If you’re just now placing an order for a phone in the iPhone 13 range then you might have to wait a while for it to be delivered, as Apple’s online store is providing delivery estimates of up to five weeks from now. This has been the case for a while, but there's no sign of the delays easing, and we now have an idea of what's causing them.
In the UK, delivery estimates for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini seem to range between October 13 and November 1, depending on the configuration you choose, with the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max providing a window of November 1 to November 8.
In Australia meanwhile it’s 7-10 business days for the iPhone 13 mini, 2-3 weeks for the iPhone 13, and 4-5 weeks for the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max.
So why the long waits? Beyond the obviously high demand for the phones, Nikkei Asia reports that a Covid-19 surge in Vietnam is causing issues, as the camera modules are assembled there.
It’s not clear when this issue will be resolved, so there could be delays for a while. In other words then, if you want an iPhone 13 model anytime soon you should probably get your order in as soon as possible – but if you want one of the Pro handsets then you’ll probably have quite a long wait on your hands regardless.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max is seemingly in high demand(Image credit: TechRadar)
Analysis: the Pros seem popular while the mini might struggle
Based on the delivery estimates above, it seems that demand for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max is probably higher than for the standard iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 mini.
We can’t say that for sure, since it’s possible Apple simply had fewer Pro units ready to go, or that the supply chain issues are for whatever reason affecting the Pro models more, but the longer wait for them certainly suggests they’re in high demand.
Conversely, the iPhone 13 mini doesn’t look like such a big seller, since the wait for that is in some cases even less than for the standard iPhone 13.
This isn’t a huge surprise – the iPhone 13 mini reportedly didn’t sell super well, and Apple is rumored to not be making an iPhone 14 mini as a result. But given that, it’s likely the company didn’t build as many units of the iPhone 13 mini in the first place, and yet it’s still easier to get hold of than the other models.
Meanwhile, the high prices of the Pro models seemingly aren’t putting buyers off, with Apple’s top-tier handsets proving hardest to get hold of.
YouTube has announced that harmful content regarding vaccine misinformation will be removed from the video-sharing platform and that the accounts of anti-vaccine influencers will be terminated.
This isn't the first time that YouTube has tightened its policies regarding the spread of misinformation, having previously announced partnerships with various health organizations to create medical videos for its platform, and introducing a ban on videos regarding Covid vaccinations that contradict the WHO (World Health Organization) in October last year.
As reported by the BBC, it should be noted that this latest policy extends to all vaccinations and not just those relating to Covid-19, with YouTube clarifying in a blog post that it had seen "spill over into misinformation about vaccines in general", which means long-standing anti-vaccine activists will be removed from the platform.
"We're expanding our medical misinformation policies on YouTube with new guidelines on currently administered vaccines that are approved and confirmed to be safe and effective by local health authorities and the WHO."
Prior to the appearance of Covid-19, a widely debunked study on the MMR vaccination in 1998 caused widespread vaccine hesitancy after it was falsely linked to autism diagnosis in children. Despite the doctor responsible for the fraudulent research paper being struck from the medical register, the impact and publicity surrounding it has been credited for causing a sharp decline in vaccination uptake, resulting in outbreaks of measles around the world.
Matt Halprin, the global head of trust and safety at YouTube specifically gave the MMR vaccine as an example of content that will be targeted, saying: “There is still a lot of challenges around MMR and people arguing whether that causes autism. And as we know, the science is very stable that vaccines do not cause autism."
After YouTube first introduced a ban on Covid-specific vaccine misinformation videos, around 130,000 pieces of content were removed from the platform, with Google (YouTube's parent company) removing a total of one million videos containing misinformation since the pandemic started almost two years ago.
Apparently there are fresh pricing difficulties with PC components – and it’s apparently to do with the supply of copper foil which is used in printed circuit boards (PCBs).
As Tom’s Hardware spotted, there is a DigiTimes report which points out that prices are heading upwards – indeed, ‘surging’ – for copper and copper-clad laminates (CCLs) which are used in the production of the aforementioned PCBs.
This is due to the rising price of copper, and more specifically, the spiking price of copper foil which has gone up by some 35% or so since the end of 2020. CCLs are produced using this foil (on both sides), and so those price hikes – plus increased costs associated with higher transportation costs, and more overall demand for PCBs across the tech industry (a lot of the stuff is used in lithium batteries) – are leading to copper foil getting more expensive quite quickly.
When it comes to PC components, graphics cards and motherboards in particular are in the firing line here because they use larger PCBs (motherboards especially are big hulking things, of course) and more layers (CCLs), and therefore more copper foil. High-end motherboards can use eight layers or more, as Tom’s points out, so it’s easy to see how small cost increases in copper foil can mount up.
Analysis: What kind of impact might these supply issues have?
In the bigger picture, premium motherboards may not be likely to see any price hikes for the consumer simply because they are expensive pieces of equipment already, with large profit margins built-in (which is typical of any high-end kit, of course).
So those big margins can easily enough absorb what are relatively small cost increases in procuring copper foil, with no need for manufacturers to tap the consumer for any extra cash. In theory, anyway – but there’s no guarantee that product makers won’t pass any increases on in this tougher economic climate, especially if the aforementioned demand and transport problems start to really make themselves felt in components where a lot of CCLs are used.
When it comes to lower-end and more budget-oriented products, where margins are much slimmer, these thorny issues around copper foil could impact production costs more severely – with there likely being little choice but to pass this pain on to the consumer.
