A highly suspect report suggests that a 2.13-inch micro LED [Apple Watch Ultra](https://appleinsider.com/inside/apple-watch-ultra "Apple Watch Ultra"), bigger so-called Apple Watch Series X, and Apple Watch SE 3 with Series 8 design will launch in 2024.

There has been a lot of back and forth about the future of [Apple Watch](https://appleinsider.com/inside/apple-watch "Apple Watch") and Apple's implementation of micro LED. Some [less reliable reports](https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/01/03/next-gen-apple-watch-ultra-to-get-micro-led-display) suggested 2024 while a [stronger rumor](https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/02/07/micro-led-supplier-says-2025-for-apple-watch-ultra-display-update) aimed at 2025.

Baffling Apple Watch rumor expects expensive new lineup in 2024

Synopsys' DSO.ai automation tool has hit 100 commercial tape-outs, optimizing layouts for new chips and freeing up human engineers to innovate.

AI Chip-Layout Tool Has Helped Design Over 100 Chips

Back in October of 2021, Ken Pilonel made headlines by replacing the Lighting port on an iPhone X with a USB-C connector. Now the engineer has now stepped up to an even more complex mod by adding a functional USB-C port to a pair of first-gen AirPods Pro. The process involved developing and printing a new circuit board with the USB-C connector and 3D printing a new AirPods case to fit the custom PCB. The project involved plenty instances of trial and error, a whole new circuit board design and 3D printing. The necessary schematics are posted on GitHub so people with the right...

AirPods Pro get USB-C port in complex new mod

5G has been around for quite a while now, though it's not entirely commonplace yet. Wearable and IoT devices still pretty much only support 4G LTE, which has left them a bit behind the rest of the industry. That's set to change though, with the Qualcomm X35 modem being aimed at providing 5G support to smaller devices. This technology is called 5G NR-Light, or reduced capability, with Qualcomm saying that downlink speeds will top out at around 220Mbps and uplink of around 100Mbps.

Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon X35 modem for 5G wearable and IoT devices

Apple has expanded the internal testing for its Pay service's [buy now, pay later feature](https://www.engadget.com/apple-pay-later-announced-172757123.html) to include its retail employees, according to [_Bloomberg_](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-08/apple-expands-test-of-its-pay-later-service-to-retail-staff?sref=10lNAhZ9). When the tech giant's experimental features make their way to its retail staff, that's typically a sign that it's going to be released in the near future. Apple Store workers started testing the [company's credit card](https://www.engadget.com/2019-07-26-apple-credit-card-august-launch.html) in 2019 a month before it became available, and staff at its HQ visitor center tested Tap to Pay shortly before the first partner companies like [Square](https://www.engadget.com/square-tap-to-pay-iphone-public-launch-115532796.html) and [PayPal](https://www.engadget.com/paypal-venmo-support-tap-to-pay-iphone-092025702.html) launched support for the payment solution. 

The tech giant first announced the pay later functionality for Apple Pay at its WWDC event in June 2022. It was supposed to arrive alongside iOS 16, but the company changed its mind and rolled out the new mobile platform without the feature in tow. _Bloomberg's_ Mark Gurman [reported at the time](https://www.engadget.com/apple-pay-later-delayed-report-154805741.html) that the company was having "fairly significant technical and engineering challenges in rolling out the service," which led to delays. 

When Apple introduced pay later, it said the payment option will give users a way to split the cost of purchases into four equal installments paid over six weeks with no additional interest or fees. Gurman now says that the company is also working with Goldman Sachs Group to offer an option that splits up the cost of large purchases into several months with interest on top. Seeing as the company even [established its own subsidiary](https://www.engadget.com/apple-financing-subsidiary-223140051.html) to conduct customer credit checks and approvals, it's not hard to believe that it has plans to introduce more pay later options in the future. 

