TechRadar News

• YouTube has rolled out some new improvements for smart TVs and consoles
• They include several new sections to help you find videos and music
• This follows news of a bigger redesign due to roll out "this summer"

YouTube is committed to polishing its smart TV experience in a big way this year – and the first signs of its efforts are rolling out now for its app on both TVs and game consoles.

As Google announced in a new YouTube support post, there are nine new UI tweaks that are designed to help you find shows, podcasts, and live music. While they're not quite as big as the promised redesign of YouTube's TV experience, they should help save you time and effort when navigating the slightly dated app.

Firstly, there's a new 'Continue your search' section on the home screen, which will apparently display your top three searches. That sounds handy considering the search experience on TVs can be pretty inconsistent and laborious.

Other new home screen sections (which YouTube refers to as 'shelves', for some reason) include 'Listen again' (showing you the top songs you've searched for) and a handy new one called 'Live performances, remixes and covers'.

As someone who regularly digs into YouTube's treasure trove of obscure live performances, I can see myself using that quite a bit.

Another new section includes one for 'Primetime channels', where you can see the channels you've subscribed to, like Paramount+, Showtime, Starz, or DAZN in one place. It seems the lines between YouTube and YouTube TV, its cable replacement service in the US, could soon start to blur further.

The final new 'shelf' (or section) might be the most useful, as you can see in the image above, the 'From your top channels' section provides some shortcuts to your most-watched YouTube channels. That should mean less time hunting in the slightly annoying subscriptions section.

(Image credit: YouTube / Google)

Outside of those new sections, arguably the biggest arrival is a new Podcasts tab. In February, YouTube noted that it is now the most popular service for listening to podcasts in the US (according to Edison Research), so this feature certainly makes sense.

Another promising upgrade is that YouTube has now split its more mobile-friendly Shorts from its longer-form videos. There'll now be a 'Shorts Row' in your 'Watch Next' feed, plus a dedicated Shorts section in your Subscriptions tab.

It isn't yet clear if this means you'll now never see Shorts in your subscriptions feed (something I'd be happy with), but either way, it should make the experience feel cleaner.

If you like your videos to play on repeat, it's also now possible to loop all on-demand videos on YouTube – a feature that was previously only available for playlists. To do that, head into the Playback Settings menu and choose the 'loop' setting.

The final UI tweak in this round of updates is that 'inline previews' (the little video teasers you see when hovering over a video thumbnail) have now been expanded to pages for channels, subscriptions, and topics.

That feature will likely divide opinion, so it could prove the most controversial of this otherwise positive step forward for YouTube's TV experience.

This update should roll out soon for the YouTube app on your Smart TV or gaming console, or by the end of this quarter in June. I haven't received it on my Apple TV box yet, but it will hopefully be available on streaming boxes soon as well.

What else is coming?

(Image credit: Google)

Last week, YouTube celebrated its 20th birthday by teasing a redesign of its TV experience, which is apparently coming "this summer" (or by the end of September).

It didn't expand much on specifics, but released the preview image above and promised "easier navigation" alongside "streamlined access to comments, channel info, and subscribing."

These upgrades appear to be focused more on the playback experience than the new homescreen improvements, but are certainly welcome too. The big question is whether we'll also see other 'upgrades' like 'pause ads' sneakily added to the mix alongside the broader redesign.

We'll have to wait until later in the year to see, but with a new "second screen experience" that lets you use your smartphone to interact with the videos you're watching, also coming later this year, it's clear that YouTube on smart TVs is changing – and mostly for the better.

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• SK Telecom is now giving away replacement SIM cards
• Earlier in April, it suffered a malware infection in which crooks stole USIM data
• 25 million customers are eligible, but just 6 million will be serviced in May

South Korea’s number one telecommunications provider, SK Telecom, is giving away free SIM cards to 25 million of its customers, after the recent USIM cyberattack. However, due to logistics challenges, it won’t be able to service everyone that fast.

Earlier in April, news broke that SK Telecom suffered a malware infection through which threat actors tried to grab customer USIM information. The attack allegedly happened in mid-April 2025, at night between Saturday and Sunday, when most employees were away for the weekend.

A USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) is the successor of the old SIM card. It’s used in 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile networks and is found in most devices with cellular connectivity.

Booking a slot online

At its core, a USIM authenticates the device’s identity on a network, stores subscriber data (International Mobile Subscriber Identity, authentication keys, contacts, and sometimes text messages), encrypts the information passing through, and enables secure access to mobile services such as calls, data, or texts.

A cybercriminal could use the data to clone the SIM, track people’s location, bypass app security, or eavesdrop on communications.

While the investigation is still ongoing and the number of affected individuals is yet to be determined, SK Telecom announced offering replacement SIM cards to 25 million mobile subscribers, including some two million spilled over from budget carriers. However, it won’t have more than six million units throughout May 2025, which is why the company urged users to book a slot online:

“SK Telecom has blocked the misuse of SIM information with its FDS and SIM protection services, but it still offers a free service for customers who want to replace their SIM card,” reads the machine-translated announcement. “Currently, we have 1 million USIMs, and we plan to secure an additional 5 million SIMs by the end of May. However, it is expected that there will be a large number of customers at once, so please check in advance through the online reservation application system.”

Via BleepingComputer

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Last week, news broke that the Amazon-backed Slate Auto project would begin production of its cut-price electric pick-up next year, but the company isn’t alone.

While pricing is still to be determined, Isuzu – arguably one of the most iconic names in commercial vehicles – has said that it will release an electric version of its D-Max pick-up truck in 2026.

Although its range is startlingly sparse in some markets (only the D-Max is now sold in the UK, for example), the company enjoys success in Asia, including its domestic market of Japan, Thailand and others, where solid, reliable trucks are essential to daily life.

The D-Max EV joins the likes of KGM’s (formerly SsangYong) electrified Musso, the Maxus eTerron 9, the upcoming BYD Shark and a raft of cheap electrified pick-up trucks that could soon make their way from China.

While the likes of Ford and Chevrolet experienced relatively slow sales of electric pick-ups, the market could soon become the next hotly-contested EV battleground for global manufacturers.

Towing, hauling and off-road performance have typically proven barriers to entry for this body style, but Isuzu claims its EV is on a par with the diesel option it also offers: it can carry more than 1,000kg in the bed, tow 3,500kg and accelerate from 0-62mph in 10.1 seconds.

The 66.9kWh battery pack is located under the floor and the EV version uses the same ladder chassis as the existing truck. Although here, Isuzu adds permanent four-wheel drive with a motor at the front and rear axles.

