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• Filmmaker mode in reverse: Creator Original embraces your TV's processing power
• Initially limited to 2026 C6, G6 and W6 OLED TVs
• Rolling out by the end of July 2026

LG Electronics has partnered with Prime Video to launch a new picture mode in select LG TVs. The new mode, called Creator Original, will initially be exclusive to three 2026 models: the LG C6, LG G6 and LG W6 series televisions.

The launch will be centered around the Masters of the Universe movie, which will be coming to Prime Video. And if you don't mind feeling very silly indeed, you can declare "I have the POWER!" into the LG Magic Remote for LG Smart TVs with webOS 23 or later to bring up content relating to the movie release.

Creator Original is the more interesting addition, though. It promises to deliver more control to creators than Filmmaker Mode, because it takes the opposite approach: instead of removing your TV's image processing and enhancement as much as possible, Creator Original embraces it, but with rules.

What is Creator Original on LG OLED TVs?

According to LG, Creator Original will enable TV and movie studios to set key parameters such as shadow detail and color balance, and to control how how motion processing and noise reduction are being used in your TV's processing, all to deliver the creator's preferred visuals, in theory.

In the case of Masters of the Universe, LG says that enables its TVs to "faithfully reproduce every glowing sword clash, shadowy Skeletor lair and explosive battle across Eternia."

Interestingly, Creator Original's pitch sounds remarkably similar to what Dolby is planning with Dolby Vision 2. Dark area handling and control over motion handling control are key features of DV2, which has the same goal as Creator Original: making the most of the capabilities of high-powered TVs without sacrificing accuracy by putting control in the hands of movie makers, and using data in the file to tell the TV what to do.

However, Creator Original won't have the bi-directional tone mapping and certain other features of Dolby Vision 2 Max, which also has a new and improved image quality engine behind it.

But still Creator Original looks like it may tick the most interesting boxes of DV2, and it has one big advantage over it: it looks like it's going to arrive first.

Dolby Vision 2 currently has one streaming partner, Peacock, and one filmmaking partner (StudioCanal), and there's no sign of a launch date as yet, though in discussions with Hisense and TCL we've learned that it's expected before the end of the year.

In contrast, LG says that Creator Original Mode for Prime Video "is scheduled to roll out by the end of this month," meaning July 2026, and if Prime Video adds support across more of its enviable Amazon Studios and MGM library, that could be a strong range of movies that use it. Of course, the fact that it only works on three TVs is a bit of a limitation.

When we asked LG if it has any plans to support Dolby Vision 2, it said that it would wait to see how support for the format evolves — but said we shouldn't expect current TVs to get it. So if you're thinking of buying the LG C6 or G6, this might be the best you can do for these kinds of next-gen image features.

As for the movie itself, we rather enjoyed it: in our Masters of the Universe review we said "it's the unrelentingly fun popcorn movie that [we] had expected recent Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu to be."

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• A new trailer for Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film has just been released
• The full-length trailer offers a deeper look at the story, setting, and main character Bryan
• It also features several references and easter eggs related to the video game series

A new trailer for Zach Cregger's Resident Evil film has been released, and it's filled with easter eggs referring the beloved video game series.

The first teaser for the upcoming adaptation already had me sold, but the latest full-length official trailer has convinced me that it could be as good as Cregger's other horror flicks, Weapons and Barbarian.

"In an all-new story, Resident Evil follows Bryan (Austin Abrams), a medical courier who unwittingly finds himself in an action-packed, non-stop race for survival as one fateful, horrifying night collapses around him in chaos," the official synopsis reads.

The trailer features Bryan, who is on his way to Raccoon City to deliver medical materials to the general hospital, when he crashes into what looks like a zombie. It seems like a call-back to the Resident Evil 2 opening sequence and is just one of many easter eggs and references fans have also picked up on in the trailer.

In classic Resident Evil fashion, Bryan finds a shotgun on a wall but no ammo, and he can be seen desperately searching a creepy, abandoned home while hiding from a zombie.

When he does eventually find some shotgun shells, they're very clearly the same ones featured in Resident Evil 4, oddly enough. There is also a quick shot of a dark room, and a typewriter can be seen on the desk, a neat little reference to the save points in safe rooms from the games.

It's confirmed that the Cregger adaptation is set in 1998 during the events of Resident Evil 2, but the director has confirmed Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield won't make an appearance.

Resident Evil releases in theatres on September 18.

• Duda launches new AI tools to help agencies build complex sites
• New tools include vibe coding, a custom widget generator, and brief-driven website creation
• The new releases build on Duda's existing stack of AI tools for agencies

Duda, a dedicated website-building platform for agencies, has rolled out new AI tools that aim to combine the speed and ease of AI website building with the enterprise-grade security, predictability, and customization requirements of professional agencies.

In a press release shared with TechRadar Pro, Duda shared details on the new tools and features that include vibe coding, a custom widget editor, and brief-driven site building, adding to Duda’s existing suite of AI tools.

Connecting agencies to AI capabilities

This most recent update includes both new tools and updates to already established features.

• Duda Vibe (new feature): A conversational web application editor that allows agencies to ‘vibe-code’ web tools and dynamic web applications with plain-English prompts.
• In-editor custom widget generator (new feature): This feature was previously a separate developer tool; the update brings it into the core website editor. Users can now prompt AI to generate drag-and-drop elements.
• Brief-driven site building (expanded features): Duda has expanded the capabilities of this tool, allowing users to upload media files, client briefs, and call transcripts. AI then digests the provided information and uses it to create a multi-page website.

Duda’s update further cements its position as a leading website builder for agencies. Although platforms like Wix and Squarespace also offer AI website building capabilities, these typically target DIY website builders, failing to address the processes and levels of complexity required by website agencies.

“Small businesses still need a strong digital presence, but the digital landscape is becoming more complex, not less,” said Itai Sadan, CEO and co-founder of Duda. “AI makes it easier to create a starting point, but businesses will continue to rely on agencies to deliver secure, high-performing websites that are easily found by LLMs and drive results. Our role is to give the professionals building tens, hundreds, or thousands of sites the AI-powered platform they need to do it faster, more predictably, at higher quality, and profitably—all at scale.”

• Ring had launched an updated Outdoor Camera and Peephole Camera 2K
• They will both go on sale in August 2026
• The Outdoor Camera is £99.99 (about $130 / AU$190), and the Peephole Camera is £79.99 (about $110 / AU$150)

Ring has announced two brand new smart security cameras, one for mounting outdoors and one for installing into the peephole of your door.

Let's start with the outdoor option first. The new Ring Outdoor Camera (2nd Gen) is available in both wired and battery versions. It has a wide-angle lens (140 degrees horizontal and 85 degrees vertical), and delivers 2K resolution with up to 6x enhanced zoom. It has B&W night vision, customizable privacy zones and motion detection, and you can talk to visitors via Live View and Two-Way Talk. If you subscribe to Ring Protect you can also get intelligent alerts and the ability to scroll back in time to rewatch footage. Wi-Fi is single-band Wi-Fi 4 using the 2.4GHz frequency band.

One of the big selling points here is easy installation: it's simple to mount the camera and it's designed to cope with temperatures from -20ºC to +50ªC, although Ring says the camera may temporarily turn itself off if it's in direct sunlight during extreme heat conditions.

The Ring Outdoor Camera (2nd Gen) has a list price of £99.99 (about $130 / AU$190) and it'll be available from August 12, 2026. Pre-orders are open now.

(Image credit: Ring)Ring Peephole Camera 2K: this peep is fairly cheap and fits in doors that are quite deep

The new Ring Peephole Camera 2K is more stylish than its rather boxy predecessor, with a more triangular shape and a good-looking speckled finish. It fits through the space where you'd normally have an optical peephole, and there's no need to drill, run cables or do anything at all as it's completely wireless and runs off a rechargeable battery. It's designed to fit peepholes from 12mm to 14mm in size and go through doors between 32.5mm and 60mm.

I think this is going to be particularly popular with flat dwellers, especially renters who can't make any physical changes to the property: simply unscrew the optical peephole, install the camera, and you can take it with you when you move. Don't forget to keep the original peephole somewhere where you can find it again, though.

Like the new Outdoor Camera (2nd Gen) the resolution is 2K with up to 6x enhanced zoom, Live View and Two-Way Talk, but there's no night vision here so you'll need to make sure the door is facing a well-lit area. Ring says its camera is tuned for low-light conditions, but this camera doesn't see in the dark like the Outdoor Camera does.

The field of view is 140 x 140 degrees to deliver 'head-to-toe' visuals, and the quick release battery is easy to remove for charging. Wi-Fi is Wi-Fi 4 on the 2.4GHz frequency band.

The Ring Peephole Camera 2K will be available from August 19, 2026, and pre-orders are open now. The list price is £79.99 (about $110 / AU$150).

Having just watched the Samsung Unpacked event, I think the Korean company has just fixed every major problem that existed with foldable phones. They’re now thinner, wider and more normal-looking, and yet even at the point where most of the kinks have been ironed out… I still find them a bit uncool.

There’s still something about unfolding a phone in 2026 that feels unnecessary and a bit like a throwback from the 90s. It takes something that has been refined into a seamless sheet of glass and puts a hinge back into the middle of it.

Sure, retro is cool, but foldable phones still feel stuck between two worlds to me.

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar Cheaper in Korea

Foldable phones are also still pretty expensive — I wasn’t the only one in the office raising an eyebrow at the Z Fold 8 Ultra’s eye-watering $2000+ price when it was announced— although at this point I’m tempted to blame AI for making everything more expensive, even if it's up to 48% cheaper in Korea.

The new foldable phones look amazing, but it’s taken Samsung a while to get here — it launched its first foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold , back in 2019 — at the time we called it, “The most forward-thinking phone you shouldn't buy”.

