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You’re not getting enough for the $750.

This is meant to be the best Polar’s got, but it has no business being this expensive. Polar makes good multisport watches. They’re just not particularly smart. That wasn’t always a problem because there used to be a clear line. Athletes went for Garmins and Polars. Casual users went for an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Samsung smartwatch. Things are less clear now. There are more casual, stylish Garmins, while Apple and Samsung have their own smart multisport watches — and that leaves the $749.95 Polar Grit X2 Pro stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Grit X2 Pro is meant to be a premium outdoors watch. It improves on the previous Grit X Pro with upgraded sensors (e.g., heart rate, skin temperature, etc), a bigger display, dual-frequency GPS, EKGs (no atrial fibrillation detection, just more accurate heart rate data), offline maps, and USB-C. These kinds of updates are generally good. The problem is everyone else has made much bigger strides in the past two to three years. The Grit X2 Pro feels a bit frozen in time.

My black Grit X2 Pro looks nice, but it doesn’t particularly stand out compared to the competition.

As far as fitness tracking, this is a capable watch with oodles of battery life. (I got about eight to 10 days on a single charge.) But for $750, there’s a lot you can’t do on this watch. For instance, you get notifications and alarms, but that’s about it. If I want to leave my phone and play my music via the watch, I can’t. Offline playlists aren’t a thing; the most you can do is use your Grit X2 Pro as a media controller. Say I want to pay for a Gatorade after a long run at my local 7-Eleven. Nope, no contactless payments. If I want to make a phone call, use a voice assistant, or feel assured that someone will be notified if I take a hard fall, that’s not happening.
Five years ago, this wouldn’t have been an issue. But in 2024, I can pay $800 for a Garmin Fenix 7S Pro Solar — a fancier-than-standard model — to get pretty much everything the Grit X2 Pro has plus solar charging, offline playlists from Spotify and YouTube Music, Garmin Pay, safety features (though these require your phone), and EKG tracking that does have AFib detection.

An $800 Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets me a much better third-party app ecosystem, LTE connectivity, car crash and fall detection, music streaming, EKGs, and much better integration with my smartphone. When it arrives this fall, watchOS 11 will bring a training load feature, which, while not as robust as what Polar or Garmin offer, gets the job done in a digestible way. Samsung is rumored to be launching a Galaxy Watch Ultra this month — and I’d bet good money it’ll offer a similar experience for Android users. The point is, if you’re going to spend on a premium fitness smartwatch, you have many alternatives that deliver more bang for your buck.
You could argue that Polar isn’t trying to fix what ain’t broke. It made its name with in-depth fitness metrics, great GPS, and long battery life — much like Garmin. So long as it does those things well, who cares? It’s a fair point. If those are the only criteria that matter to you, I have few complaints about the Grit X2 Pro other than it’s expensive and a bit chonky for my liking. In testing, GPS and heart rate accuracy were on par with my Apple Watch Ultra 2, a few Garmins, and a bunch of other Android smartwatches. Sleep tracking and recovery metrics were roughly on par with my Oura Ring. The most novel metric was Sleep Boost, which predicts the times of day you’ll be most alert. (In practice, I find it hard to trust as it’s very hit or miss.)

There’s more sensors now.

There’s preloaded maps offline maps and the usual Polar mapping tools like backtrack and turn-by-turn navigation.

Whatever statement Polar’s trying to make with the Grit X2 Pro, it’s window dressing. You can slap on a more premium design and upgrade a few sensors, but Grit X2 Pro doesn’t meaningfully improve the things that’ve always been annoying about Polar watches. The Polar Flow app still feels horribly cluttered and stuck in 2016. Easily digestible it is not. On the wrist, Polar’s interface is still clunky with finicky swipes and one-too-many button presses to get what you want. This is a matter of taste, but the Grit X2 Pro’s watchfaces are mid at best, don’t make the best use of the OLED display, and don’t convey the elegance warranted from this price tag.

Given what else is out there, I feel only Polar diehards would seriously consider a Grit X2 Pro. And even then, I’d opt for the $599.95 Vantage V3. It gets you about 95 percent of what the Grit X2 Pro offers, but trades the heavier-duty materials and luxe look for a lighter, more wearable design. Frankly, I think that’s something most athletes — Polar’s target audience here — would prefer.
Unfortunately, the Grit X2 Pro’s disparate parts don’t add up to the premium watch that I think Polar was hoping for. For that, it had to be smarter or add something Polar was previously lacking. As it is, this is a competent watch. But for $750, competent just isn’t good enough.

You’re not getting enough for the $750.

This is meant to be the best Polar’s got, but it has no business being this expensive.

Polar makes good multisport watches. They’re just not particularly smart. That wasn’t always a problem because there used to be a clear line. Athletes went for Garmins and Polars. Casual users went for an Apple Watch, Fitbit, or Samsung smartwatch. Things are less clear now. There are more casual, stylish Garmins, while Apple and Samsung have their own smart multisport watches — and that leaves the $749.95 Polar Grit X2 Pro stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The Grit X2 Pro is meant to be a premium outdoors watch. It improves on the previous Grit X Pro with upgraded sensors (e.g., heart rate, skin temperature, etc), a bigger display, dual-frequency GPS, EKGs (no atrial fibrillation detection, just more accurate heart rate data), offline maps, and USB-C. These kinds of updates are generally good. The problem is everyone else has made much bigger strides in the past two to three years. The Grit X2 Pro feels a bit frozen in time.

My black Grit X2 Pro looks nice, but it doesn’t particularly stand out compared to the competition.

As far as fitness tracking, this is a capable watch with oodles of battery life. (I got about eight to 10 days on a single charge.) But for $750, there’s a lot you can’t do on this watch. For instance, you get notifications and alarms, but that’s about it. If I want to leave my phone and play my music via the watch, I can’t. Offline playlists aren’t a thing; the most you can do is use your Grit X2 Pro as a media controller. Say I want to pay for a Gatorade after a long run at my local 7-Eleven. Nope, no contactless payments. If I want to make a phone call, use a voice assistant, or feel assured that someone will be notified if I take a hard fall, that’s not happening.

Five years ago, this wouldn’t have been an issue. But in 2024, I can pay $800 for a Garmin Fenix 7S Pro Solar — a fancier-than-standard model — to get pretty much everything the Grit X2 Pro has plus solar charging, offline playlists from Spotify and YouTube Music, Garmin Pay, safety features (though these require your phone), and EKG tracking that does have AFib detection.

