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Spirit Halloween Has Made the Most Affordable 'Jurassic Park' Goggles Replica We've Seen
Product Reviews

Spirit Halloween Has Made the Most Affordable ‘Jurassic Park’ Goggles Replica We’ve Seen

by admin


The iconic T. rex escape scene is seared into the collective core memory of Jurassic Park fans. Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster franchise is full of memorable moments, from the jiggling water to the lawyer running to the bathroom. But if you, like me, had the film as one of your earliest and most life-changing cinema-going experiences, there’s not a detail forgotten—especially not the goggles. You know the ones that Tim grabs and the lawyer tells him to put back, because if they’re heavy, “they’re expensive.”

And that’s indeed been a fact of life for Jurassic fans who longed for their own pair of those iconic goggles: all available replicas have been expensive. Until now, that is.

© Universal Pictures

Over 30 years later the wait is now over, as Spirit Halloween has released the highly coveted goggles of our childhood dreams, available at the seasonal spooky retailer’s pop-up near you and online. The officially licensed costume prop is $149.99; a price point that is much more reasonable than a custom prop replica or a 1:1 mantlepiece, such as the Chronicle Collectibles release from 2018. These could have saved little me a ton of sleepless nights as a kid if they would have been on hand in addition to a cup of water on my nightstand, which I’d look at to make sure it stayed still.

The only catch? They don’t detail night-vision capabilities, but hey, it’s for dress-up and not actually spotting Rexy in the distance. Take a look at the officially licensed Universal Pictures Jurassic Park goggles, which are so far the closest we’ll get to the real thing, and we’ll take it!

© Spirit Halloween © Spirit Halloween © Spirit Halloween

 

 

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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Nothing Beats Our Editors' Favorite Office Chair, and It’s on Sale Now
Product Reviews

Nothing Beats Our Editors’ Favorite Office Chair, and It’s on Sale Now

by admin


Office chairs can be surprisingly expensive, easily breaking $1,000 for a seaworthy seat. The Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro, with a list price of just $500, beat out a number of expensive seats from some very recognizable chair makers to earn the top spot on our office chair roundup. For labor day, Branch is offering 10% off when you use code LABORDAY on the base price of the chair, as well as any accessories you might want to add on, plus free shipping, so you can build the ultimate home office.

  • Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

  • Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

  • Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

  • Courtesy of Branch

Branch

Ergonomic Chair Pro

Unlike some other less expensive chairs, the Ergonomic Chair Pro features an absolute raft of adjustment options. Take the armrests, for example, which have vertical, forward and back, and angular adjustments, or the seat depth, which has both depth and tilt options, and of course there’s an adjustable lumbar support.

Branch doesn’t cut corners on materials, with a powder-coated aluminum base and casters that roll smoothly on hardwood floors. There are fabric, real leather, and vegan leather options in a variety of neutral or natural colors, another option typically reserved for chairs more than twice the price.

There are a variety of discounted accessories that might put some wind in your sails. Our editor thought the headrest was a bit unnecessary, but as a 6’4″ person, appreciated the tall cylinder to sit a little higher on the waves. Whichever route you choose to navigate, you’ll save a bit of cash, which is always great when you’re picking up an expensive new piece of furniture.

Ready to keelhaul your current bridge? Branch is offering an extra five percent, for a total 15% discount, if you also pick up a desk to go with your new chair. The Branch Four Leg Standing Desk is our editors’ favorite standing desk, with an elegant, understated design and a variety of options for its rounded plywood tops. Accessories for the desk are marked down as well, although I didn’t see anything particularly exciting or unique there.

The discounts on Branch’s chairs, desks, and accessories, as well as the additional bundle discount, are already live and run until September 5th. The website says to use the promo code LABORDAY, but I saw the discounts automatically displayed on items as I browsed the site. Just make sure you see the free shipping and discounted price when you check out.



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Here's everything you need to know about the iPhone operating system
Product Reviews

Everything to know about Apple’s big software changes coming to iPhone and iPad

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In just few weeks, Apple’s annual iPhone event will likely be upon us, which means we’ll finally get a look at the newest iPhone 17 lineup. In addition, the company will also give us an official date for downloading iOS 26. Until that happens, you can download and install the newly released public beta 4 (or iOS 26 developer beta 7 for developers). I’ve been playing around with it for the past couple of weeks, and have found that taking screenshots is way better in the new operating system — Google and ChatGPT search options are now in the screenshots editor, for instance. You can see a more complete view of the new features in our preview of the iOS 26 public beta release, which shows off the fresh home and lock screen redesign. Called Liquid Glass, the new translucent look will extend across all of Apple’s upcoming operating systems. The overhaul is one of several big changes coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and the rest of Apple’s software suite, all of which were showcased during the company’s WWDC keynote on June 9.

After overpromising on AI plans last year, Apple kept its iOS roadmap focused more on basic quality of life improvements this year. There are multiple useful additions coming to the Phone and Messages apps on your iPhone, for instance: Apple execs outlined the ability to weed out spam texts or other unknown senders and an option to hold your spot on a phone call when you’ve been waiting for a representative to pick up. Plus, a treasured feature that we took for granted is coming back (hint: it’s in the Photos app).

Siri, meanwhile, is in a holding pattern. Apple has previously specified that its smarter voice assistant — first promised at WWDC 2024 — is delayed until some point “in the coming year,” so you shouldn’t expect any major changes in the current betas. But there are reports that Apple is aiming to give Siri a bigger brain transplant by basing it on third-party artificial intelligence models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude, which could make 2026 a pivotal year. The company is also reportedly working on a ‘stripped-down’ AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT.

With each beta, it seems like additional new improvements are popping up, like this new AirPods gesture we’re all curious about, and this FaceTime feature that’ll freeze your video if it detects nudity. With the release of the iOS 26 developer beta 5, we saw more added features, like a new bouncy animation on the passcode screen and in the Control Center, MacRumors reports. Some or all of those changes will likely soon migrate into the separate public beta (see below). Most newer iPhone models are eligible to download iOS 26 (both the betas and final version). Want to see the full list of new features coming this fall? Read on.

What is iOS 26?

The current iPhone operating system is iOS 18, and Apple is still actively updating it — version 18.6.1 was released to restore Apple Watch blood oxygen monitoring functionality for certain users in the US. More recently, Apple released 18.6.2 to address a vulnerability related to image processing. But don’t expect to see iOS 19 soon — or ever. Instead, Apple is skipping the numbering ahead to iOS 26 later this year. The company has decided to line up its iOS version numbers with a year-based system, similar to car model years. So while iOS and its sibling operating systems will be released in late 2025, they’re all designated “26” to reflect the year ahead.