According to the marque, off-road performance isn’t affected by the electrified powertrain, with a hefty 210mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of up to 600mm. There are also steep approach and departure angles for when the terrain gets tough.

Pick up a bargain

(Image credit: Slate Auto)

Isuzu hasn’t revealed an official price for the D-Max EV, but we would expect it to be substantially more than the circa $53,000 / £40,000 / AU$84,000 it currently charges for a diesel-powered version.

This puts it in the firing line of the Ford F-150 Lightning, which offers an EV range of 230 miles in the most basic variants. Isuzu, on the other hand, says its truck manages around 163 miles on a single charge.

As we have seen with various electric pick-ups, including the Tesla Cybertruck, hauling or towing loads has a big impact on electric range which, for many, is already too tight for daily use cases.

Slate Auto has been honest about battery range and the very basic nature of its upcoming model, but the upshot is that it looks set to be truly affordable. Those trucks offered by Ford, Chevrolet, Rivian, Tesla and now Isuzu are still likely too expensive for many, given the compromises.

But electric commercial vehicles are rapidly growing in popularity, as the technology is improving and many governments continue to incentivize their use for environmental reasons.

According to one report, the global electric truck market is set to reach a valuation of $78 billion by the end of 2033, up from a $19.5 billion valuation in 2023.

With a host of cheaper, electric models due to arrive from China in the coming years, as well as those from more established Western brands, the electric pick-up market could well be the next hotly-contested battleground for sales.

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• Chinese AI centers are dismantling 4090D GPUs and selling them off
• Reselling idle GPUs yields faster profits than waiting on rental returns
• Some say it’s overcapacity, others claim preparation for newer tech

Some Chinese AI data centers are dismantling and reselling China-specific Nvidia RTX 4090D GPUs, reports have claimed.

A report from DigiTimes Asia says these 48GB cards, designed to circumvent U.S. export restrictions on the flagship AD102 gaming GPU, and initially deployed as part of China’s AI infrastructure push, are now being pulled from racks, refurbished, and sold on the open market.

Data center operators are reportedly finding that this offers a faster and more profitable return than waiting three to five years to recover their investment through GPU rental.

An alternative theory

Each RTX 4090D sells for between CNY20,000 and CNY40,000 (around US$2,735 to US$5,470), and even if lightly used, the cards require modification for consumer resale.

Typically this means converting them from fan-style to blower-style coolers, which are better suited to dense server environments but less effective for single-GPU use.

DigiTimes Asia says this move reflects deeper financial pressure, with many AI data centers struggling to keep their heads above water amid low demand.

According to the report, data centers need utilization rates of at least 70% to break even - but current rates are often below 20%. That leaves expensive infrastructure sitting idle while loan repayments loom.

This isn’t an isolated case. As we reported recently, China’s rapid AI infrastructure expansion - encouraged by state policy - has led to overbuilding.

Hundreds of data center projects were launched across the country in 2023 and 2024, but actual usage has lagged behind expectations. It's no surprise therefore that developers are now offloading hardware to reduce losses.

Although overcapacity is likely at least part of the reason behind the selloff, some operators may simply be clearing space for newer technology.

With interest moving from large-scale model training to real-time inference, older training-focused systems may no longer be as relevant as they once were.

Combined with the latest US export restrictions, which affect chips like Nvidia’s H20, Chinese data centers will be looking at offloading old hardware and shifting to inference-ready setups.

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• Samsung teases Project Moohan is coming in second half of 2025
• The headset was previously given a 2025 launch year
• It doesn't name Moohan directly, so it could be launching different hardware

We had suspected Samsung’s Project Moohan headset, which it is working on in collaboration with Google and its Android XR platform, would arrive sometime in late 2025, and Samsung basically just confirmed that is the case.

During its recent Q1 2025 earnings report, the tech giant shared details about its financial situation and, more importantly for us, information about its hardware releases scheduled for later this year.

It confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge would be launching in Q2 – so sometime in the next couple of months – and revealed that it will “explore new products such as XR,” in the second half of the year.

While Samsung doesn’t explicitly mention Moohan by name, previous, more direct comments about the headset have already teased that the device would be landing this year, so this statement is likely referring to its launch.

Though it could also be teasing the launch of some other XR hardware, like the recently revealed Android XR glasses.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) What do I hope the Android XR headset will offer?

It’s a tad frustrating that Samsung still has yet to give us a firm release window, opting for a six-month time frame, teasing a launch sometime in late 2025.

So while we wait, let’s go over what we want to see from the headset when it is eventually shown off, and what leaks support these Android XR dreams.

Something tells us this headset won’t be cheap, with some early reports suggesting Samsung is looking at something in the $1,000 / £1,000 / AU$ 1,500 range (just like the Meta Quest Pro). So, if it's going to be costly, at least give us some impressive performance and abilities to justify the cost.

I’d love for this headset to feel like a wearable laptop from a productivity perspective – and unlike the Vision Pro, it would ideally achieve this goal without you needing a MacBook add-on.

I want to be able to seamlessly navigate Google Workspace apps like Sheets and Drive, as well as third-party productivity apps that utilize mixed reality, to help me work more easily than if I were just sitting at my normal desk.

The Meta Quest 3 is a great template for Samsung to copy (Image credit: Meta)

It’ll need to be comfy too. I’m fine to have a battery pack in my pocket to help trim some weight from the core device, because I want this headset to feel like I can wear it for hours with no trouble, rather than it being a pain in my neck.

Thankfully, early testers have all claimed that the prototype isn’t too uncomfortable, thanks to its adjustable straps and well-shaped face, so here’s hoping the main product is comfy too.

Next up, I want this device to be a versatile machine. I don’t want it to be pigeonholed into productivity, or entertainment, or some other XR use. I want it to be a jack-of-all-trades like the Meta Quest 3.

This means it needs to have a broad range of worthwhile apps, which is essential for any successful VR headset. It also needs a design that is well-suited for wearing while at a desk or on your couch, as well as while working out and being active.

So, beyond being lightweight like I touched on above, it needs to use an easy-to-clean material (like silicone) for parts like its facial interface rather than fabric, so it doesn’t soak up sweat.

We’ll have to wait and see what Samsung has up its sleeve, but with its release date set for some time later this year it’s only a matter of time before we see the device in action and can decide if it’s the best-in-class XR device I hope it will be.

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• Amazon's plan to display tariff charges on Amazon Haul was not approved
• Trump reportedly called Bezos to complain about the change
• Karoline Leavitt tied Amazon to a Chinese propaganda arm

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has slated Amazon's plans to display tariff costs on its import-focused Amazon Haul sub-store, calling it a "hostile and political act."

