Galaxy Z Fold 4 diary: What I miss from a Pixel every time I use a Samsung phone - 9to5Google

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is one step closer to perfecting the foldable formula, and it’s a device I enjoyed enough to make it my personal smartphone. But every year, I end up switching to a Samsung phone and missing elements from my usual Google Pixel.

One UI is excellent, but it still ignores what makes Google’s software great

Samsung’s skin on top of Android used to be the scum of the platform, but that’s changed dramatically over the past few years. One UI is pretty great, and One UI 4.1.1 based on Android 12L really brings a wonderful experience to the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

I’m not sure I’d want to use a foldable with any other experience at this moment in time, frankly. What Samsung has developed here is easy to use, fast, and really knows how to take advantage of the larger screen real estate.

As well done as Samsung’s One UI is, it’s still the polar opposite of Google’s approach. Samsung takes virtually every feature and crams it in, for better or worse. Google, on the other hand, has a more focused experience, and one that’s just more of a pleasure to use. On top of that, Google’s experience doesn’t feel like it’s fighting with third-party apps, where Samsung’s look and feel is often in stark contrast to other apps on your phone.

Of course, that’s not to say that Google does it all right, or that Samsung does it all wrong. One of the biggest problems is that Google’s updates always seem to bring the most bizarre bugs, where Samsung’s usually don’t.

Still, there are just so many little things I miss from a Pixel when I’m on my Fold, or any other Samsung phone, but the list has been cut down dramatically over the years.

The cameras, of course

It wouldn’t be a Pixel post without talking cameras, and this is the thing I always miss the most when moving into a Samsung phone.

Google’s camera experience is consistent. Samsung’s is not.

The camera hardware on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Pixel 6 Pro is pretty darn similar overall – 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, and a telephoto lens – but the Pixel comes out with consistently better photos across the board. Why? Software, mainly.

Samsung’s processing for photos tends to be overly saturated and doesn’t really reflect real life in some instances. You’ll probably get a pleasing shot, until you look at the details. But for every good shot, there are also likely a couple of rough outtakes. Taking a picture of a dog? Hopefully it’s a statue, otherwise you’ll have motion from when the shutter snapped. Trying to capture some dramatic lighting in the evening? Samsung’s processing will probably blow it out and neutralize the effect entirely.

But the real kicker, I’ve noticed, is that Samsung’s camera app still can’t show you anything close to the final product from the viewfinder. I’ve had several occasions where I’ve been pretty happy with a shot in the viewfinder, but Samsung’s software then processed it to death, and effectively ruined the picture. It’s not every time, but it’s enough to be extremely frustrating.

Pixels, on the other hand, show a pretty accurate representation of HDR when you’re actually taking the shot. It might be tweaked to bring out some details or tweak the exposure, but what you see in the viewfinder is more or less what you’re going to get in the final shot.

I don’t mind shooting on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, because I know I’m still going to get a usable shot at the end of the day, but I don’t trust it to take a great one… well, really ever. That’s perhaps what I miss most about my Pixel 6 Pro since moving over to Samsung’s latest.

Google’s version of Digital Wellbeing is actually useful

This is a relatively minor point, but one that really irks me every time I move off of a Pixel. Google’s take on Digital Wellbeing is, actually, genuinely useful.

Digital Wellbeing is an idea that’s usually manifested in a way to know what your online habits are so you can work toward perhaps cutting down on screen time, muting distractions, and really just to have better balance between what’s happening on your phone and what’s happening in the world around you. It’s an idea that I usually have mixed feelings about.

Personally, I couldn’t care less about seeing how many times I’ve unlocked my phone in a day, the ungodly number of notifications I’ve received, or anything like that. I just want to be able to quickly unplug from work, or disconnect from Twitter so I can enjoy an afternoon at home, or even a vacation.

On Pixel, Google makes this incredibly easy. If it’s been a long day and I just don’t want to hear from my email, Slack, or Twitter, I can simply “pause” those apps from my homescreen. A couple of quick clicks, and they’re all turned off for the day. No diving into settings, nothing I needed to set up previously. And if I do need to dive back in for whatever reason, it just takes one extra click.

I mean, I can literally just flip my phone over to put it fully on mute. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

But on a Samsung phone, this process is nowhere near as convenient.

Digital Wellbeing on a Samsung device comes down to diving into a few layers of settings and using “Focus Mode” to block out a pre-selected list of apps. Except those apps are on an allow-list, not a blocklist. If I want to just turn off a couple of apps, I have to manually allow every other app on my phone. The only other tool I have access to is “App Timers,” which is definitely a great option, but one that just doesn’t help what I want to do as mentioned before.

