Following a significant backlash from its users, Instagram is walking back some of major changes. Last month, Instagram started testing a full-screen display for photos and videos. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri told Platformer that test will be wound down over the next couple of weeks. “For the new feed designs, people are frustrated and the usage data isn’t great,” Mosseri said. “So there I think that we need to take a big step back, regroup and figure out how we want to move forward.”
Along with getting rid of the full-screen feed, the app will reduce the level of recommended content that you see, at least temporarily. Mosseri suggested that Instagram will improve its algorithms before increasing the volume of recommendations again.
On Tuesday, Mosseri said the full-screen design was "not yet good" and needed more work before Instagram rolled it out to everyone. However, he noted that Instagram would become more video-focused over time, since that's the kind of content people are sharing these days.
Mosseri also tried to justify the prevalence of recommended posts in the app, noting that they're important to help creators build their audiences — whether or not you care about seeing content from them in your feed or Stories. You have the option to switch off all recommendations for a month, he noted
In an earnings call on Wednesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said around 15 percent of the posts people see on Facebook and more on Instagram are recommended by algorithms. He expected the volume of recommended posts to double over the next year or so.
Instagram brought in the full-screen feed and larger number of recommended posts in a bid to compete with TikTok and to contend with the pivot from photos to videos. Many revolted against the changes, including high-profile users like Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian who wanted Meta to “Make Instagram Instagram again.”
Mosseri said Instagram's data showed that users weren't on board with the changes.
A group of 411 TV showrunners, creators and writers sent letters to executives at streaming platforms and other major Hollywood companies to demand better protections for workers in anti-abortion states. "We have grave concerns about the lack of specific production protocols in place to protect those at work for Netflix in anti-abortion states," they wrote in a letter to Netflix. “It is unacceptable to ask any person to choose between their human rights and their employment.”
Similar letters, which were first reported on by Variety, were addressed to the likes of Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate, Amazon and AMC. The signatories include well-known creators, such as Issa Rae, Lilly Wachowski, Lena Waithe, Amy Schumer, Shonda Rhimes, Mindy Kaling, Ava DuVernay and Lena Dunham. They're demanding specific safety measures for people working on productions in states that have banned abortion after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month.
The group has demanded that the companies respond with details on their abortion safety plans within 10 days. Among other things, the writers want information on abortion travel subsidies, medical care for pregnancy complications (including ectopic pregnancies) and legal protections for workers who uphold a studio's abortion policies or help someone else obtain an abortion. They also implored the companies to immediately halt “all political donations to anti-abortion candidates and political action committees."
A Bloomberg report this week noted that studios are spending billions on productions in states that have banned or restricted abortions, though many were already filming before the Supreme Court decision in late June. Georgia, for instance, offers generous tax credits to productions, which has helped the state become a TV and film powerhouse. Last week, a law came into effect in the state. It essentially banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many people know whether they're pregnant.
Annapurna Interactive is set to hold its second games showcase today at 3PM and you can watch it below (we'll embed the stream once it's available). The powerhouse indie publisher just released one of the most anticipated games of the year in Stray, as well as the acclaimed, speedrun-friendly Neon White. It's about to offer a look at what's next.
We might find out a release date for Open Roads, the latest game from Gone Home and Tacoma studio Fullbright. The road trip adventure is still slated to arrive this year, according to its Steam page. Here's hoping for more details on Sayonara Wild Hearts developer Simogo's Lorelei and the Laser Eyesand Cocoon, from Limbo and Inside lead gameplay designer Jeppe Carlsen.
Maybe there will be word of updates for Annapurna's previous games too. In any case, we won't have long to wait to find out.
There is no better, brighter, more shining example of humanity’s immeasurable resourcefulness and engineering imagination than in the myriad ways we’ve come up with to get stoned, whether we’re smoking it, eating it, drinking it, pressing it between two really hot plates and then smoking the gooey runoff or gently heating it in a ceramic crucible to hoover off the atomized happy crystals. But never before in human history — even though you gotta assume those CERN folks know how to party — have we smoked weed with lasers. The Hitoki Trident is the desktop flower water pipe that goes pew pew pew to get you high high high, and I am in love love love.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
The Trident oozes futuristic sophistication, like if the Death Star were a bong. I am really impressed with its precise design and quality machined aluminum construction. You can hear it as the water chamber seal securely hisses closed, feel it in the clunk-click as the upper laser housing seats onto the heating chamber — it’s the same self-assured thunk you get in the closing doors of a Rolls-Royce — even the silicon hose feels of superior-quality material, not that cheap-as-shit PVC tubing some brands use. Nothing leaks, nothing rattles, nothing sloshes, nothing gets weirdly hot for no reason. I am genuinely impressed.