According to The Washington Post, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, Trump had called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to complain about the reported change.

Amazon has since confirmed that it had "considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products," however "this was never approved and is not going to happen." It's worth noting that this was also a consideration for Amazon Haul, therefore the main Amazon store would have been unaffected.

Trump administration criticizes Amazon over its handling of tariffs

"He solved the problem very quickly. He did the right thing. Good guy," Trump said. However, while Trump's issue with Amazon seems to have been settled, that didn't stop the President's Press Secretary from tying Amazon to Chinese propaganda. The company "partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm," she said.

Chinese exports to the US face up to 245% in tariffs, and Amazon Haul competitors like Temu, Shein and AliExpress have started to list tariffs or incorporate them into prices.

As it currently stands, the US plans to remove its de minimis exemption, meaning that packages under $800 coming from China/Hong Kong will also be impacted by tariffs. Smartphones and computers currently remain exempt.

For consumers, Trump's tariffs have seen companies like Logitech and Nintendo raise prices, while Temu has also started listing Chinese-shipped items as being sold out for US buyers.

Amazon, now headed up by Andy Jassy, and not Jeff Bezos, reported an 11% year-over-year revenue increase last fiscal year. In his shareholder letter, Jassy noted that the US market saw a 10% growth.

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• Andor season 2 episode 6 includes a very cathartic moment for Bix Caleen
• Adria Arjona has explained why it's so significant for her Star Wars character
• Bix has struggled to move past the trauma she suffered in the show's first season

Andor actor Adria Arjona has opened up on the cathartic "justice" that her character Bix Caleen enjoys in this season's sixth episode.

Ahead of Andor season 2's launch, I sat down with Arjona to discuss Bix's journey in the Star Wars TV show's final installment.

As part of our chat, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get Arjona's thoughts on the emotional release Bix feels following events that transpire in season 2 episode 6, titled 'What a Festive Evening', too.

Full spoilers immediately follow for Andor season 2 episode 6 and its predecessor's final few episodes.

Bix has gone through a lot since the midpoint of Andor's first season (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)

It's an understatement to say Bix has been put through the emotional wringer in one of the best Disney+ shows.

Her troubles may have begun in Andor season 1's early entries, which saw Bix contact nascent Rebel Alliance founder Luthen Rael to set up a meeting between him and Cassian Andor. However, the risk she took was nothing compared to the traumatizing events she'd be subjected to later that season.

Indeed, when the Galactic Empire invaded Ferrix to track down Cassian, Bix was caught in the proverbial crossfire. As one of Cassian's closest allies (she was his ex-girlfriend, after all), Bix was taken prisoner and psychologically tortured by the callous Doctor Gorst to force her to tell the Empire where Cassian is.

Long story short, Cassian rescues Bix in the Disney+ series' season 1 finale and, with Brasso and Wilmon's help, gets Bix to a relative safe haven that, as we learn in this season's first episode, is an agricultural planet in the Outer Rim called Mina-Rau.

Bix has become addicted to the illicit drug known as Death Stick since the end of season 1 (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)

However, while she escaped physically, Bix is still mentally and emotionally trapped by the horrifying events she experienced.

The first three episodes of one of 2025's new Star Wars shows, the events of which take place 12 months after last season's finale, are not only full of more trauma-laced moments, including almost being sexually assaulted by an Imperial Officer in episode 3, but also reveal she's plagued by nightmares of Doctor Gorst.

In chapters four to six, which occur one year after season 2's first act, Box has become addicted to the illegal in-universe substance called Death Stick, which she takes to help her sleep.

Bix finally gets her revenge on Doctor Gorst in season 2 episode 6 (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)

It's this two-year cycle of never-ending mental and emotional anguish that makes the final sequence depicted in 'What a Festive Evening' all the more cathartic for Bix. Indeed, when Cassian is called upon to conduct a new, mysterious mission for Luthen, Bix wants to tag along.

It's a good job she does. Before episode 6 ends, we learn that Cassian and Bix have been sent to dispose of Doctor Gorst, whose secret lab is situated on Coruscant – the same planet the pair have been hiding out on for months.

Knowing how important this mission is to her, Cassian lets Bix take the lead. Long story short, she uses the same psychological torture equipment on the evil scientist before Cassian destroys Gorst's headquarters to make it look like it blew up in an experiment gone wrong.

Star Wars' newest power couple confirmed (Image credit: Lucasfilm/Disney+)

I won't spoil what lies in store for Bix in this season's next six episodes – as I noted in my Andor season 2 review, I've seen all 12 chapters. Nonetheless, episode 6 is a watershed moment for Bix in her efforts to purge herself of the pain and misery inflicted on her – and Arjona fully agreed with that sentiment.

"[Showrunner] Tony [Gilroy] has a really beautiful way of instilling confidence in you without actually giving you a compliment!" Arjona joked to begin with. "But, really, I wanted to do justice to how he wrote Bix's arc this season and by what happened to her at the end of season one.

"After last season's finale, I had so many questions for Tony because I was really curious to see how she was going to cope with it. How would she deal with it? Would she shove it under the rug or try to face it head-on?

I was really curious to see how she was going to cope with it

Adria Arjona

"I very much identify with Bix as a character, who's someone who has to act tough and be strong, and be part of something great," Arjona continued. "But, thanks to what happened in season one, she's physically and mentally unable to play a role in the rebellion, which frustrates her.

"That big moment [in episode six] allows her to redeem herself and, as you'll see very soon, she re-finds herself throughout the rest of the season. She has come back into her own and you finally see the sparkle in her eye, which she had in season one, again. It's like 'you've gone through so much, but now you're back to who you were'. It was really special to see her overcome that and take ownership of her future once more."

Andor season 2 episodes 1 to 6 are out now. Three more episodes will arrive on May 6/7, with the final trio being released on May 13/14.

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• A Court in India has issued a blocking order against the Proton Mail service
• A New Delhi firm filed the complaint in November 2024, accusing some unknown Proton Mail users of sending abusive emails to its employees
• The blocking order was issued under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act 2008 according to the judge

Proton Mail could soon stop working in India following a Court's decision to issue a blocking order against the service.

The Karnataka High Court instructed the Indian Government to block Proton Mail on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. A New Delhi firm filed a complaint against the email service last November, accusing some unknown Proton Mail users of sending abusive emails to its employees.

The company is based in Switzerland and also offers an encrypted calendar, cloud storage, password manager, and one of the best VPN apps on the market. (Image credit: Proton VPN)

The order "to block ProtonMail" was issued under Section 69 of the Information Technology Act 2008, the Judge said during the Tuesday hearing streamed on YouTube, adding that the offending URL "should be blocked forthwith."