We don’t need any more gloomy news on the supply front in the PC world, of course, but who knows – any price impact may be minimal. Only time will tell, but as we mentioned at the outset, the last thing we need is yet more upward movement on component prices.
Now that Canon has finally launched its Canon EOS R3 powerhouse, it seems the camera giant may now be taking pity on our bank accounts and switching its attention to the more affordable RF cameras – including the long-awaited Canon EOS R7.
The ever-reliable Nokishita has spotted that two new unreleased cameras have been registered with what appear to be Russian certification bodies. This doesn't usually point to an imminent launch, but suggests that the products are in the pipeline for 2022.
The certifications sadly don't contain any specific info like Wi-Fi radios that could hint at what kind of cameras Canon has in store, but separate speculation from Canon Rumors has given more credence to the idea that APS-C RF bodies are en route.
Canon Rumors says that it's "now been told by a good source that Canon will definitely be bringing an APS-C RF mount camera equipped with a backside-illuminated sensor in the second half of 2022".
This APS-C sensor, which is expected to have a resolution between 28MP-32MP, will apparently be backside-illuminated and "appear in more than one camera". It's not clear whether or not these rumors are linked to the registrations spotted by Nokishita, but given those two leaked models have similar product codes ('DS126841' and 'DS126842') it certainly seems a possibility.
The arrival of a Canon RF camera, like the rumored Canon EOS R7, would be significant for two reasons. Firstly, all current RF bodies have larger full-frame sensors, which means they're aimed at advanced shooters. Cameras with APS-C sensors are generally more affordable and designed for hobbyists. And secondly, it would mean the end of Canon's current EOS-M system, which have an older EF-M mount that was spun off from its DSLRs.
Back in June, we saw rumors that Canon is preparing to launch as many as three RF cameras with APS-C sensors, including the Canon EOS R7, a vlogger-friendly version called the Canon EOS R8, and an entry-level body called the Canon EOS R9. If true, it might be a while until we see all of those arrive, but these latest scraps of evidence do suggest that 2022 could be the year of more affordable Canon RF cameras.
Analysis: Evidence grows Canon RF cameras with APS-C sensors
(Image credit: Future)
There has been no official confirmation that Canon is working on RF-mount cameras with APS-C sensor, but the evidence is certainly growing that this could be the case.
Firstly, Canon Rumors has a pretty good track record with information that comes from its "known sources", and it's been pretty unequivocal that Canon will "definitely" be launching an APS-C RF mount camera next year.
But there has also recently been a lot of indirect evidence pointing towards the same conclusion. Canon recently launched two affordable RF-mount lenses and was keen to stress that one of them, the Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM ($299 / £319 / AU$549), converts to a very useful 25.6mm focal length when used in APS-C crop mode.
The launch of the disappointing Canon EOS M50 Mark II back in October 2020 also appeared to signal that Canon was shifting its focus away from its EOS M line (which also have APS-C sensors). That camera was a barely reheated version of its predecessor, and felt very much like a placeholder while Canon concentrated on its newer RF mount.
In the past couple of years, Canon has focused on making its RF bodies and lenses a comfortable home for professionals, particularly those looking to switch from older DSLRs. But while the hobbyist camera market has shrunk in recent years, photographers and vloggers would certainly be keen to see more affordable mirrorless options from the camera giant.
The only question is exactly how soon RF-mount cameras with APS-C sensors will arrive. The two registered cameras spotted by Nokishita are prime candidates for the launches that Canon Rumors has predicted for January 2022 and March/April 2022, but the first APS-C RF camera isn't expected until the second half of 2022. Either way, it could be worth the wait for those who've been waiting for sub-$1,000/£1,000 Canon RF cameras.
A new report finds that some of the country’s most powerful utilities raked in millions of dollars in taxpayer bailout funds last year—while continuing to shut off service for households across the U.S. during the pandemic.
When your aging laptop or desktop computer is slowing to a crawl to get through day-to-day tasks, you don’t necessarily have to recycle it or hand it off to someone else. Your old machine can be turned into a media streaming device in its retirement, taking it easy as it serves up videos, music, photos, and more to…
The drama, litigation and tweets continue between Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and all those space-faring companies. As reported by CNET, Musk told Code conference attendees Bezos should put more effort into "getting into orbit than lawsuits," and that you couldn't "sue your way to the Moon" as Blue Origin allegedly tried when it lost its lunar lander bid.
NASA legal documents have revealed the space agency felt Blue Origin "gambled" with its originally proposed $5.9 billion lunar lander price. Bezos' company allegedly set the price far higher than necessary, expecting (hoping?) NASA to award the contract and negotiate a lower cost. Further, it assumed NASA would get the full funding from Congress needed for that initial price. That didn’t happen.
Blue Origin’s VP Megan Mitchell told The Verge the company rejected NASA's views. She felt it made a "great offer" and that it disagreed with how NASA had framed its bid.
An Amazon representative also got in touch with Engadget to remind us that SpaceX has a "long track record" of suing the US government over contracts and other decisions. Yes, we’re aware.
In the end, SpaceX’s lower bid of $2.9 billion was picked by NASA, despite Blue Origin’s subsequent challenges and a last-minute $2 billion bid — almost a third of its original proposal.
Valentina Palladino puts the latest Fitbit through its paces. Don’t expect any major shakeups, but we do get a more modern fitness tracker. Not only is it thinner, lighter and less bulky than the Charge 4 but it now has some features previously reserved for Fitbit’s full-fledged smartwatches, the Versa and Sense. At $180, you will pay a premium for those updates.
