Latest news with #SamRutherford
Engadget
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Engadget review recap: Switch 2, Playdate games and a Framework laptop
The Nintendo Switch 2 has been all the rage around the Engadget HQ for the last few weeks. Even the editors who didn't write the official review have had their hands glued to their new toys. Of course, we've been testing other things too, mainly a repairable laptop that's design for student use. Read on to catch up on the reviews you might've missed over the last two weeks. With the Switch 2, Nintendo improved everything we liked about the original while retaining its sleek and portable design. $449 at Walmart Nintendo Switch 2 finally made its way to gamers this month and several of us have been putting the portable console through its paces. Senior reviews reporter Sam Rutherford wrote our full review, noting that the company managed to take everything that make the original model so good and make it better. However, there's still room for improvement, especially with regards to battery life. "The Switch 2 has everything that made the original so great, but now there's more of it to enjoy," he said. "Granted, Nintendo's latest console commands a higher price, but as the successor to the iconic system that revived handheld gaming, this thing is worth it." The Switch 2 Pro controller is clearly the most refined gamepad Nintendo has ever made. It's just a shame that it's so expensive and doesn't have Hall effect sticks. $85 at Best Buy A new Switch means a new Pro Controller, so senior reviews reporter Devindra Hardawar took a deep dive on Nintendo's new accessory. Despite being "the most refined gampad" the company has ever made, he took offense to the price and the lack of advanced design features. "As much as I like the Switch 2 Pro Controller, it's undoubtedly an extravagance at $85 when 8Bitdo's Ultimate gamepad offers even more features for $50," he explained. "But if you're a dedicated Nintendo fan, or you just can't accept third-party controllers, it's also one of the best gamepads you can buy today." Framework's 12-inch laptop is an alternative to low-cost laptops, but it is too expensive to compete. $799 at Framework The Framework Laptop 12 takes the company's familiar spin on modular, repairable machines and puts it in a smaller body with students in mind. However, the price is an issue and overall performance isn't good enough. "The limited performance and battery life here gives me pause and I'm not sure a machine that, right now, needs a stretch to run Fortnite would be too popular," senior reporter Dan Cooper wrote. "My gut tells me Framework had intended to sell this for less before tariffs pushed the prices up beyond what made sense." Weekend editor Cheyenne Macdonald recently proclaimed that there haven't been any flops at the halfway point of Playdate Season Two. The two newest additions are Long Puppy and Otto's Galactic Groove!!, two games that are fun but still offer a challenge. You can also revisit her thoughts on The Whiteout and Wheelsprung or the initial column on Fulcrum Defender and Blippo+.
Engadget
a day ago
- Engadget
What to expect at the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked
The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event could be announced any day now. The summertime event usually happens in July or August. No date has been officially set, but at least one rumor suggests that it will all go down on July 9 at 10AM ET, and New York City is being floated as the likely location. Whenever it happens, we expect that the next Unpacked will center on the latest developments to Samsung's lines of foldables and wearables. A lot of it may be business as usual, but the company has hinted that some possibly exciting new additions are in the works. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Sam Rutherford for Engadget) Based on the usual annual cadence, this summer Unpacked 2025 will most likely introduce the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7. One recent leak claimed that Gemini Live will be a core part of the foldables' presentation, and considering AI is the buzzword for every tech presentation these days, it would be strange if Unpacked didn't follow suit. AI features got a positive reception from both our Fold 6 and Flip 6 reviewers, although they fell more under the umbrella of parlor tricks than valuable assets. Android Headlines is back with renders of what it claims show the design of the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The foldable sports a slimmer profile than the prior model and the navy blue chassis is certainly pretty. It also indicates that both the cover display and inner display are reportedly bigger in this design, up to 6.5 inches and 8.2 inches, respectively. The publication also showed purported images of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 that also pointed to increased screen real estate. There may be a third player in the foldables lineup for this Unpacked. A teaser from Samsung last month pointed toward a Galaxy Z Fold Ultra that will come with Galaxy AI. There are no specs in the blog post, but the company insists that this will have "industry-leading hardware, cutting-edge performance and seamless AI integration optimized for the foldable format." This doesn't appear to be the tri-fold design we've heard rumblings about, but that would be a fun reveal if Samsung does pull that off as a surprise announcement. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Amy Skorheim for Engadget) On the wearables front, the only thing we're really anticipating is news about the Galaxy Watch 8. But the anticipation is pretty mild. This smartwatch collection from Samsung hasn't really pushed the envelope for several years; the Galaxy Watch 7 was the third iteration where our reviewers felt the new model offered only incremental improvements over the previous generation. So either this Unpacked will be yet another round of small gains on the specs or Samsung will surprise us with some substantial upgrades. Improved battery life would be a big plus. For the past few weeks, Samsung fans have been speculating that a new smartphone announcement could be on the way soon. Although the company's standard mobile hardware is usually unveiled at the start of the year, we've seen some credible rumors that a new Galaxy S25 FE is in the works. If Samsung is looking to release a new version to that line in the fall, it would make sense to announce and open pre-orders at the summer Unpacked. The Galaxy S24 FE had some solid specs but was a little pricey to be a true budget model, especially with an underwhelming set of AI features. So far, the leaks about the S25 FE also point toward continued underwhelm, with claims that its cameras won't be seeing much in the way of upgrades, although it may be getting a boost to performance and battery if rumors that it will use the Exynos 2400 processor turn out to be true. We'll be keeping you posted with all the Unpacked news as it happens, as well as covering the event with a liveblog, so stay tuned!
