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Apple Tones Down AI Hype While Showcasing Next iPhone, Mac Features

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In brief

  • Apple unveiled major updates across its platforms at WWDC 2025, led by a new visual system called Liquid Glass.
  • The company emphasized privacy-focused enhancements using Apple Intelligence.
  • Updates include new messaging features, real-time translation, improved developer tools, and OS upgrades for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, and Vision Pro.

Apple wrapped its WWDC 2025 keynote on Monday with sweeping updates to its device operating systems and a striking new design. But for all the refinements across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro, one question lingered: What happened to Apple Intelligence?

When Apple’s big push into AI was introduced at WWDC 2024, CEO Tim Cook described it as a “new chapter” for the company—one that combined Apple’s hardware with the growing momentum of generative AI. Apple Intelligence was meant to place the company in the same league as OpenAI, Nvidia, Google, and Microsoft.

A year later, that promise remains largely unfulfilled, and has drawn industry-wide criticism as well as corporate upheaval.

Indeed, its most significant impact on the AI landscape might be a research paper titled “The Illusion of Thinking” last week, in which the company outlined the limitations of large language models and warned against overestimating their reasoning capabilities. The paper emphasized that while LLMs may appear intelligent, they mainly rely on pattern recognition.

Nonetheless, today’s conference opened with Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi heralding its AI integration: “We’re making the generative models that power Apple Intelligence more capable and more efficient, and we’re continuing to tap into Apple Intelligence in more places across our ecosystem,” he said.

Federighi announced that Apple is opening its AI infrastructure to developers through a new “Foundation Models Framework” that allows apps to tap directly into the same on-device intelligence that powers Apple’s own software. Updates to Xcode introduce generative tools for developers, including integration with ChatGPT, predictive code completion, and conversational programming via Swift Assist.



Perhaps Apple was under-promising in the hopes of over-delivering after the debacle of the Apple Intelligence rollout.

Instead, the presentation today devoted more attention to a sweeping visual redesign of OS X and iOS, bringing more UX conformity across Apple’s entire product suite. The redesign features “Liquid Glass”—a responsive, context-aware design element that adapts to touch, content, and context across devices. The redesign affects everything from the lock screen to system icons, aiming to make transitions between Apple devices more seamless.

Other updates unveiled at WWDC include enhancements to Messages, which now support polls, custom backgrounds, typing indicators, group payments, and improved spam filtering. Live translation enables real-time language translation in Messages, FaceTime, and phone calls using AI.

The Phone app is receiving upgrades, including Hold Assist—a way to retaliate against being put on hold via a standby mode that alerts you when the person you’re trying to reach finally answers—and Call Screening, which prompts callers to identify themselves before connecting. That feature, it’s worth noting, came with Google Voice when it rolled out in 2009.

Other updates include:

  • iPadOS 26: A new windowing system, an upgraded Files app, and professional-grade audio/video workflows.
  • VisionOS 26: Spatial computing improvements and support for third-party accessories, including the PlayStation VR2 Sense Controller.
  • WatchOS 26: A chatty “Workout Buddy” will give you encouragement during your routines.

Apple said the updates will be available in a public beta in July, with full releases coming in the fall.

Generally Intelligent Newsletter

A weekly AI journey narrated by Gen, a generative AI model.



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Thermaltake MAGflore 360 Ultra ARGB
Product Reviews

Thermaltake’s new AIO liquid cooler features a 3.95-inch LCD display and swappable reverse-blade fans

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After showcasing its updated range of PC cases at this year’s Computex trade expo, Thermaltake has come up with a new AIO liquid cooler. The latest MagFlow Ultra ARGB Sync series will be available in 360 mm and 420 mm sizes, while highlight features include a three-sided borderless square display and ARGB fans that you can reverse by simply swapping.

The new AIO will come in Black and Snow (white) color options and includes a standard 27 mm thick radiator with a 20 mm copper chamber. It is also said to feature a new low-noise pump for quieter operations and compatibility with the latest Intel LGA 1851 and AMD AM5 sockets.

The LCD display sits on top of the pump block and measures 3.95 inches diagonally, offering a resolution of 480×480 pixels. Using Thermaltake’s TT RGB Plus software, the LCD can be used to showcase real-time system data (CPU or GPU usage, temperature, frequency), animated GIFs, and custom images or videos. While there’s nothing unique about that, Thermaltake has taken it further. Thanks to the companion TT PlayLink mobile app, one can use their smartphone to manage and upload content on the LCD.


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(Image credit: Thermaltake)

The pre-installed Swafan EX ARGB Sync fans offer swappable fan blades (standard and reverse) that allow you to quickly change the airflow direction for intake or exhaust. This is quite useful as you don’t need to remove and mount the fans in reverse, which usually ends up sacrificing your aesthetics and lighting effects. Depending on the AIO size, these fans will be available in 120 mm (EX12) and 140 mm (EX14) form factors, which can reach fan speeds of up to 2,000 RPM.

(Image credit: Thermaltake)

As an added bonus, the ability to remove the fan blades offers ease of cleaning with either a simple cleaning brush or a microfiber cloth. Thermaltake says that you can even rinse them with water, although you will need to dry them properly and use the included bearing lubricant to ensure proper operation.