But the real cultural test of the foldable phone may not arrive until Apple does what Apple does best — walks into an established category, removes a few visible seams, adds a name that sounds like it came from a yoga retreat, and behaves as if everyone else had merely been beta-testing the future.

Under Steve Jobs, being best, not first, was Apple’s greatest trick. The iPod was not the first MP3 player. The iPhone was not the first smartphone. The iPad was not the first tablet. Apple’s genius was letting other companies prove there was a category, then making the version people could imagine actually buying.

It remains to be seen if the incoming CEO John Ternus has the ability to work the controls of Steve Jobs’ reality distortion machine in exactly the same way and convince people that Apple’s version of a folding phone will make them cool.

Enter the iPhone Ultra

That rumoured Apple foldable phone is the iPhone Ultra, which could arrive in September this year. I’d also be surprised if it wasn’t well over the $2,000 mark, too. Some reports suggest $2,500.

I haven’t gotten hands-on with the new Z Fold 8 Ultra yet, but I’ve used foldable phones before and they always felt incredibly geeky to me. They’re impressive but slightly awkward to use, especially in public, and mostly bought by people who like explaining their phone to strangers.

I understand that the foldable form factor makes it better for watching videos using that massive inner screen, or by using the design to prop the phone up on a desk so you can watch on its outer display without having to hold it or carefully balance it against something.

I get that a large screen is better for gaming, too, but I can’t remember the last time I played a game on my iPhone.

My problem is that I don’t want to attract attention to myself. Phones are expensive and waving a larger screen around in public seems like it could make you more of a target for thieves, or the simple curiosity of strangers. I’d rather be left alone to enjoy my journey in peace with a phone that doesn’t advertise my presence.

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar The real problem isn't the hinge

All of which makes me think that in September, Apple’s biggest challenge might not be around making the perfect, seamless hinge, camera or screen aspect ratio.

It might be simply to convince people that foldable phones can be cool, even at their ridiculous prices, and that’s going to be a tougher task than any of the technical hurdles it will need to overcome.

Saying that, if anybody can make us think that folding phones are for everyone, it’s Apple. Samsung has done the brave work of making foldables exist. Apple’s job is to make them feel less like a magic wallet and more like an iPhone that has learned a party trick.

• Amazon's gaming boss thinks ballooning hardware prices could push more hardcore gamers towards cloud streaming services
• He argued that the price of consoles increasing by 'six, seven times' would mean some gamers become 'priced out of the market'
• He thinks the RAM crisis, and rising prices, will not be 'going away anytime soon'

Amazon GM of gaming Jeff Gattis thinks the rising cost of consoles and PC components could push more hardcore gamers towards cloud streaming, via services such as Amazon's own Luna.

In a recent interview about the service, I asked whether Gattis anticipates cloud gaming becoming a more popular option for core players as traditional systems become much more expensive.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have said that 18 months ago, and I will say our business model is not really predicated on this this massive shift where everybody turns in their consoles and PCs and comes over to cloud" he said.

"But gosh, when you start to see the prices of the Steam Machine and the rumors of PlayStation and Xbox. As you get to $1,000, $1,500 hardware [...] you're going to see more people that are priced out of the market. They're going to consider other technologies".

Gattis, who previously led platform and subscriptions at Xbox, went on to share an anecdote to illustrate just how much prices have risen.

"I was telling somebody the other day that when I was back at Xbox a couple of years ago, we had our Series S console on discount [for a] holiday. I think it was about $199. To think in a span of two to three years we've gone from $200 to what's likely going to be six, seven times that price.

"I understand it's a it's a RAM crisis, it's worldwide, but I don't think that's going away anytime soon."

He was, however, careful to clarify that hardcore gamers moving to the cloud isn't a core part of Amazon's strategy: "It's not our strategy to accelerate that, but it's a nice tailwind if it does happen, and it's realistic to think that it might."

The comments come as Amazon rolls out a Fire TV update that gives Amazon Prime subscribers the ability to stream games like Fallout 4 or Fortnite from directly within Prime Video via Luna in a bid to get more eyes on the service.

• Nvidia donates one of its most advanced AI supercomputers to US military’s flagship graduate university
• The supercomputer will be used across a range of applications, from simulations and digital twins, to weather prediction and cybersecurity
• "AI ‌will ⁠be a backbone of America’s defense," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said at the commissioning of the supercomputer

Nvidia has donated a DGX GB300 AI supercomputer to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, to support students, researchers and faculty in weather prediction, cybersecurity, disaster resilience and response planning.

The supercomputer was commissioned with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in attendance. “Our nation depends on our men and women who fight on the front lines,” Huang said.

“Nothing is more valuable to you than information and insight, and information and insight in a timely way, and to understand its impact and consequence. I can’t imagine anything more important.”

AI supercomputer to be used for training, oceanic modelling, and digital twins

The Nvidia DGX GB300 is one of Nvidia’s most powerful AI servers, and houses 72 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra GPUs, alongside 36 Nvidia Grace CPUs, that provide 20 TB in GPU Memory at a bandwidth speed of up to 576 TB/s.

This will provide the US military’s flagship graduate university with an enhanced ability to train new AI leaders, and enables more technical applications across in-house foundational models, run simulations, and use digital twins to train students from every branch of the military on real-world navigation and decision-making.

(Image credit: Nvidia)

“Leadership is about being in service of something else. You’re in service of your team. You’re in service of your country. You’re in service of your mission,” Huang said at the commissioning. “And all of this technology is just tools to help you.”

Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Pacific Command, said, “As we modernize our technology, we must also modernize how we educate our leaders. Access to advanced computing capability means NPS students and faculty understand the opportunities and responsibilities that come with these technologies.”

The AI supercomputer will also allow students to better understand sea conditions and predict atmospheric changes, while also equipping students for an increasingly AI-enhanced military.

The US and China are in heavy competition to deploy better and better frontier AI models, with China quickly catching up despite widespread sanctions on the sale of AI chips to the country. Both nations are integrating AI systems into the military, police, and government agencies.

“Many of you will command in AI-enabled environments. Information will move at lightning speeds, compressing response times,” Paparo said. “Our advantage will come from leaders, like you, who can use the technology to see, understand, decide and act faster while exercising the judgment, experience and leadership that machines cannot provide. That education is happening here at NPS.”

• Apple is rumored to be planning to rent Macs, as well as iPhones and other devices, to consumers
• 'Apple Upgrade' will allow you to pay via a subscription (with financing handled by Klarna), and buy the device eventually if you wish
• This is seemingly Apple's way of sidestepping the RAM crisis and keeping Mac sales going, as we're also hearing about frightening memory price hikes from Framework

We're seeing the continued fallout from the RAM crisis, with Framework outlining plans to deal with massive increases in the cost of memory, while Apple is rumored to be about to unveil new way of selling you a Mac in order to cope with ever-higher sticker prices: it'll rent you the PC.

Let's start with Apple's apparent plan, which is detailed in a report from Bloomberg, in which Mark Gurman tells us that Apple is preparing to launch a device-leasing scheme for consumers in conjunction with Klarna (on the finance side).

We're told this will be announced on July 28 and it'll be called 'Apple Upgrade'. The sell (ahem) is that you can regularly upgrade your rented hardware, as well as avoiding taking a huge dent to your wallet with the sizeable outlay required to buy many Macs these days.

This won't just be for Macs, mind you, but also the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, with most models of all this hardware seemingly set to be included. It sounds like it might be a US-only initiative to begin with, but it could come to other regions later.

Apple Upgrade will seemingly work as a subscription over a 36-month term (or 24 months for iPhones and Apple Watches), although there'll be an option to pay off the device early and buy it outright (or upgrade to a newer model early). When the end of the subscription is reached, you can either return the Mac and upgrade to a newer model on a new financing agreement, or just keep it (with a final payment, naturally).

As mentioned, Klarna is apparently running the finance side, and applications for Apple Upgrade will be subject to a soft credit check.

This new scheme will supposedly take the place of the iPhone Upgrade Program and Apple's standard financing. The former offers a way to buy an Apple smartphone on monthly payments direct from the company (with 0% interest), but there's no Mac equivalent.

Gurman says of the Apple Upgrade scheme: "Apple plans to advertise the program as a way to have lower payments versus current financing programs." The leaker also clarifies that Apple Upgrade won't include AppleCare (unlike the iPhone Upgrade Program, which does).

Some of Apple's cheaper devices won't be eligible for this rental scheme, too, and that includes the MacBook Neo, as well as the Apple Watch SE, entry-level iPad, and iPhone 16.

As for the move with Framework laptops, this was revealed in a blog post that Tom's Hardware noticed. The notebook maker said that with its Framework Laptop 13 Pro: "We recently received a cost update from our LPCAMM2 [laptop memory] supplier that goes far beyond anything we had predicted and anything we're able to absorb without placing our ability to operate at real financial risk.

"Rather than the low-to-mid double digit percentage increase we had forecast from Q2 to Q3 on LPCAMM2 costs, we received prices that are more than double that of the prior inventory we had brought in."

Framework is doing its best to cope (in a commendably transparent way), and is adjusting existing pre-orders as is necessary. That means dropping some 64GB orders down to 32GB, charging the original 32GB price — and the same for 32GB orders going down to 16GB, maintaining the original price for the latter.

Pricing for the 32GB module hasn't quite doubled, but it's up 82% (with Framework absorbing some of the increase), and a 64GB module is up 88%. This means the latter nugget of RAM is now an eye-watering $1,600 in the US, and £1,600 in the UK (yes, nugget seems an increasingly appropriate term these days).

