Chandra also says Google plans to launch a web view for the Home app next year as well, which will allow you to control cameras and other devices from your computer. Honestly, it's a shock Google still hasn't managed to build that, especially when competitors like Arlo and Ring have offered them for years. Google also plans to bring older Nest devices into the Google Home app eventually, but for now, Nest customers will have to juggle between two separate apps.
It's fall, and new gadget season has officially begun! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into all of Microsoft's new hardware: The Surface Laptop Studio, Pro 8 and Duo 2. Also, Commerce Editor Valentina Palladino joins to chat about the iPhone 13, 13 Mini and her iPad Mini review. And of course, we carve out some time to yell at Facebook.
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!
Credits Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar Guest: Valentina Palladino Producer: Ben Ellman Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos,Luke Brooks Graphics artists: Luke Brooks, Kyle Maack Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
OLED makes Dell's already excellent XPS 15 even better. That's it, that's all you need to know. I've seen dozens of OLED screens over the last decade, and they never fail to impress. By their very nature they look bolder and capture inky blacks better than most LCD screens. So take that together with the latest hardware from Intel and NVIDIA, and you've got a surefire ultraportable powerhouse.
Now, if you remember last year's redesigned XPS 15 you'll probably have a hard time telling this new model apart. It still has a sturdy and thin aluminum unibody case, but the star of the show is the 15.6-inch display. It has some of the thinnest bezels on the market, which almost makes the screen seem as if it's floating in the air. New this year is the 3.5K OLED touchscreen model, but you can also choose from two LCD panels: a 4K+ touchscreen and a 1080p+ display. The plus on those resolutions just means they pack a few more vertical pixels to reach a 16 x 10 aspect ratio.
While I'm clearly partial to what OLED adds to the experience, all of the displays should look great. They each support Dolby Vision HDR, and the LCD models are also fairly bright at 500 nits. The OLED version maxes out at 400 nits, but the vastly better contrast should make up for it. It's also the only screen that supports 100 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut, making it ideal for artists who demand color accuracy.
I'll admit: I'm mainly reviewing the XPS 15 to gawk at its screen. As soon as I powered it up, I put on the Matrix Resurrections trailer in 4K HDR just to see if it looked better than my OLED TV. Of course the TV looked better, but I was still impressed by the XPS 15. The glimpses we see at night look truly black, bright elements like explosions and sunlight were so brilliant they made me tear up a bit, and it managed to juggle scenes that had both bright and dark aspects. That's the advantage of OLED.
To push the XPS 15's display to the max, I turned to Ang Lee's Gemini Man, one of the few films viewable in 4K with HDR at 60 frames per second. Say what you will about the movie, but the OLED screen made the shootout between Will Smith and his younger clone feel almost as thrilling as watching it in theaters. Sure, it doesn't have a full 4K resolution, but that's not something you'll really notice while watching it. Another bonus: Dell's upward-firing speakers did a decent job throughout most of the action.
Outside of video, the XPS 15's OLED screen made looking at just about everything a joy. I've never had so much fun scrolling through text-heavy websites — even jotting ideas down in Evernote felt a bit more satisfying, thanks to the ultra crisp text. Photos just about popped off the screen, as you'd expect. The DCI-P3 color range is around 25 percent wider than the more common sRGB, which means images will be able to show off more depth.
The only way the XPS 15's screen could look better was if it took a cue from gaming laptops and offered a faster refresh rate. Going above 60Hz makes scrolling images and text look instantly smoother, but it'll likely be a few years before work-focused notebooks take advantage of that tech.
PCMark 10
3DMark Night Raid
ATTO disk speeds (top read/write)
Dell XPS 15 (Intel i7-11800H, NVIDIA RTX 3050 Ti 45w)
ASUS ZenBook Duo (Intel Core i7-1165G7, Xe graphics)
4,704
15,315
3.3 GB/s / 2.48 GB/s
Our XPS 15 review unit was powered by an eight-core Intel i7-11800H, 16GB of RAM and a 45-watt version of NVIDIA's RTX 3050 Ti GPU. That's on the low-end of that GPU's potential power usage — it can go all the way up to 80 watts — which means it's far less capable than the same card in a gaming notebook. Still, it should be a huge upgrade from last year's GTX 1650 Ti. In the GPU-focused Geekbench 5 Compute benchmark, for example, the XPS 15 notched around 6,000 more points than last year's model.
I can't imagine too many people will be judging the XPS 15 on its gaming capabilities, not when you can get faster screens and potentially better hardware for similar prices from dedicated laptops. But if you're just itching to get a bit of Overwatch action in once in a while, it's good enough to reach 70fps in Overwatch at 2,560 by 1,600 (1,440p+) at the highest graphics settings. Honestly, it has enough power to tackle most modern games. Just don't try playing them at 3.5K.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The XPS 15 also scored around 50 percent higher in the PCMark 10 benchmark, something I'd attribute both to that Intel CPU and the NVIDIA hardware. You can expect it to tackle most intense workloads with ease. It managed to transcode a one-minute 4K video file into 1080p in 35 seconds using Handbrake and the NVIDIA encoder.
