After the launch of the ROG Phone 6 Pro gaming phone, some hardcore fans were left wondering what happened to the "Ultimate" variant. As it turns out, ASUS waited for over two months before unveiling its "one more thing": the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate. It's identical to the 6 Pro in almost every way, except for four things: the new "space gray" color, the interesting choice of the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor (which is what the "D" in "6D" stands for), the switch to the faster LPDDR5X RAM, and the new "AeroActive Portal" design for blowing cool air into its internal heat-dissipation fins — I'll abbreviate this as heatsink from here onwards.

The AeroActive Portal itself is essentially a door flap that opens when the bundled AeroActive Cooler 6 is attached, so that a portion of the cool wind produced by the fan — at nearly 1,000cc per second — is guided through a wind tunnel and into the heatsink, with hot air coming out from the top slot. The heatsink is, of course, linked to the generously sized thermal layers covering the logic board and battery cells, in order to transfer heat from the components to the airflow. This is to help sustain a high frame rate over a longer period while gaming, as well as to ensure the phone is still comfortable to hold.

Richard Lai/Engadget

ASUS claimed that after 60 minutes of Perfdog benchmarking on Genshin Impact at 60Hz in air cooling mode, the ROG Phone 6D reached 36.9°C (98.42°F), which was 3.4°C lower than the ROG Phone 6 in the same mode. It appears that the AeroActive Portal does make a notable difference. Likewise in "Frosty" and "Frozen" modes (with the Peltier thermoelectric cooling chip enabled), and it's worth noting that the AeroActive Cooler 6 is the only Peltier-enabled cooler in the market that doesn't require additional power externally — it only needs that for the more powerful "Frozen" mode.

While the AeroActive Portal only kicks in when an AeroActive Cooler 6 is attached, you can open it temporarily in settings for cleaning purposes. The flap is otherwise shut tight to safeguard the phone's IPX4 splash resistance. It also has fall detection for automatically retracting the flap, and the stepping motor along with the zirconium alloy hinge are apparently good for over 40,000 flips — both of which are based on the learnings from the now-retired Flip Camera feature from the Zenfone series.

ASUS

The 6D Ultimate packs the same set of key features as the 6 Pro: 165Hz 6.78-inch AMOLED display, 720Hz touch sampling rate, up to 512GB of storage, 6,000mAh battery, 65W fast charging (42 minutes), Dirac-tuned front-facing stereo speakers, ultrasonic "AirTiggers" and a customizable "ROG Vision" color display on the back. It's also the same set of cameras: a 50-megapixel main camera with Sony's IMX766 sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera plus a 5-megapixel macro camera; and on the front, there's a 12-megapixel selfie camera with a Sony IMX663 sensor.

For the processor, ASUS made the surprise switch to MediaTek for its Dimensity 9000+ processor, which apparently scores a tad higher than the ROG Phone 6's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. The company added that while the Snapdragon flagship chipset packs a better GPU, the Dimensity's CPU is allegedly 10 percent more powerful (albeit with the same 3.2GHz maximum clock speed), and this is more crucial to most mobile games. The CPU is complemented by the faster LPDDR5X RAM as well, though this is the same reason as to why this is capped at 16GB instead of 18GB here.

ASUS

The ROG Phone 6D Ultimate will be available across Europe very soon, with the sole model (16GB RAM with 512GB storage) priced at €1,399 (around $1,400) or £1,199. Again, this premium model comes bundled with an AeroActive Cooler 6. There's also the ROG Phone 6D launching alongside, which is basically the ROG Phone 6 but packing MediaTek's chipset and LPDDR5X RAM instead (also, it's just an RGB logo instead of an ROG Vision screen on the back; and no AeroActive Portal, of course). This starts from €949 (around $950) or £799 with the 12GB RAM plus 256GB storage base model.

See, the problem is that you plebes simply aren't buying enough. To rectify this issue, Amazon announced on Thursday that it is introducing a new Alexa feature, dubbed "Customers Ask Alexa," wherein "expert brands" provide answers to customer questions like “How can I remove pet hair from my carpet?” that also just so happen to prominently feature that brand's particular product.

Per the company, brands will have to first sign up to the Amazon Brand Registry to gain access to the sellers hub where they can view and answer questions that customers ask their networked Alexa devices. Both questions and answers reportedly pass through the company's content moderation team before the most relevant answers are pushed live.

