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11.03.2025 16:32 Replacing a smartphone every two years is partially why billions of phones go into landfills each year. If stacked flat atop one another, that many handsets would reach farther than the ISS. But we’ve become accustomed to that 24-month time frame because wireless carriers often push an upgrade on biennial contracts, and many smaller phone makers only offer software support for two years. But now, with longer software commitments from major manufacturers, along with growing right-to-repair legislation, many newer phones can stay in our pockets for closer to seven trips around the sun. Here’s how you can extend the lifespan of your smartphone and avoid shelling out hundreds before it’s absolutely necessary. How to make your smartphone last longer Amy Skorheim for Engadget Use a case It’s a flashy move to carry a naked phone around, but the chances of a handset making it through a tumble go up dramatically when you employ extra protection. We recommend a few in our guide to iPhone cases. In my family, we’ve been happy with Mous cases. Though we’ve never subjected our phones to the brutality seen in the company’s ads, I can say that these cases have seen my partner’s aging Samsung Galaxy through some pretty gnarly spills and I credit the cases for getting my iPhone 11 to 2025 in working condition. Take care of the built-in battery Since a phone’s battery is often the first thing to show signs of age, it’s worth it to follow recommendations for extending its lifespan. Lithium-ion batteries don’t perform well in heat and you should avoid charging them if it’s hotter than 95 degrees — doing so can degrade the battery quickly and even cause them to malfunction. They’ll tolerate cold weather better, but can get sluggish when things get too chilly. If you’re storing a phone for a while, it’s best to do so with the battery at half charge, rather than full or empty. In fact, Li-ion cells last longer when they spend less time being either completely discharged or full — that’s why battery optimization features in iPhones and Pixel phones delay overnight charging to 100 percent until about an hour before you typically grab your mobile. And while it’s sometimes necessary to charge a battery quickly, a slower charging method when speed isn’t critical will put less stress on the ionic components and help extend the cell’s life. But over time, any battery will eventually wear down. The cell powering my iPhone 11 can make it through a typical day, but if I’m traveling, relying heavily on navigation or using the phone as a hotspot, it’ll need a top-off before bedtime. I have a slew of them on hand after testing for our best power banks guide and the two I grab most often are the Nimble Champ Pro, because it’s crazy fast and the Anker Prime because it’s massive and I know it’ll always have a charge to lend. If you really want to give your phone a new lease on life, a new internal battery could be the ticket. For Pixel phones, you can go through Google’s official channel for either a walk-in or mail-in repair, you can look for an authorized repair partner or you can pick the DIY route with iFixit’s Pixel repair kits and instructions. For iPhones, you can start with Apple’s official page, go through Best Buy or other authorized third-parties, or try iFixit’s methods. Samsung also has an in-house option but both iFixit and Best Buy ended their repair relationships with Samsung in 2024. Depending where you go and the model of your phone, the price for a new battery and installation will likely run you between $60 and $150 — still far less than ditching your handset for something brand new. Clean up your phone’s storage Most advice on how to declutter your phone and make it run faster centers on one thing: freeing up space. Your phone’s OS will likely have suggestions for clearing up storage space, like automatically offloading unused apps or deleting year-old messages. You can also do things manually by deleting any apps you don’t use. Next, consider the photos and videos you’re storing locally and either opt to pay for cloud storage or transfer the files to a computer or an external backup device. You can also consider getting rid of any music and movies you may have downloaded for offline use, and deleting old messages and large attachments. A good rule is to keep your storage at around 80 percent capacity. Once you’ve deleted and transferred what you can, restart your phone to give it a chance to clear up its temporary memory. Why you can extend the life of your smartphone Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget The e-waste stream grows each year and doesn't do great things for human or planetary health. Smartphone companies are offering better and more consistent trade-in deals, but even some electronic recycling has its faults. Simply hanging onto a device instead of opting for a new one is the most efficient way of cutting back on a phone's environmental impact — plus it'll save you money. While every giant phone maker would like you to believe that upgrading annually is critical, it’s worth noting that new generations of phones often bear strong resemblance to the prior year’s model. Engadget editors see this time and again with the countless smartphones they review — there’s a new button, a few new AI tricks, but the technology generally doesn’t leap forward each year to create something wildly different than what came before. With only minor hardware upgrades, the more exciting new features come via over-the-air software updates. Starting with the release of the Pixel 8 in 2023, Google promised security and software updates for a full seven years. So those who buy a Pixel 9 in 2025 could still be using the same phone in 2032. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 from this January has the same length of promised support. Apple hasn’t made the same pledge, but when the launch of iOS 18 last year cut support for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, both models had enjoyed around seven years of updates from launch. When Apple launched the iPhone 15, the company doubled its estimation for the handset’s battery life saying a handset should retain 80 percent of the original full charge after 1,000 cycles. And Apple said the placement of the larger battery in the iPhone 16 makes replacing it easier. Overall, battery technology has improved in capacity over the years, but longevity hasn’t gone up across the board, as a study by PhoneArena makes clear. More advancements in battery life spans may be on the horizon particularly as the EV industry grows, which also relies on lithium-ion cells. For now, declining battery health is usually the most noticeable issue affecting older phones. In 2023, the European Council of the European Union adopted new guidelines for battery-powered devices, which includes a mandate to allow consumers to “easily remove and replace” batteries. That won’t go into effect until 2027, and there will be plenty of interpretation as to what “easily” means. But EU mandates are what made Apple finally ditch Lightning ports on iPhones in favor of USB-C, so this could eventually be a step towards having smartphones with swappable batteries. Even in the US, legislation could compel companies to make repair a better option. Right-to-repair bills were passed in 2022 in New York, Minnesota and other states. California has the strongest rule, and it even garnered Apple’s support. And Google has voiced its support for Oregon’s law. Some of these laws have already gone into effect, and will require manufacturers to do things like providing repair tools and documentation, and selling components for a number of years after the last new model for higher priced devices. Currently, a number of phones have decent repairability scores, according to the online repair community iFixit It even appears California’s law is having an impact, considering that iFixit gave the iPhone 14 a repair score of 4, but the iPhone 15 and 16 gets a 7. Unfortunately, the scores for Google’s Pixel 9 phones went down compared to previous models. Until more companies start making it easier to fix things ourselves, authorized repair is an option, while self-repair remains an option for the more industrious.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/how-to-make-your-smartphone-last-longer-120014817.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 Ford says it's done sending out all the complimentary NACS adapters that 140,000 EV customers in the US had reserved. The automaker announced in 2023 that it was working with Tesla to give Ford EV owners access to tens of thousands of Superchargers across the US and Canada. In 2024, Ford's EVs became the first non-Tesla vehicles to be able to access Superchargers. However, since Ford EVs come with Combined Charging System ports, they need North American Charging System adapters to be able to plug into Supercharger stations. The automaker gave new and current members of it BlueOval Charge Network — in other words, everyone who purchased it EVs — complimentary NACS adapters until June 30, 2024. Now, it has finished sending out the free adapters to everyone who asked for it. Those who need one will have to purchase the Ford Fast Charging Adapter, which "unlocks access to a vast network of DC fast charging stations using the North American Charging Standard ," for $200. Ford was planning to make the switch to built-in NACS ports for this year's EV models, but it's now unclear if that will happen, seeing as the 2025 model Mustang Mach-E still comes with a CCS port. Ford has also announced that its BlueOval Charge Network now includes 180,000 chargers at more than 50,000 locations, which translates to a 40 percent increase from the beginning of 2024. Like other automakers making the switch to electric, Ford is making an effort to expand charging availability. The hope is that wider access to chargers can help assuage range anxiety and encourage more people to buy electric. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/ford-says-its-done-sending-out-all-its-complimentary-nacs-charging-adapters-120020255.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 16:32 The Justice Department said in a filing that Google will have to break up its network of myriad, overlapping businesses and services, upholding the previous administration’s proposal. The DOJ reiterated Google will have to sell the Chrome browser — saying, last year, that selling off Chrome “will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet.” Google is likely to file its own alternate remedies, of course. In a December filing, the company said the Justice Department’s original remedies went “overboard” and reflected an “interventionist agenda.” But Google is huge, and the DOJ is trying to grasp how its parts intermingle and make it less monopolistic. It dropped a Biden-era proposal requiring Google to sell AI startup stakes. Instead, Google must now notify officials before making AI investments. Early 2025 reports say Google has thrown another billion dollars at Anthropic. The company gave funds to both Trump’s presidential campaign and his inauguration — so it might be frustrated its donations aren’t working. — Mat Smith Get this delivered directly to your inbox. Subscribe right here! The biggest tech stories you missed Elon Musk says a ‘massive cyberattack’ is to blame for X being down The Last of Us season two promises a lot more action alongside devastating drama Everything announced at MWC 2025: Samsung, Nothing, Lenovo, Xiaomi and more tech news Watch the predictably cinematic 10-minute trailer for Death Stranding 2 My feels! Engadget Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming to PlayStation 5 on June 26. At SXSW, creator Hideo Kojima and his Kojima Productions dropped a 10-minute trailer. The trailer reveals Death Stranding 2 takes place 11 months after the creation of the United Cities of America. As previous glimpses have shown, there are familiar Hollywood faces, new stars, new creepy adversaries and AOT-style giants to fell. Continue reading. Apple’s smarter, more personal Siri gets delayed further New features are taking longer to complete than expected. Apple is delaying its updated version of Siri that understands personal context and can act inside apps, according to a statement published at Daring Fireball. The company says upgraded Siri features will roll out “in the coming year.” Yeah, a little vague. A revamped, more powerful Siri was a core part of Apple’s original pitch for Apple Intelligence. Way back when the company first detailed its plans, it claimed Siri would not only understand what’s happening on your phone but also be able to take action in apps for you. It teased some agentic features, as teased by Amazon’s upgraded Alexa and even Rabbit’s AI assistant R1, which is only just warming up to delivering on those capabilities. Continue reading. iPad Air M3 review It's a modest update that's still easy to recommend. Engadget The iPad Air once again hits the sweet spot in Apple’s tablet lineup, offering a lot of additional features over the basic iPad while keeping the price down. It’s the most affordable large-screen iPad, the chip is powerful and it’s better in every way to the base iPad. Continue reading. Would you rent a PS5? Sony is using a third-party partner to offer leased consoles in the UK. We’re over four years into the current generation of consoles , but perhaps not everyone has a PS5. Sony has teamed up with a leasing company called Raylo to offer a PS5 rental service in the UK via the country’s PlayStation Direct website. Leases for the PS5 Digital Edition, the version with a disc drive and the PS5 Pro are available on 12-, 24- or 36-month agreements or a rolling monthly contract. The longer a term you lock in, the lower the monthly price. A 36-month agreement for a PS5 Digital Edition costs £11 per month. A rolling contract for the PS5 Pro, however, will run you a whopping £35.59 per month. At the end of that, you’d return the console, but hey, you’d be primed for the PS6 launch, possibly? Continue reading. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-111535558.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 01:50 Bluesky continues to beef up its video capabilities. The app’s latest update adds support for uploads of up to 3 minutes, a notable expansion from its previous limit of one minute. The change should give video creators on Bluesky much more flexibility in what they can post. It will also likely be appreciated by fans of Flashes, the new Bluesky-based photo and video app. The update also brings some much needed inbox-management tools to Bluesky DMs, with the addition of a new “requests” section for incoming messages from users you don’t know. You’ll also now be able to reject incoming chats, which should help reduce the number of spammy DMs that have been flooding many users’ inboxes in recent weeks. The latest Bluesky update rolled out as CEO Jay Graber appeared onstage at SXSW