Google's Pixel 5a famously has a headphone jack, but you'd better hope that the USB-C port never breaks. The fact that it's soldered directly to the motherboard rather than being a separate component is one contributing factor in its middling 5/10 repairability score, according to a new teardown from YouTube channel PBKreviews.

The Pixel 5a is Google's midrange 5G smartphone and a direct successor to the popular 5G Pixel 4a. Though a bit larger than the latter and now water-resistant, it's equipped with nearly the same internal components, including a Snapdragon 765G, 6GB of RAM and a 60Hz panel. It's a solid mid-range phone for $449, though essentially a stopgap device until Google unveils the Pixel 6 family that will use its all-new Tensor mobile chip. 

The good news is that the 6.34-inch OLED display is relatively easy to replace, as you can pull it off simply by heating it up and using a pry tool to pop it off. It's also fairly straightforward to get access to the battery and motherboard, once you remove the numerous screws and pry off the large metal cover.

From there, however, things get trickier. The battery is glued solidly to the case and the pry tab meant to help remove it is "pretty useless," according to PBKreviews. Instead, they had to use isopropyl alcohol to loosen the glue before they could pry the battery out. The other issue is that the USB-C port is attached directly to the motherboard, so making repairs to it would be "difficult," according to the video. 

All told, however, the Pixel 5a appears to be slightly easier to repair than its predecessor. While you might not try to fix it yourself, that means it could be a bit easier to find local service if you'd rather not send it away to Google. The teardown also shows a solid-looking device with water resistance as a big new benefit — so hopefully, all that will add up to a reliable device that won't need repairs in the first place. 

Apple Watch Series 7 might be a more substantial redesign than you think. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claims Series 7 will come in larger 41mm and 45mm case sizes (up from 40mm and 44mm) with bigger screens to match. As with the Series 4 launch, there will reportedly be new watch faces to take advantage of the added visual real estate. One will apparently include an update to the data-heavy Infograph Modular face.

Earlier leaks on Twitter and Weibo hinted at the larger cases, but didn't come with many details. Gurman, Jon Prosser and 91mobiles have all claimed Series 7 would focus on an overall redesign with flatter edges, flatter screens, thinner bezels and more color options. It might also pack a faster processor and improved ultra-wideband tech, although any advanced health sensors might have to wait until the 2022 model.

Apple has historically released updated smartwatches in September, usually alongside new iPhones. If so, you might not have to wait long to know whether or not the rumors are on the mark.

Peloton's less-than-stellar news isn't limited to its poor financials. As ABC Newsreports, Peloton has revealed multiple federal probes over its reporting of fitness equipment injuries. Both the Justice Department and Homeland Security have subpoenaed the exercise hardware maker for documents and other data related to injury reporting, while the SEC is investigating public disclosures over those injuries.

The news follows a contentious recall for the Tread and Tread+ in May. Peloton recalled roughly 125,000 of the treadmills despite fighting the Consumer Product Safety Commission over the matter — the company insisted its gear was safe to use as long as people followed instructions, while officials weren't convinced the measures would have prevented a child's death and at least 29 injuries. The firm eventually relented, and it's just now shipping a safer Tread with hardware and software updates.

There are no guarantees any of the investigations will lead to crackdowns on Peloton's behavior. They do put pressure on the company to act, though, and they come right as Peloton is turning to price cuts to boost flagging sales. The situation is dire, in other words, and it's not going to improve in the near future.

Amazon might have made your choice of true wireless earbuds a little easier. The internet retailer is running a sale on the second-generation Echo Buds that lowers the price to $90 for the standard version, and $105 for the model with a wireless charging case. That makes them less expensive than many no-frills earbuds, let alone ones with comparable features like active noise cancellation.

These aren't the absolute best-sounding earbuds you'll buy, but they pair solid quality with perks difficult to find even at their normal prices, including ANC, IPX4 water resistance and built-in Alexa support. These may be just the ticket if you're interested in hushing the outside world or adding a soundtrack to your workouts.