Analysis: own nothing, be happy

(Image credit: Apple)

Unfortunately, July has brought us a clear picture of the RAM crisis getting worse. We've just been hearing about DDR5 memory seeing a notable uptick in pricing (after plateauing somewhat for a few months), and the boss of a big chip maker has informed us that things are going to get much worse, with 2027 set to be the 'worst year' in the RAM industry's history no less.

Framework's story of a doubling in laptop memory cost is a truly worrying hike on top of all this, and doubtless we can all still recall Apple's price hikes that arrived at the end of June. Particularly those of you who were mulling a Mac purchase, and are regretting not pulling the trigger before the increases were ushered in.

Seemingly Apple has a solution to the RAM crisis, though, but this rental plan hasn't gone down well online. Yes, you can imagine the reaction to this on social media – one Redditor observes that it's "one step closer to owning nothing" (as in 'own nothing and be happy') – but in fairness, this is still a rumor. Although given the details, and the apparent proximity of the launch, it sounds fairly cast-iron – but we shouldn't jump to conclusions.

A lot of how any rent-with-an-option-to-buy scheme will play out is going to depend on the pricing Apple (and Klarna) attaches, and the world out there on social media fears the worst. I don't blame the doubters, frankly, and particularly those who are worried that the final instalment to buy the Mac (or other Apple device) will be punishingly high. Generally speaking, this is, of course, the way these lease agreements tend to run, and the same will likely be true of the option to exercise an upgrade before the current lease is up.

What's interesting is that last week, I spilled my thoughts on how I was worried that Mac sales were going to flag, and how Apple's in a bit of a tricky situation in terms of combating this. Between MacBook holdouts, the continued RAM crisis, and cynicism around an apparent renewed focus on AI from Apple, the Mac waters are getting seriously choppy.

I didn't expect to have a (theoretical) answer so soon, and apparently now we know how Apple plans to keep Mac sales buoyant. The devil will be in the details of the Apple Upgrade scheme, assuming it happens, but the overriding online speculation for now remains that the terms of the rental plan will be more likely slanted in a hellish direction than a heavenly one.

• Steam gifting and wishlists have received big improvements in recent updates from Valve
• Users can now gift games to friends and family directly via email
• Wishlists now have categories and a new 'Demo Available' highlight

Valve's updates to Steam have consistently enhanced the user experience for PC gamers, and fortunately, two of its most recent additions continue that trend.

On Steam News Hub, Valve announced two major improvements to the Steam gifting system and wishlists: users can now gift games to friends and family via guest checkout, without being limited to digital gift cards and hardware purchases, and gift games via email.

As for wishlists: categories are now available, with options to filter the wishlist via category name, a new 'Demo Available' highlight once a demo becomes available, and share a link to a specific category or filtered view of a wishlist, ultimately allowing users to sort further and organize wishlisted titles.

Both updates have made wishlisting and gifting much easier, especially since the latter now has cross-region gifting. Essentially, in a scenario where a friend is in a higher-priced region, Steam will 'calculate the cost in your friend's region' at checkout – but it's important to note that this must be a friend for this type of gift to work.

New wishlist update (Image credit: Valve)

Most importantly, the improvements made to Steam wishlists should come in handy for future purposes beyond 2026, but also arrive at the ideal time considering the very busy game release schedule this year.

Not only do gamers have plenty of triple-A titles to look forward to on Steam (notably in September), with the likes of The Blood of Dawnwalker, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and Control Resonant all in the same month, but numerous indie games are arriving too, like Blackwood.

The demo highlight is a necessary update as well, since there are a significant number of games that either launch in early access or have been in development for years with long-running demo requests (i.e., Spine).

Updates as such are great for SteamOS PCs, especially the Steam Machine, and the more improvements made for each feature on the Steam client, the better.

• The Flock backlash is growing, and city officials have started covering ALPR cameras with trash bags
• Some cameras are even being smashed up
• A handful of Flock cameras have been spotted inside speed signs out of sight from drivers

The recent backlash to security company Flock highlights severe privacy concerns with its Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) systems — and local authorities are taking matters into their own hands.

In an article by 404media, city officials of Verona, Wisconsin have been protesting Flock’s ubiquitous surveillance cameras by covering them with black bags. The move follows a council vote to remove three cameras from the area, which Flock refused to take down according to recently exchanged emails.

“We kind of looked at the contract, talked it over amongst staff, and the thing we felt most comfortable with was just covering them so they could stop spying on people … I’m 100% certain that they were still working," said Luke Diaz, Mayor of Verona.

But for some residents, covering Flock’s ALPR systems with trash bags simply isn’t enough to give them peace of mind — some are going the extra mile by smashing Flock’s surveillance cameras, according to an article shared to Reddit.

Comment from r/technology

Just yesterday (July 22), Flock decided to abandon its plans to roll out its ‘human distress detection’ feature beyond the trial period. This tool used Flock’s urban acoustic microphones to detect sounds such as human screaming, and would then alert local police allowing them to reach the incident quickly.

Though these detectors are still in place, they can no longer pick up on human activity, and instead listen out for sounds such as gun shots or vehicle crashes. For those who have actively campaigned against this, it’s a huge win, but the microphones that remain in place are still sparking widespread concern regarding civil privacy, even though Flock says these systems cannot understand or analyze speech.

The People vs Flock

Since Flock’s ALPR systems became a means of public surveillance, the tech firm has been met with waves of backlash to the extent where the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched campaigns against these types of systems — claiming Flock is “quietly trying to build a nationwide mass surveillance system”.

Public concern has become so heated, some local authorities are pumping the breaks on introducing Flock cameras to certain areas. The LAPD is one of the most recent police departments that has acted on this, making the decision not to renew its contract with the tech company.

However, there are countless cities across the US that still have these systems in place and not only is the number increasing, the tech is getting smarter. ALPR systems don’t just capture your license plate, they are designed to identify your vehicle’s make and model, as well as its color and things such as bumps, scratches, and accessories like bumper stickers.

As a result of the rapidly advancing technology, drivers have been seeking ways to avoid areas where these systems are in place — the website DeFlock allows you to plan routes that actively avoid Flock’s cameras. Naturally, some local authorities are camouflaging its Flock ALPR systems to prevent vandalism.

They are hiding Flock cameras now, secret compartment found in speed radar box pic.twitter.com/4kkeRsKufiJuly 22, 2026

In a video shared to X by @OrwellDay (see above), the user captured footage of what looks like a regular speed-display sign, but uncovered a hidden Flock camera placed around the back. “Someone did some custom metal fabricating,” they say.

Quite a sneaky tactic, right? It doesn’t end there, and according to the replies on Reddit, these systems aren’t just being concealed inside speed signs. One user claims that ALPR systems are being hidden in fake cacti in some parts of Arizona, making it more difficult for tools like DeFlock to list the locations of cameras.

It's becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the watchful eye of Flock's ALPR cameras, but it seems that residents will stop at nothing to find ways to combat the rise of these counteractive measures.

• NordVPN has begun a server-by-server upgrade until the end of 2026
• Every machine gets a newer Linux distribution, kernel, and IP address
• App users should notice little beyond the occasional reconnection

NordVPN has kicked off a months-long overhaul of the software running its VPN servers, a rollout that started in July and will continue, one server at a time, until the end of 2026.

Despite the scale, this isn't a feature update. TechRadar's best VPN pick is replacing the foundations beneath its network: every standard VPN server is moving to a newer Linux distribution, picking up an updated kernel, and getting a reworked software stack.

The one change users can actually see is the addressing. Every upgraded server is issued a new IP, which is harmless if you use the NordVPN app, but a headache if you don't.

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A new Linux base for every server

NordVPN frames the work as maintenance rather than a redesign, and is explicit that it won't add features or change how the service behaves. The stated payoff is a more flexible environment for its engineers to automate, maintain, and scale.

Four things are changing: a newer Linux distribution carrying current security fixes, newer kernels, an optimised software stack aimed at server efficiency, and a different IP address on every upgraded machine.

Each server needs a brief reboot to get there, which is less disruptive than it sounds given NordVPN runs a diskless, RAM-only fleet on hardware it owns and colocates in third-party data centres. That architecture has been examined repeatedly in the provider's Deloitte no-logs audits.

What you'll actually notice

(Image credit: NordVPN)

Very little, for most people. NordVPN says app users don't need to do anything, and the client will reconnect automatically if the server you're on drops out mid-session. Expect a short interruption while that happens.

Recent releases were built with this in mind. The provider's July Linux release notes describe the app switching you to another server in the same country, city, or group when yours goes offline, with the kill switch standing guard during the handover.

There should be an upside once the dust settles: steadier performance at peak times, more traffic capacity per server, and fewer disruptions down the line.

That builds on April's milestone, when the network passed 100 Tbps of aggregate capacity across 211 locations in 135 countries, with servers deliberately run at roughly a third of their limit to leave headroom.

The exception: manual setups

If you connect manually, using OpenVPN config files on a router, a NAS, or a bare Linux box, your setup will stop working once the server it points at has been upgraded.

The fix is easy but not automatic — download replacement config files from the manual setup area of your Nord Account once the server is back online, then swap out the old ones. NordVPN says the new files carry a "Verified" badge so you can tell which are current.

• OpenAI has announced a 3.2 gigawatt AI data center in Georgia
• The campus will be built on an existing industrially-zoned warehouse project
• OpenAI has laid out four commitments to the local community

OpenAI is planning to build a new $30 billion AI data center campus in Effingham County, Georgia, that will deliver 3.2 gigawatts of compute once fully operational.

The site, named ‘Project Camellia’, will span 1,400 acres and is expected to be completed in phases between 2028 and 2032. The construction will take place on a pre-existing industrially-zoned warehouse project in the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub.

But OpenAI’s announcement significantly differs from previous data center announcements, with the focus being on how the project will benefit the local community, rather than the added capacity and compute it will offer to OpenAI’s models.