It’s official, we’re moving to iOS 26. (Apple)

What is Liquid Glass design?

Let’s be honest. Out of everything announced at WWDC this year, the new Liquid Glass design was the star of the show. The iPhone’s home and lock screens have looked pretty much the same year after year — the last exciting thing (in my opinion) was the option to add your own aesthetic to your home screen by customizing your apps and widgets. So seeing the home and lock screens’ new facelift is refreshing.

So what exactly is Liquid Glass? Apple calls it a “new translucent material” since, well, the apps and widgets are clear. However, the screen can still adapt to dark and light modes, depending on surroundings. You’ll also notice buttons with a new floating design in several apps, like Phone and Maps. They’re designed to be less distracting than the current buttons, but are still easy to see. While the design overhaul has proven to be controversial since its announcement, some — including Engadget’s own Devindra Hardawar — like the new direction, even if it’s somewhat reminiscent of Microsoft’s translucent Windows Vista Aero designs from nearly twenty years ago.

That said, as of the release of the iOS 26 beta 2, Apple has already incorporated some user feedback into the design, dialing back the transparency in at least some places. And while it will continue to evolve, Apple users won’t be able to escape it: Liquid Glass was designed to make all of Apple’s OSes more cohesive. Here’s a look at how the translucent aesthetic will look with the new macOS Tahoe 26 on your desktop.

What are the new and notable features of iOS 26?

iOS 26 has a laundry list of new features. Among the most worthwhile:

Phone app redesign: You’ll finally be able to scroll through contacts, recent calls and voicemail messages all on one screen. It also comes with a new feature called Hold Assist that’ll notify you when an agent comes to the phone so you can avoid the elevator music and continue on with other tasks.

Live Translation in Phone, FaceTime and Messages: iOS 26 is bringing the ability to have a conversation via phone call or text message with someone who speaks another language. Live Translation will translate your conversation in real time, which results in some stop-and-go interactions in the examples Apple shared during its presentation.

Polls in group chats: Tired of sorting through what seems like hundreds of messages in your group chat? You and your friends will soon be able to create polls in group messages for deciding things like which brunch spot you’re eating at or whose car you’re taking on a road trip.

Filtering unknown senders in Messages: If you haven’t received spam texts about unpaid tolls or other citations, you’re lucky. For those of us who have, those annoying messages will soon be filtered away in a separate folder.

Visual Intelligence: Similar to a reverse Google image search, this new feature will allow you to search for anything that’s on your iPhone screen. For instance, if you spot a pair of shoes someone is wearing in an Instagram photo, you can screenshot it and use Visual Intelligence to find those shoes (or similar ones) online.

Photos tabs are back: For anyone who’s still frustrated with the Photos changes made last year, you’ll be happy to know that your tabs are coming back. Library and Collections will have their own separate spaces so you don’t have to scroll to infinity to find what you’re looking for.

FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature: A newer addition to iOS 26 appears to be the FaceTime “Communication Safety” feature that pauses communications if and when nudity is detected. The feature appears to be a child safety feature that uses on-device detection, thus obviating any cloud-based privacy issues.

New lock screen options: The iPhone lock screen gets more customizable in iOS 26, with a cooler clock, 3D wallpaper effects, more widgets and better focus mode options.

Apple’s Hold Assist will be nifty for those pesky services that put you on hold for 10 or more minutes. (Apple)

New changes coming to iPadOS 26

Your iPad isn’t getting left behind when it comes to big updates. Here’s what’s coming this fall.

Multitasking and real windowing: When you download the newest update, you’ll be able to have multiple apps running on your screen at the same time. Once you open an app, it’ll appear on your screen as normal but you’ll be able to resize and move it across your screen to make room for other apps. This feature is optional so you can turn it off if you don’t like it.

Visual update: Along with the other new OSes, iPadOS 26 is coming with the Liquid Glass aesthetic. This new look will appear on the lock and home screens, as well as the drop-down menus.

New menu bar: When you swipe down on your screen, the new menu bar will appear with options like File, Edit, Windows and more. There’s also a search option if you’re looking for something specific.

Check out our first impressions of iPadOS 26.

What about AirPods?

AirPods are also getting updated with iOS 26. Here are some of the more notable functions.

Enhanced audio recording: Apple calls this “studio-quality” audio recording, and with it, you’ll notice more clarity while in noisy environments.

Camera remote control: Using this, you can take a photo or start and stop video recording with just one press on your AirPods. When taking photos, you’ll get a three-second countdown before your iPhone or iPad snaps the picture.

Live translation feature: While not officially announced or confirmed, it appears that the long-rumored live translation for AirPods could be coming with iOS 26. The evidence comes from a system asset spotted in the in iOS 26 beta showing a gesture that’s triggered by pressing both earbud stems at the same time. The photo also shows words in several different languages.

Which iPhones will be able to upgrade to iOS 26?

A few iPhone models that run the current version of iOS — iPhone XR, XS and XS Max — won’t be compatible with the latest upgrade. But any iPhones released in 2019 or later will be eligible for the iOS 26 update.

  • iPhone SE (second generation or later)

Not listed here are the presumed new iPhone 17 models (or maybe iPhone 26?) that are all but certain to be announced and released in September.

How to install iOS 26 beta

The iOS 26 public beta is now available to download via the Apple Beta Software Program. If you’re not already a member, you’ll need to sign up to try out all the latest features. Just visit beta.apple.com and sign up with your phone number or email address. It’s free.

Once you’re in, you can install it by going to Settings > General > Software Update and selecting iOS 26 public beta.

A word of caution: Don’t sign up with your main iPhone unless you’re OK with any risks that occur with using an OS that isn’t finalized.

When will the final version of iOS 26 be released?

iOS 26 will be released to the public this fall. It usually comes in September, within a week of the Apple iPhone event. Last year, it rolled out to iPhone users on September 16 — exactly one week after the iPhone 16 lineup was announced.

If you’re more interested in the Apple Intelligence features coming, here’s everything Apple revealed for iOS, macOS and more during WWDC. Also, check out how iOS 26 screenshots could be an intriguing preview of Apple’s delayed Siri rework.

Update, August 20: Noted that iOS 26 public beta 4 and iOS 18.6.2 are now available to download.

Update, August 18: Added details about a potential iOS 18.6 update.

