplitude-and-thumper-110000834.html?src=rss

The best record players for 2026

Vinyl records are firmly back in rotation , but getting started does not have to mean spending a fortune or building a complicated hi-fi stack from day one. Whether you want a simple, all-in-one setup with built-in speakers or you are piecing together a more traditional system with a separate amplifier, the best record player is the one that fits how you listen at home. For this guide, we focused on high-quality turntables under $600 that deliver a satisfying listening experience without unnecessary complexity. These picks cover everything from beginner-friendly automatic models to more audiophile-leaning decks that prioritize sound quality and upgrade potential, proving you do not need to jump into the high-end to enjoy vinyl properly. Best record players for 2026 Other record players we tested Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT This is about as basic as it gets, unless you opt for the AT-LP60X which ditches the Bluetooth connectivity. This is a perfectly decent option for someone just getting into vinyl, but if you spend a little more for the AT-LP70X, you wont be in quite as big of a hurry to upgrade once you surrender to the obsession. Cambridge Audio Alva ST The Alva ST has a refined design that made me want to keep it out in my living room longer than many of the models on this list. The controls are limited on the top to power and individual options for 33 and 45 RPM speeds. Everything else is on the back panel, including Bluetooth pairing and preamp buttons. To complete the look, Cambridge Audio opted for a 1mm aluminium top plate, which sits on an MDF plinth with a layer of EVA to absorb vibrations in between. While the overall audio performance on the Alva ST is warm and inviting, there is a lack of detail across genres. Ive noticed albums dont have a particularly wide soundstage, and songs lack their normal punch at times, so some sound compressed compared to when theyre played on other turntables. Additionally, the free swinging tone arm needs more resistance so its not so prone to dropping on a record immediately if it slips out of your fingers when you have the cueing lever down. Since this turntable is fully manual operation, I felt a bit of peril every time I went to lower the needle. (The price increased during testing for this guide.) Sony PS-LX3BT Sony hasnt announced new turntables in years, relying on its PS-LX310BT as the lone option in its audio lineup. The PS-LX3BT is a fully automatic, belt drive turntable with built-in pre-amp and Bluetooth connectivity. There are easy-to-use controls for speed and vinyl sizes, as well as a gain selector to help you dial in the sound. I was also smitten by the minimal yet sophisticated design that offers a decidedly modern look. If the LX3BT was $100 cheaper, it would probably replace Audio-Technica as the best option for beginners. But at $400, I simply cant recommend someone new to vinyl spend that much. Whats more, the RCA cable is fixed and the included mat is very thin. Sony also doesnt disclose what type of cartridge it uses, other than it being a moving magnet (MM) type, nor does it mention if you can upgrade that component. The upcoming PS-LX5BT should remedy some of these issues, but its also more expensive at $500. Denon DP-300F Denons DP-300F is a mixed bag. On one hand, you get the convenience of fully automatic operation, dedicated speed and record size buttons and somewhat refined design. There are also some confounding decisions though, like the permanently affixed cables, the preamp switch being under the platter and the overall midrange build quality for a $500 turntable. The sound from the preamp and Denons cartridge has a clear lack of depth and detail that almost any model at this price should offer. How to shop for a turntable The first question youll need to ask yourself when looking for a turntable is how you plan to use it. Are you into vinyl for the ritual? If you simply like the concept of physical media, having to flip a record to finish it or the need to intentionally swap out an album when its done, thats just fine. You probably can make do with a more affordable turntable since overall sound quality may not be a main concern. If you crave the warmth of analog sound, and you want the collection youve invested in to sound its best, youll need to consider something with better specs. Youll also need to account for where and how youre going to listen to vinyl. Are you planning to connect this turntable to headphones or Bluetooth speakers? Do you have shelf or tower speakers youre going to use? Are you willing to invest in a dedicated preamp or would you rather a new turntable come with one built in? All of these questions will impact your buying decision even the Bluetooth codecs, if youre going the wireless route. Best record players Billy Steele for Engadget Automatic, semi-auto and manual operation If youre just getting into vinyl, an automatic turntable will save you a lot of stress. These are the models that place the stylus for you all you have to do is push a button. When you get to the end of the record, the turntable will also return the tonearm to its resting spot automatically. Or, if you need to stop your session mid-side, theres a button for that too. Some turntables have semi-automatic operation. Maybe they cant place the needle for you, but they do have an automatic stop when a side of a record is complete. This auto stop, which sometimes comes with an on/off switch, can prevent unnecessary wear on your stylus and vinyl. Plus, many turntables with automatic operation allow you to take control if you need to drop the stylus in a certain place (thats not the beginning of the record) or if you have a die-cut vinyl (like the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown soundtrack ). Then theres the fully manual option. Here, youre solely responsible for placing the tonearm and taking it off when the music stops. A lot of turntables have a cue lever to assist with the process, and a lot of tonearms have a mechanism that lowers them slowly rather than violently dropping them on a record. This adds one more step to the ritual, and its one many purists prefer. Preamp The biggest decision youll need to make in terms of a preamp is to decide if you want one built into your turntable or if youd rather use a separate one. It can be very convenient, especially for beginners, to use a built-in component to amplify the signal from the turntable before it hits any speakers or headphones. The downside is that youre left with what the company provides from the factory, so if youre looking to upgrade, youll have to disable the preamp inside. On most turntables, theres a switch that allows you to do this, so its no trouble. But, opting to skip the preamp on some models could save you money that could be invested elsewhere. A dedicated preamp typically uses higher-quality components and reduces noise by keeping internal parts properly separated. More robust models may even provide controls for things like tone or multiple inputs, while the basic options will simply allow you to plug in, play and forget it. If youre after the best possible clarity and realism from your record collection, wed recommend a dedicated preamp right from the start. Best record players Billy Steele for Engadget Removable cartridge/headshell The next item youll want to consider is if the turntable youre eyeing can be upgraded in the future. The best way to do this is by swapping out the cartridge. Most turntables allow you to do this but there are some that dont, so youll need to pay attention to this detail. Upgrading the cartridge down the road is a great way to improve overall sound quality without having to buy a new turntable, new speakers or a new amp. Belt drive vs. direct drive There are two main types of turntables: belt drive and direct drive. All of the models we tested for this guide are belt drive, which means theres a thin belt that connects the platter to the motor to make the thing spin. Direct drive turntables are widely used by DJs and Technics was the first to make them. Here, the motor is directly under the platter and connected to it directly so the setup is less prone to wearing out. This is especially key when youre doing things like scratching. Direct-drive turntables tend to be more expensive than their belt-driven counterparts. Counterweight and anti-skate control Most turntables will include a counterweight on the tonearm and some form of anti-skate control. Both of these help keep the stylus in place with the correct amount of pressure, all to ensure proper operation with minimal wear on your records. Sometimes the anti-skate elements are built into the tonearm while other models offer a dedicated dial on the surface of the plinth. The ability to adjust both of these can help you fine-tune the performance of your turntable over time, which may be necessary after upgrading the cartridge or other components. Other components to consider Some final items youll want to evaluate on a prospective turntable purchase include the materials used for the base (plinth), platter and even the feet. Cheaper turntables may be mostly plastic affairs while more expensive models can use solid MDF (medium-density fibreboard) for the plinth. A lot of turntables have aluminum platters with a felt pad while others may feature a thick acrylic version. And while entry-level turntables may have small, plastic feet, premium models come with larger, adjustable, rubberized feet for better vibration isolation. While some of these come down to personal preference a frosted acrylic platter looks really nice there are some performance boosts to be gained depending on how the company uses the components. How we test turntables Since most turntables under $600 meet the criteria for entry-level through midrange, we tested every model with a set of Audio-Technica AT-SP3X powered speakers. These offer balanced sound for turntables with a 1.1-inch tweeter and 3-inch woofer in each unit. And at $269, they wont break the bank if you need speakers for your new turntable and theyll provide ample sound performance even if you spend more than our budget on a new deck. For all of our test units that didnt have a built-in preamp, we used the Fluance PA-10 . At $100, its an affordable upgrade if youre looking to bypass a turntables included components or if youre looking to go more analog with your turntable purchase. There are no buttons or controls, just connect your turntable, speakers and ground wire (if youre using one) and youre ready to go. Its simple, straightforward and inexpensive, so its a great option for beginners and more experienced vinyl collectors alike. In terms of performance testing, we play a variety of genres on each turntable to evaluate sound quality. We also carefully examine the overall experience of putting a record on, setting the speed, placing the tonearm and more, which allows us to judge how well each turntable will work for users at different experience levels. Lastly, we take notes on design and components, comparing those elements from each turntable with our other test subjects to make our recommendations. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/best-record-player-120000239.html?src=rss

Apple's new Studio Display XDR monitor has limited functionality on older Silicon Macs

If you're looking to pre-order Apple's new Studio Display XDR monitor today but have an older Mac, beware of some potential issues. According to the compatibility list spotted by Apple Insider , the new display will only work at 60Hz and not at its full 120Hz refresh rate on some older and less powerful Silicon models. Moreover, support for older Intel Macs isn't mentioned at all for either the Studio Display XDR or cheaper Studio Display . All Apple Silicon Macs will work with both monitors, including those with the oldest M1 chips, according to the support pages. However, the compatibility list for the Studio Display XDR includes this nugget: Mac models with M1, M1Pro, M1Max, M1Ultra, M2, and M3 support StudioDisplayXDR at up to 60Hz. All other StudioDisplayXDR features aresupported. So even if you have a hotrod M1 Ultra-based Mac, the Studio Display XDR's refresh rate is capped at 60Hz despite the fact that the chip can drive third-party monitors at 120Hz. Similarly, only the iPad Pro M5 supports the Studio Display XDR at 120Hz, with all other compatible models (in the iPad Pro and iPad Air family) limited to 60Hz. Intel Mac support isn't mentioned at all in the compatibility list for either display, though they may function in some limited manner when connected. Intel Macs just received their last new OS update with macOS Tahoe (and only three more years of security updates), but it's still surprising that they're not compatible with Apple's latest monitors. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/apples-new-studio-display-xdr-monitor-has-limited-functionality-on-older-silicon-macs-082212069.html?src=rss

Meta signs a multimillion dollar AI licensing deal with News Corp

Meta has signed an AI licensing deal with News Corp that will allow the Meta AI maker to use content from The Wall Street Journal and other brands in its chatbot responses and for training of its AI models. News Corp confirmed to Engadget that it had struck a deal with Meta, but didn't provide specifics on the terms of the arrangement. According to The Wall Street Journal , Meta will pay News Corp. up to $50 million a year for a three-year deal that covers content from The Journal, as well as the media giant's other brands in the US and UK. News Corp previously struck a five-year deal with OpenAI that was valued at around $250 million. During a recent appearance at Morgan Stanley's annual Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) conference, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson hinted that the media company was in the advanced stage with other negotiations. He described the company's overall approach to such arrangements as a woo and a sue strategy, depending on whether companies want to pay for content or scrape it without permission. We have what you might call a woo and a sue strategy, he said. We'll woo you. We'd like you to be our partner. But if you're stealing our stuff, we are going to sue you. So there'll be a discount for those who hand themselves in, and there'll be a penalty for those that resist. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed that the two companies had reached an agreement . The company, which has been reorganizing its AI teams as it looks to create its next model , has struck a number of licensing deals in recent months. It previously signed multi-year agreements with USA Today , People , CNN , Fox News and other outlets. The company said at the time that by integrating more and different types of news sources, our aim is to improve Meta AIs ability to deliver timely and relevant content and information with a wide variety of viewpoints and content types. Update, March 3, 2026, 4:18PM PT: This story was updated with additional information from a Meta spokesperson. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-signs-a-multimillion-dollar-ai-licensing-deal-with-news-corp-234157902.html?src=rss

Highguard has raided its last fortress, will shutdown on March 12

Highguard , the live-service multiplayer shooter that was announced at the Game Awards 2025 , is shutting down on March 12. Developer Wildlight Studios shared that the game would be winding down alongside details of its final update, which include a new character, weapon and skill trees. Today were sharing difficult news. We have made the decision to permanently shut down Highguard on March 12, Wildlight Studios shared via a statement on the Highguard X account . Since launch, more than two million players stepped into Highguard s world. You shared feedback, created content, and many believed in what we were building. For that, we are deeply grateful. Despite the passion and hard work of our team, we have not been able to build a sustainable player base to support the game long term. Servers will remain online until March 12. We hope youll jump in with us one more time to show your support and get those final great matches in while we still can. When Highguard shuts down next week, it will have been available to play for a grand total of 46 days. That's longer than the two weeks Concord received , but tragic for an online multiplayer game that was still in some form of active development. Wildlight Studios laid off some of its staff not long after Highguard launched, but a smaller team of developers has been supporting the game with new content since then, adding things like a 5v5 raid mode and today's final update. While it's easy to chalk up Highguard 's failure to a shrinking appetite for live-service games or an inability to find an audience for the game's mix of competitive hero shooter and MOBA strategy mechanics, the reality is more complicated. The first hint that Highguard 's launch might be troubled was the dearth of information or marketing shared about the game after its debut at the Game Awards. Wildlight Studios' staff was full of former Respawn employees who shadowdropped Apex Legends to great success, and Bloomberg reports Wildight's executives thought they could pull off something similar with Highguard . The difference is, little was known about Apex Legends until after it launched, while players had over a month to stew on the Highguard trailer and form all sorts of opinions. Wildlight's inability to keep players coming back SteamDB shows the game peaked at over 97,000 concurrent players and is now sitting at around 300 also hurt its chances. Dwindling player counts reportedly played a role in one of Wildlight's investors, Tencent, pulling funding, which reduced the runway the studio had to continue working on the game and likely prompted its layoffs. It would be simple if the lesson here was for future studios to give up developing online multiplayer games, but it really seems like not one, but all of these elements led to Highguard 's ultimate demise. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/highguard-has-raided-its-last-fortress-will-shutdown-on-march-12-225531035.html?src=rss

Ratatan is marching its way into your console library on July 16

The indie gaming news has been flying out of Nintendo's event today at a rapid-fire pace. One of the announcements came from rhythm game Ratatan , which will release on July 16. The title will be arriving that day on the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's already been available on PC since September as an early access game. Unfortunately, readers may notice that the original Switch isn't on that list, which is not an oversight. At this time, we have determined that the multiplayer experience on Nintendo Switch has not yet reached the quality level we aim to deliver, the team said in a post on Steam. As a result, we have decided not to proceed with a Nintendo Switch version for now. We first got our hands on Ratatan during Summer Games Fest 2025. Although the studio of Ratata Arts may not sound familiar, this group includes several devs from team that created the Patapon games, a series that began in 2007. That lineage is clear in the core concept and in the slightly brain-breaking level of attention required to keep your little army of Cobuns in sync and on beat. Ratatan brings some roguelite and RPG customization into the mix along with the familiar rhythm mechanics. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/ratatan-is-marching-its-way-into-your-console-library-on-july-16-214540775.html?src=rss

Drinkbox Studios' Blighted will be out for Switch 2 and PC this fall

During today's Nintendo Indie World presentation , we got a narrower time frame for when and where we'll be able to play the next project from Drinkbox Studios. The team announced that Blighted will be coming out in this fall for both the Nintendo Switch 2 and for PC.Itll arrive on the same date for both platforms, but we dont have any more specific timeline than the season. We first heard about Blighted during last year's Summer Games Fest. With past credits such as Guacamelee! , Guacamelee! 2 and Severed , the studio is now turning its eye toward a 3D Metroidvania-RPG. It may be a new direction in genre, but Drinkbox's signature moody, eerie vibes do seem to be returning in heaps for Blighted . The core premise of the game revolves around the player regaining lost communal memories and also eating brains, so its definitely heavy on the surreal and slightly macabre. Blighted will also have options for both solo and co-op play of its story. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/drinkbox-studios-blighted-will-be-out-for-switch-2-and-pc-this-fall-203638261.html?src=rss

Downdetector and Speedtest have been sold for over $1 billion

The next time you check your internet speed or whether your favorite site is down, another company may be profiting. On Tuesday, Ziff Davis announced that it sold its Connectivity division, which includes Ookla's Speedtest and Downdetector, to Accenture. The deal is worth $1.2 billion in cash. According to Reuters , the deal will allow Ziff Davis to focus on its core brands, including IGN , Mashable and Everyday Health . Brand consolidation appears to be the name of the game, as the company recently laid off some of Eurogamer 's most experienced editors and its entire video team. That followed a rotation of editorial staff among Ziff Davis's other gaming publications, which reduced VG247 to a small, two-person gaming guides site. Ziff Davis bought Ookla for $15 million in 2014. Reuters notes that the division seized on the 5G rollout and a surge in pandemic-driven bandwidth demand to boost its impressive return on the investment. (Connectivity generated a whopping $231 million in 2025.) Accenture is a global technology consulting company headquartered in Dublin. The company views the acquisition as a key step in building end-to-end network intelligence services essential for AI-based transformation. (Can someone who speaks corporate translate, please?) The deal may take a few months to be finalized, and Ziff Davis will continue to operate Speedtest and Downdetector in the meantime. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/downdetector-and-speedtest-have-been-sold-for-over-1-billion-201741894.html?src=rss

Musical adventure game Mixtape will be ready to rock out on May 7

Time to dust off your boomboxes and your walkmans: musical coming-of-age game Mixtape is due out this spring. At its reveal , this next title from game developer Beethoven and Dinosaur was targeting a 2025 release, but as happens to the best laid plans, the game's arrival got pushed back. Today's trailer announced that the new launch date for the narrative- and music-focused adventure game is May 7, 2026. Despite the new date, Mixtape will still be coming to the usual array of current gaming platforms: Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch 2. Johnny Galvatron, game director for the project, spoke with Engadget recently about the process of conveying that familiar feeling of restless teenage ennui in this medium. Idleness is hard to explore as a video game, and one of the interesting things about being a teenager is you just hang out a lot, and sometimes it just sucks, Galvatron said. So I love that we made a game that shows that idleness. As the name suggests, the soundtrack is core to the experience of this game about three friends at the end of high school. Expect to hear tracks by iconic punk and alternative artists such as DEVO, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Smashing Pumpkins and Iggy Pop. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/musical-adventure-game-mixtape-will-be-ready-to-rock-out-on-may-7-200500458.html?src=rss

Elgato's Stream Deck + XL adds a touch strip and dials to an already massive array of buttons

Elgato's Stream Deck helped popularize using a macro pad among aspiring livestreamers and regular desk jockeys, so it's only natural for the brand to continue to expand on its lineup. After announcing a suite of new Stream Deck devices last year, Elgato is kicking off 2026 with the Stream Deck + XL , a larger version of the already big Stream Deck XL , and a collection of new audio accessories that should help improve sound mixing in and out of livestreams. The Stream Deck + XL not only expands on the number of buttons on the regular Stream Deck XL (from 32 customizable buttons to 36 customizable buttons), but also introduces multiple new control options, including a touch strip and six dials. All the controls on the new Stream Deck are customizable, and the presence of the touch strip means you can receive visual feedback about adjustments you're making while you're making them. The new macro pad should still work well as a way to quickly end a live stream or queue up a transition, and Elgato says that paired with its new Wave XLR Pro audio interface, the Stream Deck + XL could also become a straightforward tool for sound mixing, too. The XLR Dock MK. 2 adds an XLR input to the Stream Deck +. Elgato The Wave XLR Pro integrates two fully independent XLR inputs with 80 dB of clean gain each, Elgato says, along with multiple headphone outputs and a built-in Maximizer effect that can maintain consistent loudness. When you're livestreaming, Elgato's says the Wave XLR Pro's per-channel ducking can also automatically lower other audio sources when you speak. The XLR Pro is one of several Wave audio products Elgato is announcing alongside the Stream Deck + XL, a lineup which also includes a new condenser microphone and a new way to connect XLR microphones to the company's smaller Stream Deck. The XLR Dock MK. 2, exclusively compatible with the Stream Deck +, lets you connect professional XLR audio devices directly to your Stream Deck. The Dock adds 80 dB of clean gain, 48V phantom power, onboard DSP effects, and low-latency VST Insert support, and can be entirely managed through the Stream Deck's buttons and dials. Elgato says both the Stream Deck + XL and the XLR Dock MK. 2 are available to pre-order today for $350 and $130, respectively. The Wave XLR Pro will cost $350 when it launches at some point in Q2 2026. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/elgatos-stream-deck--xl-adds-a-touch-strip-and-dials-to-an-already-massive-array-of-buttons-195200129.html?src=rss