The program launches on limited release this October before expanding out to all eligible US brands by 2023. Alexa users will see the responses appear in late 2022 in the Amazon search bar and on Echo devices by the middle of next year.

While this isn't the creepiest use of Alexa we've seen from the company in Q3 2022 — that honor goes to the ghouls who think using your Nan's vocal imprints like a goddamn auditory marionette is a good idea — but it is among the most concerning. Amazon has made no secret of its goal to surveil (and subsequently profit from) every aspect of our public and private lives that it can worm itself access into — whether that's knowing our shopping habits, viewing habits, eating habits, obviously our cleaning habits, and potentially soon, our healthcare habits. And if this announcement holds any portent for the future, getting reliable, non-partisan answers to even basic questions is going to get a lot harder for anyone navigating Amazons sprawling online ecosphere.

Snapchat's messaging and video chat features first made their way to browsers back in July, but only in select markets and for Snapchat+ subscribers. Now, Snapchat for Web is finally available for all the messaging app's users worldwide. It could be the better choice for users who have a lot of typing to do and messages to send, since they'll be looking at a bigger screen and have access to a real keyboard. 

The web interface is pretty basic, but it can also be used to send photos and to make audio and video calls. A company spokesperson previously told us that video calling has become more popular among its users recently. Giving users access to the feature on the web could lead to longer video calls. The spokesperson also told us that Snap could bring more of its core features to the web interface if there's enough demand for them. 

In addition, Snap has launched lock screen widgets for the iPhone now that iOS 16 has come out. The widgets allow users to create shortcuts for the conversations they want — perhaps for people they frequently talk to — so they can fire up chats from their screen in one tap. 

Speaking of shortcuts, the Snapchat app will feature new shortcuts at the top of its chat page. They'll make it easy for users to get to unread Snaps, chats from friend and replies to stories. They will also show reminders for birthdays or for conversations that users haven't replied to yet. Finally, Snap has introduced Question Stickers that users can post to their stories and Snaps. The company said these features will roll out to users soon if they haven't yet.

For years, Apple has been the lone holdout in a sea of all-screen phones with punch-hole cutouts that house selfie cameras. The black rectangle that sat at the top of its flagships since the iPhone X has drawn some criticism, but mostly ambivalence. Apple has kept it around, in large part because Face ID requires sophisticated cameras that can’t easily be downsized. Meanwhile, Android phones have either used punch-hole cutouts or moved on to under-display cameras, aided by the adoption of in-screen fingerprint scanners.

With the iPhone 14 Pro, Apple is leaving the notch behind and using a pill-shaped cutout instead to house its front cameras. But it’s not just changing up the hardware and calling it a day. The company also uses software and animations to make the cutout feel more useful and better integrated into the interface than on Android phones. In true Apple fashion, the company is also giving the feature a fancy name: Dynamic Island. Leave it to Apple to be late to the party, do things a little differently and slap some grandiose branding on it.

The Dynamic Island isn’t the only example of Apple adopting a feature late but doing it its way. The iPhone 14 Pros also bring a 48-megapixel camera system and Always On Displays that show your entire lock screen, instead of a simplified interface. Add Emergency SOS via Satellites and the removal of the physical SIM tray and the iPhone 14 Pros feel like significant changes.

Design

But, giant pill-shaped hole aside, they don’t look that much different from their predecessors. Even that difference is actually fairly minor. When it isn’t doing anything, the Dynamic Island is still an obvious black space at the top of the screen.

The new models are a teeny 0.01 inches thicker and a hair shorter than last year’s. The smaller Pro also gained a bit of weight – 0.07 ounces (or 2 grams) to be exact. The Max still feels like a massive brick of a phone that could crack your skull open if it fell while you were reading in bed, but if you’ve used previous models, you know what you’re in for.

From the back, the iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro look basically identical, and you can only sort of tell them apart by the fact that the latest model’s cameras are ever so slightly bigger. You can also eyeball their edges to find the SIM card tray; in the US, the iPhone 14 lineup no longer supports physical cards. It doesn’t really take away from or add to the iPhone 14 Pros’ design — visually it’s just a small distinction.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Living on Dynamic Island

Let’s not pretend that the notch has gone away. It may no longer extend from the top bezel, but the camera cutout here is larger than those on Android phones. When nothing is happening in the space, the hole is still obvious, especially when watching a fullscreen video. In fact, when I was switching between the iPhone 14 and the Pro, I didn’t notice a big difference. Still, by ensuring the camera is always camouflaged by software, Apple isn’t just providing a faux full-screen experience, it’s also giving it an air of usefulness.