The decision came as the email service couldn't reveal the details of who sent the allegedly offensive emails. These messages specifically targeted M Moser Design Associates’ female employees and included abusive and derogatory language alongside AI-generated deep-fake images, and explicit content – The New Indian Express reported.

This isn't the first time that Indian authorities have threatened the Swiss provider with a blocking order. In February 2024, something similar was suggested in response to hoax bomb threats that were sent through the Proton Mail service.

"The issue has been raised to the attention of the Swiss federal authorities, who have been in contact with the relevant Indian authorities to prevent the blocking of Proton Mail in India," confirmed Proton at the time.

Is Proton Mail available in India?

At the time of writing, it is yet unclear when the blocking order will be enforced and if Proton Mail will stop working across the country.

Proton Mail's website was still working in India on Tuesday after the Court issued its decision, though, according to TechCrunch checks. TechRadar also successfully accessed Proton Mail via several Indian IP addresses on April 30.

We nevertheless recommend getting ready for a potential block by downloading one of the best VPN services. This tool will help you to keep accessing your Proton Mail account in case of disruptions to the service.

TechRadar approached Proton for comments, but is still waiting for a response at the time of publication.

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• Google CEO says Google Gemini could be integrated into Apple Intelligence by the middle of this year
• Google Gemini references were found in Apple Intelligence code of the iOS 18.4 beta
• Google and Apple have a long-standing relationship

Google Gemini could be integrated into Apple Intelligence by the middle of this year, according to Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Initially reported by Bloomberg, Pichai said in court on Wednesday that he is hopeful of a partnership between the two companies, and this could be formalized by the middle of this year.

Bloomberg reports that Pichai has held a number of conversations with Apple CEO Tim Cook, and the companies look set to continue their long-standing partnership that has existed since the early days of the iPhone.

We had previously reported the referencing of Gemini in Apple Intelligence as part of the iOS 18.4 beta in February, and there have been multiple reports dating back to the original Apple Intelligence launch last year that hinted at a Gemini x Apple future.

If Pichai's estimates are correct, we could see Google Gemini integrated into Apple Intelligence in time for the expected September launch of the iPhone 17.

Could Google Gemini be revealed at WWDC 2025?

NEW: Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in court he is hopeful to have an agreement with Apple to have Gemini as an option as part of Apple Intelligence by middle of this year. This is referring to the Siri/Writing Tools integration ChatGPT has. https://t.co/udOPWNZGgkApril 30, 2025

WWDC 2025 is just a couple of months away, and we're all eagerly anticipating what Apple will reveal in terms of iOS 19's expected UI overhaul as well as the future of Apple Intelligence.

If Google and Apple can strike this deal before WWDC, Google Gemini integration into Siri and Writing Tools could be a major talking point of the event.

At the time of writing, ChatGPT integration is available in Apple Intelligence, although it's often slower than using the dedicated app. If Gemini were to become an option, we'd hope Apple would work on making these AI integrations far more efficient and streamlined.

With WWDC 2025 just around the corner, we don't have long to wait to find out what the future holds for Apple Intelligence. One thing is for sure, however: Google Gemini as part of your core iPhone experience is looking likely.

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• Intel has highlighted the improvements of its Arc iGPUs used in the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw 7 AI+ handhelds
• The Arc 140V and 130V both have better power management optimization
• It's resulted in better frame rates and frame pacing across multiple games

Handheld gaming is again growing in popularity, with new AMD and Intel SoCs (System-on-Chip) hitting the market that provide great gaming performance, and Team Blue has taken steps to improve the efficiency of two of its iGPUs.

In an official blog post, Intel confirmed a performance update for both the Arc 140V and 130V iGPUs, claiming a 10% FPS gain and a 25% upgrade on 99th percentile (essentially lowest possible FPS) uplifts across several games at 17W (power consumption). The Arc 140V is present in the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the MSI Claw 7 AI+ handheld gaming PCs, which both use the powerful Core Ultra 7 258V processor.

This is all possible thanks to the previous Arc Graphics driver 32.0.101.6734, which improved power management at lower wattages (also incorporated in its latest Arc Graphics driver 32.0.101.6739), as Intel highlighted in its release notes. We previously reported on this, but now Team Blue has performance charts to showcase the enhancements.

In games like Cyberpunk 2077, God of War Ragnarok, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, both average FPS and 1% lows see significant improvements between drivers 6732 and 6734 while gaming on 17W TDP. Notably, Fortnite on driver 6734 has the biggest uplift in both average FPS and 1% lows; essentially, this increases smoothness with better frame pacing.

(Image credit: Intel) The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the king of efficiency by the looks of it...

Considering its 80WHr battery and performance capabilities at a low 17W TDP, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is probably the best handheld gaming PC in terms of efficiency.

I'd be lying if I said I've been using my Asus ROG Ally consistently; it's been mainly collecting dust, because its battery life is poor. As much as I don't mind staying plugged into a wall socket (same as what you'd do with a gaming laptop), it gets frustrating.

I've not had the pleasure of using the MSI Claw 8 AI+ yet, but everything I hear about it makes me want it that much more (especially after the Nintendo Switch 2 reveal). You'd barely need to push the device beyond 17W, and you'll still have great performance - and I can't say the same about the ROG Ally.

Now, if you do want to use the MSI Claw while on battery, it's still going to last a lot longer than the ROG Ally and other handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go. It's a testament to how MSI turned things around after its initial attempt with the MSI Claw A1M model. Let's hope it can once again outdo itself with a new device in the future...

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• Co-Op has shut down systems following a cyber incident
• Stores and funeral homes are trading as usual
• This follows a destructive alleged ransomware attack on M&S

British supermarket Co-Op has had to take down parts of its IT systems after discovering an attempted cyberattack, The Guardian reports. It seems hackers are attempting to gain access to systems, and the chain is taking “proactive measures” to defend against the attack, which had a “small impact” on the firm’s back office and call centre.

This comes just days after another UK supermarket, Marks and Spencers, suffered an outage allegedly linked to ScatteredSpider ransomware - taking out online orders, contactless payments, and Click and Collect systems.

In a letter sent to staff, the retailer confirms it has “taken steps to keep systems safe” so had “pre-emptively withdrawn access to some systems for the moment”. It’s not yet known if there is any link between this incident and the M&S ransomware attack.

Unauthorised access

Retailers tend to work with a large number of third parties for logistics, supplies, and software - making them an attractive target for criminals who can use smaller vendors as an access point. The scope of this incident isn’t yet clear, nor is the initial attack vector.

