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• Google Cloud will provide OpenAI's infrastructure in a number of countries
• Google also has a cloud deal with OpenAI rival Anthropic
• Then, there are Google's own in-house AI efforts

OpenAI has now added Google Cloud Platform as a cloud provider for ChatGPT and its APIs in a number of countries, according to CNBC reporting.

This comes as the AI giant diversifies its infrastructure to meet growing demand – the company also famously uses Microsoft, as well as Oracle and CoreWeave.

Once the company's exclusive cloud provider, Microsoft has lost exclusivity as the relationship between the two companies evolved. Today, Redmond still has first right of refusal, but it's no longer the sole vendor.

OpenAI adds Google to its list of cloud providers

OpenAI's use of Google Cloud Platform is a significant win for the company, whose cloud business is much smaller than AWS and Microsoft Azure even though it's the third-largest cloud provider globally. Its infrastructure will be used in the US, the UK, Japan, the Netherlands, and Norway.

On the other side of the deal, OpenAI isn't Google's only AI customer. The tech giant already has a partnership with Anthropic – a rival AI company founded by former OpenAI execs.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously cited a shortage of GPUs as a motivation to not only increase, but broaden the range of cloud services.

According to Reuters, the deal with Google could have been on the cards for a number of months, but it wasn't until the exclusive partnerships with Microsoft ended that discussions could progress.

For OpenAI, diversifying suppliers reduces single-vendor lock-in, ultimately giving the company more leverage to negotiate on pricing and to access the latest chips.

However, the deal raises questions about how Google and its rivals will allocate resources, each offering their own alternative to ChatGPT. Looking ahead, OpenAI is on track to finalize accelerator designs soon, which could further reduce its reliance on third parties.

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I want it, you want it, we all want it, but as it stands, there’s no news confirming Ballard season 2. The Bosch: Legacy spinoff has had astonishing success on Prime Video during its first week of release, scoring the elusive 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. These days, though, even that doesn’t guarantee a future.

Ballard, which follows LAPD detective Renée Ballard (Maggie Q) as she oversees a cold case in a new department, remains the most streamed new TV show on the platform at the time of writing, with positive critical reviews flying in thick and fast. Even to someone who knows very little about how the industry works, there’s clearly more than enough evidence to commission new episodes.

But according to Maggie Q, there’s just as much chance that we could never see Ballard again if a second season isn’t green lit. The biggest shame if the new series quits while it’s ahead? We’ll never get to see the “very exciting” season 2 arc that’s been teased by Q herself.

Ballard season 2 isn’t guaranteed to be renewed by Prime Video, but a ‘very exciting’ arc would make a cancelation devastating

Spoilers for Ballard season 1 finale ahead.

“I have no sense,” Q told The Hollywood Reporter about a potential Ballard season 2. “This industry is not what it was before. It’s barely recognizable to me, and shows are so expendable. They can throw out a show in two seconds, and it doesn’t make a ton of difference that whole worlds and livelihoods are at stake. Studios always have options. But we have a writers room, and they’ve been writing away.

“The arc for the second season is very exciting,” she confirms. “But I’ve had writers room hired before and then gotten cancelled. So everyone’s like, ‘Maggie, of course!’ I’m like, ‘No, no, no.’ There is no ‘of course.’ I am not a negative person at all. I’m a very positive person, but I’m a realist.”

Let’s recap what we know. Season 1 left off with the unexpected reveal that Councilman Jake Pearlman’s (Noah Bean) own father, Gary Pearlman (Kevin Dunn) murdered his own daughter over an alleged confrontation about his marital affair. Robert Olivas (Ricardo Chavira) was also exposed as being a dirty cop alongside being a generally terrible human (bear in mind the earlier assault accusations), but when he’s also killed off, Ballard is arrested for it.

We’ve not seen how Olivas died, but we did see Ballard draw her gun on him in the final moments of their confrontation. If season 2 never gets off the ground, Ballard is essentially stuck in jail, for possibly no good reason, for the rest of her fictional life. Not only this, but Ballard has already defied the typical crime drama stereotype by blending the personal and professional in an entirely new way, so it would be an extra shame to lose something that’s bringing us something fresh.

As far as I’m concerned, Prime Video owes it to the franchise, fans and the undoubtedly the strongest Bosch spinoff so far to give over some answers. In the meantime, you can check out everything else new on Prime Video in July 2025 to get yourself out of a post-Ballard slump.

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• The foldable iPhone could be 4.8mm thick when unfolded
• That would make it thicker than the 4.2mm thick Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
• However, being thicker can come with some advantages

One of the more impressive things about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is just how slim it is, at a mere 4.2mm thick when unfolded. It’s so slim in fact that the much-rumored foldable iPhone might not be able to match it, despite this device probably not launching until 2026 at the earliest – by which point Samsung might have an even thinner foldable.

According to leaker Setsuna Digital (via Apple Insider), the foldable iPhone will be 4.8mm thick when unfolded, which while certainly quite slim, is a full 0.6mm thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Still, this would have the iPad Pro 13-inch (2024) beat, as that’s 5.1mm thick. It would also beat the 7.8mm iPhone 16, so this could still be one of Apple’s slimmest devices – at least when unfolded.

When folded, we’d assume it will be at least twice as thick as when unfolded, but it’s unlikely to be exactly twice as thick, as the folded dimensions of phones are usually more than double the unfolded ones, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for example being 8.9mm thick.

Still, this rumor may well be inaccurate – the source has a mixed track record, and we’ve heard other thicknesses put forward previously, with one earlier leak pointing to a 4.6mm thickness.

Thinner isn't always better

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is extremely slim (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Either way though, it’s sounding like Apple's upcoming phone will probably be thicker than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Yes, it means that when folded shut this device might be a bit chunky, but it could also allow space for a larger battery or better cameras than the phone might otherwise have.

We’d think that’s a trade-off a lot of people would probably take, so for now we’re not too concerned that Apple might not win this particular battle.

But with the foldable iPhone probably not landing before late 2026, we’d take any and all rumors about it with a pinch of salt for now anyway.

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• We may be three months away from the Samsung tri-fold launch
• The name Galaxy Z Trifold has been trademarked by Samsung
• Samsung has been teasing the phone's launch since January 2025

We've known for a while that a Samsung tri-fold phone is on the way – it was teased all the way back at the January Unpacked event – and fresh leaks point to an actual launch later in the year, as well as an official name for the device.