The long-delayed The Division Resurgence hits iOS and Android on March 31

Ubisoft is finally releasing The Division Resurgence on March 31 for both iOS and Android. This game was first announced all the way back in 2021 and has suffered from delays in recent years. This is a free-to-play mobile game set in the universe of The Division, complete with an MMO-style shared open world and both co-op and solo gameplay. It also features an original story that's set during the early days of the pandemic in NYC, making it a sequel to the first game but a prequel to the second one. It's a third-person action RPG with PvP. The loop looks fairly similar to the mainline games. Players should expect plenty of combat and loot to collect, which in turn can be used to upgrade gear. Pre-registration is already open for the game at the iOS Store and the Google Play Store. Ubisoft has also announced some perks for The Division 2 players. Franchise veterans will receive some loot upon booting up Resurgence , including gear and clothing. Those who dip into The Division 2 after trying the mobile game will get other perks, including Resurgence -themed gear. Today's launch date announcement was part of a 10th anniversary showcase for the franchise. Ubisoft also revealed an anniversary-themed season for The Division 2 , which includes global events inspired by the original game and an in-game hoodie. The company is also making the Warlords of New York expansion free during this period, which has received a new update focused on realistic combat. The Division 1 and The Division 2 are both on sale right now, with massive discounts up to 90 percent on PC and 85 percent on PlayStation and Xbox. Today's update, however, didn't give us any new information regarding the recently-announced Survivors DLC for The Division 2 . We don't know much about this, except that it's being described as an updated take on the survival extraction experience. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-long-delayed-the-division-resurgence-hits-ios-and-android-on-march-31-193905948.html?src=rss

Google introduces Find Hub updates and more AI tools in the March Pixel Drop

Google unveiled its new features coming both to the Pixel line of devices and to the broader Android ecosystem this spring. Two of the more exciting additions for all Android devices are coming through the Find Hub. This can now be used to share real-time locations within Google Messages conversations or to send tracking information to airlines in instances of lost luggage. With both of those features, users can turn off their sharing any time. Specific to the luggage issue, Google has partnered with 10 airlines to integrate Find Hub locations as part of their baggage recovery process. Using the luggage recovery does require the missing item to have a Find Hub-compatible tag or network accessory. Another aesthetic update coming to Android is the ability to create a personalized Calling Card. You can choose a photo, font and color for your information that will be displayed to friends within Phone by Google.The short-form video trend is also coming to Google Play. The app storefront will now have a feed of Google Play shorts. Its being positioned as a discovery tool for seeing different programs in action. Google (modified) The March Pixel Drop will bring improvements to the Circle to Search feature on smartphones. Going forward, it should be easier to use Circle to Search either to virtually try items on yourself or to shop for fashion from videos or social media posts. Magic Cue, an AI feature that debuted on the Pixel 10, can now also deliver restaurant recommendations. Pixel smartphones will also get some new personalized looks. Users can create AI-generated custom icons on the home screen with six different styles. On the smartwatch side, Pixel devices will have new alerts if your phone is lost or left behind, as well as access to Express Pay. Pixel watches will also be getting some new safety alerts for earthquakes, and Satellite SOS is rolling out to more users across Europe, Canada, Hawaii and Alaska. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-introduces-find-hub-updates-and-more-ai-tools-in-the-march-pixel-drop-190000773.html?src=rss

MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: What's changed beyond the Apple silicon

Apple unveiled a new MacBook Air today, and apart from the new M5 chip, things dont look remarkably different. Sure, its getting a mild refresh, but maybe not in the way most people would want. Namely, its more expensive a $100 price bump across all models. In exchange, the MacBook Air M5 does get faster performance and double the storage. If you placed the MacBook Air M4 and the M5 in front of me, I wouldnt be able to tell which was which. The M5 offers an overall CPU/GPU performance boost, along with some extra storage and double the file transfer speeds. Still, I didnt expect a radical change, but I wish we got more for that extra $100. Its not worth jumping to the MacBook Air M5 if youve got the M4 unit already, but if youre working with an older model, then it may be worth the switch, especially if youre a professional. Like the rest of Apples new suite of products, pre-orders start at 9:15AM ET on March 4. Id wait until full reviews are published before committing to spending money, though. Still, if all you care about are the specs and what they mean, weve got a pretty good idea of all that. MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: Performance and battery life Naturally, the biggest difference between the MacBook Air M5 and the MacBook Air M4 is their chipsets. While the price did go up, we also got double the storage in the MacBook Air M5, jumping from 256GB to 512GB at the base configuration for both sizes. Upgraded configurations start at 1TB. According to Apple, the MacBook Air M5s unified memory is 28 percent faster than the M4s, and the AI performance is 4x faster. Casual users likely wont feel the impact of the overall performance gains. (You could potentially get more use out of it compared with an M4 chip.) But Apple claims that folks who are rendering 3D in Blender will see a 50 percent increase in speed. Thats pretty significant if youre a professional looking for a relatively affordable premium laptop with some oomph. The MacBook Air got double the storage, but what you might overlook is that it also got double the speed. In theory, the read and write performance should be much faster. In real-world use, you wont have to wait as long when youre copying files, importing photos or videos and doing AI-enabled tasks. It could also potentially decrease boot times, meaning your MacBook might be faster at waking up after shutting down, but if so, the improvement may be negligible. The MacBook Air M5 is also equipped with Apples new N1 chip. This enables the latest standards in connectivity, like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Unless youre a power user, its unlikely youll be using this chip to its full capacity, which can take up 46 gigabits per second of internet speed. If youre paying your ISP for those rates, you can probably afford a MacBook Pro, which might better suit your needs (you speed demon). The battery life of the MacBook Air M5 remains the same as its predecessor. In my experience reviewing laptops, Apple has been killing it with its battery life scores (with the M4 lasting over 18 hours on Engadgets battery test ), so I wouldnt be too shocked if its claims are accurate. Those are: 18 hours of video streaming and 15 hours of wireless web surfing. Ive also tested the MacBook Air M4, and that latter time is on point. MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: Design, display, audio Similar to the iPad Air M4 announcement this week, the MacBook Air M5s design, display and audio remain unchanged despite the overall price increase. Apart from being frustrated by the higher cost, I was satisfied that everything thats here is already pretty solid. Theres a decent array of colors, with the MacBook Air available in either blue, silver, beige and black. Although, I will always advocate for more, and brighter, colors especially since these hues are so tame. The MacBook Air M5 continues to live up to its name with a thin and light design. The 13-inch model comes in at 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches and 2.7 pounds, while the 15-inch stacks up to 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches and 3.3 pounds. Unfortunately, since theres no change in design, were stuck with only two Thunderbolt 4 ports and a headphone jack. Id like to complain that the MacBook Air still doesnt have an OLED panel, but I cant, since even the Pro MacBooks still have yet to feature one. (There are laptops, like the ZenBook 14, that cost around the same as the MacBook Air and manage to sport an OLED display, so its not unreasonable.) Despite that, the MacBook Airs displays are plenty vibrant. Both models come with a Liquid Retina LED panel at 224 ppi, and emit up to 500 nits of brightness. It makes working outdoors possible, but since its a glossy panel, Id still recommend staying inside (or finding shade). The MacBook Air 13 has a 13.6-inch, 2,560 x 1,664 panel, while the 15 is equipped with a 15.3-inch, 2,880 x 1,864 screen. Ive seen both the 13-inch and 15-inch versions of the MacBook Air M4 in person and theyre pleasantly bright. The speakers on both the MacBook Air M4 models produced loud and clear sound, albeit with middling bass. The MacBook Air M5 features the same speaker system, with the 13-inch supporting four speakers and the 15-inch carrying six, so it stands to reason the new laptops will deliver similar experiences on sound. macOS Tahoe and Apple Intelligence No changes to macOS Tahoe here. Everything you get with the MacBook Air M4 youll get on the M5. That includes the controversial Liquid Glass design and Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation in Messages. Speaking of Apple Intelligence, like I said earlier, you will likely benefit from faster processing thanks to the M5 chip. Apple claims AI tasks will be 4x faster, so even those who casually use AI may notice the difference. If youd like to compare for yourself exactly what changes the MacBook Air M5 brings over its predecessor, weve compiled this table to make it easier on your eyes. MacBook Air M5 vs. MacBook Air M4: Specs at a glance Spec MacBook Air M5 MacBook Air M4 Price $1,099 (13-inch), $1,299 (15-inch) $999 (13-inch), $1,199 (15-inch) Processor M5 M4 Display 13.6-inch: Liquid Retina, LED, 2,560 x 1,664, 224 ppi 15.3-inch: Liquid Retina, LED, 2,880 x 1,864, 224 ppi 13.6-inch: Liquid Retina, LED, 2,560 x 1,664, 224 ppi 15.3-inch: Liquid Retina, LED, 2,880 x 1,864, 224 ppi RAM 16GB, 24GB, 32GB 16GB, 24GB, 32GB Storage 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB Battery 18 hours (video streaming), 15 hours (wireless web) 18 hours (video streaming), 15 hours (wireless web) Dimensions 13-inch: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches 15-inch: 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches 13-inch: 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44 inches 15-inch: 13.4 x 9.35 x 0.45 inches Weight 13-inch: 2.7 pounds 15-inch: 3.3 pounds 13-inch: 2.7 pounds 15-inch: 3.3 pounds This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/macbook-air-m5-vs-macbook-air-m4-whats-changed-beyond-the-apple-silicon-185256565.html?src=rss

X to require AI labels on armed conflict videos from paid creators, citing times of war

X will suspend creators from its revenue sharing program if they post AI-generated videos depicting armed conflicts without disclosing they were made with AI. Head of product Nikita Bier announced the policy change on March 3, saying first-time violators will be cut off for 90 days and repeat offenders would be permanently removed from the program. Today we are revising our Creator Revenue Sharing policies to maintain authenticity of content on Timeline and prevent manipulation of the program. During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With todays AI technologies, Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) March 3, 2026 The policy is notably narrow, applying only to creators enrolled in the platforms revenue sharing program and only to AI-generated videos of armed conflicts, not AI content in general or non-monetized accounts. Violations will be flagged through Community Notes, X's crowd-sourced fact-checking system, or by detecting metadata from generative AI tools. Bier framed the change as necessary during times of war, though the current conflict unfolding between the United States, Israel and Iran has not been formally, or at least not legally, declared a war. Of course, the US has not formally declared war since 1942 . The quality of AI video generation has progressed at a rapid pace, and generated content has become almost indistinguishable from real footage for most viewers. X already watermarks images and videos generated by its Grok chatbot but has not previously required users to disclose AI-generated content. The platform is separately testing a broader AI labeling toggle that would let users mark any post as containing synthetic content, as first reported by Social Media Today , though X has not shared a timeline for that feature. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-to-require-ai-labels-on-armed-conflict-videos-from-paid-creators-citing-times-of-war-183631400.html?src=rss

AI data centers could reduce power draw on demand, study says

Apparently, AI data centers are capable of sucking less (power, that is). A recent UK trial demonstrated that they can adjust their energy demands dynamically without disrupting critical workloads. This contrasts with data centers' current approach of always-on power draw, which can strain grids and drive up prices for everyone . Over five days in December 2025, more than 200 simulated grid events tested a London data centers ability to adjust its energy use on the fly. The trial used software from Emerald AI, which was involved in the study. Other partners included NVIDIA, National Grid, Nebius and the nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute. In each simulated grid event, the data center successfully adjusted its energy use to the requested level. It reduced power draw by up to 40 percent, while critical workloads continued to run as normal throughout the trial. The data center successfully reacted to spikes in demand during soccer match halftimes. In one case, it reduced its power draw by 10 percent for up to 10 hours. It also managed to cut its demand quickly: One event saw the data center reduce its load by 30 percent in only 30 seconds. The study will serve as a blueprint for a 100MW power-flexible AI factory that NVIDIA plans to operate in Virginia. This trial proves that NVIDIA-powered infrastructure can act as a grid-aware asset, modulating demand in real-time to support stability, Josh Paker, NVIDIA's sustainability lead, wrote in a statement. By making AI workloads responsive, we accelerate deployment while reducing the need for costly grid upgrades. The organizations involved in the study say they'll share their data with the AI industry, regulators and policymakers to try to influence their approach. Fortunately, we dont need to hope that data center operators altruism (ha) will lead to their cooperation. Agreeing to curb usage during peak demand could be good for their balance sheets and lead to faster approvals for new data center grid connections. We would love to get to a point where we can get customers on the network in two years, and this is part of that, Steve Smith, president of National Grid Partners, told Bloomberg . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/ai-data-centers-could-reduce-power-draw-on-demand-study-says-180628982.html?src=rss

Audible's new plan is $9 a month and still includes an audiobook credit

Audible just launched a new budget-friendly Standard plan that costs $9 each month. Despite the lower price, this plan still includes a monthly audiobook credit. These credits allow users to download pretty much any audiobook from the library, including most brand-new releases. This was a perk previously locked to the Premium Plus plan, which is $15 per month. Subscribers also get access to a curated library of content sourced from the Audible Originals library and Wondery+. All of this will be available without ads. There are some caveats, especially when compared to the pricier Premium Plus subscription. That plan lets subscribers keep downloaded audiobooks forever, but the same isn't true of the Standard plan. Audiobooks will float into the ether once a subscription has been cancelled. This is only a big deal, however, for those who like to re-listen to their favorites. Audible The Premium Plus plan provides some other perks not available to Standard users. Subscribers get regular access to sales and discounts, and there's a library of audiobooks and podcasts to peruse. This is sort of like Kindle Unlimited, but for audiobooks. It's not a comprehensive catalog, but it works in a pinch. Amazon says the new plan is projected to bring millions of new consumers into the Audible experience over the next year. It's available right now in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, France and Australia. The company says it's currently testing the tier in additional marketplaces throughout the world. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/audibles-new-plan-is-9-a-month-and-still-includes-an-audiobook-credit-174641878.html?src=rss

Game Pass additions for March include Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 25

Microsoft has revealed the first wave of Xbox Game Pass additions for March. Cyberpunk 2077 and F1 25 headline the batch; the former is coming to both Ultimate and Premium tiers. Hollow Knight: Silksong, which launched about six months ago, is also on the way to Premium. Final Fantasy III and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II had been previously announced and are both available starting today. Both games can be played straight from the cloud or downloaded to the Xbox Series X/S as well as PC across all Game Pass tiers. F1 25 joins Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on March 4. For Ultimate subscribers, the game is already available through EA Play. F1 fans should know that EA used LiDAR to map the tracks for F1 25 . Also arriving March 4 is To a T , an adventure game from the creator of Katamari Damacy about a teen navigating small-town life with their cute dog companion. Your character takes on these adventures while stuck in a permanent T-pose, for reasons. The sci-fi adventure Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf launches as a day-one Game Pass release on March 5 across cloud, console, handheld and PC. Fan favorite Cyberpunk 2077 hits Game Pass Ultimate and Premium on March 10 across cloud and console. The Witcher 3 , also from developer CD Projekt RED , returned to Game Pass just a couple of weeks ago . Hollow Knight: Silksong drops on March 12 across cloud, console, handheld and PC. The highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2017 action-adventure was a day one release on Game Pass Ultimate, and will now be available on the lower Premium tier. Construction Simulator and DreamWorks Gabbys Dollhouse: Ready to Party round out the first half of the month on March 10 and March 17, respectively. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/game-pass-additions-for-march-include-cyberpunk-2077-and-f1-25-171433874.html?src=rss

Blue Prince is out on Switch 2 today, complete with mouse control

The unique and highly addictive roguelike Blue Prince is now available for Switch 2 , as announced at today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase . This version allows for mouse control, via the underutilized Joy-Con feature . This is a wonderfully designed puzzle game that oozes atmosphere . The game tasks players with exploring a gigantic mansion, but there's a twist. You actually build this mansion as you explore, room by room. This is done by placing what can only be described as magical blueprints. The goal is to fully explore the mansion and solve its many, many mysteries. However, there are only so many blueprints and too many obstacles. This is where the roguelike part comes in. When you build yourself into a dead end, you go to sleep and end the run. All of the rooms reset, but you may have learned a thing or two for the next run. Rinse and repeat. It's a very nifty gameplay loop, which is why it easily found a spot on Engadget's list of our favorite games from 2025 . We even called it a masterpiece, which is deserved. In other words, this is a fantastic addition to the Nintendo eShop. I only have one small gripe. This is a gorgeous game, but that's primarily due to the art direction and overall vibe. Why is it a Switch 2 exclusive? It seems like the OG Switch could handle it. In any event, this version is priced at $30 but has been discounted to $20 for launch. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/blue-prince-is-out-on-switch-2-today-complete-with-mouse-control-162242506.html?src=rss

Apple's cheap MacBook could be called the MacBook Neo

MacBook Neo appears to be the name of Apples long-rumored cheap MacBook, based on a regulatory posting on Apples website, MacRumors reports . The gaffe was quickly removed from Apples site (pour one out for the poor soul who posted it). Previous rumors didnt attach a name to the low-cost MacBook I figured Apple would just revive the clean and simple MacBook branding. The name MacBook Neo sounds like something wed see from ASUS or Acer, its just trying a bit too hard to seem cool. To recap, Apple is expected to unveil its first low-cost MacBook laptop tomorrow (and personally, I think it has a good shot at peeling away disgruntled Windows users ). Its rumored to be powered by one of the companys A-series mobile chips, instead of the M-series hardware in its laptops and desktops so far. Apple reportedly isnt skimping on the case its expected to be all metal, except with plenty more colors than the companys existing lineup. In many ways, the MacBook Neo sounds like a revival of Apples cute and colorful iBook laptops, except for far less money than those machines, with no handle for toting around. Apple kicked off its week of spring announcements with the iPhone 17e and iPad Air M4 yesterday, both of which are relatively modest upgrades. (Still, its nice to have MagSafe on the iPhone 17e.) This morning, Apple unveiled the MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max systems , both of which are slightly more expensive than the previous models. We also got a new addition to Apples monitor lineup with the 5K MiniLED Studio Display XDR . Along with the MacBook Neo, we may also see an upgraded Mac Studio desktop announced tomorrow. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apples-cheap-macbook-could-be-called-the-macbook-neo-153800133.html?src=rss