A spokesperson for Co-Op told TechRadar Pro that all stores (including quick commerce operations) and funeral homes are trading as usual.

“We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period. We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point. We will continue to provide updates as necessary.”

The Metropolitan police has confirmed it’s investigating into the M&S cyberattack, and the chaos of the incident has reportedly cost the firm millions of pounds in downtime and lost sales.

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Shark has abandoned all restraint with the latest addition to its fan lineup. The FlexBreeze Pro Mist comes with a full-size water tank that clips onto the base, enabling it to blast you with a cooling cloud of mist for hours. It's also cordless and UV- and rain-resistant, making it the perfect outdoor hangout companion when the hot weather sets in.

Misting capabilities are particularly useful because fans don't actually cool the air – they just swish it around a bit so it feels colder. In contrast, misters do cool the air. If you fill the tank up with chilled water, or pop some ice cubes in there, Shark says the Pro Mist can shift temperatures down by 6C (10.8F), which is enough to take you from hot mess to cool customer.

The FlexBreeze Pro offers on-the-go misting, wherever you may be (Image credit: Shark)

The design converts from full-height pedestal fan to tabletop mode (the latter is still suitable for use with the water tank, but it'll just sit alongside the fan rather than attaching to the stand) and it can oscillate horizontally up to 180 degrees and manually tilt vertically 55 degrees, for wide-ranging cooling. There are five speed modes to choose from, plus two 'SmartBreeze' settings that simulate natural wind – presumably intended for when you're not actually outside – and a remote control for extra convenience.

If you're using it indoors, you can of course turn the mist off so you don't end up with damp carpets. And if it's living inside for long periods then the tank can be taken off completely – although it's the main reason to choose this fan, so if you're not in it for the misting, you're better off looking elsewhere in our best fan roundup.

A cooling collection

The FlexBreeze Pro Mist is the third (or fourth, depending where you live) addition to the FlexBreeze line, and the most hardcore option.

The original model – which you can read about in our Shark FlexBreeze review – still has a mist function, but you'll need to hook it up to an outdoor water source, which limits the versatility somewhat. If your BBQ doesn't happen to be next to a faucet, no icy clouds for you.

You'll also find the portable FlexBreeze HydroGo in the same range (Image credit: Shark )

There's also a portable option – covered in our Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo review – which offers misting from a small onboard water tank. But that won't last nearly as long as the Pro Mist's big bucket, and the fact it's tabletop-only and can't oscillate means it's really for personal cooling, and less well suited to gatherings.

Everything about the FlexBreeze Pro Mist sounds delightfully refreshing... although the price might put a dampener on things. At list price, it's $249.99 / £249.99, which is on the steep side for a fan that lacks smart features or connectivity. It's also $50 / £50 more than the original FlexBreeze, which is the same but needs to be hooked up to a hose to for misting. That's one expensive bucket. That said, Shark does offer regular sales, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a discount before beach season arrives.

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• Cronos: The New Dawn will take around 18 hours to beat
• This is according to its directors
• There will be plenty of reasons to replay, however, including a new game plus difficulty and new skins

Cronos: The New Dawn will take around 18 hours to beat, according to its developers.

This comes from a recent chat with Wojciech Piejko and Jacek Zięba, directors of the upcoming survival horror game, who commented on how long it will be.

"18 hours," replied Piejko in response to my question about the game's length. "Current play testers are finishing the game in 18 hours," he then clarifies, though notes that the team is still "balancing everything" so this might change.

He goes on to suggest that it could take up to 20 hours, or as little as 16, depending on how you play.

Cronos: The New Dawn follows a time traveler sent back to 1980s Poland in order to rescue important figures from an oncoming apocalypse.

The game is being developed by Bloober Team, known for the recent Silent Hill 2 remake in addition to other horror titles like The Medium and Layers of Fear.

Later in our conversation, Zięba reveals that players will be encouraged to replay thanks to the ability to "unlock new skins" in addition to access to a harder difficulty option in new game plus, so there's scope for lots of additional time in the game.

"There is a big opportunity to play the game again and again and again, as a good survival horror game should," he adds.

Replaying will also allow you to experiment more with the upgrade system or try out different combinations of weapons.

Every playthrough will enhance your understanding of the plot too, which has multiple layers and, according to Zięba, needs to be experienced "at least twice" in order to "understand most of it."

Cronos: The New Dawn is set to release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC later this year.

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It's been four years since LG pulled the plug on its once robust phone business, and there have been no new LG handsets since then; but some people still own and use them, and many of us have a drawer filled with classic models.

Now, though, all LG phones will begin the slow, steady march to brickatude, as software updates end on June 30. It's a sad moment, and it got me thinking about how LG did things differently (really differently) and what the rest of the phone industry (looking at you, Samsung, Apple, Google) can learn from it.

In some ways, LG (formerly Lucky Goldstar, which should tell you something) was just like any other phone company, albeit one that always appeared to be on a little bit of acid.

LG, for instance, has an obsession with multiples. Even before foldables, it slapped two screens on a phone, most memorably in the LG Wing, which, when you flipped the top screen from portrait to landscape, turned the handset into a digital cross, complete with a half-sized display squeezed in below the main one. Flipping a screen was also kind of an LG thing.

Now, this was a wild phone. I always loved when LG would swing for the fences. pic.twitter.com/MKjcBScYZhNovember 11, 2022

Then there was the LG V60 ThinQ, which put a second full-sized display in the case. This was years before folding phones that could transform from a standard handset into a tablet; instead, the V60 faked it. Content could span across the two screens, but it was more typical for you to use one screen as a virtual keyboard, with the other screen as the content display.

LG would invent or adopt oddball words like "Groufies," which was another way of saying "group selfies," – that particular term was coined for the LGV10, which featured two front cameras to create an ultra-wide front-facing camera.

The LG Velvet included ASMR recording capabilities; the LG K7i could repel mosquitoes (it emitted a special sound). We marveled at these technological achievements, and we also asked, "But why?"

LG made a lot of phones, and sometimes operated at the very bleeding edge. It was among the first phone companies to support Windows Phone 7 (and not to its benefit), and offered the first phone to run Android Nougat.

Even before that, though, I knew LG as the maker of fun and affordable feature phones. There were the Voyage and enV, which I gave my kids. The latter featured an excellent QWERTY keyboard, and I bought some of these phones for my kids because they were reliable and affordable, while still offering a fair amount of design sex appeal.