Update, August 15: Added to link to what to expect at the Apple iPhone event and details about what’s available in the iOS 26 screenshots editor.

Update, August 13: Added new AirPods detail spotted in the iOS 26 beta.

Update, August 11: Noted that iOS 26 developer beta has hit beta 6.

Update, August 8: Added new features coming with iPadOS 26 and AirPods.

Update, August 6: Noted the release of iOS 26 beta 5 and the new bouncy feature on passcode screen and Control Center.

Update, August 4: Noted that Apple is reportedly working on a ChatGPT rival.

Update, August 1: Added quote from Tim Cook about iOS 26.

Update, July 31: Noted that iOS 18.6 is now available.

Update, July 24: Noted the iOS 26 public beta is now available.

Update, July 3: Noted new FaceTime feature found in the developer beta.

Update, June 30: Noted ongoing iOS 18 releases, and reports that Apple is considering additional external LLMs for Siri.

Update, June 25: Noted changes added in iOS 26 beta 2.



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Fitbit’s AI health coach is the first I might actually be interested in
Product Reviews

Fitbit’s AI health coach is the first I might actually be interested in

by admin


I’m not a fan of AI health and fitness features. Not only do they regurgitate Captain Obvious-level summaries of what you just did, but the “insights” are so generalized that a Google search is often more helpful. So it was with great skepticism that I walked into a demo to learn about Fitbit’s forthcoming AI-powered personal health coach. To my surprise, I left cautiously curious about where Fitbit is going.

“We really want to move towards this world of coaching,” Andy Abramson, Google’s director of product management for Fitbit and Health, says during a demo of the feature. Professional athletes have a whole team of people helping to craft their fitness regimens. “We asked ourselves, what if everyone could have something like this?”

Dark mode will finally be a thing. Image: Google, Fitbit

On paper, Fitbit’s health coach isn’t offering anything a dozen other health and fitness tech companies haven’t already promised. It’s a chatbot built off Gemini that lives in a spiffy, redesigned Fitbit app (now with dark mode!). Each week, it builds custom routines with detailed workouts and workout targets based on your personal health goals. Those workouts will adjust based on your real-time data. So if you have a crap night of sleep, the next day it’ll tweak your suggested workout to compensate. You can also proactively tell the bot anytime you’re sick, injured, or have a new goal, and it will take those things into consideration. If it notices trends in your data, like improved sleep quality, it’ll flag them to you.

Fitbit’s coach is an attempt to address the age-old problem of wearables providing users way too much data without the appropriate context. What’s been sorely disappointing from competitors thus far has been the execution. Often, it feels like AI has been tacked on as a gimmick to please investors rather than developed as a tool that can provide genuinely helpful insights.

Where Google and Fitbit’s take feels different is that the product has been completely yet cautiously overhauled around the concept.

“It’s not just like a new coat of paint. It’s not just AI bolted on. We’ve really asked the question of: How do we put the AI coach in every part of the app?” Abramson says.

Fitbit’s coach really is prominently baked into every corner of the new app. The Today tab, which displays your daily metrics, has been reorganized into a smaller data dashboard with an AI chatbox right underneath. When you scroll down, there are blocks calling out insights based on metrics like sleep. Underneath each are prompts to engage with the coach further on each topic.

In our demo, Abramson shows me how the AI coach interprets his own personal data. Some parts seem like the same old regurgitated book reports. In others, however, I can see glimpses of the promise. For example, Abramson is able to tell the AI that his overarching goal is to get better at trail running, but that he’s traveling and has limited access to equipment. In response, the app suggested a workout incorporating the Peloton bike he has access to at the hotel. The coach also notes that because of jetlag, Abramson’s had less sleep the night before but with fewer interruptions compared to his usual. It then asks to check in on his energy levels for the day.

The key here is real-time adjustment based on conversation. Abramson relays another story of a staffer who hurt their finger and asked the coach to remove strength workouts for the time being. A week later, the coach checked in asking whether the finger had healed and if it was okay to add those workouts back in.

PreviousNext

1/2Here’s another example I got to see in person. Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Compared to other fitness AI I’ve tested, this demo coach is also fairly chatty. In Abramson’s logs, there are lengthy blocks of text peppered with metrics and data breakdowns. Google VP of Fitbit and Health Rishi Chandra says this is intentional.

“The LLM can summarize it if you want three lines, but it will be so generic that it doesn’t feel like it’s telling you anything,” Chandra says. The team explored shorter summaries, but early testers told them that they weren’t at all helpful. “This is a balancing act we have right now. We’ve right now indexed on getting more depth for users and then figuring out how to trim that.”

Fitbit is also moving away from daily goals toward weekly ones like an actual personal trainer would do. “A coach would not say every day you have to get this exact 10,000 steps or whatever it might be,” Chandra says.

This is regurgitated book report-adjacent, but even this pulls in more about your personal data than other iterations I’ve seen. Image: Google, Fitbit

Cardio Load, introduced last year, was originally designed as a daily goal for people to understand what they needed to do to improve their cardiovascular health. Going forward, this feature will be a weekly target. Sleep insights will also be based on your weekly and long-term patterns, and the coach will also suggest adjusted schedules if it finds your sleep debt is excessive or if it determines you need extra rest from a hard workout.

This is just a smart change that allows for greater flexibility. A daily cardio target doesn’t work if you’re stuck on a 14-hour plane ride and all you can manage is a chill yoga session when you arrive at your hotel. The change lets users and the app account for life getting in the way.

Part of making this all work is making sure Fitbit’s app actually has the data it needs. The sleep tracking algorithm, which processes data from Fitbits and Pixel Watches, is supposed to be more accurate. The Pixel Watch 4 is also adding retroactive activity logging so that you never lose credit in case you forget to log a walk or a workout. Users will be able to train the AI to more accurately recognize certain activities over time through tags, too. The AI coach will also be able to take in data logged from third-party apps through Health Connect and HealthKit — so you don’t have to do all the native workouts in the Fitbit app. And, because Fitbit devices are platform-agnostic, technically the coach can work with iOS too. The goal is to become more of a connected AI health hub, eventually branching from sleep and fitness toward other aspects like nutrition and mental health.

Of course, anything is possible when a feature is in development. When the feature actually launches in October, it’ll be an opt-in preview for Fitbit Premium users only. (One perk is that the preview isn’t limited to the Pixel Watch 4; it’ll work with any Pixel Watch or Fitbit hardware.) There are also still several concerns I have. LLMs are limited, are prone to hallucination, and could teeter dangerously on the line between medical tech and wellness. Data privacy is yet another can of worms.