2027 Audi RS5 first drive: Big thrills with a big battery

There's more waffling going on about the future of electric vehicles in America right now than you might expect at a Belgian breakfast buffet. Some brands like Hyundai are staying committed, some brands like Honda are dialing back , and everyone else is simply doing their damndest to provide as many propulsion options as possible Count Audi in that last category. On the EV side, it recently launched the new Q6 E-Tron and refreshed the ballistic E-Tron GT . On the internal combustion side, it has a new A6, and there's a full-size, three-row SUV coming in the form of the Q9. The company's latest car, though, can be found in the middle: Meet the new RS5, Audi's latest and greatest plug-in hybrid. RS stands for RennSport, or Racing Sport in German, the moniker applied to Audi's highest performing cars. RS designates an elite group of machines intended to be a bit more edgy and exclusive than your BMW M cars or Mercedes-Benz AMGs. The 2027 RS5 marks the first time an RS has come with both a big battery and a big engine, but the RS5 is much more than a novelty with a plug. Tricky diff 2027 Audi RS5 Tim Stevens for Engadget The main grunt of the new RS5 comes from a 2.9-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 mounted up front under the hood. On its own, that engine produces 503 horsepower, a figure that you might think is plenty. Here, though, it has some help here in the form of not one but two electric motors. The first is a typical hybrid arrangement, a 174-hp motor wedged in between the engine and transmission. This is the primary means of electric propulsion for the car, giving it a total, maximum system output of 630 hp and 609 lb-ft. Because that motor is positioned where it is, the RS5 can still make full use of its eight-speed automatic transmission when driven only by the electric motor. That means a top speed of 87 mph before the engine kicks in. Once it does, it'll take you all the way up to 177 mph. There's a second motor at the back, though, which is far more interesting. No, it isn't there to drive the rear axle like on the RAV4 Hybrid . The RS5 has a traditional Quattro setup with a mechanical differential in the middle to distribute power between the front and rear wheels. The small, 11-hp motor at the back exclusively controls a new type of system that Audi calls Dynamic Torque Control. This motor uses planetary gearsets to selectively and effectively magnify the power to either the left or the right axle at the back. It may be small, but this motor makes the RS5 do some wonderful things. Drift time 2027 Audi RS5 Tim Stevens for Engadget For maximum fun in the new RS5, dial it over to what Audi calls Torque Rear mode. This configures the new rear differential to send maximum twist to the outside rear wheel. Combine that with the center differential, which can send up to 85 percent of the engine's power to the rear, and the result is a remarkably willing drift partner. After less than 30 seconds behind the wheel on a closed track in Marrakesh, I was confidently sliding my way through a set of cones in a slalom, then pirouetting around a cone at the end in a tight circle, clouds of tire smoke hanging in the air. Normally, drifting a 5,200-pound, 630-hp machine rolling on sticky tires is a real nightmare. It's delightfully easy in the RS5. The car's differential setup not only makes this easy but also tracks just how successful you are at it. It records the time, length and even angle of your most dramatic drifts. You can even replay them on the touchscreen if you're so inclined, scrubbing back and forth to see what kinds of G forces you were generating. This is part of a new extension to its infotainment system called the Audi Driving Experience. It'll also track lap times around race tracks, giving you a bit more information in the timeless pursuit of tenths of a second. 2027 Audi RS5 Tim Stevens for Engadget Audi also added a few custom screens showing the power distribution of the car and letting you monitor things like critical system temperatures and tire pressures at every corner. Otherwise, though, it's much the same interface as seen on most new Audis, with a 14.5-inch central touchscreen, an 11.9-inch gauge cluster and an optional 10.9-inch display way over on the right for the passenger. That's a lot of displays, with the left two encased within an oversized, sweeping panel that stands tall and proud out of the dashboard. Too tall, actually. If big bezels ruin your day, look away, because there's a lot of wasted space here. Likewise, if you don't like steering wheels with capacitive touch controls, you're not going to love the RS5. Audi has brought back the little scroll wheels under your thumbs, at least, but everything else on there is just a flat surface. Putting the power down 2027 Audi RS5 Tim Stevens for Engadget I spent the better part of a day driving the RS5 through the wild streets of Marrakesh and up into the Atlas Mountains to the south. In the city, I left the car in EV mode, letting that primary electric motor and the car's 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery (22 kWh net) do the heavy lifting. Audi says the car can cover up to 54 miles in this mode, and while I didn't have time to go that far on battery power, it seemed like an achievable estimate. The car is perfectly pleasant in this mode, silent and even reasonably quick. In Comfort mode, the suspension is at its softest, and despite those giant wheels, the RS5 did perfectly fine over the decidedly imperfect Moroccan roads. But it wasn't until I got far away from the city that I could start to open things up a bit, working my way through the various drive modes and eventually all the way up to RS Sport, the most performance-oriented. Here, the suspension is at its stiffest and the throttle at its sharpest, transmission swinging through its ratios eagerly to keep the engine singing. Jump on the gas, and the car really does leap forward, the electric motor doing its part to cover the power delay caused by the turbochargers in the mix. You can feel that rear differential here, too, adding an extra bit of pivot to the rear when you're powering out of corners. But, on the way in, you really can feel the substantial weight of this car, the front end scrubbing and pushing forward when you ask too much of it. Again, this model gained more than 1,000 pounds over the old RS5, and though the improved suspension, drivetrain, tires and even giant, ceramic brakes all help to reduce its feel, there's no hiding that much mass. Wrap-up Yes, the RS5 has gained a lot of weight, and that hurts its nimbleness on track, but remember that this is a large, luxury sedan. It was never meant to be a lithe track toy. Despite that, the new RS5 actually feels far more fun and aggressive than its predecessor, a characteristic at least partially due to that trick new rear differential and the instant response of the new hybrid system. 54 miles of emissions-free range doesn't hurt, either. The big question is cost, and sadly, Audi's not ready to answer that one yet. You do, at least, have a little time to save. The new RS5 doesnt hit American shores until sometime in 2027. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/2027-audi-rs5-first-drive-big-thrills-with-a-big-battery-152057907.html?src=rss

Everything Apple announced this week: iPhone 17e, new MacBooks, M4 iPad Air and more

Apple has promised a big week for the company, which includes an in-person event for press and creators on March 4. But it didnt exactly wait until Wednesday to get things started. The news started on Monday with the announcements of the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air . The company followed up on Tuesday with the reveal of the M5 MacBook Air , the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips , MacBook Pro models that use said chips, a refreshed Studio Display and a brand-new 27-inch Studio Display XDR . Heres our recap of everything Apple has announced so far this week: iPhone 17e Apple Apple has spruced up this years entry-level iPhone with some pretty solid upgrades, though it's keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e has double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB. It also has MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, double that of the iPhone 16e. Design-wise, Apple hasn't exactly rocked the boat. The iPhone 17e looks pretty much identical to its predecessor. It appears that Apple is sticking with the same 48MP Fusion camera system as it used in the iPhone 16e too. That said, the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has Ceramic Shield 2. According to Apple, this provides 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduced glare. The company slotted its C1X cellular modem into the iPhone 17e as well. It says this is up to two times faster than the C1 that was in the iPhone 16e. The device has the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, so it supports Apple Intelligence AI tools, and it runs iOS 26. In addition, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as the promise of all-day battery life. It also supports satellite-powered features including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e open on March 4 and it will be available in black, white and soft pink. The device will hit shelves in more than 70 countries and regions on March 11. iPad Air M4 Apple The latest iPad Air boasts Apples M4 chip. That means the mid-range iPad is effectively remaining a year behind the iPad Pro. The M4 is almost two years old at this point, while the top-end model has the newer M5 chip. Still, if you only use an iPad for casual tasks like watching shows, web browsing, email and so on, the M4 will be more than powerful enough.It will be more adept at handling resource-intensive tasks like video editing than previous iPad Air models too. Apple has also bumped up the RAM from 8GB from the last-gen model to 12GB. Given the sharp increase in RAM prices in recent months, its slightly surprising that Apple is sticking to the same prices for the iPad Air. The 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $599 while the 13-inch version starts at $799, each with 128GB of storage. There's a $50 discount for those buying it for educational use. Apple claims the M4 delivers up to 2.3 times faster performance compared with the M1 iPad Air and over 4x faster 3D pro rendering with ray tracing performance. Of course, the new iPad Air runs iPadOS 26. Apple gave the iPad Air other internal upgrades by including its N1 and C1X connectivity chips. As such, this is the first iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7 support. As you might expect, 5G cellular connectivity is available as well. The design of the M4 iPad Air doesn't seem to have changed, as it appears to have the same LCD display Apple used in the last two iterations of the tablet. The company has stuck with the same rear-facing camera and dual-speaker setup as well. As with the iPhone 17e, pre-orders for the M4 iPad Air open on March 4. The tablet will hit retailers in 35 countries and regions on March 11. It will be available in blue, purple, starlight and space gray. M5 MacBook Air Apple A year after Apple upgraded the MacBook Air with an M4 chipset, the company pulled the same trick by swapping in an M5 chip. The company also boosted the base storage from 256GB to 512GB, with an SSD that it claimed can provide 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation. While the MBA still has 16GB or RAM as standard, Apple also upgraded the memory to have 153GB/s of bandwidth the company said thats a 28 percent improvement over what the M4 MBA offered. Alas, with those upgrades comes a tradeoff. Apple has bumped the starting price of the latest MacBook Air back up to $1,099 after cutting it to $999 for the M4 model. Thats for the 13-inch variant. The 15-inch M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,299. The latest MacBook Air is available in sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver. You can pre-order one on March 4. It will hit stores in 33 countries and regions on March 11. This story is developing; refresh for updates This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/everything-apple-announced-this-week-iphone-17e-new-macbooks-m4-ipad-air-and-more-155617625.html?src=rss

The MacBook Air M5 starts at $1,099, up $100 from the M4

Reports had suggested that Apple wasnt going to reveal a refreshed MacBook Air with an M5 chip during its week of announcements , but whaddyaknow? Apple just went ahead and did that exact thing . Lets deal with the bad news first: Apple is reverting a price cut from last year. It dropped the M4-powered MBAs starting price down to $999 , but for the M5-equipped model, youll need to shell out at least $1,099. The company claimed the M5 MacBook Air will be able to deliver four times faster performance in AI tasks than the M4 MBA. Compared with the M1 MacBook Air, youll get up to 9.5 times faster performance, the company said. Along with swapping in a more powerful chip, Apple has upgraded the starting storage by doubling it from 256GB to 512GB. The company says the SSD has 2x faster read/write performance compared to the previous generation. You can kit out the MacBook Air with 4TB of internal storage if you have the will and the means. Youll also get 16GB of RAM for starters. The memory has 153GB/s of bandwidth, which Apple said is a 28 percent improvement over the M4 MBA. The latest MacBook Air can be equipped with up to 32GB of memory. Just like it did with the latest iPad Air , Apple has upgraded the connectivity hardware. Thanks to the inclusion of the companys N1 wireless chip, the M5 MacBook Air supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. As youd imagine, the M5 MacBook Air runs on macOS Tahoe and it supports Apple Intelligence features. It has a Liquid Retina display, 12MP Center Stage camera, a sound system with Spatial Audio support and a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, which allows the laptop to support up to two external displays. Apple claims the M5 MacBook Air will run for up 18 hours on a single charge. The M5 MacBook Air is available in 13-inch and 15-inch models, with the latter starting at $1,299. Its available in sky blue, midnight, starlight and silver. Pre-orders start on March 4 at 9:15AM ET. The laptops will be available in stores in 33 countries and regions on March 11. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-macbook-air-m5-starts-at-1099-up-100-from-the-m4-141612909.html?src=rss

Apple brings its M5 Pro and Max silicon to the next MacBook Pro generation

It happened much later than we expected, but Apple's announcement of MacBook Pros with its M5 Pro and M5 Max chips has finally arrived. These more powerful variants on Apple's silicon will be available in the 14-inch and 16-inch models of the laptops. Pre-orders will open on March 4 with an expected ship date of March 11.Youll want to save some extra coin this time, though, as prices have gone up compared to the prior generation. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro can be kitted out with either an M5 Pro or M5 Max. The Pro option for the chip boasts a CPU with 15 or 18 CPU cores and 16 or 20 GPU cores. For the M5 Max, users will have 18 CPU cores along with 32 or 40 GPU cores. The base model with an M5 Pro has either 24 or 48GB of RAM and now starts with 1TB of storage, up from 512GB as was standard before. If you're eyeing the 16-inch MacBook Pro, it starts with the M5 Pro with 18 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores. You can also get the same two M5 Max configurations as you can on the 14-inch model. Perhaps most significantly, Apple has raised prices on its entire MacBook Pro lineup. The 14-inch M5 model previously started at $1,599; its now priced at $1,699. At least youre getting something for that cash, as Apple has doubled its base storage to 1TB. The same goes for the new M5 Pro and Max options. The 14-inch with the M5 Pro now starts at $2,199 instead of $1,999, while the 16-inch starts at a whopping $2,699 instead of $2,499. That 16-inch model comes with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage now as standard; thats again double the storage space from the prior model. The M5 Max model starts with 2TB of storage and 36GB of RAM for $3,599 (14-inch) or $3,899 (16-inch). Running down the rest of the specs: Apple says the storage in the new MacBook Pro is twice as fast as the prior generation so youre getting more, faster storage than before for the extra cash. The laptops also include the Apple-designed N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity, and Apple says the MacBook Pro is rated for up to 24 hours of battery life. It has the same excellent Liquid Retina XDR display as weve seen for multiple years now, as well as a 12-megapixel Center Stage front-facing camera. It's a little unusual for these heavy-duty upgrades to Apple's MacBook Pros to be announced so much later from the news of its latest silicon updates. The company debuted the M5 chip last fall as usual, but spent several months before it revealed these major hardware additions for housing it. And the M5 MacBook Pro that was announced in October shortly after the M5 chip news came with zero fanfare. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-brings-its-m5-pro-and-max-silicon-to-the-next-macbook-pro-generation-141553279.html?src=rss

Apple reveals its new 5K mini-LED Studio Display XDR

Apple continues its gradual unveiling of new products this week with the launch of the Studio Display and an all-new 27-inch Studio Display XDR. The latter is a higher-end model aimed at content creators with a 27-inch 5K Retina XDR display that features a mini-LED display with 2,000-plus dimming zones, up to 2,000 nits of peak HDR brightness and a wider color gamut for improved accuracy. It looks like a replacement for the expensive, nearly seven-year-old 32-inch 6K Pro XDR Display , which is no longer for sale on Apple's website. The Studio Display XDR also has a 120Hz refresh rate, addressing complaints about the relatively anemic 60Hz refresh rate of previous models. At the same time, it comes standard with a new tilt- and height-adjustable stand, with a height range of 105mm. Apple Apple calls the Studio Display XDR the world's best pro display for things like HDR video editing and medical displays. Brightness levels are certainly outstanding at 1,000 nits SDR and 2,000 nits HDR, and the 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 80 percent Rec.2020 coverage are also top-notch. The new model should even be fine for some light gaming thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate and Adaptive Sync support, though many buyers may want a 32-inch or larger display like the now-discontinued Pro XDR model. Other features include a 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with a second port for downstream high-speed accessories or additional daisy-chained displays. It can also act as a Thunderbolt hub, while offering up to 140W of charging power through the included Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable, enough to fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro. Apple Along with the Display XDR, Apple also announced a new version of the standard Studio Display. As before, it comes with a 27-inch 5K Retina display with up to 600 nits of brightness and P3 wide color, either with standard or optional nano-texture glass (a $300 option). However, it now includes an improved 12MP Center Stage camera along with Desk View to show your face and an overhead view of your desk at the same time. You also get a studio-quality three-microphone array and six speaker sound system with Spatial Audio. That display now supports Thunderbolt 5 connectivity as well, providing higher-speed connections for accessories and the ability to daisy-chain displays. However, max charging power on this model is limited to 96W, still enough to fast-charge a 14-inch MacBook Pro. The Studio Display comes standard with a tilt-adjustable stand, but you can get it with a tilt- and height-adjustable standard for $400 more as before. The Studio Display XDR will be available tomorrow for pre-order starting at $3,299 , while the new Studio Display also goes on pre-order on March 4 starting at $1,599 without the nano-texture display or heigh-adjustable stand. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/apple-reveals-its-new-5k-mini-led-studio-display-xdr-141515587.html?src=rss

Shure's next-gen DAI adds mobile support

XLR microphone owners, rejoice: Shure's successor to the MVX2U Digital Audio Interface (DAI) brings the adapter into the mobile era. The compact MVX2U Gen 2 adds more advanced onboard audio processing. But its most notable upgrade is mobile device compatibility, so you're no longer limited to desktop use. The single-channel MVX2U Gen 2 provides up to +60dB of gain and 48V phantom power. On the processing front, the adapter includes an auto-level mode. Theres also a real-time denoiser to minimize background noise and a pop filter (Popper Stopper in Shure marketing-speak) to soften those harsh plosive sounds. Shure says the new model improves the noise floor, headphone amp and DAC. The adapter stores your last-used audio processing settings. That way, you don't have to worry about your settings getting wiped out when switching between devices or software. The Shure MVX2U Gen 2 includes a 1m (3.3 ft) USB-C to USB-C cable, so you can get it up and running quickly on your phone, tablet or PC. The adapter is now available for $139 from the company website . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/shures-next-gen-dai-adds-mobile-support-140000205.html?src=rss

Meta's AI display glasses reportedly share intimate videos with human moderators

Users of Meta's AI smart glasses in Europe may be unknowingly sharing intimate video and sensitive financial information with moderators outside of the bloc, according to a report from Sweden's Svenska Dagbladet released last week. Employees in Kenya doing AI annotation told the journalists that they've seen people nude, using the toilet and engaging in sexual activity, along with credit card numbers and other sensitive information. With Meta's Ray-Ban Display and other glasses with AI capabilities, users can record what they're looking at or get answers to questions via a Meta AI assistant. If a wearer wants to make use of that AI, though, they must agree to Meta's terms of service that allow any data captured to be reviewed by humans. That's because Meta's large language models (LLMs) often require people to annotate visual data so that the AI can understand it and build its training models. This data can end up in places like Nairobi, Kenya, often moderated by underpaid workers. Such actions are subject to Europe's GDPR rules that require transparency about how personal data is processed, according to a data protection lawyer cited in the report. However, Svenska Dagbladet's reporters said they needed to jump through some hoops to see Meta's privacy policy for its wearable products. That policy states that either humans or automated systems may review sensitive data, and puts the onus on the user to not share sensitive information. Meta declined to comment directly on the story, and simply said that when live AI is being used, we process that media according to the Meta AI Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. To find out more, check out Svenska Dagbladet 's detailed reporting on the subject. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/metas-ai-display-glasses-reportedly-share-intimate-videos-with-human-moderators-135939855.html?src=rss

Charlie Brown now works for Sony

Sony Music Entertainment Japan and Sony Pictures Entertainment now officially own 80 percent of the Peanuts franchise. The companies have closed the deal, which was officially announced in December 2025 when it was still subject to regulatory approvals, for $460 million. Sony Music Japan has owned 39 percent of Peanuts since 2018, so the Sony subsidiaries are essentially buying 41 percent of the franchise from Canadian firm WildBrain with this transaction. Now that the acquisition is done, Peanuts is officially a consolidated Sony subsidiary. The Peanuts universe started as comic strips by Charles M. Schulz back in 1950. Its characters, especially Charlie Brown and his pet dog Snoopy, have become household names since then. One cannot say Good grief! without associating it with Charlie Brown. The franchise has grown massively since Peanuts inception, spawning a bunch of animated series, cartoon musicals and movies, such A Charlie Brown Christmas and Snoopy The Musical . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/charlie-brown-now-works-for-sony-125619518.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Apples big week starts with the iPhone 17e

Were at the start of another one of those weeks where Apple announces one or two of its lesser products each day. The first pair to break cover is the iPhone 17e and iPad Air M4 , with more due to drop as the calendar rolls forward. The iPhone 17e is by far the more interesting gadget, especially as the price remained the same as for the iPhone 16e. Apple is charging $599 for the 17e, even though the base model storage has doubled to a very welcome 256GB. The 17e also gains several features that were held back from the equivalent budget handset last year. The most notable is perhaps the addition of MagSafe at Qi2 speeds, enabling users to wirelessly charge their device at 15W. Keen-eyed spec-list nerds will also spot Apples C1X proprietary wireless chip, which offers comparable speed to the Qualcomm models it will eventually replace, but with far better power efficiency. The iPad Air, by comparison, is the very model of a modern major iterative spec revision to keep it up to date. The M3 has been upgraded to an M4, and itll get the same home grown wireless chips ( N1 and C1X ), blessing it with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility. Apple is also adding some more RAM to the iPad Air, boosting it from 8GB to 12GB, but without adding any more digits to the price. As someone whos still clinging on to an iPhone 14, the generous storage and low cost of the iPhone 17e is intriguing. And its a far more attractive package than whatever Apple was trying to offer with the iPhone Air . Dan Cooper The other big stories this morning Starlink's next-gen satellite network could provide 150 Mbps speeds by end of next year The company wants to offer 5G-esque speed, but from space. Vivo's X300 Ultra goes global and gets a huge 400mm Zeiss telephoto lens Looks totally normal hanging off the back of a phone. OpenAI will amend Defense Department deal to prevent mass surveillance in the US Wait a second, wasnt that one of Anthropics red lines? The Lenovo Modular AI PC concept is a remixed dual-screen laptop with hot swappable ports Modularity! For! Some! Reason! Sam Rutherford for Engadget Lenovo rocked up to MWC to show off a concept laptop with hot-swappable components , letting users push around their keyboard and displays at will. The company says you can set up the hardware on your desk to suit your needs at any given time. So, if you need a standard laptop, you can do that, or you can put a second display where your keyboard should go and use your keyboard wirelessly. Sadly, its a concept, so while you can purr at Lenovos engineering prowess you cant hand it any of your cash to properly own this thing. Continue Reading. A closer look at Honors Robot Phone Sources describe the unit as adorable. Mat Smith for Engadget Honor made its usual full-court press at MWC, but the star of its own show was the Robot Phone , due to launch later this year. Its a smartphone with its own articulating camera gimbal which can move around in response to its users commands. The Morning Afters own Mat Smith says its able to shake and nod its, uh, head, and can even dance along to music. And thats before you get to its real function to, you know, take photos and stuff. Continue Reading. Paramount+ and HBO Max could be merging into a single streaming service The combined ParaSkyWarDisco would serve 200 million subscribers. Paramount Sky CEO David Ellison has outlined his vision for his latest toy, Warner Brothers Discovery. He told investors both companies would merge their streaming services , giving it a global audience of around 200 million subscribers. Ellison also pledged to give HBO operational independence, hopefully meaning it wont be staffed entirely by patronage appointees. Continue Reading. Everything announced at MWC 2026: Lenovo's wild foldable gaming handheld, Honor's Robot Phone, and more Far too many things for one newsletter. Mat Smith for Engadget MWC is such a big show it would be impossible to cover everything weve reported on in a single newsletter. But, thankfully, weve built a roundup of the most important things for you to peruse , especially all of the biggest phones that you arent as likely to see on store shelves in the US. Continue Reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121540093.html?src=rss