![A photo render showing how Apple's buy now, pay later feature works.](https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-02/c5f133b0-a773-11ed-abbf-15fae744d2be)

Apple's retail staff is reportedly testing its 'buy now, pay later' service

Build your dream workspace with Autonomous.ai

Autonomous.ai

We're only a few months away from NVIDIA launching its more mainstream GeForce RTX 40 Series offerings, with the RTX 4070 set to debut sometime in April.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 expected to launch in April, with RTX 4060 to follow

Canon is adding a new, more affordable entry point into its RF mirrorless camera ecosystem. Alongside the full-frame EOS R8, the company unveiled today the EOS R50, an APS-C RF mount camera that will start at $680 when it goes on sale later this year. Canon didn’t send over a full spec sheet, but judging from the information the company did share, the R50 could quickly become a go-to for many beginners.

The camera features a 24.2-megapixel sensor capable of capturing uncropped 4K video footage at up to 30 frames per second. The R50 can also shoot 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second and S&Q-style slo-mo footage at up to 120 frames per second. What’s more, Canon claims the camera can capture a full hour of continuous footage. Despite its modest price, the R50 also includes the company's excellent Dual Pixel autofocus technology, with built-in subject detection for people, animals and vehicles. Best of all, the tech is available for both stills and video.

![Canon's $680 EOS R50 is its most affordable RF camera yet](https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-02/a3eb1160-a74f-11ed-b9df-90825b68cdc7)

Canon

You don't get any log modes, but it does have HDR PQ which also gives you 10-bit video — not bad for a budget camera. Other video features include a microHDMI port for external video, both microphone and headphone ports, and UVC compatibility for direct webcam streaming. 

Burst shooting speeds are great at this price as well: 12 fps in electronic first-curtain shutter mode (there's no full mechanical shutter) and 15 fps in electronic shutter mode, both with servo AF. It'll only capture 13 C-RAW+JPEG files in a burst though, likely due to the slow UHS-I SD card support. There's no in-body stabilization (IS) at that price, but it can use the IS built into lenses or digital stabilization (with a crop) for vlogging. It also has an OLED viewfinder, which many cameras in this price range don't, though resolution is fairly low at 2.36 million dots. 

![Top render of Canon's EOS R50, showing the PSAM dial, record button and ISO dial.](https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-02/330c2c90-a70e-11ed-bbef-e49610e81a6e)

Canon

At the same time, Canon is expanding its RF lens lineup to add new crop sensor glass. The RF-S55-210mm is a compact telephoto lens with a full-frame equivalent field of view between 88mm and 336mm. It features a variable f/5 to f/7.1 aperture, four-and-a-half stops of built-in optical stabilization and close-focusing capabilities. The RF-S55-210mm IS STM isn’t the fastest option in Canon’s RF lens stable, but it does add some much-needed choice on the APS-C side of things.

At $680 for body-only, the R50 slots under the [EOS R10](https://www.engadget.com/canon-eos-r-7-and-eos-r-10-rf-mount-crop-sensor-cameras-090900429.html), which was previously Canon’s most affordable RF mirrorless camera. Effectively, the R50 is a more capable version of the [EOS M50 Mark II](https://www.engadget.com/canons-eos-m-50-mark-ii-mirrorless-camera-is-aimed-at-creators-093954801.html) that’s less than $100 more expensive and doesn’t limit you to Canon’s dead-end EF-M mount system. It’s also competitive against Sony’s [ZV-E10](https://www.engadget.com/sony-expands-its-vlogging-lineup-with-the-zv-e-10-mirrorless-camera-142731045.html) and [Nikon’s Z30](https://www.engadget.com/nikons-lightweight-z-30-mirrorless-aps-c-camera-targets-content-creators-093725302.html), which cost about the same but don’t offer an electronic viewfinder. The EOS R50 will arrive later this year. In addition to selling the body on its own, Canon will bundle the camera as part of a Content Creator Kit that will ship with a microphone, 18-45mm kit lens and grip for $800.