Like I said, this is a minor point for most people. I’d be willing to bet that most folks don’t use Digital Wellbeing tools in any capacity, but the point is that on a Google Pixel device, these tools are there to help you on the fly, where Samsung really only allows them in a way that’s structured beforehand.

But at the end of the day, the Fold 4 is one-of-a-kind

Despite the little bits and pieces I miss from Google’s phones, there’s a reason Samsung’s foldables have been my major yearly smartphone purchase. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, like what came before it, is still one-of-a-kind, at least in the US. Until Google gets around to finally releasing its own foldable, which has been an emotional rollercoaster to date, Samsung is the best in the business.

The benefits that a foldable bring me, including just the simple joy of carrying around such a big screen in such a compact package, just far outweigh these software frustrations. That said, I’m sure things will change in a few months when I end up using the Pixel 7 Pro for a while – I’m just curious if Samsung’s improved package will be able to pull me back off of that phone when the time comes.

What about you? Have you ever switched from a Pixel to a Samsung phone, or vice versa? Let’s talk about it in the comments below!

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What we bought: An NVIDIA RTX 3070, two years late - Engadget

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

It only took about two years, but I finally bought an NVIDIA RTX 3070 last month. Along the way, I tried almost everything I could to get my hands on one at the actual retail price. I joined Discord servers dedicated to posting stock alerts. I found Twitter accounts that did the same for Canadian retailers. But no matter how persistent I was, I could never beat everyone else who wanted a 3070 just as much as I did. By the time summer came, I was ready to give up, and I would have if not for the crypto crash.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

If you haven’t followed the market, Bitcoin and Ethereum's slide has dramatically affected GPU prices, particularly on the NVIDIA side of things. The company’s add-in board partners, firms like ASUS and EVGA that produce the majority of GPUs you can buy, are reportedly struggling with overstock after crypto-miners flooded the used market with cheap 30-series video cards. According to some reports, the issue is so bad that NVIDIA may push back the release of its next-generation Ada Lovelace architecture to the end of the year to give its partners time to sell their existing stock. Either way, you can buy a current-generation GPU without jumping through hoops for the first time in nearly two years.

When I finally pulled the trigger on my ASUS Dual RTX 3070, I paid $740 CAD before tax or about $565 USD. I probably could have found a used model for less, but I decided I was okay with spending more to get a video card with a full warranty that someone hadn’t abused for crypto-mining.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

What you probably what to know is why I didn’t wait a bit longer for NVIDIA’s next-generation GPUs to arrive. The answer is twofold. Unless the US decides to regulate cryptocurrencies, it’s hard to see a future where the market doesn’t recover and mining becomes lucrative again. Even if that doesn’t happen, by the time NVIDIA’s new GPUs are available to buy, they might not be easy to find.

All signs point to the company opening the Ada Lovelace generation with RTX 4090, 4080 and 4070 models. Not only will those likely be more expensive than their 30-series counterparts, but you can also bet they’ll be in high demand among gamers who want the latest and greatest – particularly the 4070 as the most mainstream model of the trio.

For those reasons, I thought there would be a short window where I could buy a new GPU at a reasonable price. That I was running a GTX 1660 Ti with a QHD monitor made my decision easier. I was starting to see the 1660 Ti sometimes struggle to maintain a consistent rate of 60 frames per second in games like Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order at 1440p. The fact the 1660 Ti doesn’t include NVIDA’s DLSS upscaling technology also meant I was looking at a future where I would have to play some games at reduced quality.

Igor Bonifacic / Engadget

I can safely say I won’t regret buying the RTX 3070 with its successor right around the corner. Playing games like God of War with all graphical settings maxed out and without a single hiccup has been delightful. Even more revelatory has been revisiting games like Control and finally being able to experience them with ray tracing. Sometimes I think we get so caught up trying to pull off the perfect purchase that we don’t buy the product that would serve our needs well right now. I’m glad I didn’t fall into that trap.

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Apple’s Far Out iPhone event: rumors, news, announcements and more - The Verge

Another Apple event is here, and we’re expecting a bunch of big announcements. On Wednesday, September 7th, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET, Apple will be holding both a virtual and in-person event to introduce its latest iPhones, Apple Watches, and more.

