Apple has been forced to ditch the Lightning port and switch to USB-C for charging across its products. But there's another way to top up the battery of recent iPhones thanks to MagSafe. The company recently released a new, more powerful MagSafe charger, the price of which has fallen in an early Black Friday deal. It has dropped from $39 to $25.
The latest MagSafe charger was introduced alongside the iPhone 16 lineup this fall. When it's used with an adaptor that supports 30W of power or more, the charger reaches speeds of up to 25W with an iPhone 16 (the charging speed still maxes out at 15W on older iPhones).
As you might imagine, the charger can juice up an iPhone 16 more quickly than previous versions. According to Apple, when used with a 30W USB‑C power adapter, it can charge an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro up to a level of 50 percent in 30 minutes. Meanwhile, since the charger is Qi compatible, it can charge an iPhone 8 or later as well as AirPods with a wireless charging case.
The MagSafe charger is one of the handiest iPhone accessories to have around. This version has a 1m (3.3 ft) cable. The other model, which has a 2m (6.6 ft) cable, is also on sale. It has dropped from $49 to $34.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-latest-magsafe-charger-drops-to-25-in-an-early-black-friday-deal-173636146.html?src=rss
Black Friday promos are in full swing now, and that’s brought many of our favorite gadgets down to their lowest prices of the year. Case in point, the Fitbit Charge 6, which is down to a record low of $100 right now. It’s a top pick in our best fitness trackers guide in part because of its comprehensive exercise tracking capabilities and its built-in GPS.
The Charge 6 has a few things going for it. With the new model, Fitbit added a more accurate heart rate sensor, the ability to pair with exercise machines over Bluetooth and a physical side button to aid with menu navigation. If you’re a YouTube Music Premium subscriber, you can also use the device to control YouTube Music playback.
Carrying over from older iterations, the Charge 6 offers comprehensive tracking for 20 discrete exercises, with built-in GPS for activities like running and cycling. It also retains the design of the Charge 5, which in this case, is a good thing. The fact it’s not a smartwatch means the Charge 6 is comfortable to wear and offers a battery that will last you for several days instead of just one at most. The full-color AMOLED display is easy to read and looks great, even outdoors. Other notable features include support for contactless payments through Fitbit Pay and Google Wallet.
The only downsides to the Charge 6 are that Fitbit doesn’t offer Apple Health integration and that some data and features are locked behind the company’s premium subscription. However, if you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can basically do it all, the Charge 6 is one of the best options right now.
For those looking to spend less on a fitness tracker, I'll mention that Amazon has also discounted the Inspire 3. It's currently $70, down from $100. Fitbit's entry-level fitness tracker is a good option for those who don't mind bringing their phone to their bike rides and runs as the device lacks built-in GPS tracking.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-bring-the-price-of-the-fitbit-charge-6-down-to-a-record-low-of-100-171919780.html?src=rss
Thanksgiving might not be here yet, but that’s not stopping retailers from offering early Black Friday promotions. Amazon, for instance, is selling the Fitbit Charge 6 for $60 off its regular $159.95 price. For those wondering, that’s a record low for the fitness tracker. And if you’re looking for a device to record your steps and workouts, it’s hard to go wrong with the Charge 6. In fact, it’s one of our favorite fitness trackers.
The Charge 6 has a few things going for it. With the new model, Fitbit added a more accurate heart rate sensor, the ability to pair with exercise machines over Bluetooth and a physical side button to aid with menu navigation. If you’re a YouTube Music Premium subscriber, you can also use the device to control YouTube Music playback.
Carrying over from older iterations, the Charge 6 offers comprehensive tracking for 20 discrete exercises, with built-in GPS for activities like running and cycling. It also retains the design of the Charge 5, which in this case, is a good thing. The fact it’s not a smartwatch means the Charge 6 is comfortable to wear and offers a battery that will last you for several days instead of just one at most. The full-color AMOLED display is easy to read and looks great, even outdoors. Other notable features include support for contactless payments through Fitbit Pay and Google Wallet.
The only downsides to the Charge 6 are that Fitbit doesn’t offer Apple Health integration and that some data and features are locked behind the company’s premium subscription. However, if you’re looking for a fitness tracker that can basically do it all, the Charge 6 is one of the best options right now.