OpenAI wants to be accountable

In order to try and quell some of the local opposition to new data center projects, OpenAI’s announcement breaks down into a four point plan for community engagement.

The first focuses on one of the main concerns for Americans across the country: electricity. OpenAI pledges to “pay the full cost of the infrastructure and electric-service costs required to serve it.” But, as OpenAI highlights in the announcement, Georgia Public Service Commission rules prevent the company from passing on any costs to existing ratepayers in the first place. So it’s less of a pledge, and more an acknowledgement of the rules.

But OpenAI says it will “proactively reduce its power consumption before residential customers are impacted during periods of high demand” in order to “meaningfully support the reliability of Georgia Power’s electric system and support our neighbors.” How this will work in practice is not detailed.

OpenAI says the new data center will also operate using a closed-loop cooling system to prevent unnecessary water use through continuous withdrawing and discharging in the local water supply - so outside of the initial system flush and subsequent filling of the closed loop system, the actual water usage will be comparatively low. But things can still go wrong during these initial water intakes and discharges.

As a third benefit for the local community, OpenAI has pledged $80 million “in community benefits over the life of the project” on top of the “hundreds of millions of dollars in state and local tax revenue” that OpenAI expects will make it the largest taxpayer in the county. OpenAI will also provide “eligible Georgia college, community college, and technical school students” with up to $71 million in credits for OpenAI Codex.

OpenAI does not give a timeframe for the lifespan of the project, so the $80 million in community benefits could be a relatively small annual amount depending on how long the project is expected to last.

Finally, OpenAI commits to being accountable. OpenAI says it has already been gathering feedback from state and local officials, community leaders, schools, and other regional partners “to learn about local priorities and gather feedback on the project.” To that end, OpenAI is holding a public open house on July 23, one day after the initial announcement was made. Feedback from this meeting, and subsequent engagements with the local community will be “memorialized” in a Georgia Community Compact to “translate community priorities into specific commitments and clear accountability measures as the project develops.”

The Halo series is in an awkward spot right now. With 2021’s Halo Infinite being the last major release, the franchise’s status as a system seller isn’t as strong as it was two decades ago. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a safe yet surprisingly competent remake of Halo: Combat Evolved that attempts to bring back the glory days.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: July 28, 2026

My earliest memory of Combat Evolved on the original Xbox was when I could barely read. My dad was visiting his university friends from back in the day, and he left me with their college-aged children. I remember getting absolutely cooked in PvP, as the only video game I had ever played before that point was Pokémon.

25 years later, I’ve played every major Halo release, and even revisited 2011’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster to see how it fared before diving into Campaign Evolved. When playing these two back-to-back, they really put into perspective how much small changes could yield substantially different experiences.

The same old story

(Image credit: Xbox)

Like the original game, Halo: Campaign Evolved follows the space marine Master Chief after his starship, the Pillar of Autumn, crash-lands on a large ring world. The Covenant alien race wants to destroy Earth, and it's up to Master Chief, along with his AI companion Cortana, to fight back against them. It’s the same exact story told in the original. Although it’s not particularly deep, it sets up an enticing universe that makes you eager to discover more about the Covenant, as well as the secrets of this new ring world.

Campaign Evolved offers three new bonus missions that, together, act as a prequel to the events of the main story. Here, Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson join up, and the duo infiltrates an enemy ship to steal some data that could point them towards the Covenant’s home world. In these missions, Master Chief doesn’t have Cortana yet and is surprisingly more of a chatterbox than his usual stoic self. He and Sergeant Johnson constantly exchange quips — Johnson’s sarcasm juxtaposes well with the Chief’s more nonchalant attitude.

However, it’s tonally inconsistent. Without going into spoilers, the ending doesn’t explain Master Chief’s stoicism in the following events of Campaign Evolved. Chief’s demeanor here would fit better in a post-Bungie universe, where the series became more character-driven beginning with Halo 4. But as a prequel to the original trilogy, his frequent yapping feels out of character.

Additionally, the three missions trade the original’s streamlined level design in favor of the more modern Halo combat arena approach. Large-scale firefights across long structures and domes are everywhere. Halo is no stranger to enemy skirmishes, but they were kept at close to medium range encounters. I won’t lie and say I didn’t have fun playing these, but I just wish Halo Studios kept the new levels more uniform with the original’s design philosophy.

The prequel missions also reintroduce the Jiralhanae brutes, which were first introduced in Halo 2. These furry monstrosities are a nice change of pace when considering that enemy variety was limited in the original.

Back to basics

(Image credit: Xbox)

The first-person-shooter gameplay isn’t as revolutionary as it was back in 2001, but I enjoyed going back to the more boots-on-the-ground experience compared to flying around everywhere with Chief’s grappling hook in Infinite. There are so many small adjustments and additions to the gameplay that actually made me take modern Halo gameplay mechanics for granted.

For starters, you can now hijack enemy vehicles, something you couldn’t do in the original or even the Anniversary remaster. You instead had to either shoot the enemy piloting the vehicle first, or blow it up, hoping that it was still operable afterwards. When I replayed Anniversary ahead of Campaign Evolved, years of muscle memory conditioned me to hijack a vehicle, only to remember that Chief can’t do that and subsequently get run over and die!

Along with the typical weapons like the pistols, assault rifles, and rocket launchers, Campaign Evolved includes new weapons found in later Halo games like the Needle Rifle and the Brute Spiker.

Best bit

(Image credit: Xbox)

Campaign Remix unlocks after completing the game once. This takes all of your discovered Skulls and randomly chooses at the start which ones to activate, providing a fun and unpredictable experience. It’s a zany approach to spice up subsequent playthroughs and increase replayability.

These new weapons actually feel more of a fit for the bonus missions. The Needle Rifle almost felt like a cheat code when I used it during the main campaign. Energy Swords were also in the original game, but Chief couldn’t pick those up. Now he can, and I never got tired of hearing the satisfying sizzling plasma every time I pulled it out. Effectively doubling the total weapon count, the minute-to-minute gunplay is more varied and fun than ever.

The radar now also shows an arrow up or down on red dots to indicate whether an enemy is above or below you. Verticality was always a personal issue for me in these games, so this is much appreciated. Power-ups can be held like in Infinite, letting you activate them when you want rather than in older Halo games where they activated upon pickup. This had a tangible impact on how I approached certain levels compared to the original, like Truth and Reconciliation, where I could choose the optimal time to turn invisible and sneak past enemies.

On the surface, these changes may seem minuscule. But when actually playing Campaign Evolved, I came to appreciate the gameplay iterations that came with later Halo games.

The human connection

(Image credit: Xbox)

Whereas the original only supported two-player co-op, Campaign Evolved can support up to four. This increase makes shootouts even more hectic and exciting, especially during the bonus missions where having a full team fits the combat design ethos. Online co-op is an easy process, as all you need to do is invite other players to your fireteam. Crossplay between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox players is a big plus too.

Performance is solid, even with bullets and explosions going off every second, although cutscenes can lag sometimes.

You can also find skull collectibles scattered throughout the campaign, which are gameplay modifiers that make your runs easier or harder, like enabling infinite ammo or disabling your sprint function. There’s a whopping 42 skulls to find, so not only do finding the skulls add more replayability to the campaign, but also turning them on does too.

The biggest letdown of Campaign Evolved is the lack of any PvP multiplayer. It’s a staple of the Halo series that makes this remake feel a bit lesser.

Even with the lack of PvP multiplayer, Halo: Campaign Evolved is comfortably the best way to play the first Halo adventure with all the bells and whistles that come with the modernized features of later games. The new bonus missions are fun if not a bit uneven. Campaign Evolved feels good to play, whether solo or with friends.

Should I play Halo: Campaign Evolved?Play it if...

You love the series
This goes without saying, but if you’re a fan of Halo, it’s well worth checking out Campaign Evolved for its updated gameplay mechanics and revisiting a classic.

You like first-person shooters
Halo is the console-defining first-person shooter game that set the bar for many other modern franchises. The gunplay feels as slick and precise as ever in this remake.

You like a more streamlined experience
Compared to more recent Halo games like Halo Infinite, Campaign Evolved harkens back to more old-school level design rather than an open world.

Don't play it if...

You’re looking for PvP multiplayer
Unfortunately, as the game’s title suggests, this remake only includes the campaign. If you want to experience multiplayer, go play Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary via the Master Chief Collection.

Accessibility features

Halo: Campaign Evolved has an extensive suite of accessibility features. This includes text options like subtitles, HUD text, and voice chat text size. You can also adjust font, line spacing, and dialogue color for friends and foes.

There’s screen narration with volume and speed sliders, as well as color filters. You can adjust color correction strength, brightness, and contrast. Furthermore, you can turn on and off screen shake, flashing effects, and motion blur. For crosshairs, you can change the size, color, opacity, and thickness to see what works best for you.

There are also options to change directional damage indicators, navigation points, and even teammate markers to make finding things easier. Things like voice chat volume, widget opacity, and fade-out timer can be adjusted too.

How I reviewed Halo: Campaign Evolved

I played about 15 hours of Halo: Campaign Evolved (and counting) on Xbox Series X with a SANSUI 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor UWQHD. I finished the campaign, finding as many collectibles as I could along the way. I also played through the three prequel missions, as well as participated in a few missions with other reviewers in co-op.

First reviewed July 2026

If success is measured by commitment, then Samsung’s foldable business is now more successful than ever.

With the addition of the quirkily sized Galaxy Z Fold 8, introduced here at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on July 22, there are now three Samsung Galaxy Z smartphone options to choose from. Sure, foldables account for perhaps a single percentage point of the overall smartphone market, but Samsung is now more committed to the category than ever. So, success, right?