As for the XPS 15's keyboard and trackpad, they're unchanged from last year. I appreciated the keyboard's wide layout and responsive keys, though I hope Dell explores ways to add even more depth. It'd be nice for some of that CherryMX technology from Alienware's gaming laptops to make its way to the XPS line. The trackpad, meanwhile, is luxuriously smooth. No complaints there.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
I'd like to see more than three USB-C ports, but at least two of them support Thunderbolt 4. And I'll always give a laptop extra credit for including a full-sized SD card slot. That's something photographers everywhere will appreciate. I was also surprised to find that the OLED screen didn't ding the XPS’s battery life as much as I thought it would. It lasted for nine hours and 55 minutes in our battery benchmark, compared to 10 hours and 10 minutes on last year's model with a 4K+ LCD.
The only downside of the XPS 15 is that Dell was a bit slow to add OLED. Remember, the company said OLED would be coming to the XPS 15 since CES 2019. I was surprised that Dell didn't include it in the XPS 15's redesign last year and I wager the pandemic slowed things down a bit. But other PC makers, like ASUS, were much quicker to build OLED laptops, so it’s hard to make excuses for Dell.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
The new XPS 15 starts at $1,300 with a Core i5 processor, integrated graphics, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. You'd have to shell out $2,000 to nab our review unit with a 512GB SSD. Those are reasonable prices for 15-inch workhorse machines, especially when the 16-inch MacBook Pro is a rather painful $2,400 and still has an aging ninth-gen Intel chip.
Honestly, I didn't expect Dell to do much with the XPS 15 after last year. But the addition of OLED goes a long way. It's one of the best screens you can find on a laptop today. It's so good, in fact, that it makes the XPS 15 almost perfect.
There's no shortage of ways to capture YouTube videos on the web. Take your pick of dangerous websites, or just go old-school and record a video of your desktop. Now, YouTube is finally offering a simpler solution for computer users: A download button. As Android Police reports, it's currently available as an experimental feature for Premium subscribers. That's not a huge surprise, as YouTube already offers mobile video downloads for subscribers too.
Once you've flipped it on, you'll see a download button right next to the share option below videos, or alongside the three dot menu when browsing. After downloading a video, it gets placed in your offline YouTube library. You can choose to grab videos in resolutions from 144p to 1080p — sorry, 4K fanatics. At this point, there doesn't appear to be any size limit, aside from your available storage.
From my quick tests, the feature works as advertised on Safari and Chrome. Personally, it's not something I'd use as often as mobile downloads, but it's a nice option to have for future trips.
After playing through some Billie Eilish tracks in Beat Saber, soon you'll also be able to kick back and listen to a limited-edition Echo Studio sporting the cover of her latest album, "Happier Than Ever." Beyond the beige fabric and Eilish's visage, the $230 speaker is no different than the standard $200 Echo Studio. That's a shame if you were hoping for some sort of upgrade, but if it's any consolation, we adored the Echo Studio's beefy hardware when it launched two years ago. It's one of the few smart speakers built for 3D Audio, and it has more than enough power to blast all of your favorite tunes.
The Billie Eilish Limited-Edition Echo Studio also comes with a six-month subscription to Amazon Music, typically a $48 value. That's not a huge selling point if you're already relying on Spotify or other services, but it's one way to justify the higher price.
If we learned anything from last year's Surface Book 3, it's that Microsoft's wild detachable tablet design wasn't long for this world. There was just no way to compete with other powerful notebooks when it required shoving full Windows PC, complete with a power-hungry CPU, into a large slate. Enter the Surface Laptop Studio, a new stab at building a powerful Surface notebook.
Developing...
Follow all of the news from Microsoft's fall Surface event right here.
We all know what to expect with new laptops: Upgraded chips, often thinner designs, and whiz-bang new features. But it's easy to ignore how some of those changes can affect people with disabilities. Making a notebook thinner can also make it harder to open, for example. So to better equip its PCs to be more accessible, Microsoft created the Surface Adaptive Kit, a collection of add-ons that can help you find specific keys, locate ports and flip open your PC or kickstand.
While they may just look like a collection of simple stickers, it still shows that Microsoft is actually thinking of people with disabilities. The Adaptive Kit comes from its Inclusive Tech Lab, the same folks behind the revolutionary Xbox Adaptive Controller. The impetus for the Surface kit is also very similar: It's all about making Microsoft's hardware easier for everyone to use.
In the box, you'll find a set of translucent keycap labels to highlight keys you use often, a set of three-dimensional bump labels for ports and buttons, and raised port indicators with matching cable wrap. To give you more leverage with cases and kickstands, there's also a ring opener and pull-tab opener.
The company isn't saying how much the Surface Adaptive Kit will cost when it arrives later this year, but hopefully it'll come in relatively cheap. After all, an accessibility-focused product should work for all budgets.