The new iPhones are expected to include a Pro model with a new chip, a notch-less screen, an auto-focus selfie camera, and also a higher price, while the lower-end iPhone 14 might come in a new larger size. A new Apple Watch Series 8 will potentially be equipped with a sensor that lets it monitor body temperature, and Apple might introduce an updated Apple Watch SE and a long-awaited rugged Apple Watch model that could withstand harsh environments. On the flip side, we might finally be saying goodbye to the aging Apple Watch Series 3. It’s possible an updated AirPods Pro model is in the cards, too.

As for new iPads and Macs, we’ll likely have to wait until later this year. We’re eventually expecting to see a new entry-level iPad that ditches its headphone jack, plus a next-generation iPad Pro that comes in a larger size than the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro model. Updated MacBooks Pros should come later on, too.

Whatever Apple throws our way, The Verge will be here to cover it.

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The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones just got their first discount at Woot - The Verge

Our Tuesday deals begin with the first substantial discount we’ve seen on the Sony WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones. The original price for the XM5 headphones was $399.99, but Woot has discounted them to just $339.99. If you’re okay with settling for Woot’s 90-day limited warranty instead of the one-year warranty offered by Sony, this is definitely a deal worth looking into. While the XM5 headphones don’t offer any sweeping changes over the previous iteration, the XM4, they still include some of the best noise cancelation capabilities you’ll find in a pair of headphones, in addition to improved sound quality and better performance on voice calls. Read our review.

Hot on the heels of some of our Xbox Series S deals from last week, you can currently get the Xbox Series S for less than retail at eBay, courtesy of Antonline. It may not come bundled with any games, but right now, you can get the Series S for roughly $238 when you use the code LABORDAYSAVE at checkout. This is the best price we’ve seen for the standalone, digital-exclusive console that typically sells for $299.99. It may lack the disc drive of the Series X and play games at a lower resolution, but the Series S is still an excellent way for GamePass subscribers to access their titles in their living room. Read our review.

Moving on to phones, Amazon is currently having a promotion it labels “Android Days” with discounts on a number of excellent Android devices, some of which are on sale for their lowest price ever. Google’s excellent midrange option, the Pixel 6A, launched just a couple of months ago for $449.99 but is currently on sale for $369.99 in its black and green colorways. The 6A may lack the same high-refresh-rate screen found on its more expensive counterparts, but it keeps the same Google Tensor CPU and sports excellent battery life. Read our review.

Another excellent Android deal includes the unlocked model of the last-generation OnePlus 9, which is currently discounted to $379.99 at Amazon in its black and white colorways. Originally available for $729, the performance of the OnePlus 9 may pale in comparison to modern flagship phones, but its SnapDragon 888 CPU is still enough to outdo some contemporary midrange options. Some of the other specs you get at this accessible price point include a 6.55-inch 1080p OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera. If you’re not married to the Apple ecosystem and want to try an Android device outside of the realms of Samsung or Google, this deal on the OnePlus 9 is worth checking out. Read our review.

If you don’t mind the green colorway, you can currently pick up the 44mm LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 for $169.99 at Woot instead of its usual $329.99 price. While the Watch 4 is unfortunately restricted to the Samsung ecosystem of applications, it still manages to provide a well-rounded wearable experience for $170. The Watch 4 offers excellent performance and a robust suite of workout metrics that support tracking for 95 different types of exercise. Read our review.

All eyes may be on the recently announced Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2, but not everyone is willing to spend $155 on a pair of earbuds. Thankfully, Woot is currently featuring the standard Galaxy Buds 2, discounted to $74.99 from their original price of $149.99. The Buds 2 have remained one of our favorite pairs of noise-canceling earbuds, thanks to their excellent sound quality and noise-cancelation capabilities. If you’re willing to accept the 90-day limited warranty offered by Woot, this is an excellent offer for Samsung’s last-generation earbuds. Read our review.

Just a couple more deals for you...

• The Elgato Game Capture HD60S Plus is available at Best Buy for $139.99, its lowest price ever. It’s not a gadget for your typical gamer, but it’s an essential for any streamer or content creator who wants high-fidelity video from a console or external PC. Capable of capturing output from any 4K HDMI source at 60Hz, the capture card plugs into your console and operates as a throughput to a nearby PC with streaming software.
• An inexpensive wireless headset that nails the basics, the HyperX Cloud Core Wireless is currently discounted to $49.99 at Best Buy from its usual price of $99.99. The Cloud Core Wireless has a mostly aluminum frame with leatherette cushions on the headband and earcups. The headphones can operate for up to 20 hours on a single charge and feature DTS:X digital surround sound. While it does come packaged with a 2.4Ghz wireless dongle, the headset is, unfortunately, only compatible with PCs.