for a keynote about the growing decentralized social media platform, which has just under 33 million users. Graber, who was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a Latin slogan “mundus sine caesaribus” — an apparent play on Mark Zuckerberg’s affinity for Roman Empire-inspired attire — spoke about why Bluesky is “billionaire-proof” compared with other apps. Zuckerberg's shirt translates to "All Zuck or all nothing." Graber's says "A world with no Caesars." Screenshot via X “If a billionaire came in and bought Bluesky or took it over, or I decided tomorrow to change things in a way that people really didn't like, then they could fork off and go on to another application,” she said. “That openness guarantees that there's always the ability to move to a new alternative, still using the same network. There's much less tolerance in the ecosystem for a very heavy-handed change.” She also opened up about how Bluesky is thinking about its business model and generative AI. On the business side, she once again said the company is “exploring subscriptions” as well as paid “developer services” for those who build experiences on top of Bluesky. In a similar vein, she also said the company was considering how it could eventually turn some of its features, like moderation services or custom feeds, into a “marketplace” where the company may get a cut of potential transactions. When it comes to large language models, she said the company was “working with some partners on developing a framework for user consent, for how they want their data to be used for generative AI.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/bluesky-adds-3-minute-video-uploads-and-inbox-management-features-220317950.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 01:50 It took a few years of dealing with poorly optimized handheld PCs, but Windows Central reports Microsoft may finally be working on an Xbox handheld. The company could announce an Xbox-branded portable device as early as this year, though it sounds like it won't come from Microsoft directly. Instead, the company is partnering with a PC maker already working in the gaming space to build a handheld, Windows Central writes. The device, codenamed "Keenan," will feature Xbox design elements, an "official Xbox guide button" and will likely run Windows 11. Given the clunky experience of navigating Windows on the handhelds you can buy today, the real hope is that Xbox's take will include a launcher or new way of using the desktop OS that's fit for a controller instead of a mouse. The big advantage SteamOS has over Windows is that you never have to interact with a desktop environment if you don't want to. These rumored plans might line up with what Microsoft's VP of "Next Generation" Jason Ronald shared at an AMD and Lenovo event from CES 2025 called "The Future of Gaming Handhelds." According to The Verge, Ronald said that Microsoft wants to bring "the best of Xbox and Windows together." The company hopes to simplify Windows and make it using it more console-like for handhelds. "I think we’ll have a lot more to share later this year," Ronald said. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has expressed interest in handheld devices before and said the company was experimenting with prototypes. It seems like at least for now, though, Microsoft is borrowing Valve's approach and making a handheld-friendly version of its operating system available for other PC makers to use. That doesn't mean there won't be a first-party handheld in the future. Windows Central's report mentions that there's a successor to the Xbox Series X, new internet-connected controllers and an official Xbox gaming handheld, all tentatively slated for 2027.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/the-first-xbox-handheld-might-not-come-from-microsoft-220043843.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 01:50 Apple is planning to dramatically rethink the look and feel of its operating systems with the introduction of the next version of iOS, iPadOS and macOS, according to Bloomberg. The redesign is meant to make using the company's software more consistent, and will impact "the style of icons, menus, apps, windows and system buttons," Bloomberg writes. The changes may take loose inspiration from visionOS, the mixed-reality operating system of the Vision Pro. The headset featured a slightly different style from Apple's other software, with a focus on translucency, floating interface elements and rounded app icons. As Bloomberg notes, Apple hasn't dramatically rethought the look of any of its software since iOS 7 and macOS Big Sur, so tweaks would be notable. When it was released in 2013, iOS 7 was the first version of the iPhone's operating system overseen by former Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, and when Big Sur came out in 2020, it was the first version of macOS to run iPad apps and work on Apple's custom silicon. There don't seem to be any equally big shifts paired with iOS 19, iPadOS 19 and macOS 16, beyond the company's ongoing work on Apple Intelligence, which isn't available in all of its apps yet. Apple Intelligence was introduced alongside iOS 18 and includes a host of new AI-powered features for working with audio, images and text, on top of a revamped version of Siri that can use apps for you. Most of those features shipped — though not at launch — save for the new Siri, which Apple recently announced will now be available "in the coming year."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/apple-is-reportedly-planning-a-major-redesign-for-ios-19-and-macos-16-202804091.html?src=rss