But having tested a dozen lackluster AI health coaches, this feels closest to reaching the platonic ideal that I’ve seen yet.

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The Shokz OpenDots One on a white windowsill
Product Reviews

Shokz OpenDots One review: reliable clip-on headphones that undercut the Bose

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Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Shokz OpenDots One: Two minute review

Shokz is one of the best-known names in the fitness headphone space and finally it has turned its attention to a burgeoning new market and thus challenge a big rival: clip-on open earbuds (and Bose).

Clip-ons are a kind of the best open earbuds that don’t loop all the way around your ear, but ‘clip’ onto your auricle to take up less space and hold the sound drivers further into your ear itself. Companies haven’t taken to the design quite as readily as the now-standard sports loop open-ears (production of that design is through the roof in 2025), but perhaps Shokz’ attention is about to change that.

So meet the Shokz OpenDots One, new clip-style (cuff style?) headphones which are here to challenge the big name on the market, the Bose Ultra Open. They’re Shokz’ first readily-available bud in this form factor, not counting a limited-run beta product. And due to a few smart decisions, they are a big success.

The OpenDots aren’t cheap headphones but they do undercut the Bose by a significant margin, releasing at a competitive price point that sees them match Shokz’ sports-loop and bone conduction options. In fact they also beat the recent Shokz OpenFit 2+ which may push some prospective buyers of those open-ears into the clip instead.

Shokz has given the OpenDots a more natural curved, ergonomic look than certain rivals, both ensuring that they look a little more understated and classy, and helping them fit the shape of an ear for a reliable hook and comfortable fit. And it totally works, with these Shokz some of the most pleasant open-ears I’ve ever used. I could easily forget I was wearing them when I wasn’t listening to music.

The sound profile is pleasing too, which may sound like a muted word if not for how low expectations for open earbuds can be. Shokz has fine-tuned the sound to ensure there’s hearty but well-defined bass, which sits in harmony with treble instead of blowing it out. Audiophiles who need open-ears will find these some of the best picks on the market.

Even when you’re not using the Shokz OpenDots One, you’ll find them easy to tote around with a tiny carry case that totally disappears in pockets. Banish the thought of the giant carry cases sports-loop open-ears come in.

I’ve avoided prolific comparisons to the Bose in this intro because you may come to the Shokz without having ever heard of their competition; and the OpenDots One stand apart for being significantly cheaper than the Ultra Open. They ask you why you need to pay extra, even if Bose offers some advanced audio modes.

The OpenDots One might be a harder sell for people who’ve not used a clip-on earbud before, especially with many other options on the market that are a cheaper option to experiment with. But if you’re going to try a new form factor, why not buy an option that nails it?

  • Shokz OpenDots One at Best Buy for $199.99

Shokz OpenDots One review: Specifications

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

Value

Water resistant

IP54

Battery life

10 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.4

Weight

5.6g / Charging case: 52g

Driver

2x 11.8mm

Shokz OpenDots One review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

  • Announced in May 2025 (available in many markets August 2025)
  • Priced at $199 / £179 / AU$339
  • Undercuts Bose, but pricier than many other rivals

The Shokz OpenDots One were announced in May 2025 and went on sale in the US immediately, though they took a few months to release globally (the UK is only just seeing them now, at the time of writing: August 21, 2025).

You can pick up the OpenDots for $199 / £179 / AU$339. While they’re more expensive than many other types of clip-on earbud like the Huawei FreeClip, JLab Flex Open or Soundcore C40i, they undercut their big rivals.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds sell for $299 / £299 / AU$449 so the Shokz aren’t just a hair cheaper, but a fair way more affordable.

Shokz OpenDots One review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

  • Small charging case which is easy to use
  • Lightweight buds that cling to the ear well
  • Handy touch controls

The Shokz OpenDots One come in two color options: Black or the curiously-named Gray, which is actually beige with silver highlights. The latter is what my tester units were.

The case is pretty small and lightweight, as you’d imagine for micro-headphones like these, tipping the scales to 52g. It’s rather featureless, bearing only a small pairing button and USB-C charging port, but there’s elegance in simplicity. It opens with a horizontal divide; in a neat twist you can put either earbud in either gap, cutting down on all the faff headphone users can face (or, at least, I can face) when trying to work out which bud to put on which side.

Now onto the buds. They consist of a cylindrical counterweight and spherical bud which sits in your ear, all joined by a band made of titanium alloy according to Shokz. This middle is lovely and flexible and I never felt at risk of accidentally snapping it or bending it too far.

It’s hard to believe for any open earbuds, especially clip-style ones, but the OpenDots fit like a dream. I barely felt them during many hours of testing and, although I ran, cycled, rowed and did various gym workouts with them in, they never fell out or moved around enough to affect my listening experience.

Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)

Another benefit over Bose’s alternatives is that they don’t look like a cyborg accoutrement, with the nice flowing design making them appear more like jewelry than a piece of robotic equipment.

Following on from my praise about the versatile any-bud-in-any-case-side compliment, you can actually also put either bud in either ear with no issue. The Shokz will automatically detect which ear they’re in to deliver music.

Like most earbuds, the OpenDots One have touch controls: you can double- or triple-tap the connective band, double-pinch the spherical counterweight or pinch and hold, for four triggers in all (it doesn’t matter which side you use, both do the same). You can customize what each control does and I found each relatively easy to trigger (which isn’t saying much compared to the competition) though I did take a while to remember that single-tapping or single-pressing didn’t do anything: double or nothing!

Shokz has certified the OpenDots One at an IP54 rating, which means the buds are protected from dust and limited water splashes but not full immersion or even beams of water. Basically, don’t take them swimming.

Shokz OpenDots One review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

  • Battery life is 10 hours, 40 hours with case
  • App brings EQ but not that much else
  • No connectivity problems in testing

If you thought it was time to start finding something to criticize the Shokz OpenDots One about, it’s not yet. The battery life is above average and you can even charge the case via wireless powering.

According to Shokz, the OpenDots last for 10 hours of listening on a single charge, and while I didn’t listen for that long in one burst, the power drain for the periods I did listen for suggests it’d hit that figure almost dead on. The charging case brings three extra charges, for a full listening total of 40 hours, which is better than lots of open-ear options on the market.