Like the Toughfan EX12 Pro and EX14 Pro fans that the company launched earlier this year, the Swafan EX ARGB Sync fans also support the MagForce 2.0 magnetic connectors. As per Thermaltake, the fans now use larger pogo-pin contacts for a more stable connection and potentially fewer alignment issues. It also allows for daisy-chaining multiple fans together using just a single cable instead of wiring each fan individually.

Thermaltake has not revealed official pricing or release dates for the MagFlow Ultra ARGB Sync series. However, given the range of thoughtful features, the new AIO is expected to carry a premium price tag.

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Dawn of the Hunt Ascendancies
Product Reviews

Path of Exile 2 director says GGG is learning from its mistakes while supporting 2 games at once: ‘If you want to lock the date, you can’t lock the features’

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When Grinding Gear Games first announced Path of Exile 2, it made a promise: PoE1 wasn’t going anywhere, and development on both titles would continue in parallel. Ten months after the last Path of Exile league, it’s clear that the studio bit off a bit more than it can chew, but game director Jonathan Rogers was optimistic in a new interview with YouTuber Talkative Tri this week that things are close to being back on track.

One of the main problems, as he sees it, was that GGG veered from a development philosophy it’d had for a long time.

“If you want to lock the features, you can’t lock the date,” he said. “And if you want to lock the date, you can’t lock the features. In the past, we were always locking dates, but then as we had PoE2 in development, we got to the point where we were locking features instead and I think honestly that wasn’t the best.”


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Path of Exile 2’s most recent update was called Dawn of the Hunt, and it’s clear that the focus was squarely on a new class, the Huntress. This painted GGG into a bit of a corner—you can’t really have a hunt dawning without, you know, someone to do the hunting. They couldn’t make announcements about it until they were sure that she was ready, let alone start talking about anything they had cooking with PoE1. As a result, the update felt rushed, and personally I think that was a big contributor to its cool reception.

Moving forward, Rogers said, this uncertainty will be a thing of the past. “We’re doing four months, it’s going to be consistent, it’s always going to be the case. We don’t wanna have this kind of uncertainty around this any more,” he declared, to the resounding cheers of grinders everywhere. With the new 3.26 league coming June 13 for PoE1, this puts us squarely on the release cadence initially promised.

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

A new league or major patch every two months sounds like a dream come true for a PoE sicko like myself, but after over 300 days of radio silence on PoE1’s 3.26 update I think you’d forgive me for being just a touch skeptical. I’m thinking we might see that number stretch a little bit, particularly at first.

Rogers was adamant, though: “With the new development model, like the date is fixed and the content is not, that might mean that the class we’re planning to add might not make it. Now I think it will, but if it had to not make it in order to make it so all the other classes we already have are good, then we will do that tradeoff and that is not the mindset we were in for 0.2.0.”

He added that their primary focus for PoE2’s 0.3 update was making sure that existing classes felt good to play, and if that came at the expense of the new one, so be it. The willingness to make cuts in the name of deadlines tells me that GGG is serious about sticking to the schedule, which is something the community’s been clamoring for since the usual release window for PoE1 came and went half a year ago.

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

We’ll have to see how things shake out with the schedule, but for now at least the content is heading in the right direction. There have been a number of patches to Path of Exile 2 even in this interstitial time between major updates, improving some of the loot issues and other problems that Dawn of the Hunt had. Patch 0.2.1 should be dropping any second now, which has further loot improvements, a whole-ass Expedition revamp, and new chase uniques. It also fixes some major issues—I knew Hidden Grotto was a pain, but did you know that it was 37.5% of all maps on the atlas? And apparently the chaos flowers in Ritual were responsible for fifty percent of player deaths in the endgame? Yeesh.

GGG is hosting a livestream with details for the new PoE1 league on June 5, where we’ll learn more about the patch.



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Split image showing Ring Outdoor Camera Plus and footage recorded on the device
Product Reviews

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus review: tough and versatile, but its most advanced features cost extra

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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.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: two-minute review

Keeping an eye on your property remotely has become an obsession for many of us. No matter where you are in the world you can see exactly who is in your house and who has come to the front door. You can even use your camera to monitor the miserable weather back home while you are abroad enjoying sunshine.

Now owned by retailing behemoth Amazon, Ring was originally set up by US entrepreneur Jamie Siminoff as ‘Doorbot’ in 2013, but has since gone on to become one of the biggest names in the home security industry. As the name suggests, the Outdoor Cameras (previously known as Stick-Up Cameras) are designed for outdoor use, though there is no reason why you couldn’t use it indoors too – it can be just as easily placed on a table or desk as on the wall outside.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

The Outdoor Camera Plus is certainly a versatile model with several mounting options, including a wall bracket (with wall plugs) as well as a rechargeable battery pack if a power cable isn’t feasible (this wasn’t provided). Plastic covers stop water getting into the USB-C power port and the model is ‘weather-resistant’, not waterproof, so shouldn’t be submerged in water!