11.03.2025 01:50 Go to a profile of any celebrity on Wikipedia and it's quite possible that you'll be met with a terrible photo of them. Such images are often old or out of focus, perhaps captured candidly on a smartphone at a public event. A group of volunteer photographers has set out to fix that, as 404 Media reports. Any media uploaded to Wikipedia has to be made freely available for anyone to use. Given that professional photographers want to make money from their work, they don't tend to share their photos there. Enter WikiPortraits, a team of amateur snappers who have been hitting up festivals, award ceremonies and other events to take Creative Commons-licensed shots of high-profile attendees. Some of the stars seem very happy to have a replacement headshot on their Wikipedia page, the first stop for many people to find out about that person. One photographer, Jay Dixit, said Succession star Jeremy Strong was all too glad to pose for a new snap. "His publicist said no," Dixit recounted. "But Jeremy said, 'Wait, you’re from Wikipedia? For the love of God, please take down that photo. You’d be doing me a service.'" The Wikimedia Foundation and donations are funding WikiPortraits' efforts, which you can read more about at 404 Media.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/volunteer-photographers-are-fixing-wikipedias-terrible-celebrity-headshots-194454358.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 AMD just debuted its new FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 upscaling tech on the latest Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 Ti GPUs, and it sounds like it might not be limited PCs. According to a new Digital Foundry interview with Mark Cerny, some version of FSR 4 will make it into the PlayStation 5 Pro via a software update rather than new hardware. "Our target is to have something very similar to FSR 4's upscaler available on PS5 Pro for 2026 titles as the next evolution of PSSR," Cerny tells Digital Foundry. The PS5 Pro's PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution is a custom upscaling technology that lets the console run lower-resolution versions of games and make them appear like they're 4K, and by Cerny's own lengthy explanation, it was created using a combination of existing and future AMD tech. Based on our review of AMD's new GPUs, FSR 4 is not a miracle worker. In some cases it leads to a lower frame rate than you might get from FSR 3, but in exchange for more detail. That extra crispness, while subtle, will probably make a difference to someone who's already spent $700 on a "Pro" console. The comparison video below does a pretty good job of illustrating the improvements FSR 4 actually makes: Sony believes implementing FSR 4 on the PS5 Pro is even possible in the first place because the company also directly contributed to the development of the tech through its "Project Amethyst" collaboration with AMD. "The neural network in FSR 4's upscaler are the first results of the Amethyst collaboration," according to Cerny. The company's work with AMD was announced with a focus on building new machine learning architecture for game graphics, but it will clearly have more immediate impacts on PSSR and current PlayStation consoles, too. "FSR 4 and this next evolution of PSSR are a paradigm for our future," Cerny tells Digital Foundry, "going forward we expect to have our own implementations of each of the algorithms developed through the collaboration."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstations-mark-cerny-says-a-version-of-fsr-4-could-be-implemented-on-the-ps5-pro-191802108.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 The fantastic third-person adventure Control, developed by Remedy Entertainment, just got a surprise software update. The biggest news here is HDR support, which should be a real boon for graphics-minded gamers. Interestingly, HDR support started as a mod. It was made by a Remedy dev as a passion project and now it’s in the actual game. That’s always nice to hear. There’s a video below with a lot more information as to how this was done. The update also brings improved DLSS support. The game now integrates with DLSS 3.7. This isn’t the latest DLSS 4.0 release, but it’ll get the job done. Film grain has been added back to DLSS SR and the devs have enhanced shadow resolution when DLSS is enabled. Otherwise, the update brings a new “Ultra” ray-tracing preset, which the dev promises “more rays per pixel and higher temporal stability.” There’s ultrawide monitor support for up to 48:9 displays, a new FOV scaling setting for the camera and rendering resolution support beyond 4K. This is very much a graphics-focused update. The newly-released features do, however, go beyond looks. All outfits that were formerly pre-order or console-specific exclusives will now be available to everyone. Also, all players can now access a mission called Dr. Yoshimi Tokui’s Guided Imagery Experience. This is the one that includes voice work by Hideo Kojima. This mission was previously exclusive to the PS4 Digital Deluxe version of the game. Beyond that, there are the usual minor bug fixes, including one for the end game credits. The update is available right now for PC players, with a console version on the way.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/a-surprise-control-update-brings-hideo-kojima-and-hdr-to-the-pc-version-190051559.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 Perhaps like the loser of the proposed cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg that's never, ever happening, X has been down and out for much of Monday. Down Detector saw a spike in outage reports from users between around 5:30 AM and 6:30AM ET. There were two more prolonged spikes, denoting more significant outages, later in the morning. Team Engadget has not been able to view tweets on X for the most part, save for a few brief moments when the service showed signed of life. The platform's owner, Elon Musk, claimed that there was a "massive cyberattack against X" with either a "large, coordinated group and/or a country" behind the claimed assault. Musk didn't provide any evidence, but experts told NBC News that his assertions were plausible. “It’s difficult to be certain, but given the pattern of three observed outages, a denial service attack targeting X’s infrastructure can’t be ruled out,” Isik Mater, director of research at NetBlocks, which tracks internet connectivity around the world, told the outlet. “It’s certainly one of the longest X/Twitter outages in our records.” This isn't the first time that Musk has blamed a major attack for X's technical issues. He did the same thing last year when when he held a livestreamed audio chat with President Donald Trump last year and the broadcast wasn't working.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/elon-musk-says-a-massive-cyberattack-is-to-blame-for-x-being-down-184148605.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 TCL just unveiled a new TV in its Precise Dimming Series. The QM7K is a Mini LED TV and a follow-up to the recently-released QM6K. It uses the company’s Halo Control Technology Suite, which is kind of a catch-all name for a bunch of tweaks the company has made to the dimming and picture quality of its Mini LEDs. The company says the QM7K offers higher peak brightness than its predecessors and a new anti-reflective panel. TCL also promises “enhanced color accuracy, gray scale accuracy” and “virtually no blooming.” This is thanks to the company's Super High Energy LED Chip, which combines high brightness with increased light efficiency, and the Super Condensed Micro Lens, which uses a “narrower light path for more precise” control. TLC Additionally, newly-enhanced technology minimizes the optical distance between the backlight and the diffuser, which eliminates blooming, reduces the halo effect and avoids LED light overlap. The new features, in conjunction with the anti-reflective panel, create a picture with a better contrast and deeper blacks. On the software side of things, there’s a new color optimization algorithm for improved accuracy. The Halo Control System also adds a bi-directional 23-bit backlight controller, which allows for granular control of over 65,000 levels of brightness for each and every LED. There’s also a new algorithm that “intelligently optimizes” incoming SDR signals at “near HDR level.” The QM7K features Bang Olfusen speakers and select sizes ship with a pedestal stand. Sizes range from 55-inches all the way up to 115-inches. Prices fluctuate from around $1,300 for the smallest one to a whopping $20,000 for the 115-inch monster. Traditional sizes are availright right now at retailers nationwide, with the large models coming soon. Some purchases come with a $500 Visa gift card, which is a nice bonus. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/home-theater/tcls-new-mini-led-tv-offers-higher-peak-brightness-and-better-contrast-than-earlier-models-175237076.