Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro, a limited edition version that pays homage to the iconic SGH-E700 (aka the SGH-E715 in the US on T-Mobile), which first came out 20 years ago in 2003. It comes with the same indigo blue and silver color combo as the original, along with similar pixel graphics for the clock widget on the cover screen and an exclusive cityscape-style animation on the Flex Window. It'll be sold in Korea and several countries in Europe, but not the US.  

The SGH-E700 was Samsung's first mobile phone with an integrated antenna and became a certified hit, selling more than 10 million units. The success of that phone elevated Samsung's standing in the mobile phone industry at the time, helping make it the smartphone behemoth it is today. The phone was popular enough that in 2007, Engadget noted that Samsung effectively reissued the phone with new radios as a nostalgia play, even though it was only four years old at the time. 

The Galaxy Z Flip5 Retro will include three Flipsuit cards featuring logos from different eras of Samsung’s history, a Flipsuit case and a collector card engraved with a unique serial number, the company said. It'll be available starting November 1 in Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Australia from Samsung's website. 

Apple’s 9th generation iPad is $80 off at Amazon right now. The discount brings the 64GB variant down to just $250 from its regular price of $330, a record low typically only seen on Prime Day. You can also snag the 9th-gen iPad with 256GB of storage for $80 off at Amazon, where it’s currently down to $400 from its usual $480. 

The 9th-gen iPad came out in 2021, but it’s still a solid tablet especially if you’re on a budget. While its A13 Bionic chip isn’t the fastest or most powerful, it’s more than enough for basic productivity tasks, browsing and streaming. It earned a score of 86 when we reviewed it back at the time of its release, and it’s still one of the best iPads you can get that won’t break the bank.

It has a heftier build than the newer, sleeker models, with chunky bezels framing its 10.2-inch Retina Display, and a physical Home button with Touch ID. Apple’s 9th-gen iPad also still has a headphone jack and charges via lightning port. It has a 12MP ultrawide front camera and 8MP back camera, and supports Apple’s Center Stage video calling feature.

The 9th generation iPad comes in Silver and Space Gray, and the discount applies to both color variants for the Wi-Fi only model. It’s a great option for the casual iPad user, and the price right now can’t be beat. But, if those specs aren't quite cutting it, Amazon is also running a deal on the 10th generation iPad, which is a step up. That model is currently $50 off.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Apple’s holding another streaming event on October 30 at 8PM ET. Yes, that’s in the dead of night during the spookiest of seasons. The company’s calling it a “Scary Fast” event, which certainly makes it seem like there will be some hardware announcements. You can watch the stream on YouTube, on Apple’s official website and on Apple TV devices. Or, you can just keep this page open, as the stream’s embedded below.

So what’s on the docket for this Halloween-adjacent stream? We already had the big iPhone 15 reveal, so that leaves the company’s desktop and laptop computers. Given the event’s name, it’s highly likely Apple will drop the long-awaited M3 chip. It’s been nearly 17 months since the M2 debuted and, well, Moore’s law and all of that. For reference, it was 19 months between the M1 launch and the M2 debut.

Chips are only as good as the gadgets they power, so there should be a couple of hardware announcements to go along with that “scary fast” M3 chipset. Apple analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman both suggest that an M3-powered MacBook Pro will take center stage at the event.

It’s also high-time that Apple released some new iMacs, as it’s been well over two years since 2021’s colorful refresh. Gurman has reported that the event will likely see the introduction of a new 24-inch iMac, also powered by the rumored M3 chip. He notes that current iMacs are in short supply at retail stores and that this typically indicates a forthcoming upgrade.

There could also be some iPad announcements at the event. If the whole stream revolves around M3-powered products, it’s more likely we’ll get a new iPad Pro than a standard entry-level tablet. However, it’s only been a year since the most recent iPad Pro debuted, though 2022’s release was merely a modest upgrade. Of course, other iPad models could get some love, setting them up to launch just in time for the holidays.

There could be some surprises, but we just got new iPhones and watches, and we know the Vision Pro isn’t due until next year, so that doesn’t leave a whole lot of options. At the very least, Apple presenters will likely be forced to wear Halloween costumes, which should be fun. Maybe we’ll see Tim Cook dressed as that blue smurf cat that blew up on TikTok earlier this month.

