Gadget season is in full swing! This week, Cherlynn chats about her experience reviewing the iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Series 9. Does a 5X camera zoom make much of a difference? Also, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Microsoft’s big Surface event in NYC, which actually ended up being more of an AI shindig. The company announced Copilot, its new AI assistant for Windows and other platforms.
Microsoft is basically consolidating all of the Copilot products it’s already announced for Edge, MS 365 and Windows, but maybe this will be less confusing in the long run? Not to miss out on the fun, Amazon also announced several new devices and AI moves around Alexa.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
The Surface Laptop Go has always been an interesting experiment for Microsoft: What if you took the basic design of the Surface Laptop, but diminished its specs to make it far more affordable? We've always found them intriguing, but with the Surface Laptop Go 3, Microsoft has finally transformed its cheap PC into a potentially great computer. Mostly, that's due to the new Intel 12th-gen CPU, which makes the entire computing experience feels far zippier than before. It feels so good, you might not even notice that the Laptop Go 3's screen doesn't quite hit 1080p (it's still 1,536 by 1,024, like before).
Other than the internals, though, the Surface Laptop Go 3 is pretty much the same as before. The 12.4-inch PixelSense screen is decently bright at 300 nits, the keyboard has enough depth and responsiveness to handle my furious typing, and the trackpad is wonderfully smooth and responsive.. It would have been nice to see some port upgrades this year, it's still equipped with a single USB-C connection, one USB Type A port and a slot for the Surface charger.
If you can live with some of those compromises, though, the Surface Laptop Go 3 is a compelling machine for $799. Zipping around the web and launching multiple apps felt no different than a typical ultraportable. I was even able to get some gaming on, thanks to Xbox cloud gaming. I played several minutes of Need for Speed Unbound and was surprised that it felt no different than being played locally. That was especially surprising since I was playing over Wi-Fi in a crowded event space with over a hundred attendees. You can probably get some local gameplay in too, thanks to Intel's Iris Xe graphics, but certainly not Need for Speed.
Our demo unit was also configured with 16GB of RAM, a first for the Surface Laptop Go line. That upgrade, along with the CPU bump, further erodes the line between the Surface Laptop Go and the more powerful Surface Laptops. It'll be interesting to see how Microsoft upgrades those machines next. For now, though, the Surface Laptop Go 3 may be all the PC some users need.
Follow all of the news live from Microsoft’s 2023 Surface event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/surface-laptop-go-3-hands-on-a-better-cheap-pc-161738763.html?src=rss
It's been an AI-heavy year for Microsoft, following the explosive launch of Bing's ChatGPT-powered AI chat. Today, Microsoft has even more AI news to drop alongside its annual refresh of Surface PCs. While the hype may be low, we're expecting to see the a lot of new hardware today. Judging from the most recent batch of rumors, we'll be hearing about the Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Laptop Go 3 and Surface Go 4 today. It's also a great time for Microsoft to update the Surface Pro with Intel's latest chips (and perhaps deliver a better 5G option than the Arm-powered Surface Pro 9).
Microsoft's Surface event kicks off at 10AM Eastern today, and we're here in attendance, ready to bring you every announcement as it happens, so follow along with our live coverage below! Unfortunately, there's no livestream, but the company says there will be a recording of the event available later today.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-surface-2023-liveblog-live-updates-130031998.html?src=rss
I'm not sure when I found myself expecting disappointment from Microsoft's PC hardware. Maybe it was when the Surface Pro X arrived with a gorgeous design, but a woefully undercooked Windows-on-Arm experience. Or perhaps it was when the company gave up on the intriguing dual-screen Surface Neo, following the underwhleming launch of the Surface Duo (effectively killing the Courier concept twice). I do know that last year's Surface Pro 9 5G — an Arm-based PC that had no business wearing the "Pro" badge — was the last straw.
Even though Microsoft managed to make the dream of a hybrid tablet PC come true, the company's Surface business has been in a rut for years. And, really, there's not much hope in sight.
Perhaps that'll change once we see Microsoft's latest batch of devices during its New York City event on Thursday. But given that this week kicked off with Surface mastermind Panos Panay leaving the company, there's a good chance there won't be much to get excited about. The most recent batch of rumors, via DigitalTrends, suggest we'll see a (much-needed) Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Laptop Go 3 and Surface Go 4 unveiled this week. We'd also expect to see the requisite Surface Pro updates with Intel's most recent hardware, without much of a design refresh.