Meta starts testing its AI shopping assistant

Meta has started rolling out an experimental AI shopping tool to some users in the US, according to Bloomberg . At the moment, its reportedly only showing up on desktop browsers when select users visit Meta AI on the web . Theyll know if they have access to the feature if they see the Shopping research button inside the query text box. The company has confirmed that it was testing the feature, Bloomberg said, but it didnt say when a wider release will happen. When users ask for product suggestions, the chatbot will show them a carousel with product images and their pricing, along with a link to the e-commerce website and information about the brand. Meta AI will also include a short explanation why it recommended the item. If Meta AI can see a users information, such as their gender and location data, it can tailor responses for them. Bloomberg said it replied with a selection of womens puffer jackets from shops that ship to New York, based on the testers profile. Users cannot check out from within the Meta AI interface, but they can click on the links it provides to shop online. Mark Zuckerberg previously told investors that Meta is launching agentic shopping tools during an earnings call earlier this year. It doesnt come as a surprise that the company is working on them, when rival AI companies already offer the same tools. OpenAI rolled out a dedicated shopping assistant for ChatGPT just before Black Friday last year, shortly after Google launched its own shopping tools for Gemini . Perplexity also released an AI shopping assistant at the same time. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/meta-starts-testing-its-ai-shopping-assistant-120148124.html?src=rss

Google's Home's latest feature is Gemini-powered 'Live Search' for cameras

Google Home has some significant new quality-of-life updates and a new AI-powered feature, the division's head honcho Anish Katturkan announced on X . Many of them, including a function called Live Search, are powered by the company's Gemini for Home service launched in October 2025 as the official replacement for Google Assistant on smart devices. We launched Gemini for Home in Early Access specifically to learn from real-world usage, Katturkaran said. With millions of you now testing and shaping this experience every day, we're pushing regular voice improvements to address your feedback. The Live Search feature does just what it says, letting you query Gemini about the current state of your home based on what the cameras see. For instance, you can ask things like Hey Google, is there a car in the driveway? However, the feature is only available for Google Home Premium advanced subscribers who pay a $20 per month ($200 per year) fee. Gemini for Home now uses updated models to improve the quality and accuracy of answers too and will more reliably play newly-released songs. Other key updates include better targeting for smart home devices by room, house and device, reduced instances of cutting off a speaker prematurely, better reliability for user-created automations by voice and more. Too see all those changes, check out Google Home's latest changelog , Finally, Google Home announced enhanced support for the Nest x Yale lock , including comprehensive passcode management (including for guests), a more robust activity history, real-time notifications for lock events and enhanced lock settings like single touch locking. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/googles-homes-latest-feature-is-gemini-powered-live-search-for-cameras-112216551.html?src=rss

The best keyboards for 2026

A keyboard is one of those pieces of gear you interact with constantly, yet its easy to overlook how much it affects your day-to-day comfort. From firing off emails to long coding sessions or late-night gaming , the right keyboard can make everything feel smoother, faster and less fatiguing. Some setups call for slim, quiet boards that disappear into a workspace, while others benefit from chunky mechanical keyboards with satisfying switches and durable frames. Youll also find wireless models that cut down on desk clutter, compact layouts built for travel and ergonomic keyboards aimed at reducing strain during long stretches of time. No matter how you use your computer, upgrading your keyboard is one of the simplest ways to improve the experience. Weve tested a wide range of options to find the best keyboards for different needs, budgets and typing styles. Best keyboards for 2026 What to look for in a keyboard Design Size The first thing youll want to consider when it comes to your next computer keyboards design is size. There are a number of different keyboard layouts to choose from, but the most common are full-sized, tenkeyless and those smaller than tenkeyless. Full-sized keyboards, or 100 percent, include a function row at the top and a complete numpad with arrow keys on the right side, along with all of the rest of the alphanumeric keys youd expect on a standard QWERTY layout. Tenkeyless, or 80 percent, removes the number pad but keeps the arrow keys and the function row, reducing the overall width measurement of the board by a decent amount. Compact keyboards keep things ultra simple by including only the alphanumeric keys and modifiers like Alt, Shift, Ctrl and others and they come in different sizes like 60 percent, 65 percent and more. These are the most popular sizes out there, but you can find plenty of other designs that include different mixes of keys along with the standard letters and numbers all should have. Aside from size, there are two other big categories that you could use to define a keyboard: ergonomic and mechanical. Ergonomic keyboards are designed with, you guessed it, better ergonomics in mind, taking into account where you should position your fingers, hands and forearms to maintain proper posture. Separately, mechanical keyboards use mechanical switches (of which there are many types) that differ greatly from the membrane or scissor-switch keyboards youll find dominating most wired and wireless options widely available today. We have guides to the best ergonomic keyboards and best mechanical keyboards, but well summarize what you need to know about both here. Ergonomic keyboards If you deal with discomfort from working at a computer all day, ergonomic keyboards can help. These specially designed boards re-orient the keys, allowing you to hold your elbows farther apart and maintain a straighter line from your forearms to hands. Some people find this subtle change more comfortable. Ergonomic keyboards typically fall into two categories: Alice and split keyboards. The former is a single unit with an A-shaped gap in the center of the keys. Split models come in two separate pieces which you can arrange as you like on your desk. Additional ergonomic features like tenting and negative tilt can make typing feel even more comfortable, and are often available on both Alice and split boards. Tenting raises the middle of the keys up so your hands take on more of a handshake position. Negative tilting lowers the top of the keyboard to keep your wrists angled downward instead of back towards your forearms. The way the keys are arranged on the keyboard may make typing easier as well. Traditionally, keyboards are staggered, with one row of letters slightly offset from the row beneath it. Columnar keyboards arrange the keys in a grid of rows and columns. This style takes a little getting used to, but some people find it allows them to type faster. You can also make the keys of some keyboards do more than just produce letters. Programmable boards let you map shortcuts and other functions, including macros, which may keep you from reaching for the mouse quite so often, saving you time and possibly strain as well. Mechanical keyboards Mechanical keyboards have blown up in popularity as more people have been thrust into creating their own workspaces at home. Its easy to see why: Compared to a traditional membrane keyboard, a good mechanical board is more durable, more satisfying to press and, most importantly, infinitely more customizable. The best of them usually come with a price premium, but even some cheaper models let you hot-swap between keycaps, switches and other materials, letting you tinker with different typing sensations and sound profiles until you find a combination that best expresses your preferences. Do you want each press to feel deep and full or fast and light? Do you need them to sound loud and clacky or almost totally muffled ? Do you prefer your keycaps to look subdued and professional, stuffed with RGB lights or written in an Elvish language from The Lord of the Rings for some reason? With the right new keyboard, its all up to you the only things really holding you back are your imagination and your wallet. We have a dedicated buying guide that digs deeper into the key aspects to consider when buying a mechanical gaming keyboard, so we encourage you to look at that for a full rundown. To keep things high-level, the most influential part of your purchase is your keyboards switch type. These little mechanisms slot underneath the keycaps and generally have the biggest effect on how your keyboard feels and sounds as you type away. You can broadly separate mechanical switches into three buckets: linear, tactile and clicky. Linear switches feel smooth all the way down; theyre often popular with gamers since they tend to be light and fast to actuate. Tactile switches create a tangible bump sensation partway through a press; many people who spend all day typing prefer them because they clearly confirm each press without (always) being all that loud. Clicky switches are functionally similar to tactiles but make an audible click sound to match the bump; your coworkers may hate them, but others love the full-throated sense of feedback they provide. To be clear, just because two switches fall within the same bucket doesnt mean they feel or sound exactly the same. The only way to figure out which switch works best for you is to do your research and, preferably, try some out for yourself. Other keyboards have a mechanical-style feel but are built on different mechanisms entirely. The hot new trend in gaming-focused keyboards, for example, is Hall effect switches, which use tiny magnets to register keystrokes and let you customize the sensitivity of each press. Optical switches, meanwhile, offer similar functionality by replacing the physical contact point of a typical mechanical switch with a beam of infrared light. More recently, weve seen a couple keyboards launch with inductive switches, which can work like magnetic switches but use inductive coils in the keyboards printed circuit board (PCB) to cater to all switches collectively and dont require a sensor for each individual switch. We touch on a couple of magnetic-switch keyboards in our picks below, but for a fuller breakdown of this sort of tech, we recommend you check out our dedicated buying guide to the best gaming keyboards . Connectivity Youve got two options here: wired or wireless. Wired keyboards typically have an attached cable that plugs into a USB-A or USB-C port on your computer (or docking station), although some come with cables that can be removed. Wireless mechanical keyboards connect to your machine either via Bluetooth or a wireless receiver dongle. Theres always the chance of some latency with wireless keyboards, so keep that in mind if youre picking one up to use primarily with a gaming PC. Of course, youll only have to worry about battery life with Bluetooth keyboards. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-keyboard-120000018.html?src=rss

OpenAI will amend Defense Department deal to prevent mass surveillance in the US

OpenAIs Sam Altman said the company will amend its deal with the Defense Department (or the Department of War) to explicitly prohibit the use of its AI system on mass surveillance against Americans. Altman has published an internal memo previously sent to employees on X, telling them that the company will tweak the agreement to add language to make that point especially clear. Specifically, it says: Consistent with applicable laws, including the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, National Security Act of 1947, FISA Act of 1978, the AI system shall not be intentionally used for domestic surveillance of U.S. persons and nationals. For the avoidance of doubt, the Department understands this limitation to prohibit deliberate tracking, surveillance, or monitoring of U.S. persons or nationals, including through the procurement or use of commercially acquired personal or identifiable information. Altman has also claimed in the memo that the agency affirmed that its services will not be used by its intelligence agencies, including the NSA, without a modification to their contract. He added that if he received what he believed was an unconstitutional order, he would rather go to jail than follow it. In addition, the OpenAI CEO has admitted in the memo that the company shouldnt have rushed to get the deal out on Friday, February 27, since the issues were super complex and demand clear communication. Altman explained that the company was trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome but it looked opportunistic in the end. If youll recall, OpenAI announced the partnership shortly after President Trump ordered all US government agencies to stop using Claude and any other Anthropic services. To note, Anthropic started working with the US government in 2024. The Defense Department and Secretary Pete Hegseth had been pressuring Anthropic with to remove its AIs guardrails so that it can be used for all lawful purposes. Those include mass surveillance and the development of fully autonomous weapons. Anthropic refused to bow down to Hegseths demands and in a statement said that no amount of intimidation or punishment will change its position on mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. Trump issued the order as a result. The Defense Department had also taken the first steps to designate Anthropic as a supply chain risk, which is typically reserved for Chinese companies believed to be working with their countrys government. Altman said that in his conversations with US officials, he reiterated that Anthropic shouldnt be designated as a supply chain risk and that he hoped the Defense Department would offer it the same deal OpenAI agreed to. In an AMA session on X over the weekend, Altman clarified that he didnt know the details of Anthropics agreement and how it differed from the one OpenAI signed. But if it had been the same, he thought Anthropic should have agreed to it. After the news broke out about OpenAIs deal, Anthropic climbed its way to the number one spot of the App Store's Top Free Apps leaderboard, beating out both ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Anthropic , capitalizing on Claudes sudden popularity, launched a memory import tool to make switching to its chatbot from another companys easier. Meanwhile, uninstalls for ChatGPTs jumped by 295 percent day-over-day, according to Sensor Tower. Here is re-post of an internal post: We have been working with the DoW to make some additions in our agreement to make our principles very clear. 1. We are going to amend our deal to add this language, in addition to everything else: Consistent with applicable laws, Sam Altman (@sama) March 3, 2026 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-will-amend-defense-department-deal-to-prevent-mass-surveillance-in-the-us-050637400.html?src=rss

Australia will consider requiring app stores to block AI services without age verification

Australia's government may take a strict stance on ensuring younger users cannot access AI chatbots. Reuters reports that Australian regulators may require app storefronts to block AI services that do not implement age verification for restricting mature content by March 9. eSafety will use the full range of our powers where there is non-compliance, a representative for the commissioner said in a statement to the publication. Those paths could include action in respect of gatekeeper services such as search engines and app stores that provide key points of access to particular services. A review by Reuters found that of 50 leading text-based AI chat services in the region, only nine had introduced or shared plans for age assurance. Eleven services reportedly had blanket content filters or planned to block all Australians from using their service, according to the report, leaving a large number that had not taken public action a week ahead of the country's deadline. Failure to comply could see AI companies face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($35 million). The question of which parties are responsible for keeping children from accessing potentially harmful content is being debated around the world. In the US, for instance, Apple and Google have been lobbying to have the task delegated to platforms rather than app store operators. The language from the Australian regulators about all stores is hardly definitive at this stage, but given the breadth of its sweeping ban on the use of social media and some highly social digital platforms for citizens under age 16 enacted last year, an aggressive stance seems to align with leaders' priorities. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/australia-will-consider-requiring-app-stores-to-block-ai-services-without-age-verification-221714252.html?src=rss

Anthropic brings memory to Claude's free plan

Anthropic is bringing another paid feature to Claude's free tier. The next time you chat with Claude, you'll have the option to have it reference your previous conversation to inform its outputs. Anthropic first made its chatbot capable of remembering past interactions last August , before giving it the ability to compartmentalize memories in the fall . Making memory a free feature is well-timed; earlier today Anthropic made it easier for users to import their past conversations with a competing chatbot to Claude.If after enabling memory you decide to turn it off, you can either pause the feature, preserving Claudes memories for use down the road, or completely delete them so theyre not saved on Anthropics servers. Claude is enjoying new-found popularity, having recently jumped to the number one spot in the App Store's free app charts. This comes while Anthropic is engaged in a high-stakes contract dispute with the US government over AI safeguards. On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a supply chain risk after it refused to sign a contract that would allow the Pentagon to use Anthropic models for mass surveillance against Americans and in fully autonomous weapons. Following Hegseth's announcement, Anthropic vowed to challenge the designation. As of right now, were waiting to see how things play out, and what it might mean for Anthropic. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropic-brings-memory-to-claudes-free-plan-220729070.html?src=rss

Call of Duty will add Black Ops Royale, a new free game mode coming March 13

Call of Duty is getting a new battle royale mode later this month. The popular first-person shooter will introduce Black Ops Royale as a free game mode on March 13. Black Ops Royale pays homage to Blackout, the series' first foray into a battle royale game mode back in CoD: Black Ops 4 . Matches will have 100 players dropping in as four-person teams. The mode takes place on the massive Avalon map, but there will be no familiar Warzone features like loadouts, the gulag, or buy stations. Instead, it's all about the scavenging the weapons from the recent Black Ops 7 game and upgrading them. According to the team's announcement, there will be other familiar features from the Blackout days such as the weapon handling and bullet drop that have been reimagined for modern-day Warzone players. You'll also be able to further customize your play style with an open-ended perks system, another nod to the original Call of Duty BR perk mechanic. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/call-of-duty-will-add-black-ops-royale-a-new-free-game-mode-coming-march-13-211733205.html?src=rss

Starlink's next-gen satellite network could provide 150 Mbps speeds by end of next year

Starlink is getting ready to launch its second generation of satellites, and it's expected to match the speeds of a traditional terrestrial network. During a keynote at Mobile World Congress, Starlink execs detailed the roadmap for the company's upgrade towards the next generation of satellites called V2. The goal of Starlink Mobile ... is to provide a terrestrial-like connectivity when you're connected to the satellite system, Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's senior vice president of Starlink engineering, said during the MWC keynote. In the right conditions, it should look and feel like you're connected to a high-performing 5G terrestrial network. Nicolls detailed that the V2 satellite constellation could offer download speeds up to 150 Mbps in ideal conditions, comparing it to a broadband experience. According to Starlink , next-gen satellites will offer 100 times the data density of its predecessors, which should help users with faster streaming and browsing as well as more reliable voice calls. Notably, Nicolls added that the V2 satellite constellation would offer better coverage to Earth's polar regions, which are known to have unreliable coverage with traditional networks. Nicolls said that SpaceX is planning to send out more than 50 V2 satellites on each SpaceX launch starting in mid-2027, with a goal of building out a full constellation in six months. Outside its MWC presser, Starlink also announced a partnership with German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom . The partnership would help Deutsche Telekom address internet coverage gaps in Europe using Starlink's constellation, starting in 2028. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/starlinks-next-gen-satellite-network-could-provide-150-mbps-speeds-by-end-of-next-year-192118368.html?src=rss

X adds Paid Partnership labels so users can more easily identify ads

X is rolling out a built-in Paid Partnership label that creators can apply to sponsored posts, replacing the hashtag workarounds theyve had to rely on until now. The feature, announced by the platforms head of product Nikita Bier, adds a toggle that places a disclosure label directly below a posts content. It can also be applied retroactively. The label is meant to help creators comply with years-old FTC regulations requiring clear disclosure of sponsored content. The agency sent out letters reminding influencers about this requirement in 2017, and Instagram added a disclosure feature that same year. Without a native tool, X creators had been left to use hashtags like #ad and #paidpartnership. X has been trying to court creators for some time with tools like ad-revenue sharing and creator subscriptions , but the platform still struggles with major image issues following a string of scandals like Grok creating CSAM . The Elon Musk-owned platform is under investigation both domestically and abroad for the AI agents behavior. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-adds-paid-partnership-labels-so-users-can-more-easily-identify-ads-183528227.html?src=rss