An $800 Apple Watch Ultra 2 gets me a much better third-party app ecosystem, LTE connectivity, car crash and fall detection, music streaming, EKGs, and much better integration with my smartphone. When it arrives this fall, watchOS 11 will bring a training load feature, which, while not as robust as what Polar or Garmin offer, gets the job done in a digestible way. Samsung is rumored to be launching a Galaxy Watch Ultra this month — and I’d bet good money it’ll offer a similar experience for Android users. The point is, if you’re going to spend on a premium fitness smartwatch, you have many alternatives that deliver more bang for your buck.

You could argue that Polar isn’t trying to fix what ain’t broke. It made its name with in-depth fitness metrics, great GPS, and long battery life — much like Garmin. So long as it does those things well, who cares? It’s a fair point. If those are the only criteria that matter to you, I have few complaints about the Grit X2 Pro other than it’s expensive and a bit chonky for my liking. In testing, GPS and heart rate accuracy were on par with my Apple Watch Ultra 2, a few Garmins, and a bunch of other Android smartwatches. Sleep tracking and recovery metrics were roughly on par with my Oura Ring. The most novel metric was Sleep Boost, which predicts the times of day you’ll be most alert. (In practice, I find it hard to trust as it’s very hit or miss.)

Whatever statement Polar’s trying to make with the Grit X2 Pro, it’s window dressing. You can slap on a more premium design and upgrade a few sensors, but Grit X2 Pro doesn’t meaningfully improve the things that’ve always been annoying about Polar watches. The Polar Flow app still feels horribly cluttered and stuck in 2016. Easily digestible it is not. On the wrist, Polar’s interface is still clunky with finicky swipes and one-too-many button presses to get what you want. This is a matter of taste, but the Grit X2 Pro’s watchfaces are mid at best, don’t make the best use of the OLED display, and don’t convey the elegance warranted from this price tag.

Given what else is out there, I feel only Polar diehards would seriously consider a Grit X2 Pro. And even then, I’d opt for the $599.95 Vantage V3. It gets you about 95 percent of what the Grit X2 Pro offers, but trades the heavier-duty materials and luxe look for a lighter, more wearable design. Frankly, I think that’s something most athletes — Polar’s target audience here — would prefer.

Unfortunately, the Grit X2 Pro’s disparate parts don’t add up to the premium watch that I think Polar was hoping for. For that, it had to be smarter or add something Polar was previously lacking. As it is, this is a competent watch. But for $750, competent just isn’t good enough.

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It should be less of a farce to unlock the next generation of Google Pixel phones. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 lineup will reportedly feature a faster, more reliable ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, according to Android Authority. It would replace the optical under-display fingerprint sensor that Google introduced on the Pixel 6 with the newer technology that’s capable of reading even wet or oily fingerprints.
The switch could also address some of the widespread issues that users have experienced when trying to unlock their Pixel devices, with some people saying that light levels and finger dryness can impact the reliability of the previous optical reader. Optical scanners are the oldest method of reading fingerprints. They work by flashing light against the user’s finger and then visually detecting patterns and ridges on the surface — meaning any changes like dirt or blemishes can interfere with the process.

By contrast, ultrasonic sensors read fingerprints with greater accuracy by bouncing ultrasonic pulses off of them, which also spares users from being blinded if they need to unlock their phones at night. According to the reliable leaker Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel 9 will use Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Gen 2 (QFS4008), the same model found on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Android Authority says the new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner will be available on all Pixel 9 models except the upcoming Fold 2, which is expected to retain its current power button-based fingerprint sensor. We’ll likely find out more during Google’s Pixel 9 hardware event on August 13th.

It should be less of a farce to unlock the next generation of Google Pixel phones. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Google’s upcoming Pixel 9 lineup will reportedly feature a faster, more reliable ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, according to Android Authority. It would replace the optical under-display fingerprint sensor that Google introduced on the Pixel 6 with the newer technology that’s capable of reading even wet or oily fingerprints.

The switch could also address some of the widespread issues that users have experienced when trying to unlock their Pixel devices, with some people saying that light levels and finger dryness can impact the reliability of the previous optical reader. Optical scanners are the oldest method of reading fingerprints. They work by flashing light against the user’s finger and then visually detecting patterns and ridges on the surface — meaning any changes like dirt or blemishes can interfere with the process.

By contrast, ultrasonic sensors read fingerprints with greater accuracy by bouncing ultrasonic pulses off of them, which also spares users from being blinded if they need to unlock their phones at night. According to the reliable leaker Kamila Wojciechowska, the Pixel 9 will use Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Gen 2 (QFS4008), the same model found on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Android Authority says the new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner will be available on all Pixel 9 models except the upcoming Fold 2, which is expected to retain its current power button-based fingerprint sensor. We’ll likely find out more during Google’s Pixel 9 hardware event on August 13th.

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Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge

An ongoing outage is preventing Amazon Kindle users from downloading both new and previously purchased books to their e-readers. According to moderators responding to users reporting the issue on Amazon’s support forums, the company is aware of the issue and is “currently working to resolve it.” Attempting other troubleshooting steps, like resetting the device, has not fixed the problems, so users may need to wait this one out for now.
Good e-Reader reported the problem on Wednesday, noting a response from Amazon support saying it’s the result of “server issues” and that “it would be at least 48 hours before ebooks started downloading again, but it could be longer.”
The Verge has contacted Amazon for details, and we will update this post if we find out any additional details.
Users on Reddit are sharing similar issues with their Kindles, and on Amazon’s support forums, there are several reports that Kindles are only able to download the title and cover art of books before the progress indicator gets stuck at 1 percent. The outage also seems to be affecting books users are trying to download from Overdrive to their Kindle devices using Libby. However, downloading books to the iOS and Android Amazon Kindle apps is not affected.
This latest issue comes a week after several Kindle users on Reddit reported a problem with Amazon’s “Send to Kindle” feature, which allows ebooks and documents to be sideloaded onto the e-readers without having to plug them into a computer. Some users received error messages telling them their files “could not be delivered due to a service error,” while other users in the thread were still seeing problems with the service earlier this week.

Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge

An ongoing outage is preventing Amazon Kindle users from downloading both new and previously purchased books to their e-readers. According to moderators responding to users reporting the issue on Amazon’s support forums, the company is aware of the issue and is “currently working to resolve it.” Attempting other troubleshooting steps, like resetting the device, has not fixed the problems, so users may need to wait this one out for now.

Good e-Reader reported the problem on Wednesday, noting a response from Amazon support saying it’s the result of “server issues” and that “it would be at least 48 hours before ebooks started downloading again, but it could be longer.”