To understand that commitment, I, along with Tom’s Guide Global Editor in Chief Mark Spoonauer, sat down in Samsung’s South Korea headquarters a few weeks before the Galaxy Unpacked with Jay Kim, Samsung’s EVP and Head of CX Office, to talk about the newest foldables, how Samsung measures success, and the pesky new folding phone competitor that might be waiting in the wings.

Getting to the Fold 8

(Image credit: Samsung)

Kim acknowledged the journey over now eight generations of foldable devices and told us that when the exquisite Galaxy Z Fold 7 arrived (it remains my favorite foldable but might be supplanted by the Z Fold 8 Ultra), something shifted.

Consumers stopped nitpicking core stumbling blocks of foldable phones like thickness or thinness. Instead, they were celebrating the core benefit, saying, in Kim's words, “I have a phone that actually can be a tablet, and then that full capability of a phone is not compromising anything. So, we felt,” continued Kim, “like, 'okay, now… consumers are really understanding why we're pushing the boundary for such a long time.'”

So instead of bystanders watching a man balance a chair on his chin for no reason, they were on the journey with Samsung and getting excited about a device that could slip into a pocket as effortlessly as your classic flagship phone but also double as a productivity powerhouse.

So, we felt like, okay, now… consumers are really understanding why we're pushing the boundary for such a long time.”

Samsung EVP Jay Kim

Sitting before us as we talked were all three of the latest Samsung Galaxy Z devices, but only one is a head-scratcher: the 4:3-ratio Galaxy Z Fold 8. Sure, its size makes it the lightest Fold ever, but the question remains: why? From the outside, it’s hard to understand how Samsung came to this design conclusion, let alone how consumers would react.

Samsung, though, tracks the demands and behaviours of its consumers, and Kim told us that the company saw signals that there was a market for this device, and it came to what sounds like a very scientific conclusion.

“When we looked at our consumer… insight on how people react to the products, almost over 50% are focused on media; they consume media, whether on the outside cover screen or the inside, the main screen; they engage in content, and we thought, ‘Why not?’”

That’s right, why not? It’s not necessarily a market research-tested conclusion, though Kim admitted that Samsung threw out a lot of designs before arriving on this content-friendly and still pocketable display size.

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

“We put together the form factor where the media makes most sense, the content native [form factor], but in terms of, like, how do you engage with the device? So basically, we looked at when you engage with content, what is the best form factor [that doesn't] compromise anything on the full bar type,” recalled Kim. And by “bar type,” Kim is referring to slab phones like its Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

How does Samsung know it’s on to a winning design with the Galaxy Z Fold 8? Well, it did test it, at least internally, and the feedback appears to have been positive.

“I'm really happy how our hardware and the design team came out with the product, because it's beautiful, and when we test[ed] it with the market for the preview, everybody's asking about when it's coming,” said Kim.

Samsung may not have been excessively focused on the thinness of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 line, but it was, in one instance, acting on feedback about how hard it can be to open the Z Fold 7. "Folding and unfolding was some of the most important feedback we got [with last year's phones]." The result in the Z Fold 8 Ultra is a chamfered frame that's easier to pry open with a fingertip. "[They] spent days and nights changing the angles," recalled Kim.

@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar There will be thoughts

It’s also fair to say, though, that everyone will have an opinion about the Z Fold 8, which is arguably a confusing name because the follow-up to the Z Fold 7 is not the 8, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The Z Fold 8 is, essentially, a totally new animal. And that size — the wide and squat cover screen, and the internal display that essentially unfolds to a screen quite similar in size and shape to your average Kindle ereader — is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.

Yes, content like ebooks, comics, and video look great with smaller black bezels around them, but does the Galaxy Z Fold 8's new aspect ratio help with things other than content consumption? Kim sees benefits there, too.

“How do people use a cover screen? Most of the time [what] they do is communication. So, you text a lot, and… [the cover display on the Galaxy Z Fold 8] is actually a pretty good size for texting.”

Kim told us he also thinks the cover screen is an optimal size for flicking through all that scrollable video content, too.

Since he has responsibility for not just these new foldables but for standard Galaxy phones (and XR glasses) too, I wondered how Kim (and therefore Samsung) explains to consumers that there might be value in a foldable device over a standard S26. After all, these flexi phones are priced at a considerable premium over standard smartphones.

Kim knows that most consumers are satisfied with standard phones: “At the same time, bar type is very confined to the screen size, so everything must be squeezed into the size, but I think there's a consumer who would love to leverage different sizes of the display. You know, you have a size, but you can actually expand it to the bigger screen, or you can actually engage with content better, or you could be more productive. You can actually play a game on a bigger screen.”

No compromises

(Image credit: Samsung)

So, yes, there’s a market for those who feel constrained by the single screen size idea, but — and this is an early lesson Samsung learned —it’s not enough to just give a second screen size option on a single device. Samsung has arguably been doing that since the first Fold, but it was a terrible device.

“I think the only condition is you can't compromise anything that you have on the bar type. So, on top of not compromising from bar type, if you can actually provide additional screen experience, I think there's a need for the consumers,” added Kim.

It’s probably the reason why the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has been so well-reviewed. It is a no-compromise dual-screen device.

While the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is by no means a compromise, it is a complication. We wondered how consumers might decide or be guided when they walk into, say, a Verizon store and consider the Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra.

“We’re happy for the consumer to make a choice,” said Kim, adding that the choice may boil down to where you spend most of your time on the phone.

People who like split screens and productivity — maybe they even set two phones side-by-side for double the productivity — they’ll gravitate toward the Galaxy Z 8 Ultra.

I think the only condition is you can't compromise anything.

Jay Kim

“If you use a lot of media, you read books, or you play games, you know, if that's like your focus area, then you take the Fold 8. And then if you are more, you know, very expressive, and you feel like you want to have a small phone in the pocket, and you want it to be glanceable, and then you want to have more of a native type of AI, a native type of experience, then you go with the Flip.”

There’s bound to be some market confusion as consumers adjust to the “Fold 8” being not the standard fold but the unusually shaped one, but Kim told us that Samsung spent a lot of time working on the names, and one thing was clear: “We weren’t trying to create a new category,” he said. This was still a Fold just in a different form factor and aspect ratio. "We went back to basics, saying it’s a Fold 8," said Kim.

And while Samsung wondered how the market would react, Kim says the company is pleased with the level of attention. “Whether it's a form factor, whether it's a name, or anything, it's a good sign [and] we were very happy that consumers and the market are very interested to get their hands on it.”

Kim, by the way, wouldn't talk pricing for any of the new folds, but he did reveal that, like the rest of the industry, Samsung is grappling with RAM crisis challenges. "The costs of components going up is not just our problem; it's an industry-wide problem... We take it pretty seriously, looking at [the] balance and [seeing] how to adjust based on the market situation. We’re not free from that and [are] addressing it very actively," he told us.

What's coming next and the Apple threat

(Image credit: Samsung)

While the Z Fold 8 is the exciting new look, the Z Fold 8 Ultra is now, at 4.1mm, essentially the same thickness as a USB-C port. It’s unlikely that the foldable could get any thinner without Samsung removing that port. I asked Kim if the company is considering doing so for future generations.

“Definitely, we look at all the options, but I think the most important thing is: do you need to make it thinner? That question is the most important. We made it thinner and lighter because that was the biggest sort of feedback we got for many, many years [...] So, I think now consumers are asking for different things.”

We made it thinner and lighter because that was the biggest sort of feedback we got for many, many years [...] So, I think now consumers are asking for different things.”

Samsung EVP Jay Kim

We also talked, naturally, about Apple. Most rumors point to a foldable iPhone Ultra possibly arriving in September, and it might even match the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s unusual aspect ratio.

Kim, though, doesn’t appear nervous about the industry’s most-watched company entering a market Samsung created.

“If our big sort of market player is coming into the market and bringing the fold type, then it proves that what I have been thinking and what I've been envisioning, and how much of the effort that we put in is actually the right direction. If not, they wouldn't really come into the market,” said Kim diplomatically.

Apple's anticipated entry will surely change the folding market, but only as a follow-up to the transformation Samsung has already wrought. “I think it’s important that we pushed the industry. [But] it's a collaborative effort. I don’t think we could’ve done it just ourselves.”

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

If you believe Kim, Apple’s folding entry, if it arrives, could be seen as a major validation of Samsung's years-long efforts. And, unless we are very mistaken, Apple will have one folding phone, while Samsung now has three. With that number of flexible devices and screen size and shape choices available on store shelves, that may be all the validation this still relatively young market needs.

We could even be approaching a foldables breakout moment. “I think we’re on the verge where [foldables] could actually become mainstream going forward. It has the potential,” Kim told us, “Because we had these two form factors for a very long time. Introducing another one is a bold move, actually, because that shows that we’re confident in the category and we’re confident in how the market is reacting to it. So I’m more excited about what’s to come than what we have achieved.”

The Halo series is in an awkward spot right now. With 2021’s Halo Infinite being the last major release, the franchise’s status as a system seller isn’t as strong as it was two decades ago. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a safe yet surprisingly competent remake of Halo: Combat Evolved that attempts to bring back the glory days.

Review info

Platform reviewed: Xbox Series X
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Release date: July 28, 2026

My earliest memory of Combat Evolved on the original Xbox was when I could barely read. My dad was visiting his university friends from back in the day, and he left me with their college-aged children. I remember getting absolutely cooked in PvP, as the only video game I had ever played before that point was Pokémon.

25 years later, I’ve played every major Halo release, and even revisited 2011’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster to see how it fared before diving into Campaign Evolved. When playing these two back-to-back, they really put into perspective how much small changes could yield substantially different experiences.