As per veteran tipster Ice Universe (via Android Authority), we can expect to see the tri-fold break cover sometime in October. That would put it three months after the unveiling of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, and three months before the expected introduction of the Samsung Galaxy S26.

At the most recent July Unpacked event, Samsung briefly mentioned the tri-fold after announcing its new foldables and the Galaxy Watch 8 – but only to say that the Huawei Mate XT rival hadn't been forgotten, and was still on the way.

Rumors from earlier in the year had suggested the tri-fold would be showing up later in 2025, so it's not a huge surprise that we're still waiting for it to be unveiled. Whether we'll get a full launch event for the occasion remains to be seen.

And this could be the name

The Huawei Mate XT tri-fold (Image credit: Huawei)

We've already seen hints that the tri-fold would be called the Galaxy G Fold, but appears that won't be the case: as spotted by GalaxyClub (via SamMobile), the name Galaxy Z Trifold has been trademarked in Samsung's home country of South Korea.

It's the obvious name to go for: it fits in with the existing Z naming system, while also plainly indicating that there's an extra fold (and an extra display panel) here. Nothing is certain until the full announcement, but it's a name that makes sense – and the official paperwork is available online.

However, the GalaxyClub team isn't sure that's the end of the story. The trademark may just be a placeholder of sorts, they suggest, or Samsung may opt to give the phone a different name when it rolls out internationally.

Something we can be fairly sure about is the price. The existing Huawei Mate XT tri-fold costs a lot of money, and current estimates for the Samsung tri-fold suggest it might set you back $3,000-$3,500 (roughly £2,240-£2,610 / AU$4,635-AU$5,410).

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• The Analogue 3D has been delayed again
• The reimagining of the Nintendo 64 will now ship in late August instead of this month
• Analogue has blamed "last week’s sudden tariff changes" on the delay

The Analogue 3D, a reimagining of the Nintendo 64, has been delayed once again, this time due to tariffs.

The hardware's creator, Analogue, announced the delay on its support page, confirming that the console will no longer be released this month and will instead ship in late August 2025.

"Analogue 3D shipping is delayed (as of July 15th, 2025) and is now shipping in late August 2025. We are working hard to get your 3D order in hands asap and appreciate your patience. If you have an open preorder no action is needed.

"As always, if you’d like to cancel your pre-order at any time, Analogue has always had a no questions asked, 100% refund policy for pre-orders.

"Before shipping your order, we will email you one week in advance to ensure we have an up-to-date shipping address. You may cancel your order at any time for a full refund before shipment."

Analogue expanded on the reason for the delay, blaming it on "last week’s sudden tariff changes" in an X / Twitter post.

"We’re absorbing the costs—your preorder price stays the same. No additional charges," the company explained. "Late August, the wait ends: reviews go live with everything we’ve been saving for this moment."

Pre-orders for the $250 / £204.99 console went live last year and quickly sold out. It was originally supposed to launch in Q1 2025, but was delayed in March.

If you're unfamiliar, the Analogue 3D is a retro-style console that lets users play N64 cartridges with 4K output on a TV or monitor, without the need for an original N64 system or emulation.

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• The official poster for Supergirl has been released
• James Gunn unveiled the DCU movie's first piece of artwork on July 16
• It pokes fun at the tagline used to promote Superman

The first poster for 2026's Supergirl movie has landed online, and it's a note-perfect piece of art that speaks to Kara Zor-El's rebellious and immature nature.

Released yesterday (July 16) by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, it shows the eponymous hero sipping on a Slurpie as she poses next to the immediately recognizable 'S' symbol that adorns her and fellow Kryptonian Superman's outfits.

Full spoilers immediately follow for James Gunn's Superman movie. Turn back now if you haven't seen it.

A post shared by James Gunn (@jamesgunn)

A photo posted by on

Speaking of her superhero costume, Kara is kitted out in her classic apparel – complete with red skirt and knee-high boots – and the brown trench coat she's seen wearing during her cameo in Superman. The aforementioned overcoat is also worn in by Kara in 'Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow', the eight-issue graphic novels series that her forthcoming solo DC Universe (DCU) movie is heavily inspired by.

The poster also pokes fun at the 'look up' tagline that was used to promote Superman, aka one of 2025's most anticipated new movies until its release on July 11.

In a move that typifies Kara's anarchic persona, Clark Kent/Kal-El's uncontrollable cousin has graffitied over the 'up' part of its DCU Chapter One film sibling's slogan and replaced it with the word 'out'. It's a punk rock-style piece of wordplay on the part of DC Studios' marketing team that provides further proof that the company's upcoming projects will be tonally different (as reported by IGN) from one another.

House of the Dragon alumnus Milly Alcock will portray Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in the DCU (Image credit: James Gunn/Twitter)

With Superman powering its way to a $217 million box office haul on opening weekend thanks to positive word of mouth from fans and critics alike, attentions are now turning to – and anticipation is building for – Supergirl's arrival next year.

Indeed, the movie formerly known as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow until Gunn confirmed the DCU's Supergirl film had undergone a name change, is set to fly into theaters worldwide on June 26, 2026.

Milly Alcock, one of two finalists for the role of Kara Zor-El before she was officially hired last January, will reprise her role as the titular character following her all-too-brief appearance in Superman. Regardless, Gunn's first DCU movie only needed 30 seconds to convince me Supergirl will be worth watching.

For more on the next DC comic book movie, including its confirmed cast and plot details, read my ultimate guide on Supergirl. Once you're done, check out the section below for more coverage on one of the most exciting new films that'll launch next year.

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• The 8BitDo Pro 3 has just been announced by the popular controller brand
• It's due to release in August in the US, and October in the UK
• Pre-orders have now begun at Amazon

Controller manufacturer 8BitDo has announced its next big gamepad, the 8BitDo Pro 3. It'll be a successor to the 8BitDo Pro 2, which remains listed in our guide to the best Xbox controllers and is a superb budget retro gaming option.

The brand revealed the 8BitDo Pro 3 controller via its official X / Twitter account. You're able to pre-order it now for $69.99 / £59.99 at Amazon, and it'll begin shipping from August 12, 2025 in the US. However, UK folks will seemingly have to wait a bit longer until October 10, 2025.

Color-wise it comes in three flavors; a SNES-inspired 'G Classic', a more traditional 'Gray', and an eye-catching 'Purple' variant.