The Verge has contacted Amazon for details, and we will update this post if we find out any additional details.

Users on Reddit are sharing similar issues with their Kindles, and on Amazon’s support forums, there are several reports that Kindles are only able to download the title and cover art of books before the progress indicator gets stuck at 1 percent. The outage also seems to be affecting books users are trying to download from Overdrive to their Kindle devices using Libby. However, downloading books to the iOS and Android Amazon Kindle apps is not affected.

This latest issue comes a week after several Kindle users on Reddit reported a problem with Amazon’s “Send to Kindle” feature, which allows ebooks and documents to be sideloaded onto the e-readers without having to plug them into a computer. Some users received error messages telling them their files “could not be delivered due to a service error,” while other users in the thread were still seeing problems with the service earlier this week.

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Just don’t expect it to rival an iPad in terms of functionality. | Image: Amazon

Let’s face it: Apple’s slates seem to get all the attention when talking tablets (and understandably so). However, you don’t necessarily need to spend $1,000 on an iPad Pro or even $350 on an entry-level model if all you need is a cheap entertainment device for watching The Boys, reading, or burning through your latest audiobook. Amazon’s latest Fire HD 10 tablet will get the job done for a lot less — especially since it’s currently on sale for Amazon Prime subscribers for an all-time low of $74.99 ($65 off) in its ad-supported base configuration.

The 2023 Fire HD 10 isn’t going to blow you away with an OLED display or a laundry list of premium features, though it is a step up from some of Amazon’s low-end models. The inexpensive tablet features a modest octa-core processor, support for up to 1TB of microSD card storage, and 3GB of RAM, the latter of which should allow for plenty of tabs and some light multitasking should you need it. On the outside, you’ll find 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 display that’s surprisingly sharp for the price (so long as you’re not in direct sunlight), as well as a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio. The Alexa-enabled device is also compatible with Amazon’s detachable keyboard case ($49.99) and stylus ($34.99), though I’d argue neither of which is going to turn the budget tablet into a productivity machine.
Like all Fire tablets, the biggest drawback of the Fire HD 10 is that it requires you to spend an additional $15 to remove the lock screen ads and chains you to Amazon’s own Appstore — which is seriously lacking when compared to the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. But, again, if all you want is to stream Prime Video content or read, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more capable tablet for the price.

A few more ways to save today

The Nothing Ear (a) are down to an all-time low of $94 ($15 off) at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon. Nothing’s latest pair of wireless earbuds offer a lot for the price — including multipoint connectivity, Fast Pair (for Android), and ChatGPT integration — and can go toe to toe sound-wise with entry-level models from Apple, Samsung, and others. Plus, they sport a slick, see-through design as well as a new yellow shade that’s far more playful than anything from Apple. Read our hands-on impressions.
If you’re in need of a simple mounting solution for your car, the iOttie iTap 2 is on sale at Amazon for $19.11 (about $6 off), which nearly matches its second-best price to date. The sleek, adjustable magnetic mount comes with a metal plate that lets you securely affix a variety of phones to your air vent, allowing you to view notifications, directions, and other info at a glance.
Now through July 5th, Moment is hosting its annual Summer Sale, giving you a chance to save on smartphone lenses, leather AirPod cases, MagSafe mounts, and a number of other camera / mobile accessories. This includes the Santa Fe Shoulder Bag we recently featured in our Father’s Day gift guide, which is on sale for $68 ($12 off) for a limited time. The durable sling is great for stowing a 35mm point-and-shoot cam and a few rolls of film, not to mention anything else you might need for a short weekend getaway.

Amazon is already selling the three-meter Philips Hue Solo light strip for $62.23 (about $8 off), which is the first discount we’ve seen on what is easily the company’s cheapest light strip to date. It’s not as versatile as some of the other RGB options out there — it can only display white light or a single color at a time — but it is cuttable and offers 1700 lumens of brightness, which is plenty for adding some visibility to your closest or staircase.

Just don’t expect it to rival an iPad in terms of functionality. | Image: Amazon

Let’s face it: Apple’s slates seem to get all the attention when talking tablets (and understandably so). However, you don’t necessarily need to spend $1,000 on an iPad Pro or even $350 on an entry-level model if all you need is a cheap entertainment device for watching The Boys, reading, or burning through your latest audiobook. Amazon’s latest Fire HD 10 tablet will get the job done for a lot less — especially since it’s currently on sale for Amazon Prime subscribers for an all-time low of $74.99 ($65 off) in its ad-supported base configuration.

The 2023 Fire HD 10 isn’t going to blow you away with an OLED display or a laundry list of premium features, though it is a step up from some of Amazon’s low-end models. The inexpensive tablet features a modest octa-core processor, support for up to 1TB of microSD card storage, and 3GB of RAM, the latter of which should allow for plenty of tabs and some light multitasking should you need it. On the outside, you’ll find 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 display that’s surprisingly sharp for the price (so long as you’re not in direct sunlight), as well as a USB-C port for charging and a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio. The Alexa-enabled device is also compatible with Amazon’s detachable keyboard case ($49.99) and stylus ($34.99), though I’d argue neither of which is going to turn the budget tablet into a productivity machine.

Like all Fire tablets, the biggest drawback of the Fire HD 10 is that it requires you to spend an additional $15 to remove the lock screen ads and chains you to Amazon’s own Appstore — which is seriously lacking when compared to the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. But, again, if all you want is to stream Prime Video content or read, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more capable tablet for the price.

A few more ways to save today

The Nothing Ear (a) are down to an all-time low of $94 ($15 off) at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon. Nothing’s latest pair of wireless earbuds offer a lot for the price — including multipoint connectivity, Fast Pair (for Android), and ChatGPT integration — and can go toe to toe sound-wise with entry-level models from Apple, Samsung, and others. Plus, they sport a slick, see-through design as well as a new yellow shade that’s far more playful than anything from Apple. Read our hands-on impressions.
If you’re in need of a simple mounting solution for your car, the iOttie iTap 2 is on sale at Amazon for $19.11 (about $6 off), which nearly matches its second-best price to date. The sleek, adjustable magnetic mount comes with a metal plate that lets you securely affix a variety of phones to your air vent, allowing you to view notifications, directions, and other info at a glance.
Now through July 5th, Moment is hosting its annual Summer Sale, giving you a chance to save on smartphone lenses, leather AirPod cases, MagSafe mounts, and a number of other camera / mobile accessories. This includes the Santa Fe Shoulder Bag we recently featured in our Father’s Day gift guide, which is on sale for $68 ($12 off) for a limited time. The durable sling is great for stowing a 35mm point-and-shoot cam and a few rolls of film, not to mention anything else you might need for a short weekend getaway.

