Signal now has its own ephemeral Snapchat-like feature that you can use to share photos with friends. The messaging app has released the feature a month after it revealed that it was hopping on the Stories bandwagon and was already beta testing the capability. Also called "Stories," Signal's new feature lets you post photos that will remain viewable on the app for 24 hours, unless you erase them before the time is up. Signal says that like everything available on its app, Stories are end-to-end encrypted and will only be visible to the people you've chosen to share them with.
These people could be everyone in your contacts that use the app, along with anybody you've had a one-on-one conversation with or whose message request you'd accepted, even if you'd never added them. You can also create custom stories that will only be available to select viewers you choose — say, your colleagues or people with the same interests. Plus, you can share stories with existing groups. Just take note that everyone in that group will be able to see what you share, even those you'd never interacted with in individual chats.
Seeing as Facebook and Instagram already have similar features, and Snapchat still exists, it remains to be seen whether Signal's take can get people to use the app more. Signal's Stories are now available on its Android and iOS app, and they're "coming soon" to desktop, as well. If you'd rather not see your contact's Stories, or if you're not interested in posting your own, you can alway opt out by going to Settings and toggling on "Turn off stories."
MediaTek is still frequently associated with budget Android phones, but it's increasingly making its way into flagships — and its latest system-on-chip might help on that front. The company has introduced a Dimensity 9200 chip that, among other claims, is billed as the first SoC to be ready for WiFi 7. You'll need a phone with a compatible network chipset and a WiFi router to match, but this theoretically delivers speeds of up to 6.5Gbps on-device while improving reliability and reducing lag.
The Dimensity 9200 is also said to be the first mobile chip to use an ARMv9 Gen 2 architecture, and uses new cores to match. A "big" Cortex-X3 core handles the most demanding tasks with the help of three Cortex-A715 performance cores. Four Cortex-A510 low-power cores help with battery life. The combo delivers a modest 10 to 12 percent boost over the Dimensity 9000 in synthetic tests, but reportedly cuts power consumption by as much as 25 percent.
The largest speedups come with graphics. The Dimensity 9200 is one of the first chips to use ARM's new Immortalis-G715 GPU, bringing hardware ray tracing, three times the triangle throughput and greater efficiency. It's up to 32 percent faster than the GPU in the Dimensity 9000 while using 41 percent less power, MediaTek says.
Other improvements are subtler, but still useful. Unlike many MediaTek chips, the 9200 supports both sub-6GHz and millimeter wave 5G to provide fast cellular data in more parts of the world. The Imagiq 890 image signal processor is the first to support RGBW camera sensors, promising more brightness and detail in photos than plain RGB. It can counteract motion blur, too. You can also expect support for fast UFS 4.0 storage, the latest LPDDR5X memory (8.5Gbps) and 24-bit/192KHz audio.
The first phones using the Dimensity 9200 should be available by the end of 2022. This won't necessarily make Qualcomm sweat, especially with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 likely on the horizon. However, this could put MediaTek into more high-end phones — and that's good for both choice and competition.
Instagram is rolling out its in-app post scheduler, allowing select users to plan their posts in advance without having to use Meta's Creator Studio or third-party services. The Meta-owned photo-and-video sharing platform is giving businesses and creators the power to schedule Reels, photos and carousels for up to 75 days within the app itself. Instagram tested the feature over the past few weeks, giving a small percentage of its global community access to the tool, before this wider (but still limited) release.
To access the feature, eligible users will have to go to "Advanced Settings" after creating their post but before sharing it with their followers. From there, they can toggle on "Schedule this post" and select the time and date they want it to go live. They then have to navigate back to the post they were creating and click "Schedule." According to TechCrunch, which reported on the test, scheduled posts can be seen in the "Scheduled Content" section that can be accessed through the hamburger menu. The process could perhaps be simpler, but the feature eliminates the need to use the separate Creator Studio website or app for a more frictionless experience.
Whether the feature will ever be available for ordinary users remains to be seen — Instagram hasn't mentioned anything about a full rollout. In the same post announcing its in-app scheduler, though, Instagram has launched Achievements. Creators can unlock them by taking specific actions, such as collaborating with another creator and making interactive Reels with polls and quizzes.
Razer's 2022 base model Blade 15 gaming laptop is on sale for $250 off at the manufacturer's site. We named the Blade 15 our top pick for a premium gaming laptop in our best gaming laptop guide. At just $1,550, it's a great deal, considering the 2021 model, with an older processor, is holding steady at $1,700 on Amazon.
We put the premium version of the Blade 15 through its paces and were impressed by Razer's superb build quality. While that premium-level computer isn't budging from its $3,700 price, this deal on the base model is a chance to get that same Razer quality in a solid gaming laptop.