Introducing 8BitDo Pro 3 Bluetooth Gamepad.Retro flagship. A classic reimagined. 8BitDo’s iconic design—elevated with next-level compatibility and control. Featuring TMR joysticks, extra bumpers, swappable magnetic ABXY, Hall Effect triggers, and more.Compatible with Switch 1… pic.twitter.com/UJSNJ2hhN6July 15, 2025

The 8BitDo Pro 3 sounds like it has a mightily impressive feature set, packing Hall effect-like TMR thumbsticks, extra remappable bumper buttons, Hall effect triggers, and Trigger locks.

For me, though, the standout feature has to be its swappable magnetic face buttons, as well as the optional joystick modules that could make the 8BitDo Pro 3 perfect for the best fighting games. And much like the 8BitDo Pro 2 before it, likely also a great fit for retro gaming, be that on PC or via Nintendo Switch Online's various retro libraries.

On that note, 8BitDo has confirmed the controller is compatible with both Switch and Switch 2, as well as PC, Mac, SteamOS, and Android devices.

While this initial model doesn't appear to be compatible with Xbox like its predecessor, there's the possibility another model will be made for the console, as 8BitDo tends to do with its other pads including the 8BitDo Ultimate 2.

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• The Campfire Audio Relay is a USB-C DAC/amp for headphones
• Pro-Ject Head Box E is a very small desktop headphones amp
• Campfire Audio Relay: $229 / £229 | Pro-Ject Head Box E: £89 (about $120)

Two of our favorite hi-fi firms have released two very different headphone amps. One's designed to live on your desktop, and the other in your pocket or purse, but both promise a significant audio upgrade for fans of the best wired headphones and best wired earbuds.

The amps are the Campfire Audio Relay, a portable headphone DAC/amp with a USB-C connection; and the Pro-Ject Head Box E, a compact desktop headphone amplifier. Both are available from July 2025, and both cost less than you might expect.

The Pro-Ject Head Box E promises to outperform the headphone stages of larger, more expensive amps (Image credit: Pro-Ject)Campfire Relay and Pro-Ject Head Box E: key features and pricing

Let's start with the most affordable of the pair, the Pro-Ject Head Box E. That's just £89 / €119 (around $120 / AU$180), and unlike similarly priced amps it doesn't use an integrated chipset for its amplification: Pro-Ject says that it has used carefully selected discrete components to deliver a sound that punches above the amp's modest price tag.

The Head Box E delivers 665 milliwatts into 32 ohms, and it's deliberately simple: it has a pair of 6.3mm and a 3.5mm headphone outs on the front – which can be used simultaneously for shared listening – and RCAs on the back. The RCA out is bypassed so it can send unaltered audio to your hi-fi system. According to Pro-Ject, it "outperforms the headphone stages typically found in stereo amps".

The Campfire Audio Relay works with any USB-C device – meaning it's great for phones as well as laptops (Image credit: Campfire Audio)

The Campfire Audio Relay is even smaller, and it's built around the AKM 4493 SEQ DAC chip that according to Campfire, delivers "just the right amount of color and a touch of a classic analogue sound signature." It has 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm outputs and USB-C for wide connectivity with phones, tablets and computers.

The Relay has selectable high/low gain, six filter modes and variable bit rates up to 32-bit / 768kHz, and it supports both PCM and DSD playback.

The Campfire Audio Relay is £229 / $299 (about AU$470) and if you’re in London this weekend you'll be able to check it out at CanJam London.

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• A security researcher has uncovered a worrying API key leak
• The leak reportedly comes from DOGE staffer Marko Elez
• This is not the first security issue originating from DOGE

A staffer with access to the personal data of millions of Americans has apparently leaked the API Key to at least four dozen LLMs developed by artificial intelligence company xAI, including X’s (formerly Twitter) own chatbot Grok.

Security expert Brian Krebs revealed Marko Elez, an employee at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, had access to sensitive databases at the US Social Security Administration, Justice, and Treasury departments as part of DOGE’s work in 'streamlining' the departments to increase efficiency.

Ironically, researchers recently uncovered that a DOGE worker’s credentials were exposed by infostealing malware, so DOGE’s security record so far is less than impressive.

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Grok exposed

A code script was committed to GitHub named ‘agent.py’ that included a private application programming interface (API) key for xAI by Elez. This was first flagged by GitGuardian, a firm which scans GitHub for API secret tokens, database credentials, and certificates - and alerts affected users.

The exposed API key allowed access to at least 52 different LLMs used by xAI, with the most recent being an LLM called ‘grok 4-0709’, created on July 9, 2025 - according to Chief Hacking Officer at security consultancy Seralys, Philippe Caturegli.

Caturegli warned KrebsOnSecurity, “If a developer can’t keep an API key private, it raises questions about how they’re handling far more sensitive government information behind closed doors.”

The code repository that contains the private API key has since been removed after Elez was notified by email of the leak, however, the key still works and has not yet been revoked, so the issue is far from resolved.

This is not the first time internal xAI APIs have been leaked, with LLMs made for Musk’s other organisations, like SpaceX, Tesla, and Twitter/X exposed earlier in 2025, Krebs confirmed.

“One leak is a mistake,” Caturegli said, “But when the same type of sensitive key gets exposed again and again, it’s not just bad luck, it’s a sign of deeper negligence and a broken security culture.”

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It’s hard to overestimate just how incredible the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is in the glass and metal. It’s not your average folding phone, and the in-hand wow factor far outweighs that of most flagship phones over the past few years, including many of the best folding phones.

Over the past week, I’ve shown Samsung’s new folding phone to several people, and the response has been nearly uniform: 'wow, that’s light'. Then I ask them to unfold it, and the response is even more surprising.

As I discovered while speaking with Blake Geiser, the SVP of Product Management at Samsung North America, the company set out with a core primary goal: to create a folding phone that felt like the Galaxy S25 Ultra when folded.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 nails this on the head, and most people are incredibly surprised when they first unfold it. I’ve used every major Samsung Galaxy flagship launched since the first Galaxy S-series handset in 2010, and this is why the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is one of Samsung’s best phones.

Three design changes make all the difference

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Samsung is widely credited with launching the foldable phone market, at least in most global markets; however, sales of folding phones have somewhat stagnated as they faced a series of challenges that needed to be overcome.