Amazon is already selling the three-meter Philips Hue Solo light strip for $62.23 (about $8 off), which is the first discount we’ve seen on what is easily the company’s cheapest light strip to date. It’s not as versatile as some of the other RGB options out there — it can only display white light or a single color at a time — but it is cuttable and offers 1700 lumens of brightness, which is plenty for adding some visibility to your closest or staircase.

Read More 

After August 6, Nike Adapt owners won’t be able to download the accompanying mobile app any longer. | Photo by Felicia Shivakumar / The Verge

Despite the ongoing popularity of the Back to the Future trilogy that inspired the self-lacing tech found in the HyperAdapt 1.0 and Air Mags, Nike has announced that it’s “no longer creating new versions of Adapt shoes.” Now, the Adapt BB mobile app used to control the $350 third iteration of Nike’s self-lacing sneakers will disappear from Google Play and the iPhone App Store next month.
Without the app, owners can use the physical buttons on the sneakers to power them on and off, check battery status, tighten or loosen the laces, and save a single preset, but there will be no way to adjust the shoe’s lighting.

The power laces on the Nike Adapt BB basketball shoes, which were worn by athletes like Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic, were adjustable using buttons on the sneakers themselves or over Bluetooth. The app also allowed users to configure three tightness presets and adjust the color of LED lights on the shoes — features that will continue to function for Adapt BB users who already have the app installed on their phones.
After August 6th, however, Nike warns users that they “won’t be able to move the app to a new device, and future iOS updates may limit or end functionality, or may completely remove the app from your device.”
Nike’s decision to retire the app is another reminder of the challenges of designing smart apparel. Most consumers might be used to the idea of upgrading a smartphone every few years, but an electronic pair of shoes or a smart denim jacket can remain in someone’s wardrobe for decades, long after a company stops selling the product.
It’s not entirely surprising when a company chooses to stop paying for the upkeep and continued development of an app for a product it’s no longer making money on, but that doesn’t take the sting out of losing functionality on your five-year-old kicks.

Our 2019 hands-on with the Nike Adapt BBs.

After August 6, Nike Adapt owners won’t be able to download the accompanying mobile app any longer. | Photo by Felicia Shivakumar / The Verge

Despite the ongoing popularity of the Back to the Future trilogy that inspired the self-lacing tech found in the HyperAdapt 1.0 and Air Mags, Nike has announced that it’s “no longer creating new versions of Adapt shoes.” Now, the Adapt BB mobile app used to control the $350 third iteration of Nike’s self-lacing sneakers will disappear from Google Play and the iPhone App Store next month.

Without the app, owners can use the physical buttons on the sneakers to power them on and off, check battery status, tighten or loosen the laces, and save a single preset, but there will be no way to adjust the shoe’s lighting.

The power laces on the Nike Adapt BB basketball shoes, which were worn by athletes like Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic, were adjustable using buttons on the sneakers themselves or over Bluetooth. The app also allowed users to configure three tightness presets and adjust the color of LED lights on the shoes — features that will continue to function for Adapt BB users who already have the app installed on their phones.

After August 6th, however, Nike warns users that they “won’t be able to move the app to a new device, and future iOS updates may limit or end functionality, or may completely remove the app from your device.”

Nike’s decision to retire the app is another reminder of the challenges of designing smart apparel. Most consumers might be used to the idea of upgrading a smartphone every few years, but an electronic pair of shoes or a smart denim jacket can remain in someone’s wardrobe for decades, long after a company stops selling the product.

It’s not entirely surprising when a company chooses to stop paying for the upkeep and continued development of an app for a product it’s no longer making money on, but that doesn’t take the sting out of losing functionality on your five-year-old kicks.

Read More 

Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

In March, Microsoft notified the US Department of Veterans Affairs that it was impacted by the security breach that enabled the Russian hacking group known as “Midnight Blizzard” to steal some of the company’s source code, reports Bloomberg. Already assigned blame for the earlier SolarWinds attack, the group has been accused of spying on email accounts of Microsoft’s senior leadership team and attempting to use the secrets obtained there to create additional security breaches.
The VA department found that Midnight Blizzard used a single set of stolen credentials to access a Microsoft Cloud test environment around January. VA officials told Bloomberg that the account was accessed for just one second, presumably to see if the credentials worked — they have since been updated.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft also informed the US Agency for Global Media that some of its data may have been stolen. Security data and sensitive, personally identifiable information held by the agency is not believed to have been compromised. The Peace Corps was also notified of the Midnight Blizzard breach but told Bloomberg that it was able to “mitigate the vulnerability.” Microsoft hasn’t disclosed which customers have been impacted by the attack.
“As our investigation continues, we have been reaching out to customers to notify them if they had corresponded with a Microsoft corporate email account that was accessed,” Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones said to The Verge. “We will continue to coordinate, support, and assist our customers in taking mitigating measures.”
Microsoft had already announced it was overhauling its cybersecurity efforts last year before the Midnight Blizzard attack after a “cascade of security failures.” More recently, the software giant said it was making security its “top priority” as it attempts to rebuild the trust it’s already lost.

Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

In March, Microsoft notified the US Department of Veterans Affairs that it was impacted by the security breach that enabled the Russian hacking group known as “Midnight Blizzard” to steal some of the company’s source code, reports Bloomberg. Already assigned blame for the earlier SolarWinds attack, the group has been accused of spying on email accounts of Microsoft’s senior leadership team and attempting to use the secrets obtained there to create additional security breaches.

The VA department found that Midnight Blizzard used a single set of stolen credentials to access a Microsoft Cloud test environment around January. VA officials told Bloomberg that the account was accessed for just one second, presumably to see if the credentials worked — they have since been updated.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft also informed the US Agency for Global Media that some of its data may have been stolen. Security data and sensitive, personally identifiable information held by the agency is not believed to have been compromised. The Peace Corps was also notified of the Midnight Blizzard breach but told Bloomberg that it was able to “mitigate the vulnerability.” Microsoft hasn’t disclosed which customers have been impacted by the attack.

“As our investigation continues, we have been reaching out to customers to notify them if they had corresponded with a Microsoft corporate email account that was accessed,” Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones said to The Verge. “We will continue to coordinate, support, and assist our customers in taking mitigating measures.”

Microsoft had already announced it was overhauling its cybersecurity efforts last year before the Midnight Blizzard attack after a “cascade of security failures.” More recently, the software giant said it was making security its “top priority” as it attempts to rebuild the trust it’s already lost.