Former Microsoft executive Panos Panay demonstrating the Surface Pro 3.
STAN HONDA via Getty Images
Microsoft kicked off 2023 by admitting that Surface sales had tanked during the 2022 holiday quarter, which dovetailed with a massive decline in the broader PC market. Since then, the company has been noticeably quiet about its device plans. In contrast, Apple has been steadily refreshing its computers with its latest M-series chips, and it made a huge splash with the Vision Pro, a bid for spatial computing and mixed reality that's far ahead of what the HoloLens 2 offers.
Part of Microsoft's problem is that the initial pitch for the Surface — a tablet that can be your laptop! — just seems tired now. In 2012, it was honestly exciting to see Microsoft kick off an entirely new PC form factor. The company managed to turn the Surface Pro tablets into devices we could recommend, and it spurred on PC makers to develop their own hybrids. But at the same time, ultraportable laptops got lighter and more powerful. Why bother juggling a flimsy keyboard and kickstand on your lap when you could be far more productive on an XPS 13?
It didn't help that Windows never became a truly tablet-friendly operating system. The Surface was developed with Windows 8 in mind, but users hated the Start page and the shift away from the traditional desktop. Windows 10 was a hasty apology for all of Windows 8's mistakes. Since then, Microsoft has treated touchscreens as an afterthought, always secondary to the holy keyboard and mouse/trackpad.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
While I enjoy the flexibility of using touchscreens for scrolling and doodling on Windows laptops today, I wouldn't be caught dead using the Surface Pro 9 without its keyboard. Windows tablets also don't make much sense when the iPad and cheaper Android tablets exist. Both Apple and Google are also pushing to make their platforms better for general computing and multitasking. That's effectively taking the opposite approach from Microsoft: Turning tablet platforms into PCs, rather than trying to shove Windows into slates.
Industry observers agree that Microsoft may have to reconsider its PC strategy. "I think Surface needs to get back to its roots and consider what is the ultimate Windows experience for hardware and software on a PC," said Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst at Moore Insights and Strategies. "I think that definition has changed with the growth of AI."
For Microsoft, going back to its roots might involve a stronger push into Windows on Arm compatibility. The company has made significant progress since the disastrous Surface with Windows RT, but using last year's Surface Pro 9 5G made it clear the experience could be better. Emulated apps like Chrome were noticeably slower than typical Windows PCs. "It doesn't really feel like Microsoft has taken this [Windows on Arm] challenge seriously until maybe a year or two ago," Sag said. "Now it has, but it's undoubtedly behind, and I think that's going to cost its OEM partners and growth potential."
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
It's also hard for Microsoft to generate much excitement around its devices when it consistently stumbles with new releases. The Surface Laptop Studio was a genuinely cool attempt at crafting a more powerful Surface with a tilting screen, but it was underpowered due to its quad-core CPU. (It was also meant to replace the Surface Book, another concept that died because Microsoft became trapped by its design decisions.) The Surface Duo was a potentially more sturdy dual-screen concept than a true foldable phone, but software and performance issues held it back. (Its sequel wasn't much better.) Samsung, meanwhile, managed to transform its Galaxy Fold from a nearly unusable beta to something we actually like.
Instead of expecting to be delighted by Microsoft's PC and mobile hardware, I've learned to expect compromise and heartbreak. To its credit, Microsoft has churned out some hardware that can appeal to mainstream shoppers. The Surface Laptop is still a fetching ultraportable, and the Laptop Go was a noble attempt at crafting an inexpensive-yet-premium laptop. But the whole point of the Surface was to change the face of computing. Microsoft can’t manage that if it keeps getting in its own way.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/can-microsofts-surface-pcs-get-out-of-their-rut-175518777.html?src=rss
After years of rumors, Intel's "Meteor Lake" processors will finally be arriving in PCs on December 14th. Now dubbed "Core Ultra" as part of the company's new naming scheme, they'll be the first chips built on the "Intel 4" (7nm) architecture, as well as the first to include a built-in Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to accelerate AI performance. In almost every way, the Core Ultra chips demonstrate where Intel is headed next: Building efficient-yet-powerful chips that can keep up with modern AI demands.