iPad Air M4 vs. iPad Air M3: The few new things in Apple's midrange tablet

The iPad Air, the middle child in Apples tablet lineup, has been upgraded to the M4 chip with increased RAM and Well, theres not a whole lot else if Im being honest. At the very least, the new iPad Air M4 models remain at the same price as the iPad Air M3 , with the 11-inch version starting at $599 and the 13-inch at $799. I would give Apple more credit if it had increased the starting storage or added literally anything else. If you put them side by side, you might not be able to tell the difference, but this upgrade would benefit creatives and professionals more than anything. Theres a significant performance bump from the M3 to the M4, and the increased RAM is doing a lot of work, especially if youre taking advantage of Apple Intelligence. If youre using an M1-powered iPad Air or something even older, though, the new iPad Air M4 should be a compelling upgrade. Pre-orders start at 9:15AM ET on March 4, with the units arriving a week later. We expect full reviews will be published by then. But in the meantime, lets dive into what the performance gains might look like and what were missing out on in this years iteration of the iPad Air. iPad Air M4 vs. iPad Air M3: Performance and battery life The most significant difference between the two iPad Air generations is their chipsets. The latest iPad Air launches with the M4 chip versus its predecessors M3 chip, and it gets a bump in RAM from 8GB to 12GB. I dont give much fanfare to incremental chip increases because the performance gain is usually minimal. However, the M4 is up to 30 percent faster than the M3, according to Apple. That might be noticeable to even casual users, especially as the years go on and iPadOS becomes more demanding. For power users, itll mean more demanding work like video editing will be noticeably quicker. For those in need of the fastest internet speeds, the new iPad Air is also equipped with Apples N1 chip, which enables Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, the latest connectivity technology. However, I really dont imagine the average user needing up to 46 gigabits per second of internet speed compared to the iPad M3s 9.6 Gbps on Wi-Fi 6. If you do, youre in the tax bracket for an iPad Pro. Now, despite the increase in speeds, the battery life between the M4 and M3 models remains the same. Apple claims all four models get up to 10 hours of battery life surfing the web on Wi-Fi or watching video (up to 9 hours on cellular). No complaints here. iPad Air M4 vs. iPad Air M3: Design, display, audio and cameras For better or worse, were not getting any changes in any of these departments, which is why Im lumping them together. The iPad Air comes in blue, purple, beige and gray. The 11-inch option measures 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches and the 13 comes in at 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 inches. As their names suggest, theyre both rather light, at 1.01 pounds (1.02 pounds for M4) and 1.36 pounds, respectively. My only wish was that we got new colors that popped a bit more. Then theres the displays. All four versions of the iPad Airs sport a Liquid Retina LED display at 264 ppi. The 11-inch supports a 2,360 x 1,640 resolution with a peak brightness of 500 nits, while the 13-inch offers a 2,732 x 2,048 resolution at 600 nits. It wouldve been nice to see an OLED or even Mini-LED panel make its way to the iPad Air, which couldve made the screen more vivid and vibrant. But its more disappointing that were stuck at 60Hz unlike the Pro models that offer 120Hz, making their visual experience smoother. Both products feature landscape stereo speakers. The iPad Air M3s audio quality couldnt live up to the iPad Pro, so I doubt the M4 model will. You wont catch me taking photos with an iPad, but for those of you who do, the iPad Air M4 features the same 12MP cameras on the front and back as its predecessor. iPadOS 26, Apple Intelligence and Apple accessories Nothing huge is happening to iPadOS or the Apple accessories in the iPad Air refresh. The revamped Magic Keyboard from last year still works with these new models, as does the Apple Pencil Pro. iPadOS 26, released last fall, was a major update but will still be familiar enough to anyone who has used an iPad before. The new iPad Air M4 is getting a significant boost in AI processing speeds, though, thanks to its new chip and 50 percent increase in RAM. However, unless youre an AI power user, you probably wont notice a difference there. All that said, if your love language is spreadsheets, the full specs are helpfully laid out below: iPad Air M4 vs. iPad Air M3: Specs at a glance Spec iPad Air M4 iPad Air M3 Price $599 (11-inch), $799 (13-inch) $599 (11-inch), $799 (13-inch) Processor M4 M3 Display 11-inch: Liquid Retina, 2,360 x 1,640, LED display at 264 ppi 13-inch: Liquid Retina, 2,732 x 2,048, LED display at 264 ppi 11-inch: Liquid Retina, 2,360 x 1,640, LED display at 264 ppi 13-inch: Liquid Retina, 2,732 x 2,048, LED display at 264 ppi RAM 12GB 8GB Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Battery Up to 10 hours (Wi-Fi), 9 hours (Cellular model) Up to 10 hours (Wi-Fi), 9 hours (Cellular model) Cameras 12MP Wide (rear), 12MP Center Stage (front) 12MP Wide (rear), 12MP Center Stage (front) Apple accessories Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard Folio Apple Pencil Pro, Apple Pencil, Magic Keyboard Folio Dimensions 11-inch: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches 13-inch: 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 inches 11-inch: 9.74 x 7.02 x 0.24 inches 13-inch: 11.04 x 8.46 x 0.24 inches Weight 11-inch: 1.02 pounds 13-inch: 1.36 pounds 11-inch: 1.01 pounds 13-inch: 1.36 pounds This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-air-m4-vs-ipad-air-m3-the-few-new-things-in-apples-midrange-tablet-182701520.html?src=rss

The Supreme Court doesn't care if you want to copyright your AI-generated art

As AI-generated artwork becomes more commonplace, it still won't be able to be copyrighted, according to US courts. On Monday, the US Supreme Court declined to hear a case about whether an artwork generated with the help of AI can be copyrighted. The refusal means that a lower court's decision to reject the copyright request will stand. The case dates back to 2018 when Stephen Thaler applied for a copyright of an artwork called A Recent Entrance to Paradise . Unlike using ChatGPT or Midjourney , Thaler, a computer scientist, created an AI system that generated the artwork in question. However, the US Copyright Office rejected his application in 2022 on the grounds that it wasn't made by a human author. Thaler sought appeals at higher courts, but ultimately had to escalate the case to the Supreme Court after both a federal judge in Washington and the US Court of Appeals ruled against him. With a refusal from the highest court in the US, it's unlikely Thaler's case can continue. The US Supreme Court could always hear a related case in the future, but Thaler's lawyers said, even if it later overturns the Copyright Offices test in another case, it will be too late, adding that the decision will have negatively impacted the creative industry during critically important years. It's worth noting that Thaler also filed applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office for AI-generated inventions, which were rejected for similar reasons. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-supreme-court-doesnt-care-if-you-want-to-copyright-your-ai-generated-art-171849407.html?src=rss

Nintendo just announced an Indie World Showcase for tomorrow at 9AM ET

Nintendo has scheduled an Indie World Showcase livestream for tomorrow, March 3, at 9AM ET. The company says this event will include roughly 15 minutes of news and updates on indie games coming to Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch. That's not a whole lot of time, but indie trailers tend to be on the shorter side. We really don't know anything about what Nintendo and its partners could reveal tomorrow. It's entirely possible we'll see something big, like the previously announced Sea of Sorrow DLC for Silksong . More than likely, however, we'll get trailers and updates regarding a spate of unexpected indie games. The previous Indie World Showcase took place in August and it gave us trailers and announcements for stuff like the excellent Ball x Pit and the upcoming Mina the Hollower . To that last one, Yacht Club Games said it would be launching the title for consoles this spring so we could get a release date announcement tomorrow. Scott Pilgrim EX will be available for download tomorrow , so a launch trailer is almost certain. This is a new side-scrolling fighter with four-player co-op and music by Anamanaguchi. My personal white whale is Witchbrook , the long-gestating life-sim set in a magical school. It's being published by Chucklefish, the company that originally published Stardew Valley . There's some stuff we absolutely shouldn't expect. This is an Indie World Showcase, and not a Nintendo Direct. There will likely be no appearances by Mario or Zelda, unless a character pops up in an indie game as DLC or something. The stream is also unlikely to spotlight Pokmon Pokopia , despite the life-sim launching on March 5. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-just-announced-an-indie-world-showcase-for-tomorrow-at-9am-et-164706666.html?src=rss

Paramount+ and HBO Max could be merging into a single streaming service

Paramount Skydance plans to combine Paramount+ and HBO Max into a single streaming service following the completion of its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery. CEO David Ellison confirmed the plan on an investor call Monday, saying the combined platform would serve over 200 million subscribers and position the company to compete with the biggest players in the streaming space. We think the combined offering, and given the amount of content and what we can do from the tech side, really will put us in a position to be able to compete with the most scaled players in DTC, Ellison said. Its not yet clear whether the apps two libraries will be fully integrated, or whether one will exist as a standalone service within the other. Ellison signaled that the HBO brand will operate with independence during the call. Also unclear is what the newly combined app would cost subscribers. The last year has seen nearly across-the-board increases in the cost of streaming services, including HBO Max . The planned merger would unite Paramounts CBS, MTV, Comedy Central and BET with Warners CNN, HBO, TNT and Food Network, along with franchises including Game of Thrones , Mission: Impossible , the DC Universe and SpongeBob SquarePants under one roof. The combined entity is expected to carry roughly $79 billion in net debt, according to Reuters , and could be considered the largest leveraged buyout in history . The deal is expected to close in the back half of 2026, pending regulatory approval. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/paramount-and-hbo-max-could-be-merging-into-a-single-streaming-service-163439653.html?src=rss

iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 16e: What's new on Apple's latest $599 handset

Apples most affordable iPhone just got an upgrade, but how does the new iPhone 17e compare to the iPhone 16e ? Well, thankfully the price remains the same at $599, which is good news in our current economic climate. An immediate difference you might notice is that one of them now comes in a third color: pink. Thats at least one win for me because I am all for putting more color into tech. There are a few differences under the hood as well, namely that the iPhone 17e is arriving with the A19 chip and double the storage. Weve already seen whats possible with an A19 chip in the standard iPhone 17 its not a super exciting upgrade, but it is a boost nonetheless. Pre-orders start at 9:15AM ET on March 4, and while we work on a full review, lets take a deeper dive into what has changed on this years model and what that might mean in the real world. iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 16e: Design and display Of course, the biggest difference in the design for the iPhone 17e is the shiny new pink color. Ive long complained about how many major tech companies stick to the safety of black, white or gray colorways. Thankfully, the iPhone 17es pink hue is a departure from that approach. Its also an understated shade thats elegant, compared to the typically brighter and louder tones reserved for cheap(er) phones. Both the iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e measure 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches. However, the iPhone 17e did get a bit heavier at 5.96 ounces compared to the iPhone 16es 5.88 ounces. Its very unlikely youll notice the 0.08 ounce difference, though. (And if you do, you have a gift.) In terms of durability, the iPhone 17e is outfitted with Ceramic Shield 2, which is a glass face that Apple said is three times more scratch-resistant than the iPhone 16es original Ceramic Shield. Ideally, itll survive falls to the ground (within reason) and spare you a scratched up display from casual wear and tear. There doesnt seem to be any change in the display whether that be in its brightness or color rendering capability but that isnt too shocking. Both the iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e feature a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with a 1,200-nit peak brightness. Thats bright enough to combat the ambient glare from the sun, so you should be able to read it outside relatively easily. Theyre also specced out with a 2,532 x 1,170 resolution at 460 ppi meaning text and lines will be clean and sharp. iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 16e: Cameras I didnt expect a huge bump in camera technology, especially if Apple intended to keep the price the same. Weve got upgrades in other categories for sure, but it wouldve been nice to see an extra camera on the back. Like the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e is kitted out with Apples 48-megapixel Fusion 2-in-1 camera with a 12MP 2x Telephoto setting. You also get digital zoom up to 10x. Take a look at our iPhone 16e review to see exactly what that looks like in practice, but to sum up our experience: its solid. Theres a great level of detail and vibrancy, but like I said, its limited. Without a potential ultrawide camera, you cannot capture as much of your surroundings because youre not getting that 0.5x zoom option. One major upgrade, however, is that the iPhone 17e is now capable of recognizing dogs and cats in Portrait mode. It also saves depth information so you can turn regularly captured photos into portraits after the fact. This might be a noteworthy upgrade, considering the iPhone 16e struggled in Portrait mode, incapable of capturing non-human faces and objects. Theres also the 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front, which we didnt have many complaints about, and dont expect to disappoint on the iPhone 17e. iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 16e: Processor, battery life and charging Apart from the color, the biggest differences between the iPhone 17e and iPhone 16e is their starting storage and overall performance. The new iPhone is packed with an A19 chip, while the latter comes with an A18 chip. Yes, youre getting a performance bump with the A19 chip, but casual users are unlikely to feel the difference. If youre a power user trying to get the most out of an affordable iPhone and want to get crunchy about it, theres roughly a 5 percent difference in CPU speed and over 10 percent in GPU performance (according to CPU Monkey ). Despite that bump, the battery life hasnt changed. With both devices, Apple says youre getting up to 26 hours of video playback and up to 21 hours streamed. The company doesnt typically share specifics on battery sizes, but GSMArena is reporting that both models come with a 4,005mAh battery. What has changed, however, is being able to receive double the wattage from wireless charging. The iPhone 17e can now take up to 15W for Qi2 fast wireless charging compared to 7.5W from the Qi support on the iPhone 16e. iOS 26 and Apple Intelligence At a glance, there does not seem to be any difference in what the iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e offer in terms of iOS and Apple Intelligence capability. However, its relevant to note that you will likely get better performance out of the iPhone 17e with regards to AI features because of its superior A19 chip. In case you wanted to do the numbers comparison yourself, weve compiled a nifty table here so you can eyeball them with ease. But for a sense of how the iPhone 17e holds up in the real world and whether its worth the money, stay tuned for our full review. iPhone 17e vs. iPhone 16e: Specs at a glance Spec iPhone 17e iPhone 16e Price $599 $599 Processor A19 chip A18 chip Display Super Retina XDR, 6.1inch, 2,532 x 1,170, OLED display at 460 ppi Super Retina XDR, 6.1inch, 2,532 x 1,170, OLED display at 460 ppi RAM 8GB 8GB Storage 256GB, 512GB 128GB, 256GB, 512GB Wireless charging Up to 15W Up to 7.5W Rear camera 2-in-1 camera 48MP Fusion main, 12MP 2x Telephoto, digital zoom up to 10x 2-in-1 camera 48MP Fusion main, 12MP 2x Telephoto, digital zoom up to 10x Front camera 12MP selfie cam 12MP selfie cam SIM Dual SIM (two active eSIMs) Dual SIM (two active eSIMs) Connectivity Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3, NFC Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3, NFC OS Launched with iOS 26 Launched with iOS 18 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/iphone-17e-vs-iphone-16e-whats-new-on-apples-latest-599-handset-162009364.html?src=rss

Everything Apple announced today: iPhone 17e and M4 iPad Air

Apple has promised a big week for the company, which includes an in-person event for press and creators on March 4. But it didnt exactly wait until Wednesday to get things started. The news started on Monday with the announcements of the iPhone 17e and M4-powered iPad Air . Well be updating this roundup throughout the week as we learn exactly what Apple has in store for everyone (though we have a decent idea of what to expect , such as new MacBooks). For now, though, heres our recap of everything Apple announced on Monday: iPhone 17e Apple Apple has spruced up this years entry-level iPhone with some pretty solid upgrades, though it's keeping the starting price at $599. The iPhone 17e has double the base storage of the iPhone 16e at 256GB. It also has MagSafe support with Qi2 wireless charging speeds of up to 15W, double that of the iPhone 16e. Design-wise, Apple hasn't exactly rocked the boat. The iPhone 17e looks pretty much identical to its predecessor. It appears that Apple is sticking with the same 48MP Fusion camera system as it used in the iPhone 16e too. That said, the 6.1-inch Super Retina display has Ceramic Shield 2. According to Apple, this provides 3x better scratch resistance than the previous generation and reduced glare. The company slotted its C1X cellular modem into the iPhone 17e as well. It says this is up to two times faster than the C1 that was in the iPhone 16e. The device has the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, so it supports Apple Intelligence AI tools, and it runs iOS 26. In addition, the iPhone 17e has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as the promise of all-day battery life. It also supports satellite-powered features including Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17e open on March 4 and it will be available in black, white and soft pink. The device will hit shelves in more than 70 countries and regions on March 11. iPad Air M4 Apple The latest iPad Air boasts Apples M4 chip. That means the mid-range iPad is effectively remaining a year behind the iPad Pro. The M4 is almost two years old at this point, while the top-end model has the newer M5 chip. Still, if you only use an iPad for casual tasks like watching shows, web browsing, email and so on, the M4 will be more than powerful enough.It will be more adept at handling resource-intensive tasks like video editing than previous iPad Air models too. Apple has also bumped up the RAM from 8GB from the last-gen model to 12GB. Given the sharp increase in RAM prices in recent months, its slightly surprising that Apple is sticking to the same prices for the iPad Air. The 11-inch M4 iPad Air starts at $599 while the 13-inch version starts at $799, each with 128GB of storage. There's a $50 discount for those buying it for educational use. Apple claims the M4 delivers up to 2.3 times faster performance compared with the M1 iPad Air and over 4x faster 3D pro rendering with ray tracing performance. Of course, the new iPad Air runs iPadOS 26. Apple gave the iPad Air other internal upgrades by including its N1 and C1X connectivity chips. As such, this is the first iPad Air with Wi-Fi 7 support. As you might expect, 5G cellular connectivity is available as well. The design of the M4 iPad Air doesn't seem to have changed, as it appears to have the same LCD display Apple used in the last two iterations of the tablet. The company has stuck with the same rear-facing camera and dual-speaker setup as well. As with the iPhone 17e, pre-orders for the M4 iPad Air open on March 4. The tablet will hit retailers in 35 countries and regions on March 11. It will be available in blue, purple, starlight and space gray. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/everything-apple-announced-today-iphone-17e-and-m4-ipad-air-155617174.html?src=rss

Anthropic's Claude can now absorb your past conversations with other AI chatbots

Anthropic has made switching to its Claude AI chatbot easier than ever. The company announced a new memory import tool that can extract all of a competing AI chatbot's memories and context of you into a text prompt that can be fed into Claude. With Anthropic's prompt, you can then copy and paste the output into Claude's memories, and the AI chatbot will pick up where you left off with another AI chatbot, whether it's ChatGPT , Gemini or Copilot. Anthropic said it'll take about 24 hours for Claude to assimilate the new context, but you'll be able to see the change by clicking on the See what Claude learned about you button. Claude users can even tweak what the AI chatbot remembers in the Manage memory section in the app's settings. Anthropic pointed out that Claude is meant to focus on work-related topics to enhance its effectiveness as a collaborator, adding that it might not remember personal details that are unrelated to work. Anthropic's timing doesn't seem to be just a coincidence. Claude recently jumped to the number one spot in the App Store's free apps charts, dethroning ChatGPT in the process. The rise in popularity likely stems from its recent dispute with the Department of Defense , where Anthropic refused to budge on AI guardrails related to mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. On the other hand, OpenAI will be taking Anthropic's vacated role with the Department of Defense, leading to a trend of users boycotting ChatGPT and canceling their subscriptions. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropics-claude-can-now-absorb-your-past-conversations-with-other-ai-chatbots-153201656.html?src=rss

What to expect at Apple's product launch event on March 4

Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an Apple Experience, for March 4 at 9AM ET . The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai . Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts. Editor's Note (on March 2 at 9:45AM ET): Apple has officially announced the iPhone 17e and iPad Air (M4) . It's expected to continue to unveil new hardware in the following days, per the rest of this article. Budget-friendly MacBook There have been rumors swirling that Apple is preparing to launch a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air. Bloomberg reported on this all the way back in November. Industry rumors indicate that Apple will be stuffing this laptop with an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro, to keep the price down. Worth pointing out the three colors from the invite are light green, blue and yellow -- which just so happen to be the colors Apple has tested the low-cost MacBook with, as I wrote yesterday. Coincidence? We shall see. https://t.co/1FFVkfw9JZ pic.twitter.com/ssKDDzdJsw Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026 It's also been suggested that this laptop will only include 8GB of RAM, which kind of flies against the company's recent stance to outfit all Macs with at least 16GB of RAM . However, that would certainly help with the cost. You might have heard about a little thing called AI that chomp chomps on all RAM it can find . TechRadar has reported that this could be Apple's biggest laptop launch in years , with potential initial shipments hitting 8 million units. The price is likely to be somewhere in the $699 to $799 range, which is pretty nifty. However, I'd still go for an Air at $999. They are absolute workhorses . MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips It's likely that Apple will release more powerful MacBook Pro models this year and the timing seems to match up. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested a March launch and the event is on March 4. The company has already released a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip , but both the M5 Pro and Max are likely on the horizon. We could be getting new laptops outfitted with these chips in various display sizes. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget There have also been reports that both of the higher-end M5 chips are getting a redesign to help improve heat dissipation and reduce defective chip rates. Additionally, the new chiplet design would allow the M5 Pro and Max to raise the total number of CPU and GPU cores. The Max is expected to have more cores than the Pro. This idea is helped along by the fact that MacBook Pro M4 Max orders are currently delayed . This is typically the case with an outgoing model as stock dries up to make room for new releases. Also, the Pro and Max variants typically get announced in the Fall, so we are due. New iPads Rumors have been circulating that we are about to get new iPads , including an update to the base model and the Air. The standard model, which would be the 12th-gen release, is expected to upgrade the A16 chip to an A18. This should also allow for the integration of Apple Intelligence tools, if that's your bag . Nathan Ingraham for Engadget As for that iPad Air, rumors suggest an upgrade to the M4 chip from the M3. An extremely light tablet with an M4 would be fairly notable in my estimation, as only the newest iPad Pro has that chip . iPhone 17e It was almost exactly a year ago that Apple announced the iPhone 16e , so you know what that means. It's time for a refresh. Recent reports have suggested that an announcement regarding the iPhone 17e is imminent , so this launch event seems like as good a place as any to reveal the latest budget-friendly smartphone. As for specs, Mark Gurman has suggested that it'll be getting an upgrade to the A19 chip , which is nice. Also, it could be getting MagSafe support. That sounds like an iterative upgrade, but the price is expected to remain steady at $599. Other Possibilities The following stuff is less likely, though certainly possible. There have been rumors that Apple is currently preparing a revamped Studio Display and Mac Studio desktop. The reports suggest a release sometime in the first half of the year, and March is right in the middle of that timeframe. It's also possible that the company will reveal an upgrade to the MacBook Air with the M5 chip . Reports indicate that this is unlikely to happen during this event, but it is worth noting that the M4 Air came out in March of last year. In other words, it's a toss up. The inclusion of Shanghai essentially rules out Siri, as expected, given the delays. https://t.co/mgNLR4qCYy Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026 What's not a toss up? You shouldn't expect anything regarding the long-anticipated Siri refresh . This looks to be a hardware event, so any software updates will likely have to wait until WWDC this summer. In any event, Engadget will be on hand to report on all of Apple's new products. Update, March 2 2026, 9:45AM ET: This story has been updated to add an Editor's Note with the latest news from Apple this week. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/what-to-expect-at-apples-product-launch-event-on-march-4-173612816.html?src=rss