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Sunny. | Image: Apple

Just like last year, the hot summer months of 2024 are turning out to be an excellent time for science fiction fans. There are a number of sci-fi series that either just wrapped up, are in the middle of a season, or are set to premiere soon. Perfect for ignoring the heat of the outdoors for the substantially cooler worlds of space and the future. And this is a lineup that could potentially grow even more, as Apple has been teasing the return of both Severance and Silo sometime soon. In the meantime, plan your next few months of streaming time accordingly with this list.

Scavengers Reign
Streaming on Max and Netflix
This animated series actually premiered on Max last year but made its way to Netflix on May 31st. It’s unlike anything else out there, a mix of hard sci-fi with stunning art, set on a harsh, unforgiving, and truly alien world. And really, it’s the planet that’s the highlight here, a place inspired by everything from artists like Hayao Miyazaki and Jean “Moebius” Giraud to actual nature. (You can read more about the inspirations behind the show right here.) If you weren’t able to check it out on Max, now is a great time to catch up.

Dark Matter
Streaming on Apple TV Plus
Apple has been on a serious run with sci-fi shows, and Dark Matter is just the latest example. Based on the novel of the same name by Blake Crouch, the show follows a physicist who is kidnapped… by himself… and taken to a parallel world. Somehow, it manages to do something interesting in the increasingly overcrowded space of multiverse stories and, since the first season has wrapped up, you can binge it all right now.

Doctor Who
Streaming on Disney Plus
The latest season of Doctor Who is notable for a few reasons. It marked the start of Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the doctor, and it was also the first to stream globally on Disney Plus. Over the course of eight episodes, it managed a careful balance between Doctor Who’s origins and the bigger budget that comes from being on Disney, with fun riffs on everything from Black Mirror to Bridgerton. As showrunner Russell T. Davies told The Verge, “We’ve gotten a bit more money for effects, but in this first episode, we haven’t spent it on 1,000 spaceships; we spent it on talking babies, you know?” All episodes are streaming now.

The Acolyte
Streaming on Disney Plus, concludes on July 16th
We’re well into Star Wars’ streaming era, but even with a glut of existing shows, The Acolyte manages to feel distinct. And that comes largely down to its setting: it’s the first live-action show set during the High Republic era, taking place a century before The Phantom Menace. This means that there are many Star Wars staples that aren’t present, which has freed the show up to tell some interesting stories. It also has some, excuse me, killer lightsaber battles to look forward to.

Sunny
Streaming on Apple TV Plus on July 10th
Based on the novel The Dark Manual by Colin O’Sullivan, Sunny is a mixture of things: it’s part murder mystery, part comedy, and part retrofuturistic story about clunky bots that serve as personal assistants. That seems like a potentially tough trio to balance, but the early trailers show promise, and Rashida Jones looks like an ideal star to manage the load. Even better? The show seems to be filled with lots of interesting gadgets.

Image: Apple
Time Bandits.

Time Bandits
Streaming on Apple TV Plus on July 24th
Apple TV Plus’ sci-fi lineup doesn’t have much family-friendly fare, which is what makes Time Bandits interesting. A remake of a 1981 film of the same name from Terry Gilliam, the show is described as a “high-stakes journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history nerd.”

Futurama
Streaming on Hulu on July 29th
The show that refuses to actually die is back for its 12th season, which once again promises to explore modern tech through the lens of the future. Obviously, that includes AI, but also a much more pervasive phenomenon: “the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.”

Image: Netflix
Terminator Zero.

Terminator Zero
Streaming on Netflix on August 29th
The first animated entry in the franchise, Terminator Zero shifts the setting to Tokyo in the 1990s but apparently will treat all of the live-action movies as canon. If nothing else, it looks incredible, with animation from famed anime studio Production I.G and the promise of sci-fi sword fights.

Sunny. | Image: Apple

Just like last year, the hot summer months of 2024 are turning out to be an excellent time for science fiction fans. There are a number of sci-fi series that either just wrapped up, are in the middle of a season, or are set to premiere soon. Perfect for ignoring the heat of the outdoors for the substantially cooler worlds of space and the future. And this is a lineup that could potentially grow even more, as Apple has been teasing the return of both Severance and Silo sometime soon. In the meantime, plan your next few months of streaming time accordingly with this list.

Scavengers Reign

Streaming on Max and Netflix

This animated series actually premiered on Max last year but made its way to Netflix on May 31st. It’s unlike anything else out there, a mix of hard sci-fi with stunning art, set on a harsh, unforgiving, and truly alien world. And really, it’s the planet that’s the highlight here, a place inspired by everything from artists like Hayao Miyazaki and Jean “Moebius” Giraud to actual nature. (You can read more about the inspirations behind the show right here.) If you weren’t able to check it out on Max, now is a great time to catch up.

Dark Matter

Streaming on Apple TV Plus

Apple has been on a serious run with sci-fi shows, and Dark Matter is just the latest example. Based on the novel of the same name by Blake Crouch, the show follows a physicist who is kidnapped… by himself… and taken to a parallel world. Somehow, it manages to do something interesting in the increasingly overcrowded space of multiverse stories and, since the first season has wrapped up, you can binge it all right now.

Doctor Who

Streaming on Disney Plus

The latest season of Doctor Who is notable for a few reasons. It marked the start of Ncuti Gatwa’s run as the doctor, and it was also the first to stream globally on Disney Plus. Over the course of eight episodes, it managed a careful balance between Doctor Who’s origins and the bigger budget that comes from being on Disney, with fun riffs on everything from Black Mirror to Bridgerton. As showrunner Russell T. Davies told The Verge, “We’ve gotten a bit more money for effects, but in this first episode, we haven’t spent it on 1,000 spaceships; we spent it on talking babies, you know?” All episodes are streaming now.

The Acolyte

Streaming on Disney Plus, concludes on July 16th

We’re well into Star Wars’ streaming era, but even with a glut of existing shows, The Acolyte manages to feel distinct. And that comes largely down to its setting: it’s the first live-action show set during the High Republic era, taking place a century before The Phantom Menace. This means that there are many Star Wars staples that aren’t present, which has freed the show up to tell some interesting stories. It also has some, excuse me, killer lightsaber battles to look forward to.

Sunny

Streaming on Apple TV Plus on July 10th

Based on the novel The Dark Manual by Colin O’Sullivan, Sunny is a mixture of things: it’s part murder mystery, part comedy, and part retrofuturistic story about clunky bots that serve as personal assistants. That seems like a potentially tough trio to balance, but the early trailers show promise, and Rashida Jones looks like an ideal star to manage the load. Even better? The show seems to be filled with lots of interesting gadgets.

