Canon has officially unveiled the EOS R3, its flagship mirrorless camera designed for sports, action and wildlife photography. With the release, it has now filled in the blanks for key specifications not yet revealed in earlier teases, like resolution, ISO range and video capabilities. 

The EOS R3 was never likely to be a high-resolution camera as some folks hoped, but the 24.1-megapixel, back-side illuminated (BSI), stacked sensor (a first for Canon) is a significant upgrade over the 1DX Mark III's 20-megapixel sensor. Canon says it "achieves resolution performance exceeding that of the 30.1-megapixel EOS 5D Mark IV," despite having a lower pixel count.

With the BSI/stacked sensor and latest DIGIC X image processor, the R3 can shoot at 30 fps in electronic shutter mode (down to 1/64,000th of a second) or 12 fps with the mechanical shutter, with full AF tracking and auto-exposure. Better still, it offers blackout-free shooting in electronic mode and the high readout speeds deliver minimal rolling shutter distortion — making it feasible to shoot sports or action with the electronic shutter. 

Canon

The EOS R3 is Canon's first EOS model to support flash photography in electronic shutter mode. That allows for blackout-free flash shooting at up to 15 fps (at 1/180th of a second), which would probably look pretty wild in person. It also offers a silent shutter mode that turns off the artificial shutter and AF acquisition sounds. 

The EOS R3 has a number of new autofocus features, too. The flashiest is Eye Control AF that locks onto focus wherever your eye is looking when you half-press the shutter button. It can be used in combination with flexible zone and subject AF tracking, so it's "possible to quickly shift the target between multiple subjects," Canon says. It notes that the feature can be calibrated differently if you have glasses or contacts, and that "some glasses/contacts may prevent calibration."

Faster calculation speeds give the EOS R3 some new autofocus powers, too. The Dual Pixel AF system can now track in spot, single-point and flexible zone AF, and in lower light (-7.5 EV) than any other model. It can also acquire a subject just by getting close to it, so it will track an animal or human's head, face or eye if you place the AF point near their body, for example. 

Canon

On top of body, face, head and eye detection for humans, the R3 offers a new "Vehicle Priority" tracking system for open cockpit, GT and rally cars, along with on-road and off-road motorcycles. If the AI detects a helmet (on a motorcycle or open cockpit car), it will automatically lock onto that.

The new sensor delivers improved low-light performance too, with the EOS R3 having a normal range of ISO 100-102,400 for stills (expandable to ISO 50-204,800). Canon also promises improved automatic and manual white balance via new AI skills.

The 5-axis in-body stabilizer is the the same as the excellent system on the EOS R5 and R6. As with those models, it delivers up to 8 stops of stabilization with compatible lenses, down to a minimum of 6 stops (still beating most other brands) with other lenses. It also comes with dual card slots, supporting SD and CFexpress type B cards.

The R3 comes with a new 5.76 million dot, 120 FPS OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) developed by Canon. This is a key feature for the sports photographers who might buy it, as many haven't switched to mirrorless because they prefer an optical viewfinder. Canon said it provides a level of clarity and field of view similar to an optical viewfinder "thanks to the HDR technology and high brightness performance." Like the R6 and R5, it also offers a fully-articulating, 4.15 million dot flip-out touchscreen — ideal for video shooters. 

Canon

In fact, the R3 is also a highly competent video camera, too. While it can't shoot 8K video like the R5, it can capture RAW 12-bit 6K widescreen (6,000 x 3,164) video at up to 60 fps to a CFexpress B card, besting Panasonic's video-centric S1H. Canon has yet to say if 6K RAW over HDMI will be supported, however.

It also offers 4K recording at up to 120 fps, albeit in a cropped 1:1 pixel mode to a CFexpress card. Still, you can capture 4K 60p or 30p video using the full width of the sensor, which should make for some crisp video. Again, for the best quality, you'll need a fast SD UHS II or CFexpress card. 10-bit 4:2:2 video will be available for all 4K modes in either HDR PQ or Canon Log 3 modes, with both All-I and long-GOP file options. 

As usual with Canon cameras, the Dual Pixel autofocus should be a strong point for video, as it can lock in to a subject quickly without any hunting. As it stands now, however, the Eye Tracking feature only works for photography, not video. Still, the extra tracking features should make it extra powerful in terms of video autofocus, but we'll need to test the R3 to verify that. As you'd well expect, it has microphone, headphone and HDMI ports — though the latter is a micro and not a full-sized HDMI connector, unfortunately.

Canon

What about heating, the bugbear of the R5? Again, Canon has significantly improved the R3 here. It now offers two temperature options for auto power off: standard and high. The latter will let you shoot 6K RAW or 4K All-I at 60 fps for 60 minutes or more, though the camera might get a bit hot to the touch. 4K 120p All-I is limited to 12 minutes in either mode. Canon promises that you'll be ready to shoot again after just five minutes, though shooting times afterward will be limited in 6K 60p and 4K 120p modes. Normal 4K 30fps shooting (down-sampled or otherwise) has no heat limitations. 