I've never really understood why LG abruptly exited the phone business, but sometimes I wonder if it just couldn't stand the heat from frequent competitor Samsung. Visit South Korea, the home country of both brands, and you'll see how the two companies loom large across almost every area of commerce and culture.

Like LG, Samsung has been willing to take some risks (though at a much higher price), introducing a folding phone well before the technology was fully ready for prime time. We've watched Samsung iterate on the fly, and it now produces two excellent, if pricey, flexible phones in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6.

The LG Wing (Image credit: LG)

LG had a habit of introducing weird designs and then abandoning them. It could not iterate (or didn't want to), and with the LG Wing being its last big swing-for-the-fences design, it left the field.

I still miss LG, though, because even given the folding revolution I believe that Apple, Google, Samsung, and others could be taking more design risks. The majority of smartphones we see today look, at a glance, far too similar; perhaps the market has squeezed out design and innovation anomalies, but I think it has more to do with the industry steering consumers towards a bland sameness that is more manageable.

These days, affordable innovation comes from companies like TCL, Huawei, OnePlus, and Nothing, brands that operate at the edges of the US phone market, and which arguably have little impact on industry design and tech direction.

With the last vestiges of LG fading away over the summer, it's unlikely we'll ever see its like again. Risk-taking is not rewarded in this industry or this market. Same sells. Thanks for the weirdo memories, LG.

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• SentinelOne says it identified hundreds of fake personas applying for a job at the company
• At the same time, Chinese state-sponsored actors are targeting both the company and its clients
• The threat actors are also targeting government-aligned firms in South Asia

North Korean and Chinese state-sponsored threat actors have been targeting SentinelOne and its clients, the company claimed in a recent analysis.

SentinelOne is a cybersecurity company providing autonomous endpoint protection using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

Its clients include Fortune 10 and Global 2000 enterprises, government agencies, and managed service providers, across different industries. Some of the more notable names include Amazon, Samsung, and Bloomberg.

The Chinese are there, too

In a new article titled “Top Tier Target | What It Takes to Defend a Cybersecurity Company from Today’s Adversaries”, authors Tom Hegel, Aleksandar Milenkoski, and Jim Walter explained that in the last couple of months, cybercriminals from North Korea were persistently trying to get a job in the company. The company said it is now tracking some 360 fake personas and more than 1,000 job applications linked to DPRK IT worker operations applying for roles at SentinelOne and SentinelLabs Intelligence.

At the same time, Chinese actors were trying to conduct cyber-espionage, not just against SentinelOne, but its high-value clients, as well.

“One notable set of activity, occurring over the previous months, involved reconnaissance attempts against SentinelOne’s infrastructure and specific high value organizations we defend,” the authors said. “We first became aware of this threat cluster during a 2024 intrusion conducted against an organization previously providing hardware logistics services for SentinelOne employees.”

The researchers said the group running these attacks is called PurpleHaze, a threat actor that was also seen targeting a South Asian government-supporting entity in late 2024. In this attack, it used an operational relay box (ORB) network and the GoReShell Windows backdoor.

"The use of ORB networks is a growing trend among these threat groups, since they can be rapidly expanded to create a dynamic and evolving infrastructure that makes tracking cyberespionage operations and their attribution challenging," the researchers stressed.

Via The Hacker News

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• Microsoft issued a fix, but it's suspiciously still monitoring for further "optimization"
• Outlook has had its fair share of issues in recent months and years
• A further Outlook paste issue is also being addressed

Microsoft is addressing delays and failures in the search functionality for Outlook on the web and SharePoint online, with the issue reportedly traced to underperforming infrastructure components (via Bleeping Computer).

Logged under EX1063763, Microsoft promises to have deployed a fix, but the company continues to monitor system performance to ensure a full resolution.

First acknowledged at 05:21 UTC, an 08:22 UTC update confirmed that services had returned to normal, around three hours after the issue was first reported.

Microsoft experiencing Outlook Web and SharePoint Online bugs

Despite confirming that the service has returned to normal, the company noted: "We're validating and deploying a fix to improve performance parameters in the short term while conducting a period of monitoring."

"In parallel, we're continuing to review telemetry data to determine whether additional optimization actions may be required to fully remediate impact," Redmond added.

This isn't the first time that Microsoft's online services have experienced disruptions – in fact, it's becoming a bit of a trend. In March, Outlook on the web and the new Outlook client experienced an issue with search due to a code error. That was tracked under EX1035922.

In the same month, a global outage prevented access to Exchange Online mailboxes via Outlook on the web, and before that, Outlook.com search failed in July 2023, triggering 401 errors.

Today, though, it's not just search that was broken for Outlook. The 'paste special' shortcut is currently affecting classic Outlook.

"Starting with Current Channel (Version 2503 Build 18623.20156), when you use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+V to paste special, nothing happens," Microsoft confirmed in a separate support page.

Redmond confirmed the issue is fixed, but users still have some waiting to do before they can see any improvements. Specifically, "early May" for the Beta Channel, "early June" for the Current Channel Preview and as late as "Late July" for the Current Channel.

Other now-resolved issues Microsoft has been attending to include CPU spikes when typing and drag-and-drop broken by the February 2025 Windows updates. All in all then, a pretty rocky ride.

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For a software vendor, telling the world about the latest security vulnerability is always a delicate balancing act. Customers need information quickly, starting with the flaw’s severity rating and whether it is severe enough to allow for remote exploitation. But they are not the only people listening, which is why care needs to be taken with the information disclosed. Criminals, too, pay close attention to public alerts, looking for any clue that might help them create a successful exploit for a vulnerability before it is patched.

This is cybersecurity’s quiet war, fought every day across dozens of vulnerability disclosures. Attackers want to understand and write exploits for flaws as quickly as possible while defenders want to prioritize, mitigate and patch them just as fast. If the attackers triumph every now and again, it remains the case that good patching routines and threat detection keep the bad guys out most of the time.

The dangers of local models

The bad news is that thanks to developments in AI this is changing. We’re still in the early days of offensive AI techniques and tools, but already it is having a disruptive effect across multiple threat types. Unfortunately, that includes using local or offline generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) models as a way of accelerating and automating exploit creation.

Since DeepSeek released its open and resource friendly, but very competitive and capable model, we are now standing at the advent of a potential open model boom. This movement brings new and evolving risks, where criminals can adapt open pre-trained models, easily downloadable across the Internet, and run them locally on modest PCs with GPUs.

Operating without the guardrails typically found in their commercial online counterparts, local spinoffs can then be created and fine-tuned using data collected from malicious software research and underground forums. What you end up with are specialized crime AI platforms that can be offered as a subscription service or the backend of AI agent system for automating attack campaigns. The weaponized platforms can be specifically designed to make writing malware – or creating exploits based on vulnerability disclosures – a more automated and therefore much faster process.