I feel like using the Trident should be more complicated than it is given how many bits and pieces go into it. The machine is composed of three sections: the lower water chamber, the center water filter base, and the upper battery/laser assembly. Unscrew the acrylic water cylinder, fill it a quarter full, twist it back onto the water filter base holding the ceramic loading chamber, which you should have filled with shredded plant material. Insert the draw hose (or optional $30 silicone mouthpiece) into its port on the side of the unit. Slot and twist the upper stage onto the two lower sections and double-tap the power button on top to unleash a 9-second blast from its 445nm laser, vaporizing the vegetation. Now, when I say vaporizing in this context, I don’t mean like what a Volcano does, leaving desiccated but still-intact plant matter behind. I mean vaporized, like Terminator 2 vaporized.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
The smoke will filter through the lower water chamber as you draw and an integrated carb on the back of the unit allows for easy chamber clearance. The Trident can handle both flower and concentrate, though just plunking a glob of budder in the heating chamber is a surefire method of clogging everything up — you’ll need to pad the bottom of the bowl with a bit of flower and top the concentrate instead.
The unit can even pull double duty as an aroma therapy machine but if you’re paying this much just to incinerate some dried lavender and make the room smell pretty, we’re going to need to talk about your spending priorities. There are candles for that.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
You will need to remove the upper section between draws and poke at the heating chamber to clear the airflow ports, though you’ll only need to do it once per bowl because there’s generally nothing left but a bit of carbon ash after two rounds with the laser. Cleaning is straightforward as well — give the lower chamber a wipedown whenever you change the water, sweep out the heating chamber between sessions, and occasionally rub the crucible out with a bit of isopropyl. Just don’t drop the laser assembly, that’s the only piece that the company doesn’t sell individual replacements of.
The 1400 mAh capacity battery charges via a USB-C port and an included 5A wall plug. It’ll take about 90 minutes after unboxing to fully charge the unit for the first time but after that, requires only occasional powerups. The company claims that each full battery is good for nearly 300 sessions and I have yet to recharge it, 6 grams and a couple dozen bowls into testing.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
I appreciate the immediateness of the process as well. You’re not sitting there waiting for a bag to fill or a chamber to electronically heat, or even for leaves to catch fire and burn. You activate the laser, and by the time you think to begin inhaling, there are clouds of dense smoke — cool, filtered and ready to say hello to your alveoli.
My only two bugaboos are with the length of the hose and its power button color scheme. Given the Trident’s tall, narrow and generally top-heavy cylinder shape, I do worry about misjudging the length of hose available and tipping the unit over to potentially disastrous consequences. And if I’m going to use the Trident as a conversion piece — a central focal point for my smoking room — I don’t want something that will be passed around like a common light bulb. A longer hose could accommodate a more sophisticated social smoking experience — give me something gaudy, shiny and metallic, that I can poke guests with while making a point.
Andrew Tarantola / Engadget
Also, and I know this is dumb but the fact that the heat level indication at the top of the unit starts at red as the coolest setting, then green for medium and blue for the highest heat drives me nuts. That’s the inverse of what the rest of the industry uses — blue or green is always the coolest with red and white at the top. It kinda makes sense to have blue be hottest here since the laser’s wavelength is in the blue part of the spectrum but it still throws me. With an MSRP of $500, the Trident is expensive — PS5-level pricey. Available in either black or rose gold, it’s $30 more than a Volcano Classic (though still $200 less than the newer Hybrid version) and $100 more than the Puffco Peak Pro.
Between the controversy over Instagram’s attempts to ape TikTok and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg noting that the volume of recommended content is set to double over the next year, the app has barely been out of the news this week. Now, the Instagram team wants to know more about the experiences of marginalized communities in the app.
