The big theme for Samsung’s August Unpacked event this year seems to be refinement. Across the devices it’s launching today, the company is bringing minor tweaks and improvements to increasingly mature products. On last year’s Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, the company ditched its own Tizen OS in favor of a version of Wear OS that it co-engineered with Google, and brought a new BioActive sensor that combined three biometric sensors in one. It also introduced a body composition scanner using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for more comprehensive health insights.

Compared to last year’s model, the Galaxy Watch 5 seems a little boring. The biggest change this time is a new skin temperature sensor that isn’t going to be active at launch, while the other upgrades, like improved durability and curvature, aren’t immediately obvious either. I can’t blame Samsung for an unexciting generation of smartwatches, though, since the Galaxy Watch line is already arguably the best wearable for Android users. After all, it’s hard to keep surprising the industry with breakthrough features.

Samsung did launch a new Pro variant designed for people who want a hardier option for outdoor adventures. It has a larger 45mm titanium case and a bigger battery, making it a compelling alternative to some Garmin sports watches. But more on that in a bit. I spent more time with a 40mm Galaxy Watch 5 than any of the other watches at a recent hands-on event in New York and, despite being underwhelmed by the lack of new features, I still dig Samsung’s latest smartwatches.

At first glance, the Galaxy Watch 5 doesn’t appear to be much different from the Watch 4. They come in the same 40mm and 44mm sizes, though the new ones feature technically larger screens that measure 1.2 inches and 1.4 inches (up from 1.19 and 1.36 inches, respectively). One of the changes this year isn’t visible — the watches now use Sapphire Crystal glass that Samsung said makes their displays 60 percent stronger against scratches than their predecessors.

The company also redesigned the underside of the watch case, tweaking the curvature to increase the surface area that would be in contact with your wrist. This should lead to more reliable and accurate biometric readings from the sensors, even as you flail your hands about. Without a side-by-side comparison, I wasn’t able to tell if the Watch 5 felt more snug on my wrist than the Watch 4, but it did seem to stay in place better than the Apple Watch Series 7 I wore to the demo event.

This design improvement is in service of more reliable sensor performance, but Samsung says its three-in-one BioActive sensor has also been upgraded, although it didn’t clarify what changed.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Having the Watch 5’s sensors sit snugly in place even when you’re unconscious should also help the device glean more accurate data while you’re asleep. Samsung monitors your breathing and heart rate to detect not only how long you’ve slept, but also the stages you’re in, like REM, deep or light sleep. It also monitors whether you snore, and uses all that information to assign you a score. This year, Samsung is introducing a Sleep Coaching feature that’s supposed to learn from your patterns and build a personalized plan to help you get better rest.

Samsung also added a new skin temperature sensor to the Galaxy Watch 5, but it won’t be activated until some indeterminate date post launch. I wasn’t able to use the watch to take a temperature reading, though I did measure my body fat with the onboard BIA tool. I was not only happy to see that my body fat percentage dropped a whole two percent since I took the same test at last year’s launch event, but I was also impressed that the reading took noticeably less time than the previous version.

I thought that this might be thanks to the dual-core Exynos W920 chip powering the Galaxy Watch 5, but Samsung said that aside from some algorithmic changes, the processor in the new Watch is the same as last year’s model. Still, in my brief time with the device, it was snappy and responsive. Whether I was swiping through the Wear OS tiles or choosing a new watch face, the Watch 5 never felt sluggish. Colors and text looked vibrant and crisp on the Super AMOLED panel, too. Oh, and in case you were worried, you can still use the bezel around the screen to navigate the system.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

Like some earlier versions of the Galaxy Watch, the Watch 5 features a touch-sensitive bezel that you can drag your finger along to scroll through apps and notifications. I found myself accidentally triggering onscreen elements while I was trying to use the bezel to scroll through some workouts, though. If you miss Samsung’s physical rotating bezel, by the way, you can still buy the Watch 4 Classic, which the company will continue to sell alongside the Watch 5 series.