The modus operandi won’t succeed every time, but for criminals, success is always a percentages game. Across possibly hundreds of threat actors, successful exploits could be written on a scale that will dramatically increase the likelihood of eventually uncovering a working exploit.

The threat here isn’t theoretical. The proof of concept is that black hat AI models, such as FraudGPT and WolfGPT, have been around since 2023. Moreover, researchers demonstrated the ability of a single LLM agent backed by GPT-4 to exploit one-day vulnerabilities in April 2024. Today, an organization might still assume it has 24-48 hours to mitigate or patch a significant vulnerability before the risk of exploits in the wild begins to rise. The advent of local pre-trained models coupled to AI agents for automation are transforming this. Instead of days to patch, organizations are looking at minutes.

Fighting AI with AI

This much is certain: no organization can patch their systems in minutes, at least not using today’s processes based on manual decision making. But let’s not panic. Vulnerability exploits written by AI are just the latest incarnation of an unceasing threat evolution. The answer is the same as it always has been – the defenders must evolve, too.

Just as attackers can use AI agents to create exploits quickly, so defenders can deploy the same technology to process new vulnerability alerts in real time, rapidly implementing security mitigations that might be required. In many ways, this is the perfect example of how today’s defenses could soon become a battle of our AI versus their AI.

If attackers have the advantage of time and the volume, defenders have the benefit of knowledge. Agentic AI tuned to understand the environment it is defending will always know more about the network it is protecting than the AI probing it. Meanwhile, attacks targeting exploits are not necessarily getting more sophisticated, but merely faster and more frequent. It is the speed attackers can throw exploits at defenders that is dangerous, not the quality of those exploits. If defenders can match them on this metric, all is not lost.

What we shouldn’t do is become alarmed. The fact that attackers look for vulnerabilities is not new. AI is just the latest technology in a long line that can be put to malicious use. But this capability cuts both ways. Defending against AI-developed exploits will be challenging but developments such as agentic AI automation will also be our friend.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is probably landing soon, with claimed leaks and rumors suggesting we could see it as soon as July, and we’re also hearing that this could be a major upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Rumored highlights include a new 200MP camera, a powerful new chipset, and bigger screens.

But that’s not all, so read on below for all the key rumored specs, along with educated guesses for aspects that haven’t yet been leaked.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 predicted specs

You can see the rumored and predicted Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 specs in the chart above, but the single biggest and most exciting upgrade we might get on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a new 200MP main camera.

This would replace the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6’s 50MP main camera, and is likely to be the same sensor as is found on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

We’ve heard this claim quite a few times now so there’s a good chance it will happen, and it would be a very desirable upgrade, given that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, 5, and 6 have all had 50MP main cameras.

Also on the camera front, it has been reported that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could have an upgraded under-display camera. The source doesn’t specify what those improvements will be, but the Galaxy Z Fold 6 just has a 4MP one, so perhaps there will be more megapixels.

However, according to one source, the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s other rear cameras won’t be upgraded, meaning we’d see a return of the Z Fold 6’s 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto (with 3x optical zoom).

Moving on to the screens, and these could be in for an upgrade – or at least an increase in size, with sources suggesting the Z Fold 7’s main display could be either 8 or 8.2 inches, and the cover screen could be 6.5 inches. That’s up from 7.6 and 6.3 inches respectively on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

There’s no word yet on the resolution, but we’d expect that will match or exceed the Z Fold 6’s, meaning a resolution of at least 1856 x 2160 for the foldable screen and at least 968 x 2376 for the cover screen. We’d also expect that both screens would have a 120Hz refresh rate, since that’s the case on the current model.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The other big upgrade we’re expecting on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is its chipset, with reports suggesting the Snapdragon 8 Elite will be used.

That’s the chipset you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, and it’s exactly what we’d expect to see, since it’s the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 used by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.

That new chipset could be joined by a larger vapor chamber, so performance may get a big boost. However, we’re not expecting an increase in RAM, with multiple sources pointing to 12GB again. Storage is also reportedly staying the same, with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB models supposedly planned.

Finally, there’s the battery, and that sadly isn’t thought to be increasing in size either, with a 4,400mAh battery tipped for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, the display is apparently more efficient, which could lead to improved battery life even if the battery itself isn’t any bigger this year.

We haven’t heard what speeds the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 might charge at, but the Galaxy Z Fold 6 supports 25W wired and 15W wireless charging, so we’d expect at least that.

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Businesses that handle large volumes of web traffic or multimedia files should be looking at a content delivery network (CDN) solution to lower costs and boost performance, however, there are many myths and misconceptions to address first.

CDNs play a vital role in the modern Internet, designed to improve the performance and reliability of websites and online services by distributing content closer to users. However, for many potential customers, there are several misconceptions which might put them off. Let’s explore some of the most common myths, reveal the truth and ask how to choose the best CDN solution for you.

1: CDNs are only for large enterprises

CDNs are actually suitable for companies of any size; it just depends on what type of content you want to share over the Internet and your particular business model. Essentially, a CDN ensures your users can access your website instantly, with no lag times, which is crucial because even waiting for just one second will negatively impact business and traffic. For startups and SMEs looking to expand their reach, CDNs ensure that their content is accessible and loads quickly for users around the world.

At the same time, CDNs often include security features, such as DDoS protection, which can help smaller businesses safeguard their websites without needing to invest in complex security solutions. They also usually scale in terms of pricing, making CDNs affordable without extensive infrastructure investment, which might be beyond the reach of smaller companies.

2: CDNs require lots of management

A managed CDN solution will take care of all the management stress, leaving the customer to focus solely on custom configuration. This means you don’t need a lot of resources to keep the CDN running smoothly. Features such as automatic content replication, load balancing, and caching, combined with intuitive, user-friendly interfaces, make running a CDN simple.

3: All CDNs are the same

There are multiple flavors of CDN, chiefly single CDNs and multi-CDNs. Single CDNs have one network with different points of presence (POPs) and a narrow geographic focus; multi-CDNs combine several CDN providers around the world into one single solution, offering better coverage.

Overall, specific features, geographic coverage, pricing, and use cases can vary widely. Some specialize in streaming media, others e-commerce or gaming. Pricing models might be Pay-as-you-go or subscription-based. Moreover, security features, management tools and other elements of the CDN ecosystem will differ. This means it’s important to look closely at your own requirements before selecting the right CDN partner.