To gain a fuller understanding of the different kinds of experiences people can have on the platform, Instagram says it needs more demographic information. “If we don’t know people's race or ethnicity, we’re limited in our ability to assess how our products impact different communities,” an Instagram blog post reads.
Starting today and over the next few months, it's asking some users in the US to share that information about themselves. The survey is optional and not everyone will see it. Instagram says taking part in the survey will not change anything about how you use the platform, such as the reach of your posts.
Instagram
Instagram isn’t hosting the survey itself. Research and polling company YouGov will collect the data. It will encrypt the de-identified responses and split the information between several research institutions. In the end, Instagram will receive aggregated data. Neither Instagram nor its research partners — Texas Southern University, University of Central Florida, Northeastern University and Oasis Labs — will be able to link responses to individual users. YouGov will delete the responses after 30 days and the research partners will do so on request.
In June 2020, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri pledged to examine how the platform impacts communities differently, specifically in terms of harassment, verification, content distribution and algorithmic bias. A few months later, Instagram said it was building an equity team to focus on "better understanding and addressing bias in our product development and people’s experiences on Instagram.”
In both 2020 and 2021, Google debuted new versions of its Pixels Buds, the second of which was a $99 model with loads of features. For the third year in a row, the company has new true wireless earbuds, but this time it added a key feature: active noise cancellation (ANC). With the Pixel Buds Pro ($200), Google finally has earbuds that cover all of the bases, so it shouldn’t really be a surprise that they’re also the company’s best yet.
Design
The Pixel Buds Pro look like the more mature sibling of the previous two models. Where the Pixel Buds (2020) and Pixel Buds A-Series were both circular with an eartip off one side and a “stabilizer arc” off the other, the Pixel Buds Pro are more of an oval shape. That fit wing on the back is gone, but the shape of this new version fits nicely in the contours of the ear. Although they don’t have that extra stabilizer, I never had any issues with them jostling loose at an inopportune time. Plus, they’re still quite small, and tuck in securely without the need of additional parts.
There’s still a defined circle on the outside of this IPX4-rated Pro model, and that’s where the earbuds accept taps and swipes for the on-board controls. Those are mirrored on both sides, with single (play/pause), double (skip tracks forward) and triple taps (skip tracks backward) as the actions. A long press will alternate between ANC and transparency modes while swiping forwards or backwards adjusts the volume.
Engadget/Billy Steele
That long press action can be configured to summon Google Assistant, if you prefer not to activate it with a spoken cue. What’s more, you don’t have to mirror that option, so you can have Assistant on one side and ANC controls on the other. For the sound modes, you can add a third option that turns both ANC and transparency mode off, but by default, it will only toggle between noise canceling and ambient sound.
The IPX2-rated charging case is nearly identical to the one that came with the A-Series. The main difference is the inside doesn’t match the color of the earbuds and the one for the Pro model is a smidge larger. Google moved the status light from inside the case on the 2020 model to the outside in 2021, so you didn’t have to open it to see the battery levels. It’s on the outside here as well, with the pairing button around back and the USB-C port on the bottom edge. Flicking open the flat circular-shaped holder with your thumb is still satisfying and the compact size is easily tucked into a small pocket for transport.
Software and features
Google uses a six-core audio chip that’s powered by its own algorithms for active noise cancellation. The company has also added a feature called Silent Seal that maximizes blocking and minimizes any sound leaks. The tool can adapt to your ear shape when ANC is on, with sensors that “constantly” monitor the pressure and relieve it to keep things comfy. All of this combines to do a solid job battling constant noise like a sound machine or human voices and cackling cartoons on TV.
Transparency mode, however, could use some work. Google says the Pixel Buds Pro “process a wide range of frequencies” to keep things sounding “natural.” During my tests, that wasn’t the case. Sure, the ambient sound option allows you to hear what’s going on around you, but it’s far from natural. It’s muffled, so you’re acutely aware you have earbuds shoved in your ears. And for this reason, it’s easy to raise your voice during a quick conversation.
Engadget/Billy Steele
On Pixel phones, the Pixel Buds app is system-level software that’s accessible through the Bluetooth menu. Simply tap on the gear icon next to the earbuds’ name and you’ll get access to everything. There’s also a shortcut option in the widgets menu, if going into settings is too much. This allows you to get to the Pixel Buds Pro features with a single tap. On non-Pixel Android devices, you’ll need to download a standalone Google Pixel Buds app from the Play Store, but the features are the same.