Apple is holding an event on October 30 at 8PM ET. Yes, that’s in the dead of night during the spookiest of seasons. The company’s calling it a “Scary Fast” event, which certainly either means Apple is getting into horror shorts, or it's going to announce some improved hardware — our bet's on the latter. You can watch Apple's October event on YouTube, on Apple’s official website and on Apple TV devices. Or, you can just keep this page open, as the stream’s embedded below.

What to expect at Apple's October Mac Event

So what’s on the docket for this Halloween-adjacent stream? We already had the big iPhone 15 reveal, so that leaves the company’s desktop and laptop computers. Given the event’s name, it’s highly likely Apple will drop the long-awaited M3 chip. It’s been nearly 17 months since the M2 debuted and, well, Moore’s law and all of that. For reference, it was 19 months between the M1 launch and the M2 debut.

Chips are only as good as the gadgets they power, so there should be a couple of hardware announcements to go along with that “scary fast” M3 chipset. Apple analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman both suggest that an M3-powered MacBook Pro will take center stage at the event.

It’s also high-time that Apple released some new iMacs, as it’s been well over two years since 2021’s colorful refresh. Gurman has reported that the event will likely see the introduction of a new 24-inch iMac, also powered by the rumored M3 chip. He notes that current iMacs are in short supply at retail stores and that this typically indicates a forthcoming upgrade.

There could also be some iPad announcements at the event. If the whole stream revolves around M3-powered products, it’s more likely we’ll get a new iPad Pro than a standard entry-level tablet. However, it’s only been a year since the most recent iPad Pro debuted, though 2022’s release was merely a modest upgrade. Of course, other iPad models could get some love, setting them up to launch just in time for the holidays.

There could be some surprises, but we just got new iPhones and watches, and we know the Vision Pro isn’t due until next year, so that doesn’t leave a whole lot of options. At the very least, Apple presenters will likely be forced to wear Halloween costumes, which should be fun. Maybe we’ll see Tim Cook dressed as that blue smurf cat that blew up on TikTok earlier this month.

It's still a few days until Halloween, but retailers are already pushing early Black Friday deals. That makes this week either an opportunity to bemoan the unrelenting passage of time or a good time to shop. For those who take the latter view, we gathered up the better tech deals that've popped up. Those include a rare sale on Sonos home theater speakers, sweeping discounts on Blink security cameras and a steep price drop on a recommended VPN service. We've also spotted discounts on Apple's M2 MacBook Air and 9th-generation iPad that respectively top and meet their prices from Amazon's October Prime Day event earlier this month, as well as a couple of gift card bundles for new smartphones in the OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.  

Sonos home theater sets

From now through Sunday, Sonos is selling a few its home theater sets (which include soundbars and subwoofers) for up to 20 percent off. Sonos rarely runs sales, so this may be one to check out if you want to upgrade your TV's sound setup. One deal is the Ray + Sub Mini, regularly $708, for just $566. We recommend the Ray in our soundbar buying guide because it provides excellent sound quality for both TV and music, while its compact size makes it ideal for smaller living rooms. Adding the Sub Mini to the mix helps round out the sound and fill in the bass that soundbars are hard-pressed to deliver on their own. 

At the other end of the pricing spectrum is Sonos' high-end bundle, the Ultimate Immersive Set, which includes the Arc soundbar, the Sub subwoofer and two Era 300 smart speakers. Usually the set goes for $2,596, but it's now down to $2,211. The Arc is our runner up pick for a premium option in our soundbar buying guide, while the Era 300 earned an Engadget review score of 80 thanks to its detailed and balanced sound quality. We did think the speaker's spatial audio experience was hit or miss and we were disappointed by its lack of Google Assistant support — though you can use Alexa or Sonos' own assistant instead. 

iRobot Roomba Combo j7+

Wellbots is taking up to $300 off a few of iRobot's vac-and-mop Roomba Combo cleaners. The Roomba Combo j7+ usually costs a steep $999, for instance, but you can drop it down to $699 if you enter the code ENGROOMBA300 at checkout. The Roomba Combo j7+ is the top 2-in-1 pick in our robot vacuum buying guide, and it even earned a spot in the smart home of one of Engadget's senior editors. 