At this point, Intel appears to be squarely focused on laptops with Core Ultra chips. The company is rumored to be refreshing its Raptor Lake CPUs for desktops later this year. While it may be surprising to see a notebook chip taking the lead, the strategy makes a certain amount of sense. Meteor Lake's efficiency push is at odds with what desktop users actually want: As much freaking power as possible. So for now, at least, the company is better off splitting its 14th-gen CPU families.
Core Ultra is practically a showcase of Intel's latest innovations. It's built on the company's FOVEROS 3D packaging; it features entirely new P and E-cores, with a focus on being as power efficient as possible; graphics will be up to twice as fast when it comes to performance per watt; and in addition to sporting an NPU, it can also leverage its GPU and CPU for other AI tasks. Funny enough, it won't support the company's recently announced Thunderbolt 5 standard, instead Core Ultra will feature Thunderbolt 4 and PCIe Gen5.
We're still waiting for final details on Intel's final Core Ultra models, as well as the company's plans for 14th-gen desktop chips. But for now, at least, we've got plenty of reasons to be excited about next year's batch of laptops.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intels-core-ultra-meteor-lake-chips-arrive-on-december-14-153515292.html?src=rss
These days when we talk about what's next for chip design, we focus on things like cramming in more cores, increasing clock speeds, shrinking transistors and 3D stacking. We rarely think about the package substrate, which holds and connects those components. Today Intel, in the midst of its reinvention as a foundry company, has announced it's made a major breakthrough in substrate materials—and it's all about glass.
The company says its new glass substrate, which is set to arrive in advanced chip designs later this decade, will be stronger and more efficient than existing organic materials. Glass will also allow the company to cram more chiplets and other components next to each other, something that could lead to flexing and instability with an existing silicon package using organic materials.
"Glass substrates can tolerate higher temperatures, offer 50% less pattern distortion, and have ultra-low flatness for improved depth of focus for lithography, and have the dimensional stability needed for extremely tight layer-to-layer interconnect overlay," Intel said in a press release. With these capabilities, the company claims glass substrates will also lead to a ten-fold increase in interconnect density, as well as allow for "ultra-large form-factor packages with very high assembly yields."
Intel
We're slowly beginning to see what Intel's future chips could actually look like. Two years ago, the company announced its "gate-all-around" transistor design, RibbonFET, as well as PowerVia, which would let Intel move power delivery to the rear of a chip wafer. At the same time, Intel also announced it would be building chips for Qualcomm and Amazon's AWS service.
Intel says we'll see chips using glass substrates in areas in high performance areas first, like AI, graphics and data centers. The glass breakthrough is another sign that Intel is ramping up its advanced packaging capabilities for its US foundries, as well. That's something TSMC is reportedly stumbling on with its Phoenix, Arizona plant, which will require shipping chip materials back to Taiwan for advanced packaging.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/intel-seems-pretty-excited-about-glass-substrates-130016423.html?src=rss
This week, Cherlynn gives us her on-the-ground thoughts from Apple’s iPhone 15 launch event. It turns out the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium case is actually noticeably lighter! We’re all also intrigued by Apple’s new double-tap gesture in the Watch Series 9. (Don’t be surprised if it ends up training us how to use the Vision Pro’s gesture commands!)
Also, Engadget reporter Malek Saleh joins to discuss her review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, as well as Dyson’s ridiculous Zone air filter mask/headphones.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 hands-on – 1:05
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review – 37:40
The U.S. v Google antitrust trial is underway – 45:50
Intel officially unveils Thunderbolt 5 – 48:57
Unity’s per-install fee upsets indie game devs – 55:21
Dyson Zone personal air filter review – 1:02:22
Working on – 1:14:32
Pop culture picks – 1:15:47
Credits Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low Guest: Malak Saleh Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-iphone-15-apple-watch-series-9-hands-on-123032507.html?src=rss
When I saw one of the first 49-inch ultrawide monitors from Samsung five years ago, I found it to be a curious creation. I was no stranger to the world of ultrawides, but that screen was a bit much. It was too unwieldy, and its odd resolution wasn't tall enough for my tastes. Since then, though, the 49-inch category has evolved: They're cheaper, have newer display technology and are better equipped for gaming. Sure, you'll still need to have a lot of room on your desk (or a very sturdy mounting arm), but these days they could actually be considered practical.