Other features include network streaming functions and wired or wireless transfer to a 5G or LTE smartphone. It uses the 1DX Mark III's LP-E19 battery that delivers 440 shots with the electronic viewfinder and comes with a new electronic hot shoe that supports more accessories, including a smartphone link adapter. Finally, the EOS R1 offers dust and drip resistance equal to the EOS-1DX series DSLRs, and weighs in at 1015 grams (2.24 pounds) including a memory card and battery.

Canon

Along with the EOS R3, Canon unveiled two new lenses, the compact RF16mm F/2.8 STM ultra wide angle model priced at $300 (left) and the RF100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM model priced at $650. Both of those should be decent budget full-frame RF-mount options if you're looking for an ultra wide-angle or tele zoom lens. 

With the EOS R3, Canon has built a supercharged flagship that should appeal to both the serious photographers and videographers who have the bucks to afford one. It arrives at the end of November for $6,000 (body only). 

After an eleventh hour delay late last week, Samsung One UI 4 is ready for public beta testing. If you live in the US, you can sign up to take part in the beta by registering through the Samsung Members app on your Galaxy S21 starting on the morning of September 14th.

Once it becomes available later this year, One UI 4 will be the first version of Samsung’s skin based on Android 12, the latest iteration of Google’s mobile operating system. Google released the final Android 12 beta last week, and most signs point to an official release on October 4th. 

Ahead of today’s announcement, Samsung told Engadget One UI 4 features many of Android 12’s most notable tweaks. For instance, you can customize your phone’s home screen, notifications and wallpapers. It also includes redesigned widgets, as well as new emoji to discover and use.

By this point, Sennheiser is no stranger to true wireless earbuds. The company has several models under its belt, and the current lineup spans from basic and affordable to premium and pricey. Today, Sennheiser is introducing its latest earbuds with the CX Plus True Wireless. This newest entry offers active noise cancellation (ANC), ambient sound and the ability to customize both the on-board controls and the EQ. It also costs less than the company's previous ANC model, the Momentum True Wireless 2. 

The CX Plus has a similar design to the CX and CX 400BT true wireless earbuds Sennheiser currently sells. The outer touch panel is a rounded rectangle compared to the circular exterior of the Momentum buds. On-board touch controls give you everything you need to play music, take calls and use a voice assistant without reaching for your phone. As the name implies, the CX Plus has features that aren't on the CX True Wireless. That includes a Smart Pause feature, which is basically just automatic pausing when you remove an earbud from your ear, but Sennheiser has given it a fancy name. Smart Pause was previously reserved for the pricier Momentum True Wireless 2.

Sennheiser

Another key addition for the CX Plus is ANC. The two preceding CX models only offer passive noise isolation. The CX Plus also offers ambient sound mode, or as Sennheiser calls it, Transparent Hearing. That feature was also not available on the CX series earbuds before now. Both active noise cancellation and Transparent Hearing were only on the Momentum True Wireless 2. The company's Bass Boost preset from some previous models and the IPX4 splash-proof rating from the CX True Wireless both made the leap to the CX Plus. 

In terms of sound quality, Sennheiser says the CX Plus offers "audiophile technology" in "everyday" earbuds thanks to its TrueResponse transducer. The acoustic setup was built for much more expensive earphones and designed for "high-fidelity stereo sound" that offers "deep basses, natural mids and clear, detailed treble." The company has a solid track record when it comes to sound, but we'll still need to check those claims ourselves to make sure they hold up this time around. Sennhesier is promising up to 24 hours of total listening time: eight hours on the buds with two additional charges in the case. 

The CX Plus will be available September 28th in black and white color options for $179.95

One day before its next major event, Apple has released iOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.8, watchOS 7.6.2 and macOS Big Sur 11.6. All four are minor updates that don’t add new features to their respective operating systems but include important security fixes. As such, Apple recommends all users download them as soon as they can.

Depending on the update, it addresses as many as two issues. One relates to the CoreGraphics framework in iOS, iPadOS and macOS, while the other stems from Apple’s WebKit browser engine. In both instances, the company says it’s aware of at least one report where the vulnerabilities may have been actively exploited to execute arbitrary code.

On an iPhone or iPad, you can manually check for iOS 14.8 and iPadOS 14.8 by opening the Settings app on your device, tapping “General” and then “Software Update.” On macOS, meanwhile, open the System Preferences menu and then click on “Software Update.”

Zoom held its annual Zoomtoopia conference today, providing a glimpse at some of the features it’s working on bringing to its video conferencing software. There are almost too many enhancements to count, but some of the more notable ones have the potential to change how you use the service.