You won’t get noise cancelling here, though surprisingly some open earbuds do offer that (see the Honor Earbuds Open, although granted, they’re not the cuff-style type). Throughout my testing period I had no connectivity issues to speak of.

(Image credit: Future)

As with any good headphone, there’s an app you can download to get extra features. In this case it’s just called Shokz, with the company using one platform for all its earbuds.

Perhaps the main reason to download the Shokz app, beyond customizing the touch controls, is for the equalizer it provides access to. There are four modes: Standard, Vocal, Bass and Private (designed to reduce audio bleed, although that basically just muffles your music), but you can also create a custom mode via a five-band equalizer.

A few other features available via the app include the ability to toggle wear detection, find your lost earbuds, customize multipoint pairing and enable Dolby Atmos (though toggling this just seemed to boost the treble when playing music). It’s not the biggest feature-set I’ve ever seen at earbuds at this price, but it offers everything you need or would expect.

Shokz OpenDots One review: Sound performance

(Image credit: Future)

  • Two 11.8mm drivers per bud
  • Decent sound, though lack of spacing
  • Lots of bass

You’re totally right to assume that an open-ear headphone would sound poor, because that’s generally the case, but the Shokz OpenDots One buck the trend: they’re the rare case that sound good.

A highlight of the buds, which Shokz leans into in its marketing and promotion, is the bass. This is something oft lost by open-ears, but the OpenDots enjoy a well-defined lower-register, giving your music a meaty tone but without ever blowing it out with overwrought thumping or booming. I opted to listen in the bass enhancement mode when working out for that little extra kick, but you’ll enjoy loads of bass even if you don’t.

Unlike some super-bass earbuds, the treble still holds its head high, offering crisp and clear vocal lines and letting you hear the spacing between instruments a little. As sound gets towards the mids they do lose some detail and clarity, but you can still enjoy tunes beyond their bassline.

(Image credit: Future)

Fixing another open-ear problem, the OpenDots have a nice high max volume so they can fight against noisy traffic if you want to hear your tunes.

Shokz uses a lot of home-brewed tech in the OpenDots One. Highlights include Bassphere, which has the effect we’ve already discussed, and DirectPitch designed to stop sound leaking from the buds and everyone around you having to hear your embarrassing music choice.

These are some of the better open earbuds I’ve used for audio quality, and they compare to your average in-ear headphone, but it’s important to be clear: audiophile-grade favorites shouldn’t feel any heat from the Shokz.

  • Sound performance score: 4.5/5

Shokz OpenDots One review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

Despite not being that expensive in the grand scheme of things (and in a crowded market), it’s still worth considering the Shokz OpenDots One are some of the more premium open or clip-on earbuds out there, simply due to how cheap the rivals are.

With that in mind, the OpenDots have a lot to prove – but they largely succeed. They provide great sound and a flawless design and cost a hearty amount less than their big-name rivals.

Of course you’re paying for their quality with many other similar-form-factor options available for a fraction of the price, so if you want clip-ons and quality doesn’t matter, you can get better value for money with cheaper options. It’s just a question of whether you should.

Shokz OpenDots One review: scorecard

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Category

Comment

Score

Value

They’re solid earbuds which give you decent value for money, but you’re paying for what you get.

4/5

Design

Lightweight, a reliable fit and a slender carry case: what’s not to love?

4.5/5

Features

The battery life is good and the existing features are useful, though rivals offer more.

4/5

Sound

The sound may fall short of truly great, but it’s very good, especially compared to other open earbuds.

4.5/5

Shokz OpenDots One: Should I buy?

(Image credit: Future)

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

Shokz OpenDots One

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds

Huawei FreeClip

Water resistant

IP54

IPX4

IP54

Battery life

10 hours (earbuds), 40 hours (total)

7.5 hours (earbuds), 27 hours (total)

8 hours (earbuds), 36 hours (total)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.3

Weight

5.6g / Charging case: 52g

6g / Charging case: 43g

5.6g / Charging case: 44.5g

Driver

2x 11.8mm

12mm

10.8mm

How I tested

(Image credit: Future)

My testing period for the Shokz OpenDots One cover just over two weeks of use, which is our standard review period for headphones.

The buds were paired to an Android phone for the entirety of the testing. I used them at home at work and also on runs, at the gym and while cycling, and I also tried to use them while playing tennis like promotional images show but this felt incredibly rude to my fellow players.

I’ve been testing products for TechRadar since 2019 and this has included plenty of other workout headphones.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: August 2025

Shokz OpenDots One: Price Comparison



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Goodbye Jason Voorhees, hello Michael Myers: Friday the 13th developer and publisher return with a new multiplayer survival horror game based on Halloween
Product Reviews

Goodbye Jason Voorhees, hello Michael Myers: Friday the 13th developer and publisher return with a new multiplayer survival horror game based on Halloween

by admin



Halloween: The Game Reveal Trailer – Future Games Show gamescom 2025 – YouTube

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Seven years after IllFonic and Gun Media had to say farewell to their hit multiplayer survival horror game Friday the 13th, they’re back—except this time, it’s Halloween. Announced at today’s Future Game Show, Halloween is a “one-versus-many stealth horror experience” in which players don the creepy mask of Michael Myers to hunt down the citizens of Haddonfield, or work together as his potential victims in a desperate effort to stop him.

“Stick to the shadows as Civilians, seeking out Haddonfield residents to warn them and searching for a way to contact the authorities,” the press blast says. “As Michael Myers, give them a reason to fear the dark and cut the phone lines to prevent the police from ruining his favorite holiday. Whether playing solo in story mode, against bots offline, or facing others in online multiplayer, each mode rewards stealth, strategy, and skillful play.

“Staying true to the original film, IllFonic masterfully recreates the eerie atmosphere of Haddonfield across multiple maps and authentic locations. With a haunting ambience and score inspired by the legendary movie, Halloween brings the terror home in a new experience that will keep both old and new generations looking over their shoulders.”


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I’m not much of a horror fan so I’m really in no position to speak to the distinctions between the Friday the 13th and Halloween franchises—it’s all just freaky masks, huge knives, and screaming teenyboppers to me. But I do find it very interesting, and amusing, that IllFonic and Gun Media are coming back with a game that, superficially at least, looks so much like Friday the 13th. There will definitely be differences in gameplay: Players will alert NPC townsfolk and police to the looming threat, for instance, leading to “increasingly powerful and thorough neighborhood patrols” that will help even the odds against the killer.

