We’re still waiting for Apple to deliver a genuine foldable iPhone, but that didn’t stop a group of engineers in China from crafting their own prototype. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the possibility of a real foldable iPhone, plus they discuss Meta’s massive layoffs and the fast downfall of the crypto exchange FTX. Also, what are the ethics of Apple limiting AirDrop in China (and eventually the rest of the world)?
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 podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Sale of crypto exchange FTX to Chinese-based Binance fails – 20:56
Musk Twitter is a mess: the weekly update – 26:41
Apple sets time limit for receiving Airdrops in China – 31:38
Volvo unveils its EX90 EV SUV – 35:52
Instagram’s web client has finally been redesigned – 39:37
Google starts issuing Stadia refunds – 41:22
Working on – 47:03
Pop culture picks – 49:10
Livestream
Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos Graphic artists: Luke Brooks and Brian Oh
Well, it finally happened: Elon Musk has officially taken over Twitter. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget’s Karissa Bell to discuss how Musk is reshaping the social network. Are all the changes bad, or is there some method to his madness? (Spoiler: It looks more like desperation than anything else.) Also, we dive into some recent Google AI news, and Devindra explains why the new Apple TV 4K is genuinely great.
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 podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Now that NVIDIA has kicked off the latest video card wave with the insanely powerful RTX 4090, all eyes are on AMD to see how it will respond. Today, the company announced the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT, two confusingly named GPUs powered by its new RDNA3 architecture. On stage during its Las Vegas launch event, AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su claimed the new hardware offers a 54 percent increase in performance per watt over the previous GPUs. She also emphasized that AMD is focused on delivering complex performance with reasonable power usage, a clear knock against NVIDIA's power-hungry (and PSU cable-melting) RTX 4090.
After Apple finally gave us a decent Siri remote last year, I couldn't imagine the Apple TV 4K getting much better. It's not like anyone is clamoring for an 8K upgrade – all we need these days is support for fast 4K streaming, as well as the multitude of HDR (high definition range) formats out there. The new Apple TV 4K can easily meet those demands, but what's truly impressive is that it's far faster than before and it's a lot cheaper at $129 (down from $179)! At last, there's an Apple TV I can recommend to anyone without hesitation.
Let's start with what's new: this year's Apple TV 4K is powered by an A15 Bionic chip, which launched with the iPhone 13 (and is still being used in the iPhone 14). That's a huge leap forward from the 2018-era A12 in the previous model. The new box also ships with 64GB of storage, instead of a meager 32GB. If you're planning to load up a ton of games and apps, there's also a 128GB model for $149, which adds an Ethernet port and support for the Thread internet-of-things protocol. Finally, Apple has integrated HDR10+ support, which works similar to Dolby Vision for delivering more accurate HDR in every scene.
At first glance, the Apple TV 4K looks the same as the previous models: a smooth black box with obscenely rounded corners. Peer a bit closer, though, and you'll notice it's actually smaller, like a prop rendering of its predecessor. Apple says it has 20 percent less volume than before, a result of losing the fan from previous models (this one runs silently) and being powered by more efficient hardware. Apple wouldn't say what, exactly, led to the dramatic price drop. But I'd bet it's down to simpler manufacturing, as well as a dip in component pricing across the board.
If you want to hear me wax poetic about Apple's Siri Remote, just check out my review of the last Apple TV. I'm still enamored with it a year later: It's easy to hold, has all of the basic functions you'd want, and it's far harder to lose than the previous super-thin remote. I'm still baffled why we were forced to use a glass-backed remote with a crummy touchpad on the original Apple TV 4K. Long live the new model and it's touch-sensitive, directional clickpad.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
So sure, the hardware is great, but how's the software? Setting up the Apple TV 4K is now surprisingly easy, assuming you're already beholden to Apple's ecosystem. After plugging it in, I just had to tap my iPhone to the box to send over my WiFi and iCloud credentials. I chose to synchronize my home screens, which made all of the apps from my current Apple TV pop over. At that point, all I had to do was log into my usual streaming haunts, and I was ready to go.
After using every Apple TV the company has put out over the last decade, I had one immediate thought as I started using this new model: Holy hell this thing is fast. That's not to say the last version was slow, by any means. But there's a snappiness to this year's box that just feels freeing. I can swipe through all of the apps on my homescreen with ease, launch Netflix a few seconds faster than before, and drill through my library of movies without breaking a sweat. No more slight loading delays or pinwheels.