The first of those is an expansion of Zoom's automated closed captioning system. At the start of the year, Zoom announced it was making the feature available to all of its users by the fall of 2021. Now, the company plans to make it work in a total of 30 languages. It’s also adding live translation support for 12 languages. Both expansions will occur over the next year and come after the company bought a startup that specializes in real-time translation.

Zoom is also working on an expanded Whiteboard experience that will make the feature available on the web and outside of meetings and calls. To that end, you’ll find a separate Whiteboard tab once the experience rolls out in beta later this year. Then, sometime next year, Zoom plans to work with Facebook to bring its video conferencing software and Whiteboard feature to the company’s Horizon Workrooms to allow you to access them both in virtual reality.

Zoom is also working on several smaller but still notable features. For instance, support for end-to-end encryption is coming to Zoom Phone, which will allow you to keep phone calls you make over Zoom secure. Check out the company’s blog post to see everything it’s working on at the moment.

Tempo has rolled out Apple Watch integration for its AI-powered home gym, giving users an easy way to track their heart rate during workouts without the need for a dedicated HR monitor. Upon syncing the wearable, users can also view other data on it, including how many calories they burned during studio classes, the total volume of weights they lifted and their ranking on the leaderboard.

The company says 70 percent of its users own an iPhone, and 35 percent from that group has an Apple Watch. With that in mind, rolling out Apple integration for its product is a no-brainer. In addition to being able to view stats and data, syncing their Watch will also give users the capability to pause and resume classes, as well as to manage their workouts, without having to walk up to the smart home gym's touchscreen panel. 

Tempo launched its Studio home gym cabinet, which includes a touchscreen panel, a 3D camera track workouts, weights and other equipment, in early 2020. The pandemic brought about a need for home workout solutions as gyms around the world closed down, and Tempo was one of the companies that experienced a surge in demand. In April, the company raised $220 million in funding to be able to keep up with an increasing number of orders and give its research and development efforts a boost.

Those who already have a Tempo Studio and want to sync it with an Apple Watch will have to make sure both devices, along with their iPhone, are connected to the same WiFi network. All three have to be near each other, as well. After they've logged into their profile on the Tempo Studio and download the app for the Watch, they only need to follow the steps laid out on their iPhone.

If you missed last week's sale on AirPods Pro, you have another opportunity to grab them at close to a record-low price. Apple's advanced wireless earbuds are down to $180 again on Amazon thanks to an automatically applied coupon that knocks $17.01 off the buds' $197 sale price. While we do expect to learn more about new regular AirPods during Apple's event tomorrow, it's unclear if we'll see a brand new version of the Pros.

These are Apple's most powerful earbuds and we gave them a score of 87 when they first came out. Yes, it's been nearly two years since then, but the AirPods Pro remain the best wireless earbuds for those with iPhones. That's due in part to how easily they pair and switch between Apple devices thanks to the H1 chip inside the buds, a piece of tech that also enables hands-free Siri access. Connecting the AirPods Pro to your iPhone for the first time is a quick and seamless process, and after that, you can go from listening to music on your Mac to taking a call on your iPhone with little hassle.

The AirPods Pro also have a better fitting design than standard AirPods, although that could change if Apple announces an updated model of its standard buds tomorrow. The Pros support ANC and Transparency Mode, which lets you hop in and out of conversations easily, and they support spatial audio along with Apple Music's new Dolby Atmos format. And if you want a pair of AirPods with wireless charging, the Pros are a good option because, unlike regular AirPods, their case has wireless charging support by default.

If you're more concerned about getting the latest earbuds Apple has to offer, it's worth it to wait until after tomorrow's event to see what the company has in store. However, if you're more concerned about your budget, this sale on the AirPods Pro is one of the best we've seen in recent months.

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

The weekend before Apple’s big iPhone event, the company’s legal battle with Epic and app developers cast a shadow. It’s hard to describe either side as an out-and-out loser or winner; Apple must allow App Store developers to direct users to other payment systems, which would let them bypass the 30 percent cut of in-app payments that Apple takes. Judge Gonzales Rogers also ruled, however, that the App Store doesn't violate antitrust law. She ruled against Epic in Apple's counterclaim for breach of contract. Epic has to pay Apple $3.65 million.

The latest development: Epic has already filed an appeal against that ruling. The initial notice didn't explain exactly how the Fortnite developer was challenging the decision.

I’m sure Apple would love to put the legal tussle behind it — while the ruling will cut into its revenue from some developers, it shouldn’t hugely affect its bottom line — and it’s got more new phones and devices to reveal. Want to know what we’re expecting from the big event? Read everything we know so far, right here!

-Mat Smith

Last-minute iPhone 13 leak hints at 1TB storage option

You may have a lower-priced AirPods option, too.