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As with most home security cameras, set up is straightforward. Simply download the Ring app and scan the QR code with your phone’s camera to add the device to the app (several Ring devices can be viewed within the app, including cameras, video doorbells, chimes and alarms). You will then be taken through a set of voice-based instructions for syncing the camera to your home’s Wi-Fi, naming the device and updating its firmware. Usefully this new model features dual-band support so you can add it to either your 2.4GHz or 5GHz network as well as Amazon Alexa compatibility. For added security, two-factor authentication is also now provided.

When it comes to features, the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus doesn’t disappoint. You can set motion detection zones to avoid the camera capturing footage from, say, the swaying of tree branches. And it’s also possible to set up privacy zones that allow you to block out certain areas of the frame, even in ‘live view’. Instead, all you see on the screen is a black rectangle. It’s an unusual feature but one which is quite useful if you have neighbours concerned your camera can view/capture recordings from their property.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Another unusual feature in the menu is Smart Responses. This enables you to send out a warning message to people to tell them they are being recorded. However, it isn’t live on this device – at least yet. Other more conventional features include motion sensitivity for adjusting the amount of footage you capture (useful if you want to preserve battery life) and motion schedules for setting the times of day you want to record movement.

But that’s not all. For those who subscribe to Ring’s monthly subscription plans, other functions are available too. These include ‘smart alerts’ which filter different types of motion into categories – ie parcel, person and vehicles. Providing you pay for the £15.99 per month Ring Premium service, there’s also an AI-driven smart video search tool that can identify certain objects in your device’s recorded motion events.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

For example, just enter ‘dog’ into the search bar you can see all the times your dog has been captured by the camera while ‘red top’ will bring up footage of anyone wearing a red top in the recorded events. Particularly useful is that you can log into your Ring account on the web so you can view footage of all your cameras while working on your laptop, something which isn’t possible with more basic models.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: price and availability

  • Prices start at $69 / £69 / AU$179
  • Additional solar panel costs extra
  • Launched March 2025

Ring security cameras certainly aren’t expensive to buy compared to some of the best home security cameras. At the time of writing, you can pick up the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus for £69 / $69 / $179 (considerably cheaper than the launch price). However, just like printer companies make their money from selling expensive printer cartridges, home security companies make theirs from selling costly subscriptions.

Ring’s Home Basic plan is $4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 per month, but if you want all the bells and whistles, such as the Smart Video Search outlined earlier, it will set you back a hefty $19.99 / £15.99 per month (and this top-tier subscription isn’t available in Australia).

In my opinion that’s simply far too much money, unless you are using the Ring for professional purposes such as monitoring, say, high street shops (in which case there are more advanced video surveillance systems available). Far better if you need to keep the recordings is to choose a security camera which provides the option of recording footage locally on a USB stick or MicroSD card.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: subscription options

Ring Home Basic:

$4.99 / £4.99 / AU$4.95 per month

$49.99 / £49.99 / AU$49.95 per year

Subscription for a single device. Includes up to 180 days of video event history, person and package alerts, video preview alerts, and 10% off Ring.com purchases.

Ring Home Standard:

$9.99 / £7.99 / AU$14.95 per month

$99.99 / £79.99 / AU$149.95 per year

Includes everything in Basic, plus all devices at one location, doorbell calls, extended live view, alarm cellular backup, and daily event summary.

Ring Premium:

$19.99 / £15.99 per month

$199.99 / £159.99 per year

Not currently available in Australia. Includes everything in Standard, plus 24/7 recording, continuous live view, and smart video search.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: design

  • Upgraded from Ring Stick Up Camera
  • Versatile mounting
  • Flexible power options

With the Outdoor Camera Plus, Ring has made a few improvements over its predecessor, the third generation Ring Stick Up Camera (now called the Outdoor Camera). Most notable is its improved design, particularly the versatile mounting options. The Ring Outdoor Cam Plus can be mounted on a desktop/table, on a wall or roof eave using the screws and wall plugs provided. It can be mounted on the ceiling with an additional accessory (not provided as standard) and easily angled for optimum use.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Power is provided via the USB-C connector in the middle of the camera (a power cable wasn’t provided with our sample). Alternatively, you can take the Lithium-Ion battery out by swivelling the base to the unlock icon and removing it (ensuring you remove the card covering the charging points). You can then charge it via the orange Micro-USB cable provided until it’s ready for installation. Spare batteries are also available to buy online at Amazon of course.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

Available in black or white, the Outdoor Cam Plus features a lens on the front which provides a 160-degree diagonal, 140-degree horizontal, and 80-degree vertical field of view. Underneath is a speaker while above there’s a small microphone for two-way conversations with visitors. When movement is recorded a solid blue light is displayed at the top of the unit while during set up this flashes blue.

Ring Outdoor Camera Plus: performance

  • 2K image quality
  • Stable video connection
  • Overly sensitive camera

Ring claims the Outdoor Camera Plus offers ‘brilliant 2K video quality’ but in all honesty there’s not a massive leap in quality between this model and its predecessor, the Ring Stick Up Camera. Whereas the previous model offered 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, this one boasts 2,560 x 1,440 (2K). In other words, an increase of 360 horizontal pixels and 640 vertical pixels – enough to see the difference when you zoom in to an image, but probably not otherwise.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

That said, I didn’t have any complaints about picture quality at all. Images are sharp even at night thanks to the ‘low-light sight’ feature (although colour is limited in low light) and the field of vision is also quite wide: 140-degree horizontal compared to 115 degrees on the Ring Stick Up Camera.

