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Apple has been ordered to pay a $502 million lump sum payment by UK courts for infringing on patents owned by Optis Cellular Technology LLC, based out of Texas. This particular company is not an aggrieved innovator, but instead what is referred to as a “patent troll.” That’s a company that buys up niche patents with the specific intent to seek damages for infringement from lucrative defendants like Apple, and it’s not their first time being awarded damages from the Cupertino giant.

This lawsuit was originally filed through London courts in 2019 over patents governing cellular technology, including 4G, that Optis says was improperly used in iPads and iPhones. In 2023, London’s High Court ruled in Optis’ favor and ordered Apple to pay just over $56 million plus interest to settle the dispute, inclusive of past and future sales that featured the offending tech. Optis successfully argued that this was far too low a sum, leading to the half-a-billion-dollars in damages ordered today.

The iPhone maker has found itself in court over patent infringements time and time again in the past — not only with patent trolls, but also fellow industry stalwarts. The ability for enormous tech companies to (allegedly) infringe on design or utility patents and pay pennies on the dollar for the damage done years later seems to be a feature, not a bug.

Apple has unsurprisingly responded by promising to appeal the court's decision, to which Optis insisted it will fight to defend its intellectual property.

The recently-released Apple iPad Air M3 is already on sale via Amazon. You can pick up the 11-inch model starting at $499 and the 13-inch version starting at $699. If Amazon isn’t your bag, these deals are also available at Best Buy.

This model topped our list of the best iPads, and we said it the perfect choice for most consumers. The M3 chip is extremely powerful, which increases performance and multitasking when compared to the base iPad. It offers support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, which is nice, and the overall design is lovely.

The battery can last up to 12 hours, which is a decent metric for a modern tablet. The two 12MP cameras won’t be winning any awards, but they get the job done. These are also fairly lightweight, which makes sense given the name. The 11-inch version weighs around a pound and the 13-inch model shoots up to 1.36 pounds. That’s light enough for long-term use without any real issues.

While the screen is gorgeous, it’s not an OLED. It also maxes out with a 60Hz refresh rate, which is on the lower end. It’s worth noting that the $499 base price for the 11-inch model gets you 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Other variations are on sale, but the cost can add up. For instance, the 13-inch version with a 1TB drive will set you back $1,200.

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

If you've been thinking about upgrading your old Apple Watch, or you're keen on picking one up for the first time, take note: The Apple Watch Series 10 is back down to $299 in a few colorways at Amazon and Best Buy. We've seen this deal a few times in recent months; nevertheless, it matches the wearable's lowest price to date.

This price applies to the 42mm GPS version, but the GPS + cellular model is also on sale for $110 off, bringing it down to $389 in a handful of color options. If you want something larger, meanwhile, the 46mm GPS model is $100 off Apple's list price and down to a low of $329 as well. Considering the Apple Watch is usually only updated once a year alongside the iPhone in September, these are decent deals to snag now while the Series 10 will remain the flagship smartwatch in Apple's lineup for a few more months.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is our pick for the best smartwatch overall, though note that you'll need a compatible iPhone to use it. We gave the wearable a score of 90 in our review.

Admittedly, this is a relatively iterative upgrade. If you have an Apple Watch Series 8 or 9, the upgrade is probably not worth it. But if you're an Apple Watch newcomer or you're upgrading from an older model, this is generally the one to go for.

The Series 10 has a larger screen than its predecessor, which makes it easier to see notifications and such. The thinner frame looks nicer too. However, while the Apple Watch Series 10 is great for fitness and wellness tracking, it's a bit disappointing that the device lacks the blood oxygen feature seen in earlier models (though Apple had little choice but to nix that here).

Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Apple has been warning possible victims of spyware attacks, according to several alleged recipients of the messages. At the time of writing there appears to be at least two people who have confirmed they’ve been notified by Apple, and that the warning itself says that users in 100 countries have received similar alerts. The company does not offer any specifics as to how many people may have been targeted, or where the attacks are coming from

As reported by TechCrunch, one recipient of the warning message is the Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino, who works for an online news outlet called Fanpage in his native country. The other (as far as we know right now) is Dutch right-wing commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who posted screenshots and a video of the alleged warning message on X.