When you start a timer or play a song and swipe up to go to the home screen, for example, an animation shows the app jumping into the island. That space stretches a little to make room for a clock or album cover on the left, while a countdown or a dancing waveform sits on the right. Tap the island and it’ll take you back to the app. Long press it, and the box expands further to show more controls.

It’s not much easier or faster than swiping down from the top to access the playback box, but I guess this way there’s an obvious indicator something is happening. The animations throughout this experience are slick, making everything feel polished and thought-through.

The island’s extra width when something is in it causes things like the cellular connectivity symbol to go away, and you’re left with the WiFi and battery icons. In the case of a timer, the island is so long that only the battery indicator is left. For the most part, I didn’t find this problematic, though I’ve yet to be in a situation where I needed to have both a countdown running while keeping an eye on the number of bars I was getting.

Dynamic Island works with apps that use the Now Playing API, CallKit and the Live Activities API introduced at WWDC, so most developers shouldn’t have to edit their code to accommodate. For now, only incoming calls in third-party apps that use CallKit have more controls in the Dynamic Island. Outgoing calls will just show an icon, though this will be fixed in a software update later this year. The Live Activities API isn’t available yet either, but developers can use it later this year as well.

Most apps already avoid the notch area on iOS, but every now and then something trickles through. On Telegram, for example, part of a blue badge peeps out above the pill. When multiple activities are taking place at once, the island splits into two, forming a horizontal exclamation mark. I started a Maps navigation while playing Spotify and running a countdown, and the directions took over the main island while the album cover jumped over to the right, for instance.

I need to spend more than a week with the iPhone 14 Pro to know how much of an impact it would make on my life, but for now, the biggest effect is aesthetic. Seeing the pill change into a square when signing into an app or Apple Pay with Face ID, as well as the turn right arrow appear when I’m navigating somewhere, is a nice touch.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

In general, notifications feel neater, too, in part because they happen in a persistent space instead of a translucent box that slides in and out from the top. The fact that it’s a black box with text in colorful font also makes it easier to see.

Display and audio

Dynamic Island aside, Apple hasn’t changed much about the iPhone 14 Pro’s screen resolution. You’ll still find a 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR panel on the Pro and Pro Max respectively, and they support ProMotion for refresh rates of up to 120Hz. Though they both pack slightly more pixels than their predecessors, the Pro still offers the same density at 460 ppi, while the Pro Max is a slight 2 ppi higher than before. But Apple did make the displays brighter. They can hit up to 2,000 nits outdoors, and 1,600 nits indoors when playing HDR video. I did have a slightly easier time reading things off the iPhone 14 Pro than on the 13 Pro, though the difference isn’t significant.

On the surface, the Always On Display (AOD) might not seem like a huge change, but a lot has been done under the hood to make it work well without overtaxing the battery. The AOD runs at just 1Hz, and Apple improved the LTPO (or low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) display to ensure graphics and colors still look good. It also made a new low power supply for the AOD and with a dedicated coprocessor that updates the screen without having to tap the CPU. For things that change predictably, like the clock or a countdown, the system prerenders frames and feeds them to the AOD when needed.

Finally, using the proximity sensor, which is now behind the display, the AOD is turned off when it detects occlusion — like when you flip your phone face down or stick it in your purse or pocket. It’ll also be disabled during a Sleep focus, low power mode or when you’re using CarPlay, since Apple believes you won’t need to see your AOD during those times. In some other scenarios, like when you use the Continuity Camera on macOS or if you’re wearing an Apple Watch and leave your phone, the AOD turns off too.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

While Samsung and Pixel phones give you a black-and-white screen showing just the clock, date and weather along with a row of indicator icons, Apple actually presents your full lock screen, complete with wallpaper and widget support. As someone who doesn’t use a personalized background, I don't find that a major plus. But it is helpful that Apple shows you actual notifications instead of just the icon for an app. By the way, if you’re concerned about privacy, or just don’t like this, you can turn off the AOD in Display settings.