Though I couldn’t verify this during my demo, Samsung says the Galaxy Watch 5 is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, as well as 5 ATM for underwater use. It also equipped the devices with larger batteries: The 40mm variant has a 276mAh cell compared to last year’s 247 mAh, while the 44mm version now has a 397mAh battery, up from 361 mAh. They’ll also charge faster, with Samsung promising you’ll add a 45 percent charge in 30 minutes. Samsung went as far as to say that an eight-minute charge can provide eight hours of sleep tracking, and that the Watch 5 can last up to 50 hours.

On the larger Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Samsung included a 590mAh battery. Since the Pro edition’s 1.4-inch screen is the same size and resolution as the 44mm Watch 5, this bigger battery should deliver longer runtime. The Pro’s screen is also covered with a 29GPa Sapphire Crystal glass on the Pro that’s harder than the Watch 5’s 24GPa glass, making the former a bit more scratch-resistant.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

If most of your workouts take place outdoors, you’ll likely appreciate the new route-based activity tracking features on the Pro, too. Samsung added support for the GPX format for route tracking, which is available for the first time on a Galaxy Watch. You can log the paths you traveled during your hikes and share it with others in the Samsung Health app with a new Route Workout feature. The company says you’ll also be able to download hiking and cycling maps, and after you start your journey the system will provide turn-by-turn directions. The Watch 5 Pro can also help you get home with peace of mind through its new Track Back feature that Samsung says in its press release “takes you back the way you came.”

As someone with fairly small wrists, I found the Watch 5 Pro a tad overwhelming and heavy, but people who find a larger screen easier to read might appreciate it. The larger watch uses a D-buckle closure that folds and snaps into place on your wrist, and Samsung said this “offers rugged durability with a sleek and clean fit.”

I’m fully aware what I’m about to describe is not the best durability test but it was the best I could do at the hands-on event without outrightly breaking a demo unit: I punched the face of the Watch 5 Pro somewhat halfheartedly a few times and, to no one’s surprise, it did not break. Since the biggest difference between the Watch 5 Pro and the regular version is durability and battery life, it’s hard to tell from a brief hands-on whether the new model is worth the extra $170.

Cherlynn Low / Engadget

For that, and other real-world performance testing, I’ll have to get a hold of a review unit to know for sure. If you can’t wait till reviews are out, you can already pre-order the Galaxy Watch 5 for a starting price of $280 (Bluetooth only; $330 for LTE) or the Pro for $450 and up.

Samsung is also launching a Golf Edition of the Watch 5, which comes with exclusive watch faces, a two-tone strap and an unlimited membership to the Smart Caddie app, along with other software preloaded. You can get the Golf variant of the Watch 5 in 40mm or 44mm, as well as in the 45mm Pro model. All of the things Samsung launched today will be available on August 26th, though, as always, I’d recommend waiting till we can test them out to find out more about battery life and overall performance before you spend your money.

Follow all of the news from Samsung's Unpacked event right here!

Apple's base iPad is the most cost-effective way to get an iOS device, and now you can pick one up for even less than usual. In a rare sale, most models are down to record-low prices at Amazon right now. Key among them are the 256GB iPad for $399, which is $80 less than usual, and the base, 64GB version remains on sale for $299 as well. As for cellular models, you can pick up the 64GB tablet for $400 thanks to an extra $30 coupon that's automatically applied at checkout, or the 256GB version for $550.

It may not look as slick as the iPad Air or the latest iPad Pros, but it's hard to argue the utility of Apple's most affordable tablet. We gave it a score of 86 when the latest model came out last year, and we consider it to be the best budget tablet you can get. It has solid performance and an excellent, 14-hour battery life, and since Apple upped the base amount of storage to 64GB from 32GB, you'll have a good amount of space even if you pick the cheapest option. That's important for those who download tons of apps and games, or those who plan on using the iPad to hold all of their personal, work or school documents. While we think some of the more advanced iPads make better laptop replacements, the base tablet would make a good on-the-go device if you pair it with accessories like the Smart Keyboard or the first-generation Apple Pencil.