But the bottom line is that a small group of soft, squishy locals are going to have to work together to survive an unkillable maniac who exists only to hack those locals into little bloody bits, and, well… that sure sounds like tomayto, tomahto to me.

I might be reading too much into it, but IllFonic co-founder and CEO Charles Brungardt also seemed to throw a little shade at his former partners while praising his new ones.

“Working with Compass International Pictures and Further Front has been a dream,” Brungardt said. “As rights holders of the film and producers on the game, they’ve shared incredible insights to help us stay true to the soul of the 1978 film. Their tremendous passion for Michael Myers has pushed us to craft something that fans of the franchise will truly appreciate.”

Friday the 13th: The Game, you’ll recall, was brought low by a dispute over the ownership of the franchise between Victor Miller, the writer of the original film, and Sean Cunningham, the producer and director of the film.

Halloween is set to launch sometime in 2026 and will be available for PC on Steam and the Epic Games Store. For now, you can take a closer look at what’s coming at halloweengame.com.

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Google's Big Leap Forward for Real-Time Translations Is Deepfaking Your Voice
Product Reviews

Google’s Big Leap Forward for Real-Time Translations Is Deepfaking Your Voice

by admin


I can’t count the number of times I’ve been promised the Next Big Thing in app-enabled translation. Since the dawn of Google Translate, it’s felt like tech companies (not just Google, but Samsung and Apple, too) have been teasing a future where speech can be translated instantaneously, allowing for near-seamless communication between people from *sarcastic SpongeBob voice* across the world. But the truth is, that future, however enticing on paper, hasn’t exactly panned out.

As incredible as apps have gotten at translating speech and text with a fairly high degree of accuracy, they haven’t quite risen to the speed and cadence of real-life conversations. Designing a translation tool that can keep pace with our mouths (like, actually talking) isn’t an easy feat. We talk fast, and we expect even faster responses, which makes live translation less of a marathon than a sprint, or I guess more accurately, a sprint that could be a marathon in length.

Given that long promise of snappy, useful, real-time translation, I’m conditioned to roll an eye or two when live translate enters into a keynote, which is exactly what I did during Google’s annual Pixel hardware event. This year, though, that eye roll might not be warranted. At its Made by Google keynote, Google showcased a feature that not only translates your speech in real time, but also deepfakes your actual voice (also in near real time) so that the person on the other end can hear you speaking in their native language. And yes, it works in the inverse, too. That’s right, just two deepfakes talking to each other; nothing to see here, folks.

And the extra wild part is Google was so confident in its new live translation feature that it offered up a live demo, which, I’m not going to lie… it kind of nailed? Gizmodo’s Senior Editor, Consumer Tech, Raymond Wong, captured the whole thing live at Google’s keynote. For your viewing pleasure, Jimmy Fallon’s voice deepfaked into Spanish:

Wow, Jimmy Fallon’s voice was translated—deepfaked—into Spanish on Pixel 10… and it worked fast and accurately. Even getting inflections correct. This is the quiet game-changing AI feature… translations pic.twitter.com/SAXeowCXpE

— Ray Wong (@raywongy) August 20, 2025

I was also watching along from home during this segment, and my partner, who’s Spanish-speaking and bilingual, confirmed that Google’s new AI translate feature seemed to ace the assignment, inflections and all. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to test those translation features for myself, but from the looks of it, Google is off to a pretty amazing start here.

Powering those translation abilities is Gemini Nano, a compact version of Google’s increasingly iterated-upon large language model and the Pixel 10’s Tensor G5 chip. Google says its Nano model and the translation feature are run on-device in this case, which means that nothing—including your calls—gets teleported to the cloud while you’re translating. That makes its new feature less icky, and I say “less” in this case because let’s be honest, this thing is still deepfaking your voice.

Truthfully, if Google’s new translation feature wasn’t happening on-device, I might be a little worried. As cool as it is, the thought of having a facsimile of your voice stored on a server somewhere is a bad one, given the fact that people use biometrics for all sorts of important digital security, banking included. And in a way, on-device or not, the feature is still creepy. Apparently we’re at the stage of instantaneous voice deepfakes. Just imagine what AI can do with a little bit of time and training.

But more than anything, I’m impressed by what Google showed off today, especially as someone who’s watched tech companies overpromise on translation features for years at this point. It’s still too early to declare that Google has hit the Holy Grail of real-time translation, but for once, I’m left thinking that the idea of seamless, phone-enabled translations has actually taken a major leap forward. So, consider my eye roll officially rescinded, Google.





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Best Student Discounts (2025): Laptops, Streaming Services, Shoes, and Software
Product Reviews

Best Student Discounts (2025): Laptops, Streaming Services, Shoes, and Software

by admin


Looking for the best student discounts? I don’t blame you. Going to college is expensive. Between tuition, textbooks, and beer, there isn’t always a lot of wiggle room in the budget. Tack on the skyrocketing cost of living, and you might be wondering just how you’re supposed to manage your money. One way to stretch those dollars further is by taking advantage of student discounts. A valid .edu email address can help you save on plenty of necessities, with a little left over for binge-watching on Netflix or cheap food delivery. We’ve rounded up our favorite student discounts below.

Updated August 2025: We refreshed this guide with updated links and ensured accuracy throughout.

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How to Qualify for .Edu Discounts

In the good old days, it was easy to cheat your way into student discounts. You could photoshop a student ID or snag a fake email address for $5 after a Google search. But thanks to third-party verification services, it’s now almost impossible (and in some cases, illegal) to obtain and use a fake qualifying email. No, that hack you saw on TikTok probably isn’t legit.

We don’t advise attempting to get a student email address if you aren’t actually a student. But some educational discounts can also be used by teachers, parents of students, or alumni. Sometimes getting a student discount is as simple as confirming a code sent from the retailer to the email in question. Other times they rely on third-party services like Unidays to verify your student status after you upload a photo of your school ID. Your school may also have its own portal to verify your account.

Once verified, you can take advantage of student discounts either on the Unidays website or by logging in to your Unidays account when prompted at stores that use it as an authentication method. ID Me, Sheer ID, and Student Beans are other services that act as a verification method and shopping portal.

Tech Deals

Whether you need headphones, an office chair, or a USB hub, there are probably a few gadgets on your school shopping list. The stores below offer student discounts on all of the gadgets and gizmos you could need. Check out our buying guides, like the Best Dorm Gear, Best Laptops, and Best Buy It for Life Gear, for WIRED-tested recommendations.