Correction August 30th, 2:17PM ET: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the WF-1000XM5 headphones were on sale. The correct name of the model being discounted is the Sony WH-1000XM5. We regret the error.

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Twitter Circle is now available to everyone - The Verge

Twitter Circle, a feature that lets you limit your tweets to a smaller audience, is now available to everyone. The platform first started testing the feature among “select people” in May ahead of a wider rollout.

Twitter Circle is a lot like Instagram’s “close friends” feature, which lets you share your posts with a smaller group of people. On Twitter, you can add up to 150 people to your Circle, whether they follow you or not. When you want to send out a tweet that you might not want the entire Twitterverse to see, you can choose to share it with your Circle instead.

You’ll see the option to share to your Circle when you open the tweet composer. Choose the dropdown menu at the top of the composer, and then hit Circle. You can choose who you want in your Circle by hitting the Edit button that appears next to the option. Users won’t receive a notification when you add or remove them from your Circle. But those included in your Circle will see a highlighted badge that reads, “Only people in @[username]’s Twitter Circle can see this tweet” beneath posts sent to your Circle.

The feature could help users gain a little more control over their privacy without making their accounts completely private. However, content shared with your Circle is still subject to the platform’s community guidelines, and it also doesn’t stop other users from screenshotting your posts.

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That 'clean' Google Translate app is actually Windows crypto-mining malware - The Register

Watch out: someone is spreading cryptocurrency-mining malware disguised as legitimate-looking applications, such as Google Translate, on free software download sites and through Google searches.

The cryptomining Trojan, known as Nitrokod, is typically disguised as a clean Windows app and works as the user expects for days or weeks before its hidden Monero-crafting code is executed.

It's said that the Turkish-speaking group behind Nitrokod – which has been active since 2019 and was detected by Check Point Research threat hunters at the end of July – may already have infected thousands of systems in 11 countries. What's interesting is that the apps provide a desktop version to services generally only found online.

"The malware is dropped from applications that are popular, but don't have an actual desktop version, such as Google Translate, keeping the malware versions in demand and exclusive," Check Point malware analyst Moshe Marelus wrote in a report Monday.

"The malware drops almost a month after the infection, and following other stages to drop files, making it very hard to analyze back to the initial stage."

Along with Google Translate, other software leveraged by Nitrokod include other translation applications – including Microsoft Translator Desktop – and MP3 downloader programs. On some sites, the malicious applications will boast about being "100% clean," though they are actually loaded with mining malware.

Nitrokod has been successful using download sites such as Softpedia to spread its naughty code. According to Softpedia, the Nitrokod Google Translator app has been downloaded more than 112,000 times since December 2019.

According to Check Point, the Nitrokod programmers are patient, taking a long time and multiple steps to cover up the malware's presence inside an infected PC before installing aggressive cryptomining code. Such lengthy, multi-stage infection efforts allowed the campaign to run undetected by cybersecurity experts for years before finally being discovered.

"Most of their developed programs are easily built from the official web pages using a Chromium-based framework," he wrote. "For example, the Google translate desktop application is converted from the Google Translate web page using the CEF [Chromium Embedded Framework] project. This gives the attackers the ability to spread functional programs without having to develop them."

After the booby-trapped program is downloaded and the user launches the software, an actual Google Translate app, built as described above using Chromium, is installed and runs as expected. At the same time, quietly in the background the software fetches and saves a series of executables that eventually schedule one particular .exe to run every day once unpacked. This extracts another executable that connects to a remote command-and-control server, fetches configuration settings for the Monero miner code, and starts the mining process, with generated coins sent to miscreants' wallets. Some of the early-stage code will self destruct to cover its tracks.

"At this point, all related files and evidence are deleted and the next stage of the infection chain will continue after 15 days by the Windows utility schtasks.exe," Marelus wrote. "This way, the first stages of the campaign are separated from the ones that follow, making it very hard to trace the source of the infection chain and block the initial infected applications."

One stage also checks for known virtual-machine processes and security products, which might indicate the software is being analyzed by researchers. If one is found, the program will exit. If the program continues, it will add a firewall rule to allow incoming network connections.

Throughout the multiple stages, the attackers use password-protected RAR encrypted files to deliver the next stage to make them more difficult to detect.