Canon's $680 EOS R50 is its most affordable RF camera yet



Something seems to be wrong with Samsung’s 980 and 990 Pro SSDs. Owners of the highly regarded M.2 solid-state drives are reporting rapid degradation, with some users sending their 990 Pros back to Samsung. And for the older 980 Pro, Samsung is reportedly recommending owners to update to the latest firmware ([via _PC Gamer_](https://www.pcgamer.com/an-error-in-samsungs-980-pro-firmware-is-causing-ssds-to-die-id-check-your-drive-right-now-tbh/)).

The issue was first reported by _Neowin_ writer Robbie Khan, whose new, [recently released](https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/24/23319258/samsung-990-pro-ssd-speeds-heatsink-ps5) 990 Pro 2TB module [dropped to 94 percent health status](https://www.neowin.net/news/samsung-refusing-to-acknowledge-and-replace-990-pro-ssd-rapid-health-drops/) at just over 4TB of written data. Prior to the article, Khan posted the findings on Reddit, which was met with [owners voicing similar issues](https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/102ampe/samsung_990_pro_2tb_lost_2_health_in_the_space_of/).

Samsung has acknowledged an issue but says so far it hasn’t received widespread complaints. “We are aware of limited reports concerning...



Users say Samsung’s latest Pro SSDs have health problems

Aside from the OnePlus 11, the company has also launched OnePlus Pad, a flagship Android tablet with everything that you could want in a tablet and more. The most exciting thing s that this is not going to be a one-off thing because, based on the information provided by the company, tablets are here to stay

OnePlus Pad looks like an amazing Android tablet with a powerful set of specs, made for both entertainment and productivity
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With that said, the OnePlus Pad offers everything that you would want from a flagship tablet, including a design language called "Star Orbit," as you would expect, the high-end tablet is made out of machined aluminum and is made for people who want something for work or entertainment, allowing for a great experience overall.

Powering the OnePlus Pad is a MediaTek Dimensity 9,000 chipset, and on the front, you will find an 11.6-inch display with Dolby Vision HDR and 144Hz refresh rate. Moving further, users will also be able to get their hands on a full keyboard and touchpad that attaches via magnets. The tablet also supports a stylus called OnePlus Stylo.

Under the hood, the OnePlus Pad has a massive 9,510 mAh battery, and according to the company, you can get up to 14.5 hours of video playback. While, the battery size might seem massive at first. You can top up the battery using a 67-watt SUPERVOOC charging. The most interesting thing about charging is that the company claims that this tablet has a 1-month standby time, which is surprising, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that works.

Sadly, at the time of writing, we have no word on how much the OnePlus Pad is going to cost. We know it will be available in a single Abyss Green color. The company has also talked about how the preorders are going to start in April in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and India. We will keep you posted as we hear more about the new tablet.

OnePlus Pad Goes Official with Dimensity 9000 SoC, 12GB RAM, Massive Battery and More

The OnePlus 11 and the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 started their global journey today. The pair was unveiled in China back on January 4, so there are no surprises when it comes to their hardware, but let's do them over, just in case. The OnePlus 11 is the company's full-on flagship, now that the Pro monicker has been dropped. It features a 6.7-inch 1440x3216px Fluid AMOLED LTPO3 display with with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 1300 nits. There's a 16MP selfie camera on the front. On the back, the OnePlus 11 has a 50MP f/1.8 24mm main camera (IMX890 - 1/1.56"), a 32MP...