Disney vowed The Book of Boba Fett would premiere this December, and it's making good on its promise — barely. It’s revealed the Mandalorian spin-off will debut December 29th on Disney+, replete with a little bit of teaser art you can see above. We’d explain more, but spoilers abound. For everyone already caught up with The Mandalorian, click on.
If you were following along with all the Amazon product announcements yesterday, you might have experienced a dose of tech deja vu. Cherlynn Low felt exactly that. With products that borrowed heavily from the likes of Fitbit, Nest (both Google properties now), as she put it, Amazon's biggest innovation increasingly seems to be: being cheap. Aside from that robot.
The company also revealed $250 ANC headphones promising 30-hour battery life.
Sony's flagship noise-canceling headphones and tech-filled true wireless earbuds have both been updated for 2021. Now, the company's more affordable options are getting the same treatment. With the WF-C500, you can pick up a solid set of true wireless earbuds capable of handling immersive 360 Reality Audio for $100. And if over-ear noise-canceling headphones are more your vibe, the WF-XB910N pairs ANC (active noise cancellation) with 30-hour battery life for $250.
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A useful analogy for the process of getting your website online comes from the kitchen. You can get food either by cooking it using fresh ingredients (web hosting) or ready meals (website builder) - essentially building your own website. There’s also a third way and that’s to get someone else to do it for you.
This is where web design agencies, colloquially called website designer services come into play; after all, if you’re busy focusing on your core business already, then managing your online presence beyond your website is likely to require far more than a couple of minutes a day.
Then there’s the risk of getting things horribly wrong: from SEO to monitoring your website health, to setting up DDoS protection and CDN, there’s a lot to learn and take in. Understandably, not easy if your day-to-day job is baking cakes, wedding photography or writing novels.
Just like antivirus, as a term, has evolved to cover more than just detecting and removing viruses, web design services now provide far more than just templates for your branded website. Many are what in the jargon known as “full service agency”, one-stop-shops that often charge a recurring fee on top of an initial one to be your outsourced online virtual assistant.
How did we choose the best web design services?
There are literally tens of thousands of agencies out there, across all time zones and for all budgets. Reviewing them individually would be impossible because each client brief is different, yielding potentially millions of permutations.
So how can you know which ones you’d trust with your online presence? We have researched the market for hours using our expertise and narrowed down the top website designer services from the most recognized and trusted brands in the market.
It turns out that all major web hosting and website builders companies offer a white glove service and given their clout, they should be your first port of call as they own the entire stack including the servers that will host your website, something that smaller boutique web designer companies can’t afford.
These are the best website design services of 2021
Web.com wants to take the hassle of building, maintaining and marketing your website out of your hands to allow you to concentrate on running your business. Running on WordPress, it offers a flexible platform which should be enough for any budding startups and small businesses; you have to fork out an upfront fee with no additional recurrent fees. Most importantly perhaps, you also get a dedicated account manager, a single point of contact as well as live support.
Customers also have the option to plug add-on features like a gallery, a rotating banner or an online store, one that allows you to list up to 50 products. We would have loved to get more details about the plan(s) on the page instead.
How long does it take? How many revisions are allowed? Any special features offered (e.g. online form, social media integration). Web.com’s customer service is only a call away to answer all your burning questions so maybe that’s all part of the strategy from the onset.
Once you get your website off the ground but want to move to the next level, who do you call? Well, Bluehost’s professional services would be a good place to start. They’re ranked first on our best web hosting buyers guide and to say that they are knowledgeable at what they do would be a serious understatement.
This is essentially a fully-fledged website design consultancy that tries to cater for all scenarios (site migration, PPC marketing, website management, SEO, redesign etc) and as such, the pricing structure is not clear from the onset.
You will need to book a call with one of their experts to decide which professional services match your needs. Just be aware that the services carry a 6-month commitment with an early cancellation fee of $300 with an additional fee of the difference between the total fees already paid and $2,000. Note that the service has only been rolled out in six English-speaking countries with more to follow.
One of the biggest independent web hosting services around, Inmotion Hosting, promises to get you a fully functional, one page website in 48 hours for just $249, a one-time cost.
The aptly-named QuickStarter has a simple four step process; buy the package, fill a form after having spoken to someone over the phone, check whether all the information is ready on the live QuickStarter website and presto! There you go.
The superfast turnaround is due to the fact that it is built on WordPress, which means that by default, it is mobile-friendly. The basic package doesn’t offer the option of adding additional pages or consultation; you will have to fork out an extra $100 for this. QuickStarter Plus also offers Instagram-powered galleries, interactive Google Map, automatic site backups and discounted hourly services ($99/hour) to update your website if you are not confident enough to do it yourself.
From one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world, Ionos, comes MyWebsite Design Service which clearly targets novices with a bit more ambition than just a one-pager. This web design service has three tiers with a fixed $199 setup fee that takes care of building the actual website and a free domain name. You can have up to seven custom pages - built after a design consultation period - but no option to buy more.
Note MyWebsite has a minimum contract term of 12 months at the end of which, you can keep your site without the design service for a small fee. Its top tier is probably the best value for money as it offers unlimited website edits (apparently without strings attached) and up to two hours worth of “HTML/CSS code adjustments”, a feature that will likely leave many quizzical.
We love the fact that Ionos includes automated security checks and automatic translation in over 60 languages by default although we’d have loved to have a more complete list of features they include (like a form builder or gallery).
The largest web hosting company out there, Godaddy, offers a website design service that looks to strike the right balance between simplicity and versatility, with a particular focus on e-commerce hosting.