A few other vac-and-mops are on sale too, including the iRobot Roomba Combo j5+, which is $300 with the same code, and the standard iRobot Roomba Combo j5, which is $250 off with the code ENGROOMBA250. (Those two are largely similar, though the former comes with a self-emptying base station.) If you've been thinking about automating your floor cleaning, this might be a good time to go for it.

Blink Outdoor 4 security camera

Blink's latest outdoor security camera, the Outdoor 4, has only been around since August but has already gone on sale a few times. Now through November 5th, Amazon is dropping the price back down to $72, which is 40 percent off its list price. This deal comes as part of a wider sale on security cams and video doorbells from the Amazon subsidiary.

The Outdoor 4 is the top wireless security camera pick in our guide to the best smart home devices. It can capture 1080p footage and send it straight to a phone or Alexa-enabled smart display. You can also talk and listen through the built-in mic and speaker. Improved motion detection should help it discern between a person approaching your house and the neighborhood cat, and the wireless build lets you set it just about anywhere around your home's exterior. Its battery can last up to two years with a pair of AA batteries, depending on your usage, and Amazon includes a set with the camera. Also included in this deal is the Sync Module 2, a separate accessory that lets you locally store video clips. 

For keeping tabs on the inside of your home, you can grab the Blink Mini. During the same time frame, a three-pack of the Blink Mini is down to $40. The list price for one of those cameras is $35, though we often see them drop into the $20 to $25 range.

Google Nest Learning Thermostat

Another Wellbots deal brings Google's Nest Learning Thermostat down to $174, which is a $75 discount and one of the best prices we've seen as of late (though not the lowest ever). Enter the code ENGNLT75 to see the full savings at checkout. The Nest Learning Thermostat can help with your energy bills by not overly heating or cooling the house when you're not home and by making suggestions on energy-saving temp settings. The "learning" here gets to know your routines and preferred settings to automatically create schedules, which you can always adjust manually in the Nest app.

Google Pixel Buds Pro

Google's Pixel Buds Pro are back at their lowest price ever, thanks to another discount code at Wellbots. These wireless earbuds have a list price of $200, but they dropped to $120 during Amazon's recent Prime Day sale. If you missed that one, though, you can now use the checkout code ENGPIX83 to get them for a few bucks less at $117. We named the Pixel Buds Pro the best option for Android users in our wireless earbuds buying guide and gave them an 87 in our review last year. They deliver deep bass and integrate particularly nicely with Google's Pixel phones. 

The Google Nest Hub Max also has a discount code from Wellbots; enter ENGMAX100 to save $100 off the $229 list price. We gave this 10-inch smart display a review score of 86 when it came out in 2019 thanks to its tight integration with other Google devices and services, solid audio quality and accurate facial recognition. 

Apple MacBook Air M2

The base model of Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air with an M2 chip and 256 GB of storage is down to $899 at Best Buy, which matches the lowest price we've seen outside of special offers for My Best Buy members. Apple sell the notebook for $1,099, so this deal represents a $200 discount off its MSRP. If you'd prefer a larger screen size, the 15-inch model is also on sale for a low of $1,049, which is $250 less than buying from Apple directly.

The M2 Air is both our favorite MacBook and the top overall recommendation in our laptop buying guide. We gave both notebooks a score of 96 in our reviews, and these entry-level configurations can still handle mainstream productivity and entertainment tasks with ease. Their speakers are impressively loud, their displays are bright and accurate, and their keyboards and trackpads remain comfortable. 

Apple is holding an event next week where it's expected to announce new Macs based on an updated M3 chip, but reliable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says that will likely focus on refreshed MacBook Pros and a new iMac; updated MacBook Airs aren't expected until sometime next year.

Surfshark VPN

As part of an early Black Friday promotion, Surfshark is offering its VPN plans for up to 86 percent off. The deepest discount applies to the Surfshark Starter plan which you can get for $60 for 27 months. That works out to $2.21 per month with three months free. After the promo ends, the plan reverts to its normal price of $60 per year. We named Surfshark the best service for multiple devices in our VPN guide. It's one of the few options that let you use it on an unlimited number of devices without bandwidth restrictions and it has access to a larger number of servers than other VPN services that offer unlimited connections. 