Time Bandits

Streaming on Apple TV Plus on July 24th

Apple TV Plus’ sci-fi lineup doesn’t have much family-friendly fare, which is what makes Time Bandits interesting. A remake of a 1981 film of the same name from Terry Gilliam, the show is described as a “high-stakes journey through time and space with a ragtag group of thieves and their newest recruit: an 11-year-old history nerd.”

Futurama

Streaming on Hulu on July 29th

The show that refuses to actually die is back for its 12th season, which once again promises to explore modern tech through the lens of the future. Obviously, that includes AI, but also a much more pervasive phenomenon: “the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.”

Terminator Zero

Streaming on Netflix on August 29th

The first animated entry in the franchise, Terminator Zero shifts the setting to Tokyo in the 1990s but apparently will treat all of the live-action movies as canon. If nothing else, it looks incredible, with animation from famed anime studio Production I.G and the promise of sci-fi sword fights.

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

They’re more colorful than anything Amazon offers and have built-in support for Overdrive, but the UI feels more focused on selling books than reading them. The problem with most e-readers is they’re not really intended for reading books. They’re meant to sell you books. Amazon, which has the biggest market share in the US, is especially notable for doing this, but Barnes & Noble is guilty of the same thing. Kobo is perhaps the least offensive about this — it’s got Pocket and Overdrive integration! But oftentimes, when I found myself totally enamored with Kobo’s gorgeous new color e-readers, I’d suddenly get slapped with the reminder: this thing is here to sell me books.
Which is a shame because Kobo’s new Libra Colour and Clara Colour are the closest we’ve gotten to a perfect e-reader lately. Both the $219.99 Libra Colour and $149.99 Clara Colour are ridiculously light, but with a sturdiness that makes them feel comfortable and not flimsy. Both include Kaleido 3 displays, which means book covers are rendered in actual color. Both flip pages and navigate stores much quicker than the $249.99 Boox Page (the bigger, slower sibling of the Palma) — impressive, given the fact that the Kaleido 3 display is a little slower than a more traditional monochromatic E Ink display found in the Page.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Color! Not… especially vibrant color.

I did find myself liking the more expensive Libra because I prefer asymmetrical e-readers with dedicated buttons to ones that function more like traditional tablets. That it also has stylus support for note-taking is a plus. Yet, either one is a charming and enjoyable-to-use e-reader, and over the last couple of months, I repeatedly found myself reaching for the Libra over the Boox — which, until now, has been my primary e-reader. I just like the feel of reading on it more. Sure, Boox gives me every reading app available (it’s an E Ink Android tablet), but the Libra doesn’t have any of the weird little hiccups typical of Android on E Ink.

Both Kobo e-readers also support highlighting text in color, and their touchscreens feel much snappier and more responsive than the Boox Page. Those highlight colors aren’t particularly vibrant, though. The Kaleido 3 display found in both gets you color, but the color is akin to what you see in a newspaper left in the sun for a few days. Plus, that color comes at the cost of both making the black-and-white reading experience a little less crisp. It’s still infinitely better than previous color E Ink technologies, which often gave the whole display a green cast.
My real issue with these devices isn’t the color displays. It’s the lock-in.
Kobo’s e-readers feel built more for buying books than reading them. They’re tied to the Kobo bookstore, which is powered by Rakuten, a Japanese retailer that is often called the “Japanese Amazon” or the “Japanese Barnes & Noble” when people want to quickly summarize the company. Rakuten is very good at moving books, and Kobo’s built-in bookstore is similar. It doesn’t have quite the same library as Amazon; Amazon has more self-published books and carries more niche content from boutique publishers. Yet, Kobo’s bookstore has a decent spread. If it’s a remotely popular book, you’ll find it on the Kobo.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The menu is easy to navigate if you’re looking to buy a book, but miserable if you just want to browse your local library.

Unlike other non-Android e-readers, Kobo e-readers also have a more traditional library built in via Overdrive. If you’ve got a library card from a library that works with Overdrive you can borrow ebooks. Unfortunately, this is when you start to run into Kobo’s bookselling business butting heads with its e-reader business. To borrow books, you either have to use your phone to find them on an app like Libby, or you have to use the Discover tab, then choose the Overdrive tab, and hope you can browse for the book you want. Or you have to search for the book on Kobo’s store, and when you find the book, you have to tap the More Options button next to the much larger Buy Now and Wishlist buttons and then actually tap the Borrow From Overdrive button to see if the book is borrowable from your library. It is miserable, and when I asked a generally very clever friend to try to borrow a book, she couldn’t even figure out how.
You also can’t have more than one library card active on the Kobo at a time. Instead, when you finish a book and want to read another one that’s tied to a different library card, you have to log out and log in with the other card. I had to switch repeatedly between my New York Public Library and Jersey City Public Library cards and was left deeply annoyed. I don’t have to do this when I use the Libby app on my Page or iPad.

You run into the same issue using the built-in “experimental” web browser Kobo has. I can navigate to websites just fine, and if I want to try and read a book over the web, I can theoretically do that. No app necessary. Only the browser is painfully underdeveloped. It would be nice if I could scroll or paginate using the Libra’s built-in buttons as I can with the EinkBro browser on Android e-readers.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Libra Colour (on the left) is really exceptional to hold in the hand, but the Clara Colour (on the right) is cheaper.

Getting ebooks from other stores onto the device is also a hassle. You have to plug the e-reader into your computer and drag and drop files (though Calibre, the ebook management app, does make it a scootch easier). But that problem isn’t unique to Kobo. Amazon and Barnes & Noble also insist you sideload books. But after years of the Boox ecosystem (and the iPad), it feels weird that these systems all insist you stick so closely to their bookstores. It’s a degree of lock-in that seems absurd, and with Kobo’s ecosystem, it feels more absurd because in so many other respects it really seems like the company is trying to do e-readers right.
The Kobo Libra Colour and Koko Clara Colour are fast and nearly perfect for getting out of your way when you just want to read a book. Their color displays aren’t as sharp as an iPad Mini’s LED one — or even a monochrome E Ink display — but the color gives a welcome zest to the experience that black and white cannot. The fact that they even offer things like a web browser and Overdrive and Pocket support is very welcome when compared to what Amazon is doing. But the lock-in, man. The lock-in might be the norm in the e-reader world, but it shouldn’t be.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

They’re more colorful than anything Amazon offers and have built-in support for Overdrive, but the UI feels more focused on selling books than reading them.