The OnePlus 11 and Buds Pro 2 are now globally available

Only adults 18 and older can sign up for Meta's Horizon Worlds at the moment, but according to [_The Wall Street Journal_](https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=2f007401-3eaa-4237-b69b-54ccbe125502&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=The+Wall+Street+Journal&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsInN0b3JlSWQiOiIyZjAwNzQwMS0zZWFhLTQyMzctYjY5Yi01NGNjYmUxMjU1MDIiLCJsYW5kaW5nVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud3NqLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlcy9tZXRhLXRvLXJldmFtcC1ob3Jpem9uLW1ldGF2ZXJzZS1hcHAtcGxhbnMtdG8tb3Blbi1mb3ItdGVlbi11c2UtYXMtc29vbi1hcy1tYXJjaC0xMTY3NTc0OTIyMyIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZWM5NzQzYzItMzI2Yi00YzM2LWI4YTUtMWRhNzRjOGFiNWVjIn0&signature=AQAAAUMKg9u9I1iKxhqiGNin-RSjqMj-WckGeYh2lFu72H-f&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fmeta-to-revamp-horizon-metaverse-app-plans-to-open-for-teen-use-as-soon-as-march-11675749223), that could change very, very soon. Meta is reportedly opening up its virtual reality social experience to younger players aged 13 to 17 as soon as this March as part of its efforts to grow Horizon's numbers and improve user retention. _The Journal_ says it saw the information in a memo entitled "Horizon 2023 Goals and Strategy" in which Gabriel Aul, Meta's VP for the VR experience, outlined its goals for the first half of 2023. 

In the memo, Aul reportedly wrote that these younger users are the "true digital citizens of the metaverse" and that Meta needs to ensure that it serves them for Horizon to succeed. Meta spokesperson Joe Osborne told the publication that "\[t\]eens are already spending time in a variety of VR experiences on Quest, and \[the company wants\] to ensure that \[it\] can provide them with a great experience in Horizon Worlds as well, with age-appropriate tools and protections in place." 

Osborn didn't say what the experience will offer in the way of protecting young users. In 2021, _The Journal_ reported that the company's own researchers [found Instagram](https://www.engadget.com/facebook-research-instagram-teen-mental-health-slides-003452675.html) "harmful for a sizable percentage" of teens, particularly teenage girls. Meta paused its work on an Instagram for Kids as a result, and it has also launched a bunch of [teen safety features](https://www.engadget.com/instagram-launches-take-a-break-features-for-teens-080049775.html) for the app since then. It also [automatically limited](https://www.engadget.com/instagram-will-limit-sensitive-content-for-new-teen-users-by-default-185029119.html) triggering or sensitive content for new users under 16. 

In addition to welcoming younger teens to Horizon, Meta is aiming to grow the game's monthly active users to 500,000 from 200,000 within the first half of the year. Perhaps more importantly at this point in time, it's targeting a retention rate of 20 percent. Apparently, Horizon had an 11 percent retention rate in January, which means only one in nine users returned to the experience the following month. Meta is hoping to achieve those goals by improving the service's reliability and performance and getting rid of bugs that may affect people's enjoyment. 

The company is aiming to release 20 new Horizon experiences built by third-party studios in an effort to win more people over, as well. Plus, it's apparently hoping to make the VR game a lot more accessible by rolling out a web version for mobile and desktopf by June. Meta [teased the web version](https://www.engadget.com/meta-horizon-worlds-web-version-194644865.html) of the experience in the past, but the company missed its initial launch target last year. This year, the company is not only hoping to launch Horizon's web version within the next few months, it's also looking to have as many as 150,000 monthly cross-screen Horizon users in the first half of 2023.

Meta reportedly plans to open Horizon Worlds to younger teens as soon as March

The lack of chip engineers stationed at Apple meant that the company’s latest A16 Bionic would not deliver that massive performance gap when compared to the A15 Bionic while also [losing out on some features like ray tracing](https://wccftech.com/a16-bionic-gpu-could-have-had-ray-tracing-support/). In fact, if the same performance gap exists with the A17 Bionic, there is a possibility that the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ends up beating it, according to the latest alleged performance results.

> New information also claims that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 exhibits 20 percent improved power efficiency compared to the ‘previous generation’

On the Korean website DCinside, a user by the name of ‘USA’ has shared scores of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, showing that the SoC tested on an engineering sample beats the A16 Bionic in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core results with scores of 1,930 and 6,236, respectively. Those are some impressive numbers, and assuming that commercial smartphones deliver the same result, it may end up beating Apple as the performance leader in mobile chipsets.