It could just be that I'm experiencing the rush of a brand new device, one uncluttered by a year's worth of use. But using the new Apple TV 4K feels like the difference between using an iPhone X and an iPhone 14 — everything just happens faster, with a greater sense of urgency. I found that most useful when I was flipping between apps and different videos. While I was catching up on Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix, I could quickly hop over to check out my YouTube channels while my wife needed a bathroom break, and then resume the creepiness when she returned. Again, this is something I did frequently with the previous box, but now the Apple TV feels completely unencumbered.
Amid my speed viewing, I was also impressed to see that the Apple TV handles HDR 10+ without any issues. The opening chase in No Time to Die looked glorious, with excellent highlights in the brightly-lit European streets, but also solid shadow detail in darker scenes. That's the main appeal of HDR10+. Like the original HDR 10 standard, it delivers both brighter brights and darker darks. But, it can also adjust those settings based on the scene you're viewing, just like Dolby Vision. That avoids some issues commonly seen with HDR 10, where one HDR profile setting may not work well across a wide variety of scenes.
While testing the Apple TV 4K on Samsung's 55-inch Odyssey Ark monitor, I was also able to view Dolby Vision titles from iTunes via HDR10+. That feature is particularly useful on the Ark, since it doesn't support Dolby Vision on its own. You can expect HDR10+ to work across Apple TV+ offerings, as well as many titles available for rent or purchase. Amazon has also been pushing the standard for years, so you'll find native HDR10+ support across all of its originals. (It looked particularly great during the opening of The Peripheral.)
If you weren't a fan of the Apple TV's interface before, this new model won't change your mind. But as someone who has tested plenty of streaming devices, I still feel most at home with the Apple TV. I appreciate its wide variety of apps, its seamless integration with iOS devices, and the overall polish you don't see on Roku's software. Sure, you can use the Apple TV app on competing devices today (including Roku's!), but that's just a gateway to content. It's not the same as living with an elegantly designed streaming interface day-to-day.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Another plus? The Apple TV actually has games you may want to play .I was able to load up Sonic Racing in a few seconds, pair an Xbox controller, and start zooming around the track without much issue. The A15 Bionic should allow for smoother performance on more demanding games, but I've personally never seen anything stress these boxes much.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of the Apple TV this year: you don't have to pay as much of a premium to own it. At $129, it's a bit pricier than the $100 Roku Ultra, but in exchange you get a far more robust app platform and more features. The $149 model we reviewed is a smarter buy if you demand Ethernet, or would like to start using Thread IoT devices. (I didn't have any Thread-compatible hardware to test, unfortunately.) But even that model is a decent bit cheaper than the previous $179 Apple TV.
If you already bought last year's Apple TV 4K for its new Siri remote, this new box probably isn't worth the upgrade. But if you picked up an HDR10+ TV recently, it may be worth the step up, just so you're seeing the best HDR picture possible.
It’s taken a while, but Apple has finally managed to craft the ideal streaming box: one that’s relatively inexpensive, filled with modern features and fast. So damn fast.
Say hello to Xumo, the new branding for Comcast and Charter's recently announced joint streaming venture. It's an evolution of the previous Xumo, the ad-supported streaming service Comcast bought two years ago, that's aiming to be "an entire entertainment ecosystem inclusive of streaming devices, content, and a platform for partners to reach audiences at scale," according to the companies. Comcast's Flex streaming device will now be called Xumo Stream Box, while XClass TV, the company's push to bring its technology into Hisense-made televisions, will be rebadged as Xumo TV. You can expect to see the first Xumo devices distributed by Charter, Comcast and Walmart next year.
While it may seem a bit late to launch an entirely new streaming company, the joint initiative could be a smart way for Comcast and Charter to modernize their technology and reach consumers outside of their normal regions. The focus on free, ad-supported content (or FAST, in industry terms), is also a clear shot against Roku's offerings. Even though we're being inundated with increasingly expensive streaming services, it turns out many people don't mind watching a few ads to see some of their favorite shows. And that's easy money for any company offering ad-based content.
This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into Apple’s latest iPad and iPad Pro. The new base iPad seemingly justifies its price, but it also leaves out plenty of consumers who were well-served by the old $329 iPad. We hope that model sticks around for a long while. Also, we discuss if anyone needs M2 power in an iPad Pro (why not just get a MacBook?!), and we prepare for Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. (Note: When this episode was recorded, his acquisition wasn’t finalized yet.)