Another benefit is having dual-band Wi-Fi support (2.4GHz and 5GHz) which ensured images recorded on the camera and viewed in Live View were extremely stable even though the camera was mostly located in the back garden, a significant distance from my broadband router.

(Image credit: Chris Price)

One thing worth noting is that the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus isn’t as sensitive as some models which record every bit of motion detected, even moving branches. Instead, you will probably need to turn the motion sensitivity option up a little bit just to capture all the footage you want. This will in turn use up more battery power so it’s worth considering either using the mains or a solar panel as a power supplement.

After nearly two weeks our sample model was already down to 50% so you will probably have to take the battery pack out for charging once a month – not the worst we’ve ever tested, but not the best either.

Should you buy the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus?

Swipe to scroll horizontallyRing Outdoor Camera Plus score card

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

While the actual camera itself is relatively cheap, the subscription which gives you most of the added functionality is very expensive.

3/5

Design

Available in black or white, the Ring Outdoor Cam Plus looks OK and is both compact and reasonably well designed. Suitable for a number of locations (indoors or outdoors) it can be powered by mains, battery or even solar power.

4/5

Performance

Offering 2K video quality, the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus provides stable, good quality, images in record mode and live view. However, battery life isn’t the best and the motion sensor isn’t particularly sensitive.

4/5

Overall

A decent home security camera, but the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus loses points for its expensive subscription packages and so-so battery life. Performance isn’t that much better than its predecessor, the Ring Stick Up Cam

3.5/5

Buy it if

Don’t buy it if

How I tested the Ring Outdoor Camera Plus

  • I used the camera both indoors and outdoors
  • I installed it myself
  • The camera was integrated into my home system with other Ring cameras

Like most manufacturers, Ring makes adding new cameras to its app very simple indeed. Because I already had several Ring security cameras and doorbells connected to my existing app, I simply added another using the QR code at the back of the device. However, starting from scratch would have been just as straightforward.

I started off using the device mostly indoors to get the feel of it and then moved it to my garden where I mounted it on top of the shed focused on the back door. There it has remained ever since (about 12 days at the time of writing), capturing people and pets who go out into the garden. Ring provides a 30-day trial for all the advanced features, such as smart video search and person/package/video alerts, but after this runs out you will need to subscribe online at Ring.com (you can’t do this via the app).

First reviewed May 2025



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Switch 2 will bring new features to NSO's Nintendo 64 catalogue, including the ability to rewind gameplay
Game Updates

Switch 2 will bring new features to NSO’s Nintendo 64 catalogue, including the ability to rewind gameplay

by admin


In the run up to the Switch 2’s release next week (next week!), Nintendo has released a new video highlighting the changes N64 classics will have on the console’s debut.

Those with a Nintendo Switch Online plus Expansion Pack subscription are able to play classic games from the N64 days, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Pokémon Snap, and a personal favourite, GoldenEye 007.

And soon, those on Switch 2 will be able to play these games, and then rewind them when things don’t go quite as planned (what, that has never happened to me), pop on a CRT screen filter and remap the controls. You can check out how this all looks via the video below.

Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics: Features Update. Watch on YouTube

While those on the original Switch consoles won’t be able to utilise that rewind feature or the CRT screen filter, they will be able to remap the controls when this update goes live.

Image credit: Nintendo

As to when all this is happening, that would be next Thursday, 5th June. That’s the day Switch 2 releases.

In the meantime while we wait patiently for next week, you can check out the full run down of games available on Nintendo’s subscription service via our handy guide: All Nintendo Switch Online games available to play right now.

As for the Switch 2, while it is not technically available just yet, some have managed to get their hands on the console early. Last night, footage was shared online of someone unpacking their new console, however they were unable to play it due to it requiring a day one update to function. Nintendo obviously didn’t seem best pleased with this video making the rounds online, and soon removed the footage from the internet.



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N64 games get exclusive Switch 2 features to up the nostalgia
Game Updates

N64 games get exclusive Switch 2 features to up the nostalgia

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The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 is just about a week away, yet Nintendo is still drip-feeding news about the Switch 2’s new features that’ll separate it from the original Switch. Via the Nintendo Today app on Tuesday, Nintendo shared that a new set of features on the Nintendo Switch Online platform will make its N64 games both more forgiving and more nostalgic.

First up is the ability to rewind gameplay and start again. This’ll be great for when you mistime a jump in a platformer or accidentally fling yourself off the track in Mario Kart 64 (my personal downfall in every Mario Kart game ever).

The Nintendo Today app also revealed CRT filters will be available to add scan-lines to the N64 games. Perfect for when you want to crank the nostalgia up to 11 and pretend its 1998 by making The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time look crappier.

While those features will be exclusive to the Switch 2, the OG Switch and its successor will both receive the ability to remap controls for N64 games. The video shows remapping is available for Joy-Cons as well as the Nintendo 64 controller.