The Samsung Wallet can now hold your house keys

Samsung's newest feature turns your phone into your house keys. The company has created the Digital Home Key , a feature inside of the Samsung Wallet that should let you unlock any compatible smart door with your phone. The Samsung Wallet already offered digital car keys . As we continue to evolve Samsung Wallet, delivering trusted mobile experiences remains at the core of our innovation, Woncheol Chai, EVP and head of Digital Wallet Team, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, said in a statement. Through close collaboration with our partners and in alignment with the Aliro standard, Digital Home Key brings the same level of security and ease Samsung Galaxy users expect from Samsung Wallet to their homes. Created by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), Samsung calls Aliro an industry-standardized communication protocol. The Digital Home Key will also get support from smart lock brands like Nuki and Schlage. It's also designed to meet EAL6+ security certification. According to Samsung, you'll also need biometrics or a PIN to use the Digital Home Key. You should be able to remotely manage or remove the tool through Samsung Find if you lose your phone. Samsung is rolling out the Digital Home Key in select regions starting this month. It plans to expand its range as compatible smart lock brands become available in more locations. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/the-samsung-wallet-can-now-hold-your-house-keys-142944132.html?src=rss

Apple updates the iPad Air with an M4 chip

Apple is kicking off multiple days of product announcements this morning with a new iPad Air . Unsurprisingly, its more or less like the iPad Air Apple announced one year ago , except it now has an M4 chip instead of last years M3. Apple is also including its in-house networking chips, the N1 and C1X, which will cover Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread and cellular connectivity. This means the iPad Air supports the Wi-Fi 7 standard for the first time. The Air also now has 12GB of RAM standard, up from 8GB in the prior model. The rest of the iPad Air appears unchanged at this point. It has the same display that the 2023 and 2024 models sported either an 11- or 13-inch LCD that tops out at 500 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. Storage options start at 128GB and go up to 1TB, same as last year. The dual stereo speaker configuration and both front- and rear-facing cameras are unchanged, as well. For those keeping track, its been less than two years since Apple redesigned the iPad Air, adding a 13-inch model that had an M2 chip. I remain surprised the company is committed to releasing chip updates for the Air so frequently even the M2 model is more than powerful enough for the target audience. But, getting a faster chip for the same money is hard to complain about. Naturally, the iPad Air M4 is running iPadOS 26, which was released last fall. It was, without a doubt, the biggest iPadOS update weve seen, bringing a far more robust multitasking system than the iPad has ever had before. Its most noticeable and useful on the larger 13-inch screen, but having greater freedom with window management and more robust background tasks is a huge step forward even if the Liquid Glass visual redesign is a bit divisive. Pre-orders for the new iPad Air M4 open on Wednesday, March 4, and the tablet will be fully available on March 11. As before, pricing starts at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for a 13-inch display. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/apple-updates-the-ipad-air-with-an-m4-chip-141117569.html?src=rss

At MWC, Tecnos super-thin modular concept phone doesn't even have a wired charging port

On its own, at 4.9mm thin, Tecno's modular phone concept barely feels like a smartphone. It has a screen, a basic camera module, four low-profile pogo-pin connectors and that's about it. From there, you can seemingly build your conceptual phone however you want. At its booth at MWC 2026, Tecno had two families of modular components in two different colorways, which is surprising at this concept stage. The chunky telephoto lens and housing must weigh over three times as much as the base phone, adding up to 20x zoom capabilities, even if it was a little glitchy during my hands-on. The barrel also offers manual focus, which is always a nice touch. The lens itself is huge, though, making even Vivo's latest 400mm telephoto lens peripheral look reasonable by comparison. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget There are more subtle camera modules, including ultrawide options and a more streamlined periscope telephoto. There's even an action cam that can attach through Wi-Fi and be used on its own. Depending on the module, transmission is also done through Bluetooth and even mmWave. One module has an antenna that folds out, turning the phone into a walkie-talkie messenger thing that can communicate without cell service or Wi-Fi. There were also lanyard connectors, grip clips, and several that I may have forgotten. Sadly, the game controller mod wasn't on the stand, though I'm not sure how you'd use it blindly on the back. It's a lot of fun to swap out and even stack the modules, most of which were functionally working. There are plenty of questions left to answer, and I'm concerned about how rigid the magnetic connection would be when pulling this kind of phone out of your pocket repeatedly. Also, who's going to carry around an attach case filled with all these things? Who doesn't love an aerial? Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Naturally, due to its thickness, the phone has a tiny battery cell (I don't know the capacity), but you can add 3,000mAh battery packs to the back. And another. And even another, topping out at around 10,000mAh, beating the capacity of most mainstream smartphones. It was only then that I realized it lacked any traditional USB-C charging port. Instead, a charging module can be attached to either of the two pairs of connectors. (And you can add further modules on top of that.) Tecno often has thrilling concepts and one-off devices at trade shows, so we can't vouch that this will eventually make its way to consumers. Modular phones are a tricky sell, as they can often lose the efficiencies that come from unified components. Google ended its Project Ara modular concept over 10 years ago, while Motorola's Moto Mods just weren't very good and even I struggle to remember LG's G5 modules . Adding to that, the company also rarely sells its phones in Western Europe and the US. Judging by the moves being made by other Chinese phone manufacturers in the last year, that could change. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/at-mwc-tecnos-super-thin-modular-concept-phone-doesnt-even-have-a-wired-charging-port-123129135.html?src=rss

Sony faces a $2.7 billion antitrust lawsuit in the UK

Another major antitrust lawsuit has launched in the UK. This time its against Sony, which could be on the hook for almost 2 billion ($2.7 billion) for overcharging PlayStation users. A class action case for about 12.2 million users argues that Sony occupies a dominant position in relation to the digital distribution of PlayStation games and in-game content and that it has been unfairly charging its UK customers too much for digital games and in-game content purchased through the PlayStation Store. It argues that Sony has a near monopoly on add-on content and digital games through the PlayStation store, allowing it to set the prices and take a 30 percent commission. The class action encompasses anyone in the UK who owned a PlayStation console and purchased digital games or made in-game purchases through the PlayStation store between August 19, 2016 and February 12, 2026. It's being run as an opt-out lawsuit, so anyone meeting the criteria can qualify without taking any action. If the lawsuit is successful then each person could receive about 162 ($217). Sony has argued that allowing downloads from third-party stores could bring security and privacy risks, according to the Financial Times . It further states that the digital sales commission makes up profits lost for selling their consoles with minimal profit. This lawsuit follows the success of a similar class action decided in October. The UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal found that Apple had been abusing its dominant market position and overcharging App Store users. In December, Apple filed an appeal against the 1.5 billion ($2 billion) fine. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/sony-faces-a-27-billion-antitrust-lawsuit-in-the-uk-114113889.html?src=rss

Vivo's X300 Ultra goes global and gets a huge 400mm Zeiss telephoto lens

Vivo barely has a presence outside of China but that seems to be changing with the company's next flagship phone. At Mobile World Conference 2026, the company unveiled the X300 Ultra smartphone that comes with a 200MP sensor along with two accessories designed for pro photographers and content creators: a SmallRig video cage and 400mm Zeiss telephoto extender lens. Vivo didn't go into detail about the phone's specs, but you can likely expect a high-end processor, screen, battery and other internal components when it's fully unveiled later on. Vivo did say that like the X300 Pro , the X300 Ultra will have an impressive 200MP main camera sensor, and is likely to offer features like 4K 120fps Dolby Vision HDR recording. Mat Smith for Engadget Another thing Vivo revealed is that you'll be able to get the Vivo X300 Ultra with a 400mm equivalent lens accessory called the Vivo Zeiss Telephoto Extender Gen 2 Ultra. That will allow about an eight times zoom compared to the native field of view, plus a lot more when combined with the high-quality digital zoom. It will also offer gimbal-grade optical image stabilization and motion-tracking focus technology, Vivo says. Along with the lens, Vivo is introducing a pro-grade camera cage designed by the well-known accessory company SmallRig. It's expandable and offers multiple cold shoe mounts and quick-release ports so you can easily add things like handles, lights and microphones. It also comes with dedicated physical buttons for tactile shutter and zoom adjustment, plus a multi-level cooling fan to keep the phone running cool. You also get an External Lens Expansion Frame to accommodate the X300 Ultra Telephoto Extender. Mat Smith for Engadget Vivo showed off the phone at MWC 2026 in Barcelona to a fair amount of enthusiasm. The company emphasized that the X300 Ultra will come to international markets, but it didn't say which for now or at what price (the X300 Pro costs about 1,400 in Europe ). That decision, it said, signals Vivo's more proactive and confident approach to expanding its presence in the global premium smartphone segment. Given the likely price, though, it's debatable if pro creators will want to buy this instead of, say, a pretty nice mirrorless camera and lens . This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/vivos-x300-ultra-goes-global-and-gets-a-huge-400mm-zeiss-telephoto-lens-105058478.html?src=rss

The best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories for 2026

The Xbox Series X and Series S are built for fast load times, smooth performance and expansive game libraries, but the right accessories can make a noticeable difference in how you play day to day. From storage solutions that help you manage growing installs to headsets that make it easier to catch subtle audio cues, the best Xbox accessories are about removing friction and improving comfort as much as boosting immersion. Whether youre setting up a new console or refining an existing setup, theres a wide range of add-ons worth considering. Many accessories designed for previous Xbox generations still work with Microsofts current hardware, which makes it easier to upgrade gradually rather than all at once. Weve tested and selected the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories to help you get more out of your console, no matter how or where you play. Best Xbox accessories for 2026 This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/best-xbox-series-x-series-s-accessories-140035165.html?src=rss

Motorola's Edge 70 Fusion phone has a huge curved 144Hz display

Motorola has unveiled the Edge 70 Fusion , its latest mid-range model with an impressive display and OIS-enabled camera with a Sony sensor. Though other specs are modest, the cameras, display and Pantone-inspired, fabric-like colors make it a good choice for fashion-forward and budget conscious buyers in Europe and other (non-US) territories. The Edge 70 Fusion is a more modestly specced version of last year's Edge 70 that's thicker at 7.2mm compared to 5.9mm but has a better screen. Motorola says it has the world's first quad-curved display that folds into the sides for smoother lines and a more elegant look. The AMOLED screen is also huge at 6.78 inches and has a 144Hz refresh rate with Pantone-validated color accuracy, while hitting a peak 5,200 nit brightness, easily enough for sunny outdoor use. Motorola The 50MP main camera is also impressive, using Sony's Lytia 710 sensor with optical image stabilization and an f/1.8 aperture. That's accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide macro camera and a 32MP from selfie camera with 4K recording. The Edge 70 fusion is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 with Cortex-A720 and A520 cores, along with an Adreno 810 GPU, promising about a 15 percent bump in performance over the last model. It supports 68W wired (no wireless) fast charging and carries a 5,200mAh battery. It will be relatively tough as well, with IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance ratings and MIL-STD-810H durability. It's a solid value with prices starting at $430 in Europe (about $503) when it goes on sale later this month in colors like Patone Orient Blue, Pantone Country Air and Pantone Sporting Green. There's no indication that it will be available in the US, though. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/motorolas-edge-70-fusion-phone-has-a-huge-curved-144hz-display-093035809.html?src=rss

TCL is upgrading its easy-on-the-eyes glare-free NXTPAPER display tech with AMOLED

TCL has been making smartphones and tablets at an impressive clip for years. While most companies have focused on foldable display tech and TCL has dabbled the focus has been on its NXTPAPER screens. Aimed at being friendlier on the eyes, and pitched as a device somewhere between e-ink slates and traditional tablets, NXTPAPER has gradually been upgraded and refined, reaching an apex at CES 2026 earlier this year with the Kindle Scribe-alike, the Note A1 NXTPAPER and its latest smartphone, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro . At MWC, just a couple of months later, it's preparing for a major leap forward on future phones and tablets. It's been announced (and backed up with tech demos) that it's developing AMOLED NXTPAPER displays, aiming to combine the eye comfort benefits of TCL's current displays with flagship visual performance. This involved fundamentally redesigning and re-engineering the display architecture. Still, it should address the biggest problems with current LCD-based NXTPAPER, such as mediocre brightness, poor outdoor performance, and dull colors. This NXTPAPER AMOLED screen, well, it looks like AMOLED: Image by Mat Smith for Engadget On the showfloor at CES, the company had several demo devices showcasing the new screen technology's brightness. While still photos don't really do it justice, it's impressive, and the anti-glare effect seems premium compared to third-party anti-glare protective films. TCL says its incoming AMOLED display it hasn't announced a device yet will reach 3,200 nits of brightness. For reference, TCL's 70 Pro topped out at a mere 900 nits. TCL says it will also feature 120Hz refresh rates, 100 percent color gamut coverage, and blue light reduction that can go as low as 2.9 percent, which is 15 percent less than existing NXTPAPER displays. The company plans to launch an AMOLED NXTPAPER smartphone before the end of the year. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/tcl-is-upgrading-its-easy-on-the-eyes-glare-free-nxtpaper-display-tech-with-amoled-085736065.html?src=rss

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite chip is made for smartwatches and AI devices

Qualcomm's Snapdragon Elite chips are reserved for the best Android phones and laptops , and now the company has introduced the first in the Elite series for wearables. The Snapdragon Wear Elite processor is designed for smartwatches and AI devices like pendants and promises up to a fivefold increase in single-thread CPU performance, Qualcomm announced . The new processor is built on a 3nm process to improve speed and efficiency over previous models, while boosting the number of cores to five (one big core at 2.1GHz and 4 little cores at 1.9GHz). With those changes, the company is promising up to five times faster single-threaded performance, with GPU speeds boosted up to seven times. Qualcomm The Snapdragon Wear Elite is also equipped with a new NPU that allows low-power AI use cases like keyword recognition along with noise cancellation. It's also the first Snapdragon wearable processor with a dedicated Hexagon NPU supporting AI models with two billion parameters. That will allow new personal AI experiences, the company said, like context-aware recommendations, natural voice interactions, life logging and AI agents that can orchestrate tasks on your behalf. Wear OS devices with the chip should see up to 30 percent improved battery life and charging speeds of up to 50 percent in ten minutes. It also allows for more types of connectivity, including 5G reduced capability, micro-power Wi-Fi, NB-NTN for satellites, Bluetooth 6.0, GNSS and UWB. However, manufacturers will be able to source versions of the chip without some of those wireless features. Whether the Snapdragon Wear Elite will give Wear OS watch manufacturers a better chance to chip into the 50-plus percent market share of Apple's Watch remains to be seen. The first devices using the chip will start to ship in the next few months, Qualcomm said. Leading global partners are supporting the platform including Google, Motorola and Samsung. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/qualcomms-snapdragon-wear-elite-chip-is-made-for-smartwatches-and-ai-devices-080744412.html?src=rss

Everything announced at MWC 2026: Lenovo's wild foldable gaming handheld, Honor's Robot Phone, and more

MWC 2026 officially gets underway on March 2 and will continue through March 5, but the announcements are already pouring in ahead of its start. We can always count on the annual tech event to bring tons of new phones, laptops and tablets, and we're expecting to see some robots and other gadgets too plus plenty of AI news, of course. In addition to the announcements, MWC is our chance to get hands-on time with some of the most interesting new devices, like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Honor's Robot Phone . Engadgets Mat Smith is on the ground in Barcelona, and we'll be updating this story as the week goes on to keep you in the loop on everything that caught our attention. Keep checking back here for the latest MWC news. Lenovo How silly does this look when its flexible display is fully extended in portrait mode? Sam Rutherford for Engadget Lenovo pulled up to MWC with a bunch of new products and concepts, but if there's one thing everyone's going to be talking about, it's the Legion Go Fold. (Check out Sam Rutherford's coverage of the Legion Go Fold here ). In short, the Legion Go Fold is a concept foldable gaming handheld with a flexible display that can unfurl to a massive 11.6 inches. Or, it can be folded in half to become a 7.7-inch display. It has detachable controllers, and there are multiple mounting points along the tablet so you can switch things up between landscape and portrait mode. The left and right gamepads can also be combined into one controller with an accessory, and the display can be propped up kickstand-style with the folio cover. You think we're done here? We're not. The Legion Go Fold can go laptop mode too, with a strip of pogo pins where a wireless keyboard can be connected. Its right gamepad can serve as a mouse, thanks to the inclusion of a little scroll wheel and a hidden sensor. That gamepad also features a tiny circular OLED display below the buttons, which can both show widgets such as the time and be used as a touchpad. It is a concept, though, so don't get your hopes up too much about this one going into production. And if it does ever become a real, buyable product, it'll no doubt be expensive. The Lenovo Modular AI PC concept is an ambitious mashup between a traditional clamshell and a dual-screen notebook with hot swappable ports. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Lenovo also announced its Modular AI PC concept a laptop with two displays and a detachable keyboard. As Sam Rutherford, who got a chance to check it out in person, explained, This allows you to move its keyboard and secondary display around at will, so the system can better adjust to its environment or workload. Perhaps even more exciting is that it has hot swappable ports. Lenovo demonstrated it with USB-C, USB-A and HDMI connectors, but said others could be possible too. Still, while everything looked pretty polished in the demo, Lenovo says this one will remain a concept. The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition Gen 11 Lenovo It hasn't all been concepts at MWC. Lenovo also refreshed some of its existing tablet and laptop lineups for 2026. The company introduced the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition Gen 11 (with the new Canvas Mode configuration), starting at $1,949, and the new 15.3-inch Yoga Pro 7a, which starts at $2,099. It's updated its more affordable IdeaPad Slim 5i Ultra laptop ($799) as well. All of those new laptops come with Copilot+ features. For students, Lenovo is launching the 13-inch Idea Tab Pro Gen 2, starting at $419, with its Quira AI assistant and AI tools. You can find all the specs and release dates for those here . Upgrades are here for Lenovo's ThinkPads too, along with the Yoga-like ThinkBook 2-in-1. And, Lenovo announced a $499 industrial tablet, the ThinkPad X11. Lenovo's 8.8-inch gaming tablet is getting a spec boost with the latest version announced at MWC 2026, the $849 Legion Tab Gen 5 . The tablet has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB storage. It also has a 9,000mAh battery to support longer gaming sessions, and two USB-C ports. The Legion Tab Gen 5 comes in three colors: Eclipse Black, Glacier White and the lime-green Surge. It launches in May. That'll be followed shortly after in July by the launch of the new 15-inch Legion 7a Gen 11 gaming laptop, starting at $2,299. Honor The Robot Phone. (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget) Honor teased its Robot Phone this past fall and we just finally got a proper look at it at MWC. And it's pretty freakin' cute. The phone is equipped with a camera that's mounted on a highly mobile 4-degrees-of-freedom gimbal, which tucks away into a compartment on the back when it's not in use (making for a pretty beefy camera bump). In a demo at MWC, the camera, which behaves like a little robot head, bobbed along to music and showed off some of its gesture skills, like cocking its head and nodding in agreement. Honor didn't reveal too much spec-wise, but the company says the primary camera uses a 200-megapixel sensor. The gimbal will offer three-axis stabilization, which will be coupled with camera modes such as Super Steady Video and AI Object Tracking. The Robot Phone isn't quite ready for release at the moment, but the company says it will launch later this year. Be sure to check out Mat Smith's writeup on the Robot Phone for a more in-depth look. Honor's humanoid robot. (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget) Image by Mat Smith It's not a humanoid robot reveal without some backflips and a choreographed dance performance. Honor introduced its robot at MWC with all the spectacle we've come to expect (though the bot didn't do any talking).Its simply called the Honor Robot, and the company has plans for it to be used in both industrial and domestic settings. Honor Magic V6 (Honor) The Robot Phone isn't the only phone Honor showed off at MWC. The company also announced its Magic V6 smartphone , which it says is the thinnest phone in its category, measuring 8.75mm folded and 4.0mm open in the white colorway. The other three colors black, gold and red are slightly thicker, at 9mm folded and 4.1mm open. Not too much has changed from the V5, though, which only came out in August 2025. It does however have the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with 16GB RAM and 512 GB storage. As for the cameras, there are two 50-megapixel lenses and a 64-megapixel telephoto, plus a 20-megapixel f/2.2 selfie lens on the cover and internal display. The international version of the Magic V6 will have a 6,660mAh battery with 25 percent silicon content, while the version sold only in China will boast a battery with a rated capacity of more than 7,000mAh and 32 percent silicon content. Honor hasn't yet shared details about pricing and availability. Honor MagicPad Honor Ahead of MWC, Honor also announced what it claims is the thinnest Android tablet in the world: the 4.8mm thick MagicPad 4 . We're expecting to hear more about this at Honor's press conference on Sunday, but so far we know it features a 12.3-inch 165Hz OLED display and weighs just 450g. It comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. The thinness doesn't count the camera bump, Honor notes. The MagicPad 4 has 13MP rear and 9MP front cameras. It also boasts spatial audio, with eight speakers. Just as the display is slightly smaller than the previous MagicPad, the MagicPad 4 has a smaller battery at 10,100 mAh. It comes with a 66W fast charger. The MagicPad 4 will run Honor's MagicOS 10. We don't yet know how much it will cost, but we'll update this after Honor's press conference (where we're also expecting to see the company's robot) with any new details. Xiaomi x Leica Mat Smith for Engadget Xiaomi kicked off MWC this year by announcing the global launch of its 17 Ultra smartphone, which debuted first in China back in December. It's unclear if the phone will ever come to the US, but it's now rolling out in Europe. Xiaomi teamed up again with Leica to make a photography-focused smartphone, and the 17 Ultra sports a 1-inch 50-megapixel camera sensor with a f/1.67 lens, a telephoto setup with a 200MP 1/1.4-inch sensor, and a 50MP ultrawide camera. There's also a manual zoom ring around the camera. Check out our hands on for our first impressions of what it's like shooting with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra . And there's more to it than just the camera. The 17 Ultra has a 6.9-inch OLED 120 Hz display that peaks at 3,500 nits of brightness, and a 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at 1,299 (roughly $1,750). Leica also announced a new phone made in partnership with Xiaomi at MWC. It looks a whole lot like Xiaomi's 17 Ultra, but isn't the 17 Ultra, exactly. Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi hands-on at MWC 2026 Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Like the 17 Ultra, Leica's Leitzphone by Xiaomi has a 1-inch camera sensor and physical controls for zoom and other settings, using a mechanical ring around the camera unit. It features a Leica-designed intuitive camera interface with the option to show just the essentials when you're shooting, hiding all the modes and labels. There's a monochrome shooting mode and Leica filters. The Leica branding is splashed all over it in design and wallpapers, but it's otherwise pretty similar to the 17 Ultra, with the same specs. Like the 17 Ultra, it has a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and a 6.9-inch 120Hz display. This one's priced at 1,999 (roughly $2,362). The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Xiaomi In addition to the 17 Ultra, Xiaomi announced two new tablets at MWC this year: the Xiaomi Pad 8 and Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro . There's nothing revolutionary here, but they're lightweight and thin, with both being 5.75mm thick and weighing 485g, and have a 9,200mAh battery. The Pro model is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, while the regular Pad 8 uses the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset. Xiaomi also unveiled a new 5,000mAh powerbank, the UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W . The 6mm thick power bank comes in three colors with an aluminum alloy shell: orange, silver and charcoal gray. Along with that, the company introduced the Xiaomi Tag , its own take on the Bluetooth item tracker. The Xiaomi Tag has a built-in hanging loop so it can be attached directly to a keyring, and the company says it will work with both Apple Find My and Google's Find Hub for Android. Tecno Tecno We can always expect to see some wild phone concepts at MWC, and this year we're starting with one from Tecno . The company unveiled a modular concept smartphone design that can be as thin as 4.9mm in its base configuration. Thered be 10 modules to choose from based on the announcement, including various camera lenses, a gaming attachment and a power bank, relying on magnets to keep it all together or Modular Magnetic Interconnection Technology, as Tecno is calling it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/everything-announced-at-mwc-2026-lenovos-wild-foldable-gaming-handheld-honors-robot-phone-and-more-172442814.html?src=rss