This configuration of the Blade 15 has two graphics cards, one integrated Intel UHD graphics processor for your day-to-day and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 card that kicks in to handle gaming graphics. The 15.6-inch full HD screen has a solid 144Hz refresh rate that should keep all but the most intensive FPS looking smooth.
It also has 16GM of dual-channel RAM, 512GB of SSD storage and there's an open M.2 slot for memory expansion when the time comes. The Blade 15 comes stocked with the older Windows 10 but includes a free upgrade to Windows 11 once you get the unit home. It all runs on Intel's 11th-gen Core i7 chip and has plenty of ports for your peripherals, including a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C. While it's not the most powerful configuration of the Blade 15, this is an excellent entry point into Razer's gaming devices — especially when you can keep an extra $250 in your pocket.
YouTube's attempt to mimic TikTok now extends to the living room. The company's vertical Shorts videos now have native support on TVs, with a player that makes better use of all that normally wasted horizontal space. It still feels like utter overkill to watch these mobile-oriented clips on the big screen (unless you have Samsung's rotating TV), but it's still much more elegant than trying to use the standard landscape player.
The feature is rolling out in the next few weeks. It be available on smart TVs made from 2019 onward as well as living room media devices and "newer" game consoles. YouTube suggested in an explanatory video (below) that Shorts might work with older sets, but that compatibility wasn't guaranteed.
It's not surprising that YouTube poured so much effort into adapting Shorts for TVs. TikTok's own TV app launched in November last year — this gives YouTube an answer to a major competitor. There's a significant audience for Shorts, too, with over 1.5 billion monthly active users as of this spring. And while TikTok is theoretically behind with 'just' 1 billion users (as of the third quarter of 2021), the gap is narrow enough that even a slight advantage in viewership could give one of them the lead.
Apple's latest 11-inch iPad Pro has received its first discount, with both Amazon and B&H dropping the 128GB version of the new tablet down to $749. That's a modest $50 off and still rather expensive, but Apple only launched this refresh a couple of weeks ago. If you were already planning on picking up the device ahead of the holidays, this deal lets you save a few bucks over buying from Apple directly. Just know that the deal only applies to the Space Gray model.
The new iPad Pro is a minor refresh compared to the previous model that launched in 2021. The main upgrades are a processor bump — the M1 SoC powering last year's model has been replaced by the M2 SoC first seen in this year's MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro — and a new feature for the second-gen Apple Pencil that lets you preview inputs and effects with the stylus just by hovering it over the display. There's support for WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 networking, too, instead of WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0.
That's about it, though. The M2 chip is a nice raw performance bump for media editing and general futureproofing, but the M1 is still more than powerful enough for most things people would do with an iPad, and the tablet's design and accessory support is otherwise unchanged. The last-gen 11-inch iPad Pro is on sale for $700 as of this writing, so if you're willing to buy an older model to save a bit more cash, that remains a worthwhile option.
That said, if you want the latest and greatest, the 2022 model is still a superb piece of hardware. We gave it a review score of 87 last week. While the more affordable iPad Air offers enough of the same features to be a better value for most — especially with it now discounted to $520 — the 11-inch iPad Pro continues to be a superior piece of hardware, with support for a smoother 120 Hz refresh rate, higher maximum brightness, much improved speakers and Face ID support. It also starts with 128GB of storage; the Air starts with half of that, and you need to jump all the way to a 256GB model if you want to upgrade. Doing that would currently cost you $679 (or $749 at MSRP), which makes the 11-inch Pro's price a bit more competitive, if still pricey.
The 11-inch Pro is still overkill for most people's iPad needs, and even with iPadOS' new Stage Manager multitasking feature, it won't fully replace most people's MacBooks. (The basic 10.2-inch iPad is probably still the best overall bargain for casual iPad users, but that's almost a different class of device at this point.) The 11-inch Pro also lacks the brighter and noticeably more vibrant mini-LED display of the more expensive 12.9-inch Pro. However, this is still a strong choice for power users or serious artist types who are looking to upgrade from an aging iPad Air or iPad Pro. It's possible we'll see a larger discount over Black Friday, but we wouldn't expect it given that the device just released.
In other iPad deals, the cellular version of the 10th-gen iPad is also on sale at $20 off in yellow. We see these kind of minor Apple deals from Amazon fairly often, but again, this is the first discount to date for a brand-new model. Our review found that one trickier to recommend in the context of the wider iPad lineup, but if you need a cellular tablet and can live with a non-laminated display and first-gen Pencil support, it may be of interest.
Starlink raised its prices this spring, and now it's increasing the costs for its most demanding users. As The Vergereports, the SpaceX-run satellite internet provider is instituting a 1TB "Priority Access" monthly cap for data use between 7AM and 11PM beginning in December. Cross that limit and you'll spend the rest of the month relegated to "Basic Access" that, like with some phone carriers, deprioritizes your data when the network is busy. You might not notice much of a difference in typical situations, but this won't thrill you if you depend on sustained performance.