The same old story

(Image credit: Xbox)

Like the original game, Halo: Campaign Evolved follows the space marine Master Chief after his starship, the Pillar of Autumn, crash-lands on a large ring world. The Covenant alien race wants to destroy Earth, and it's up to Master Chief, along with his AI companion Cortana, to fight back against them. It’s the same exact story told in the original. Although it’s not particularly deep, it sets up an enticing universe that makes you eager to discover more about the Covenant, as well as the secrets of this new ring world.

Campaign Evolved offers three new bonus missions that, together, act as a prequel to the events of the main story. Here, Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson join up, and the duo infiltrates an enemy ship to steal some data that could point them towards the Covenant’s home world. In these missions, Master Chief doesn’t have Cortana yet and is surprisingly more of a chatterbox than his usual stoic self. He and Sergeant Johnson constantly exchange quips — Johnson’s sarcasm juxtaposes well with the Chief’s more nonchalant attitude.

However, it’s tonally inconsistent. Without going into spoilers, the ending doesn’t explain Master Chief’s stoicism in the following events of Campaign Evolved. Chief’s demeanor here would fit better in a post-Bungie universe, where the series became more character-driven beginning with Halo 4. But as a prequel to the original trilogy, his frequent yapping feels out of character.

Additionally, the three missions trade the original’s streamlined level design in favor of the more modern Halo combat arena approach. Large-scale firefights across long structures and domes are everywhere. Halo is no stranger to enemy skirmishes, but they were kept at close to medium range encounters. I won’t lie and say I didn’t have fun playing these, but I just wish Halo Studios kept the new levels more uniform with the original’s design philosophy.

The prequel missions also reintroduce the Jiralhanae brutes, which were first introduced in Halo 2. These furry monstrosities are a nice change of pace when considering that enemy variety was limited in the original.

Back to basics

(Image credit: Xbox)

The first-person-shooter gameplay isn’t as revolutionary as it was back in 2001, but I enjoyed going back to the more boots-on-the-ground experience compared to flying around everywhere with Chief’s grappling hook in Infinite. There are so many small adjustments and additions to the gameplay that actually made me take modern Halo gameplay mechanics for granted.

For starters, you can now hijack enemy vehicles, something you couldn’t do in the original or even the Anniversary remaster. You instead had to either shoot the enemy piloting the vehicle first, or blow it up, hoping that it was still operable afterwards. When I replayed Anniversary ahead of Campaign Evolved, years of muscle memory conditioned me to hijack a vehicle, only to remember that Chief can’t do that and subsequently get run over and die!

Along with the typical weapons like the pistols, assault rifles, and rocket launchers, Campaign Evolved includes new weapons found in later Halo games like the Needle Rifle and the Brute Spiker.

Best bit

(Image credit: Xbox)

Campaign Remix unlocks after completing the game once. This takes all of your discovered Skulls and randomly chooses at the start which ones to activate, providing a fun and unpredictable experience. It’s a zany approach to spice up subsequent playthroughs and increase replayability.

These new weapons actually feel more of a fit for the bonus missions. The Needle Rifle almost felt like a cheat code when I used it during the main campaign. Energy Swords were also in the original game, but Chief couldn’t pick those up. Now he can, and I never got tired of hearing the satisfying sizzling plasma every time I pulled it out. Effectively doubling the total weapon count, the minute-to-minute gunplay is more varied and fun than ever.

The radar now also shows an arrow up or down on red dots to indicate whether an enemy is above or below you. Verticality was always a personal issue for me in these games, so this is much appreciated. Power-ups can be held like in Infinite, letting you activate them when you want rather than in older Halo games where they activated upon pickup. This had a tangible impact on how I approached certain levels compared to the original, like Truth and Reconciliation, where I could choose the optimal time to turn invisible and sneak past enemies.

On the surface, these changes may seem minuscule. But when actually playing Campaign Evolved, I came to appreciate the gameplay iterations that came with later Halo games.

The human connection

(Image credit: Xbox)

Whereas the original only supported two-player co-op, Campaign Evolved can support up to four. This increase makes shootouts even more hectic and exciting, especially during the bonus missions where having a full team fits the combat design ethos. Online co-op is an easy process, as all you need to do is invite other players to your fireteam. Crossplay between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox players is a big plus too.

Performance is solid, even with bullets and explosions going off every second, although cutscenes can lag sometimes.

You can also find skull collectibles scattered throughout the campaign, which are gameplay modifiers that make your runs easier or harder, like enabling infinite ammo or disabling your sprint function. There’s a whopping 42 skulls to find, so not only do finding the skulls add more replayability to the campaign, but also turning them on does too.

The biggest letdown of Campaign Evolved is the lack of any PvP multiplayer. It’s a staple of the Halo series that makes this remake feel a bit lesser.

Even with the lack of PvP multiplayer, Halo: Campaign Evolved is comfortably the best way to play the first Halo adventure with all the bells and whistles that come with the modernized features of later games. The new bonus missions are fun if not a bit uneven. Campaign Evolved feels good to play, whether solo or with friends.

Should I play Halo: Campaign Evolved?Play it if...

You love the series
This goes without saying, but if you’re a fan of Halo, it’s well worth checking out Campaign Evolved for its updated gameplay mechanics and revisiting a classic.

You like first-person shooters
Halo is the console-defining first-person shooter game that set the bar for many other modern franchises. The gunplay feels as slick and precise as ever in this remake.

You like a more streamlined experience
Compared to more recent Halo games like Halo Infinite, Campaign Evolved harkens back to more old-school level design rather than an open world.

Don't play it if...

You’re looking for PvP multiplayer
Unfortunately, as the game’s title suggests, this remake only includes the campaign. If you want to experience multiplayer, go play Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary via the Master Chief Collection.

Accessibility features

Halo: Campaign Evolved has an extensive suite of accessibility features. This includes text options like subtitles, HUD text, and voice chat text size. You can also adjust font, line spacing, and dialogue color for friends and foes.

There’s screen narration with volume and speed sliders, as well as color filters. You can adjust color correction strength, brightness, and contrast. Furthermore, you can turn on and off screen shake, flashing effects, and motion blur. For crosshairs, you can change the size, color, opacity, and thickness to see what works best for you.

There are also options to change directional damage indicators, navigation points, and even teammate markers to make finding things easier. Things like voice chat volume, widget opacity, and fade-out timer can be adjusted too.

How I reviewed Halo: Campaign Evolved

I played about 15 hours of Halo: Campaign Evolved (and counting) on Xbox Series X with a SANSUI 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor UWQHD. I finished the campaign, finding as many collectibles as I could along the way. I also played through the three prequel missions, as well as participated in a few missions with other reviewers in co-op.

First reviewed July 2026

Despite criticisms of a brain drain from China to the U.S., the awards come at a time when several high-profile Chinese scholars have returned home, some citing an increasingly hostile academic environment in America.

A circuit breaker, bring back hope, do better – that’s what Andy Burnham promised Britain on Monday when he was sworn in as the new UK Prime Minister. And the digital rights community was watching closely as the seventh to stand in front of Downing Street in 10 years made his big, first-day promises. What will Burnham have planned for his predecessor’s divisive digital privacy policing?

It turned out that the tech world didn't have to wait long for the answer. In fact, on the previous Saturday, Burnham had already made almost three million Britons happy with the news that he would scrap the controversial national digital ID plan.

The new PM then sent shockwaves across the political benches on his first day in charge, when he dismantled the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) after only three years of service and merged it with the Business Department.

The question now is whether Burnham’s impetus for change will address the issues at the heart of the digital privacy debate.

According to the Policy and Campaigns Officer at Liberty, Anna Cardoso, the newly-formed cabinet now has the opportunity to set out a positive vision for tech.

"We hope to see a human-centred approach to digital policy that puts people, privacy and fundamental rights at its core," Cardoso told TechRadar.

But what changes do digital privacy experts exactly hope for? What might a "human-centred approach" really look like? And how likely is the new government to live up to the expectation?

Does Andy Burnham mean an end to Digital ID cards?

(Image credit: Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Keir Starmer’s BritCard was an unpopular policy among privacy-conscious citizens. Opponents to the programme then welcomed with excitement Burnham's decision to finally send the UK digital ID to the grave.

"We’ve done it," wrote Big Brother Watch's Director, Silkie Carlo, in a celebratory post on X, while Akiko Hart, Director at Liberty, called the move "a victory for civil liberties in the UK."

But Burnham's motivations to kill the proposal don't exactly come from privacy concerns. His decision was one of economics. Axing the BritCard means freeing up an estimated £600 million a year — from a policy no one wants — and using it for something citizens desperately desire, such as more support with the cost-of-living crisis.

In fact, Burnham told the Financial Times that he's not "arguing against the principle”. After all, he was a supporter of Tony Blair’s Identity Cards Act back in 2006.

"I think there’s a risk of an opportunity-cost situation here where something can consume a huge amount of time and actually doesn’t come through," he told the newspaper.

Does this mean that another form of BritCard be brought back when the time is right? Possibly.

Some commentators are already speculating that online ID checks may find a way to stick around.

Speaking with Al Jazeera, Alan Miller, co-founder of the campaign group Together, argues that other online government systems could evolve into a "de facto digital ID through creeping expansion".

Cardoso from Liberty agrees that killing one proposal isn't enough to sweep away all the concerns about digital forms of identification. Yet, she still considers it a huge step in the right direction. She told TechRadar:

"Whether or not digital ID returns in another form, any future proposal would need to demonstrate a clear public benefit, strong privacy protections, meaningful safeguards and robust democratic scrutiny. Those principles should apply regardless of who is in government."

Will Burnham really scrap Palantir's NHS deal?

The government's £330 million contract with Palantir to build the NHS's new Federated Data Platform (FDP) has also been a concern for Britain’s privacy-conscious citizens. Whether the wave of division on the subject has been one of geopolitics, morality or technical usability, data protection is at its core.

Some reports suggest that Burnham is already considering scrapping Palantir’s NHS contract. Something that, according to Palantir UK CEO Louis Mosley, "would be a terrible mistake".