Check Point researchers were able to study the cryptomining campaign through the vendor's Infinity extended detection and response (XDR) platform, Marelus claimed. ®

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Facebook is shutting down its game streaming app after struggling to challenge Amazon's Twitch - CNBC

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Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto via Getty Images

Facebook plans to close down its Facebook Gaming app, which lets users watch and play video games on-demand.

Starting Oct. 28, Facebook Gaming will no longer be available on iOS and Android, while gaming features will continue to be accessible via the main Facebook app.

"We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you for everything that you've done to build a thriving community for gamers and fans since this app first launched," the company said in an update on the Facebook Gaming app.

"This was truly a community-led effort to bring new gaming features to Facebook," it added.

"Despite this news, our mission to connect players, fans and creators with the games they love hasn't changed, and you'll still be able to find your games, streamers and groups when you visit Gaming in the Facebook app."

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Launched more than two years ago as the Covid-19 outbreak stoked a boom in both playing and watching video games, Facebook Gaming was once viewed as a potential threat to Twitch, the dominant player in that market.

Facebook, owned by the newly rebranded parent company Meta, has struggled to gain a foothold in the live game streaming market. According to a report from market research firm Streamlabs, in the second quarter of 2022 Facebook Gaming accounted for only 7.9% of the market share for amount of hours watched, behind Twitch (76.7%) and YouTube (15.4%).

Facebook isn't the first internet giant to have tried and failed at recreating the Twitch formula. In 2020, Microsoft shuttered its own streaming service, Mixer, after signing a multimillion dollar to have the famous Fortnite player Tyler "Ninja" Blevins stream on its service exclusively.

YouTube, Twitch's closest competitor, has found more success chipping away at Twitch's dominance. The company's YouTube Gaming division has managed to tempt away top talent from Twitch lately, including Ludwig Ahgren, Rachell Hofstetter and Timothy Betar — better known online under their respective aliases "Ludwig," "Valkyrae" and "TimTheTatman."

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AMD Announces B650 Extreme Chipset for Ryzen 7000: PCIe 5.0 For Mainstream - AnandTech

Over the last couple of months, the rumor mill surrounding AMD's impending Ryzen 7000 processors for desktops has been in overdrive. Although Lisa Su unveiled Zen 4 back at CES 2022, it's been anticipated that the new AM5 platform would include multiple chipsets, much like AM4 has over 500+ motherboard lifespan from X370, X470, X570, and every chipset in between.

AMD announced its X670E, X670, and B650 chipsets during the AMD Keynote at Computex 2022, and this evening, AMD has announced a fourth chipset for Ryzen 7000, the B650E chipset. The B650E chipset will run alongside the already announced B650 chipset, but as it's part of AMD's 'Extreme' series of chipsets, it will benefit from PCIe 5.0 lanes to at least one M.2 slot, as well as optional support for PCIe 5.0 to a PCIe graphics slot, features not available with standard B650 boards.

During AMD's Keynote at Computex 2022, AMD's CEO Lisa Su unveiled three AM5 chipsets designed to harness the power of its 5 nm Zen 4 cores within the Ryzen 7000 processors. We already knew the AM5 socket was based around a Lane Grid Array (LGA) socket with 1718 pins, aptly named LGA1718. Some of the significant benefits coming to AM5 include native PCIe 5.0 support from the CPU, not just for use with the PCIe slots, but also in the way of PCIe 5.0 storage, where the first consumer drives are expected to start rolling out in November 2022.

AMD's latest announcement of the B650E (Extreme) chipset gives motherboard vendors and users the option of a lower-cost platform but without sacrificing the longevity and expansion support of PCIe 5.0. The X670E chipset is reserved for its most premium models, such as the flagship ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Extreme motherboard, unveiled at Computex 2022.

AMD AM5 Chipset Comparison
Feature	X670E	X670	B650E	B650
CPU PCIe (PCIe)	5.0 (Mandatory) 2 x16 Slots	4.0 (5.0 Optional)	4.0 (5.0 Optional)	4.0 (5.0 Optional)
CPU PCIe (M.2 Slots)	At Least 1 PCIe 5.0 Slot			PCIe 4.0 (5.0 Optional)
Total CPU PCIe Lanes	24
SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2)	Up To 14
DDR5 Support	Quad Channel (128-bit bus) Speeds TBD
Wi-Fi 6E	Yes
Overclocking Support	Y	Y	Y	Y
Available	September 2022		October 2022

Using PCIe 5.0 lanes requires a more premium PCB, usually with more layers which allows the tracks to keep signal integrity, but this typically adds cost. The existence of the B650E chipset will enable vendors to use more expensive PCIe 5.0 laning with more modest controller sets, which allow vendors to offset the cost. Ideally, it gives users a broader and more future-proof platform to upgrade with, but without breaking the bank on unnecessary controller sets; users wanting the best controller sets should opt for X670 or X670E.