Because it’s so similar to the lock screen, I sometimes got confused and would hit the power button in an effort to turn the display off. I also would try to swipe left to use the camera, thinking the page was active, when in fact the phone was in a “sleep” state with the AOD on. Eventually, though, I got used to this and remembered to double tap before swiping to access the camera.

I also used the iPhone 14 Pro to play music in my new apartment as my usual speakers hadn’t been set up yet. As expected, it’s not as loud or clear as a proper speaker, but provided ample volume and decent background noise. The playlist of sing-along songs like Stronger by Kelly Clarkson or Oops I did it again by Britney Spears lacked bass and sounded a bit noisy in the mid levels, but was generally typical of a smartphone.

Emergency SOS and eSIM setup

All iPhone 14s, Pro or not, will be able to connect to satellites so you can send emergency messages when cellular or WiFi signals aren’t available. Thanks to a new high-g accelerometer and a high dynamic range gyroscope, they’re also able to detect if you’ve been in a severe vehicle crash detection. This isn’t something I can safely test, so we’ll have to take the company’s word that the feature works. Meanwhile, Emergency SOS via satellite is rolling out in November in the US, so I haven’t been able to check it out either. But based on a demo I took following the Apple event, it appeared to work.

First, when you’re away from cellular and WiFi networks, you’ll see an SOS graphic that lets you know you can still dial 911 and the iPhone will use any other available network to place your call. But when none of those are available and you want to use Emergency SOS via Satellite, you’ll first have to use the Phone app to dial 911. When the device is unable to connect and you’re in a situation with satellite access (i.e. you’re not surrounded by buildings and are in the wilderness with a clear view of the sky), Apple will prompt you to use satellite communications.

Having to first dial 911 seems unintuitive if your focus is trying to send a text or connect to a satellite, but Apple wants you to think of this feature more as a backup to calling emergency services. Only when you fail to connect to 911 should you consider satellite messaging as a fallback. The company has relay centers set up, too, with staff who are trained to help users get in touch with the closest emergency responders in case there aren’t any nearby that accept text messages.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

During my demo, an Apple rep showed what it would look like when communicating with one such relay center (presumably aware that we were in a hypothetical situation). After failing to reach 911, the iPhone 14 showed a few multiple-choice questions that the rep answered quickly, describing their condition and environment. The system then sent a report summing up the situation and providing the latitude and longitude of our location. While that message was being sent, our demo iPhone 14 appeared to lose connection to the satellite it had first latched on to and we had to wait till another came by to finish sending the report. When that was done, the phone brought up the conversation that it had started in Messages with emergency services.

Texts that were sent over satellite were in gray bubbles, while the responses came back in green. We went back and forth with the responder until a theoretical team had been dispatched to our location.

The satellite communications tool can also be used in the Find My app to share your location with family and friends. I was able to test this out at the demo, and I followed the directions on an iPhone 14 to point at a satellite coming over the horizon behind Apple Park. I was told to stay still while a connection was established, after which my location was sent to a contact on the sample iPhone. The system will tell your friends that your position was shared “via Satellite” — in case those bragging rights are important to you. Then, you won’t be able to send your location via satellite again for 15 minutes.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

While I can see people potentially abusing this for sheer entertainment, I can also see how it might be useful to keep your loved ones abreast of your whereabouts as you wander out in the wilderness. This shouldn’t be a feature that impacts your daily life, but that could be very helpful if you’ve lost your signal while exploring.

Another change to the iPhone 14 is the removal of the SIM card tray. I’ve long felt that a SIM-less world is a seamless world, and when carriers worldwide support it we will be able to more conveniently roam globally. The problem is, I’m not sure we have the infrastructure yet.

Apple may be a bit premature in getting rid of the SIM card tray, but it could give US carriers the push they need to adopt the format. Apple has offered eSIM support since the iPhone Xr in 2018, and the company says it’s had a lot of adoption growth. With the iPhone 13 last year, Apple started using eSIM as the primary method of activation in all US retail stores, too. In general, setting up my review unit’s service was painless — all I had to do was wait two minutes for Verizon to activate my line. Apple also offered the option of converting my existing physical card to a digital one without having to leave my apartment.

It’s funny that Apple has thrown caution to the wind and fully embraced eSIM before it adopted USB-C, though. The charging standard is more prevalent and would make many people’s lives more convenient. This is one area where the iPhone 14 Pro feels stuck in the past.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Cameras

With a new 48-megapixel primary sensor, updated low-light processing algorithm called Photonic Engine and new features like Action mode for improved video stabilization, the iPhone 14 Pros’ cameras promise a meaty upgrade. But in my testing so far, the changes seem minor.