As for other rivals, Godaddy website design service offers consultation and a mobile-responsive site. Its plans however offer up to 10 pages and extra functionality such as scheduling, online booking plus appointments and professionally written content.
The four plans that Godaddy offers are divided into two categories - websites and web stores - and use a blend of technology: WordPress + Woocommerce, Godaddy’s proprietary Websites + Marketing platform and others. All plans offer one round of revisions and a free domain plus Microsoft 365 email for one year. Just be cognizant that the process does take time, between 28 and 42 days according to Godaddy and note that there is a one-time fee for the initial fee and then an annual hosting fee.
At its core, a web design service will deliver a website design that matches your expectations. In other words, you will find yourself with a set of image files that espouse your brand philosophy.
From there, you can either opt to look for someone else to actually build your website or check whether the web design agency offers web building services, if they haven’t already offered this option.
What are the other options out there?
You could use websites like Freelancer.com or Fiverr.com (or any of the sites in our best freelancer website guide) in order to get your website running but that would require time, dedication, management and follow-ups plus having to deal with a third party through a platform.
Domain.com, Vistaprint, Web.com, Hostinger, Wix, Squarespace, Dreamhost, Hostpapa and WordPress all offer services to help businesses build their websites and augment their online presence; these services ranges from acting as a proxy via marketplaces, all the way to being an extension of a business with a dedicated team looking after your website.
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Extracting the juice from fruit and vegetables into a refreshing drink can be a great way of introducing more fresh produce into your diet. In particular, if you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy eating a wide array of different varieties, juicing can ensure you still get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
One of the best juicers is a must-have if you’re looking to introduce more juices into your diet, which can also be a great way to consume two or more fruits and three or more vegetables a day - a recommendation from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that only 8% of adults in the US are achieving, according to America’s Health Rankings.
Store bought juice usually comes in plastic containers and if you’ve got an abundant local supply of fresh fruits and vegetables it makes sense to ditch the wasteful plastic packaging and make your own instead. It might be more convenient to buy juice at the store but these juices are often pasteurized which can damage vitamins and minerals plus some have added sugar. If you’re partial to fruit juice you’ll get the best nutritional value from freshly extracted juices.
There are two main types of juicer available, centrifugal juicers and cold press juicers which are also known as slow juicers or masticating juicers. Juicers perform one simple function: extracting the juice from fruits and vegetables, so you’d be forgiven for thinking the two types work in the same way and produce pretty much the same results. But this is not the case, and which type you end up buying will depend on what you’re most likely to juice as well as your budget.
Read on to find out just how centrifugal juicers differ from cold press juicers, or if you want to get your hands on one of the best juicers right now, check out these great deals for some of the best prices on the market.
Centrifugal juicers vs cold press juicers
Centrifugal juicers utilize sharp rotating blades that chop up the fruit and vegetables. The pieces are then spun at high speed which forces them against a strainer and it’s this centrifugal force that separates the juice from the pulp and gives these juicers their name.
Cold press juicers use a component part called an auger to grind and chew up the fruit and vegetables and then push the mixture through a strainer to separate the juice from the pulp. It’s a slower process, hence why they are also known as slow juicers and the auger grinds the fruit and vegetables in a way that’s similar to chewing which is why they are sometimes referred to as masticating juicers.
The main thing that pulls most people towards centrifugal juicers is the cost. They’re much less expensive than cold press juicers, which is a big draw if you’re new to juicing or if you’re on a budget. Cold press juicers on the other hand are quite an investment, with some costing in excess of $500/ £500 which means they’re usually favored by serious juice lovers as it can be difficult to justify that price tag if you’re a newbie juicer.
You might be thinking that there can’t possibly be enough of a difference to warrant such a huge price variation, and in our reviews of the best juicers we have found that for some fruits and vegetables juice yields are similar regardless of which type of juicer you’re using. But, if you’re a fan of kale shots or you want to juice any leafy greens for that matter, you’ll need a cold press juicer.
Centrifugal juicers don’t cope well with leafy greens and much of it ends up as waste, but cold press juicers are much more effective at extracting juice from leaves like kale and spinach or even herbs like parsley. The same can be said for berries like strawberries and raspberries, you’ll get much better juice yields for these in a cold press juicer.
The spinning action of a centrifugal juicer means that they usually produce juice with quite a lot of froth on top whereas slow juicers are much better at producing froth-free juices. Whether or not a juicer produces completely clear and pulp-free juice will depend on the individual juicer so if that’s your priority it’s worth reading our juicer reviews.
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Which type of juicer should I buy?
If you’re new to juicing and not sure how often you’ll use a juicer or whether juicing might be a faze that you get bored of, then go for a centrifugal juicer. It’ll cost less so if you decide juicing isn’t for you then you haven’t wasted too much money and you can always upgrade at a later date if you develop a love for juicing.
If you’re already a big juice fan and you’re looking to upgrade from buying drinks at the local juice bar, or you want to create your own kale shots, then you should definitely invest in a cold press juicer. This serious appliance will allow you to juice your way through a mountain of fruit and vegetables with minimal waste.
Want to make your fries healthy? Then check out these great air fryer deals
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You’ll have seen the term QLED used to describe a lot of new TVs at the moment, but what does it mean? And, importantly, do you need a QLED TV?
Simply put, QLED stands for quantum dot light-emitting diode. In non-techie speak, that means a QLED TV is similar to a regular LED TV, but the difference is it has a quantum dot layer built-in. This layer is important because it’s what enhances the things you see on your screen, like the colors and brightness of images.