Anker PowerConf C200

Our runner-up recommendation for the best webcam you can buy is Anker's PowerConf C200. Right now at Amazon and Newegg, the 2K cam is down $48, which matches the low we saw during the October Prime Day sale earlier this month. It's easy to set up, has good picture quality and its on-board mics are surprisingly decent. Our main complaints were that it's a little tricky to adjust the angle and the included USB cable is on the shorter side. 

Apple iPad (9th gen)

Apple's 9th-generation iPad dropped to $249 for Amazon's October Prime Day sale, which matched the tablet's previous low. Now, the 10.2-inch slate is back down to that price at Amazon and Walmart. That's $80 off Apple's MSRP, though at this point, it's almost always available for less than its list price at various retailers. This is the budget pick in our guide to the best iPads. It's not the best option for a workhorse productivity slate, as it has a dated design and worse accessory support compared to newer models, but it's still great for web browsing, playing Apple Arcade games and streaming video on the cheap. 

Apple iPad Pro (12.9-inch)

On the exact opposite of the iPad spectrum, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is on sale for $990, which is about $60 off its usual street price and the lowest price we've tracked for the 128GB model. The 12.9-inch Pro is the "best for power users" pick in our buying guide: It's still more iPad than most people need, but its big mini-LED display is gorgeous and it's fast enough to handle just about any task thrown at it.

As noted above, Apple has an event coming next week, but Bloomberg reports we won't see any new iPads then. Instead, refreshes are expected sometime early next year, so if you can afford to wait, it might be smart to do so. But if not, there's still decent value here.

JBL Charge 5

The JBL Charge 5 is down to $120 at Amazon, Walmart and various other retailers, which is about $30 off its average street price. We recommend the Charge 5 in our guide to the best portable Bluetooth speakers. It's not the most compact speaker around, but it's loud enough for smaller parties, it does well keep tracks from sounding muddled and its IP67 waterproof rating means it's safe to take in the shower or pool. JBL says its battery can last up to 20 hours per charge — though, as with all portable speakers, that'll vary based on usage and volume — and the whole thing can work as a power bank for your phone in a pinch.

Apple Watch Ultra (1st gen)

Apple’s last-gen premium smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra, is on sale for $659, which is about $110 off its typical going rate in recent months. Note that this deal applies to the model with Apple's small Alpine Loop in orange. 

The catch here is that Apple recently released the Apple Watch Ultra 2, so this is technically an outdated model. The latest version adds a faster S9 SiP (system-in-package), which supports a useful Double Tap feature and on-board Siri processing, but the original remains a powerful option for athletes, hikers and other more involved users. It earned an 85 in our review when it came out thanks to its long battery life, big and bright display, and durable build. It still packs plenty of fitness and adventuring features (such as an SOS siren, waypoint-setting and a diving app) alongside the workout and activity tracking you get with other Apple Watches, so it might be worthwhile if you're looking to save at least a little bit of cash on a high-end wearable. 

OnePlus Open 

The OnePlus Open started shipping just this week, but Amazon is already bundling the new foldable phone with a $200 gift card. Since the phone itself goes for $1,700, any sort of savings is appreciated. We called the Open a "thinner and more affordable flagship foldable" in our review last week and have named it the best "budget" option in our guide to the best foldable phones. 

If you don't want to shop from Amazon — or if the gift card deal goes out of stock — you can grab a similar deal directly from OnePlus. The company is currently offering a $200 discount if you trade in any smartphone, regardless of brand, age and/or condition, bringing the foldable down to $1,500.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE

Along those lines, both Amazon and Best Buy are bundling Samsung's new Galaxy S23 FE phone with a $100 gift card for no extra cost. The phone itself goes for $599 and, like the OnePlus Open, began shipping this week. As we noted in our hands-on earlier this month, the Galaxy S23 FE has a similar design as the standard Galaxy S23, but it comes with a 6.4-inch OLED display (instead of 6.1 inches) and uses a slightly slower and less efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor (instead of the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2). The FE's camera system has a worse telephoto lens as well, though the device does come with a larger battery. While Google's Pixel 8 looks to be a more complete package as a midrange Android phone, the S23 FE is less expensive, and this deal should only heighten the value. 