In fact, most of the photos I took from the iPhone 14 Pro and 13 Pro are basically indistinguishable. Sometimes images from the newer phone were brighter, sometimes they weren't. The 13 Pro delivers pictures that are slightly cooler with more saturated colors, and I frequently preferred its results. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6 Pro produced pictures that were about the same in terms of quality and split the difference in color temperature.

All three phones were adept at keeping details crisp even in shadows. The lines inside the roof of a shelter were sharp when I magnified the pictures. When I used the telephoto lens to zoom in to 3x, though, the iPhone 14 Pro produced the brightest image. It also delivered the punchiest colors on some graffiti under an overpass.

However, sometimes the iPhone 14 Pro actually does worse than the 13 Pro and Pixel. In my shots of a park, the 14 Pro had the least saturated greens. In general, the quad-binning of the 48-MP sensor doesn’t seem to drastically improve image quality, at least in daylight.

A similar story can be told of the cameras in low light. In one example, the iPhone 14 Pro’s shots had the most accurate color and cleanest details, beating the Pixel 6 Pro at capturing the individual lines on a leaf. But Google’s flagship did a better job with a picture of a bright bar in a dim restaurant. It clearly captured individual leaves on a potted plant on a shelf, while the same part of the picture was shrouded in shadow when shot with the iPhone 14 Pro.

The Pixel also took generally brighter nightscapes of Manhattan, with the iPhone 14 Pro coming in very close behind and differences boiling down to minor variations in color temperature. Both devices rendered the words “Now Leasing” on a faraway building equally clearly — that is to say, slightly mottled but impressive for how dark and distant the lettering was. Compared to the 13 Pro, too, the latest iPhone doesn’t offer a huge improvement. But Apple is definitely closing the gap on Google when it comes to low light performance.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

I still prefer the Pixel for portrait shots, though. While the iPhone 14 Pro’s new focal length of 24mm is supposed to be better for portraits, it still isn’t as adept as Google at picking out subjects and blurring out the background. I used all three phones to snap a friend chilling with one leg up on a park bench, and the Pixel was best at keeping the scar on his knee in crisp detail.

In general, most people comparing the iPhone 13 Pro and 14 Pro won’t notice a major difference in picture quality. But advanced users will appreciate the ability to shoot 48-MP images in ProRaw, which will allow them to capture greater detail.

Video is another area that got an improvement too, with support now for up to 4K resolution and 30 frames per second in Cinematic Mode. I don’t usually shoot clips that sharp, but the footage I got of a dog chasing a frisbee came out smooth and vivid.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

I also checked out Action Mode by chasing my friend up and down a path, recording both with and without the new stabilization feature. I did notice slight improvements, but frankly, Apple was already delivering impressively stable footage.

The same can be said for selfies taken with the TrueDepth camera up front. In general, the iPhone 14 Pro’s pictures here came out slightly brighter than the 13 Pro’s and, although autofocus is a new feature, I haven’t noticed a big improvement. In selfies where I was headbanging or where a friend was fidgeting, both the iPhone 13 and 14 Pro delivered crisp shots.

So the changes to the iPhone 14 Pro’s cameras aren’t a dramatic jump from last year’s model, but anyone looking to upgrade from an iPhone 12 Pro or older is likely to find the latest flagship a satisfying improvement.

Performance and battery life

As expected, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max are smooth, well-tuned machines that can handle any task thrown at them. Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip handled my massive selfie binges while playing Spotify in the background alongside concurrent timers, Maps navigation and more. In the brief time I’ve had the iPhone 14 Pro, it’s gotten warm but not uncomfortably so, which is more than I can say for my Pixel 6 Pro and iPhone 12.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

In spite of the AOD I haven't noticed the battery running perilously low even after a long day starting with a 10am workout, followed by numerous camera test sessions and a night out. I got home at 1am with some juice to spare. One night I forgot to charge the iPhone 14 Pro and had to run to a morning workout with just 19 percent in the tank. It still lasted more than an hour and I was even able to do some testing.