We don’t recommend that you learn what every TV tech term means from here on out. But QLED is important because you’ll come across it again and again in bricks and mortar TV stores, as well as in online retailers. It’s also useful to understand if you’re in the market for a new TV – especially if you’re considering a new Samsung TV.
QLED isn’t a miraculous new kind of TV tech. It’s a type of LCD panel technology and the quantum dot layer within the panel sets it apart from the rest. That’s the bit we’re most excited about. Although it’s important to remember if you’re weighing up a few options that it’s fundamentally a difference of degree, rather than kind, from most other TVs you can buy today.
Although the term may look similar to OLED, it’s not the same – we have a OLED vs QLED guide that explains the difference between the two so you can work out which one is the right choice for you.
One of the most important points about QLED is it’s a panel technology that’s used (almost) exclusively for the best Samsung TVs. Confusingly, you might find some TVs with the QLED label from other TV brands – but not many of them. This includes TCL and Hisense, but most are sold by Samsung.
You’ll find this QLED panel tech packed into some of Samsung’s latest and greatest 8K TVs, too, including the Samsung Q800T and the Q950TS. However, most of the QLEDs available on the market today are still 4K TVs.
That's the quick definition of what QLED is and where you can find it. Read on to find out everything else you need to know about QLED technology, including how it works, whether this new kind of display tech can truly upgrade your entertainment experience, and, the important bit, whether it’s worth investing in a QLED TV right now. We know it can be hard to spot TV tech advances unless you’re looking for them, but hopefully this guide should help you understand the basics.
QLED quantum dot FAQ
What is QLED? A TV panel technology used in Samsung TVs.
Is QLED or OLED better? Depends who you ask. Check out this QLED vs OLED guide for more detail.
Is QLED better than 4K? All QLED panels have a minimum 4K resolution – while some are even 8K.
Are QLED TVs expensive? Some of them certainly are – though there are mid-range models that won't break the bank, too.
Is QLED really worth it? It's a step up from Samsung's regular Ultra HD TVs, that's for sure – with incredible bright screens and strong upscaling ability. Everything else you need to know is in the rest of the guide below.
What is 'Neo QLED'? Samsung's 2021 TV range introduces the term Neo QLED, which represents substantive changes to its QLED range, including Mini LED backlights for improved brightness control.
QLED is an acronym that means quantum dot light-emitting diode. This isn't to be confused with OLED, which refers to an organic light-emitting diode, and is a competing display technology that we won't go into detail on here.
But wait, what is a quantum dot light-emitting diode – or QLED – display? And how does it compare to a regular LCD television?
QLED is, for the most part, a Samsung concept that's basically the latest set of enhancements to the same quantum dot technology that the company has been working on for the past few years.
To get technical – and add some confusion – Samsung's range of QLED TVs are not QLED at all. Well, at least not in the way that we understand the term. A 'proper' quantum light-emitting diode element emits its own light – the clue is in the name.
However, Samsung's latest TVs use a separate LCD backlight (often an edge-lit backlight, at that) just like any other LED-LCD TV. So the QLED moniker is more about branding than a truly 'quantum leap' for TV panel technology.
But there's still a lot to get excited about here. QLED TVs do use a metallic quantum dot filter to enhance both the color and contrast of the screen. What this means is the capabilities of HDR and 4K images are significantly boosted compared to other non-quantum dot LCD-LEDs.
QLED TV models also include Samsung's Bixby virtual assistant, as well as an Ambient Mode, which helps them blend into their surroundings a little better.
The Direct Full Array backlight used in Samsung QLED TVs(Image credit: Samsung)
What about 'Neo QLED'?
In 2021 Samsung changed its QLED branding to 'Neo QLED', to represent substantive changes to its QLED range. The main difference is the introduction of a MiniLED backlight, packing in ten times the usual amount of LEDs for ramped up brightness, wider viewing angles, and reduced blooming – ensuring light is directed only where it's meant to be.
The result? 100% color volume of DCI-P3, plus better local dimming.
When asked about which specs would make the transition to Neo QLED, Dan Schinasi Director of Product Planning at Samsung said “Yes to HDMI 2.1. Yes to 4K at 120Hz. Yes to VRR. Yes to FreeSync Premium … Yes to everything.”
A new report from Korea IT News (via CNET) claims that Samsung could make the move to OLED – or at least a kind of OLED – as soon as next year. Does this mean the brand is doing away with QLED? Not exactly.
The report builds on years of rumors that Samsung was developing a 'QD-OLED' hybrid screen, which would combine an OLED TV panel with the quantum dot technology underpinning Samsung's popular QLED range.
QD-OLED is said to use a self-emissive OLED panel to emit blue light, as well as a quantum dot filter to convert this light into other colors – bypassing the need for a backlight, because the OLED panel acts as its own light sources, but still utilising QLED tech to enhance contrast. The exact effect, or level of picture quality, though, is yet to be seen, but it's expected to allow for higher brightness and even wider color gamuts compared to traditional OLED.
There are no official models or public timelines for Samsung debuting the technology, but the report matches up with what market analysts said last year – with Omdia predicting that mass production for Samsung's QD-OLED sets would start in late 2021, for a 2022 release.
(Image credit: Samsung)
How does a QLED TV work?
All QLED TVs have a quantum dot filter. This is a film of tiny crystal semi-conductor particles that can be precisely controlled for their color output. They replace the red, green and blue color filters that are usually used in old TVs.