Inside, you’ll get battery percentages for both earbuds individually. The level for the case also appears when the buds are connected, but still docked inside. Below that are options for fine-tuning Google Assistant, finding lost earbuds, touch controls, sound modes, an eartip seal check and more. You can also turn automatic audio switching between Android devices on and off, ditto for multipoint connectivity for iOS, laptops and more. Under the sound option, there’s the ability to select ANC, transparency mode and off, as well as the option to disable Volume EQ (more on that in a bit). The Pixel Buds app also lets you opt for HD audio and whether or not you want to use them for calls and media audio.
Google allows you to disable a lot of these features as well, including things like in-ear detection (automatic pausing), touch controls and even Assistant. Most companies will let you turn one or two of these off, but Google gives you the ability to go without even its handiest items should the need arise.
Engadget/Billy Steele
Speaking of Assistant, hands-free access returns when you say “Hey Google.” Similar to the way Apple lets you summon Siri without pressing a button on AirPods, this works exactly like you’d expect. You can have Assistant read out notifications for as many apps as you like or you can limit it to just a few. Google Translate is still here as well, offering “real-time” help in over 40 languages via Conversation Mode. Simply ask Google Assistant to “help me speak French,” for example, or you can open the Translate app directly to lend a hand. This is a useful feature, and the text translation appears in real-time, but the spoken version via Assistant is slightly delayed. This pause would make an in-person conversation a bit awkward, especially if you aren’t looking at your phone. But, it will help you in a pinch.
One gripe I have with the Pixel Buds Pro is with what should be a simple task: pairing. The Pixel 6a I used to test the earbuds recognizes the case is open in about three seconds, showing a notification at the top of the screen. Even if I put the buds in immediately, they’re still not fully paired, and I had to tap the notification to enter the Pixel Buds app and then tap once more on “Connect.” If the Pixel 6a was the last device I used the earbuds with, this should happen automatically – no additional taps required. Or, at the very least, I should be able to fully connect them from the notification.
Sound quality
Both the Pixel Buds (2020) and A-Series lacked sufficient low-end. The latter had a bass boost option to help matters, but it was an all or nothing setting and it still wasn’t great. Neither set of earbuds had presets or a manual EQ either. On the Pixel Buds Pro, Google has remedied this problem, as its latest version has pleasantly punchy bass across a range of genres. Whether it’s a snappy kick drum in Shane Smith & The Saints’ mix of country and rock, the synth-driven pop hooks of Charli XCX or the booming beats of Kendrick Lamar, what the company has done with the bass here is impressive. It remains clear and tight, and it never becomes overbearing.
Google has also done well to reproduce subtle details. Even in the chaos of Underoath’s Voyeurist, the texture of drums, the grit of distorted guitars and the nuance of the singer’s deep growl are all easily distinguishable. Not only are they there, they’re dynamic. Overall, the audio is big and open, so when a track is meant to be soaring and atmospheric, like parts of “Thorn” on Voyeurist, you get that effect. Not all earbud companies can muster this, but Google does a great job keeping things spacious even if they aren’t “spatial”… yet.
Speaking of, the one big feature that isn’t ready for the Pixel Buds Pro yet is spatial audio. Google says it plans to update the earbuds to support immersive sound this fall, offering it for movies and TV shows on compatible Pixel phones. Details are scarce at this point, but I expect the company will have a lot more to say about it when the time comes. The feature could arrive with the Pixel 7 and Android 13, both of which should also debut around that time. And hopefully some of that info has to do with music.
A new feature Google has added to the Pixel Buds Pro is called Volume EQ. Basically, the tuning adapts when you adjust the loudness, so “highs, mids and lows are balanced and nuanced at any volume.” The company explains that this allows you to hear every aspect of a song even at a low level. Volume EQ does a solid job there, and perhaps the most impressive part is how the bass stays punchy when you turn the sound down. Vocals come through clear and subtlety in guitar tones are still distinguishable in the mix.