Service can get expensive if you insist on full performance around the clock. You'll pay 25 cents per gigabyte of priority data. As Reddit user Nibbloid pointed out, the math doesn't quite add up. It will cost you another $250 to get an extra 1TB of data — it would be cheaper to add a second subscription, at least if you don't mind the cost of an extra terminal. RV, Portability and "Best Effort" users also don't have any Priority Access.
Other users face tougher restrictions. Fixed business service has peak-hour caps ranging from 500GB to 3TB, with extra full-speed data costing $1 per gigabyte. Mobility users have no Priority Access for recreational use, while commercial and Premium/Maritime users have respective 1TB and 5TB caps. Those higher-end users will pay $2 for every gigabyte of priority data they need.
The justifications will sound familiar if you've dealt with data caps from Comcast and other land-based internet providers. Starlink maintains that it has to balance supply with demand to provide fast service to the "greatest number of people." This is ostensibly to keep usage in check on a "finite resource."
The decision to cap users comes as SpaceX has called for government help to fund Starlink service in Ukraine at a claimed cost of nearly $400 million per year. While Musk has said SpaceX will continue to pay regardless of assistance, it's clear the company is worried about expenses as demand increases.
The old adage goes that if something ain't broke, don't fix it. Now while that's often sage advice, obviously there's a limit to how long you can keep something going — especially a gadget — before it starts to lag behind. And with the Surface Laptop 5, it feels like Microsoft is beginning to test that boundary because while the notebook is as sleek and elegant as ever, even with the inclusion of a new CPU, it's easy to see where its aging chassis could use a few updates or quality of life improvements. So while I'll never complain about getting a performance boost, it still feels like Microsoft could do better.
Design, keyboard and ports
I'm not going to spend too much time talking about the Surface Laptop 5's exterior because it's the same chassis Microsoft has been using for the last three or four generations. Both the 13 and 15-inch models feature an aluminum body with tall 3:2 displays for enhanced productivity. Our 13.5-inch review unit weighed in at 2.86 pounds and measured just 0.57 inches thick. The whole package is super sleek and in some respects, I can see why Microsoft doesn't want to mess with the design – it really is a thing of beauty. It's thin and minimalist just like a MacBook, but different enough that you'll never get the two confused. Still, I think Microsoft is more than capable of tweaking the current chassis to accommodate new components without ruining its good looks.
New for this year is a sage green color option like we got on the Surface Laptop Go 2. But Microsoft didn't stop there because the company also made custom wallpapers for Windows 11 that match the system's exterior paint job. I know this is a pretty minor change in the grand scheme of things, but the extra bit of color coordination is kind of nice.
Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop 5's keyboard and touchpad don't leave much to complain about. Keycaps are spaced out well while having nice crisp actuation, though after some hands-on time with the 15-inch version, I noticed that the larger model has slightly deeper key travel. And while its touchpad which measures 4.5 x 3 inches isn't quite as large as what you'd find on a similarly sized MacBook, there's still plenty of room to mouse around.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
One of the other big changes on the Surface Laptop 5 is its new USB 4.0/Thunderbolt 4 port, which provides increased bandwidth for transferring data or sending video to external displays. Sadly, on both the 13.5 and 15-inch models, there are only a total of two USB connectors: the aforementioned Thunderbolt 4 port and a regular USB 3.1 Type-A slot. Thankfully, Microsoft hasn't axed support for wired audio, so you still get a 3.5mm headphone jack in addition to the company's signature magnetic Surface Connect port for charging and docking.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
But if you'll allow me to grandstand a bit, I sort of wish Microsoft would ditch the Surface Connect port entirely. Due to recent regulations from the EU, we're on the brink of having all phones support USB-C for charging and data, and aside from the proprietary connectors Apple and Microsoft use on MacBooks and Surfaces, laptops aren't far behind. Not only would getting rid of the Surface Connect port free up room for another USB-C jack — which is both smaller and more versatile — I find its weak magnets and awkward shape make it more difficult to use than USB-C.
Display and webcam
Like its chassis, the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 features the same 2,256 x 1,504 PixelSense touchscreen Microsoft used on the previous model and that's totally fine. It has good brightness that hit just under 400 nits on my light meter along with rich, saturated colors. The one new tweak for 2022 is support for Dolby Vision IQ, which automatically adjusts things like color profiles and contrast based on ambient conditions. It's a nice touch, but considering pretty much every phone made in the last few years has a similar display tech, Microsoft isn't [exactly] breaking new ground here.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
That said, while its image quality is strong, the Surface Laptop 5's display is starting to show its age a bit. The bezels are a few millimeters thicker than what we got on last year's Surface Laptop Studio, which makes things look a bit chunky. You also don't get support for HDR or high-refresh rates.