The most dated things about the iPad are its chunkier bezels and the physical Home button that supports TouchID, although some may prefer the latter to FaceID. Otherwise, the slab has a 2,160 x 1,620 resolution Retina display with True Tone, an 8-megapixel rear camera and an updated 12MP front-facing camera with support for Center Stage, which will come in handy if you FaceTime a lot with friends and family. While it doesn't have many of the extra features you'll find on the iPad Air, those are fair trade-offs considering its low starting price.

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Spotify has quietly debuted a new website where fans can purchase tickets to their favorite artists' concerts directly from the streaming platform. There's no fanfare surrounding Spotify Tickets' launch, because it's strictly a test product at the moment, and it's only selling pre-sale tickets to a limited number of artists' upcoming events. The portal's debut artists include Limbeck, Annie DiRusso, Dirty Honey, Crows, TOKiMONSTA, Four Year Strong and Osees. According to MusicAlly, the tickets Spotify will start selling today will come from the artists' pre-sale allocations for upcoming concerts.

The music streaming service already has an in-app Live Events Feed where it links to ticketing partners, including Ticketmaster, AXS, DICE, Eventbrite and See Tickets. As TechCrunch notes, the events listed on the new website aren't available on the Live Events Feed yet, though that could change in the future. Spotify Tickets' official support page says that the company sells tickets on behalf of event partners, such as venues, event promoters, fan clubs and artists themselves. That means those partners set the tickets' prices, but Spotify will charge a booking fee that it promises to make clear to buyers before they hit the purchase button.

The service could become an important revenue stream from artists who'd rather sell their own tickets. It could also help ensure that tickets are purchased by real fans and not by scalpers. The service's support page says buyers may not "resell, assign or transfer" tickets except in select states. And since buyers will need to present a government-issued ID to enter an event, they'll have to transfer ownership of a ticket if they do decide to sell it. The process is quite involved and requires sellers to contact Spotify to change the name associated with a ticket.

Spotify told us it doesn't have much to share at the moment, since the service is just a test. There's no official launch date — or even assurances that it will make its way out of the testing phase — for the product right now. The spokesperson said: "At Spotify, we routinely test new products and ideas to improve our user experience. Some of those end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as important learnings. Tickets.spotify.com is our latest test. We have no further news to share on future plans at this time."

It's just about time for Samsung's big summer event, Unpacked 2022, where we're expecting the company to show off a bunch of devices. In particular, we'll likely see new foldables and smartwatches.

The company has strongly hinted that the next Galaxy Z Fold is on the way. We'll probably see an updated Galaxy Z Flip and a next-gen Galaxy Watch or two. Rumors also suggest Samsung has a new Galaxy Buds Pro model up its sleeve. There's always the chance of a surprise or two as well.

You can watch the livestream below. Samsung's event starts at 9AM ET, but we're kicking things off at 8:30AM with our pre-show. Join Engadget Deputy Editor Cherlynn Low and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford as they weigh in with their expert insight and break down what we expect Samsung to reveal.

Follow all of the news from Samsung's Unpacked event right here!

Kim Kardashian has teamed up with Apple on a custom version of the Beats Fit Pro. The new Beats x Kim collab is available in a trio of skin colors, which are meant to either "blend in or stand out," according to Kardashian. They are still just your standard Beats Fit Pro beneath that skin-tone plastic. But don't expect to find them at all the usual locations when they hit retail on August 17th. In-person sales are limited to 10 Apple stores (including 5th Avenue, Regent Street and Champs-Élysées) as well as several fashion chains and department stores. They’ll go on sale online, on August 16th at 10 AM ET.

Apple

It’s going to be a busy day for tech: Samsung’s big Unpacked event is kicking off at 9 AM ET, just a few hours from now. We’re expecting foldables, wearables and more and will be livestreaming all the announcements — watch with us, right here!

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

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• Intel introduces Arc Pro GPUs for workstations

• OtterBox offers $150 toward iPhone screen replacements

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• South Korea to investigate Apple, Google over possible in-app payment violations

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Ford will reopen F-150 Lightning orders this week at a much higher starting price

Trims will cost between $4,200 and $8,900 extra.