The biggest of these was the size, and despite Samsung making its folding phones thinner and lighter each year, even the Galaxy Z Fold 6 was considerably thicker, bulkier, and heavier than Samsung’s non-folding phones.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 immediately rectifies this: it’s 4.2mm thick when unfolded, which allows it to be 8.9mm thick when folded. That’s 0.7mm thicker than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, yet the Galaxy Z Fold 7 feels better, as it’s 3.8mm narrower and three grams lighter. It’s the sleekest Samsung phone ever made, and the nicest folding phone I’ve ever felt in the hand.

One of the biggest challenges for previous Samsung folding phones was the narrow front screen, but the Galaxy Z Fold 7 cover display feels very similar to the regular Galaxy S25. It’s significantly better than the Fold 6, and it makes the Fold 7 feel just like a normal phone that unfolds into a tablet.

And create a genuine wow factor

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

All of this combines to create something that feels magical. I’ve long wondered what it would take to persuade smartphone users to upgrade to a folding phone, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be the device that finally prompts people to make the switch. It packs a ton of wow factor, and unlike its chief rivals, it’ll be widely available globally.

Rivals like the Oppo Find N5 and Honor Magic V5 have a limited release, and although the latter is expected to launch globally in the coming months, it will still have fewer carrier and retail partnerships than the Galaxy Z Fold 7. This is a crucial fact, as it adds even more credence to the significant differences between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6; thankfully, Samsung has this covered.

Smartphones don’t change that often, and most years, we suggest that it’s not worth upgrading from the most recent previous generation. This year, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 feels like a completely new phone that I think every phone user — folding or otherwise — should consider switching to. I don’t think we’ve seen Samsung achieve this level of wow factor in years.

All the right big numbers

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

During the early part of my career, I spent almost a decade working for carriers in the UK, and one thing is clear: big numbers sell, or specifically, the right big numbers.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 doesn’t have the absolute best specs on a folding phone, but it has enough large numbers to persuade customers to buy it. Between advertising, Samsung’s other marketing efforts, and word of mouth, it’s arguably inevitable that many non-folding phone users will want to experience the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at least once.

Galaxy Z Fold 7 front screen (left) vs Galaxy S25 Ultra (right) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

When they do, they’ll likely ask about the key numbers involved, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 hits most of these, even though it lags behind the competition in many areas. A triple camera with a headline 200-megapixel sensor — that’s ostensibly the same as the one found in the lauded Galaxy S25 Ultra — will get any customer’s attention. The camera is better than I expected, and should prove to be good enough for most people, as long as they don’t want to capture photos at long focal lengths.

The 4,400mAh battery and 25W charging aren’t world-beating — in fact, they’re lower than all the key rivals — but sound big enough for someone switching from a Galaxy S25 Plus or iPhone 16 Pro. In actual practice, it’s a full day of usage with very little to spare, but considering most people sit at a desk, or plug in to charge while in the car, I think it’ll be passable, but barely.

Z Fold 7 thickness (left) vs the Galaxy Z Fold 6 (right) (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Even the chip hits the right note, albeit with one big caveat. It’s the same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset used in Samsung’s other flagship phones this year, at least on paper. In actual practice, the silicon feels throttled compared to Samsung’s other flagships, and performs similarly to the also ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge.

There will undoubtedly be doubts about the longevity of the Galaxy Z Fold 7's battery, which is understandable, but I suspect that the design and wow factor are special enough for customers to accept certain shortcomings. It doesn’t have the best battery life, but I’ve found that it’s sufficient for most people, even if it falls short of rival folding phones.

The ultra-thin foldable we’ve been waiting for

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an engineering marvel simply for how fantastic it feels. When I first held it at a Galaxy Unpacked preview event, I was blown away by how thin, light, and sleek it felt. I had my reservations, but I’ve wondered if my initial reaction was reflective of an average user or someone who has a passion for folding phones.

To answer this, I’ve shown the Galaxy Z Fold 7 to many different people, and it’s reaffirmed what I thought at first: this is one of the most special folding phones ever made — a case in point is my mother. She won’t consider the Galaxy S25 Ultra because it’s too big, but she wants a great camera. She uses a Galaxy S22 Plus and refuses to switch to an iPhone.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

I showed my mother the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and she was floored by its design. She’s so impressed that she’s heavily considering buying it. This was the biggest surprise, as I had shown her other folding phones — like the Find N5 and the Magic V3 — and this was the first folding phone she was willing to consider.

If it can appeal to someone resistant to technology change, like my mother, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will surely appeal to the masses more than any other folding phone before it. Could this finally be the folding phone industry’s iPhone moment, or will that need to wait for next year’s rumored iPhone Fold or this year's rumored Samsung tri-fold? Either way, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is shaping up to be the best foldable yet.

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If you had some issues accessing Reddit – either on the web or via the app on Android or iOS – earlier, you're not alone. First spotted by my colleagues in the UK, Reddit had a widespread outage on July 16 for about an hour.

“Oops” was appearing when trying to open the main page of the app and on a desktop, this “We encountered an error.” message was being displayed. Additionally, Down Detector, a service that tracks website outages in the UK and the US, saw massive spikes in reports, reaching over 130,000.

For a majority of the outage, it appeared that subreddit pages were still loading at the top with no visible posts, and that the main page wasn't pulling in trending feeds properly.

(Image credit: Future/Matthew Hanson)

Reddit was quick to note the issue, posting at 11:52 AM ET that it was “investigating elevated site errors" on its status page and kept that updated very frequently during the outage. Ahead, you can read our live reporting of Reddit's July 16, 2025, outage.

Here's a look at Reddit's Down Detector page in the United States right now, currently at over 133,00 reported issues.

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

My colleague Hamish shared these shots of what the Reddit app on Android looks like right now in the UK. It appears that the main home page displays a "Wow, such empty" notice, and that subreddit pages are loading partially.

On the latter, the name and top bar appear, but then no posts are visible.

(Image credit: Future)

Reddit's now identified the cause of the issue and is working on a fix, and in pretty fast fashion as the update was posted to its status page at 12:06PM ET – shortly after the spikes of reported issues came.

The message in full reads, "Identified - We've identified the cause of the issue and are working to address it." It stops short of stating exactly what it's, but it's also worth noting that the outage is primarily affecting viewing posts and other parts of the site.

(Image credit: Future)

There are some signs that Reddit might be recovering, making this a relatively quick blip of an outage. I'm able to load the site again on my computer, both within Google Chrome and Safari, with the homepage populating with trending posts and individual subreddits.