Apple Store

Photograph: Apple

The Apple education Store offers about 10 percent off to students, their parents, and teachers. Usually, deals are sweetened around autumn. Right now there are offers like free AirPods with the purchase of a MacBook, or a free Apple Pencil with the purchase of an iPad. You can save on services like AppleCare+ or Apple Music too.

The Dell University store offers various up to 10 percent off to those with .edu email addresses. Simply sign up for a free Dell Rewards account, and then verify your student status. Savings are reflected in your shopping cart. Some Dell University discounts can be stacked with other deals at Dell to save even more. Most stores don’t let you stack deals, which makes these a bit more enticing. You can also get extra Dell Rewards which might be useful if you’re purchasing a lot of Dell gear.

Sign up for the HP education program discounts by verifying your .edu email address. (Some discounts are available to everyone, regardless of student status, but other deals are exclusive to students, teachers, parents, and faculty.) HP says eligible shoppers can save up to 40 percent off on select products.

Lenovo switches up its discounts on a regular basis, but students and teachers can always get 5 percent off, with additional discounts and bonuses being offered on occasion. In the past, those bonuses have included free Uber vouchers for spending a certain amount. Lenovo Education accounts are free and verified via ID Me. Discounts are applied automatically during checkout.

Snag 25 percent off at Logitech by validating your email via Unidays.

Microsoft offers up to 10 percent off a variety of products, including Surface devices and accessories. Parents, students, and faculty are eligible.

Samsung’s program is for students and educators, who get up to 30 percent off laptops, tablets, phones, and other gadgets. You can also sometimes get additional perks, like more base storage or free accessories with purchase. You can also check out WIRED’s page of Samsung coupon codes.

Razer’s education deals vary, but there’s a selection of discounted gaming laptops and PC components. Eligible shoppers include students, parents buying on behalf of students, and faculty. You can also save 15 percent on peripherals and 5 percent on Razer gaming chairs.

Unlimited phone plans and Fios home internet are both discounted for college students. As is typical with cell phone service providers, terms and conditions apply, but this is worth looking into if you’re a Verizon customer (or considering making a switch). We have Verizon coupon codes that could save you $1,100.

College students can get 20 percent off an entire qualifying shopping trip at Target. There are some exclusions, and you’ll need to join the free Target Circle program to redeem the offer. You can also save 50 percent on the paid Circle 360 membership, which gets you free 2-day shipping, early access to select sales, and more. These deals are generally valid from June through September. This year, they end on September 27.

Online Service Deals

The services you use every day might be even cheaper, thanks to that sweet, sweet institution inbox. Signing up for the first time? Our “What to Watch” and Best Music Streaming Services may be of some assistance. Your college or university may also offer their own private discounts. Insurance providers sometimes offer student benefits too.

Spotify Premium

Photograph: Spotify

Spotify Premium Student costs $6 per month, which is a 50 percent discount. It also includes a subscription to Hulu. Both of them come with commercials. If you love your TV, this is one of the best student discounts around, especially if you’re already paying $6 per month for Hulu. New signups can get a free 6-month trial for a limited time.

Usually, Apple Music costs $11 per month. Students pay $6 after a one-month free trial. The Apple Music Student subscription also includes Apple TV+. Your eligibility will be verified via Unidays.

Students can get 50 percent off a Tidal premium music streaming membership by signing up for the Student plan. The offer is available to high schoolers ages 16 and up as well, not just folks enrolled in higher education.

Formerly known as Amazon Prime Student, Amazon has a special discount for its “Prime for Young Adults” membership, which is meant for adults ages 18 to 24. You’ll be charged $7.49 per month, rather than the typical $15 price. Prime Student includes a few special perks, like free Grubhub Student+ access and discounted meditation app memberships. You may also be eligible for a free six-month trial.

Students can get the ad-supported Hulu plan for $2 per month instead of the usual $8. This is the best option if you want access to Hulu but not Spotify. If you don’t immediately see the offer, click “Sign up now” and look for the mention of the student discount near the bottom of the sign-up page.

Typically, YouTube Premium costs $14 per month, but the cost drops to $8 for students after a free three-month trial. The membership includes access to both ad-free YouTube videos and ad-free YouTube Music.

Peacock Premium usually costs $6 per month, but students and young adults can get it for $3 per month for a year. WIRED has several Peacock coupon codes that might be useful to you, too.

Software and Class Deals

Whether you need to subscribe to an online service for class or just want a tool like Adobe Photoshop, these discounts can help you save.

You Need a Budget

Photograph: You Need A Budget

Several of our Reviews team members have used and loved this service, which is enthusiastically recommended on nearly every finance forum on the internet. It can be pretty difficult to use, especially when you’re first starting—but if you don’t mind a steep learning curve, it’s worth a shot. (I found this video tutorial helpful.) Note that this deal is limited to college students.

Eligible students, parents, and educators get 50 percent off Ableton Live or can apply the same percentage off to Live bundled with Push. Ableton Live is our favorite DAW for DJs and live performers. This software is especially enticing for music creators, though if you’ve been considering uploading some fun projects to SoundCloud, it might be worth your while too. You don’t need to be a music major or a full-time student to take advantage of the offer.

Adobe Creative Cloud includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Firefly, Acrobat Pro, Lightroom, and more. You also get 100 gigabytes of cloud storage. It’s usually $70 a month. Students and educators can get it for $30 monthly. After a year, the $30 price is raised to $40, but it’s still a good discount if you can’t access needed Adobe apps another way. Note that this is billed annually.

This bundle includes licenses for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, and more. It’s tailored to video and music creators and costs $200. Considering that Final Cut Pro sells for $300 on its own, this bundle is a worthwhile purchase if you plan on buying any of these software licenses individually.

Courtesy of Dashlane

This is a great deal on one of the best password managers.

This freebie from GitHub contains free and discounted apps, services, software downloads, and more developer tools. From a free year-long domain on Namecheap to free courses on Educative and waived Stripe transaction fees, plus access to GitHub Pro, there are dozens of options to choose from. You don’t need to use them all, but you do need to be an enrolled student age 13 or older.

Verified through Student Beans, this deal gets you half off the normal cost of an annual individual website plan or a website platform plan. WIRED also has a Squarespace promo code that might be helpful to you.

I haven’t used Ulysses yet, but several industry colleagues swear by the Apple-device-exclusive writing software. It’s known for limiting distractions and helping with edits—two tools that should come in handy for students. It typically costs $40 per year. The subscription ends automatically, so you don’t need to remind yourself to cancel it, but you can renew it for as long as you remain a student.