Call quality
Google makes some lofty claims about “crystal clear” calls on the Pixel Buds Pro. Most headphone companies do this, and the actual results can vary greatly from what’s on paper. Google says large microphone openings on the outside are covered with mesh to minimize wind noise. Beamforming mics on the inside work alongside a voice pickup unit (bone conduction) so you can be heard in noisy environments.
In practice, things are just okay. Voice quality is decent, but it’s not the clearest I’ve experienced on earbuds by any means. There was even a fuzziness to the audio during a video call in Meet. And while the Pixel Buds Pro do a decent job blocking constant rumbling, like a clothes dryer or noise machine, they’re not as good with things like TV sound and voices. Google could also improve performance here if it fed your voice back through the earbuds, to keep you from feeling like you’re shouting even though transparency mode is active during calls.
Battery life
Engadget/Billy Steele
Google is promising up to seven hours of listening time with active noise cancellation enabled and up to 11 hours with it turned off. With a fully charged case, the company says you can expect another 13 hours of ANC use or 20 more hours without it. What’s more, Google has included wireless charging, a feature that was missing from last year’s Pixel Buds A-Series after the company offered it in its big 2020 redesign. Lastly, there's a quick-charge feature that gives you one hour of ANC listening time in five minutes.
During my tests, those numbers were nearly spot-on with real world performance. With ANC on, I came 10 minutes short of Google’s rating. Given that neither of the previous two Pixel Buds models had active noise cancellation, Google has more than doubled the non-ANC listening time here and I managed just shy of the stated 11 hours. You’ll even get two more hours than those two sets of buds even with ANC turned on, so the company has clearly improved things when it comes to battery life for its most premium model.
The competition
While it may be enticing to compare Pixel Buds Pro to AirPods Pro, the two sets of earbuds aren’t really direct competitors. Apple and Google are catering to their respective customers, reserving the most attractive features to people who own iOS and Android devices. However, a quick run down the features list will indicate Google has checked nearly every box Apple does for $50 cheaper (at full price). The only real omission is spatial audio, which Google plans to introduce soon.
Once again, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds line is a better foil for Pixel Buds. Though Samsung catered heavily to iOS users in the past, its recent earbuds give the perks to the Android faithful. 2021’s Galaxy Buds Pro offer good sound quality, ANC and several other handy features, but with only five hours of battery life (eight hours without active noise cancellation or Bixby voice commands). Galaxy Buds Pro were also $200 at launch, though we’ve seen them for $125. What’s more, Samsung has an Unpacked event coming up next month where we will probably see a new model. So if you’re considering the company’s earbuds as an alternative to Google, I’d recommend waiting a couple of weeks before making a final decision.
Wrap-up
Google’s best earbuds yet are also its most complete package thus far. All of the features that made 2020’s redesigned Pixel Buds and the A-Series follow-up such compelling options for Android users, especially Pixel owners, are back. And while the Pixel Buds Pro are $20 more than what we got two years ago, the 2022 version is much improved. Active noise cancellation and the refined sound quality are equally impressive, and well worth the extra money. As long as Google can deliver spatial audio quickly and it works well, the only thing lacking is call quality, which may not be a dealbreaker for you.
Automakers might just get the EV tax credit extension they've been hoping for. Bloomberg and InsideEVs claim Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin have reached an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act that would replace the 200,000-unit cap on federal EV tax credits with a system that would restore those perks for GM, Tesla and Toyota. According to Bloomberg's sources, the new approach is a compromise that would switch to price- and income-based limits, drop union manufacturing requirements and offer credits for used EVs.
The Act would provide up to $7,500 in credits for electric SUVs, trucks and vans priced up to $80,000, while cars would have to cost $55,000 or less. Individuals would have to earn no more than $150,000 per year, while couples could make up to $300,000 with the credit intact. You would reportedly get up to a $4,000 credit for buying a used EV, although the income ceiling is said to be much lower. Crucially, the credit could be offered at the point of sale (such as online or a dealership) rather than as a tax refund — you'd get your savings much sooner.
Although the agreement is expected to drop the union production requirement, there would still be incentives for domestic manufacturing. Although the exact terms aren't clear, EVs would have to be built in North America and source many materials from the region. This would mainly represent a concession to Canada, which balked at earlier proposed legislation that would have required US-only assembly. Canadian factories produce US-destined cars for multiple major brands.