For those looking to spend less on a fitness tracker, I'll mention that Amazon has also discounted the Inspire 3. It's currently $69.95, down from $99.95. Fitbit's entry-level fitness tracker is a good option for those who don't mind bringing their phone to their bike rides and runs as the device lacks built-in GPS tracking.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/the-fitbit-charge-6-drops-to-a-record-low-of-100-in-this-black-friday-deal-171919452.html?src=rss
If you already have a smart home ecosystem in place, or are looking to build one from scratch, now’s a good time to look for IoT gear on sale during the Black Friday shopping period. One such device is the Google Nest wired indoor security camera, which you can get for $70 right now. That’s 30 percent off its usual price and close to a record low. The sale includes three colorways, including snow, fog and linen.
The second-gen wired device is designed for indoor use, thus the name, and is capable of capturing 1080p HDR video. It’s motion sensitive and uses a bit of AI trickery to discern between people, animals and vehicles. The camera also includes night vision and an hour of event recording on the device itself, which comes in handy in the case of a Wi-Fi outage.
There’s a two-way audio function, as the camera includes both a microphone and a speaker. People can boot up the affiliated Google Home app to spark up a conversation. This app also lets you instantly call up emergency services if the conversation doesn’t go as planned, though that requires a Nest Aware subscription.
This brings us to a fairly significant caveat, though this one pops up with most modern security cameras. A whole lot of stuff is locked behind that aforementioned Nest Aware paywall, which costs $8 per month or $80 each year. This plan gives purchasers 60 days of video history and the ability to watch live streams on smart displays and even smart TVs. Subscribers will even receive alerts when familiar faces are recognized by the camera.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-google-nest-wired-indoor-camera-is-just-70-for-amazon-black-friday-week-160944313.html?src=rss
The Google Nest wired indoor camera is $70 via Amazon as part of an early Black Friday deal. The cam is normally $100, so this represents a savings of 30 percent. This is close to a record low price, which is never a bad thing. The sale includes three colorways, including white, beige and light blue.
The second-gen wired device is designed for indoor use, thus the name, and is capable of capturing 1080p HDR video. It’s motion sensitive and uses a bit of AI trickery to discern between people, animals and vehicles. The camera also includes night vision and an hour of event recording on the device itself, which comes in handy in the case of a Wi-Fi outage.
There’s a two-way audio function, as the camera includes both a microphone and a speaker. People can boot up the affiliated Google Home app to spark up a conversation. This app also lets you instantly call up emergency services if the conversation doesn’t go as planned, though that requires a Nest Aware subscription.
This brings us to a fairly significant caveat, though this one pops up with most modern security cameras. A whole lot of stuff is locked behind that aforementioned Nest Aware paywall, which costs $8 per month or $80 each year. This plan gives purchasers 60 days of video history and the ability to watch live streams on smart displays and even smart TVs. Subscribers will even receive alerts when familiar faces are recognized by the camera.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-deals-bring-the-google-nest-wired-indoor-camera-down-to-just-70-160944871.html?src=rss
Some big changes are coming to NVIDIA’s GeForce Now streaming service. In a blog post published Thursday, the company said it would introduce a monthly playtime allowance. Starting January 1st, 2025, new GeForce Now subscribers will be able to play for up to 100 hours every month before they’ll need to pay for additional playtime. Provided they signed up for the service before December 31, 2024, existing customers won’t see their usage capped until the start of 2026.
NVIDIA is also renaming GeForce Now’s Priority tier. As of today, the new Performance membership offers 1440p streaming, up from 1080p previously, with support for ultrawide resolutions and the ability for users to carry over their graphical settings between sessions. If you’re already paying for the Priority service, you’ll be automatically moved over to the Performance tier. Pricing remains at $10 per month.
NVIDIA
NVIDIA told The Verge the new playtime cap will allow it to avoid raising the price of GeForce Now for “the foreseeable future.” Additionally, the company says 100 hours of monthly usage should “comfortably” accommodate 94 percent of its customers, who typically use the service less. Subscribers can also carry up to 15 hours of unused playtime over to the next month. People who hit the limit and want to continue playing can pay to get an additional 15 hours of access. Performance members will need to shell out $3 for that upgrade, while NVIDIA will charge Ultimate subscribers, who can play games at 4K and 120 frames per second, $6 for the privilege.