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iphone16e
Gaming Gear

I Tested the $599 iPhone 16E and Was Surprised by All the Features You Don’t Get

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When I reviewed the iPhone 16E I was charmed by its simplicity and frustrated by its $599 price. The phone is $200 less than the iPhone 16 but $100 more than rivals like the $499 Pixel 9A (and Google’s cheap phone comes with two rear cameras).

The iPhone 16E has many of the iPhone 16’s best features, like an A18 chip, a 48-megapixel main camera, iOS 18, Apple Intelligence and access to Apple services like Facetime, iMessage and Emergency SOS via Satellite. What more could you want, right?

Well, as with other affordable phones, compromises were made to get to that lower price. These omissions tell you a lot about what Apple values — like Apple Intelligence, for example. I’ve reviewed more budget phones than I can count, and the best ones always offer far more than just their low sticker price. It’s a pleasant surprise when a company like Motorola, OnePlus or Google nails the balance of what to keep and what to omit.

Let’s take a look at the features you don’t get on the iPhone 16E. And just because this Apple phone lacks a feature doesn’t make it bad… unless it’s a feature you want.

Watch this: iPhone 16E Review

07:20

MagSafe and Qi2

MagSafe has become a popular aspect of being an iPhone owner, and it’s wild that the iPhone 16E doesn’t have it. MagSafe debuted in 2020 on the iPhone 12 and uses magnets inside the phone to help it wirelessly charge by ensuring it’s in the optimum position. The magnets have an added benefit because they let you attach magnetic accessories to your iPhone, like a wallet or battery pack, as well as secure your phone to mounts, like one in a car.

The iPhone 16’s MagSafe supports 25-watt wireless charging speeds. But the iPhone 16E only supports 7.5W wireless charging, the original Qi standard — not even Qi2 speeds of 15W.

Ultrawide, macro camera

Apple/Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

The iPhone 16E has something of a rarity in 2025: a single rear camera. But as I’ve said before, in other stories and reviews, I’d rather have one really good camera than the two or three mediocre ones that can often be found on sub-$300 phones. The 16E’s main camera has a 48-megapixel sensor, which has enough resolution for sensor cropping to offer a 2x magnification — not quite the same as having a second camera, but close.

Sensor cropping can’t replace having a dedicated ultrawide camera, which on the iPhone 16 doubles as a macro camera, letting you focus on close-up subjects, like for food photos.

3 grams

The iPhone 16E weighs 167 grams, making it 3 grams lighter than the 170-gram iPhone 16. Hey, not all omissions are bad.

Dynamic Island

The iPhone 16E has a screen notch.

Apple/CNET

The iPhone 16E brings back the screen notch, a cutout at the top of the screen that houses the phone’s selfie camera and FaceID technology. But it lacks the Dynamic Island cutout, which is a smaller, oval-shaped hole at the top of the display on the iPhone 16. Apple uses the screen space around the Dynamic Island cutout to show system alerts as well as background tasks, like when music is playing. Obviously the 16E’s lack of a Dynamic Island won’t prevent it from showing alerts, but it’s still missing out on a clever software interface.

Qualcomm 5G modem and mmWave

The C1 modem is Apple’s first in-house 5G modem.

Apple/Screenshot by Jeff Carlson/CNET

In its launch video, Apple proudly pointed out that the iPhone 16E has an in-house designed 5G modem called C1. The new Apple modem forgoes the Qualcomm 5G modems used in other iPhone models. Designing its own modem allows Apple to tailor the device for its phones. The new modem helps extend the iPhone 16E’s battery life, which Apple says is longer than it is with other iPhone 16 models.

But the C1 modem has one wrinkle: It doesn’t support 5G mmWave (or ultra-wideband), which is the very fast flavor of 5G that you might experience in parts of some cities or at a stadium for an event.

Color options

The iPhone 16E comes in black or white.

Apple/CNET

When the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus launched, one of the best aspects was that they came in colors like ultramarine, teal and pink. The iPhone 16E comes in only black or white.

Five GPU cores

One of the iPhone 16E’s biggest features is that, like the iPhone 16, it has the A18 chip and can run Apple Intelligence. But the chip isn’t exactly the same. The iPhone 16’s A18 chip has five GPU cores, while the 16E’s has only four. So, what does that mean exactly? Well, the good news is that the difference doesn’t have a noticeable effect on daily use with the iPhone 16E. But if you’re someone who plays graphics-intensive games for hours on end, the iPhone 16 could have a slight edge.

Camera Control button

Here’s the pop-up menu (top right) that appears as you’re using the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16.

Marc Ganley/CNET

Apple’s omission of the Camera Control button, which also triggers Visual Intelligence searches, makes sense, since the 16E has only a single camera. Those people who are likely to use a Camera Control button are probably going to get an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro, because those models have more cameras. Apple also smartly enabled the 16E’s Action button to start a Visual Intelligence search.

Ultra-wideband, Wi-Fi 7 and Thread

The iPhone 16E lacks Apple’s ultra-wideband chip, meaning you won’t be able to use the Precision Tracking feature in Find My for AirTags. The phone supports Wi-Fi 6 but not the newer 6E or 7 standards. Wi-Fi 6 speeds are good, but as more Wi-Fi 7 routers come out, the 16E won’t be able to take advantage of faster peak speeds. The 16E also lacks support for Thread radio and won’t be able to directly connect to some smart home devices with a built-in Thread border router.