When we checked on Geekbench 5’s leaderboards, the [highest score](https://browser.geekbench.com/ios_devices/iphone-14-pro) obtained by the A16 Bionic in both single-core and multi-core was 1,874 and 5,384, respectively, so what the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has achieved, at least right now, is truly phenomenal. Additional information claims that Qualcomm’s upcoming flagship chipset is also 20 percent more energy-efficient than the [Snapdragon 8 Gen 2](https://wccftech.com/qualcomm-snapdragon-8-gen-2-goes-official/), but we did not get any power consumption or temperature details.

[![Snapdragon 8 Gen 3](https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Snapdragon-8-Gen-3-performance-results.jpg)](https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Snapdragon-8-Gen-3-performance-results.jpg)

These are what appear to be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s single-core and multi-core test results of Geekbench 5

These improvements suggest that Qualcomm may have sampled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on TSMC’s 3nm process, but it is not confirmed if mass production will happen on the same technology. Qualcomm was earlier said to be unsure if it wants to use TSMC’s 3nm node due to [rising wafer prices](https://wccftech.com/qualcomm-mass-producing-snapdragon-8-gen-3-on-3nm-process-uncertainty/), but assuming Samsung’s own 3nm GAA process fails to deliver promising results, the San Diego firm will have little choice in the matter.

The A17 Bionic launching later this year might [prioritize battery life over performance](https://wccftech.com/apple-a17-bionic-battery-savings-focus/), so there is a high chance that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ends up taking the crown from Apple’s A-series lineup, but as we have said before, treat this leak with a pinch of salt. There is no telling what other roadblocks Qualcomm could face when additional tests are done, but as far as a first impression goes, we are pleased to see some competition in this space.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Allegedly Tested On Engineering Unit Shows Single-Core, Multi-Core Performance That Outclasses A16 Bionic

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S23 series last week. Storage capacities vary from 128GB to 1TB, but Ars Technica reports that 60GB is used for the system partition straight out of the box. That's a hefty chunk, especially for those who purchase the handset with the least amount of storage. 

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Android OS consumes 60GB of storage

The Switch just leaped over both the Game Boy and PlayStation 4 to become the third best-selling console of all time. The console has sold 122.55 million units overall as of the end of 2022, Nintendo announced in its [earnings report](https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2023/230207_4e.pdf), so it's is now behind only the DS and PlayStation 2 in lifetime sales. 

That's the only silver lining in a darker cloud, though. Switch unit sales for the nine-month period ending December 31st dropped to 14.91 million from 18.95 million the year before, and revenue declined 5.6 percent for the fiscal year ending in March. Game sales also fell by 4 percent over the same period, with the new _Pokemon Scarlet/Violet_ titles unable to offset the decline. As a result, the company has lowered its fiscal year forecast from 19 million to 18 million units with 5 million fewer games — continuing a downward [trend](https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-lowers-its-switch-sales-forecasts-but-believes-everything-will-be-alright-093502498.html) from [last year](https://www.engadget.com/nintendos-switch-and-game-sales-dropped-significantly-last-quarter-103810604.html).

Nintendo attributed the decline to the ongoing semiconductor shortage, with the lack of consoles affecting software sales too. However, Sony set a new sales record for PS5s last quarter with [7.1 million sold](https://www.engadget.com/sonys-blockbuster-ps5-holiday-sales-show-its-supply-issues-appear-to-be-over-082455028.html), up 82 percent year-over year. 

Nintendo's issues likely boil down to its aging hardware, as well. Buyers are going for the latest OLED model, with the older Switch and Switch Lite models seeing a decline. The Switch is now relatively underpowered compared to the latest Xbox Series and PS5 consoles, and Sony and Microsoft are also pouring money into games and subscriptions. 

Nintendo said last year that the transition to its next console is "[a major focus for us](https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-says-the-transition-to-its-next-console-is-a-major-concern-for-us/)," and it could start becoming more urgent soon. It'll be interesting to see if the Switch can hang around long enough to become the best selling console of all time, but Nintendo will have to sell around 33 million more units to surpass the PlayStation 2.

The Switch has outsold the PS4, but Nintendo sees tougher times ahead

The all-new R Series is the latest range to benefit from KEF's latest speaker technologies.

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