4: Single CDNs are limited

It all comes down to the particular CDN provider, the number of POPs and the pricing. Single CDNs might sometimes be more expensive, depending on their geographic focus. If your customers are largely in one region, a single CDN might make sense but, bear in mind that a single CDN means a single point of failure, while multi-CDNs have failovers built-in in case of outage.

Typically, single CDNs offer simplified management, consistent pricing and streamlined integration. On the other hand, multi-CDNs provide increased reliability, optimized performance and flexible traffic management.

5: CDNs are a security risk

CDNs actually add another layer of protection to your data because they are designed to enhance security by providing various defensive measures. Features, such as DDoS protection, SSL/TLS encryption, web application firewalls and bot management, all combine to boost user safety and protect data.

CDNs work most effectively and securely when they are properly configured, regularly updated and consistently monitored. So, pick a CDN partner that offers best practices when it comes to security risks.

Choosing the right CDN

There are numerous factors to consider when finding the right CDN partner:

Performance: Evaluate the CDN's performance in terms of latency and load times. Many CDNs offer trial periods or performance monitoring tools to test their speed.

Geographic reach: Assess the geographic distribution of your user base. Ensure the CDN has a strong presence (POPs) in regions where your users are located.

Cost: Compare different pricing models, such as pay-as-you-go, subscription plans, or tiered pricing based on usage and choose a model that aligns with your budget and traffic patterns. Be aware of any potential hidden costs, such as charges for SSL certificates, custom configurations, or additional security features.

Reliability: Check the CDN's uptime guarantees and Service Level Agreements (SLAs). A higher SLA percentage can provide better reliability.

Support: Customer support is key – look for providers that offer 24/7 support and multiple support channels.

Integration: Ensure the CDN integrates seamlessly with your current infrastructure, including your Content Management System (CMS), e-commerce platform, or cloud services. Look for CDNs that offer robust APIs and developer tools for easy integration and management.

Once you have taken all these into account, you’ll be well placed to find the right CDN partner. Ultimately, for anyone handling any business online, CDNs offer a cost-effective way to ensure consistent availability and performance regardless of location.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

• The human eye perceives a 300-nit OLED the same as a brighter, 500-nit LED screen, Samsung Display claims
• Samsung's claim has been verified by UL Solutions, a global safety science company
• But OLEDs with higher actual light output are needed for more reasons than just 'perceived' brightness

Humans perceive a 300-nit OLED screen as having the same brightness as a 500-nit LED screen due to the great contrast ratio of OLED, according to Samsung Display.

Samsung Display made the claim regarding its own 300-nit QD-OLED panels. It also says its 500-nit QD-OLED panels were perceived the same as 767-nit LED screens, meaning a 1.5x perceived brightness increase on both panels, as reported by FlatpanelsHD.

It's worth noting that the quoted nit figure refers to fullscreen brightness, not peak brightness, which would be a much higher figure on both OLED and LED screens.

Samsung Display manufactures the QD-OLED panels used in some of the best OLED TVs and best gaming monitors, as well as RGB OLED screens for some of the best phones.

The firm has had the claim verified by UL Solutions, a global safety science company.

Perceived brightness can be quantified using the Perceptual Contrast Length (PCL) metric, which accounts for perceived contrast. When a bright pixel is next to a true black pixel, like in OLED, it appears brighter than a white pixel next to a similar pixel on an LED screen, which typically is more of a dark gray than black.

This perceived brightness claim could be seen as a win for OLED, especially after many years of being considered as falling behind LED screens when it comes to brightness in TVs. But while it's great for image quality, it doesn't help the real reason people like me have been hoping OLED TVs would become brighter.

The OLED brightness saga

A mid-range W-OLED TV (left) can't compete in brightness with a flagship mini-LED (right), despite similar pricing and specs. (Image credit: Future)

OLED has become one of the most popular display panel technologies in recent years, and is featured in some of the best TVs on the market thanks to its superb contrast and vibrant color display.

One area OLED has always lagged is brightness. Only a few years ago, the most elite OLED TV would struggle to hit 1,000 nits peak brightness, which would be a breeze for the best mini-LED TVs. That has changed in recent years, with flagship OLEDs such as the LG G5 now surpassing 2,000 nits peak brightness (we measured 2,268 nits in Filmmaker Mode on a 10% HDR white window pattern in our LG G5 review), putting them right in line with their mini-LED rivals.

However, fullscreen brightness remains an obstacle for entry-level and mid-range OLEDs. I measured the LG C5 at 195 nits in Filmmaker Mode on a fullscreen (100%) HDR white window pattern, which is easily beaten by entry-level mini-LEDs such as the Hisense U6N (measured at 580 nits in the same conditions).

The LG G5, alongside the Samsung S95D from 2024, both exceeded 300 nits when measured with the same fullscreen pattern in Filmmaker Mode, meaning these would fit Samsung's claims (although Samsung only made the claim in reference to its own panels).

While higher perceived brightness is a benefit to OLED screens, Samsung's claim is only relevant to picture quality, and that's not where fullscreen brightness matters. There's one thing that brighter, flagship OLEDs can do that mid-range OLEDs simply can't: reduce screen reflections.

Screen reflections: OLED's enemy

The LG G5 exhibits significantly higher full screen brightness, which is ideal for beating reflections (Image credit: Future)

Anyone who has used a typical OLED TV in even a mildly bright viewing environment will tell you just how reflective an OLED TV's screen can be.

Testing TVs day in-day-out, I can confirm just how troublesome OLEDs can be in this regard compared to LED screens.

Though there are ways of beating these mirror-like reflections – moving a light, for example – sometimes they can't be eliminated. TV manufacturers have made strides to combat reflections, however, such as Samsung with its excellent OLED Glare Free screen. But what would actually solve the issue is an OLED panel with higher fullscreen brightness.

Mini-LED and even some LED screens typically have fullscreen brightness much higher than OLED, and for that reason, don't suffer from reflections.

The LG G5, which uses LG's new 'four-stack' OLED panel, is one example of a brighter OLED, and it does a better job of limiting reflections compared to a standard W-OLED screen. But the LG C5, a step-down model from the G5, suffered from reflections during my testing, proving that a brighter panel can aid in beating reflections.

A brighter panel is also useful for watching sports in daytime conditions. It's no coincidence that a lot of our best TVs for sport are mini-LED! Sports benefits from a brighter image, so again a brighter panel is preferred.

So yes, while a confirmation of higher perceived brightness is good news for OLED picture quality, it's not the main reason I've hoped for OLEDs with higher actual brightness. That reason would be beating screen reflections in bright viewing environments.

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