Wrap-up

From the outside, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max don’t look dramatically different from their predecessors, aside from the Dynamic Island. But thanks to the Always On Display and crisis-preparedness features like crash detection and Emergency SOS, the iPhone 14 Pros feel potentially more useful in unforeseen circumstances.

Sure, the camera updates feel less significant than I expected. But anyone upgrading from an older phone will appreciate what Apple has to offer. Though the Dynamic Island is the most obvious and controversial change, it’s things like the AOD and easy eSIM setup SIM that make me want to switch to the iPhone 14 Pro and get ready for a different, more globally connected world.

Patreon, a platform that helps creators to generate more income from their work, has laid off 80 employees, or around 17 percent of its total headcount, amid the global economic slowdown and fears of a recession. The company is closing its Berlin office, which housed sales and marketing employees. Patreon is centralizing those operations in the US. A Dublin office is also shutting down and Patreon will offer nine engineers there the option to relocate to the US in order to centralize resources. An office in Porto, Portugal will remain open to provide support to creators and users in Europe.

The layoffs have impacted four teams — Go-to-Market, Operations, Finance and People — CEO Jack Conte wrote in a letter to employees. Patreon will offer affected workers at least three months of severance and those in the US will receive COBRA healthcare coverage through the end of the year. The company will also offer resources to help them find a new job and waive a one-year equity vesting cliff for pending stock options.

Last week, Patreon let go five members of its security team for different reasons. Conte said this "was part of a longer-term strategy to continue distributing security responsibilities across our entire engineering team, bring new areas of expertise into Patreon internally, and continue partnering with external experts." However, he noted that the company is ramping up its investment in security.

Conte wrote that the layoffs are part of a restructuring that will see Patreon plow more resources into its product, engineering and design departments. However, the company is scaling back recruitment and the size of its operations.

"I’m more confident than ever that the world needs a better economic system for creative people, and Patreon will keep building that system for creators over the decades ahead," Conte said. "However, the pandemic introduced volatility to the broader trend, starting with a rapid acceleration during COVID lockdowns. In response, we built an operating plan to support this outsized growth, but as the world began recovering from the pandemic and enduring a broader economic slowdown, that plan is no longer the right path forward for Patreon."

This is just the latest in a long line of recent layoffs at notable tech companies. Apple, Google, Meta, Peloton, Netflix, Snap, Paypal, Unity and others have all reduced their headcount or pumped the brakes on recruitment in recent months.

It Takes Two was a breakout hit when it came out in 2021, and now the cooperative adventure game is coming to a fresh platform. It Takes Two is due to hit Switch on November 4th for $40, and pre-orders are open today. The game will take advantage of the Friend's Pass feature from developer Hazelight and publisher EA, unlocking co-op play even if one person doesn't own the game.

It Takes Two is a distinctly two-player experience, and on Switch it'll be playable three ways: in couch co-op mode, with two Switches over a local wireless network, or with a friend online. It's not playable cross-platform. The Friend's Pass feature is already a thing for PC and console versions of It Takes Two, and it allows someone who doesn't own the game to play with someone who does.

The Switch port was handled by Turn Me Up Games, the studio that brought Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and the Borderlands: Legendary Collection to Nintendo's latest console.

It Takes Two is also getting the silver-screen treatment, though its storyline is arguably the most distressing part of the game. Amazon Studios is adapting it into a movie, with The Rock rumored as a potential star.

After nearly two years of testing, Comcast is one step closer to offering multi-gig symmetrical speeds over cable. This week, the company began a new deployment that will allow more than 50 million US households to access its new 2Gbps service by the end of 2025. In a press release spotted by The Verge, Comcast said it would offer multi-gig internet packages in 34 cities across the country before the end of the year, with initial rollouts already underway in Augusta, Colorado Springs, Panama City Beach and Philadelphia.

Even if you don’t sign up for the new Gigabit 2x service, you’ll see an improvement in upload speeds. For instance, in Colorado Springs, Comcast says some tiers offer upload speeds up to 10 times faster than previously possible. The Gigabit 2x plan will initially limit customers to uploading files at 200Mbps. However, starting in 2023, multi-gig symmetrical speeds will be possible, thanks to a technology called DOCSIS 4.0.

Comcast has been transitioning to the standard for the past few years. Once that work is complete, it will have the network in place to offer 10Gbps download speeds and 6Gbps upload speeds on the same connection. In turn, that would allow it to provide symmetrical speeds across many of its cable packages. That’s an area where cable has historically lagged compared to fiber optic internet. 