If you want to try GeForce Now, NVIDIA is currently offering a 25 percent discount on Performance and Ultimate day passes. Once again, if you decide to subscribe before the end of the year, your playtime won’t be limited until the start of 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-will-add-a-monthly-playtime-cap-to-geforce-now-starting-next-year-160739646.html?src=rss
Some big changes are coming to NVIDIA’s GeForce Now streaming service. In a blog post published Thursday, the company said it would introduce a monthly playtime allowance. Starting January 1st, 2025, new GeForce Now subscribers will be able to play for up to 100 hours every month before they’ll need to pay for additional playtime. Provided they signed up for the service before December 31, 2024, existing customers won’t see their usage capped until the start of 2026.
NVIDIA is also renaming GeForce Now’s Priority tier. As of today, the new Performance membership offers 1440p streaming, up from 1080p previously, with support for ultrawide resolutions and the ability for users to carry over their graphical settings between sessions. If you’re already paying for the Priority service, you’ll be automatically moved over to the Performance tier. Pricing remains at $10 per month.
NVIDIA
NVIDIA told The Verge the new playtime cap will allow it to avoid raising the price of GeForce Now for “the foreseeable future.” Additionally, the company says 100 hours of monthly usage should “comfortably” accommodate 94 percent of its customers, who typically use the service less. Subscribers can also carry up to 15 hours of unused playtime over to the next month. People who hit the limit and want to continue playing can pay to get an additional 15 hours of access. Performance members will need to shell out $3 for that upgrade, while NVIDIA will charge Ultimate subscribers, who can play games at 4K and 120 frames per second, $6 for the privilege.
If you want to try GeForce Now, NVIDIA is currently offering a 25 percent discount on Performance and Ultimate day passes. Once again, if you decide to subscribe before the end of the year, your playtime won’t be limited until the start of 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-will-add-a-monthly-playtime-cap-to-geforce-now-starting-next-year-160739646.html?src=rss
When No Man's Sky was launched in 2016, Hello Games made it available on the platforms available at the time, namely the PC, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Over time, it was also released for the PS5, the Xbox Series X and S consoles, the Nintendo Switch, the PS VR1 and 2, as well as other virtual reality devices for computers. Now, the developer is rolling out cross-saves and cross-plays to all those platforms so fans can pick up from where they left off even if they switch devices.
Hello Games said adding the ability to transfer saves has been especially difficult for its team, since No Man's Sky players can spend thousands of hours exploring worlds and building elaborate bases. It likened cross-saves to moving houses — the "longer people have lived there the more complicated it is to move them," the developer explained. The company said it's been introducing the technology to the game little by little over the past six months to make it possible to launch the feature today. Players can link their accounts right now through the game's official cross-save page, but only a "subset of users" will see the option to select saves from multiple devices on the in-game save screen. The feature will be available to all players over the coming weeks.
In addition to giving players the ability to play the same game across platforms, Hello Games is also rolling out the enhanced version of No Man's Skyfor the PlayStation 5 Pro, which is coming out today. The console's AI-powered tech called the "PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution" upscales the game to 4K at 60 fps, though players can choose to explore worlds in 8K resolution at 30 fps instead. This enhanced version also comes with improved lighting, ultra quality reflections and higher quality ambient occlusion in all modes. All those features are making their way to the PS VR2 headset, as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/no-mans-sky-gets-cross-platform-saves-and-ps5-pro-enhancements-150011474.html?src=rss
When No Man's Sky was launched in 2016, Hello Games made it available on the platforms available at the time, namely the PC, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Over time, it was also released for the PS5, the Xbox Series X and S consoles, the Nintendo Switch, the PS VR1 and 2, as well as other virtual reality devices for computers. Now, the developer is rolling out cross-saves and cross-plays to all those platforms so fans can pick up from where they left off even if they switch devices.
Hello Games said adding the ability to transfer saves has been especially difficult for its team, since No Man's Sky players can spend thousands of hours exploring worlds and building elaborate bases. It likened cross-saves to moving houses — the "longer people have lived there the more complicated it is to move them," the developer explained. The company said it's been introducing the technology to the game little by little over the past six months to make it possible to launch the feature today. Players can link their accounts right now through the game's official cross-save page, but only a "subset of users" will see the option to select saves from multiple devices on the in-game save screen. The feature will be available to all players over the coming weeks.