This ultimately means that AMD will have a mainstream platform that has PCIe 5.0 by default (B650E) and a lower-cost alternative with just PCIe 4.0 lanes to the PEG and M.2 slots. AMD is strongly prodding motherboard vendors to offer at least one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot for storage on most of their boards, as this is one of the main benefits of AMD's AM5 platform.

As announced by AMD during its together we advance_PCs event, the Ryzen 7000 processors for desktop will launch on September 27th, with both motherboards from the X670E and X670 chipsets. The motherboards featuring the B650E and B650 chipsets will be available to purchase at a later date in October.

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Some Pixel 6 users are reporting increased idle battery drain on Android 13 - Android Police

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1. Some Pixel 6 users are reporting increased idle battery drain on Android 13  Android Police
2. How to check Android 13’s new bootloader version on the Google Pixel 6 series for anti-rollback protection  XDA Developers
3. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Epic sale at Best Buy takes up to $400 off select MacBook Pros - Tom's Guide

Update August 29: As of 9:07 am ET the MacBook Pro sale is still live on Best Buy.

August is coming to a close, which means we're now seeing some epic Labor Day sales. One of the best sales this weekend is knocking up to $400 off Apple's MacBook Pros. 

For a limited time, Best Buy is taking up to $400 off select MacBook Pros (opens in new tab). Note: Although the website says up to $350 off, when you click through the "shop now" button you'll see some models — such as the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro — are $400 off. (For more deals at Best Buy, check out our guide to the top Best Buy coupon codes).

The MacBook Pro is hands down one of the most powerful laptops around. Whether you opt for the 14.2-inch or 16-inch model, you're getting one of the best laptops on the market.

In our Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch review, we were impressed with its blazing performance, gorgeous mini-LED display and the upgraded 1080p webcam. We were also fond of the fact that some of the best MacBook Pro features made a long-awaited comeback, some of which include the HDMI port, SD card slot and MagSafe.

We praised the refreshed Magic Keyboard, which not only makes typing more comfortable than ever, but also included function keys instead of the Touch Bar.

In our tests, the 14-inch MacBook Pro's battery life lasted just over 14 hours when used for general web surfing over Wi-Fi, which means it could easily get you through a whole day or a long flight.

If you want a bigger screen and more battery life, you'll want to opt for the 16-inch model. In our Macbook Pro 16-inch review, we squeezed over 15 hours on our test. Otherwise, both machines are nearly identical. 

Keep in mind that these MacBook deals tend to sell out fast. So don't sleep on this deal. Also, make sure to check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more sales on Apple kit. 

Shop today's best Apple sales

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Google Meet is stealing Zoom's trick to easily unmute - The Verge

As Google carries out the needlessly complex process of combining both the Meet and Duo apps, now it’s throwing a feature copied from Zoom in the mix. In an update on the Google Workspace blog, the company announced that Google Meet will soon give you the ability to unmute yourself by holding down the spacebar and to mute yourself again by releasing it.

If you frequently use Zoom, this feature might sound a lot like its push-to-talk feature — and that’s because it’s essentially the same thing. Zoom has had the feature since at least 2020, and it comes in handy whenever you want to chime in during a meeting but don’t want to stay unmuted for long.

Google says it'll start rolling out its own version of the shortcut to all Workspace users on September 9th, but it could take up to 15 days for you to see it. Once it arrives, it won’t be turned on by default, so you’ll have to enable it from Google Meet’s settings.

Confusingly, Google’s efforts to merge Duo and Meet have left us with the new Meet app (the one that combines both Duo and Meet), the old Meet (Original) app, and a Duo shortcut that leads to Meet. It’s truly something only Google could think up. That said, I’m pretty sure the new push-to-talk feature’s coming to the new Google Meet app, but it’s still not exactly clear whether it’s coming to the Meet (Original) app, as Google will eventually discontinue it. The Verge reached out to Google to see if it could clear things up but didn’t immediately hear back.