While nothing is as yet confirmed, the Head of Tech and Data at Good Law Project, Duncan McCann, sees the political reshuffle as the best chance for the group’s campaign to remove Palantir from the UK's healthcare system to succeed, commenting to TechRadar that Burnham now represents "a beacon of at least an opportunity".

(Image credit: Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Images)

Burnham's track record in this area looks hopeful, too. During his almost decade as Mayor of Greater Manchester, municipal or public health departments did not award any contracts to the US surveillance tech giant.

And while McCann explains that Burnham may not necessarily be the one to credit for the decisions the city's public sector took on Palantir, it is an opportunity for hope of change at a national level.

As reported by Al Jazeera, Manchester’s NHS leaders spent six years building their own analytics infrastructure instead of adopting Palantir's FDP system, something that for Palantir critics became proof that effective NHS data management can be achieved without the help of the American company.

"It offers some real opportunity to show Manchester as an innovation hub," explained McCann, saying that the Good Law Project remains hopeful that this could fit well on Burnham's political agenda.

"It proves that we can do it ourselves and save money by doing that, while creating new jobs."

The Prime Minister's press office has already confirmed to reporters the guiding principle remains "getting value for money for the taxpayer" alongside the "need to be safeguarding people’s data and British interests", both of which fit neatly into McCann’s hopes.

As with the BritCard, then, it could be the financial angle that leads the digital rights community to have their concerns on Palantir and patients' privacy finally addressed.

Don’t expect much change to the UK’s approach to children's online safety

Keir Starmer dropped a digital rights bombshell in his last days of governance — an upcoming under-16s social media ban that privacy experts have already dubbed "a cybersecurity disaster waiting to happen".

But don’t expect Andy Burnham’s rise to power to change much here.

In an interview with The Times in April 2025, Burnham talked about the urgency to regulate social media platforms for teens. A concept he reiterated more recently, when he backed the Tories' call for a ban on under-16s from social media last January — as reported by The Guardian.

According to Policy Manager at the Open Rights Group, James Baker, that’s a clear sign that policies on social media will most likely remain unchanged.

"However, I'm not convinced it's going to work because it doesn't tackle the underlying root cause of what makes these platforms harmful," Baker told TechRadar, adding that evidence coming from Australia shows that young people can easily circumvent restrictions.

Baker argues that to really reassure British parents over their children’s online safety, we need a complete shift in policy.

"We need to tackle structural causes for harm instead, like the advertising business model causing platforms to come up with harmful loops that keep people online as long as possible," Baker told TechRadar.

That said, it also looks unlikely that Burnham will address privacy advocates’ concerns on mandatory age verification.

Back in 2016 — during the discussions around the controversial Investigatory Powers Act — Burnham took a strong stance against what he defined as "simplistic loyalties to the security or privacy lobbies", arguing that "such debates are pitched as a clash between two absolutes of privacy and security, where there can be no compromise and only one winner".

Baker agrees that the new Prime Minister probably isn't going to be a huge supporter of privacy causes. But he remains hopeful.

"So much time and energy has been spent trying to solve online safety with policies that haven't actually worked. Perhaps he will take a more pragmatic look and consider other, more cost-effective measures."

Again, economics may prove to be the deciding factor, shifting the conversation away from policies that experts fear will threaten digital freedoms.

So, what can we expect for Burnham on digital privacy?

By binning the digital ID proposal and the entire tech ministry within his first 36 hours of leadership, Andy Burnham proved he isn't afraid to move fast and break things. But as digital rights experts have made clear, a true 'circuit breaker' requires more than just stopping bad policy.

"Liberty wants policymakers to move away from a ‘technology first, questions later’ approach and instead place human rights at the heart of decision-making," Policy and Campaigns Officer Anna Cardoso told TechRadar.

She said that the real tests are yet to come on whether the government will be "willing to grapple seriously with the risks posed by surveillance technologies, AI and large-scale data collection."

Whether it comes from genuine concerns for digital privacy or a pragmatic way for closing the gap between politics and the public, it doesn’t much matter at this stage. If Burnham’s administration can weave privacy protections into his broader economic agenda, he might just deliver the positive vision for tech that advocates are desperate to see.

Until then, the digital rights community remains cautiously optimistic — holding its breath for the next move. As Baker from Open Rights Group puts it:

"We’ll try to give him a chance. Maybe he can do things a bit better."

Imagine an automated torture chamber where one calamity after another is inflicted upon you. Worse yet, it’s all robots doing the pushing, pulling, pressing, switching, and lighting. A robot even delivers you to this house of horrors.

Of course, you’re a Samsung Galaxy phone, and you were actually built to take this kind of punishment, or at least expected to survive it. Housed in a basketball court-sized room, this is one of Samsung’s endlessly running test suites for its growing line of Samsung Galaxy S series and Galaxy Z folding phones.

A few weeks ago, Samsung flew me out to South Korea to visit its Gumi factory where, among other things, they build and stress test their newest phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z 8 Flip, all of which were introduced this week at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked in the UK.

(Image credit: Samsung)

As a lab engineer guided us through the space, a robot waited impatiently behind him while trying to deliver more phones to its Guantanamo of tech indignities. The engineer seemed unconcerned as the robot edged closer to us, but it always remained a safe distance away, finally delivering a phone to the first chamber when we’d cleared a path.

Of course, before Samsung checks the viability of these handsets, it builds them.

Make 'em and (try to) break 'emThe start of our tour. Note the roving robot on the far right.SamsungTesting touch on the new Z Fold UltraSamsungA wearables test suiteSamsung

When I visited the factory — one of nine dotted around the globe and where millions of units are assembled — for the first time a few years ago, I noticed a mix of robots (not humanoid, just automated platforms and a wide variety of robot arms) and humans. This time, however, there were just a handful of humans, who were often checking the robots’ work for imperfections.

As we walked the pristine aisles while wearing thin, blue protective covers on our shoes, I caught the eye of one factory worker and gave her a thumbs up. To my surprise, she smiled and nodded back at me before quickly returning to product inspections.

Across a series of metal and plexiglass boxes, I saw all manner of robots and mobile device manufacturing activity. There was never a pause or moment of indecision. In one enclosure, I watched as camera boards were robotically placed in a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra board and then expertly screwed into place.

The Camera component makes its way to a new phone chassis.SamsungBuilding an S26 Ultra. Watch those cables.SamsungBuilding the S26 UltraSamsung

Virtually every robot in every enclosure has a specific job, like the one that does nothing but remove thin-blue packing material from a phone circuit board. Its tiny fingers delicately grab a pair of thin blue tabs and strip away the filament. We found ourselves cheering on the little bot.

Robots are checking the build at every stepSamsungTesting out the Galaxy Z Fold 8SamsungTesting a Galaxy Z Fold 8 UltraSamsungA robot arm with a Galaxy S26 UltraSamsungMore Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra testsSamsung

In another spot, a colleague noticed that a copper line wasn’t properly affixed to a phone’s main circuit board. I could see it bouncing freely and wondered if the error would be caught or end up in someone’s wonky Galaxy device. I needn’t have worried. Samsung’s automated systems are fully capable of both the build and error-catching. As we watched, the offending board shifted off course and was held at bay while other properly built boards moved along.

I saw many different enclosures with so many automated manufacturing capabilities that it was mind-boggling.

Box 'em up but test them firstPreparing to package Galaxy S26 UltrasSamsungBoxing the S26 UltraSamsungBoxing more of the S26 UltraSamsungA robot fills the palette with boxesSamsung

In another space, I saw sensors identifying phone IMEI numbers, while another robot printed out corresponding labels, and then a third affixed them to boxes that matched the packages to each phone.

Most of the robots I saw were small, but at the end of the line was an almost car-sized palletizer that takes the 10-per-box cardboard crates and stacks them on a pallet, placing the boxes first around the perimeter and then filling in the middle. The motorcycle-sized arm was remarkably fast and accurate.

Some of the phones never make it to the pallet. Instead, a select few are destined for a special test room where a large horseshoe of enclosures determines if the models in the current batch are fit for purpose.

There are two types of test systems in Gumi: the boxes that run the same test over and over again in a single device, and the U-shaped automated test bay where one phone is run in serial through the entire array of tests. These tests will often replicate what is done repeatedly in other enclosures.

The number of test systems and kinds of tests Samsung runs on its products is impressively comprehensive, though some of the boxes look downright bizarre.

Weird tests, reliable productsGetting a close look at one of the enclosuresSamsungWe examined everythingSamsungGalaxy Z 8 Flip folding testsSamsungSome more Z Fold 8 motion sensor testsSamsungGalaxy Z Fol 8 Ultra fold testsSamsungGalaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra touch testsSamsungMore S26 Ultra testsSamsungRobot arms test multiple devices at onceSamsungLet's test the fingerprint readersSamsung

Folding and unfolding the devices thousands of times is to be expected, as is pressure testing, but I also saw extreme heat and cold tests. There were also enclosures that do nothing but check AI vision systems, millimeter wave, waterproofing, and a facial recognition chamber with life-like mannequin heads that I can still see when I close my eyes.

There’s even a room where partners like Google can remotely access and run tests on Samsung phones.

More astonishing is that this is a living, ever-changing facility. Just imagine what happens every time, like now, Samsung unveils new phones and watches; they must retool. Walking the floor, I noticed how the brand-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 was already undergoing rigorous tests. The lab engineer told us, “For every new form factor, we develop new technology for it,” and they develop new automation to test it.

Look, I’m not saying other companies don’t put their mobile hardware through similar wringers, but I’m not sure any other tech giant has been so transparent about their process. It’s wild, bracing, and I must admit, gives me more than a bit of confidence about each new Galaxy device Samsung delivers.