According to Vlaardingerbroek, Apple informed her that it had detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against her iPhone. The message she says she received said: “This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are and what you do. Although it’s never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning — please take it seriously.”

The warning does not say where the alleged spyware attack originated, but Vlaardingerbroek claims that Apple used the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Group’s Pegasus software as an example. She goes on to say that the attack, if genuine, is likely an attempt to intimidate and silence her.

Apple’s official guidelines about threat notifications match the screenshots on Vlaardingerbroek’s video, where it also explains that “mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks.” The same guidelines state that targeted users will be notified with an alert at the top of the page when signing into their Apple account, as well as by email and iMessage using the email addresses and phone numbers associated with that account.

Last year, Apple device users in as many as 92 countries were sent spyware attack warnings of a similar nature, and since 2021, individuals in over 150 countries have been contacted. But Apple hasn’t given more details on how many people are targeted in such attacks, only the number of countries where it contacted affected users.

Anyone rocking a recent-gen high-end GPU like an RTX 4090 or 5090 knows that these behemoths of rendering power are heavy enough to knock out a would-be PC thief. As GPUs get larger and heavier, sagging has become a growing concern for PC builders and GPU manufacturers, and ASUS briefly let on just how aware of this issue the company is.

ASUS quietly added a function called “Equipment Installation Check” to its GPU Tweak III monitoring software back in January. Included in this toolset was a measurement named “VGA Horizontal Status” that precisely measured the angle at which the installed GPU was tilting down. Users could set a custom warning if the GPU tilted down beyond a degree threshold set by the user.

In mid-April, Taiwanese publication UNIKO’s Hardware published a teardown of the latest ROG Astral 50-series cards, which highlights what they suspect to be a Bosch Sensortec chip. Bosch describes it as “a general purpose, low-power IMU that combines precise acceleration and angular rate (gyroscopic) measurement with intelligent on-chip motion-triggered interrupt features.” The technicians at UNIKO’s Hardware believe this chip is what powers the tilting detection tool.

Curiously, the most recent mentions of this feature on ASUS forums point out that as of the latest release of the Tweak III software, dated April 11, the Equipment Installation Check button is no longer there. Users had begun reporting what they believed to be false positives, confident that their GPUs were level despite the software saying they were sagging. Engadget reached out to ASUS to understand if this feature is being deprecated or if it wasn’t reporting accurate readings but did not receive a response.

Whether the feature is gone for good or angling for a comeback, the risk of sagging GPUs is all too real for many PC gamers today. PCIe slots were not exactly designed with today’s six-plus GPUs in mind, which has led to gamers finding creative solutions to hold up their enormous graphics cards and prevent potential damage.

Microsoft is dramatically increasing the price of the Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as new games and accessories. As of today, the Series S will start at $380, up from $300, while the Series X will begin at $550, a $100 increase from its previous price. As for the 1TB Series S, it now costs $430, up from $350. Meanwhile, if you want the Series X with disc drive, it will now set you back $600. Lastly, the 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition now costs an eye-watering $730. 

Additionally, Microsoft says beginning this holiday season "some" new first-party games will release at $80. At the same time, the company is increasing the price of nearly all of its first-party and peripherals. Most notably, a core controller will now set you back $65. 

"We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development," the company said. "Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players."

Developing... 

Tools for Humanity, a startup co-founded by Sam Altman, has launched its its World eyeball-scanning identity verification system in the US. During an event in San Francisco, Altman reportedly said that World's technology provides "a way to make sure humans remained central and special in a world where the internet had a lot of AI-driven content." Altman is also one of the founders and is currently the CEO of OpenAI, which is perhaps the most prominent artificial intelligence company today. 

World was used to be known as Worldcoin until Tools of Humanity decided to focus on the digital ID aspect of the project rather than the cryptocurrency part, because the Biden administration didn't have a friendly stance towards crypto. The project uses basketball-sized spherical objects called the Orb to scan a user's irises, which it then turns into a unique IrisCode for them. It will then use that information to create a World ID for the user that they can use to log into integrated platforms, including Minecraft and Reddit. Users who get verified will get some of the project's cryptocurrency for free. 