In addition to giving players the ability to play the same game across platforms, Hello Games is also rolling out the enhanced version of No Man's Skyfor the PlayStation 5 Pro, which is coming out today. The console's AI-powered tech called the "PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution" upscales the game to 4K at 60 fps, though players can choose to explore worlds in 8K resolution at 30 fps instead. This enhanced version also comes with improved lighting, ultra quality reflections and higher quality ambient occlusion in all modes. All those features are making their way to the PS VR2 headset, as well.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/no-mans-sky-gets-cross-platform-saves-and-ps5-pro-enhancements-150011474.html?src=rss
Apple's excellent MacBook Pros are faster than ever with its new M4 chips. That's it, that's the review. Their screens are slightly brighter, and the 14-inch model now starts with 16GB of RAM, but otherwise these are the same laptops that have been around since the M1 Pro redesign in 2021. Really, though, it's not as if Apple had much to improve on. The MacBook Pros have been among our favorite premium laptops for years — now they're just better.
When I last reviewed Apple's MacBook Pros, I concluded by saying, "Just try to save up for 16GB of RAM." Now, thanks to the increasing memory demands of Apple Intelligence, that's not something anyone will have to worry about again. That makes the $1,599 14-inch MacBook Pro a far better deal than before (you previously had to add on another $200 to get to 16GB). The 16-inch model, which starts at $2,499 with 24GB of RAM, is also a better choice for big-screen fans since its M4 Pro chip is a tremendous upgrade over last year's hardware.
What's new in the M4 MacBook Pros?
The star of the show this year are Apple's new M4, M4 Pro chips and M4 Max chips. The M4 features a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, while the Pro bumps up to a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU. The Max model, as usual, goes even harder: It features a 16-core CPU and a whopping 40-core GPU.
As you'd expected, the prices for those more powerful chips escalate dramatically: The M4 Pro 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 ($400 more than the base model), while the M4 Max model starts at $3,199. At least you get slight RAM and storage bumps with those pricier chips, the M4 Pro starts with 24GB of RAM, while the Max model includes 36GB RAM and a 1TB SSD.
Aside from dramatically better chips, all of the new MacBook Pros feature MiniLED Liquid Retina XDR screens that can reach up to 1,000 nits for SDR (standard dynamic range) content. That's a 400-nit increase from before, and it should help make content far more visible in daylight or in very bright rooms. (HDR content, as usual, can push the display even further to a peak of 1,600 nits.) There's also a nano-texture glass option (for a $150 surcharge) that can make the screens more glare resistant, which is useful for working in bright environments. Note, however, that it can also make the screen appear less sharp.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Apple also upgraded the MacBook Pros' webcams to 12-megapixels, a major leap over the previous 1080p camera. (Apple hasn't confirmed the megapixel figure for that camera, but it's likely around 2MP, the bare minimum to reach 1080p). Having a higher resolution camera also opens the door for Center Stage, which can keep you in focus as you move around your room.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
I didn't hate Apple's previous webcams, but mostly that's because I remember how mediocre its older 720p webcams used to be. The new models look far sharper with more accurate colors, and the overall image doesn't look as heavily filtered as the previous cameras. They also support Desk View (above), Apple's helpful feature for showing off objects below your screen.
If you're often dealing with large file transfers, you might also appreciate support for Thunderbolt 5 on the M4 Pro and M4 Max chips. It can support up to 120 Gb/s speeds, up from 40 Gb/s in Thunderbolt 4, which the standard M4 chip includes. That could make a huge difference if you're moving terabytes worth of 4K and 8K videos onto external drives – just note you’ll need to invest in similarly equipped Thunderbolt 5 storage. Thunderbolt 5 could potentially allow for external AI accelerators (unfortunately, Apple Silicon doesn't support external GPUs).
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
In use: The best MacBook Pros yet
I didn't really expect much from the new MacBook Pros, especially since the previous M3 models were already very impressive. But, once again, Apple managed to surprise me with its mobile hardware. The M4 chip, which was in our 14-inch review unit, was a solid performer. But the M4 Pro in our 16-inch MacBook Pro was an astonishing leap ahead of its predecessor, and it's also faster than every other computer we've tested this year (aside from the new Mac mini, which also had a M4 Pro chip).
Unfortunately, we didn't have an M4 Max-equipped MacBook Pro to test, but given that it's filled with more M4 CPU and GPU cores, I'd expect another major performance jump.