The Schumer-Manchin pact is also poised to revive some of the Biden administration's environmental strategy, including its hopes of zero-emissions vehicles representing half of new sales by 2030. It's expected to include $369 billion in climate and energy spending, Bloomberg said. Manchin had objected to the past proposal, in part because he felt the union requirement would favor incumbent American brands like Ford and GM while disadvantaging rivals like Tesla.
More details of the deal are still to come, and there's a chance the terms could change. If the Inflation Reduction Act passes as claimed, though, it could significantly alter the automotive landscape. GM, Tesla and Toyota could effectively lower the prices of their EVs and offset recent hikes, while Nissan and other marques wouldn't have to worry about hitting a unit cap in the first place. The move could also spark life in the used EV market by offering a clearer financial incentive versus buying new. Simply put, EVs could become more accessible even without lower-cost models in the pipeline.
Nintendo has unveiled the second wave of Booster Course Pass tracks for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. One of them is a brand-new track that will be added to smartphone spin-off Mario Kart Tour at a later date. It's called Sky-High Sundae and it's bursting with colorful, oversized desserts.
Sky-High Sundae will be part of the Propeller Cup along with another Mario Kart Tour course, Sydney Sprint, Snow Land from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart Wii's Mushroom Gorge. The Turnip Cup offers Mario Kart Tour track New York Minute, Mario Circuit 3 from the original Super Mario Kart on SNES, Mario Kart 64's Kalimari Desert and fan-favorite Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS. These tracks will hit the game on August 4th.
Nintendo announced the Booster Course Pass back in February and said it would bring 48 courses from other titles to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch. The company released the first of six planned bundles of tracks in March. The last batch should arrive by the end of 2023. The Booster Course Pass costs $25 as a standalone DLC (you'll need to own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well). The extra courses are also available at no extra cost to members of the Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription service.
It’s no secret that the Backbone One is one of the best mobile gaming controllers you can buy. So it should come as no surprise then that the company is partnering with Sony to release a PlayStation version of its accessory for iPhones. The new Backbone One - PlayStation Edition features the same two-tone white and black design as a standard DualSense controller.
The layout of the controller hasn’t changed. As before, there are dedicated buttons for launching the Backbone app and capturing gameplay footage. It also retains the asymmetrical stick layout of the standard model. On the bottom of the device, you’ll find a Lightning port passthrough and a headphone jack for connecting a pair of wired headphones to your iPhone.
Backbone
Most of the more notable changes Backbone has made for PlayStation fans come courtesy of tweaks to the Backbone companion app, which will be available to all Backbone One owners. A new standalone mode allows you to use the software without first connecting the controller to your iPhone. Effectively, that makes it easier to look for new games to try and chat with friends in between play sessions. Backbone is also adding new PlayStation-specific integrations, including a dedicated row highlighting new releases and updates from Sony.
The Backbone One PlayStation Edition is available today from the Backbone website for $99. Like the standard model, it comes with a one-year free trial to Backbone+, which in turn comes with free trials to Discord Nitro, Stadia Pro and, most notably, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. An Android version of the controller will arrive in the fall.
Google's Pixel 6a is brand new, but you can already find some tempting deals. Amazon is running a promotion that includes a $50 gift card when you buy the Pixel 6a for $449. To claim it, you'll want to visit the product page for your preferred model, visit the "Special offers and product promotions" section, and click "Add both to Cart." The bonus lasts through August 7th, so you'll want to act quickly if you're hoping to use the gift card for a case, charger or similar accessory.
The Pixel 6a is a rare treat among mid-range phones. You get a fast processor, better-than-average cameras, IP67 water resistance and long battery life in an attention-getting design. As a Pixel phone, it also delivers the full Google experience — there are AI tricks like anti-photobombing and real-time translation, not to mention timely Android software updates.
There are some quirks. The 60Hz screen is modest compared to the 120Hz display in Samsung's Galaxy A53 5G, and Pixel A-series veterans won't be thrilled at losing the headphone jack. And while we didn't find the fingerprint reader to be overly fussy, it's slower than what you find in some rival handsets. Still, this is the affordable Android phone to buy in the US — the gift card just sweetens the deal.