Ford

Ford will open up orders for the next wave of F-150 Lightning reservation holders this Thursday, but those buying the electric pickup as of this week will need to dig deeper in their pockets. The automaker is bumping up the prices by between $4,200 and $8,900, depending on the trim. Ford cited "significant material cost increases and other factors."

Contiinue reading.

President Biden signs CHIPS Act to boost semiconductor production

The measure sets aside $52 billion for domestic chipmakers.

President Joe Biden has signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law. The $280 billion measure will provide significant financial assistance to American semiconductor firms. It sets aside $52 billion in tax credits and funding for US chipmakers to expand domestic production. In a rare episode of bipartisan unity, the Senate voted 64-33 in favor of the bill. “America invented the semiconductor, but over the years we let manufacturing of semiconductors move overseas,” Biden said ahead of the ceremony. He added: “A third of the core inflation last year was due to the high price of automobiles, which was driven by the shortage of semiconductors.”

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Amazon's palm payments arrive in 65-plus Whole Foods stores in California

This is the first major expansion for Amazon One in grocery stores.

Amazon's palm-reading payment technology will soon be available in more than 65 Whole Foods shops in California. As long as you link your palm and payment card to the service, you just have to hover your hand over a scanner to complete your purchase. While you still have to stop at a checkout terminal, you don't have to pull out a phone like you do with Amazon's camera-based Just Walk Out system.

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Google and Sonos are now fighting over voice assistant patents

Another lawsuit between the two companies.

Google has sued Sonos, alleging its new voice assistant violates seven patents related to its own Google Assistant tech. It’s the latest battlefront in a long-running smart speaker war between the companies, with each suing and countersuing the other. Sonos' Voice Control assistant arrived in June, letting users give commands with the phrase "Hey Sonos," much like Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant. In the complaint, Google said it "worked for years with Sonos engineers on the implementation of voice recognition and voice-activated devices control in Sonos products... even providing its Google Assistant software to Sonos for many years."

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Samsung's 1TB T7 Shield SSD is back to its all-time low price of $100, or $60 less than what it usually sells for on Amazon. The last time it was listed for $100 on the website was on Prime Day in July — if you missed the chance to get one at the time and now need a rugged SSD for whatever reason, you may want to head on over to its product page. The T7 Shield is a tougher version of its standard counterpart, one that's encased in a rubber casing to give it the durability needed to survive up to 9.8-foot drops. That rubber exterior with its Dynamic Thermal Guard also prevents overheating so it suffers no performance drops even while transferring massive files. In addition, the T7 Shield is resistant to water and dust.

When it comes to performance, the T7 Shield has sequential read speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, which Samsung says are the fastest transfer speeds available today based on the USB 3.2 Gen2 standard. It employs the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard so it can keep your data secure in case you lose it. And while it only has one USB-C port, it comes with a USB Type C-to-C and a Type C-to-A cable.

Take note that the model on sale for $100 right now is the 1TB version, but you can also get the 2TB variant at a discount. The bigger capacity SSD is currently listed for $200, which is $90 less than its normal price. Both versions are available in blue, black and beige. 

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SpaceX has cleared an important hurdle that brings it closer to the Starship system's first orbital flight test. The company has successfully completed a static fire test of the Super Heavy's current prototype, the Booster 7, a month after its previous attempt ended up in in flames. SpaceX used the Booster 7 for this test again but fired only a single Raptor engine on the orbital launch pad, igniting it for a few seconds to give engineers a close look at how it's performing. 

The Booster 7 is equipped with 33 Raptor version 2 engines meant to give it lift it needs to launch both the first stage itself and its upper stage companion, the Starship spacecraft. During the company's previous static fire test attempt, the booster caught fire on the launch pad. Company chief Elon Musk revealed on Twitter back then that the issue had stemmed from the engine spin start test SpaceX had conducted and that going forward, the company "won't do a spin start test with all 33 engines at once" anymore.