Action, Cinematic and Spatial video modes

The iPhone 16E’s Camera app doesn’t have:

  • Action mode for stabilizing video recordings with lots of camera shake
  • Cinematic mode for recording videos with a faux shallow depth of field
  • Spatial mode for recording “3D” videos for the Vision Pro, which needs two cameras

Other odds and ends

The iPhone 16E has Photographic Styles, but not the newer ones that debuted on the iPhone 16 series. The 16E can take Portrait mode photos, but it lacks the ability to change focus after the fact like on the iPhone 16. The 16E’s display is covered with Ceramic Shield, but not the newer, more durable version that’s on the iPhone 16.

Though this list of omissions is long, that doesn’t mean the iPhone 16E is a bad phone. I look forward to getting my hands on one and testing it soon.

Apple iPhone 16E Specs vs. iPhone 16, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 15

Apple iPhone 16EiPhone 16iPhone SE (2022)iPhone 15Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate6.1-inch OLED display; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate4.7-inch LCD; 1,334×750 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate6.1-inch OLED; 2,556×1,179 pixels; 60hz refresh ratePixel density 460ppi460ppi326ppi460ppiDimensions (inches) 5.78×2.82×0.315.81×2.82×0.315.45×2.65×0.292.82×5.81×0.31Dimensions (millimeters) 146.7×71.5×7.8147.6×71.6×7.8138.4×67.3×7.371.6×147.6×7.8Weight 167 grams (5.88 ounces)170g (6oz)144g (5.09oz)171g (6.02oz)Mobile software iOS 18iOS 18iOS 15iOS 17Camera 48 megapixel (wide)48 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)12 megapixel (wide)48 megapixel (wide), 12 megapixel (ultrawide)Front-facing camera 12 megapixel12 megapixel7 megapixel12 megapixelVideo capture 4K4K4K4KProcessor Apple A18Apple A18Apple A15 BionicApple A16 BionicRAM/storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB128GB, 256GB, 512GB64GB, 128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GB, 512GBExpandable storage NoneNoneNoneNoneBattery Up to 26 hours video playback, 21 hours streamed video playback, 90 hours of audio playback. 20W wired charging, 7.5W Qi wireless chargingUp to 22 hours video playback; up to 18 hours video playback (streamed). 20W wired charging. MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher; Qi2 up to 15WBattery size not disclosed (charger not included; supports wireless charging)Undisclosed; Apple says up to 20 hours of video playback (16 hours streamed)Fingerprint sensor None (Face ID)None (Face ID)Home buttonNone (Face ID)Connector USB-CUSB-CLightningUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneNoneSpecial features Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistanceApple Intelligence, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, 1 to 2,000 nits display brightness range, IP68 resistance. Colors: black, white, pink, teal, ultramarine.5G-enabled; supports 25W wired fast charging; Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless chargingDynamic Island; 5G (mmw/Sub6); MagSafe; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging; eSIM; satellite connectivityUS price starts at $599 (128GB), $699 (256GB), $899 (512GB)$799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB)$399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB)$799 (128GB), $899 (256GB), $1,099 (512GB)UK price starts at £599 (128GB), £699 (256GB), £899 (512GB)£799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB)£419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB)£799 (128GB), £899 (256GB), £1,099 (512GB)Australia price starts at AU$999 (128GB), AU$1,199 (256GB), AU$1,549 (512GB)AU$1,399 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB), AU$1,949 (512GB)AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB)AU$1,499 (128GB), AU$1,699 (256GB), AU$2,049 (512GB)



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Mario Kart World Features Over 200 Songs, And They’re All ‘Brand-New Arrangements’
Game Updates

Mario Kart World Features Over 200 Songs, And They’re All ‘Brand-New Arrangements’

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With Mario Kart World launching in just two weeks on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, Nintendo has released a four-part interview series diving deep into the game’s development. In the series, music lead Atsuko Asahi discusses the game’s score, developing tracks, and even the fact that more than 200 songs are featured in the Mario Kart World jukebox.

These 200 songs are all new arrangements, and they were recorded live, too, according to Asahi, and if they’re anywhere near as delightful on the ears as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s excellent jazz-infused score, we’re in for a treat.

“Altogether, over 200 for the ‘jukebox,’” Asahi said when asked about the total number of musical pieces in Mario Kart World. “These are all brand-new arrangements, and we also did live recordings. We prepared pieces from quite a wide variety of musical genres. I believe those who are well-versed in video game music, as well as those who aren’t, will enjoy listening to them.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Asahi is asked about the challenge of crafting background music and integrating tracks into Mario Kart World’s open world design. Asahi explained music for the designated courses came first, then the open world parts of the game.

“First, we created music for the courses like we’ve always done before and then thought about what to do for the roads outside the courses,” Asahi said. “We decided to have two different kinds of music depending on how you’re playing. For the Knockout Tour mode, we started off by simply trying to connect the course themes. But that approach didn’t work well. It ended up sounding weird because the tracks have different tempos and beats. So, we decided to find a way to end each of the course themes, even though they’re connected by the route.