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 podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
Can you believe it's been 10 years since Microsoft first launched the Surface? That's a decade of trying to make hybrid tablet PCs a thing, something I'm still not sure many people actually want. But, you know what, I'll give Microsoft credit for trying to push laptop designs forward in an era when everyone was trying to copy Apple's unibody MacBook Pro and ultra-thin MacBook Air. The Surface was a radical alternative.
The Surface Pro 9 with 5G makes it clear that Microsoft has learned some lessons since its first tablets: It's impeccably designed, and it's the first Surface to tap into speedy 5G networks. Unfortunately, it's also a disappointing reminder that Microsoft can't help but repeat many of its earlier mistakes. It's yet another ARM-based Windows PC that we can't possibly recommend.
That's not exactly surprising, given our lukewarm reaction to the ARM-powered Surface Pro X line. But what's more galling this year is that Microsoft is actually calling it the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, as if it's directly comparable to the Surface Pro 9 powered by Intel's 12th-gen chips. That's more than hubris – it's an outright lie, one that will undoubtedly confuse shoppers and IT workers for the next year.
Sure, they both have the same gorgeous and impressively thin aluminum case, 13-inch PixelSense display, and very usable keyboard covers (which are unfortunately still sold separately). Both models also have the same built-in kickstand, which lets you prop up the screen on a table, or if you're feeling risky, on your leg for on-the-go computing. If you've seen a Surface tablet before, especially last year's solid Pro 8, not much has changed.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
A tale of two Surfaces
Here's the rub: Microsoft now has one product line running on two very different chip designs, Intel's x86 hardware and Microsoft's custom SQ3 ARM system-on-a-chip (itself based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3). The Intel-powered Surface Pro 9 can run all of the legacy Windows apps you'd expect. The SQ3 model, on the other hand, can only run newer apps natively. Everything else is emulated, leading to significantly slower performance. On the plus side, Windows 11 supports x64 emulation now, so the Pro 9 with 5G can run plenty of apps that the Pro X couldn't when it launched. But that doesn't cover games, and it's a compromise I don't think anyone should be making at this point.
What's even more frustrating is that Microsoft is making you pay a $300 premium above the $999 Surface Pro 9 for the privilege of owning an inherently slower computer. How much is built-in 5G worth to you, then?
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
A better Windows on Arm experience, but not by much
After using the Pro 9 with 5G for several days, I'm even more baffled by Microsoft's reckless attempt at shoving its x86 and ARM product lines together. While a few of the company's engineers assured me in a recent interview that the performance would be comparable between the SQ3 and Intel models, I knew that was inaccurate the minute I launched Chrome. As an emulated x86 app, it's slower to launch and fairly laggy while browsing the web and juggling tabs. Microsoft Edge, on the other hand, is snappier all around because it's a native ARM app.
I typically run multiple browsers at once, since it's the easiest way to separate work and personal accounts. I can't just move to Edge full time. So if I wanted to work the way I'm used to on the Surface Pro 9 with 5G, I'd just have to live with an experience that's worse than a three-year-old Surface Laptop. Does that sound like progress to you? While it performed generally fine with native apps like Spotify and Evernote, multitasking between them and emulated apps still felt noticeably sluggish. In many ways, it felt like a step down from the Surface Pro 6 I reviewed four years ago, save for the silkier 120Hz refresh rate on the Pro 9's larger screen.
Geekbench 5 CPU
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Cinebench R23
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 5G (SQ3, Adreno 8cx Gen 3)
1,122/5,764
2,959
575/1,866
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 (Intel Core i7-1185G7, Intel Iris Xe graphics)
1,289/5,217
N/A
620/4,619
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 (Intel i5-1135G7, Iris Xe graphics)
1,349/3,764
2,799
1,127/3,115
ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED (Intel i7-1280P, Iris Xe graphics)
1,596/6,491
3,012
1,504/5,384
All of the benchmarks I ran on the Surface Pro 9 also show that it's slower than any premium laptop we've reviewed over the past few years. Sure, Geekbench 5 was running as a slower emulated app, but its score is also indicative of how other emulated programs will run. Even the weak Surface Go 2, with its low-power 11th-gen Intel chip, managed to outperform the Pro 9 5G in single-core performance. (At least the SQ3 faired better with multi-core speeds.) 3DMark's Wildlife Extreme test, which is one of the best ways to compare cross-platform gaming, also returned a low score, as I expected. (The bigger surprise? It was on par with the ASUS ZenBook Fold 17, a foldable computer held back by a low-wattage Intel chip.)