LG's 49-inch Curved UltraGear is a prime example of how much things have changed. Starting at $1,300, it offers 49-inches of glorious screen space with a sharp 5,120 by 1,440 resolution; an ultra-fast 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time; and AMD FreeSync Premium support. It's LG's largest and most immersive gaming monitor yet. And after spending several weeks with the UltraGear 49, it has finally made me a convert of for the 49-inch ultrawide life.
Of course, one does not simply decide to buy the 49-inch UltraGear. You need to have the space to fit its bulky frame, which measures 46-inches across. You need to make sure all of your accessories can still fit on your desk (it's particularly annoying if you regularly use cameras and large microphones). And, last but not least, you also need to ensure the games you play the most can take full advantage of the UltraGear's wide 32:9 aspect ratio.
That any game can run at 5,120 by 1,440 pixels is a testament to just how far the ultrawide monitor movement has grown over the last decade. A typical widescreen TV has a 16:9 aspect ratio with a 1,920 by 1080 (1080p), 2,560 by 1,440 (1,440p) or 4K resolution. Ultrawide displays stretch those proportions a bit with a 21:9 aspect ratio, typically running at either 2,560 by 1080, or 3,440 by 1,440 pixels. These days, it's rare to find a new PC title that doesn't support those ultrawide resolutions. And when they don't, as in the case of Elden Ring, developers often argue it's done to avoid giving ultrawide players any advantage. (Of course, as is often the case with PC gaming, modders will find a way.)
Photo by Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Official support for extreme ultrawides like the 49-inch UltraGear is more rare, but it's not unheard of. I was able to play several hours of Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, No Man's Sky, Armored Core VI and the recently released FPS Sprawl at the LG's full 5,120 by 1,440 resolution. You'll still need the GPU horsepower to actually get decent framerates, of course, but the UltraGear's native resolution is still less demanding than 4K. (For the record, I tested the UltraGear 49 on my personal PC equipped with a Ryzen 8700K and an NVIDIA RTX 4090 Ti.)
Starfield (below) was the first new game to spoil my extreme ultrawide fun. It supports 3,440 by 1,440 , but it can't stretch out to 32:9 resolutions. That meant I spent my first 10 hours of the game with black bars on the sides of the screen. It was still playable, but I think anyone who buys a monitor this size will be disappointed with the restrictions. You could easily hack Starfield to support wider resolutions, but there's no guarantee those solutions will work forever.
In many ways, the 49-inch Ultragear is emblematic of PC gaming itself: Owning one puts you right on the bleeding edge, but the experience isn't always perfect. Incompatibility risks and other issues are simply a fact of life if you want a screen that can completely consume your peripheral vision. And to its credit, the Ultragear still looks and feels like a typical gaming display. Setting it up was just a matter of assembling the sturdy stand and slapping the screen on the rear mount. The stand also supports vertical, swiveling and tilting adjustments, letting you dial in just the right viewing angle.
Compared to Samsung's monstrous 55-inch Odyssey Ark, the 49-inch UltraGear is far easier to use for both gaming and regular productivity tasks. Sure, it can't rotate to be completely vertical, but that feature always felt like a gimmick on Samsung's screen. Instead, I appreciated the simple things, like being able to have two browser windows opened up alongside Slack while I was doing research. While recording podcasts, I could simultaneously keep an eye on my audio timeline, as well as have windows dedicated to a video chat with my cohosts, a Google Doc with shownotes and a browser for research.
For the multitasker who demands as much usable screen space as possible, the 49-inch UltraGear is heaven. Just be prepared to stretch your neck more than usual to see the extreme edges. You could always push the monitor back a bit to avoid that, but that also hurts immersion, which is the whole point of buying this thing.
Based on several hours of gameplay, as well as watching clips from 4K HDR films and plenty of other video content, the 49-inch UltraGear was just as bright and bold as I'd expect from a modern monitor. It can reach up to 1,000 nits of peak HDR brightness, and it covers 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut. While the images didn't exactly leap off the screen as they did with Alienware's phenomenal QD-OLED display, a more expensive 34-inch screen, the sheer size of the 49-inch UltraGear made me feel like I was actually driving around Night City in Cyberpunk 2077, or exploring alien planets in No Man's Sky.