“Video game music often plays on a loop, and in this game, too, the same music keeps playing if you’re driving laps around a course. But for Knockout Tour, as you get closer to the next course, the music transitions to the outro, so the theme ends nicely. We also created a new intro for each course theme, which starts to play shortly before you reach the gate, building excitement. Then, as you actually pass through the gate, it changes to the theme of the course you’ve entered. By repeating this, it feels like a medley is playing along to you live, creating a sense of immersion.”

For other modes in Mario Kart World, like the open world Free Roam, Asahi said the team prepared lots of music in addition to the course tracks, and that the game automatically selects the right track depending on the situation. During development, the team referred to this carousel of music as the “jukebox,” and that’s how the jukebox feature made it into Mario Kart World.

Mario Kart World launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5.

For more, read about how Nintendo considered dropping the resolution and frame rate of Mario Kart World before changing development to Switch 2. After that, read about how Nintendo says there are more than 100 courses in Mario Kart World, and then check out Game Informer’s 2025 Switch 2 video game release schedule list.

What genre of music do you hope to hear in Mario Kart World? Let us know in the comments below!



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firecrackers going off on a desk while uwo's lab is typing
Product Reviews

The world’s loudest mechanical keyboard features relays and firecrackers to make noise

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Creator uwo’s lab built the world’s loudest mechanical keyboard live on his Twitch channel, where he adds several noisemakers to liven up the typing experience. You can see in the preview shared on X (formerly Twitter) that he started with a 65% keyboard attached to a breadboard, which is then attached to relays and linear actuators that hit a steel plate. Apparently, the tinkling sound is not enough, so he added a steel tongue drum with two rubber mallets powered by compressed air, which hit the drum with every key press you make.

As for the finale, uwo’s lab wanted to add something special —a heating coil that would activate when you hit a certain typing speed, which gets so hot that it would ignite a short burst of machine-gun firecrackers. Unfortunately, he did not want to reprogram the breadboard, so he manually activated it with a battery. He tried doing it again a second time, but the fuse failed, so he just lit it up with a lighter and then typed while the firecrackers were blowing up.

The Twitch stream to create this doohickey, which, according to uwo’s lab, is below contraption but above thingamajig, took almost five hours, and the result was quite chaotic but fun. Aside from that, the build itself had wires, cables, and pneumatic hoses all over the place, adding to the mayhem, but you can still see the keyboard and the visual and aural pandemonium that happens when he starts typing.


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I made the worlds loudest mechanical keyboard pic.twitter.com/wLLHQZSGUjMay 21, 2025

We’re a bit disappointed about the firecracker situation, though, as we’d love to beat our typing speed record, and celebrating it with firecrackers going off our desk is the best way to do that. Still, this project by the funny science man, as uwo’s lab calls himself, is by far the craziest mechanical keyboard idea we’ve seen in a long while.

This may not make gaming more immersive, unlike this massive tank sim or this racing sim setup that ejects you from your seat when you crash, but it will liven up your workspace. I’m not sure your boss or colleagues would appreciate it, though, especially if you type quickly while wearing the best wireless gaming headsets with active noise cancellation (while everyone else suffers).

Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.





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Asset Panda
Product Reviews

I tested Asset Panda and found it provides powerful customization and mobile app features for all business sizes

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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.

Asset Panda is a cloud-based IT asset management software platform. It helps businesses track and manage their physical assets from anywhere. Its standout feature is a customizable interface that adapts to your workflows, so you don’t have to change your processes. The platform allows unlimited users on any plan, making it great for organizations that want to boost adoption.

During our testing, we were particularly impressed with its mobile features. Asset Panda includes built-in barcode scanning and GPS location tracking for assets. You can customize fields, workflows, and reports easily, even without coding skills. This empowers non-technical users to tailor the system to their needs. However, we noticed that the website lacks clear pricing. New users must request quotes based on the number of assets they want to track.

The software provides real-time visibility into asset status, location, and lifecycle history. This helps organizations make better decisions about maintenance, replacement, and use. We found the reporting tools to be strong, allowing us to create custom reports on asset depreciation and maintenance schedules. While the initial setup has a learning curve, Asset Panda’s customer support and onboarding help ease the transition.


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All in all, Asset Panda offers great value. It improves accountability, reduces asset loss, and streamlines workflows. The company claims customers see an average 800% ROI, which seems believable based on our observations. Although the mobile app sometimes has syncing issues and lacks full offline functionality, the platform’s strengths make it a solid choice for businesses wanting to modernize their asset management.

(Image credit: Asset Panda)

Asset Panda: Plans and pricing

Asset Panda does not show pricing on its website. Instead, potential customers must contact sales for a custom quote based on their needs. The pricing mainly depends on the number of assets tracked, not the number of users, which is unlimited for all plans. We found that plans usually start at about $1,500 per year for small businesses tracking fewer than 500 assets. Enterprise pricing increases based on asset volume and custom implementation needs.

The company offers a 14-day free trial that provides full access to the platform’s features. This allows organizations to try its capabilities before making a commitment. We like that Asset Panda includes unlimited cloud storage, custom fields, and mobile app users in all plans. This avoids the extra charges seen with some competitors. Customer support, training resources, and regular updates are part of the subscription price. However, organizations needing more help can purchase premium onboarding and dedicated support packages for an extra cost.