My colleague, Amelia Schwanke, TechRadar’s Senior Editor for Streaming and Home Entertainment, shared a screenshot of the mobile app still being down, but notes that the site is loading fine on desktop in the UK.

(Image credit: Future)Reddit's implemented a fix

In line with the site beginning to load again for me and some of my colleagues, Reddit is now saying that has fix is live.

It reads in full, "Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results." and was posted at 12:21PM ET. Granted, it might take a bit to trickle out to everyone, but it seems like Reddit is on the path to recovering from a partial outage.

(Image credit: Future)Down Detector reports are way down

While reported puitages for Reddit on Down Detector were over 133,000 a bit ago, it appears that the platform's fix is working as reports have dropped significantly. As of 12:17 PM on July 16, 2025, there are 3,096 reported outages on Down Detector in the US, and only 296 outages are reported on the platform in the UK.

(Image credit: Future)Reddit says all systems are operational

Well, it's always a relief when outages are quick, and Reddit certainly kept its users informed via a status page and got a fix rolled out pretty fast. The service's status page now shows the incident as resolved and that everything is back to normal. This comes as Reddit is loading normally for me and most of my colleagues again.

Similarly, Down Detector reports are away way down, back to numbers that don't indicate an outage or issue.

• A former soldier has plead guilty to a number of charges
• These include fraud, identity theft, and conspiracy to hack organisations
• The soldier and his co-conspirators exfiltrated and sold data from companies

The Department of Justice has announced that an ex-soldier has plead guilty to ‘conspiring to hack into telecommunications companies’ databases, access sensitive records, and extort the telecommunications companies by threatening to release the stolen data unless ransoms were paid.’

The 21 year old soldier, named as Cameron John Wagenius, used online accounts under the pseudonym “kiberphan0m”. Wagenius admitted to conspiring with others to defraud ‘at least 10’ organizations by stealing login credentials obtained through a hacking tool called SSH Brute.

Once data was exfiltrated, the group used the access to extort victims, threatening to post stolen data on cybercrime forums, and offering to sell the data to other cybercriminals through the forums. These allegedly occurred whilst Wagenius was actively serving in the US military.

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Extorted data

Some of this data was successfully sold, and reportedly used to commit other fraudulent campaigns, including SIM-swapping. The group attempted to extract at least $1 million from their victims.

The crimes Wagenius plead guilty were; extortion in relation to computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Wagenius has previously plead guilty separately to two counts of “unlawful transfer of confidential phone records information in connection with this conspiracy.”

Wagenius’ activity has been linked to the Snowflake hack in which hundreds of customers were affected and significant data was stolen. This attack was allegedly financially motivated, and originated from a group extorting money in exchange for their stolen data.

Snowflake confirmed that the breach was the result of a successful credential stuffing attack - in which a threat actor had entered countless login combinations (usually purchased off the black market) until one eventually works. Credential stuffing attacks are potent and effective, and have led to some of the most notorious breaches in the last few years.

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• Amazon has shifted the deadline for the launch of the web version of Alexa+
• A company spokesperson told The Washington Post that it’s still fine-tuning Alexa+ for the web before rolling it out to test users
• Despite delaying its release, the reasons for this decision remain a mystery and an exact launch date is yet to be revealed

When Amazon announced the AI-upgraded Alexa+ voice back in February, the company promised a lot of new improvements, including new listening powers and wider compatibility with smart home devices – but once again, Amazon has pushed back one of its biggest features.

Amazon had previously revealed that a web-based version of Alexa+ would be among the slew of new upgrades for the voice assistant. However due to a last-minute change on the company’s part, the launch date for the rollout of Alexa.com has been extended, despite the app version of Alexa+ already being available to early-access users in the US.

According to The Washington Post ($/£), which had access to documents from inside Amazon, the company may have “underestimated the work needed to launch Alexa.com”. Now, according to the company documents, the web version of Alexa+ will arrive “no sooner than July 31”, meaning that test users are going to have to wait a little longer for it to drop.

Despite this claim, Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild told The Post that Alexa.com hasn’t been delayed, and “will be available with Alexa+ Early Access this summer”, which suggests by the end of August. She added that Amazon is “continuing to fine tune the experience as (we) expand to more customers”, but an official date still hasn’t been announced.

At the moment, Alexa+ early access is available on the Amazon Echo Show 8, 10, 15, & 21. (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)The push-back remains a mystery

This latest delay to the wider Alexa+ rollout means more frustration for Amazon customers waiting to try the new smart assistant. The company claims to have released “90 percent of the features announced in February.”, and as of June, Alexa+ has been rolled out to over one million test users in the US.

If the launch of Alexa.com has been delayed, and if the reason for the delay is indeed related to the sheer amount of work and testing required to get Alexa+ fully off the ground it wouldn’t come as a surprise, as we’ve seen this happen with Apple’s plans to launch its AI-enhanced Siri voice assistant.

As mentioned, an official launch date for Alexa.com has yet to be announced, but if we were to guess at a timeframe we’d expect it to arrive no later than August 31 – that’s if Amazon keeps its promise that the rest of the Alexa+ Early Access features will arrive before the end of the summer.

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The rumors were true. The eagerly anticipated Mage by Google product launch event will happen on August 20 at 1PM ET, and it looks to be a product-packed event.

It's the summer of fresh Android as Google is, just a little more than a month after Samsung Unpacked all its Android 16 foldables, revealing a host of new Pixel gadgets, including new phones, new watches, and, yes, new earbuds.

Google sent out invites on Wednesday (yes, we got some), and invited media to Brooklyn, NY, on August 20 for "an in-person Made By Google" show where we'll introduce the latest additions to our Pixel Portfolio of devices."

This could be a very big year for the Pixel lineup. We're expecting not only the Pixel 10 phone line, but a new Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which now has a tough act to follow given the 4.2mm-thick Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, at least they'll both be running Android 16.

As for the Pixel 10 phones, a steady stream of rumors has painted a fairly clear picture of these new handsets. The phones will likely stick close to last year's more significant redesign, but with refinements that may make the phones look more polished. Screen technology could undergo an upgrade, and there are rumors that photography, especially macro photography, could also improve.

All the handsets are expected to run Google's Tensor 5 chip. Google has yet to outclass Apple or Qualcomm in the SoC race, though, maybe this year will be different.

The model lineup should stick close to what we had in 2024 and include the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. On the latter, one expected change is a much larger battery, 5,015mAh, which would be considerably bigger than what you get with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

(Image credit: Google)

A new, possibly redesigned Pixel Watch 4 is also expected, but we don't have many details beyond its sizing (41mm and 45mm) and the various colors and band options that it might be available in.