The problem with most e-readers is they’re not really intended for reading books. They’re meant to sell you books. Amazon, which has the biggest market share in the US, is especially notable for doing this, but Barnes & Noble is guilty of the same thing. Kobo is perhaps the least offensive about this — it’s got Pocket and Overdrive integration! But oftentimes, when I found myself totally enamored with Kobo’s gorgeous new color e-readers, I’d suddenly get slapped with the reminder: this thing is here to sell me books.

Which is a shame because Kobo’s new Libra Colour and Clara Colour are the closest we’ve gotten to a perfect e-reader lately. Both the $219.99 Libra Colour and $149.99 Clara Colour are ridiculously light, but with a sturdiness that makes them feel comfortable and not flimsy. Both include Kaleido 3 displays, which means book covers are rendered in actual color. Both flip pages and navigate stores much quicker than the $249.99 Boox Page (the bigger, slower sibling of the Palma) — impressive, given the fact that the Kaleido 3 display is a little slower than a more traditional monochromatic E Ink display found in the Page.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Color! Not… especially vibrant color.

I did find myself liking the more expensive Libra because I prefer asymmetrical e-readers with dedicated buttons to ones that function more like traditional tablets. That it also has stylus support for note-taking is a plus. Yet, either one is a charming and enjoyable-to-use e-reader, and over the last couple of months, I repeatedly found myself reaching for the Libra over the Boox — which, until now, has been my primary e-reader. I just like the feel of reading on it more. Sure, Boox gives me every reading app available (it’s an E Ink Android tablet), but the Libra doesn’t have any of the weird little hiccups typical of Android on E Ink.

Both Kobo e-readers also support highlighting text in color, and their touchscreens feel much snappier and more responsive than the Boox Page. Those highlight colors aren’t particularly vibrant, though. The Kaleido 3 display found in both gets you color, but the color is akin to what you see in a newspaper left in the sun for a few days. Plus, that color comes at the cost of both making the black-and-white reading experience a little less crisp. It’s still infinitely better than previous color E Ink technologies, which often gave the whole display a green cast.

My real issue with these devices isn’t the color displays. It’s the lock-in.

Kobo’s e-readers feel built more for buying books than reading them. They’re tied to the Kobo bookstore, which is powered by Rakuten, a Japanese retailer that is often called the “Japanese Amazon” or the “Japanese Barnes & Noble” when people want to quickly summarize the company. Rakuten is very good at moving books, and Kobo’s built-in bookstore is similar. It doesn’t have quite the same library as Amazon; Amazon has more self-published books and carries more niche content from boutique publishers. Yet, Kobo’s bookstore has a decent spread. If it’s a remotely popular book, you’ll find it on the Kobo.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The menu is easy to navigate if you’re looking to buy a book, but miserable if you just want to browse your local library.

Unlike other non-Android e-readers, Kobo e-readers also have a more traditional library built in via Overdrive. If you’ve got a library card from a library that works with Overdrive you can borrow ebooks. Unfortunately, this is when you start to run into Kobo’s bookselling business butting heads with its e-reader business. To borrow books, you either have to use your phone to find them on an app like Libby, or you have to use the Discover tab, then choose the Overdrive tab, and hope you can browse for the book you want. Or you have to search for the book on Kobo’s store, and when you find the book, you have to tap the More Options button next to the much larger Buy Now and Wishlist buttons and then actually tap the Borrow From Overdrive button to see if the book is borrowable from your library. It is miserable, and when I asked a generally very clever friend to try to borrow a book, she couldn’t even figure out how.

You also can’t have more than one library card active on the Kobo at a time. Instead, when you finish a book and want to read another one that’s tied to a different library card, you have to log out and log in with the other card. I had to switch repeatedly between my New York Public Library and Jersey City Public Library cards and was left deeply annoyed. I don’t have to do this when I use the Libby app on my Page or iPad.

You run into the same issue using the built-in “experimental” web browser Kobo has. I can navigate to websites just fine, and if I want to try and read a book over the web, I can theoretically do that. No app necessary. Only the browser is painfully underdeveloped. It would be nice if I could scroll or paginate using the Libra’s built-in buttons as I can with the EinkBro browser on Android e-readers.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Libra Colour (on the left) is really exceptional to hold in the hand, but the Clara Colour (on the right) is cheaper.

Getting ebooks from other stores onto the device is also a hassle. You have to plug the e-reader into your computer and drag and drop files (though Calibre, the ebook management app, does make it a scootch easier). But that problem isn’t unique to Kobo. Amazon and Barnes & Noble also insist you sideload books. But after years of the Boox ecosystem (and the iPad), it feels weird that these systems all insist you stick so closely to their bookstores. It’s a degree of lock-in that seems absurd, and with Kobo’s ecosystem, it feels more absurd because in so many other respects it really seems like the company is trying to do e-readers right.

The Kobo Libra Colour and Koko Clara Colour are fast and nearly perfect for getting out of your way when you just want to read a book. Their color displays aren’t as sharp as an iPad Mini’s LED one — or even a monochrome E Ink display — but the color gives a welcome zest to the experience that black and white cannot. The fact that they even offer things like a web browser and Overdrive and Pocket support is very welcome when compared to what Amazon is doing. But the lock-in, man. The lock-in might be the norm in the e-reader world, but it shouldn’t be.

Read More 

The upcoming feature will allow WhatsApp users to ‘imagine’ themselves in different settings. | Illustration: The Verge

Whatsapp appears to be working on a new generative AI feature that should allow users to make personalized avatars of themselves for use in any imagined setting. The in-development feature, spotted in the new WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.24.14.7 by WABetaInfo, will seemingly use a combination of user-supplied images, text prompts, and Meta’s AI Llama model to generate the images.
A screenshot shared by WABetaInfo says that users can imagine themselves “in any setting from the forest to outer space.” The examples look fairly typical for those produced by AI generators, particularly if you’ve used apps like Lensa AI or Snapchat’s “Dreams” selfie feature.
To create the personalized avatar, WhatsApp users will need to “take photos of yourself once” which will then be used to train Meta AI to produce images in the user’s likeness in any setting. WhatsApp users will then be able to generate their avatars by typing “Imagine me” with a description of the setting in Meta AI chat, or in other WhatsApp conversations by typing “@Meta AI imagine me…”

Image: Meta / WABetaInfo
The example pictures give us a good idea of what to expect when this WhatsApp feature does launch.