But the thing that's lagging behind the most is its 720p web camera, which is passable at best. You don't get support for any of Microsoft's Windows Studio effects like you do on the Surface Pro 9 5G and I've said it before and I'll say it again: 1080p webcams should be the baseline on premium notebooks. Thankfully, Microsoft has kept the built-in IR cameras for Windows Hello facial recognition, which still works great.
Performance
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Inside, the new 12th-gen Intel CPUs offer a big jump in performance. The downside is that unlike the previous generation, there aren't any AMD-based configs, which is kind of a bummer. That said, with scores that are around 20 percent higher in PCMark 10 compared to the Surface Laptop 4, it's hard to be too upset.
Just don't get your hopes up about doing any hardcore gaming, because both models are restricted to Iris XE integrated graphics. In Overwatch 2, I had to lower settings to medium in order to get a somewhat stable 60 fps, though you can eke out a little more performance if you're willing to lower the game's resolution or turn on upsampling. But regardless of what you do, this thing isn't really meant to play AAA titles.
Battery life and ports
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
As for battery life, with a time of 12 hours and 39 minutes, the Surface Laptop 5 turned in respectable though not outstanding results. In comparison, last year's 15-inch Surface Laptop 4 fared better with a mark of 15:25, as did other ultraportables from this year including the Lenovo Yoga 9i at 14:22 and the M2 MacBook Air at 17:05.
As a longtime Surface user, I appreciate that Microsoft kept the bonus 5-watt charging port built into the included power adapter, which is really nice for powering up small peripherals like a mouse or wireless headphones. And I should mention that if for some reason you lose or forget your charging brick at home, you can still top up the Surface Laptop 5 via USB-C.
Wrap-up
While the Surface Laptop 5 hasn't gotten a boatload of updates, it still has a really elegant design and the addition of new 12th-gen Intel chips and a Thunderbolt 4 port provide a big bump up in speed and usability. Sure, it might not have the sharpest webcam or a ton of ports, but if all you need is a streamlined ultraportable for general productivity, the Surface Laptop 5 packs all the essentials into a very sleek package.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
It is somewhat telling, however, that Microsoft only sent out the 13.5-inch model for review, because there are even more changes I'd like to see on the 15-inch version. I know my dream of getting an Xbox gaming laptop probably won't ever happen, but I think there's a ton of potential to transform the bigger Surface Laptop 5 into a really great all-rounder by adding support for discrete graphics and a few more ports.
But the hard part comes when trying to decide between the 13-inch Surface Laptop 5 and something like the XPS 13. For the same $1,000 starting price, Dell's notebook comes with a similar CPU and a larger 512GB SSD instead of just a 256GB drive, but no touchscreen (though you can upgrade to one if you want). That means you have to choose between getting a slightly better value in the XPS 13, or opting for a taller 3:2 touch display with the Surface Laptop 5.
Still, if all you want is a stylish ultraportable with a nice screen for productivity, Microsoft's latest clamshell has a lot to like. I just hope next year we get a full refresh instead of just a simple spec bump.
COVID-19 restrictions at Foxconn's primary iPhone 14 factory in Zhengzhou, China means shipments will be lower than anticipated, Apple said in a short press release. That means in turn that customers who've ordered one will experience "longer wait times to receive their new products," it added.
COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China. The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity. As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritizing the health and safety of the workers in our supply chain.We continue to see strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. However, we now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker.
A slowdown in shipments was widely anticipated after the Chinese government ordered a week-long lockdown in the area where the Foxconn factory is located following the outbreak. The action, part of the government's "Covid Zero" approach, affects the factory that manufactures four out of five Apple's new smartphones. Overall, iPhone production could be reduced by 30 percent, according to previous reports.
Launched in September, the iPhone 14 is a relatively minor upgrade over the the previous model, with the main change being the elimination of the SIM tray, and the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro. The shipping time is currently listed as 3-4 weeks in the US.
If you’ve been waiting for Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro to go on sale, now is your chance to pick them up. Amazon has discounted the earbuds for a limited time. After a six percent price cut, the 2022 AirPods Pro are $234, down from $249. The $15 discount marks the best reduction we’ve seen on Apple’s latest earbuds since they went on sale back in September.
While they don’t look dramatically different from their predecessor, the second-generation AirPods Pro feature some meaningful upgrades. With the inclusion of its new H2 chip, Apple claims the 2022 model is better at canceling out ambient noise and comes with improved battery life. The company also found a way to add touch controls to the new model. Engadget Senior Editor Billy Steele gave the earbuds a score of 88, praising the 2022 AirPods Pro for their improved audio quality and deep integration with the broader Apple ecosystem. In regards to the new touch controls, he said they take some practice to master. He also found battery life could be better. Despite those issues, the 2022 AirPods Pro are among the best wireless earbuds you can buy right now, especially if you use an iPhone as your daily driver.