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 Season two of HBO’s The Last of Us is just a month away, and as such the hype cycle kicked into full gear this past weekend. A full trailer finally arrived on Saturday during a panel at SXSW with the show’s creators and cast , and both that trailer and the panel discussion reinforced at least one major change coming this season: more action. That could fix one of the bigger complaints fans had about season one, which garnered tons of praise from critics and fans alike. While season one brought the Infected to life in terrifying fashion, there were long stretches of the show where they simply weren’t around, making them feel like less of an ever-present threat. The new trailer shows off the town of Jackson, where Joel and Ellie settled at the end of season one along with his brother Tommy, under a massive siege of Infected, the kind of battle that might take up an entire episode. And show creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann hinted that Infected would play a bigger role this season, not just in numbers. "It was important to us to always move the ball forward with the infected," Mazin said during the SXSW panel. "It’s not a question of just more, but something else that is meaningful to what is going on so they don’t just become NPCs. So definitely an escalation, we’re careful about it because we know we have space yet to go ." And in response to the panel’s moderator noting the balance between action and drama, Druckmann pointed out that, for the showrunners, "everything is drama, even the action scenes. They all have to be character-driven." To that end, the trailer showed off a new-but-old way for the infection to spread that wasn’t present in the first season: spores. Anyone who played the games noted the absence of spores as a transmission for infection in the first season, but Mazin exclaimed "spores? They’re back!" when talking about how the Infected were evolving for the new season. "There had to be a dramatic reason to introduce now," Druckmann said, "and now there is." Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t more forthcoming about the details. I didn’t really object to the lack of spores in season one; it felt more like a game mechanic than something crucial to the plot. But there are a few story beats in The Last of Us Part II that I can recall where having spores around leads to a crucial plot reveal, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they get integrated here, and what the on-screen excuse will be for not seeing them before now. Similarly, I chalked the smaller number of Infected up to changes made to translate a video game to a show, though I feel like the first season could have had one more big throw-down — but I feel like season two will answer those complaints and then some. Druckmann also said part of the reason the Infected weren’t more present was simply that the showrunners "weren’t exactly sure what we were doing." That’s not in terms of the story, but specifically in terms of showing the Infected on screen. "What should Infected look like? How much should be practical effects? How much can be VFX? Now, we know what we’re doing and we swung for the fences," he said. "In the game, we talk about how Jackson has had these attacks, but now we get to show it. And the reason we do it is we show you what’s at stake, not for individuals but for an entire community." The notion of community plays into the overarching story that Mazin and Druckmann want to tell in season two. Druckmann said that the first season followed Joel and Ellie and was a lot about them against other communities, like the group in Kansas City or David’s flock of followers late in the first season. "Now, we get to see them settled in Jackson, that’s their home, and there’s a love there for a community," Druckmann explained. "That gets us into tribalism… what happens when you go against another group and you don’t see the humanity in them and how far will that take you, especially when they hurt someone you love." HBO Mazin followed that up by noting that the show has tried to investigate "the cost of love" and is now trying to create a sense of a larger, communal love and how a smaller, tighter group can fit into it. "What happens if someone in your tight group is taken from you, and you feel alone? One thing Ellie said in season one was the thing she’s most afraid of is ending up alone," Mazin said. "So all these characters have to face this potential threat of being alone, and without a tribe, and then what do you do?" The other big theme that came out of the panel focused on how new cast members Kaitlyn Dever , Isabela Merced and Young Mazino would fit in with returning stars Bella Ramsey , Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna . "Yes, came in like badasses," said Pascal before then turning to Ramsey. "But you make it so easy, and so welcoming. I think we all really looked to Bella this time around as far as the cast is concerned. And this kind of open permission to be ourselves and to partner together in the scenes… I think it is the sort of unspoken leadership that made it such an easy, horrifying place to step into." With his ever-present Dad-style humor, Pascal followed that by saying "The story was horrifying. Not Canada." "They’re not new to me, because we’ve lived all this time together and it was seamless… and I feel rather protective of you guys, and I love you