The limitations mostly come from a lack of standout performance in other areas. You'll need to manually finesse the audio to get the most out of it, and call quality is unspectacular. The five hours of ANC-enabled listening is healthy, but not much more than that. You're buying the Echo Buds due to their raw value for money — they frequently outshine similarly budget-oriented alternatives.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Clubhouse revolves around drop-in audio chatrooms, so wouldn't it make sense if they sounded more like rooms? They will now, if you have the right hardware. The company is rolling outspatial audio support to the Clubhouse app for iOS, giving you and participants a more "lifelike" conversation. You might remember who's speaking based on where their voice is coming from, not just what they sound like.

The feature will "slowly" reach all new iOS users starting today, and will be the default experience (you can turn it off if you prefer). Android is "coming soon," Clubhouse said. We've asked the company if you need earbuds or headphones that explicitly support spatial audio, like the AirPods Pro or AirPods Max.

This addition probably won't make you choose Clubhouse over Facebook's Live Audio Rooms or Twitter Spaces. It may give you a reason to stick to Clubhouse, though, and it could be particularly helpful if 'flat' chatrooms feel too detached from reality.

You might not have to wait too long for an iPhone with satellite communication built-in. According to 9to5Mac, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the next iPhone (possibly called iPhone 13) will include support for low-Earth-orbit satellite calls and messages. You could get in touch on a remote camping trip without any cell service, and without buying a separate satellite communicator.

The iPhone would supposedly use a modified version of Qualcomm's X60 modem to talk to satellites. It's not certain if satellite support would be limited to certain apps, although we wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Mobile satellite service is often far slower than conventional cellular data, ruling out many of the internet-intensive apps people take for granted.

There's good reason to be skeptical. A Bloomberg rumor from 2019 had Apple developing satellite technology for the iPhone, but the team reportedly hoped to ship a product within five years — two years might be too early, assuming the leaks were accurate in the first place. There are also logistical questions to address, such as the choice of service providers. Satellite service has historically been expensive, and it might be a tough sell even if you regularly venture beyond cellular coverage.

Many expect Apple to launch the new iPhone lineup in September. It's not certain if this would be limited to Pro models or reach the entire iPhone range.

If there is a satellite linkup, though, Apple might have a stronger hook for the new iPhone than rumored display and camera upgrades. This would be the first mainstream smartphone offering connectivity virtually anywhere on the planet, and competitors might not match the feature for a while.

Now might be a good time to buy an e-reader for school — or that end-of-summer vacation. Amazon has cut the price of the ad-supported 8GB Kindle Paperwhite to an all-time low of $71 in a one-day-only sale, well below the official $130 sticker. That's lower than what we saw just two weeks earlier, and makes it an easy choice compared to the base Kindle (which isn't discounted as we write this). You can buy the ad-free and 32GB variants with substantial discounts, too.

The Kindle Paperwhite is an easy choice if you're either new to e-readers or heavily invested in Amazon's ecosystem. It boasts a high-contrast backlit display, Audible audiobook support and waterproofing for your poolside reading sessions. Pair that with the usual weeks-long battery life of e-readers and you shouldn't have problems taking this with you on vacation.

It's not flawless. This deal doesn't cover the LTE model, so you won't be grabbing books while you're at the beach. You also won't find MP3 playback or text-to-speech support, and you might not be thrilled to see ads on the subsidized models. These limitations are hardly surprises, though, and at this price they're much easier to forgive — you can spend much more on readers with fewer features.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Sony recently introduced an oddly lighter revision of the PlayStation 5, and it's now clear just why the console is that much easier to carry. YouTube creator Austin Evans has posted a teardown that shows the revised PS5 Digital Edition (that is, the no-disc model) is using a smaller, likely lower-cost heatsink. While this shaves a whopping 0.66lbs off the weight, it also raises the overall temperature by a few degrees — not necessarily a major issue, but worth noting if you either upgrade your SSD or stuff your system into a crowded media cabinet.

There are subtler changes as well, including an easier-to-use stand screw and tweaked connections to the WiFi chip, although it's not clear if or how the wireless changes make a practical difference. It's also uncertain how many of these changes translate to the disc drive version of the PS5.

The company hasn't officially explained its design choices for the updated PS5. As Evans speculates, however, the refreshed PS5 may be a cost-cutting measure that reflects lessons learned in the several months since the machine's debut. Now that Sony knows how well the cooling and other components perform, it knows where it can afford to use cheaper, simpler parts.