This filter now also uses an aluminum compound to help make the dots more efficient (and therefore brighter) and more effective at passing light through, which creates wider and more accurate color.
Samsung says that its QLED TVs use the new filters to display 100% coverage of the DCI/P3 color space (read: much deeper black levels and sparkling HDR), and maintain that performance whatever the brightness.
In fact, they're so bright that Samsung's QLED TVs can manage up to 4000 nits peak brightness on its most premium sets. Considering 1000 nits is needed to produce HDR, that's very bright, and far above the sub-1000 nit levels found on OLED TVs.
New advances in pixel panel structure also means that 2019 models and later are far better for off-axis viewing. For a living room environment, that could be QLED's big selling point.
TCL's in on the QLED action as well(Image credit: TCL)
QLED vs LED
Beyond the 'paradigm shift' hyperbole of Samsung's marketing, it's really important to understand that QLED isn't really anything new at all. In fact, it's really nothing more than the latest – possibly among the last technically possible – tweaks to existing LED-LCD technology that's dominated big screen TVs for the last decade.
QLED's innovations – deeper blacks, better colors and wider viewing angles – tackle three traditional problems of LED and LCD technology, but they're the same problems that are addressed year in, year out by TV makers. Only upcoming reviews will reveal if, in fact, QLED is a significant step forward from traditional LED-LCD screens – but chances are good that we'll see some real improvements in these areas with Samsung's new sets.
Can QLED take on OLED?
Perhaps a more important comparison is QLED vs OLED. The latter uses pixels that emit their own light, but OLED displays are manufactured only by Samsung's arch-rival LG, and now used by Sony, Philips and Panasonic, too.
There's no doubt that QLED, for now, has an advantage in terms of brightness (so in theory may better handle HDR content – though might just as easily overcook it), but if you're looking for a 'paradigm shift' in picture quality and the next-gen display technology, OLED is still the frontrunner. The latter uses individually lit pixels to achieve better contrast ratio and richer blacks that LED-LCD will never be able to hit, quantum dot filter or no. You can see the best of the bunch in our best OLED TVs roundup too.
Samsung's new Neo QLED range could balance the scales a bit, with improved brightness control and viewing angles, but we'll have to wait until we've tested the sets thoroughly to say for sure.
You can count on QLED sets to get Samsung's Tizen operating system too(Image credit: Samsung)
What happened to SUHD?
QLED and SUHD are essentially the same thing; the new messaging is more about marketing than technology, although the jump from 1000 nits on the top-end SUHD TVs to 1,500 to 2,000 nits on the flagship QLED TVs – back in 2017, when Samsung started using the term – is perhaps more revolutionary than it seems at first.
Put simply, for a buying public still getting to grips with what UHD is, SUHD just proved too confusing, so Samsung has dropped it. (It also probably didn't help that the 'S' in SUHD didn't really mean anything... although we're not convinced that QLED is much clearer.)
QLED price: how much does it cost?
Unlike OLED, which has a starting price of around $1,300 / £1,300 for its cheapest models, QLED caters to a host of price points, starting with the very cheap Q60T series.
The Q60T currently retails at just $540 / £540 for its smallest 43-inch size. Above that, you have the Q70T, Q80T, Q90T, and Q95T – with progressively higher price points for each increase in specification. Above that, of course, you have 8K models, with the UK-only Q700T starting at just £1,999, and the Q800TS, Q900TS, and Q950TS sitting above that. At the very top, you can buy the largest 82-inch / 85-inch sizes of the Q950TS for $12,999 / £11,999 respectively.
Best 4K TV: the Ultra HD TVs worth buying this year
How long do QLED TVs last?
Samsung itself has given a likely time frame for its QLED televisions, saying that you can expect a QLED TV to last you roughly 7-10 years before you start to see some sort of visual degradation – while stressing that that includes the heavier use expected from smart TVs these days.
In this blog post, Samsung says that "On average, based on typical use, consumers should expect their TV’s picture quality to remain roughly the same for anywhere from seven to ten years.
"What’s interesting to note is that the definition of that term – ‘typical use’ – has expanded in recent years with the rise of binge-watching video and the development of exciting ‘smart TV’ functionalities. Now, on a typical day, we may switch on the TV to watch the latest episode of a favorite show, start a gaming session with friends, or manage our home’s IoT appliances."
QLED TVs often throw in other premium features too, like 8K resolution(Image credit: Samsung)
Should I buy a QLED TV?
Samsung's QLED TVs are claimed to be all about the brightest possible, most accurate coloured images pictures, which therefore work with all kinds of content in all kinds of lighting conditions.
To an extent, those claims are true. The developments Samsung has made in recent years in improving QLED panels have made for some incredible high-end televisions, such as last year's Samsung Q95T QLED. And Samsung's been sensible about using QLED as a by-word for premium hardware as well as brilliant picture quality.
That all seems a decent package for the living room, but whether you should buy a QLED TV will ultimately come down to price. You're still paying thousands for a good QLED television, and the longevity of QLED may lie in how successfully Samsung can bring the technology to more mid-sized budgets. For now though, QLED offers a bright picture of what's to come.
Netflix’s latest hit show, Squid Game, has managed to infiltrate a fair few homes since releasing earlier this month – and it’s now found its way into Roblox, too.
As first spotted by Polygon, developers in the world-building game have been using the battle royale series as a source of inspiration for various puzzles, mechanics and minigames, with some titles in the platform’s trending section attracting millions of visitors.