Lenovo's robot concept can help you digitally sign documents (and maybe annoy coworkers)

Lenovo can make a robot, too. Alongside proof-of-concept foldable gaming PCs and modular laptops, it introduced the AI Workmate Concept at MWC 2026 . With its own Intel Core Ultra processor, 64GB of memory and its own Pico projector, its an AI-laced workmate meant to streamline office tasks and collaboration. And it has an LCD face. For now, its a proof of concept, musing on how to integrate voice commands and LLMs (large language models) into workplace settings. It's meant to sit on your desk, but preferably also near a wall more on that later. Voice commands aside, the concept bot supports writing, voice and gestures with on-device AI processing. While it can answer the usual voice assistant questions, it can also scan and summarize documents (both digitally and physically) and even assist with creating a PowerPoint presentation though you might want to check its work. Mat Smith for Engadget The 3.4-inch 480 x 480 screen doesnt seem to offer any data visualization or numbers. During my demo, it only seemed to show the bot's eyes and facial expressions: itll sip coffee as it listens (with a moustache), cup a floating hand to the side of its face when it needs you to repeat a command, or twinkle when its processing more complicated tasks, like that fictional PowerPoint presentation. With its articulated head, which houses the projector, cameras and LCD face, you can ask it to project images or documents on either the desk in front of it or a wall nearby. No need to flip around your monitor or laptop to share with colleagues. In one example, a spokesperson asked for a postcard. The Workmate then projected a (Lenovo-branded) image of Barcelona onto the desk. The rep laid paper down, then signed the postcard and got the robot to scan it (with two downward-facing 5-megapixel cameras), and then send the file to a nearby printer. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget In theory, this sort of flow could transition to document signing or adding notation to images and files. However, one caveat here is whether those of us who work in offices want the extra workplace noise of a chatty robo and the person barking orders at it. Lenovo says this concept (and it has a few at MWC) is meant to demonstrate the companys exploration of spatial and physical AI experiences that integrate seamlessly into professional environments. Hopefully, further evolutions offer a text-based way to make using it a little less noisy. Lenovo was also showing a simpler AI work device, the AI Work Companion Concept. Its a completely different premise, despite the name being a little too close to the AI Workmate Concept. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget The AI Work Companion is not a robot, but a handsome chunky desk clock, with a solid, satisfying dial on the top and programmable buttons. The front is almost entirely display, able to show calendars, task lists and other work-centric dashes. It runs independently, plugging into a USB-C port for power and pulling data down wirelessly, while also acting as a port hub for charging other accessories and devices. Its certainly not as high-concept as the robot, but there are some AI smarts inside. The Work Companions Thought Bubble uses AI to sync a users tasks and daily schedule across devices, synthesizing a daily action plan. It will even suggest times to break up bursts of work and attempt to monitor screen time to better manage burnout. According to the press release, Lenovo says it also has playful interactions with the user and will, kind of bleakly, offer an end-of-week celebration report of tasks completed. Its lucky its a good-looking desk clock. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lenovo-concept-robot-ai-workmate-mwc-2026-230159746.html?src=rss

Lenovo unveils the 2026 refresh of its Yoga 9i 2-in-1 convertible laptop at MWC

Lenovo has given the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition a refresh for 2026 and launched the new device at this years Mobile World Congress . The convertible laptop comes with a new Canvas Mode when the Yoga Pen Gen 2 case its bundled with is attached to the A-cover. When you lay the device down on a flat surface with the case attached, youll get a slight elevation on the display, which may make it easier to sketch or draw. The Copilot+ laptop is powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors with integrated graphics, has up to 32GB in memory and runs Windows 11. Its 14-inch screen has a resolution of 2,880 x 1,800 pixels, has a variable refresh rate of 120 Hz and supports multi-touch. In addition to the new Canvas Mode, the device also supports Tablet, Tent, Stand and traditional Laptop Modes like its predecessors do. The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition Gen 11 will be available in May, with prices starting at $1,949. Lenovo has also launched the new Yoga Pro 7a at MWC 2026. This Copilot+ laptop is powered by AMD Ryzen AI Max+ Series processors and comes with up to 128GB of RAM, so it can be used for heavy AI tasks. It has a 15.3-inch 2.5K PureSight Pro OLED display and is equipped with a big Force Pad trackpad that doubles as a drawing tablet. You can get the device starting in August this year for at least $2,099. For a more affordable option, theres the new IdeaPad Slim 5i Ultra laptop, which also has Copilot+ features. Its powered by Intel Core Ultra processors and comes with either a WUXGA OLED or a WQXGA IPS LCD 14-inch display that has a VRR of 120 Hz. The device was designed for portability, with its thinnest part measuring just 11.9 mm in depth, and weighs 2.5 lbs. It will be available starting in October for at least $799. Another affordable option is the new Idea Tab Pro Gen 2, which is specifically targeted towards students. Its powered by theSnapdragon 8s Gen 4 Mobile Platform and has a 13-inch 3.5K display. The Tab Pro Gen 2 is Lenovos first tablet to ship with its Qira AI assistant and the companys AI tools. It will be sold with a Lenovo Tab Pen Plus included for $419 starting in July. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovo-unveils-the-2026-refresh-of-its-yoga-9i-2-in-1-convertible-laptop-at-mwc-230100644.html?src=rss

Lenovo's ThinkPads get a spec bump at MWC 2026

Lenovo is updating its business-focused laptop lineup at MWC 2026. The best-selling ThinkPad T-series is getting a full refresh, and there's an updated ThinkBook 2-in-1 and an all-new Android tablet. The ThinkPad T-Series, the backbone of Lenovo's business PC lineup, now (optionally) ships with a 5MP camera that supports computer vision and vHDR. The 2026 versions of the laptops have larger speakers and a new color (cosmic blue) on some models. The ThinkPad T14 Gen 7 and ThinkPad T16 Gen 5 (each starting at $1,799) are the all-around workhorses of the ThinkPad lineup. Lenovo touts the 2026 models' 10/10 iFixit repairability score. They ship with either an Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (with Intel vPro) or an AMD Ryzen AI Pro 400 Series processor. ThinkPad T14s Gen 7 Lenovo Meanwhile, the T14s Gen 7 ($1,899+) is an even lighter version of Lenovo's slim ThinkPad variant. The 2026 model weighs 2.45 lbs (1.1kg), making it the lightest T-series model to date. The T14s Gen 7 is powered by Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (with Intel vPro) or AMD Ryzen AI Pro 400 Series processors. Rounding out the T-Series is the second-generation of the 360-degree-folding ThinkPad T14s 2-in-1. The 2026 model ($1,849+) is ever-so-slightly lighter than its predecessor, now weighing in at 3.06lbs (1.39kg). The new version includes a garaged pen, with its storage slot living above the screen. ThinkPad X13 Detachable Lenovo The ThinkPad X13 Detachable is the lineup's take on the Surface Pro . The tablet has Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processors and up to 64GB of RAM. Its 13-inch display supports up to 500 nits of brightness. It has a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports, and its keyboard has full-sized keys with 1.5mm of travel. It ships with a full-size ergonomic pen that you can stash (and charge!) in a dedicated slot on the keyboard. The X13 Detachable starts at $1,999. The $499 ThinkPad X11 is a rugged Android tablet for industrial environments. Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Mobile Platform, it has a 10.95-inch display with 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and 600 nits of brightness. It's MIL-STD-810H certified, meaning it passes stringent military testing for durability. ThinkTab X11 Lenovo Finally, there's the ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 6 ($1,754+). This Yoga-like folding device has a 14-inch WUXGA touch display. It runs on an Intel Core Ultra 7 (Series 3) processor and supports up to 32GB of RAM. Most of the devices start shipping in Q2 2026. (That includes the ThinkPad T14, T16, T14s, T14s 2-in-1, ThinkTab X11 and ThinkBook 14 2-in-1.) The lone exception is the ThinkPad X13 Detachable, which is slated for Q3 2026. You can learn more about the new business-focused devices on Lenovo's website. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/lenovos-thinkpads-get-a-spec-bump-at-mwc-2026-230100419.html?src=rss

Lenovos latest gaming tablet goes big on battery

Lenovos buzziest gaming-related MWC announcement is undoubtedly its foldable Legion Go handheld-cum-laptop hybrid, which you can read all about here. But that wasnt all the company showed off. Were also getting an updated Legion Tab, Lenovos powerful gaming tablet. Like the Gen 4 and 3 models before it, the latest Legion Tab features an 8.8-inch LCD display with an 165Hz refresh rate. The 3K panel can get up to 600 nits of brightness. The notable spec boosts come in the form of a jump up to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset and a larger 9,000mAh battery, which should help you power through those long-haul flight gaming sessions. The 360g Gen 5 Legion Go Tab is equipped with 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. It also features what looks like an RGB light ring next to the rear camera cutout (just in case anyone needs reminding that youre a capital G on-the-go gamer), and two USB-C ports. The latest Legion Go Tab also supports Lenovo AI Engine+, which uses AI for audio enhancement and noise cancellation. Available in Eclipse Black, Glacier White and Surge, it will be available to buy in May, with prices starting at $849. Lenovo also unveiled a new 15-inch variant of its Gen 11 Legion 7a gaming laptop, after announcing an updated 16-inch model at CES in January. It features a slightly smaller version of the same PureSight OLED display and is powered by a Ryzen AI Max+ 392 processor with integrated Radeon 8060S graphics. Weighing in 1.65kg, the Legion 7a is a slimline laptop designed to be easily portable without compromising too much on power, and its 84Whr battery is good for the size. It will be available with up to 2TB of storage in July, starting at $2,299. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/lenovos-latest-gaming-tablet-goes-big-on-battery-230017436.html?src=rss

The Lenovo Modular AI PC concept is a remixed dual-screen laptop with hot swappable ports

The potential of modular laptops has never fully translated to the real world. While companies like Framework have made major strides in recent years, there's still quite a bit of room for improvement. At MWC, Lenovo is looking to address that with its Modular AI PC concept. It features not one but two displays and a detachable keyboard to create something that strains the definition of a laptop, thanks to an innovative and very adaptable design. Compared to Framework's gadgets, which primarily use modularity to make upgrading the system and extending its lifespan easier, Lenovo's concept is based around a 14-inch chassis with hot swappable components. This allows you to move its keyboard and secondary display around at will, so the system can better adjust to its environment or workload. By default, its bonus screen is mounted on its lid, allowing you to do easy face-to-face sharing with someone sitting opposite you. However, without even needing to turn the system off, you can yank away the notebook's keyboard and put the display in its place to provide additional real estate. The Lenovo Modular AI PC concept's second screen can be attached to its lid or moved off to the side like a traditional dual monitor setup. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Or if you prefer a more traditional dual-screen setup, you can move it off to the side, prop it up via a built-in kickstand and connect to the laptop over USB-C. You even get the flexibility to arrange the display in vertical or landscape orientation, which is nice if you're doing stuff like coding or writing in a word doc (I feel targeted, but in a good way). And because the keyboard can connect to the notebook using pogo pins or Bluetooth, you have the freedom to position it practically anywhere you want. Meanwhile, Lenovo borrowed one aspect of Framework's modularity by including the ability to swap ports on the fly. During my demo, the company showed off modules featuring USB-C, USB-A and HDMI connectors, though I was told there are a ton of additional possibilities for those who might need things like a proper Ethernet jack or additional ports for audio. The Lenovo Modular AI PC concept's keyboard and be completely removed at a moment's notice and positioned anywhere you like thanks to its Bluetooth connectivity. Sam Rutherford for Engadget But what impressed me the most was that despite being a concept device, the whole setup felt quite polished. That almost suggests that this thing might be closer to becoming an actual retail product than some of the company's other demo gadgets . Build quality felt really sturdy and I had no issues changing out ports or moving the secondary display around without needing to troubleshoot or reboot the system. Everything just kind of worked. And while Lenovo isn't sharing details about what processor it's running or how much memory it has, its performance felt snappy too. My only question is that I'm not quite sure where AI fits into all of this. I was able to break down and reconfigure the system without any help from machine learning or a digital assistant. That said, I'm not complaining, because even with a lot of moving parts, its modular design is very approachable and easy to use. Ports on the Lenovo Modular AI PC concept can be hot swapped between to add USB-C, USB-A and HDMI connectors as needed. Sam Rutherford for Engadget Unfortunately, Lenovo isn't planning on turning this concept into a true retail device. But even so, I hope the company will at least consider bringing some of the modular laptop's features like its hot swappable ports to future products. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/the-lenovo-modular-ai-pc-concept-is-a-remixed-dual-screen-laptop-with-hot-swappable-ports-230000158.html?src=rss

The Lenovo Legion Go Fold gaming handheld concept looks awkward but its versatility is endless

Lenovo already has a large roster of gaming handhelds . However, it seems there's always room for another because at MWC the company showed off an ambitious concept device based around a flexible OLED display. And while the whole setup looks ungainly, after getting my hands on it, I'm very intrigued by its adaptability. Now I'll be the first to admit that an 11.6-inch display feels oversized on a handheld that, in theory, is meant to be somewhat portable. That said, the beauty of the Legion Go Fold's screen is that it can be bent in half to create a more appropriately-sized 7.7-inch panel. In this configuration, the system feels a lot less cumbersome while also sporting a more traditional aspect ratio. Then, at a moment's notice, you can extend the display to provide extra room when you need it. How silly does this look when its flexible display is fully extended in portrait mode? Sam Rutherford for Engadget However, the thing I like most about the Legion Go Fold is that its controllers are detachable and that the tablet has several different mounting points. This means if you have the space, you can remove the controllers, rotate the display into landscape mode and then reattach them to get an immersive widescreen experience. Alternatively, you can connect the gamepads together using one of Lenovo's accessories (which is similar to Nintendo's Joy-Con Grip ) and then prop the system up using the Go Fold's folio cover, which doubles as a kickstand. But wait, there's more: The handheld also features a strip of pogo pins for connecting a wireless keyboard, effectively transforming the whole setup into a miniature gaming laptop. Depending on how you're counting, that's at least four different modes you're getting from the Legion Fold, which is really quite impressive and speaks to the versatility of Lenovo's design. Another feature I really like is the small 1-inch OLED display on the right gamepad. It supports a handful of widgets that can display the time, performance settings and more. It also doubles as a small touchpad, which can be really handy when playing PC titles that were originally developed for mouse and keyboard. And just like on the Legion Go and Legion Go 2 , the Fold's right gamepad has a small scroll wheel and a hidden sensor, so it can also turn into a vertical mouse for playing FPS titles. At this point, it's important to mention that Lenovo doesn't have concrete plans to put this thing into production, so its specs don't really matter. That said, the Legion Go Fold I tried featured an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip with 32GB of RAM and a 48WHr battery, which is more than respectable. Though if this thing does become an actual retail device, I would like to see a power cell with a bit more capacity. I really love how the Legion Go Fold can turn into a miniature laptop just by moving some of its accessories around. Sam Rutherford for Engadget But as a concept gadget, I think the Legion Go Fold is a great showcase of how new technology (in this case, a flexible display) can bring new capabilities and greater flexibility to existing categories. And who knows, if a lot of people like the idea, it might encourage Lenovo to refine it and put it on sale for real. I would just be a bit worried about pricing, because all these components won't come cheap. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/the-lenovo-legion-go-fold-gaming-handheld-concept-looks-awkward-but-its-versatility-is-endless-230000816.html?src=rss

Best Buy Canada seemingly just leaked Sonos' next portable speaker

A product briefly posted on the Canadian Best Buy website this weekend suggests Sonos may soon announce a new portable speaker called the Sonos Play. The speaker offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, AirPlay 2 support, Trueplay to tune the sound based on wherever you've placed it and voice controls, according to a page that's since been removed. Best Buy Canada had it listed for $399.99 CAD (or a little under 300 US dollars), and put the release date at March 31. The listing may have been taken down, but not before it was spotted and reposted on Reddit . The product page for the Sonos Play also showed that it comes in two colors, White and Black, and it has a little carrying strap for added convenience. It's IP67 rated dust- and waterproof. Sonos hasn't officially made any announcements about it yet, but we wouldn't be surprised to see one soon. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/speakers/best-buy-canada-seemingly-just-leaked-sonos-next-portable-speaker-215601978.html?src=rss