Tools for Humanity said World keeps some access to user's data to ensure they aren't double-scanning their biometrics. But it also said that most of the personal data it collects remains decentralized, anonymized and supposedly impossible to reverse-engineer to identify someone. World is opening six locations in Austin, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Nashville, Miami and San Francisco where people can get their irises scanned. 

During the event, the project also revealed that it's working on a smaller, smartphone-shaped device called the Orb mini that can verify a person's identify. It eventually intends to turn it into a mobile point-of-sale device. The project has introduced new partnerships, as well: It will soon launch the World Visa card for people who've had their identities verified, and it will pilot its identity and age verification tools with Tinder in Japan. 

Earlier this week, 2K announced that it will release Borderlands 4 on September 12 — 11 days earlier than planned. Now, we're getting another look at the latest in Gearbox's series, including new features and a full-length gameplay trailer.  

One of the most interesting tidbits announced is that Borderlands 4 will offer individual difficulty settings in co-op multiplayer. So, one person could play on easy and another on hard while still maintaining fluid gameplay. It's a cool option if you want to play with great gamers but not face the same intense challenges. 

Along with the new trailer, you can also watch a 20-minute deep dive into the game, if you so please. The State of Play presentation from creative director Graeme Timmins and senior project producer Anthony Nicholson shows "the nitty-gritty details of how you'll wreak havoc across Kairos and take down the Timekeeper." 

Smart grills are expensive. Unless you find one on clearance, they’re far from an impulse buy, and companies definitely make you pay a premium for the conveniences a dash of Wi-Fi can afford. As such, you’ll need to do some research before making your selection, taking into account what kind of cooking you plan to do and how often you’ll be doing it. There are also things to consider like added features, especially cooking modes and ease of clean up.

The real benefit of a smart grill is being able to keep tabs on your food without having to stand next to it the whole time. Most models allow you to monitor temperatures and offer some degree of cooking guidance. There’s convenience for beginners and experienced cooks alike, especially for things that take several hours to complete. However, if you’re happy with a Weber Kettle or Big Green Egg, there are ways to get smart grill features without making a pricey purchase.

Smart grill alternatives

ThermoWorks

You can get the basic function of a smart grill for $100 or less. All you really need to keep tabs on temperatures from a short distance away is an RF thermometer that has meat probes. For its accuracy and ease of use, I prefer the ThermoWorks Smoke line. The most affordable option is $99 and it comes with one food probe and one ambient temperature probe. For $169, you can upgrade to the longer-range two-probe Smoke X2 and the four-probe Smoke X4 is $199. All of these allow you to monitor things from inside and they offer the ability to set both high and low temperature alarms for audible alerts. ThermoWorks also sells an additional accessory that can add Wi-Fi to the base-level Smoke model, allowing you to send stats to your phone.

Of course, those devices only monitor temperature. They don’t do anything to help you adjust heat levels. For that, ThermoWorks built Billows. It’s a temperature control fan that eliminates the need for you to manually open/close vents on a smoker or grill that’s burning charcoal or wood. You’ll need a ThermoWorks controller to use it, like the $239 four-probe Signals unit. Signals is more expensive than the Smoke models, but it has Wi-Fi built in, so it works with your phone right out of the box.

If both Wi-Fi and step-by-step guidance are your thing, the Weber Connect Smart Grilling Hub is a great option. This adds nearly every smart function to any grill. Weber’s app not only offers tips for how to prep food, but it also walks you through the entire process — from flipping to wrapping and resting. Timers let you know when the next step is coming and the hardware/software combo can even estimate when the cook will be complete. That last bit comes in handy when smoking things like brisket that can take 8-12 hours. The Hub can accommodate up to four probes, so you can keep tabs on multiple foods and grill temp via the simple on-board interface.