The timing is apt. In its first-quarter earnings briefing, Sony told investors it was no longer selling the disc-based PS5 at a loss — this latest design could make the Digital Edition profitable that much sooner. While the choice won't thrill gamers with bitter memories of overheating Xbox 360s (however unlikely a repeat might be), it might play an important role in Sony's long-term health.

Google has been accused of playing favorites in its treatment of Android app developers. The Vergereports a newly unsealed consumer lawsuit against Google alleges the company offered to take a "significantly reduced" cut of Netflix's Play Store revenue in order to quell the streaming giant's "displeasure." Netflix, Spotify and Tinder all supposedly tried to get around the requirement to use Play Store's in-house billing system, and deals like this were meant to keep Netflix using Google's payment platform.

The same filing also includes a claim that Google's normal revenue share is arbitrary. Where the company typically asks for a 30 percent cut of Play Store purchases, it apparently determined that it could break even with just six percent. Internal communications suggest Google chose the 30 percent share for no reason "other than copying Apple," according to the lawsuit.

We've asked Google for comment. In a statement to The Verge, a spokeswoman maintained that developers were bound to the same policies as "all other developers," and that there were efforts to back app makers with "enhanced resources and investments." These initiatives were evidence of "healthy competition" in operating systems and app stores, Google said.

If the allegations are true, though, that wouldn't be the case — Google would have given Netflix a sweetheart deal not available to other Play Store developers. The company wouldn't be alone, either. Internal emails also suggest Apple offered Netflix perks it didn't provide to others using the App Store.

Whatever the case, Google might not have much choice but to alter its practices. Apple recently softened the App Store's rules as part of a proposed settlement, going so far as to let developers pitch customers on alternative payment systems — something Google still forbids, as the attorneys behind the unsealed lawsuit point out. Between these latest revelations and other lawsuits, such as those from Epic and state attorneys general, Google faces strong pressure to follow Apple and otherwise make concessions to avoid more serious legal repercussions.

A group of activist-hackers in Belarus has infiltrated almost every part of the the country's authoritarian government in a bid to overthrow the Lukashenko regime, according to MIT's Technology Review and Bloomberg. The hackers, known as Belarus Cyber Partisans, have been leaking information they found on sensitive police and government networks. They first started defacing government websites as an act of protest in September 2020 following the country's disputed election, in which Alexander Lukashenko's win was widely considered as fraudulent. But they also publish the information they get on Telegram, where they have 77,000 subscribers.

The group told the publications that it's made up of 15 IT and cybersecurity experts working in the country's tech sector. None of them are "professional hackers," a spokesperson told Tech Review, with only four out of 15 doing the actual "ethical hacking." 

The Partisans' most recent attacks gave them access to drone footage from the government's crackdowns on protests last year and the Ministry of Interior Affairs' mobile phone surveillance database. They also apparently got access to emergency services' audio recordings, as well as video feeds from road speed and isolation cell surveillance cameras. The data the group released over the past weeks include lists of alleged police informants, personal information about top government officials and spies, police drone and detention center footage and secret recordings captured by the government's wiretapping system.

If the Cyber Partisans have been effective in their efforts to infiltrate the government's networks, it's thanks to the help they get from another group called BYPOL. They reportedly reached out to BYPOL in December 2020 for guidance — after all, the group is made up of former Lukashenko officials who defected from the government and current ones working to topple the regime from the inside. 

BYPOL provides them information on how to infiltrate government organizations and on the structure of the administration's databases. In return, the Cyber Partisans provide the group with information it can use to investigate the regime's crimes. BYPOL publishes information on its own Telegram channel and creates documentaries, one of which was cited at a congressional hearing that led to the US imposing sanctions against the Lukashenko regime.

The Cyber Partisan spokesperson told Tech Review that they're using cyberattacks to "paralyze as much as possible of the regime's security forces, to sabotage the regime's weak points in the infrastructure and to provide protection for protesters." Their ultimate goal is "to stop the violence and repression from the terroristic regime in Belarus and to bring the country back to democratic principles and rule of law."