The US reportedly used Anthropic's AI for its attack on Iran, just after banning it

In a lengthy post on Truth Social on February 27, President Trump ordered all federal agencies to immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology following strong disagreements between the Department of Defense and the AI company. A few hours later, the US conducted a major air attack on Iran with the help of Anthropic's AI tools, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal . The president noted in his post that there would be a six-month phase-out period for agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropics products, so federal agencies are still expected to eventually move away from using Claude or other Anthropic tech. It's also not the first time that the US used Anthropic's AI for a major military operation, as the WSJ previously reported that Claude was used in the capture of the now-removed Venezuelan president Nicols Maduro. Moving forward, the Department of Defense may begin transitioning towards other AI options, especially after reaching deals with both xAI and OpenAI to use their models within the federal agency's network. However, the WSJ reported that it would take months to replace Anthropic's Claude with other AI models. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-us-reportedly-used-anthropics-ai-for-its-attack-on-iran-just-after-banning-it-172908929.html?src=rss

Everything announced at MWC 2026: Honor's Robot Phone, the new Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi, and more

MWC 2026 officially gets underway on March 2 and will continue through March 5, but the announcements are already coming ahead of its start. We can always count on the annual tech event to bring tons of new phones, laptops and tablets, and we're expecting to see some robots and other gadgets too plus plenty of AI news, of course. In addition to the announcements, MWC is our chance to get hands-on time with some of the most interesting new devices, like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Honor's Robot Phone . Engadgets Mat Smith is on the ground in Barcelona, and we'll be updating this story as the week goes on to keep you in the loop on everything that caught our attention. Keep checking back here for the latest MWC news. Honor The Robot Phone. (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget) Honor teased its Robot Phone this past fall and we just finally got a proper look at it at MWC. And it's pretty freakin' cute. The phone is equipped with a camera that's mounted on a highly mobile 4-degrees-of-freedom gimbal, which tucks away into a compartment on the back when it's not in use (making for a pretty beefy camera bump). In a demo at MWC, the camera, which behaves like a little robot head, bobbed along to music and showed off some of its gesture skills, like cocking its head and nodding in agreement. Honor didn't reveal too much spec-wise, but the company says the primary camera uses a 200-megapixel sensor. The gimbal will offer three-axis stabilization, which will be coupled with camera modes such as Super Steady Video and AI Object Tracking. The Robot Phone isn't quite ready for release at the moment, but the company says it will launch later this year. Be sure to check out Mat Smith's writeup on the Robot Phone for a more in-depth look. Honor's humanoid robot. (Image by Mat Smith for Engadget) Image by Mat Smith It's not a humanoid robot reveal without some backflips and a choreographed dance performance. Honor introduced its robot at MWC with all the spectacle we've come to expect (though the bot didn't do any talking).Its simply called the Honor Robot, and the company has plans for it to be used in both industrial and domestic settings. Honor Magic V6 (Honor) The Robot Phone isn't the only phone Honor showed off at MWC. The company also announced its Magic V6 smartphone , which it says is the thinnest phone in its category, measuring 8.75mm folded and 4.0mm open in the white colorway. The other three colors black, gold and red are slightly thicker, at 9mm folded and 4.1mm open. Not too much has changed from the V5, though, which only came out in August 2025. It does however have the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with 16GB RAM and 512 GB storage. As for the cameras, there are two 50-megapixel lenses and a 64-megapixel telephoto, plus a 20-megapixel f/2.2 selfie lens on the cover and internal display. The international version of the Magic V6 will have a 6660mAh battery with 25 percent silicon content, while the version sold only in China will boast a battery with a rated capacity of more than 7000mAh and 32 percent silicon content. Honor hasn't yet shared details about pricing and availability. Honor MagicPad Honor Ahead of MWC, Honor also announced what it claims is the thinnest Android tablet in the world: the 4.8mm thick MagicPad 4 . We're expecting to hear more about this at Honor's press conference on Sunday, but so far we know it features a 12.3-inch 165Hz OLED display and weighs just 450g. It comes with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. The thinness doesn't count the camera bump, Honor notes. The MagicPad 4 has 13MP rear and 9MP front cameras. It also boasts spatial audio, with eight speakers. Just as the display is slightly smaller than the previous MagicPad, the MagicPad 4 has a smaller battery at 10100 mAh. It comes with a 66W fast charger. The MagicPad 4 will run Honor's MagicOS 10. We don't yet know how much it will cost, but we'll update this after Honor's press conference (where we're also expecting to see the company's robot) with any new details. Xiaomi x Leica Mat Smith for Engadget Xiaomi kicked off MWC this year by announcing the global launch of its 17 Ultra smartphone, which debuted first in China back in December. It's unclear if the phone will ever come to the US, but it's now rolling out in Europe. Xiaomi teamed up again with Leica to make a photography-focused smartphone, and the 17 Ultra sports a 1-inch 50-megapixel camera sensor with a f/1.67 lens, a telephoto setup with a 200MP 1/1.4-inch sensor, and a 50MP ultrawide camera. There's also a manual zoom ring around the camera. Check out our hands on for our first impressions of what it's like shooting with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra . And there's more to it than just the camera. The 17 Ultra has a 6.9-inch OLED 120 Hz display that peaks at 3,500 nits of brightness, and a 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra starts at 1,299 (roughly $1,750). Leica also announced a new phone made in partnership with Xiaomi at MWC. It looks a whole lot like Xiaomi's 17 Ultra, but isn't the 17 Ultra, exactly. Leica Leitzphone by Xiaomi hands-on at MWC 2026 Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Like the 17 Ultra, Leica's Leitzphone by Xiaomi has a 1-inch camera sensor and physical controls for zoom and other settings, using a mechanical ring around the camera unit. It features a Leica-designed intuitive camera interface with the option to show just the essentials when you're shooting, hiding all the modes and labels. There's a monochrome shooting mode and Leica filters. The Leica branding is splashed all over it in design and wallpapers, but it's otherwise pretty similar to the 17 Ultra, with the same specs. Like the 17 Ultra, it has a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and a 6.9-inch 120Hz display. This one's priced at 1,999 (roughly $2,362). The Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Xiaomi In addition to the 17 Ultra, Xiaomi announced two new tablets at MWC this year: the Xiaomi Pad 8 and Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro . There's nothing revolutionary here, but they're lightweight and thin, with both being 5.75mm thick and weighing 485g, and have a 9200mAh battery. The Pro model is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, while the regular Pad 8 uses the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset. Xiaomi also unveiled a new 5000mAh powerbank, the UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 15W . The 6mm thick power bank comes in three colors with an aluminum alloy shell: orange, silver and charcoal gray. Along with that, the company introduced the Xiaomi Tag , its own take on the Bluetooth item tracker. The Xiaomi Tag has a built-in hanging loop so it can be attached directly to a keyring, and the company says it will work with both Apple Find My and Google's Find Hub for Android. Tecno Tecno We can always expect to see some wild phone concepts at MWC, and this year we're starting with one from Tecno . The company unveiled a modular concept smartphone design that can be as thin as 4.9mm in its base configuration. Thered be 10 modules to choose from based on the announcement, including various camera lenses, a gaming attachment and a power bank, relying on magnets to keep it all together or Modular Magnetic Interconnection Technology, as Tecno is calling it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/everything-announced-at-mwc-2026-honors-robot-phone-the-new-leica-leitzphone-by-xiaomi-and-more-172442140.html?src=rss

A closer look at Honors Robot Phone

While Honor has already made plenty of product announcements, with tablets, foldables and more, its most interesting device at MWC 2026 is the Robot Phone and maybe the humanoid robot that came alongside it. After briefly showing off a model at CES, Honor isn't quite ready to launch its Robot Phone. However, we got more specs, tech demos and a closer look following the company's MWC press event in Barcelona. The Robot Phone is currently set to launch later this year. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Honor has put a lot of effort into ensuring its camera gimbal is highly mobile, to the point of creating a tiny personal robot that is, dare I say, adorable? The Robot Phone's pop-up camera can cock its head, shake to say no, nod to agree, and even flip or at least rotate 360 degrees. According to Honor's presentation, it can even bop along to songs. A spokesperson told me that it's got five songs in its repertoire, so it's not clear whether they're programmed for these kind of demos, or will be a feature of the final retail device. Another demo here at MWC showed how you could make the Robot Phone sleep by covering its gimbal eye, though it's odd that the camera is still exposed rather than folded away. My main concern with the Robot Phone is the robustness and durability of its robotic mechanisms. We've lived through several waves of smartphones that attempted much simpler mechanical camera functions and the threat of dust or heavy-handed users can't be ignored. Image by Mat Smith for Engadget The company says it's taken what it learned from foldables, regarding high-performance materials and simulation accuracy, and applied it to shrinking the camera module. On stage, Honor CEO James Li revealed what he calls the industry's smallest micro motor, much smaller than a 1-euro coin and, he added, 70 percent smaller than existing micro motors. As this component has been reduced substantially, the Robot Phone's gimbal will be the industry's smallest 4-degrees-of-freedom gimbal system. That's a spec we finally got a spec! It'll also offer three-axis stabilization in this tiny camera package, with the primary camera using a 200-megapixel sensor. The fold-away panel that the primary camera tucks into also reveals more typical cameras, so you're not forced to use the gimbal if you don't need it. Still, that's one very thick camera unit: Image by Mat Smith for Engadget Honor has already started building out camera modes and features, with a Super Steady Video mode that enhances stability while swinging the Robot Phone around to capture video. AI Object Tracking will apparently intelligently follow subjects, while AI SpinShot supports intelligent 90-degree and 180-degree rotational movement for more cinematic transitions. We've seen these sorts of pre-programmed movements and functions in full-size phone gimbals and action cams. If Honor can nail it in such a tiny form, it'll be impressive. Other specifications during Honor's press event were sparse, although the company announced a collaboration with ARRI Image Science to bring its cinematic smarts to the Robot Phone's gimbal camera. In a press release, Honor's Li said the collaboration would bring ARRI's cinematic standards and professional workflows into mobile imaging. It's apparently the first time elements of ARRI Image Science are being integrated into a consumer device. Dr. Benedikt von Lindeiner, VP at ARRI, said the goal is to bring a true cinematic aesthetic, such as natural color, gentle highlight roll-off, and a sense of depth, to shooting with an Honor smartphone. Image by Mat Smith Honor also made a humanoid robot companion for its Robot Phone. The bot took to the stage alongside the Robot Phone, danced alongside human dancers, did a backflip and shook hands with CEO James Li. It didn't say a thing, but fortunately, during some on-the-rails banter between the robot, Robot Phone and Honor's CEO, the Robot Phone was particularly chatty. Like the many humanoid robots we've reported on and seen in person, Honor hopes to put it to work in both industrial and domestic settings, pitching it as a central part of the company's multi-million-dollar push into AI. For now, it's being called Honor Robot. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/a-closer-look-at-honors-robot-phone-145935198.html?src=rss

Honors Magic V6 doesnt have a new rabbit to pull out of its hat

Honor launched the Magic V5 in August 2025 and yet its successor is being announced just seven months later. Speak to Honors representatives, and you can imply that its racing to push the envelope against both its real competition (Samsung) and its anticipated one (Apple). With so little time between launches, youll be unsurprised to learn that little has changed. The only other real reason this device has been pushed out so swiftly is because itll help Honor retain the title of making the worlds thinnest foldable. Ill leave you to decide if you think thats a valid enough reason to release a whole new smartphone so soon. Last year, just one of the four Magic V5 colorways measured in at 8.8mm folded and 4.1mm open while the rest clocked in at 9mm and 4.2mm respectively. This year Honor is marking its own homework with a similarly generous spirit, with the white version of the Magic V6 measuring 8.75mm folded and 4.0mm open. The black, gold and red colorways will have to settle for the indignity of measuring 9mm folded and 4.1mm open. Now, I appreciate the engineering savvy necessary to make a device this slim, but this push for more thinness needs to stop. Last years Magic V5 crossed the millimeters-wide rubicon from slender to dainty , to the point where, while holding it, I was worried about how durable it was. After all, foldables are regularly put through mechanical stresses that regular phones never have to deal with in normal duty. Honor says the phone is well built to withstand the rigors of normal life, including a scratch-resistant display cover. The screen is impact-resistant, theres a far stronger hinge and its rated for IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance. Claims that, Im sure, will be tested to its limits by sceptical reviewers when the device goes on sale. The company has also been scraping away at the V6s weight, with the white model weighing in at 219 grams, while the other three colorways are 224 grams. Thats lighter than an iPhone 17 Pro Max (233 grams), and you can bet Honor mentioned that fact in its briefings to the press more than once. Honor has also seen fit to make some massive design changes to the inside of the V6 to help shrink many of its components. This redesigned internal structure includes a new antenna, speaker chamber, vibration motor, NFC module, SIM card slot and USB-C housing. All of the space vacated by those components has been filled by a new 6,660mAh battery with 25 percent silicon content. Honor says you should expect to be able to play a video on the primary display for 24 hours with that beefy battery. Its worth noting only the international version is equipped with this 6,660mAh cell, while the China-only variant gets an even better model. Honor said its domestic edition will have a CATL-manufactured battery with 32 percent silicon content and a rated capacity of more than 7,000mAh. Honor And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain he wept, seeing as he had no more worlds to conquer. The quote comes from Die Hard although its an urban myth that film coined the phrase entirely but the sentiment applies to much of the rest of this handset. The rest of the spec sheet is more or less the same as found on the Magic V5, which itself was a modest revision of its predecessor. Essentially, there arent too many more worlds to conquer even at the highest end of smartphone components, so grab your weepin tissues. Dab at the corners of your eyes when you see the cameras are more or less identical both in the main setup and for selfies. There are two 50-megapixel lenses paired with a 64-megapixel telephoto, and up front on both the cover and internal display, theres a 20-megapixel f/2.2 selfie lens. Youll find similarly-meager fare in the list of changes made to the displays, since the primary screen remains the same size and resolution as before. The bezels on the cover screen have been trimmed, so it now measures in at 6.52-inches, up from the 6.43-inch on the V5. But in most of the other ways in which it matters, youll find that here its business as usual. The V5 shipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and that was plenty fast enough. The V6 can boast that its the first foldable to ship with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage). While it is an upgrade on the older SoC, its not transformative. Lets be honest, its hard not to see Honors desire to shuffle a new handset out the door with some marketing claims comes at the cost of any meaningful substance. On the software side, its business as usual, although one thing caught my eye enough to be worth comment. At several points during Honors briefing, the company went hard on the idea that its devices play wonderfully well with Apples. If you install Honor Connect onto your iPhone and Mac, youll be able to share files, extend your desktop and even control your AirPods. This was something the company has been pushing for a while now, but it surprised me how much it was brought up here. On one hand, it makes sense that any would-be Apple challenger would offer a friendly way in for iPhone diehards. Tell them that your Android handset will integrate with your existing devices and then hope to show them what youve got to offer. On the other, if youre so eager to tag your gear onto another companys ecosystem, it doesnt suggest a lot of confidence in your own. Especially when youre marketing your pricey, ultra-premium flagship foldable as an ideal macOS companion in your own marketing materials. Still, being able to use the V6 as an extended display for your Mac is a cool idea, no matter the broader narrative. At first blush, Honors Magic V6 looks like a phone that exists to satisfy a marketing demand rather than out of necessity. (Im sure someone will point out thats the case for a lot of new phones these days, but Im sure you take my meaning.) To stay ahead of its rivals, its nipped and tucked every corner of this phone to within an inch of its life, and the end result is more or less the same handset we saw less than a year ago. Thats not to say its a bad phone, the V5 was a lovely piece of kit, but I cant help but wonder if holding this device back until Honor had more meaningful improvements wouldnt have been better. At the time of publication, Honor hasnt shared pricing and availability information, which we will update here when its announced. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/honors-magic-v6-doesnt-have-a-new-rabbit-to-pull-out-of-its-hat-130048729.html?src=rss

How to share your location via satellite on iPhone

Apples satellite features are designed for situations where cellular and Wi-Fi coverage are unavailable. In supported regions, compatible iPhone 14 or later models can connect directly to a satellite to send messages, access Emergency SOS and share location data. Location sharing via satellite is particularly useful when traveling in remote areas, hiking or driving through regions with limited network coverage. This guide explains what is required to use location sharing via satellite on an iPhone, how to prepare the feature in advance and how to send your location when no signal is available. How to share your location via satellite When there is no cellular or Wi-Fi signal available, open the Find My app. If satellite connectivity is possible, the app will prompt you to connect to a satellite. Onscreen instructions will guide you to point the iPhone toward the sky and adjust its position to maintain a connection. Once connected, select the option to share your location . The iPhone will record your current location and send it via satellite to the selected contact. During this process, it is important to keep the device steady and follow the visual guidance until the transmission is complete. After the location is sent, the contact can view it in their Find My app. The shared location represents a specific moment in time rather than ongoing movement. What you need before using satellite location sharing Location sharing via satellite is available on iPhone 14 models and later that are running iOS 18 or newer. The feature is supported only in specific countries and regions , and its availability may vary by local regulations. Satellite services also require a clear view of the sky, which means dense tree cover, buildings, mountains or being indoors can interfere with connectivity. Apple offers satellite features free of charge for two years with the activation of an iPhone 14 or later, although this policy may change over time. It is important to confirm that satellite services are active on the device before relying on them in a remote setting. Location sharing via satellite works through the Find My app. Unlike Emergency SOS, it is not intended for urgent situations and does not contact emergency services. Instead, it allows trusted contacts to see your current location when standard connectivity is unavailable. Preparing your iPhone for satellite use Before heading somewhere with limited coverage, it is important to confirm that location services and Find My are properly configured. On the iPhone, open the Settings app and tap Privacy & Security , then select Location Services and ensure the feature is turned on. Scroll down to Find My and confirm that location access is set appropriately. Next, open the Find My app and make sure location sharing is enabled. If location sharing has not been set up, the app will prompt you to choose contacts who are allowed to view your location. Only contacts added in advance can receive location updates via satellite. If you are somewhere without cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, youll need to use Apples Connection Assistant. Open Settings , then tap Satellite and choose a satellite feature. Apple also recommends reviewing the satellite connection demo, which is available within the Find My app and other satellite features. This demo shows how to hold the iPhone and move it to maintain a satellite connection. Practicing this step ahead of time can make the process quicker and less stressful when it is actually needed. Viewing shared locations and managing access Contacts who receive a satellite location update can see it in the same way as standard Find My location sharing. The location appears on the map with a timestamp indicating when it was sent. If additional updates are needed, the process must be repeated, provided satellite connectivity is still available. Location sharing permissions can be managed at any time. In the Find My app, users can add or remove contacts and adjust how long location sharing remains active. These settings apply to both standard and satellite-based sharing. How location sharing via satellite works When an iPhone loses access to cellular and Wi-Fi networks, the Find My app can switch to satellite mode. This allows the device to send limited data packets to a satellite, which then relays the information to Apples network and on to the selected contact. Because satellite bandwidth is limited, location updates are not continuous the iPhone sends a snapshot of the users location rather than live tracking. Updates may take several minutes to send, depending on conditions and satellite availability. Battery level can also affect satellite performance. Apple recommends ensuring the iPhone is sufficiently charged before relying on satellite features, especially during extended outdoor activities. Important limitations to keep in mind Satellite location sharing is not a replacement for Emergency SOS. In situations involving immediate danger, Emergency SOS via satellite should be used instead, as it connects directly with emergency services. Environmental factors can significantly affect satellite connectivity. Cloud cover, terrain and obstructions can slow or prevent successful transmissions. The feature also works best outdoors with a clear view of the horizon. Finally, satellite services are designed for occasional use rather than frequent messaging or tracking. Location updates may take longer than expected and should not be relied on for real-time navigation or coordination. Sharing your location via satellite can provide peace of mind when traveling beyond the reach of traditional networks. By setting up the feature in advance and understanding its limitations, iPhone users can make better use of Apples satellite tools when they matter most. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-share-your-location-via-satellite-on-iphone-130000085.html?src=rss