Engadget

Having said that, this little nugget was too late for our What to Expect story on Apple’s incoming phones. It seems the iPhone 13 — will the company call it that? — comes with some 1TB options, regardless of the expansion of iCloud and storage outside of the device itself. Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will have up to 1TB of storage alongside 128GB, 256GB and 512GB options carried over from the iPhone 12 Pro family. That could prove a little more expensive. Perhaps more importantly, he also believed the base iPhone 13 and 13 mini would start at 128GB versus the (frankly inadequate) 64GB of their predecessors.

He added that the current second-gen AirPods will stick around and sell alongside a new third-generation model, to be revealed at Apple's September 14th event, probably with a price drop.

Continue reading.

Don’t sleep on the iPhone mini

It was the most exciting iPhone 12.

Mat Smith (yes, me) loves the iPhone 12 mini. While the battery life was frustrating, that there’s a tiny smartphone, powerful enough for gaming and other processor-intensive tasks, is a very good thing. We hope — and rumors suggest that — Apple will continue the iPhone mini family.

Continue reading.

Perseverance rover samples hint Mars had water for a long time

Interesting early results.

NASA

The Perseverance rover's first rock samples from Mars are already providing insights. NASA researchers' early analysis of the samples indicates water was present in Jezero Crater for a "long time" — think tens of thousands or millions of years. That, in turn, suggests Mars' water was stable enough to make it relatively welcoming to microscopic life. The mission team also detected crucial salts that might have formed when water flowed through the sampled rock. The salt might have not only trapped pockets of Mars' old water, but could have preserved signs of life.

Continue reading.

The US may crack down on 'stable' cryptocurrencies

Regulators are worried stablecoins hurt stability more than they help.

Stablecoins are ostensibly safer than regular cryptocurrency thanks to their ties to less volatile assets, but US regulators apparently aren't convinced. Bloomberg sources hear the Treasury Department and other federal agencies are close to a possible crackdown on stablecoins through a review from the Financial Stability Oversight Council. Officials are reportedly concerned the digital money is largely unregulated and could ultimately destabilize the financial system, not protect it.

Some of that concern centers around Tether, which tries to stabilize its funds by holding large amounts of corporate debt. That could be vulnerable to "chaotic investor runs" if cryptocurrency values tank, according to Bloomberg.

Continue reading.

The biggest news stories you might have missed

Android 12 might debut on October 4th

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Virgin Galactic delays its first commercial research space flight to mid-October

Sony's PlayStation Showcase was a banger

What to expect at Apple's iPhone 13 event

Disney's remaining 2021 movies will debut in theaters first

Android 12 has taken longer to bake than many of its predecessors, but the end might finally be in sight. XDA editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman claims Google plans to release the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) version of Android 12 on October 4th. As the company often releases polished public releases at the same time as AOSP, that hints Pixel owners may get their upgrade starting that day.

If the timing holds up, this also sets expectations for the Pixel 6 launch. Google can't really ship its new range-topping phones without Android 12, so it's unlikely to formally debut the Pixel 6 before that date. We wouldn't be surprised if the hardware only surfaced sometime later in October.

Be prepared to wait if you aren't using a Pixel. While some phone makers tend to be quick and release major Android updates within weeks, many others take months. Samsung didn't start deploying Android 11 until December 2020, three months after Google officially released the OS. As much as Google has done to shorten update delays with efforts like Project Treble, it still takes time for companies to both adapt Android to heavily-customized interfaces and test the software with customers and carriers.

The imminent iPhone 13 series promises more than a few upgrades, but one of them may answer a common problem: the never-ending desire for more storage. As 9to5Macreports, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max will be available with up to 1TB of storage alongside 128GB, 256GB and 512GB options carried over from the iPhone 12 Pro family. While that's bound to be expensive, it could be appealing if you capture a lot of video or want that much more futureproofing.

Kuo also believed the base iPhone 13 and 13 mini would start at 128GB versus the (frankly inadequate) 64GB of their outgoing counterparts. You'd also see a new 512GB tier — you'd no longer have to splurge on a Pro model just to get more than 256GB.

There might be other ways to save money. The analyst also said he expected the current AirPods to stick around and sell alongside the third-generation models poised to debut at Apple's September 14th event. He wasn't certain how this would affect pricing, but the most likely scenario is a price drop that lets the third-gen AirPods occupy the existing space. Apple might sell the new wireless earbuds at a higher price, but there wouldn't be much of a gap between them and the (normally $250) AirPods Pro.

If leaks are accurate, the new AirPods will more closely resemble their Pro counterparts and support spatial audio, but won't include the higher-end buds' eartips or active noise cancellation. That could make the current, no-frills AirPods the 'budget' choice for those who want alternatives to the Pixel Buds A, Nothing Ear 1 and other value-focused rivals.