It's reasonable to assume you'll be accessing Gemini Live directly on the next Pixel Watch, though, as you can now do so with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8.

Pixel Buds are more of a mystery, though we can guess that they may be smaller and feature more sensors for more on-board intelligence.

There are, by the way, no other hints about products, designs, or surprises (like Android XR glasses) in the invite.

Whatever Google unveils at its big product event, TechRadar will be there reporting it all and giving you instant reports on our first-hand experiences.

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• AWS AI head declares a new age for agentic AI
• AWS also announces a host of new tools and services for AI
• Agentic AI could be "a tectonic change", AWS says

AWS has declared AI agents could be as key as the dawn of the Internet, in terms of the effect the technology could have on our everyday personal and working lives.

Speaking at the company’s AWS Summit New York, Swami Sivasubramanian, VP for Agentic AI, outlined how AI agents are set to dramatically accelerate innovation and improve productivity across every industry.

"This is the most impactful change we've seen since the dawn of the internet,” Sivasubramanian declared, "with these agents comes a shift to service as software.”

"Tectonic change"

“It’s a tectonic change in a few dimensions,” Sivasubramanian also went on to say. “It upends the way software is built. It also introduces a host of new challenges to deploying and operating it, and potentially most impactfully, it changes how software interacts with the world - and how we interact with software.”

During the keynote, Sivasubramanian announced Amazon Bedrock AgentCore, a new agentic-focused suite of tools which he described as, "everything you need for getting agents into production.”

He also revealed AWS Marketplace will be storing AI agents and tools, allowing users to discover, buy and deploy AI agent solutions from AWS Partners in a centralized catalog.

This includes pre-built agents, agent tools, agent dev solutions, professional services and software solutions, providing a central location for users to deploy and scale agents via the new AgentCore Runtime tool.

Also announced was Amazon S3 Vectors, which AWS says is the first cloud object storage with native vector support for AI workloads, helping to hugely reduce the cost of storing and querying vectors, making it cost-effective to retain and use large vector datasets to enhance AI.

“This all comes together to make AWS the best place to build and deploy agents,” Sivasubramanian declared.

"We are still in the early days of agents, but with these innovations, we are charting the path to enable you to build a bright future."

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• Four in five have migrated, are migrating, or will migrate from Oracle Java, report finds
• 66% agree they could save 40% by switching to open source
• 96% agree they have concerns with licensing or pricing

Four in five (79%) organizations have either migrated, are migrating, or plan to migrate to open source Java, with nearly as many (73%) Oracle Java users having audited their setup in the past three years, new research has claimed.

In fact, only 14% of the respondents in Azul research focusing on ITAM/SAM leaders said they plan to continue with Oracle's Java subscription, with two-thirds estimating they could save at least 40% by switching to open-source Java.

The news comes after four separate Oracle pricing changes between 2020 and 2023, including a major 2023 shift to employee-based pricing which caused significant cost increases for many customers.

Oracle Java customers are unhappy with costs

Although cost was cited as a top reason for migration by 51% of those who have migrated, with 29% also noting budget unpredictability, more respondents were worried about security and reliability (57%). Many were also worried about scalability (49%), licensing complicity and compliance (28%), and understanding Oracle's terms (27%).

In fact, while some customers plan on remaining with Oracle, a staggering 96% of Oracle Java users have some level of concern with the company's licensing and pricing. Only 1% of the respondents were not interested at all in any of the benefits of open-source.

Still, Oracle's pricing changes haven't been entirely negative, prompting healthy organizational changes in other areas.

Two in five (39%) agreed that the 2023 shift to employee-based pricing prompted them to implement better systems for monitoring employee usage and licensing costs, with 29% also noting better cross-department collaboration.

"As the financial and operational burdens of software licensing grow, organizations are recognizing the need for smarter, more collaborative approaches to managing risk and reducing spend," the report concluded.

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• Roborock has launched the H60 stick vac, with auto-empty dock option
• Features include a flexible wand, laser headlights and powerful suction
• Expected to be available in US, UK, AU and elsewhere; pricing TBC

Roborock is currently best known for its robot vacuums, but word has reached my ears that a new manual stick vac series is set to join the brand's range, and it looks to be an amalgamation of all the most popular features from today's best cordless vacuums.

There are six models in the new lineup: the H60, H60 Pro and H60 Ultra standalone vacuums (each with higher specs than the last), all three of which are also available as 'Hub' versions with an added auto-empty dock.

(Image credit: Roborock)

Let's take a look at the special features on offer. First up, the wand can be released to bend forward to 90 degrees, enabling you to clean right under furniture without having to get down on the floor – although the guy in the press pics has decided to do so anyway. This is a feature closely associated with the best Shark vacuums. It looks like it only appears on the non-Hub models – for reasons I'll explain in a sec – and has the added bonus of allowing you to fold the vacuum up for more compact storage.

(Image credit: Roborock)

At the business end you'll find a floorhead equipped with a bright green light. This is designed to create big shadows on any dust or dirt lurking on the floor, which otherwise might get missed. Dyson popularized this feature, and so far other brands' headlamp efforts have failed to match up in terms of effectiveness (and most have avoided the green color, perhaps to avoid appearing too similar to the original). However, Roborock's wide, angled beam of light looks very promising indeed.

Super storage

Perhaps the most striking addition here is the auto-empty charge dock included with the H60 Hub vacuums. Pop the vacuum on the dock and everything in its bin will whoosh out into a larger dust bag in the base – this is sealed and has a capacity of either 2L or 3L depending on which model you go for. The auto-empty process here is complete in an ultra-speedy 10 seconds.

Roborock has made the vacuum wand telescopic so the dock doesn't need to be awkwardly tall (I assume it also makes it impossible to incorporate the forward-bending mechanism, which is missing on the Hub models). Conveniently, the brand has also added detail tool storage to the hub, so everything is in the same place.

(Image credit: Roborock)

Auto-empty docks are very common with robot vacuums, and gradually starting to appear at the top end of the manual vacuum cleaner market too. So far it's mainly Shark embracing the trend, although Samsung's premium vacs also have auto-empty docks.

As well as keeping the vac charged up and ready to go at all times, the dock removes the need for messy and regular manual emptying. This means brands can get away with a slightly smaller onboard dust cup – which in turn means a lighter and more streamlined vacuum overall. (I don't have dust capacity or weight details for the H60 series yet.)