If having cables criss-crossing the inside of your grill sounds like a hassle (and it very well can be), there are wireless options available for keeping tabs on temperature. My preferred product is the Thermoworks RFX, which is available as an all-inclusive starter kit. This pack comes with a wireless probe, transmitter and wired grill temperature probe. By separating the ambient temperature sensor from the main probe, Thermoworks says it avoids inaccurate temperature readings that can be caused by the evaporative cooling of meats. The RFX sends data to an app over Wi-Fi and offline Bluetooth connectivity is in the works. Plus, this probe is supremely durable with an IP69K rating, good enough for both high-heat searing and deep frying. And when you’re done, you can just toss it in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

Pellet grills

Traeger

When it comes to smart grills, the backyard cookers that burn wood pellets are some of the most popular models. Basically, a heating element in the bottom of the grill ignites compressed wood that’s fed to the fire pot via an auger. A fan that’s run by a controller on the grill regulates the size of the flame and overall temperature. Of course, all of this is done automatically once you set the temperature. What’s more, Wi-Fi-enabled pellet grills allow you to monitor and adjust temperatures from your phone, so you can stay inside and entertain your guests.

A key advantage of pellet grills is their versatility. Most of them can handle low-and-slow cooking at as little as 180 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as searing high-heat temps of 600 degrees or higher. This gives you the ability to cook everything from brisket, ribs and pork butts to burgers, pizza and steaks. Some even have a slider that allows you to sear over the flame of the fire box. These grills allow you to “set it and forget it” for long cooks, and even for short ones, they don’t require much attention other than flipping or saucing foods.

There are more affordable smart pellet grills on the market, but for the mix of hardware and software performance, Traeger and Weber are the best picks. Traeger has a variety of models, almost all of which are Wi-Fi-equipped, starting at $800. The company’s completely redesigned Timberline series is basically an outdoor kitchen. It can accommodate a variety of accessories to expand its abilities and there’s a built-in induction burner on the side for making sauces, cooking sides, and searing. The cook chamber has double-wall insulation and the grill comes with a set of Meater wireless thermometers that connect to its touchscreen controller. However, all of the updates to the Timberline will cost you a whopping $3,300. And that’s for the smallest size.

Trager also redesigned the Ironwood series, giving it a lot of the updates that the new Timberline offers. There’s no induction burner, wood shelving, storage or dual-wall construction, but the touchscreen controls, new accessories (including a modular rail system) and, most importantly, the company’s redesigned grease and ash management system are all here. The Ironwood does have an open shelf on the bottom and a large side shelf in place of the Timberline’s burner. And while it doesn’t ship with Meater probes, this grill does support them if you buy them separately. The lack of high-end features makes the Ironwood far more affordable, starting at $1,800.

With the Traeger app, you get access to a massive library of recipes, all of which can be sent to the grill so you don’t have to dial in the settings. You also get step-by-step instructions, timers, food probe temps and the ability to activate special modes. All of that is in addition to remote control and monitoring for grill temperature. The software is compatible with all of the company’s Wi-Fi-enabled models, including older ones, so you don’t need the newest Timberline or Ironwood to take advantage of what the app has to offer.

If you prefer grills of the Weber variety, the company’s Searwood grill is your best option currently. Gone are the early days of Weber’s pellet grills that still had some issues to work out. The Searwood is more reliable and more capable thanks to an open-lid manual mode for searing, griddling and more. Plus, smaller changes like a more readable display make the overall experience a lot better. Starting at $899, it’s also more affordable than those Traeger options.

Gas grills

Weber

Smart options aren’t limited to pellet grills, though. If you don’t have a need for the lower-temperature cooking, a propane or natural gas model might be a better option. In 2021, Weber brought its Connect smart grilling platform to its gas grills, offering three- and four-burner configurations, some of which also have a side burner for extra cooking space. Just like on the Searwood, Weber Connect not only allows you to monitor both food and grill temperatures from a comfy chair, it can guide you through the process and give you time updates. You still have to manually adjust the burners, but Weber’s app can alert you when you’re running low on fuel (propane models).

Other types of smart grills

Masterbuilt

Both pellet and gas grills have their merits, but some folks prefer the tried-and-true flavor of charcoal when cooking outdoors. While the purchase of one of the previously mentioned accessories will probably achieve what you're after for a kettle or kamado-style grill you already have, there are some charcoal smart grills that offer a degree of connectivity for your cooks.