Roblox players have developed all sorts of Squid Game-inspired games on the platform, from full-on adaptations – in the form of standard prison break challenges – to titles which borrow certain elements of the Netflix show.
Squid Game (the Roblox version) and Red Light Green Light, for instance, have each attracted 8.3 million and 27.6 million visitors, respectively.
The latter, from developer Slugfo, sees players tasked with having to cross an arena while being careful to avoid movement should the green light turn red – else they’ll be shot by a guard, just as in the show. You can see the game in action via the video below.
Of course, since Roblox encourages players to build their own environments, this isn’t the first time developers have taken inspiration from movies and TV shows in the creation of in-game content.
Some of Roblox’s most popular downloadable games are based on scenes from Star Wars, The Flash or Frozen 2, for example, with some users even developing bona fide campaign adventures based on silver screen counterparts.
It seems inevitable, then, that we’re going to see a lot more Squid Game-inspired games heading to Roblox in the near future – especially as the show’s creator, Hwang Dong-hyuk, is all-but certain to be courted by the Netflix hierarchy to ensure the show’s renewal for future seasons.
Any fans of Hollyoaks or The Great British Bake Off may have noticed some issues watching their favorite programming over the past few days.
Ever since a fire alarm went off at a West London broadcast center, a host of channels including Channel 4, E4 and More4 have had issues either displaying in people's homes or doing so with full accessibility features such as subtitles.
E4 seems to be experiencing continuing issues, too, with users on social media posting images of a purple "Off-Air" screen for the channel, and others mourning the inability to watch their favorite TV shows on E4 or the E4+1 catchup channel.
The latest messaging from Channel 4 cites problems showing "accessible versions of our shows", too, with users citing "no subtitles" on certain shows. The problem is also affecting the on demand All 4 platform, too.
We're sorry for the ongoing problems for some viewers, especially with accessible versions of our shows. We're working hard to resolve it and will hopefully have further updates tomorrow.September 29, 2021
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Comments on the Channel 4 Twitter account include a medley of other issues that the broadcaster is no doubt scrambling to address, from subscribers to an ad-free tier still being served advertisements, or voiceover and audio tracks feeling off-kilter.
Voiceover is really poor at the moment. General sound is OK #soundissues #poorservice #letdown.September 28, 2021
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Getting adverts on channel 4 shows, even though I pay the subscription fee to avoid this. Any idea when this will be fixed?September 28, 2021
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What can I do?
For at-home viewers, there's little you can do to troubleshoot your issues – so just keep in mind that fiddling with an aerial, or shouting down the phone at customer service, likely won't do much for now.
The myriad of issues suggests that a technical fix will be complex, and damaged broadcasting hardware – if a brief fire did manage to do some damage – will take longer than a couple of days to address.
However, the issues seem to be inconsistent across viewers, so some may fare better than others. We'd recommend checking back each day to see how your favorite channels are doing, or keeping an eye on the Channel 4 Twitter account, to see what the latest pronouncements are.
If you need a TV fix on the meantime, check out the best TV streaming services to consider spending your time on.
I’ve been dreaming of a modular smartphone since I first laid eyes on Google’s Project Ara. The concept made so much sense to me, a person who has built PCs before and isn’t afraid to attack a wire (as long as it isn’t live, of course). But despite the relative user-friendliness behind the idea of swappable modules,…
Ever since its first “ethical” smartphone hit the market, Fairphone reviews have always been haunted by the wary acknowledgement that the devil always has the best toys. But times have changed, and Fairphone can at least be confident that it has won both the moral and the economic argument. Right to Repair laws are currently being kicked around in several US states and Framework is now building Fairphone-esque laptops. If there’s one word I can use to describe the new Fairphone 4, it’s mature. As much as the previous generations of this handset have been good, none deserve as much attention as this one likely does.
First, a caveat: Various global crises have pushed back the launch date for the Fairphone 4. I didn’t receive a unit until a few days before the announcement, so I’ve only had a limited amount of time to give this thing a thorough going over.
Daniel Cooper
Pick up the Fairphone 4 and you’ll first notice how solid this thing feels in your hand compared to its predecessor. This is not the flimsy plastic concoction we saw in previous generations but a monument, wrought from metal and glass. It may weigh a gram less than the iPhone 11 Pro Max I was holding in my other hand, but this one just feels more substantial. The new metal chassis and thick plastic backplate gives it, to quote Auric Goldfinger, a divine heaviness. I have no qualms about how sturdy and durable this thing is, even knowing that I can pick up replacement parts for very little cash up front.
The design language has changed from the awkwardly long slab of the 3 and 3+ to something that looks a lot more like a current-generation (or at least previous-generation) Android handset. Fairphone has also taken the courageous decision to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack here in favor of just USB-C. The only things breaking up the outside of the frame, beyond the antenna lines, are a power button with a built-in fingerprint sensor and a pair of sturdy volume buttons. Gone, too, is the conspicuous branding of the previous editions in favor of the company logo edged into the base of the backplate.
Daniel Cooper
A 6.3-inch Full HD+ display coated with Gorilla Glass 5 takes up most of the room up front, although this is no slim-bezel chin-free edge-to-edge number. The only interruption is the teardrop in the middle of the screen, which houses the 25-megapixel selfie camera. There’s nothing of note to say about the screen, which has a decent backlight, good viewing angles and solid black levels. I think I said a year ago that it’s now hard to mess up a phone display and Fairphone hasn’t fixed what didn’t need mending. Sadly, as good as the vision is, the sound that accompanies it is tinny, thin and reedy with non-existent bass.