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Apple's M2-powered 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 256GB of storage is $150 off its regular price at Amazon. That drops the tablet down to $1,050 just a few days ahead of Apple's Scary Fast event. The company is widely expected to reveal its first M3 chipsets but it's not certain that Apple will offer M3-powered iPad Pros immediately. You may have to wait until next year for a high-end tablet with the upcoming chipset.

Still, the M2 iPad Pro is our top pick for the best tablet you can buy right now. Even if Apple does announce an M3 iPad Pro in the coming days, it's hard to go wrong with the current model. It runs on the same chipset as MacBooks, so you'd be hard pressed to find a faster or more powerful tablet.

We gave the M2 iPad Pro a score of 87 in our review. Apple didn't give the tablet many upgrades compared with the M1-powered model, other than a few small tweaks and, of course, plugging in a more powerful chipset. However, the iPad Pro already had arguably the best display of any tablet around with the 120Hz ProMotion mini-LED screen. The design remains top notch, while battery life is strong.

Accessories such as the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil are helpful for productivity too. The 12.9-inch M2 model is our pick for the best iPad for power users thanks to the extra real estate compared with the 11-inch variant.

The 128GB version of the M2 iPad Pro, meanwhile, is available for a record low price. It has dropped by 10 percent to $990 at Amazon for a model without cellular connectivity.

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Double Tap is arguably the killer feature in the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. The gesture is Apple’s answer to the problem of using a smartwatch when your opposite hand is holding a bag of groceries, dog leash, flashlight or anything else. In addition, it can be a splendid accessibility feature for people with disabilities that could limit arm or hand mobility. Although the company only offers limited customization of the feature at launch, you can tweak a couple of settings to fine-tune Double Tap to your liking.

Update to watchOS 10.1

Before you can use Double Tap, you’ll need to ensure your Apple Watch is up-to-date. It requires at least watchOS 10.1, which Apple rolled out to customers on October 25. First, you need to update your paired iPhone to at least iOS 17.1, which became available the same day. You can do that on your phone in Settings > General > Software Update.

After upgrading your phone’s firmware, open the Apple Watch app on your paired phone, and then go to General > Software Update. Tap “Install” and wait for the update to complete. Your watch must be charged to at least 50 percent while on its charger to initiate the installation.

How to customize Double Tap on your Apple Watch

Image by Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Although Apple may offer more customization in future software updates, Double Tap currently only lets you change how it handles audio playback and the Smart Stack. The latter, new in watchOS 10, is the pile of widgets you view from your watch face by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or scrolling up with the Digital Crown.

First, open the Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone to customize these categories. Select Gestures > Double Tap, and then choose from the available options:

• Playback lets you choose between pinching your fingers to play / pause (the default) or skip to the next track while listening to music or podcasts.

• Smart Stack chooses how Double Taps navigates the pile of widgets. “Advance” means each tap moves to the next widgets (default), while “Select” will select the first widget with a subsequent tap.

Everything you can do with Double Tap on Apple Watch

After activating Double Tap, you can play around with all the things it can do. They include:

• Audio playback: Pause / resume or (after changing the setting above) skip to the next track.

• Phone calls: Answer or hang up a call.

• Notifications: Initiate the primary action from any alert. For example, reply to a message or snooze a reminder. (It works with third-party apps too.)

• Smart Stack: Scroll through widgets from any watch face.

• View messages: Read a full message when you receive a new text.

• Reply to messages: Reply with voice dictation when you get to the end of the message. Another Double Tap will confirm sending after you finish speaking.

• Read longer notifications: After opening an alert that doesn’t fit entirely on the screen, double-tap again to scroll through one that’s too long to display on your Apple Watch’s screen. You can repeat this until you’re at the end.

• Alarm: Snooze an alarm.

• Stopwatch: Stop or resume a stopwatch.

• Timers: When viewing a timer, pause (if it’s running), resume (if paused) or end the timer.

• Remote shutter: Take a photo on your iPhone when using the Apple Watch’s Camera Remote.