Evernote is one of the long-standing note-taking apps. (It’s not our favorite, but if you’re a devotee, this is still a solid way to save some cash.) A valid .edu email address gets you 40 percent off a one-year Evernote Professional membership. Professional is the most robust Evernote plan, and it includes special perks like Boolean search, calendar connections, and more.

Notion is similar to Evernote and Google Keep. It’s handy for everything from making to-do lists to building outlines and other documents. The Plus Plan for education is free for students and educators. It’ll stay free as long as you have access to a university-associated email address. You may also be eligible for a discount on Notion AI services.

Students and educators can use a valid .edu email address to get free access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams, plus a few AI tools. There are free alternatives to Microsoft Office products, but if you insist on writing essays in Word, this is worth checking out.

Prezi offers a slate of tools used to perfect digital presentations. It can be integrated with Zoom or Google Meet. The service has two educational premium plans for students and educators that cost $4 or $8 per month (usually $7 or $19 per month, respectively).

This is $22 off the usual cost of a three-month Babbel subscription. Babbel is our favorite language-learning app.

Deals on Clothing, Magazines, Food, and More

If you need some retail therapy (or you just want to upgrade your dorm room on the cheap), plenty of non-tech stores offer student discounts. Some standouts are highlighted below.

WIRED is one of the many magazines you can get for cheap as a student

Discounts on Magazine and Newspaper Subscriptions

We’re biased, but a year of unlimited digital access to WIRED costs $24 per year. Students can also get affordable subscriptions to The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, and more. If there’s a magazine or newspaper that you frequently read, you may be able to get a discount when you subscribe. You might also be able to get discounted or free subscriptions through the library.

Bring your student ID to the box office to get cheaper prices. Discounts vary by location, so check with your local theater for more details.

Unidays is the best way to find fashion retailers that have student discounts. A few athletic and outdoor stores are also listed, so even if you don’t need interview clothes for a fancy grown-up job, this could be a good way to save on sporting goods and other gear for your extracurricular activities.

Nike offers students 10 percent off most items. This offer is verified through Sheer ID and is valid for high school, college, and university students.

Amtrak offers a national discount to students between 17 and 24 years old.

This company makes some of our favorite paper planners. Your student status will be verified through ID Me at checkout.

DashPass usually costs $10 per month. Students can get it for half the normal cost, at $5 per month or $48 per year. DashPass gets you free delivery on most orders over $12, plus special discounts and promotions. You can also get credits back on DoorDash Pickup orders. If you’re looking for DoorDash coupons, we’ve got those here at WIRED including a $25 off promo code.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.



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Product Reviews

The Rogue Prince of Persia is officially out for PC and consoles

by admin


Ubisoft and Evil Empire’s long-awaited The Rogue Prince of Persia is finally out and available for purchase. It’s been in early access on Steam for over a year and the developers have made plenty of changes during that time to get the game ready for a general launch.

It’s available for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Xbox Series X/S and PS5. It’s also playable in the cloud by using the Xbox Cloud service, Ubisoft+ and Amazon Luna. Nintendo fans will have to wait a bit longer. The game’s coming to the Switch and Switch 2, but not until later this year.

For the uninitiated, The Rogue Prince of Persia is a sidescrolling roguelike with plenty of fast-paced action and a graceful move set inspired by other games in the franchise. Co-developer Evil Empire is the company behind the iconic Dead Cells, which is also a sidescrolling roguelike.

Since launching in early access, developers have added more biomes and a new story, in addition to refining the gameplay and character designs. If you’ve been hankering for a new roguelike with some light Metroidvania elements (just like Dead Cells), this could be the game you’ve been waiting for. It costs $30.



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The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first fully dust-resistant foldable
Product Reviews

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first fully dust-resistant foldable

by admin


Finally, a foldable to take to the beach. The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is official, matching last year’s starting MSRP of $1,799, and it comes with an IP68 rating. That means full water and dust resistance, which is something that no other foldable maker has figured out yet — and no small feat for a device with moving parts.

The 10 Pro Fold uses a new hinge with a gear-less design that Google says provides better protection against drops. It certainly feels sturdy, though it didn’t feel overly stiff when I unfolded and folded the phone back up again. The crease on the inner screen doesn’t look any more prominent to my eye, but I’m not usually bothered by the crease anyway.

Very small particles are a particular concern for foldables. A piece of sand or dirt that works its way under the sensitive inner screen can cause it to fail. Folding phones have some protections against particles, like brushes in the hinges to keep dust out, but none had been considered fully dust-tight — until now. Samsung’s IP48-rated Folds and Flips only guarantee protection against objects greater than a millimeter in size, which is bigger than a speck of dust (not to mention many sand grains).

Dust resistance isn’t the only hardware change on the 10 Pro Fold. When folded, the front panel is about a millimeter narrower, making the whole device a tiny bit less wide than the last version. With slimmer bezels, the outer screen measures 6.4 inches compared to 6.3 inches on the 9 Pro Fold, and the 8-inch inner display gets a little brighter in peak brightness mode this time around: 3,000 nits compared to 2,700.

The 10 Pro Fold gets the same high-level updates as the rest of the Pixel 10 series, including the new Tensor G5 chip and Qi2 support. Tensor G5 is at least partially responsible for a slew of new AI features, many of which run on the device itself. There’s a translator for phone calls that mimics the speaker’s voice, something called Magic Cue that proactively finds and suggests relevant bits of information based on context, and a journal app with AI-powered prompts. You can read up on the new AI features in more detail by jumping over to my Pixel 10 and 10 Pro hands-on.

Qi2 is a welcome addition to the Android ecosystem, offering support for up to 15W charging on the 10 Pro Fold and compatibility with a whole wide world of phone accessories thanks to the embedded magnets in the device. Google is calling its version Pixelsnap, and I can confirm that its first-party magnetic ring grip will remain stuck to a folding phone even while dangling the phone by the ring. Did it still make me a little queasy? Absolutely.

One place the 10 Pro Fold hasn’t offered improvements is in camera hardware. The Fold’s sensors and lenses are still a bit smaller than the more powerful, light-sensitive hardware on the two slab-style Pro phones. Google may have solved dust resistance on a folding phone, but it hasn’t found a way to cram in better cameras.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold will come in two options that are shockingly not white or black: a gray-ish “moonstone” and a subtle greenish-yellow “jade.” It goes on sale on October 9th, with preorders starting today.

Photos by Allison Johnson / The Verge



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