Back to basics

It's not all bells and whistles; the basics look very solid too. On the top-of-the-range H60 Ultra model there's a maximum of 210AW of suction – not quite up there with the best Dyson vacuums, which top out at 280AW, but very decent nonetheless. T

here's also a promised 90 minutes of cleaning on a single charge with the Ultra, which is up there with the longest runtimes on the market. It looks like the battery is removable, to allow you to extend runtimes by hot-swapping for a backup battery, too.

Elsewhere there's a promising-looking range of detail tools, and a thorough five-stage filtration system to ensure the air getting kicked out the back of the vacuum is as clean as possible.

(Image credit: Roborock)

I'm a big fan of Roborock's other cleaning gadgets – the brand crops up repeatedly in my guide to the best robot vacuums, and it features amongst the best wet and dry vacuums on the market too. I'm excited to see if it can impress as much with its manual models.

I'm also intrigued to know what kind of price point we're looking at. We're light on specifics here – my brand contact told me that while the H60 Series vacs are expected to go on sale in a number of territories including in the US, UK and Australia, no pricing information is currently available.

I know they're being positioned as 'premium', but pricing varies wildly at this end of the market – Shark's fanciest model (the PowerDetect Cordless) is a sort-of affordable $429.99 / £499.99, while Dyson's top-end Gen5detect is $949.99 / £769.99, and Samsung's Bespoke AI Jet Ultra comes in at an eye-watering $1,099.99 / £1,199.99 (at list price, at least). Where will Roborock position its offerings?

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• CD Projekt has revealed new details about Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3
• The update will arrive tomorrow for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and Series S
• It will also come to Nintendo Switch 2 at a later date

Developer CD Projekt has finally told fans what to expect when Cyberpunk 2077 update 2.3 arrives.

As detailed in a recent live stream, the update focuses primarily on adding new options for players and making the world more immersive. Headline additions include three news cars and one new motorcycle, some of which will be obtainable via new quests.

Associate game director Pawel Sasko described triggering the new quests as "intuitive" and was also quick to clarify that they will not be required in order to obtain 100% completion, so achievement hunters can breathe a sigh of relief.

Every vehicle in the game will now benefit from a new autodrive system too, which lets you automatically drive to locations that you select on the map or your next quest marker. Autodrive will offer a separate 'wandering mode' that takes you for an endless, relaxing ride around Night City.

Car customization is also being expanded, with wider CrystalCoat and TwinTone paint compatibility. Now almost every vehicle in the game can be repainted. A more visually varied selection of cars will show up in the world too, thanks to the addition of 205 generic paint jobs and 168 unique paint jobs for non-playable character (NPC) vehicles.

On top of this, players will be able to rely on the Delamain taxi service - provided they have completed the Delamain side quest. Simply call Delamain on your in-game phone and a taxi shows up, ready to transport you to wherever you wish.

Johnny Silverhand can even sometimes join you in the cab, sitting alongside you in the rear passenger seats.

Elsewhere, big changes are coming to the in-game photo mode. 27 new NPCs are being added, plus new outfits and poses to choose. You will also be able to adjust the time and weather, or even skip frames in order to line up the perfect shot.

On the technical side, FSR 3.1 frame generation is being added for PC players. The game will also support FSR 4 for those with compatible AMD hardware, though this is coming with an AMD driver update at a later date.

Console players will benefit from proper variable refresh rate (VRR) support, which should hopefully make the game a little smoother.

Finally, we saw some new footage of the recently announced Mac version of the game. Players who already own the game on PC won't need to purchase it again in order to try it on Mac.

The update is set to arrive tomorrow on July 17 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S. It is also coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game, though needs a little more time in the oven.

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Several things have rightly irked AirPods Max fans recently. The much-vaunted September 2024 AirPods Max update was disappointing, to say the least. That reveal (the first ever, in the Max's then-four-year lifespan) involved but a single hardware change, and even that came as a result of the forcing of Apple's hand: a USB-C port had to be added to comply with EU regulations.

No new audio chip, no alternative to the highly divisive 'headphones bra' case, no Apple Lossless transmission – oh, and the same eye-wateringly high price tag. Just a few new finishes and a slightly different connector.

It fell woefully short of the required upgrades we felt we needed to see to start calling them the AirPods Max 2 – and we're still not doing that.

But then, an olive branch! In March 2025, Apple announced that provided you could agree to go wired (using your Max's bundled charger, although a 3.5mm to USB-C was also being released for a fee) your AirPods would support Apple's Lossless tier audio, following a software update.

And reader, it was at this point that my head turned. I got a set to see how good the inclusion of USB-C-quality audio sounds in Apple's over-ears, and ultimately, whether it finally makes that premium price tag worth it.

(Image credit: Future)What kind of resolution are we talking here?

Apple's Lossless output, written with the capital 'L', means better-than-CD resolution up to 24-bit/48kHz, or 2,304 kbps audio quality. And that's what you can now get with AirPods Max and a USB-C wire hooked up to your iPhone, MacBook, iPad, or dedicated audio player source.

Before this 2025 revelation, for four long years it had seemed so odd to me that Apple hadn't managed to release a set of headphones able to play its very own higher-resolution Apple Music tracks, which the company had casually unveiled in 2021 at no extra cost to its subscribers (other than its wired and sonically unremarkable EarPods with USB-C – and I'm not counting those).

You still can't get Apple Music's Hi-Res Lossless resolution from Apple cans (up to 24-bit/192kHz, which is a huge 9216kbps – see Spotify's top streaming quality of 320kbps for reference). That is, unless you branch out to products the Cupertino giant doesn't sell, such as one of the best headphone DACs, a dedicated hi-res player, a set of good wired headphones, or, of course, decent wired IEMs.

But baby steps, right? This is proof that Apple still cares about audio quality – and not just Spatial Audio, although I'll get to that – enough to make a feature of it. As a hi-res audio lover (and to clarify, better-than-CD resolution is well into hi-res territory), I'm not about to poo-poo that development.

Hooked up to a mid-range player, they did struggle to be heard…  (Image credit: Future)Like the way I do

All software updates aside, there's stuff that just works with AirPods Max and always has. But now that I'm actually wearing them a lot, because I like the USB-C sound quality and their existing features hit differently.