While I don't think many people would be buying the 5G Surface Pro 9 for its performance alone, it's still worth reiterating that it'll be a far slower computer than its Intel counterpart. I didn't have that other Pro 9 model to test, but we did review the ASUS ZenBook Fold 17, which uses a similar Intel Core i7-1250U CPU. That's a low-power chip but otherwise comparable to the i7-1255U on the Surface Pro 9. Compared to the SQ3 Pro 9, the ZenBook blew it away in Geekbench 5's CPU test, as well as Cinebench R23.
Surprisingly, both the ZenBook Fold 17 and 5G Pro 9 scored similarly in the Wildlife Extreme benchmark, but the Intel chip has the advantage of being able to run games natively. The Pro 9 5G couldn't even successfully emulate older titles like Quake on Steam. (For the truly desperate, you can always stream Xbox Game Pass titles over the cloud, and a handful of low-power native games like Minecraft run fine.)
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
What good is built-in cellular?
The Surface Pro 9's built-in 5G connectivity gives it one major leg up over the Intel model, but I didn't find it very compelling during my testing. During cellular setup, Windows directed me to Ubigi and Gigsky as two potential providers that would connect to the Surface's eSIM. I went with Ubigi, and after 20 minutes of account setup, I was able to hop onto their LTE network. Unfortunately, I didn't see any 5G speeds in my Atlanta suburb, but the network still delivered a respectable 33.6 Mbps down and (far less impressive) 2 Mbps up over LTE.
If you already have a working SIM card, you can open up the Pro 9's expansion area under the kickstand and slide it in there. My Verizon SIM was recognized in 30 seconds, and it delivered 50 Mbps down and 4 Mbps up over LTE. You can also easily swap out the notebook's SSD in that expansion area too, something we could never do before. In exchange, though, Microsoft removed the SD card slot. I wouldn't consider that a dealbreaker — being able to upgrade to a larger SSD down the line is incredibly useful — but it's something to keep in mind if you rely on SD cards to store your music or photos.
Having the ability to hop on cellular everywhere, especially for international providers like Ubigi, is certainly impressive. Personally, though, I'd trade that in for the increased speed and app compatibility from the Intel Surface Pro 9. Is it really that tough to tether your phone? And true road warriors are likely better off with a mobile hotspot, which can connect to multiple devices easily.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Same Surface issues, 10 years later
Perhaps I'm just grumpy from the whole forced ARM transition, but I also couldn't help but be frustrated by the other annoyances from the Surface Pro 9. Microsoft has been pumping these things out for a decade now, and they're still annoying to use on your lap. Unlike a traditional laptop, which has a flat base connected to a screen, you have to juggle the Surface's keyboard cover and kickstand on your leg to keep it propped up. It's functional enough — I was able to type this whole review with the Surface on my lap — but not exactly comfortable.
I've been able to bear it for years, but by this point, it'd be nice to see Microsoft try something to improve the experience. Maybe add a secondary hinge to stabilize things, or offer a case that can completely unify the keyboard and tablet (like HP's leather-clad Spectre Folio). With ultraportables like the MacBook Air and Dell XPS 13 getting lighter and thinner every year, Microsoft can't just assume consumers will live with subpar ergonomics. Perhaps the tradeoff would be worth it if the Surface was usable as a tablet on its own, but I still find it too large and unwieldy compared to the iPad Pro. (And it’s not like Windows is any better on tablets, either.)
There are still some nice design ideas around the Surface — I love the way the Slim Pen 2 hides away in the $180 Signature Pro keyboard, and it remains one of the best stylii on the market when it comes to drawing and jotting down notes. Still, it feels like the Surface is turning into a computer that's more performative than it is functional. Look at its kickstand! Don't worry about how impractical it is. It's got 5G! But ignore the fact that it has a slow mobile processor. Even its two USB-C ports are compromised; they're limited to USB 3.2, whereas the Intel model's ports all support the faster Thunderbolt 4 standard.