The feature will reportedly be optional, and will require users to manually enable it in the WhatsApp settings before it can be used. WABetaInfo also says that the reference images can be deleted at any time via the Meta AI settings.
There’s no indication of when the new Imagine AI selfie feature will be generally available. WhatsApp is still rolling out support for its Meta AI chatbot, alongside more general real-time AI image generation for users in the US — so it may take a while before the new AI avatar feature launches. Meta would be right to take a more cautious approach given the issues seen with its previous generative AI tools.

The upcoming feature will allow WhatsApp users to ‘imagine’ themselves in different settings. | Illustration: The Verge

Whatsapp appears to be working on a new generative AI feature that should allow users to make personalized avatars of themselves for use in any imagined setting. The in-development feature, spotted in the new WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.24.14.7 by WABetaInfo, will seemingly use a combination of user-supplied images, text prompts, and Meta’s AI Llama model to generate the images.

A screenshot shared by WABetaInfo says that users can imagine themselves “in any setting from the forest to outer space.” The examples look fairly typical for those produced by AI generators, particularly if you’ve used apps like Lensa AI or Snapchat’s “Dreams” selfie feature.

To create the personalized avatar, WhatsApp users will need to “take photos of yourself once” which will then be used to train Meta AI to produce images in the user’s likeness in any setting. WhatsApp users will then be able to generate their avatars by typing “Imagine me” with a description of the setting in Meta AI chat, or in other WhatsApp conversations by typing “@Meta AI imagine me…”

Image: Meta / WABetaInfo
The example pictures give us a good idea of what to expect when this WhatsApp feature does launch.

The feature will reportedly be optional, and will require users to manually enable it in the WhatsApp settings before it can be used. WABetaInfo also says that the reference images can be deleted at any time via the Meta AI settings.

There’s no indication of when the new Imagine AI selfie feature will be generally available. WhatsApp is still rolling out support for its Meta AI chatbot, alongside more general real-time AI image generation for users in the US — so it may take a while before the new AI avatar feature launches. Meta would be right to take a more cautious approach given the issues seen with its previous generative AI tools.

Read More 

Image: Evan Blass

We’re only one week away from Samsung’s next Unpacked event on July 10th, where we’re expecting the company’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 folding phones — but leaker Evan Blass has just revealed the entire spec sheets and marketing materials with practically everything you’d want to know.
For example, did you know both phones will be lighter, with longer battery life, despite being slightly thinner, and both have slight changes to their screens? Or that the Flip will now let you use Samsung’s language-translating Interpreter Mode on its front cover screen as well, letting you point the text of one language at the person you’re talking to while the other faces you?

Image via Evan Blass
The cover screen Interpreter Mode for the Z Flip 6.

Or that the Z Flip 6 will be the first with vapor chamber cooling?
Both also claim IP48 ingress protection, though that’s not necessarily an improvement: the “4” in IP48 is not actually the dust resistance we’ve been waiting for to head off potential long-term hinge damage, but rather protection against solid objects 1mm in size or greater, and it’s possible Samsung simply didn’t bother to claim that rating for previous foldables.
You can find every leaked spec in the galleries below, but here are the highlights we’ve gleaned by checking these specs against last year’s Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, assuming these details pan out:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (7.6-inch inner screen, 6.3-inch outer screen)

The screen has significantly higher max brightness at 2,600 nits, up from 1,750
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
Claims one hour longer LTE internet battery life, two hours longer video playback
14 grams lighter
1.4mm shorter, 1mm wider, 1.3mm thinner when folded
1.4mm shorter, 2.7mm wider, 0.5mm thinner when unfolded
“improved Armor Aluminum frame”
Secondary screen is 0.1-inches larger
Slightly different main display res at 2160×1856 vs. 2176×1812
No change in cameras, battery capacity (4400mAh), or cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (6.7-inch inner screen, 3.4-inch outer screen)

50MP main camera, up from 12MP, same f/1.8 aperture
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB RAM (up from 8GB)
Secondary display is now IPS instead of OLED
0.2mm thinner when folded, other dimensions and weight are the same
Higher capacity 4,000mAh battery (up from 3,700mAh)
Claims two hours longer LTE internet battery life, three hours longer video playback
No change in cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Entire phone now reflects your choice of color, instead of just one panel on the back

We’ve already seen leaked colors for the phones from Blass, including an excellent ice blue Flip. Now, we just need prices, I suppose.

Image: Evan Blass

We’re only one week away from Samsung’s next Unpacked event on July 10th, where we’re expecting the company’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 folding phones — but leaker Evan Blass has just revealed the entire spec sheets and marketing materials with practically everything you’d want to know.

For example, did you know both phones will be lighter, with longer battery life, despite being slightly thinner, and both have slight changes to their screens? Or that the Flip will now let you use Samsung’s language-translating Interpreter Mode on its front cover screen as well, letting you point the text of one language at the person you’re talking to while the other faces you?

Image via Evan Blass
The cover screen Interpreter Mode for the Z Flip 6.

Or that the Z Flip 6 will be the first with vapor chamber cooling?

Both also claim IP48 ingress protection, though that’s not necessarily an improvement: the “4” in IP48 is not actually the dust resistance we’ve been waiting for to head off potential long-term hinge damage, but rather protection against solid objects 1mm in size or greater, and it’s possible Samsung simply didn’t bother to claim that rating for previous foldables.

You can find every leaked spec in the galleries below, but here are the highlights we’ve gleaned by checking these specs against last year’s Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, assuming these details pan out:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (7.6-inch inner screen, 6.3-inch outer screen)

The screen has significantly higher max brightness at 2,600 nits, up from 1,750
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
Claims one hour longer LTE internet battery life, two hours longer video playback
14 grams lighter
1.4mm shorter, 1mm wider, 1.3mm thinner when folded
1.4mm shorter, 2.7mm wider, 0.5mm thinner when unfolded
“improved Armor Aluminum frame”
Secondary screen is 0.1-inches larger
Slightly different main display res at 2160×1856 vs. 2176×1812
No change in cameras, battery capacity (4400mAh), or cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (6.7-inch inner screen, 3.4-inch outer screen)

50MP main camera, up from 12MP, same f/1.8 aperture
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB RAM (up from 8GB)
Secondary display is now IPS instead of OLED
0.2mm thinner when folded, other dimensions and weight are the same
Higher capacity 4,000mAh battery (up from 3,700mAh)
Claims two hours longer LTE internet battery life, three hours longer video playback
No change in cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Entire phone now reflects your choice of color, instead of just one panel on the back

We’ve already seen leaked colors for the phones from Blass, including an excellent ice blue Flip. Now, we just need prices, I suppose.

Read More