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SwitchBot Lock review: a smart lock with seven ways to unlock your door - The Verge

The $99 SwitchBot Lock is the first smart door lock I’ve tested that doesn’t replace any part of your existing lock. Instead, it attaches to the back of your door over the top of the thumb turn. This removes a major pain point of smart locks: an involved installation. But the SwitchBot Lock is really odd looking — my husband literally stopped in his tracks and said, “What is that thing?” I had a similar reaction when I first saw it and was wholly unconvinced this large piece of black plastic would have the power to unlock my deadbolt.

I was surprised to discover that the SwitchBot Lock moves that thumb turn just as well as I can, and it stayed firmly put during my two weeks of testing, despite being attached solely by double-sided sticky tape. (No word yet on long-term durability, but it looks promising so far).

The downsides are that it’s not very smart and it’s missing a few key features (haha). You also need around $70 worth of accessories to add smart home control and a keypad. This puts it closer in price to more elegant-looking solutions, such as the $230 August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which needs a bit more work to install but doesn’t leave you with a honking great piece of plastic on your door.

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The SwitchBot Lock is a retrofit Bluetooth-powered smart door lock that can lock and unlock your door using the SwitchBot app on a smartphone or Apple Watch. (It’s not Home Key compatible). It attaches to your door using 3M VHB tape and uses a small plastic grabber to hold on to and turn the lock’s thumb turn.

That grabber can turn anything. Videos in Amazon reviews show it even turning a key, making this an excellent solution for people with nontraditional door locks and multipoint locks who can’t get any other smart lock to work (see a list here). It’s cleverly engineered with shifting base plates that prevent the lock from twisting itself off while turning the lock.

This is SwitchBot’s thing: making regular devices smart. They have a little bot that presses your light switch for you and a robot that crawls along your curtain rod to open and close the curtains. This one is a robot hand for your door lock. It comes with three different-sized adapters, so you can find the right fit for your setup. The SwitchBot Lock doesn’t remove any function — you can still use your key, and you can still turn the deadbolt manually; it just adds the ability to use your phone or watch as your key.

There are a total of seven ways to control the door lock: your key, the smartphone / Apple Watch app, NFC tags using your phone, a key code using a keypad, a fingerprint reader, an NFC keycard, and smart home / voice control. That’s a lot of options — although only the first three work out of the box.

For the keycard, keypad, or fingerprint entry, you’ll need one of SwitchBot’s two Bluetooth keypads. These attach with double-sided tape (or screws if you prefer). I tested the fingerprint version, which costs $60, and it worked quickly and reliably.

The non-fingerprint version is only $30, but fingerprint access is my favorite way to use a smart door lock. The keypads also work with NFC keycards. (One is supplied and you can buy a three-pack for $15.) Although, if you have a keypad, I don’t see a need for a keycard, as you can dole out permanent, temporary, and one-time codes to anyone who needs access. Annoyingly, six digits is the minimum here, which is a lot of digits.

If you don’t go for the extra keypads, another unlock option is using the two NFC tags that come with the lock. You can pair those to your phone to lock or unlock the door with a tap of your phone. But you have to use two tags: one to lock and one to unlock. Sticking two white pieces of plastic on your door does not improve the overall look here, and if you have your phone out already, using the iOS or Android lock screen widget is almost as fast.

The SwitchBot does work with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Siri Shortcuts (but not HomeKit), so you can use voice commands to lock and unlock the door and add the lock into smart home Routines (Alexa and Google only).

But you need a $40 SwitchBot Hub Mini to connect the lock to Wi-Fi and make these integrations; the lock itself communicates over Bluetooth. You also need the hub to control the lock or check its status when you’re not at home using the SwitchBot app. The hub works with all of SwitchBot’s gadgets but needs to be installed near the lock.

Operating the SwitchBot with an Apple Watch over Bluetooth.

I installed the SwitchBot Lock on my back door, which is a main entryway to our house. It leads into our mudroom from our garage and gets a lot of foot traffic. The fingerprint reader and keypad made it easy for my children to use the lock — no need to download an app. Without those, though, there is not an easy way for a kid without a smartphone to access the door.

Specs for the SwitchBot Lock

• Dimensions: 4.39 inches x 2.32 inches x 2.88 inches
• Weight: 8.9oz
• Color: Black
• Lifespan: Up to 50,000 cycles 
• Power: Two 3V CR123A batteries
• Battery life: Six months locking and unlocking 10 times per day
• Communication: Bluetooth 5.0
• Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts, IFTTT, SmartThings
• Encryption: AES-128-CTR

I was also disappointed that the notifications when the door is unlocked didn’t show which code or fingerprint was used. This is a common feature on other smart locks and one I personally use to help keep track of my older kids’ comings and goings when I’m at work. I could check the log in the app to see who unlocked it, though.