• Workout: Start or stop automatic Workout reminders if it detects that you’re exercising without having started a workout on your watch.

When you use Double Tap, a blue hand icon appears at the top of your watch’s screen. If you try double-tapping on something that isn’t compatible with the feature, the icon will appear and shake back and forth like it’s saying, “No.”

How to disable Double Tap on Apple Watch

If you navigate back to Settings > Gestures > Double Tap on your paired iPhone, you’ll see an option to disable the feature if you’re in a situation where you worry about triggering it accidentally. If you do that, you can always return to the same settings screen to re-enable Double Tap.

If you’re still on the fence about the Apple Watch models that support Double Tap, you can visit Engadget’s Apple Watch Series 9 review and our impressions of the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

Apple has at least one more trick — or possibly a treat — up its sleeve this year. On October 30, the night before Halloween, the company is hosting another event. This one is dubbed “Scary Fast,” which is a strong indicator that Apple will have some speedy new hardware to show off. Unusually, Apple is holding this event in the evening. It starts at 8PM ET.

This year's iPhones and Apple Watches are out in the wild already, but Apple has a bunch of other product categories that it could focus on here. There's always the chance that we might get iPad updates. But, if rumors are to be believed, Apple's focus during the Scary Fast event will be on Macs and a fresh batch of chipsets to power them.

M3 chip

Apple won't be talking about speed advancements without having new hardware to discuss. That could all start with upgraded chipsets. It's been nearly 17 months since Apple's M2 system on a chip (SoC) debuted. With many manufacturers having an annual cadence for their chipsets, it may be time for Apple to move onto the next generation. (No, shoving two M2 Max chips together isn't quite the same thing.) For what it's worth, the M2 series debuted 19 months after the M1. So, if Apple announces the M3 at the Scary Fast event, the latest SoC would be arriving after a similar period of time.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that "M3 series MacBook Pro" will be the focus of the event, indicating that the company will have more than one new SoC to reveal. As such, there's a chance that we could see an M3 Pro and maybe even an M3 Max during the Scary Fast showcase.

iMac

A new 24-inch iMac could make its debut at the Scary Fast event. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a fresh model is expected to arrive this month. He noted that the iMac is in short supply at Apple retail stores, which is another sign that an upgrade is imminent.

The 24-inch iMac is well overdue for a refresh, and there have been rumblings for a while that an M3 variant was in the pipeline. The most recent model was an M1-powered machine that arrived in April 2021. Making the leap to M3 — assuming that the new chip lineup is more capable than the M2 series — may make any new iMac worth the upgrade for many users.

MacBook Pro

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

There's a very good chance Apple will have at least one MacBook Pro refresh to show off at the event. Both Kuo and Gurman have indicated that will be the case.

Gurman pointed out that the 13-inch, 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro all currently have extended shipping times on Apple's web store. That's often an indicator that the company is winding down the supply of existing products. Furthermore, Gurman reported that Apple has been testing M3 Max and M3 Pro MacBook Pro models. Those could now be ready for prime time.

However, Kuo doesn't expect Apple to have a huge inventory of new MacBook Pro units to sell this year. He previously didn't anticipate that Apple would start selling M3-powered laptops before the end of the year due to limited supply of between 400,000 and 500,000 units. Unless demand drops, Kuo said supply may remain tight until early 2024.

MacBook sales have waned this year, mainly due to "the limited M2 computing power upgrade," Kuo wrote on X. That might be a reason why Apple is willing to start shipping M3 MacBook Pros now, even if supply is constrained. Announcing new models just a few days before reporting quarterly earnings could help give investors confidence in the company (recent increases of Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and Apple News+ prices could play into that too).

If M3-powered models don't lead to a boost in sales, though, Kuo suggests it's more likely that a MacBook Pro with a new design will arrive in 2025. Furthermore, Apple may try to beef up the division with a more budget-friendly MacBook that has an annual sales target of between 8 million and 10 million.

iPad Pro

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

We can't disregard our hunch that we'll see at least one iPad at Apple's event. With the focus likely to be on M3-powered products, the chances are that any new iPad will be of the Pro variety with one of those chips inside.