While the screen doesn’t really give you an advantage in FPS titles like Halo Infinite, since your view is basically cropped from what 16:9 players see, I still enjoyed having an extra wide view of every match. You may have to tweak field-of-view settings in some titles though, as the monitor's large 1000R curve can lead to distortions along the edges of the frame. (This could also be a problem when it comes to photo editing, or any task requires exact measurements.)
While I reveled in having such a vast amount of screen space available, using the 49-inchUltraGear led to some awkward adjustments outside of the screen. To record podcasts, I had to push it down to its lowest position and maneuver my rear desk-mounted microphone over the display. With my own 34-inch ultrawide monitor, there was enough room for the microphone to fit along the right side of the screen. I also had to push my large desktop speakers even further away to fit the 49-inch UltraGear on my desk. If you're actually considering this screen, it's worth thinking seriously about how it will fit in your space and alongside your other accessories. (You could also attach it to a wall or a monitor arm that fits a 100 x 100 mm VESA mount.)
The 49-inch UltraGear is clearly a gaming focused monitor: it includes features like a built-in crosshair, FPS counter and requisite RGB LED lighting. There aren’t any speakers attached (because really, who uses those?) but you can plug in headphones for DTS HP:X virtual surround sound. (That sounded fine in my testing, but I stuck with Windows’ Dolby Atmos upmixing while playing with the Arctis Nova Pro headset.) There are also 2 USB 3.0 ports along the rear for accessories, but for a monitor in this price range I expected even more connectivity.
Given that 27-inch 5K screens like Apple’s Studio Display sell for $1,599, the 49-inch UltraGear’s $1,300 retail pricedoesn’t seem so bad. But with great 16:9 gaming monitors going for around $300, it’s still a hefty price to stomach. And if you’re ready to pay more than $1,000 for a monitor, it may be worth holding out for an OLED screen that can deliver better contrast. (The Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED is now available for $900 with AMD’s FreeSync Pro, while LG’s UltraGear 45 ultrawide OLED goes for a whopping $1,700.)
Few people actually need a 49-inch monitor. But LG has built one that’s laser-targeted at the people who demand that much screen. It does everything you want a gaming monitor to do: It’s bright, colorful and can play titles at incredibly high frame rates. And it does it all while consuming your entire field of view. When it comes to sheer immersion, the UltraGear 49 is the next best thing to putting on a VR headset.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lg-49-ultragear-gaming-monitor-review-ultrawide-nirvana-171512885.html?src=rss
Fresh off of Apple’s “Wanderlust” event, Devindra and Engadget Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman dive into the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and the Apple Watch Series 9. We explain why Apple’s move towards USB-C on the iPhones has been a long time coming, and why we’re excited about even more emergency satellite calling capabilities. And while the Apple Watch Series 9 looks like a worthwhile upgrade, we’re more intrigued by the new double tap finger gesture.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
We figured the iPhone 15 Pro would feature some sort a new A17 chip, but Apple surprised us by debuting its first "Pro" chip today. The A17 Pro is Apple's most powerful mobile silicon yet. The 3 nanometer chip features 17 billion transistors and a six-core CPU. Apple claims its two performance cores are 10 percent faster than the A16, while its four efficiency cores offer far better performance per watt. The 6-core GPU is also 20 percent faster than before, and it features advanced graphics features like hardware accelerated ray tracing.
The A17 Pro seems particularly useful for game developers. Apple announced that Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village are coming to the iPhone, while The Division Resurgence will also launch next year.
The real question, though, is why Apple is calling this the A17 Pro. Does that mean we'll see a stripped down version of this chip in next year's iPhone 16? It certainly gives Apple more leeway in the future — instead of trying to justify why the A17 Pro may lose features when it heads to cheaper hardware, the company can trot out a slightly slower chip that's still an upgrade from the A16.
Follow all of the news live from Apple's 'Wonderlust' event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-unveils-a17-pro-a-3nm-chip-powering-iphone-15-pro-182113747.html?src=rss