In addition to testing Booster 7, SpaceX also did a static fire test on two of the six Raptor engines on Starship 24. That's the current prototype for the launch system's upper stage, and it's what will fly to space for the system's first orbital flight test. It's still unclear when SpaceX intends to send the Starship to orbit for the first time, but it likely has to conduct more testing before that happens, including static firing more of its Raptor engines. 

Urbanista has revealed its latest set of earbuds, and you may never need to toss a charging brick in your bag if you travel with them. That's because the Phoenix buds have a charging case with Exeger's Powerfoyle solar cell material. The company says this can top up the case's battery using any kind of indoor or outdoor light.

The earphones offer eight hours of playback time, according to Urbanista. The brand says the charging case has a total battery reserve of 32 hours as well. The Phoenix charging case looks much taller than cases for other true wireless earbuds, likely to ensure there's sufficient surface area for the solar cell material.

The earbuds have hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) support, along with noise-reducing microphones and a transparency mode. They have multipoint connectivity, meaning you can connect them to two devices at the same time. You'll have access to touch and voice controls, as well as deeper customization through the Urbanista mobile app. There's IPX4 water resistance too.

Urbanista

Urbanista previously used Powerfoyle tech in its Los Angeles over-ear headphones. In trying them out, we found that direct sunlight was able to charge them at a faster rate than the battery drained as a result of playback. However, the headphones charged much slower in ambient light.

It's unclear who might be able to use the Phoenix buds to their full effect. If you're outside a lot and are able to leave the case in direct sunlight while you're using the earphones, you might never need to plug in the USB-C cable to top up the battery. At the very least, it's an intriguing product that offers a look at another possible use case for the solar cell material.

The Phoenix earbuds are available in black or pink. A set costs $149/£129/€149.

Google may soon be facing its second antitrust lawsuit filed by the US Department of Justice. According to Bloomberg, the DOJ is gearing up to sue the tech giant as soon as September after a year of looking into whether it's been using its dominant position to illegally control the digital ad market. The Justice Department's lawyers have reportedly been conducting another round of interviews to glean additional information that could help make their case stronger. These new interviews are expected to build on previous ones conducted much earlier on in the investigation. 

The Justice Department first filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company back in 2020, accusing it of having an unfair monopoly over search and search-related advertising. For that particular case, the agency argued that forcing Android phone manufacturers to set Google as the default search engine prevents rivals from gaining traction and ensures that the company will earn an enormous amount of money from search-related advertising. 

In the same year, Texas filed a multi-state lawsuit against Google, with the state's Attorney General accusing the company of using its "monopolistic power to control" ad pricing. The company's ad practices are under scrutiny not just in the US but in other parts of the world: The European Commission also opened a probe to look into whether Google limits rival services' access to user data for ad purposes last year. As a concession to the EU's concerns, Reuters reported in June that Google may let rival ad platforms run ads on YouTube.

While the DOJ has yet to officially file its case, Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels defended the company's ad business in a statement to Bloomberg, which says: "Our advertising technologies help websites and apps fund their content, and enable small businesses to reach customers around the world. The enormous competition in online advertising has made online ads more relevant, reduced ad tech fees, and expanded options for publishers and advertisers."

Blizzard will stop selling Overwatch loot boxes on August 30th, the studio announced in a blog post published on Tuesday. The date coincides with the end of the game’s recently launched Anniversary Remix Vol. 3 event. Blizzard notes players will still have the chance to earn free loot boxes after the 30th. Additionally, the game will automatically open any loot boxes in a player’s inventory before the launch of Overwatch 2 on October 4th. With the new game set to replace Overwatch at that point, that will ensure players don’t lose any skins and other cosmetics before the switch.

In June, Blizzard announced Overwatch 2would abandon loot boxes in favor of a seasonal battle pass and a “consistently updated” in-game store. The move came after the studio said it would not release Diablo Immortal in Belgium and the Netherlands due to laws in those countries against that kind of monetization.