For fans of the kamado-style ceramic grills, Kamado Joe has the Konnected Joe and Big Joe Konnected Joe. Silly spellings aside, these units address two key issues with these types of grills: lighting the charcoal and regulating temperature. To help with the former, the company installed an ignition system in the bottom of the cooking chamber that lights the fuel at the press of a button.

The Konnected Joe models are also equipped with built-in smart grilling features that help you keep the temps consistent while being able to monitor food and grill temps remotely via an app. Before now, if you wanted smart features on a Kamado Joe grill, you had to invest in the iKammand add-on. Starting at $1,699, these grills are another significant investment, though that figure is on par with the company’s other models that lack the added features connectivity brings.

If you prefer charcoal but still want a versatile smart grill, Masterbuilt’s Gravity Series does everything from low-and-slow smoking to high-heat searing. The gravity-fed charcoal hopper allows you to cook with a fuel source that’s more familiar to most people while the unit’s digital fan maintains temperature. You can monitor the grill from your phone and adjust the heat levels as needed. The company’s latest version, the Gravity Series XT, has an updated controller with a color display and a number of other design improvements.

A word about griddles

Weber

Flat-top griddles are having a moment. These grills are insanely popular for their ability to accommodate smash burgers, fajitas, fried rice, breakfast and anything else that would otherwise fall through a normal grill’s grates. There are endless options here, most of which offer the same basic premise: multiple burners underneath a steel, aluminum or cast-iron flat top. Except for Recteq’s SmokeStone that burns pellets, the rest of the griddles I’ve seen run on propane or natural gas.

Since the basics are pretty much the same across the board, you’ll want to look at finer details in the design of a griddle while you’re shopping. How much space will you need? What’s the cooktop made out of? Does it have an attached lid? Are the side shelves big enough to hold everything you’ll need to cook? These are the types of questions you should be asking to make sure you buy something you’ll be happy with long term, since you’ll be spending several hundred or maybe even a thousand dollars on a griddle.

One option that I think goes beyond the normal menu of features is the Weber Slate. This is the second griddle for Weber, a company with a decades-long history of charcoal and gas grills. The Slate’s cooktop is made of rust-resistant carbon steel, which requires less maintenance and is more forgiving when you forget to clean it immediately after cooking. There’s also a front-mounted temperature display that shows the average reading across the cooking surface. Lastly, Weber offers a line of accessories designed for the Slate, including a caddy, condiment holder, cutting board and storage bins. These tools allow you to reconfigure the griddle so it’s a prep station/cooking area combo, which means fewer trips to and from the kitchen.

Making electric cars from scratch is hard. Out of all the homegrown EV startups, Tesla is the only company that has broken through to the mainstream. Nikola was a scam. Canoo recently filed for bankruptcy. And depending on how you're counting, Fisker failed not once but twice. Then there are companies like Aptera that feel like they have been nearing production for more than a decade.

Among the ocean of EV companies hoping to outpace legacy automakers, Rivian and its second-gen models are making the transition to the electric era with both style and brawn. With its R1S SUV (starting at $75,900, or around $105,000 as tested), the company has created an adventurous car that impresses now, while also providing a blueprint for future success.

Design

The R1S is unapologetically boxy in a way that truck and SUV aficionados often prefer. That said, Rivian drives a neat balance between modern minimalism and retro ruggedness that allows it to blend in almost anywhere. Its oval (technically stadium-shaped) headlights might be some of the most striking in the industry, while Rivian includes rumble-ready touches like honest-to-goodness recovery hooks, beefy fenders and big 22-inch wheels with chunky tires. In a lot of ways, the R1S is what I imagine a Bronco EV might look like, except it's more luxurious, way bigger at 200 inches long and packs three rows of seats.

Interior

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

On the inside, I'd argue the R1S looks even better, especially when clad in Rivian's Black Mountain and Brown Ash Wood trim. It's like a cozy cabin that's been properly renovated and brought up to contemporary standards. There's a huge 15.6-inch high-res screen that sits on the dash without looking too ungainly or out of place, while a 12.3-inch display serves as a digital instrument cluster. It's clear Rivian is trying to embrace a tech-forward approach but it does so without completely abandoning traditional design traits like the car's stalk-mounted gear shift and wipers. While some folks may not appreciate how the buttons for climate and music are entirely touch-based, nothing really felt buried or out of reach thanks to a static row of icons along the bottom.