I love the boinginess (technical term) of the mesh tension-fit headband, where so many luxe-look leather padded bands start to dig in after only an hour or so. I love that, unlike competitors, they never fail to note removal and pause playback. I love the fuss-free functionality of the volume knob on the right ear cup that also pauses playback quickly and without me having to worry that it might not pause when someone is talking to me (hello, touch capacitive morse-code-like taps).

What I've never been overly wowed by since their release, as you'll probably guess, is AirPods Max's audio quality for neutrality, separation, clarity, timing, and cohesion across the frequencies and dynamic nuance. Now, that has changed for me – provided you've got a bit of patience and the right audio in your source device.

(Image credit: Future)Get connected

If you've already got a set of AirPods Max with USB-C (the ones that launched in September 2024, not the set with the now all-but-defunct Lightning port), you'll likely have received the pop-up on your device asking you to consider USB audio on your AirPods. The perk arrived in April as a free firmware update with iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS Sequoia 15.4 for AirPods Max with USB-C.

This is a call I think you should accept. As Apple explains, the bundled USB-C cable that came with your headphones now offers ultra-low latency audio to AirPods Max, and that means movies and games are leveled up, too.

But here's a biggie: DJs and music creators can get significantly improved production and mixing, because (using Apple Music's 100 million-songs-and-counting in lossless audio, say) alongside that ultra-low latency, using wired AirPods Max on Logic Pro and other music creation apps means you've got the only headphones you can use to create and mix in Personalised Spatial Audio with head tracking.

There's an extra step to getting 'Personal' with Apple's brand of Spatial Audio: an iPhone with TrueDepth camera is required to basically scan your face and ears and create a personal profile for Spatial Audio. But you only have to do it once; it will then sync across your Apple devices running the latest operating system software, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS.

Worried about the camera? If you own an iPhone at all, you'll likely have the required hardware; TrueDepth arrived with the iPhone X in November 2017.

(Image credit: Future)Listen and enjoy (barring a few minor issues)

If listening to AirPods Max via USB Audio, you can actually turn Bluetooth off on your source device, even though this isn't something Apple recommends (and you'll lose certain features when not connected to Bluetooth).

For the purposes of this test, I often did that, to check I was getting the goods, because Apple's notifications can seem vague. On your iPhone, for example, turn Bluetooth off, and you'll see your AirPods are connected in 'USB Audio' and that the Spatial Audio and noise cancellation menus are no longer available. But deploy Bluetooth, and this screen looks for all the world like a regular Bluetooth connection – even though Apple says it isn't.

I found that my MacBook Pro, in particular, would often prioritize a Bluetooth connection over a wired one. However, it's worth noting that when using said MacBook with Bluetooth off, I always needed to delve into the Sound settings to check the audio output was set to my AirPods (when you're in the office, perhaps you don't want your colleagues to hear your 90s playlist because you forgot to check – just saying).

Additionally, smaller hi-res players will struggle to drive AirPods Max – my FiiO M11S is a prime example. I needed to push the player to nearly maximum volume to get audio at anything approaching a decent level, and that's not something I'd advise. Of course, you could add a DAC/headphone amp and sort this issue, but that's a different proposition entirely, and I want to talk only about the little wire that comes with your AirPods Max.

So, are your AirPods Max headphones passively connected here? No, because as Max owners know, there's no physical button to turn AirPods Max off. They simply switch to a low-power mode when not in use after five minutes, or immediately if placed in their (decidedly odd) case. So, you're not getting passive old-school audio via USB-C, but that's also the case with competitors offering similar wired features, such as the Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 and excellent Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3. Bluetooth remains active to handle various control functions and app support, but the audio stream is (or certainly should be) routed through the wired connection. The thing is, those options don't have Apple's walled garden Spatial Audio extras…

All of this granular detail is worth it, I promise, because when you're sure you're getting Lossless via USB-C from AirPods Max, they're a sonic delight.

(Image credit: Future)In conclusion: I won't be kicking Apple's cans any time soon

Listening to Alex Warren's Ordinary reveals clarity and emotion to the initial string progressions and texture to the choral vocals, you simply don't get over Bluetooth.

The piano at the outset of Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club feels three-dimensional in new ways; the synths are more emotive and impactful; inflections in Roan's voice are captured, held in check, and dutifully relayed as if each one is put under a special spotlight, with plenty of space to shine on a wide soundstage.

Are they worth the upgrade if you own an older Lightning set? For me, yes – but then I love better-quality audio, and I don't mind a fairly thick white wire hanging from one ear to get it. Maybe you do, and I get that. In a wireless age, this may even feel like a step back, since USB-C audio is actually nothing new after all – it's around ten years old.

For me, this is finally (finally!) a way to harness Apple's excellent hi-res Music output within Apple's ecosystem, and I have to say, I'm a big fan.

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• NSA seniors spoke at the International Conference on Cyber Security at Fordham University in New York City
• They claim Volt Typhoon wanted to lurk in US critical infrastructure in case of war with the US over Taiwan
• The campaign was a failure since the threat actors were removed, NSA says

Volt Typhoon, a Chinese state-sponsored threat actor which targeted critical US infrastructure, failed to achieve its main objective - to maintain long-term, invisible persistence on key targets.

This is according to senior cybersecurity officials from the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Speaking at the recent International Conference on Cyber Security at Fordham University in New York City, the agents discussed the “Typhoon” campaign as a whole, and confirmed that it was laying groundwork for a potential escalation of conflict over Taiwan.

No persistence maintained

“The good news is, they really failed. They wanted to persist in domestic networks very quietly for a very long time so that if and when they needed to disrupt those networks, they could. They were not successful in that campaign,” said Kristina Walter, director of the NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center.

“We, with private sector, with FBI, found them, understood how they were using the operating systems, how they're using legitimate credentials to maintain persistence, and frankly, we equipped the entire private sector and U.S. government to hunt for them and detect them.”

Being able to breach security systems and access critical infrastructure should be cause for concern in its own right, though.

In mid-March 2025, it was reported Volt Typhoon had access to Massachusetts’ Littleton Electric Light and Water Departments (LELWD)’s operational technology (OT) network for ten months in 2023. The intrusion lasted from February to November 2023.

Before that, in January 2025, Volt Typhoon was allegedly targeting the critical infrastructure of small island nation Guam, looking to disrupt and sabotage services in the region, reportedly targeting the GPA (Guam Power Authority) to wreak havoc on the island, which is home to a large US military base.

Via The Record

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