As usual, Apple's September event was packed with new hardware, most of which we aren't too shocked to see. The rumor mill correctly predicted the all-new Apple Watch Ultra, as well as the more iterative Apple Watch Series 8 and a new Apple Watch SE. And the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro mostly met expectations, as well — including the sad fact that the iPhone mini is no more. The AirPods Pro have also gotten a long-awaited update, though we'd classify this as another iterative change. 

The iPhone 14 and 14 Pro

Shocking no one, Apple introduced four new iPhones today across two different lines. The iPhone 14 is joined this year not by a mini model, but by a bigger iPhone 14 Plus with a 6.7-inch screen. Aside from the bigger screen, the design is essentially identical to last year's iPhone 13. As is often the case, the camera got some of the biggest upgrades — Apple says the main back camera as well as the front-facing TrueDepth camera are all new, and they're combined with a new photo processing pipeline called the Photonic Engine for improved low-light performance. The True Tone flash has been improved, as well. And for video shooters, a new "action mode" should reduce shaking and vibration that occurs when you move around while filming.

There are also some notable new safety features on board here. Just like the new Apple Watch models, the iPhone 14 features crash detection, which uses a new accelerometer and gyroscope along with machine learning models to detect severe car crashes; it'll automatically call emergency services if a user is unable to reach or use their phone. The new iPhone also has a satellite connection to contact emergency services in places where there's no cellular signal. As usual, Apple also says that the iPhone 14 will have better battery life than ever before — particular the iPhone 14 Plus, which can have a bigger battery thanks to its larger size. 

The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max come in the same two screen sizes and include all the features found on the iPhone 14, along with some notable improvements. The iPhone 14 Pro has an "always-on" screen for the first time. The refresh rate drops to 1Hz and the screen dims, similar to what happens on the Apple Watch's own always-on display. This lets you see notifications and widgets from the new Lock Screen in iOS 16 at all times. 

Another significant change to the iPhone 14 Pro display is that the notch has been replaced with a circular cut-out that Apple calls the Dynamic Island. Rather than just leave this space as a blank hole to house the front-facing camera and face detection systems, this area will work alongside iOS 16 to provide a quick view at background processes running on your phone like timers, directions, Face ID or music playback. We haven't seen it in action yet, but it seems like a good improvement over the static and fairly large notch that has been part of the iPhone for years now.

Apple's iPhone Pro lineup always has some significant camera advantages, and that's the case again this year. The iPhone 14 Pro has a new 48-megapixel, quad-pixel sensor for the main camera lens. Typically, the iPhone 14 Pro will combine four pixels into one ultra-sized pixel that keeps image size around 12MP but allows for significantly improved low-light performance. You can also use 2x telephoto zoom with no loss of quality, as it just uses the middle 12 megapixels of the sensor for full-sized images. The ultra-wide camera and front-facing camera are also all new, and naturally the iPhone 14 Pro uses the new Photonic Engine for further image improvements.

All iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models will be available for pre-order on Friday, September 9th. The iPhone 14 starts at $699 and will be widely available on September 16th, while the $799 iPhone 14 Plus arrives on October 7th. The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max start at $999 and $1,099, respectively, and will also be in stores on September 16th.

Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra and Apple Watch SE

As expected, Apple Watch Series 8 is just a minor tweak to the existing Apple Watch formula. The main new hardware features are a temperature sensor and two new accelerometers that work in concert with the Watch's existing sensors to detect car crashes. If you use the temperature sensor overnight, women can get estimates about when they're expected to ovulate, as well. The Series 8 is also getting a new software feature called low power mode. Apple says this should extend battery life from the standard 18 hours to 36 hours by turning off features like the always-on display and features like automatic workout detection while keeping key tools like activity tracking on. Fortunately, this feature is coming to all Apple Watches since the Series 4.

The $799 Apple Watch Ultra, however, is an entirely new beast. It resembles the original Apple Watch, but with a much larger 49mm display and a flat front crystal that is built to project the screen from side impacts. The Digital Crown and side button are built into a new protruding area that helps protect the crown, and there's a new "action" button on the left side of the Watch, as well. You can customize that button to launch any feature or app you want — like starting a workout or activating a built-in dive computer. 