Overall build quality is solid too, with practically no rattles or massive panel gaps to speak of. The seats, while a touch on the stiff side, offer both heating and ventilation for front passengers, the latter of which I must admit is a real treat as we enter spring and summer. The cabin feels light and airy thanks in large part to its big panoramic roof. I love being able to switch the electrochromic glass (which is part of the optional Sound + Vision package) from transparent to opaque with a single touch. I also appreciate that there's a dedicated screen in the second row for climate and music (which thankfully can be child-locked if need be) and proper air vents for all three rows, so there isn't a single stuffy seat in the car.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Speaking of the third row, Rivian has really maximised the R1S' boxy dimensions. Even as a six-foot-tall guy, getting all the way in the back wasn't much of a struggle, though it's still a bit tight for someone my size. I need to slide the second row forward a touch in order to have adequate room for my feet. But make no mistake, there's plenty of space for kids or smaller adults back there, and if you need an EV that can properly transport seven people at a time, this thing has you covered. Alternatively, when cargo space is the primary concern, the third row folds flat to provide 46.7 cubic feet of space. You’ll get a whopping 104.6 cubic feet with both rows stashed.

Infotainment and tech

While the R1S doesn't support Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, Rivian's infotainment is a great example of why you don't need third-party add-ons when you have a solid homegrown interface. Almost everything you want or need is accounted for. Hitting the drivetrain icon gives you quick access to controls for ride settings (including height and regenerative braking adjustments). This option also displays super helpful stats enthusiasts will appreciate like elevation, motor temperature, steering angle and more. The other controls for climate, music, charging and navigation are self-explanatory, so even if you haven't driven a Rivian before, as long as you've used a smartphone or laptop (which covers pretty much everyone), there's not much of a learning curve.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Rivian also does a fantastic job with support features like Gear Guard, which uses the R1S' built-in cameras to monitor for accidents, bumps or people vandalising your car. I truly do not understand why every automaker doesn't utilize its vehicles' onboard sensors like this. And even though I didn't need it, it's one of those things you'll be incredibly grateful for when you do. Same goes for its onboard 120V AC outlets and plentiful USB-C ports, which are just plain useful.

As for monitoring the car and day-to-day stuff like starting it and unlocking the doors, there's Rivian's mobile app (available on both iOS and Android). It's dead simple to use, and unlike the phone-as-a-key feature on my Ford Mach-E, it was bulletproof during my testing. Once I had it set up, the car never failed to automatically pop out the door handles upon approach or lock itself when I walked away.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

I also want to give Rivian props for making its cars chirp when you lock them instead of beeping the horn like so many other vehicles. Not only is it less distracting, it just feels more respectful when you're out amongst the trees. Granted, this is a minor feature, but little details like this can have a big impact and it's another thing I'd like to see on more cars. Just imagine if you could identify specific makes and models by the species of bird song it tweets out instead of being bombarded by a cacophony of harsh beeps, honks and klaxons. Wouldn't that be sweet?

The one big wrinkle to all this is that currently there's no way to mirror texts or notifications from your phone onto the car's main display. In a time when people are growing more concerned about distracted driving (and rightfully so), this is a major omission. Rivian says implementing this feature turned out to be trickier than it initially thought, though there's hope that an update to add the tool will be available later this year. In some respects, I found that completely ignoring my handset while driving was actually kind of refreshing, but if this is a dealbreaker for you, I get it.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Unfortunately, if you want a physical fob with buttons for unlocking doors or popping the frunk, you'll have to shell out an extra $250. The R1S comes with smartphone controls via the app and a simple NFC key card instead of something that resembles a traditional key or remote.