Locking and unlocking are fast when controlling it with the keypad, but the phone app takes over five seconds to connect — very irritating if you’re standing in the rain. The Apple Watch connects more quickly, and if you didn’t have a keypad, is the easiest way to control the lock. All these interactions are over Bluetooth, so you must stand by the lock. To control it remotely with the app or voice control, you need the hub.

Bringing connected devices into your home also brings with it concerns about how the data they collect is protected. The Verge asks each company whose smart home products we review about safeguards it has in place for your data.

The primary data a smart door lock collects is when you lock/unlock the door and how (keypad, manually, with the app, etc.). When you install the SwitchBot app on your smartphone, you must give it access to Bluetooth, location, and notifications. The app says it will not track or store your location information.

SwitchBot says it uses various security technologies and procedures, including TLS encryption, to protect data. It says it retains data for as long as you use the product and/or as legally required to. Any personal data no longer needed is deleted at regular intervals.

SwitchBot says it does not sell your personal data and only shares it with other companies when you authorize that transfer (i.e. to connect to Amazon Alexa), as well as companies it hires for support or security services.

You can request SwitchBot to update, delete, or deactivate personal information and “opt-out” of having your personal information used for certain purposes.

Read the full privacy policy here.

Setup and installation were quick, under 5 minutes in all. This is one of the lock’s biggest selling points, but it also wasn’t entirely straightforward. There’s a bit of lining up to do to make sure the lock will turn before you tape it to the door, and you need to use a small screwdriver (supplied) to adjust the spacing of the lock. Cleverly, it attaches in any direction, vertically or horizontally, so you can fit it around your door handle. It also comes with a magnet to sense when the door is open or closed, although I could still lock it remotely while it was wide open without any alert or notification.

The SwitchBot app is basic. There’s no way to create schedules to lock or unlock the door at a set time of day, and the auto-lock feature was very spotty. It only worked with both the “Lock after a set period of time” and the “Re-lock if the door has been unlocked but not opened” toggles on, and even then, it was unreliable. This seems like a software bug that may get fixed. But it did mean I had to get my phone out to lock the door (there are iOS and Android lock screen widgets to make this quicker), use the Apple Watch app, or use my key. When I added the keypad, though, I could hit a button to lock it.

There are some useful notification options, including when the door is locked, if the door has been left unlocked, and if it’s been left ajar after a certain amount of time. Notifications require the hub to work, and really, they should just sell this with the hub. It definitely makes it a better smart lock. With the hub, I could connect to Alexa and add the lock to an Alexa Routine that automatically locked it every night at sunset.

The SwitchBot Lock a good option for renters who can’t change their door lock at all or for those who can’t or won’t remove any part of their existing deadbolt. It does need to stick to the doorframe using a heavy-duty adhesive, which will likely take some paint with it if you ever remove it. Similar retrofit options from August, Wyze, and Bosma require removing the rear deadbolt, and they all cost over $100.

But its smart features are limited to controlling the lock locally with your phone, Apple Watch, or existing key. When you add in the Wi-Fi hub, you get away-from-home control and more useful smart home integrations, but only with Google Home and Alexa; there’s no HomeKit support and limited IFTTT integration. (The lock is only a trigger, not an action.)

If you also add in the keypad — especially the fingerprint one — this becomes a much more useful proposition, but then you’re knocking on $170, closer to the price of less ugly options with better smarts that don’t require all this extra equipment (but do require removing some or all of your door lock). These include the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock plus Keypad and the Eufy Smart Lock Touch with Wi-Fi (fingerprint reader and keypad in one but a full lock replacement).

The biggest benefit of this lock is its versatility. You can even use two on one door to deal with multipoint locking. Its ability to grab pretty much any type of locking mechanism, including a key, means it may be the only smart solution that works for your door.

Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Agree to continue: SwitchBot Lock

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

To set up the SwitchBot lock, you must download and sign in to the SwitchBot app. You can use Apple, Google, or Amazon sign in or create a SwitchBot account. If you choose to create an account, you agree to SwitchBot’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Finally tally, two optional agreements.

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SwitchBot Lock review: a smart lock with seven ways to unlock your door - The Verge
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