Speaking of dives, the Ultra has twice the water resistance of the standard Apple Watch, and it also has a bigger battery rated for 36 hours of usage. That can be extended to 60 hours using the new battery saver feature. Given that the Apple Watch Ultra is much larger than its predecessors, it requires new bands, and Apple designed three entirely new options: Trail Loop, Alpine Loop and Ocean Band. Each of those bands is meant for a different activity. You can pre-order the Apple Watch Ultra today, and it'll be available in stores on September 16th.

Finally, Apple updated the entry-level Apple Watch SE. It starts at $249 and has a larger screen, the same crash detection features as the Series 8, a 20 percent faster S8 chip and health features like AFib history and heart rate notifications. Thankfully, this means Apple has finally stopped selling the ancient Apple Watch Series 3; the SE is now the cheapest option available. 

AirPods Pro

The new AirPods Pro look essentially identical to the original model, but there are a lot of nice updates on board here. Perhaps most significant are touch-sensitive areas on the headphone stems that you can swipe to adjust volume, a pretty handy addition for when you don't want to ask Siri for help. The new H2 chip, meanwhile, offers up to two times the noise cancellation performance as the original AirPods Pro, along with improvements to overall sound quality and transparency mode. Battery life has been improved, too — you should get about 6 hours per change, or 30 hours total with the charging case.

The charging case has gotten some good improvements, too — it now works with the small Apple Watch charging disc as well as the MagSafe charger and any other Qi-compatible wireless chargers. It also has a built-in speaker so you can find it if you lose it, and there's also a lanyard attachment. The new AirPods Pro cost the same $249 as the last model, and they'll be up for pre-order on September 9th and available on September 23rd. 

Probably the biggest new features for the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus isn't one you'll use ever day, but you'll be glad you have it if you need it. The new phone has a built-in satellite connection that people can use to send emergency SOS messages in places where there's no available cellular signal. 

First, your iPhone will help you orient your phone in the direction you need to point it to get the best signal. Once you have a connection, you can open up a message interface that lets you communicate with emergency service providers. Apple says that because of satellite connectivity limits, it'll take much longer to send messages than you're used to, so the feature includes some automatic questions it prompts you to answer, like "is anyone hurt?" It'll have auto-populated answers that you can tap to respond. Apple is also compressing messages to a third their normal size to make sending them a little quicker.

Apple say that once the message it sent to the satellite, it then gets sent to emergency response centers; if those centers are only set up for voice calls, they'll first be routed to a response center that'll then get in touch with emergency response. 

This feature will be included for free for two years with all iPhone 14 and 14 Pro models; it's not clear how much it'll cost after that. For people who are frequently away from cellular signals — perhaps the same people who are looking at an Apple Watch Ultra — this feature could be extremely useful in a tough spot.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s iPhone event right here.

As is tradition, Apple is pulling the cover off of a new Apple Watch at its September event. Rumors suggested that the Apple Watch Series 8 would be a mostly iterative update to last year's model, and that appears to be the case so far: It looks essentially identical to the Series 7.

The first main new feature is a temperature sensor that Apple is tying to women's health. It'll use readings to give an estimate on when you may be ovulating. It's meant to be used overnight, sampling your wrist temperature every five seconds so you can see nightly shifts from your baseline temperature. This will work for everyone, but for people that ovulate it'll help indicate where they are in their cycle. You'll also get notifications on potential deviations from your norm.

There's also a new safety feature called Crash Detection. Much as current watches can detect when you fall, the Series 8 can detect car crashes thanks to two new accelerometers. It works in concert with the other sensors already included in the Apple Watch to detect four different types of crashes, including rollovers, front impact, back impact and side impact.

Apple says that the Series 8 has the same 18-hour battery life, but there's a new low power mode that can give you up to 36 hours on a full charge. It keeps a lot of the core features like activity tracking and fall detection while also turning off things like the always-on display. Anyone who knows they'll be away from a charger for a long time should appreciate this feature, and it's coming to older Watch models as well, from Series 4 onward.

Apple Watch Series 8 comes in four aluminum colors (silver, a black-ish midnight, a gold-ish starlight, and red), as well as three stainless steel finishes — looks like the titanium models are going to be saved for the Apple Watch Pro, which we'll probably hear about momentarily. The GPS-only model starts at $399, while the cellular models start at $499. All will be available on September 16th.

Follow all of the news from Apple’s iPhone event right here.