It has only been a year since the most recent iPad Pro debuted. Other than a few small tweaks, Apple only really swapped in the M2 in place of the M1. The next iPad Pro will probably need more changes to make it more palatable for anyone who picked up the previous two models, which means Apple might need more time to get it ready. If that's the case, the company might be content to give the iPad Pro a spec bump for the time being.

Other iPads could also get a refresh at the event, just in time for the holidays. We won't have to wait too long to find out either way. We'll have full coverage of everything you need to know from the Scary Fast event at Engadget, so while you're waiting for Halloween trick-or-treaters to show up, slip into your jammies, grab a mug of cocoa and join us on Monday evening.

As the right to repair movement continues to pick up steam, DIY aficionados iFixit just announced a partnership with Microsoft to provide replacement parts for a wide range of Surface devices. These are genuine parts manufactured by Microsoft specifically for the purpose of conducting repairs, so you won’t have to worry about integration issues.

All told, iFixit’s offering parts for 13 Surface models, including the Surface Pro 9 and the Surface Laptop 15. Visit the dedicated Microsoft Repair Hub for a list of compatible devices and parts. These components range from batteries and SSDs to displays and keyboards. As with all iFixit collaborations, you also get access to disassembly videos and step-by-step guides so you don’t accidentally turn your Surface tablet into an expensive paperweight.

You can purchase each component on its own or part of a comprehensive fix kit that includes everything you need to conduct the repairs, including tools and accessories. iFixit is especially proud of this partnership, urging customers to “imagine how different the world would be if repairing every device and having access to original spare parts was this simple.” To that end, it's much less annoying to replace a battery or hard drive on your own than having to take it to a repair center and play the waiting game.

The company recently made similar agreements with other tech giants, as it now offers replacement parts for Google Pixel tablets and for Google Pixel Fold devices. Accessory manufacturer Logitech also got on board, offering repair parts for two of its most popular mouse models.

Apple, however, remains a hold out and iFixit recently dinged the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s repairability score due to the company's software-restricted “parts pairing” requirement. This means that you have to order replacement components directly from Apple and get on the phone with a company tech before iOS devices will accept individual part replacements. 

Chinese gadget manufacturer Honor just teased its forthcoming flagship smartphone, the Magic 6, at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit. While many details of the phone remain mysterious, the company did announce that it would include built-in eye-tracking and an on-board artificial intelligence powered by a large language model (LLM.)

One of the phone’s key features is something called Magic Capsule, an “eye-tracking based multimodal interaction.” Eye-tracking has some potential real world uses when it comes to smartphones, as the sensors and cameras can perform actions based on where you’re looking. So you can open up an app or engage with content on the phone simply by staring at the right spot.

This could be a game-changer for those with disabilities, allowing near-total access to the device via minute eye movements. However, some folks may get a bit queasy with the idea of our phones tracking every single thing we stare at.

While the actual specs of the Magic 6 are still under wraps, Honor did announce the presence of an on-board LLM. This built-in chatbot is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile chipset.

It’s important to note the distinction here. This is an on-board LLM. Typically when you engage with an AI chatbot or service on your phone, you’re fiddling with a cloud-based LLM that exists on a server somewhere. With the Magic 6, every piece of data that the chatbot will access is already on the phone. 

This should drastically increase the speed and reliability of results, potentially turning the phone into one heck of a personal assistant, as it’ll have access to everything on the device, including your photos, contacts, videos and more. Despite this unfettered access, the Magic 6 should actually be more private than competing smartphones, as everything stays on the device and isn't shuffled off to the cloud.

The company showed off some nifty features that take advantage of this technology. The smart assistant, nicknamed YOYO, can create short videos based on footage stored on the phone via a simple chat prompt. You can also adjust templates, themes and music with similar prompts. The bot will also collect images and videos stored on your phone that match a specific search criteria, with more use case scenarios to be revealed at a later date.

Honor’s Magic 6 flagship smartphone was just announced and the company didn’t provide a release date or cost information. However, Qualcomm says that phones featuring its new chipset will begin shipping in the coming weeks, so the Magic 6 could be one of them. In the meantime, Honor has made quite the name for itself in the folding phone space.