AI-assisted video chats
Oddly enough, there's one thing the 5G Surface Pro 9 excels at: video calls. It sports a sharp 1080p front-facing camera, but crucially, it's assisted by the SQ3's Neural Processing Unit. That powers features like automatic framing, background blurring and sustained eye contact during video calls. And in my experience, it's almost magical. The portrait blurring effects are close to what I'd expect from a larger DSLR camera, and the automatic framing was silky smooth. Those features also work across any video chat app, so you don't have to worry about looking different across Zoom or Teams.
The one downside of the Intel-powered Surface Pro 9 is that it can't take advantage of any of those features. While Intel's 12th-gen CPUs are plenty powerful, they don't have an NPU built-in. Microsoft reps say any future chips that add AI processing will be able to use these features, but that doesn't help people buying Intel Pro 9 models this year. At the very least, they'll have a good front-facing camera (as well as a very capable 10-megapixel rear camera).
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Wrap-up
If you're still interested in the 5G Surface Pro 9, having read my complaints and frustrations, be prepared to pay dearly. It starts at $1,300 with a relatively modest 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, while the Intel model goes for $1,000 with those same specs. And if you want a keyboard, add another $120 for the Pro Type Cover (though we’d recommend the $140 Pro Keyboard instead). Jumping up to 16GB of RAM with the 5G Pro 9 (like our review unit) will cost you $1,600 with 256GB of storage. As you go up the price range, the Intel and SQ3 models end up costing the same — but who wants to pay nearly $2,000 for an ARM-based Windows PC?
Perhaps one day, Microsoft's dream of an ultra-thin, ARM-powered Surface will come true. But the company has failed at every attempt to make that happen (my condolences to anyone who bought the Surface RT). The 5G Pro 9 is an improvement, but its beauty belies its many practical issues. If you're at all interested in a new Surface, buy the Intel model and get a hotspot on the side. You'll be far happier.
Apple just dropped several new devices on us this week, seemingly out of nowhere. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra break down Apple’s new base iPad and iPad Pro with M2. They chat about why the iPad lineup is now more confusing than ever, and what that means going forward. (At least the new Apple TV 4K seems likely a genuinely solid upgrade.)
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 podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
It's a big day for huge EV investments in the US. The Biden admin announced it's awarding $2.8 billion to companies developing EV battery materials earlier today, and now BMW says it'll be investing another $1.7 billion towards building electric vehicles in America. $1 billion will go towards expanding its Spartanburg, South Carolina manufacturing plant to build EVs, while the remaining $700 million is earmarked to build a high-voltage battery facility in a nearby town called Woodruff.
Plant Spartanburg, as the company calls the manufacturing facility, is the home of the company's popular "X" vehicles. Now, according to BMW's US group chairman Oliver Zipse, it's going to become the home of BMW's electrification strategy. He announced the company intends to build at least six electric BMW X vehicles by 2030, which is also when the Biden administration is aiming to make EVs half of new US car sales.
BMW also plans to build sixth-generation battery cells using technology from Envision AESC, which will build the aforementioned battery plant. The company claims the new batteries offer 20 percent more energy density than its current technology, as well as 30 percent faster charging and longer range. Additionally, they'll involve around 60 percent less CO2 emissions by using secondary minerals and renewable energy during production.
The Department of Energy is awarding $2.8 billion in grants to 20 companies across the US that will promote the production of materials to make EV batteries domestically, the Biden administration announced today. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and it'll be part of a new "American Battery Materials Initiative," which aims to secure a supply of minerals for EVs and electric infrastructure (potentially things like home batteries). Given that the Biden administration wants to make EVs half of new US car purchases by 2030, we'll need a serious boost in battery production before then.
"The U.S. and its allies currently do not produce enough of the critical minerals and battery materials needed to power clean energy technologies," the Biden admin wrote in a briefing. "China currently controls much of the critical mineral supply chain and the lack of mining, processing, and recycling capacity in the U.S. could hinder electric vehicle development and adoption, leaving the U.S. dependent on unreliable foreign supply chains."
The new funding will support projects that aim to develop enough battery-grade lithium to build 2 million EVs annually, as well as enough graphite and nickel to produce 1.2 million and 400,000 EVs annually. It'll also enable some groundbreaking endeavors, like building the first lithium iron phosphate cathode facility, as well as the first large-scale lithium electrolyte salt production facility, in the US.
After being matched by recipients, the Biden admin says the $2.8 million grants will lead to an investment of more than $9 billion towards building EV batteries. Car makers will also need more local supply sources if they want to build EVs that take full advantage of the Biden admin's new $7,500 tax credit, which require batteries and minerals produced in the US.