Follow all of the news from Microsoft's fall Surface event right here.
Microsoft's new Surface Pro 8 tablet can actually go toe-to-toe with most ultraportables. It features a 13-inch PixelSense screen, a significant upgrade from the previous 12.3-inch display. Even better, it's one of the first non-gaming notebooks we've seen that supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes scrolling through web pages and jotting down notes a lot smoother. And of course, it's built with Windows 11 in mind.
Together with some of Intel's latest 11th-gen processors, as well as long-awaited support for Thunderbolt 4, the Surface Pro 8 could tempt over potential buyers who were turned off by the limitations of previous models. As much as I've liked earlier Surface Pros, the last model made it clear that Microsoft seriously needed to change things up.
Thankfully, the Surface Pro 8 finally supports Thunderbolt 4 on its two USB-C ports. That means you'll be able to connect fast external hard drives, several 4K external monitors or even an external GPU. As for other updates, the rear camera is now 10MP instead of 8MP, and it also supports 4K video. The front-facing camera is still 5MP with 1080p video, but it should offer better low-light performance.
Developing...
Follow all of the news from Microsoft's fall Surface event right here.
Roku's $50 Streaming Stick 4K has been one of our favorite devices for years. It's cheap, pocketable and has just about every feature you'd want in a streaming gadget. This year, Roku is finally adding a long-awaited feature to its new 4K stick: Dolby Vision HDR. That's something the Roku Ultra started supporting last year, and it's a particularly big deal for home theater fans. Additionally, the new Streaming Stick 4K boots up around 30 percent faster than before, and its revamped wireless receiver makes Wi-Fi speeds up to twice as fast, according to Roku.
Like the HDR10 format, Dolby Vision allows for higher peak brightness levels and more nuanced dark scenes. But it can also do so dynamically, tweaking its contrast and brightness levels for every individual frame in a film or TV show. That's something HDR10 can't do, though it's since been added to the newer HDR10+ format, which the new 4K streaming stick also supports. There's a lot more Dolby Vision content out there today, though, so I'd wager most people would be more excited for Dolby Vision than HDR10+ support.
Roku
While the 4K streaming stick ships with Roku's standard voice remote, you can also opt for the $70 Streaming Stick 4K+ bundle, which packs in the company's new Voice Remote Pro. Normally a $30 upgrade, that smarter clicker adds hands-free voice searching (instead of hitting a button), as well as a rechargeable battery. And if you're looking for something a bit more powerful, the $80 Wal-Mart exclusive Roku Ultra LT is also getting Dolby Vision, a faster processor and better Wi-Fi this year.
For most people, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is likely all the streaming player you need. You can get faster speeds and more connectivity with the $100 Roku Ultra, or a nicer interface and game ecosystem with the $179 Apple TV 4K. But when it comes to just streaming video in the best possible formats, there's little need to spend more than $50. You'll be able to find the new Roku Streaming Stick 4K sometime mid-October in the US, and in the coming months across Canada, Mexico and
You won't need Roku's new Streaming Stick 4K to take advantage of its latest software features. The Roku OS 10.5 update, which will roll out to players and TVs in the next few weeks, will be jam-packed with features to make your streaming life easier. There's expanded Roku Voice support, which will let you ask players (with supported remotes) to start playing content from Netflix, Spotify and most other channels. And the company has added a Live TV Channel Guide to help find free TV content (so far there are more than 200 live channels to sift through).
But more importantly for the Roku faithful, there are even more configurations for the company's wireless speakers. Roku OS 10.5 will let you use any of the company's soundbars — the Streambar, Streambar Pro and Smart Soundbar — as a center channel flanked by Roku wireless speakers. Put that setup together with two more rear speakers and a wireless sub, and voila, you've got a full-fledged 5.1 surround solution. Previously, you were only able to use Roku's soundbars as all of your front channels (left, right and center).
Roku
From what I recall of Roku's earlier surround solution, it sounded more than adequate for a small room. I haven't heard the company's 5.1 setup yet, but generally having more speakers is always better. At the very least, you can expect clearer dialog and better front channel separation. I can't say if it's worth shelling out up to $630 for all of Roku's speakers ($300 for four wireless speakers, $180 for the StreamBar Pro, and $150 for the wireless subwoofer), but it's nice to have the flexibility to build out a full system if you've already invested in a few of them.
Roku OS 10.5 will also add some audio improvements for headphones. When you connect a wireless headset to the Roku mobile app, it will adjust your sync settings based on the type of headphone you're using. You'll also be able to use your smartphone camera to adjust the audio delay even further. That's a useful feature for anyone using Bluetooth headphones, where audio delay issues are fairly common.
To coincide with expanded Spotify voice support, Roku is also adding a new music and podcasts row to its system search. You'll be able to see results from Spotify's entire library, but more importantly it opens the door for better audio app support on Roku OS.