Computer
Geekbench 6
Geekbench 6 GPU
Cinebench 2024
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4, 2024)
3,797/14,571
37,869
172/979 GPU: 3770
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro, 2024)
3,925/22,456
70,197
178/1,689 GPU 9,295
Surface Laptop 7 (Snapdragon X Elite)
2,797/14,400
19,963
123/969 GPU N/A
Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (M3 Max, 2024)
3,202/21,312
92,344
143/1,686 GPU 13,182
In Geekbench 6's CPU benchmark, the 14-inch M4 MacBook Pro scored 1,000 to 1,500 points higher than other recent laptops when it came to single-threaded work. Its multi-threaded performance lead was more slim, but it still beat out Intel's new Lunar Lake chips and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite. The M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro scored similarly for single-threaded work, but it blew the competition by 9,000 to 12,500 points. That performance gap alone is equivalent to the multi-threaded Geekbench 6 scores from other laptops this year! (It’s also slightly faster than last year’s M3 Max chip in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, another major achievement.)
Cinebench 2024 scores tell a similar story. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro scored well above the competition in the single-threaded test. The M4 system was on-par with the best multi-threaded scores we saw from the Surface Laptop 7 (powered by a Snapdragon X Elite chip) and HP Omnibook Ultra 14 (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375). But the M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro, once again, handily outclassed other systems with its multithreaded score, which was nearly double what we've been seeing throughout the year.
Cinebench's GPU benchmark puts the M4 Pro's graphics performance in line with NVIDIA's RTX 4070 in Dell's XPS 16, while the M4 chip is in line with the Framework Laptop 16's Radeon 7700S. That's all about what I expected after testing the Mac mini with an M4 Pro chip, and it's simply astonishing to see that level of performance from a mobile-focused GPU.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
When it comes to games, the M4 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro was able to maintain 60fps in Lies of P, Resident Evil 4 and Myst while playing in 1,440p with the graphics settings cranked to the max. 4K was possible, but typically slowed things down to around 30fps, which isn't very playable on a computer. The M4 14-inch MacBook Pro, meanwhile, handled those same games in 1080p at 60fps. We typically wouldn't recommend gaming much on Macs, but Apple's graphics hardware is hard to ignore at this point, and the company is also working to get more high profile titles in the App Store, like Remedy's Control.
To put Apple's Neural Engine to the test, I also used the Whisper Transcription app (AKA MacWhisper) to turn an hour and nine-minute long podcast episode into a transcript. The M4 14-inch MacBook Pro took three minutes and two seconds, while the M4 Pro 16-inch model took two minutes and 11 seconds (similar to what I saw on the M4 Mac mini). In comparison, an M3 14-inch MacBook Pro took three minutes and thirty-seven seconds.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
While the speed upgrades are more than welcome, in my testing I noticed that both of the MacBook Pros' screens were easier to see in bright sunlight. That alone isn't enough to upgrade for if you've already got an M2 or M3 MacBook Pro, but it's definitely something to look forward to. And even though Apple's keyboard and enormous trackpad haven't changed, they're still among the best in the industry. I also still appreciate having a wide variety of ports on these systems: three USB-C connections (Thunderbolt 4 with the M4, Thunderbolt 5 with the M4 Pro), an HDMI port, a headphone jack, a MagSafe power connector and an SD card reader.
Both MacBook Pros also continue to deliver excellent battery life. The 14-inch lasted for 34 hours and 15 minutes while looping an HD video, whereas the 16-inch went for 30 hours and 16 minutes. That's the first time we've seen our video rundown test go beyond 30 hours. In real-world usage, I could typically use both machines for general productivity work for two days without needing a recharge. That's the benefit of relying on power-sipping mobile hardware.
Devindra Hardawar for Engadget
Should you buy the new M4 MacBook Pros?
There's no doubt these new MacBook Pros are compelling, especially if you need the raw power of the M4 Pro (or conceivably, the M4 Max). If you're running an M1 MacBook Pro, or still trucking along with an Intel model, you'll definitely see some notable performance gains from these machines. But if you've got an M2 or M3 MacBook Pro, the M4 hardware is less of a qualitative leap. You're probably better off waiting for the eventual OLED refresh, which is rumored to happen in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-14-inch-and-16-inch-review-2024-brace-yourself-for-m4-speed-140057584.html?src=rss