Driving

Putting your foot down in an R1S is an instant reminder of why EVs are so fun to drive. When equipped with three motors like my test vehicle, a three-row SUV that weighs 7,000 pounds has no business being this fast. Acceleration from a dead stop is brutal (the tri-motor version has a 0 to 6 time of just 2.9 seconds). Until you get above 80 mph when wind resistance starts to become a major factor, it feels like the R1S has an endless pit of power. Furthermore, for a car this size, its turning radius is surprisingly tight.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Earlier this year, Rivian released its hands-free Enhanced Highway Assist feature that lets you sit back and have the car take the wheel. It works on more than 135,000 miles of freeways across the US and Canada, and while it isn't quite as polished as Tesla's Full Self Driving or Ford's Blue Cruise tech, the R1S still felt smooth and predictable when piloting by itself. It stayed neatly centered without bouncing back and forth between the lines, allowing you to change lanes with a flick of the stalk. For times when I wanted to take a little extra stress out of driving, Rivian's hands-free tech gave me the confidence to do that.

Some of R1S' other tech that improves its driving experience includes cameras built into its mirrors, which automatically pop up on the driver's display when you signal. Not only does this help eliminate blind spots, it's just a nice bit of redundancy. But my favorite feature might be Rivian's adaptive headlights. Due to quirks in US regulations, car companies can't really port over the matrix lighting used on vehicles in the EU and Asia. So in order to comply, Rivian engineered its headlights from the ground up to automatically adjust to driving conditions like angling its beams around corners, reducing bright spots for oncoming drivers and more. And after using them, it's hard to go back to basic lights that can only do high and low.

The one small issue I found was that no matter how I tried to adjust it, the R1S’ suspension felt far from supple. The lack of cushioning sometimes made larger bumps and potholes feel particularly jarring. Rivian updated the ride comfort (particularly at low speeds) after I returned my loaner vehicle and I've heard the difference is night and day. Regardless, driving feel is subjective, so if you're in the market for a new car and not conducting your own test drive, what are you even doing?

As a city-dweller, I'm not much of an off-roader, so I can't really speak to the R1S' trail-running prowess. But between things like its adjustable ride height (with up to 15 inches of ground clearance), torque vectoring and other related features, Rivian's vehicles appear very well equipped. And that's before you consider handy add-ons like the built-in air pump, which might save your bacon if you pop a flat in the backcountry.

Range, charging and configurations

The R1S is available in four main configurations: Dual Standard, Dual, Tri and Quad motor variants (the Quad option is coming later this year). The difference between the first two is battery size, with the former getting the base pack while the latter has the option of either large or max packs. The Tri and Quad motor models come standard with Rivian's biggest battery.

Range varies from 270 to 371 miles, depending on the specific configuration, and in my experience I found that Rivian's guess-o-meter was highly reliable. If the map said I was going to have a certain amount of battery left when I arrived at my destination, it was rarely off by more than a percent or two.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

On the tri-motor model, you can also disconnect the rear motors by putting the car in casual driving mode, which greatly improves the R1S' overall efficiency. When all three motors were running, I only averaged around 2.6 mi/kWh hour. But when only sending power to the front wheels, I was able to push that figure above 3 mi/kWh.

As for charging, peak rates top out at 300 kW, though you'll only see anything near that when the car's battery is under 20 percent. When I tried a more typical charging scenario by taking its power level from 20 to 80 percent using a 350 kW station, the R1S completed the session in 35 minutes with a peak rate of 168 kW. So while it's far from the fastest in the industry, the combination of big energy cells and efficiency means range anxiety isn't really a thing with the R1S. I just wish the latest models came with a native NACS port instead of an older CCS connector.

Wrap-up

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

While things are certainly better than they were just a few years ago, it’s still slim pickings when it comes to three-row EVs. If you can afford it, the Rivian R1S has put all the most important stuff together in a great-looking package — and then some.

Its size may be imposing, but it certainly delivers on the look and feel of a car that's just as happy on asphalt as it is on unpaved trails. And it does so while providing plenty of range and room for the whole family. Rivan's craftsmanship is highlighted by the R1S' exquisite interior, while a variety of battery sizes, motor configurations and other options make it easy to kit out to fit your adventures.

The only thing that might give me pause is that for people who aren't interested in off-roading, alternatives like the Kia EV9 offer similar passenger capacity for a much lower starting price. And other models like the Volvo EX90 and Lucid Gravity offer a bit more in the way of luxury. But for those with an adventurous lifestyle who love exploring the great outdoors, the second-gen R1S really feels like the total package.