First up, an apology. In Tuesday’s newsletter, I laid out how to watch (and what to expect from) Amazon’s Alexa press event. But aside from unveiling what Alexa+ will be capable of, there was no silly hardware and no upgraded Echos, but lots of demos. We learned Alexa+ will be included with an Amazon Prime subscription, and the company will also offer the enhanced digital assistant separately, for $20 per month. At the moment, Prime costs $15 per month in the US. So that's weird.
Meanwhile, Apple’s new entry-level iPhone, the 16e, launches online and in stores today. The $599 phone is arguably $100 too expensive, but it packs a processor that can deliver Apple Intelligence to the masses. It has a gorgeous screen, with a notch — if not a Dynamic Island — and a long battery life. Thanks to that A18 chip, it is as powerful as iPhones, which cost several hundred dollars more.
This is a phone for people who don’t upgrade every year (or two). If you’re coming from an older iPhone, say an iPhone 11 (like my mom), you’ll be treated to a brighter screen, improved image processing and, heck, 5G. Apple says the newer process will ensure the 16e is 80 percent faster than the iPhone 11. You are going to see the difference. Oh, and you get an action button.
Our biggest concern is the single-camera situation. It’s a great camera, but we already miss the versatility of optical zoom that goes beyond the digital cropping that the iPhone 16e uses. Check out our full review right here. And if you’re OK not staying with an iPhone, we’re moving into the mid-range smartphone season — so stay tuned.
— Mat Smith
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What to expect from Samsung, Nothing, Xiaomi and more at MWC 2025
Nothing’s new devices might be the headline grabbers.
The world’s biggest smartphone event (after iPhone launches, let’s be real) returns to Barcelona. While it’s no longer the heyday of Mobile World Congress, smartphone challengers from China love to reveal technically accomplished devices, and we’re expecting delights from the likes of Xiaomi, Honor, Huawei et al. Except maybe not Oppo — it’s done its thing already.
At MWC 2022, Nothing’s Carl Pei showed off a prototype of the company’s first handset, the Nothing Phone 1. It looks like it’s ready to reveal its third-gen phone, with the company’s usual drip-drip of specs, features and hyperbole already in action. Nothing already revealed the design of one phone, the 3a Pro, in a nearly 11-minute video. Notably, a big ole camera bump to accommodate a periscope telephoto lens.
Xiaomi is also teasing some heady camera hardware: Its 15 Ultra will be a photography powerhouse, rumored to pack a 1-inch main sensor and 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens.
Will Samsung show off the slimline Galaxy S25 Edge? Perhaps. It might also be time to reveal an update to its A-series mid-range devices. Perhaps the company will do both.
Continue reading.
Sony cuts the price of PS VR2 to $400
Add the price of your PS5 too.
Sony is permanently reducing the price of the PlayStation VR2. Starting in March, the headset will cost $400, down from $500. It still costs more than the Meta Quest 3S, a standalone headset, but is obviously capable of a richer graphic experience. That said, where are the AAA games? Even Sony’s own PS VR2 website struggles to offer anything particularly exciting.
Continue reading.
You’re never finding those lost wireless earbuds
It’s time to let go.
I have misplaced my Beats Fit Pro buds. Wherever I set them down, I recall thinking, “you’re going to regret not putting them back into the charging case.” And I was right. Two weeks on, I have the charging case, open and ready, but the buds have been translocated to another dimension. I tried Apple’s Find My app, which says they’re somewhere in my apartment.
That doesn’t help me enough. I use them for workouts, so I checked jacket pockets, gym shorts, the bathroom, windows, the sides of my couch and even my inner ear canal. But no.
I have held out hope for two weeks, but it’s time for me to let go. Fortunately, I work here, so I have three standby options for gym listening. But they didn’t fit as well as the Beats Fit Pro. I will hold onto the charging case, just in case they magically appear in my detergent box or somewhere else completely arbitrary, but mentally, I know I will never find them again.
Goodbye, my waxy, sweaty buds of joy.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-121514554.html?src=rss
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