Do you own a lot of Samsung devices? If so, why not test yourself to see how well you know the brand's products and services by taking the quiz below?

Recruitment has always reflected the realities of the labor market it serves. For decades, those realities were relatively stable.

Roles were well defined, career paths followed familiar patterns, and organizations could afford to move at a measured pace when bringing in new talent. That context has changed, but many hiring practices have not.

Today, skills evolve quickly, business priorities shift frequently, and candidates expect a level of speed and transparency that traditional processes struggle to provide.

The result is a growing mismatch between what organizations need and how they go about finding it.

Hiring cycles stretch out, decisions are made with incomplete information, and opportunities to secure the right talent are often missed.

It is within this context that artificial intelligence has entered the conversation, often accompanied by a degree of unease. Questions about automation, control, and fairness are not only understandable but necessary. However, focusing too narrowly on whether AI might replace elements of HR risks overlooking the more important development taking place.

There has been a rapid rise in the technology, with 87% of companies now adopting AI to support recruitment . AI is reshaping how decisions are made, and in doing so, it is redefining the contribution HR can make to an organization.

Establishing talent architects

For many HR teams, a significant proportion of time is still absorbed by coordination and administration. Screening applications, arranging interviews, and managing workflows are essential tasks, but they rarely represent the highest-value use of expertise.

A recent study three quarters of recruiters are using AI to save time and improve sourcing candidates . AI has the potential to absorb much of this operational load, processing large volumes of information quickly and consistently, while identifying patterns that would be difficult to detect through manual methods alone.

The benefit generates efficiency, while also creating the opportunity for HR leaders to operate with greater strategic intent. As organizations adopt AI-enabled approaches, the role of HR begins to move away from managing transactions and towards shaping the workforce more deliberately.

The concept of the HR leader as a “talent architect” is increasingly relevant in this environment. It reflects a responsibility not just to fill roles, but to design teams around capability, potential, and long-term direction. This requires a different balance of skills, combining an understanding of data and technology with a strong grounding in judgement, experience, and organizational culture.

Improving fairness through greater visibility

Concerns around bias often sit at the center of discussions about AI in hiring. There is a legitimate fear that automated systems could reinforce existing inequalities if left unchecked. Yet it is also important to recognize that bias is not introduced by technology alone. It is already present in many traditional hiring processes, often in ways that are subtle and difficult to measure.

What AI offers, when implemented with care, is greater visibility. Patterns in decision-making can be analyzed, inconsistencies can be identified, and outcomes can be assessed against clear criteria. This does not remove the responsibility from organizations to act, but it does provide a stronger foundation for doing so. Effective governance, transparency in how systems are trained, and ongoing review are essential if these benefits are to be realized.

Alongside considerations of fairness, there is a broader question of how AI influences the human aspects of hiring. The risk is not that technology replaces judgement, but that it is relied upon too heavily without sufficient oversight. The most effective organizations will be those that treat AI as a source of insight rather than a substitute for decision-making.

When this balance is achieved, the impact is tangible. Hiring processes become more responsive, with fewer delays between stages. Decisions are supported by a richer evidence base, allowing for greater confidence in outcomes . Candidates experience a process that is more consistent and easier to understand, which in turn strengthens the organization's reputation as an employer.

A better outcome for businesses and candidates

There are also clear links to business performance. When hiring decisions are better aligned with the capabilities required, organizations are more likely to see improvements in productivity and retention. Teams are built with an eye on future needs as well as immediate demands, which is particularly important in sectors where change is constant.

At the same time, candidates benefit from a process that is more transparent and consistent. Decisions are grounded in evidence, and opportunities are matched more closely to individual strengths. The experience becomes more predictable and, ultimately, more credible.

For HR leaders, the priority now is to approach AI with both ambition and discipline. Introducing new tools without a clear understanding of the problem they are intended to solve will deliver limited value. Equally, adopting a cautious stance that delays progress may leave organizations at a disadvantage in a competitive talent market.

Clarity of purpose is therefore essential. Whether the objective is to reduce time-to-hire, improve the quality of matches, or strengthen diversity, the role of AI should be defined in relation to those outcomes. This should be supported by investment in capability, ensuring that HR teams are equipped to interpret and apply the insights generated.

Perhaps most importantly, there needs to be a shift in how the role of HR is perceived within the organization. The introduction of AI does not diminish the importance of human expertise; it places a greater emphasis on it. As routine tasks are streamlined, the expectation is that HR will contribute more directly to strategic decision-making, bringing a deeper understanding of talent, culture, and organizational dynamics.

A new chapter for hiring

Companies integrating technology into their recruitment operations have seen their hiring processes become faster, data-informed, and more closely aligned to business priorities. AI is a significant factor in that transition, but it is not the defining feature. Rather, HR existing with AI support depends on how organisations choose to integrate technology with human judgement.

For those that do this well, the outcome is greater than a more efficient hiring process. It is a more thoughtful and effective approach to building teams, one that recognises both the value of data and the importance of human insight.

That balance will shape the next phase of hiring, and it will determine the extent to which organizations are able to adapt to the demands of an increasingly dynamic labor market.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to 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/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

• We just got a fresh info dump on Apple's incoming Macs from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman
• It includes the claim that the MacBook OLED may be on track for a debut later this year, and that it's now being tested with macOS 27.1
• The laptop would have the M5 Pro and Max chips, with a follow-up potentially arriving as early as the end of 2027 with the M7 Pro and Max

Apple will likely launch a whole load of new Macs over the next couple of years, and if you were wondering about the MacBook OLED, seemingly this laptop remains on target for a possible launch later this year.

Mark Gurman spilled a whole lot of info and updates in a Bloomberg report that details Apple's upcoming Mac overhauls, and how things stand right now (as ever, sprinkle seasoning on this liberally).

The model that many people are interested in is that MacBook OLED which will be a high-end effort in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, sporting a touchscreen for the first time (not everyone's so keen on the latter, mind). They will pack the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, not the M6.

Gurman says that this MacBook is currently being tested with macOS 27.1 by Apple, and that the device "remains on track for release between the end of this year and early next year". The leaker had previously asserted that we're looking at a late 2026 or early 2027 release (although there's a nuance here that I'll come back to shortly).

What about M6 MacBooks? We'll seemingly get a refresh of the low-end MacBook Pro 14-inch this year that packs the M6, and this will be the first launch to use the next-gen silicon. There will be new iMacs with the M6, too, all of which are supposedly arriving this fall (likely around October 2026, in other words, give or take a month).

The MacBook Air isn't being ignored, of course, and Gurman informs us that a refresh of this consumer lineup is coming in early 2027, with 13-inch and 15-inch models that "closely resemble the current version" — so don't expect much in the way of change.

Another MacBook Pro launch is, he says, planned for 2027 in the form of an entry-level 14-inch laptop with a new design that will be similar to the high-end OLED models, but this will have a major upgrade with the M7 (vanilla) chip.

Unsurprisingly, he adds that a refresh of the popular MacBook Neo is underway, which upgrades to an A19 Pro chip and offers more memory (new colors will be added, too).

Further down the line for MacBooks, there might be a more radical change coming for the MacBook Air, with an OLED take on the notebook that Gurman says could arrive in 2028, while a follow-up to the high-end MacBook OLED should debut between the end of 2027 and early 2028, with an upgrade from the M5 Pro and Max to the M7 Pro and Max.

Apple is also working on an iMac with OLED, Gurman believes, and we've heard about that before. (Much of this rumor dump is confirmation of previous speculation, it should be noted, with updates on timelines).

Gurman also tells us to expect refreshes in the realm of the Mac mini and Mac Studio. He claims the Mac mini is in testing with M5 Pro and M6 processors, while Apple looks to be going with the M5 Max and M5 Ultra for the Mac Studio. These would be trickier launches for Apple given the RAM crisis, and the need for beefier memory configurations causing additional headwinds for these particular Macs. Due to this, the launch timeframes for these purported products are, Gurman says, still up in the air.

Analysis: on track – but out of touch?

(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

There's a lot in the pipeline, clearly, but the most interesting update here is that the high-end MacBook OLED is apparently still on target, and we could see it later this year – potentially in just a few months. Remember that not so long ago, Gurman appeared to waver on the idea of this touchscreen MacBook arriving in 2026 at all, but it seems that this is still very much in the cards (although not guaranteed, by any means).

This device is notably still missing a name, and the leaker isn't referring to it as the MacBook Ultra, as the broader rumor mill has been doing. That it packs the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips makes sense, because there will only be a vanilla version of the M6, according to what Gurman's heard on the grapevine before – Apple is apparently skipping swiftly over that generation to get to the M7 and more powerful AI capabilities therein. The follow-up to the high-end MacBook OLED will carry the Pro and Max chips from the M7 family, as noted.

In this report Gurman frames all these revamped Macs as Apple looking to "capitalize on demand for powerful laptops and desktops fueled by the artificial intelligence boom", underlining the recent emphasis the leaker has placed on how important AI is for Tim Cook's company now.

Predictably, this notion hasn't gone down well with some Mac fans, and the idea of a touchscreen on a MacBook (with that incoming OLED model) remains contentious, too, based on feedback from social media.

One Redditor puts it in particularly strong terms: "Touchscreen laptops are disgusting. I cannot fathom anyone actually using them. The ergonomics make no sense, the fingerprint factor is horrible, the OS is not built around touch the way tablets or phones are. Why are companies actively pursuing this technology in 2026?"

Another says: "Apple is entering 'the touchbar phase' again. Dark days lay ahead. I'll wait until they inevitably walk back whatever changes they make."

So, while people love the idea of an OLED, the fact that it's touch-capable is certainly dampening enthusiasm in some quarters, not forgetting that it'll add to the price tag, which is one of the other big fears about this laptop.