(Image credit: Asset Panda)

Asset Panda: Features

Asset Panda provides a full set of tools for asset management. These tools help organizations track, manage, and optimize their physical assets throughout their lifecycle. The platform is flexible and supports various industries, including IT, facilities management, healthcare, education, and construction. Here are some standout features we found during testing.

Customizable workflows

Asset Panda’s flexible workflow engine lets users tailor the platform to fit their processes. We created custom fields, forms, and actions for our test environment without coding skills. The system has role-based permissions that manage what user groups can see and do. This ensures data security while promoting collaboration between departments.

Mobile functionality

The mobile app is one of Asset Panda’s best features. It offers almost all the desktop functions in a touch-friendly design. The built-in barcode scanner worked well with different asset tag types. Plus, capturing photos and attaching them to asset records was very helpful for documentation. The GPS tracking feature records location data when assets are scanned or updated. This creates a useful audit trail of asset movements.

Asset lifecycle management

Asset Panda tracks assets from start to finish. It covers procurement, deployment, maintenance, and retirement. The platform lets you schedule maintenance, track warranties, and monitor depreciation in one place. We appreciated the automated alerts for maintenance deadlines and warranty expirations. These alerts help avoid costly mistakes.

Integration capabilities

The platform provides strong integration options via its API and ready-made connectors for popular business systems. We personally tested the integrations with G Suite for user authentication and Zendesk for managing support tickets about asset issues. Plus connecting Asset Panda with accounting systems like QuickBooks and ERP platforms lets asset data move smoothly between key business systems. All of this cuts down on redundant data entry and boosts accuracy.

(Image credit: Asset Panda)

Asset Panda: Analytics

Asset Panda’s reporting tools offer clear insights into asset use, status, and financial performance. You can access both pre-built and custom reports. The dashboard is user-friendly, making it easy to view key metrics, such as asset distribution by location, maintenance status, and upcoming expirations. You can save reports for quick access and set up automated email delivery to stakeholders. This keeps everyone informed without extra work.

The platform’s filtering and grouping options let users analyze asset data in various ways to spot trends and find optimization opportunities. For example, you can create custom reports on depreciation forecasts, maintenance costs by asset type, and utilization rates across departments. The report builder may have a small learning curve for complex analyses, but even simple reports offer valuable insights.

(Image credit: Asset Panda)

Asset Panda: Ease of use

Asset Panda has a clean and modern interface that’s generally easy to use. However, the many customization options can be overwhelming for new users. Still, the platform balances power and usability well. It features logical navigation and helpful tooltips for common tasks. Your team can customize dashboards based on their roles, which helps streamline the experience. That way, team members see only the information relevant to their jobs.

The mobile experience is impressive. It offers almost all the features of the desktop version in a touch-friendly format. During our testing, we liked how easily we could switch between devices while maintaining access to key data and functions. The setup process does take time to customize fields, workflows, and permissions, but the implementation team is there to help new customers.

(Image credit: Asset Panda)

Asset Panda: Support

Asset Panda provides support through email, phone, and live chat during business hours. We were impressed by their quick response times. Their knowledge base is extensive, with detailed articles, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides for common questions and use cases. We especially appreciated the regular webinars and training sessions. These sessions cover basic functions and advanced features, like custom report building and workflow automation.

(Image credit: Asset Panda)

Asset Panda: Security

Asset Panda prioritizes data security. They use industry-standard measures like SSL encryption, regular security audits, and role-based access controls to keep customer information safe. And the platform runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which offers strong infrastructure security and compliance certifications like SOC 2 Type II.

We particularly liked the detailed permission settings during our evaluation. These settings let administrators manage what information different user groups can access, modify, or report on based on their roles at the company. This helps organizations maintain data integrity while promoting collaboration.

Asset Panda: The Competition

AssetCloud by Wasp is an affordable option for small businesses needing simple asset tracking. However, it doesn’t offer the extensive customization that Asset Panda does. EZOfficeInventory and Snipe-IT have similar core features at competitive prices. Snipe-IT even has an open-source option for groups that can self-host.

For enterprises using ServiceNow or IBM Maximo, their asset management modules integrate well with IT service management. However, they usually come at a much higher cost.

Organizations focused on IT asset management may prefer Lansweeper or ManageEngine AssetExplorer. These tools offer better automated discovery for networked devices. UpKeep and Fiix excel in maintenance management, which is important for groups prioritizing equipment uptime.

Asset Panda is flexible and serves many purposes, but these specialized tools can provide deeper functionality in certain areas. But they may lack the all-in-one appeal that Asset Panda has for managing diverse asset types.

Asset Panda: Final Verdict

Asset Panda offers a strong and customizable asset management solution. It adapts to many tracking needs across various industries. Its unlimited user model, mobile features, and customization options provide great value. However, pricing is not clear, and it has a steep learning curve. For organizations that rely on spreadsheets or outdated systems, Asset Panda brings a mix of flexibility and structure. This can change how assets are managed throughout their lifecycle.

We’ve also listed the best software asset management (SAM) tools.



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