Now, Fairphone hasn’t strayed too far from its goal of producing an affordable and reliable modular smartphone. But while it’s splashed out on some specs, others remain firmly in the “nothing to write home about” league. The system-on-chip, for instance, is a Snapdragon 750G, which you’ll find in a number of non-premium 5G handsets like the Moto G 5G and Galaxy A52 5G. It’s worth saying that the 750G offers very respectable performance and tests well in benchmarks but it’s certainly not a screamingly-fast flagship unit.
Daniel Cooper
Unlike previous models, Fairphone is actually offering two versions of the Fairphone 4, one with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, the other with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Both can be bolstered with the internal microSD slot that’ll take up to 2TB cards. The Fairphone 4 can support both a physical nano-SIM as well as an eSIM, both of which support 5G (although not simultaneously.)
Fairphone opted for a double-camera setup here with an f/1.6 48-megapixel primary camera packing Sony’s half-inch Exmor IMX582 sensor with OIS. You’ll get 8x digital zoom, and can shoot 4K video at 30fps, or HD slow-motion at 240fps. The second camera is a 48-megapixel f/2.2 120-degree wide-angle lens for landscape photography. Joining those two on the back of the phone is a time-of-flight sensor for better autofocus, which also makes it look like you’re rocking a triple-camera phone.
Daniel Cooper
Nestled up front in the teardrop is a 25-megapixel, f/2.2 forward-facing camera which uses a Sony IMX576 sensor. You’ll get support for HDR, 8x digital zoom and the ability to record video in HD at up to 30 fps. The images you get out of that selfie lens are respectable, although even when you shoot 25-megapixel images, you’ll get very little detail when you zoom in and things get muddy pretty quickly.
The company said that I shouldn’t do too many photography tests with the Fairphone 4 until a yet-to-be-distributed software update pushes the final tweaks. That said, the standard camera is perfectly reasonable and the live filters produce pretty lovely images.
Repairing this phone should, again, be relatively easy given how little a challenge it was to upgrade the previous model. Simply pop off the back cover and extract that replaceable 3,905mAh battery and a Phillips 00 screwdriver is all you need to get working. Again, I’ve not had any time to delve yet, but even a quick poke inside makes me think that it’s not more difficult to do any repair job than it was on the older models. One thing to bear in mind, however, is that Fairphone is no longer shipping a screwdriver in the box, assuming instead that you already own a tool suitable for the job.
Daniel Cooper
Fairphone has said that it has learned a number of valuable lessons from the launches of its last few handsets. That’s why this new model has a five-year warranty and guarantees software support until 2025 at the earliest, but pledges to keep that going to 2027 at best. (Fairphone has previous here: Earlier this year it managed to get Android 9 running on the Fairphone 2, five years after it was first released.) It also has pledged to ensure that spare parts for the phone remain available until that same 2027 deadline.
Whereas before Fairphone talked about a “fair” supply chain both looking for ethically-clean raw materials and paying workers a fair wage, it also describes the 4 as “e-waste neutral.” This is a neat way of summing up the idea that the company will recycle one device for every Fairphone 4 it sells. In addition, Fairphone can boast that it now uses 70 percent “fair” material inside the handset, including FairTrade Gold and Silver, aluminum from ASI-certified vendors and a backplate made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled polycarbonate.
And while some of the spare parts are a little more expensive than on the previous edition, the prices are more or less affordable. The company supplied me with a parts and price list (in GBP, at least) and the most expensive components are a replacement display and rear camera, which both retail for £69.95 (around $78 before sales tax). The forward-facing camera and battery pack replacements, meanwhile, are £25.95 (around $29), while components like the loudspeaker, USB-C port, earpiece and so on all cost less than £20 (around $22).
Daniel Cooper
Interestingly, as part of this launch, Fairphone is also launching a pair of true wireless headphones. These are, naturally, one of the most notoriously hard-to-repair and recycle devices currently littering the market. At this point, Fairphone hasn't tried to re-design these things to be more repairable, but did say that the units were made with “fair and recycled materials” including at least 30 percent recycled plastic and FairTrade Gold.
The Fairphone 4 will be available to pre-order on September 30th, with the first handsets due to arrive on October 25th. Unlike previous years, however, there will be the two previously-outlined variants depending on storage and RAM options. The 6GB RAM / 128GB model will retail for €579 / £499, while the 8GB / 256GB model will set you back €649 / £569.
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Subaru has showed the first video of its first EV, the 4x4 Solterra crossover, essentially confirming that it's a slightly reworked version of Toyota's upcoming bZ4X EV, according to Autoblog. Both electric cars are the fruit of Toyota and Subaru's collaboration on the e-TNGA platform designed for multiple EVs, first announced in 2019.
Design cues visible in the teaser video, particularly the odd dual roof spoiler, are similar to those on Toyota's upcoming bZ4X (the "bZ" stands for "beyond zero"). The side profile in a longer shot also looks nigh-on identical, making us wonder why Subaru doesn't just reveal it in full and be done with it.
It also showed a dim shot of the interior, with the centerpiece being a giant mid-mounted display. Again, that looks mighty similar to what Toyota has shown us with its own EV crossover, though Autoblog pointed out that Subaru appears to have some extra features below the rotary knob. Another notable difference is Subaru's bolstered seats that might allow for more sporty 4x4 activities.
Other key details, like price and battery capacity, have yet to be released. However, the price could be somewhere in the high $30,000 to low $40,000 range. Like Toyota's offering, it's set to arrive in the US and other markets next summer.
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