Engadget
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Engadget Podcast: Switch 2 review, Summer Game Fest and WWDC 2025
Sam Rutherford for Engadget It's been a busy week! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Editor Jessica Conditt dive into their final thoughts on the Switch 2, as well as Jess's time covering Summer Game Fest. We also put a bow on WWDC 2025 and explore what works and doesn't with Apple's Liquid Glass redesign. Your Yahoo privacy setting is blocking social media and third-party content You can Allow your personal information to be shared and sold. Something went wrong. Try again. You can update your choice anytime by going to your privacy controls, which are linked to throughout our sites and apps. This page will now refresh. iTunes Spotify Pocket Casts Stitcher Google Podcasts Summer Games Fest 2025: Sword of the Sea, Mouse: PI for Hire, Big Walk and a ton more indies – 1:17 Nintendo Switch 2 review: more polish on the Switch form factor with scant new releases – 22:09 WWDC 2025 wrap up: what will users think of liquid glass? – 38:11 Air Traffic Control audio reveals Predator drones flew over LA protests – 53:31 Meta announces large investment in Scale AI and a new AI Superintelligence initiative – 54:24 Warner Bros. Discovery to split into two devisions along old company lines – 59:12 Pop culture picks – 1:00:34 Host: Devindra Hardawar Guests: Jessica Conditt Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
Engadget
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
The Morning After: Our verdict on the Switch 2
You forget how much of a hit, how much of a turnaround, the Nintendo Switch turned out to be. After the major wobble (and baffling form factor) of the Wii U, Nintendo came back with a hybrid console that would replace and fuse its handheld and home console lineages. The console had no right being as playable (and enjoyable) as it was. Now, finally, its successor has landed . And for once, Nintendo's calling its new console a sequel. Nintendo took the best features from the original and upgraded nearly all of them. The major upgrades in hardware include a bigger 7.9-inch LCD screen, a more mature design that feels more solid and significantly upgraded performance and power. The only major drawback is battery life. Nintendo says it should provide between 2 and 6.5 hours of runtime on a single charge, but that depends on how resource-intensive your games are. According to Sam Rutherford's review testing: 'In Mario Kart World , the Switch 2 lasted two hours and 23 minutes, which is on the lower end of Nintendo's official estimate. Meanwhile, in the NS2 edition of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , the console fared a bit better with a time of 2:56.' Compared to the OLED Switch's battery life, it's a reduction, but it's also equivalent to other high-powered handhelds, like the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck. Check out our full review (and perhaps our guide to the best games on the original Switch — because backward compatibility)., — Mat Smith Get Engadget's newsletter delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here! If you're struggling to find a good present for Father's Day, MasterClass has discounted its subscriptions by up to 50 percent. I grabbed a similar deal for myself, unfortunately only 40 percent off, and I've been pleasantly surprised at the solid interface and how many courses are available. Many course videos can even be downloaded for viewing offline. Continue reading. Nothing CEO Carl Pei has been teasing this news since April, but now it's official: You might actually be able to buy the company's next flagship phone. The Nothing Phone 3 will be available to purchase from Amazon or directly from the company. Until now, only the Phone 2 has made it to general sale in the US. For the other models (including the very impressive Phone 3a), users would have to buy a unit via a beta program, which has no after-sale support. Any caveats? Well, there will be no carrier discount. The Phone 3 will support 4G and 5G with AT&T and T-Mobile. While there's no explicit support for Verizon, the Phone 2 worked well with its network, so that'll probably be the case with the third phone. How much? There's no official US price yet. Pei recently said it would cost £800 in the UK at launch, which would translate to around $1,080 in US dollars. Continue reading. Infinite Machine made waves with its retro-futuristic P1 electric bike, and now it's back with the Olto. Its new e-bike boasts 40 miles of range and a top speed of 33 mph, with a 20 mph limit while riding in the bike lane. Just like the P1, the Olto e-bike looks both futuristic and retro, (like a transformer that turns into a vape.) What's notable is it can carry two riders at the same time, and you can add accessories, like child carriers. Continue reading.
Engadget
11-06-2025
- Engadget
Google will reduce battery life for some Pixel 6a phones to prevent overheating
Sam Rutherford for Engadget Google's Pixel 6a has been a winner in many respects, but a new issue with the smartphone's battery may pose a safety concern. After Android Authority reported on a pair of instances where a Pixel 6a battery overheated to the point where the device caught fire, the publication spotted some details in the latest Android 16 beta indicating that as a precaution, the Pixel 6a battery capacity and charging speed will be reduced. In addition, Android Authority received this statement from Google: A subset of Pixel 6a phones will require a mandatory software update to reduce the risk of potential battery overheating. The update will enable battery management features that will reduce capacity and charging performance after the battery reaches 400 charge cycles. We'll contact impacted customers next month, with all the information they need to address the issue. The Pixel 6a is due to receive software support until July 2027, but it's just the latest entry in this device line to have battery problems this year. In January, Google rolled out an update that reduced battery life of the Pixel 4a to increase stability for the 2020 phone model. Then in April, the company launched a program of repairs and payments after some instances of batteries "swelling" in the Pixel 7a.