guys, and you gave us everything," Mazin said. "Not a weak link in the chain," Druckmann interjected before Mazin went on to say how much he was looking forward to shooting with them yet again. Ramsey spoke to how well the new cast integrated itself during season two’s filming. "I think it’s such a hard thing to do, to come into a world and a show that’s already really established, it must be so intimidating and these people just came in and made it their own and fit in so well," they said. "Izzy brought a lot of joy and laughter and made everyone laugh consistently… it’s just a joy to work with all three of these guys." HBO Kaitlyn Dever owned up to the anxiety the shoot produced, saying that stepping into a world that was so beloved was "nerve-wracking and anxiety-inducing" — and that’s without mentioning the online hate that the character she’s portraying received in 2020 when The Last of Us Part II was leaked two months before its release. Dever didn’t get into that specific hornet’s nest during the panel, but did say that "there are so many expectations going into this, and it's just a matter of balancing that and also coming to it with my own ideas and building the character with Craig and Neil." The cast was an undeniable highlight of the first season of The Last of Us — everyone on the show absolutely killed, regardless of whether they were in six episodes or were on the screen for six minutes. Projecting familial friendliness during a press tour is one thing, but the love and respect the actors have for each other as well as Mazin and Druckmann has been continually obvious over the last few years, particularly between Ramsey and Pascal. A fan shot a clip of Pascal watching the season two trailer during the panel, and he clearly gets emotional at the end of it, leaning over and giving Ramsey a big bear hug. As much as the show might be, on the surface, about fungal zombies, it only works because of the relationships between the characters on screen, whether that’s Joel and Ellie or now Ellie and Dina or Abby and her WLF crew. Assuming everyone gets that right in season two, the show should satisfy again — regardless of how many Infected are on screen.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-season-two-promises-a-lot-more-action-alongside-devastating-drama-170044014.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 Now's a good time to pick up a pair of AirPods Pro 2 earbuds. Amazon has them on sale for $170, which is just about the lowest price we've seen them this year. The all-time low hit back during Black Friday last year, but if you missed them then, you have another opportunity now to grab them for a good sale price. This purchase comes with the earbuds, four pairs of silicone tips in different sizes, a charging case, a lanyard loop and a USB-C cable. We heaped a fair amount of praise on these earbuds in our official review, calling them "a worthwhile update." The sound is better-than-ever, thanks to new drivers, amplifiers, transducers and audio algorithms. The transparency mode is absolutely stellar, largely helped by the company’s proprietary H2 chip. The ANC is solid, particularly for earbuds. This is also thanks to that H2 chip, which allows the AirPods Pro to cancel twice as much noise as the first-gen model. These earbuds are made for Apple devices, so there’s seamless switching between, say, iPhones, iPads and Macs. The touch gesture controls are neat, but there's a learning curve. Give it a few days before throwing in the towel. The battery life is just average, but the charging case helps keep the music going. The primary downside here is age. The AirPods 2 Pro earbuds came out in 2022, so a refresh is likely on the horizon. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-airpods-pro-2-are-down-to-170-at-amazon-180055702.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 20:41 Every new gadget you buy comes at a cost to your wallet, but there’s a hefty environmental price to pay as well. Every phone and laptop out there is a non-compostable mass of metal and plastic, and every new generation of them means more rare earth metals pulled out of the ground. Then there’s the human labor required to put them together, and the water and fuel used in manufacturing and shipping. It all adds up, but you can help bring that cost down a bit by recycling your old devices. Fortunately, companies and governments alike have made it possible to dispose of your old devices responsibly. You can take your items to a recycling center, drop them off at a store, or even mail them in. Here’s how to find places that will take your old gadgets. National chains There is no national electronics recycling law at this time, so you won't find any federal programs to assist you with getting rid of old devices. The USPS does run a program for federal agencies and their employees, but it's not available to the general public. Instead, the rest of us have to rely on nationwide retailers to toss out our old stuff. Best Buy With more than 1,000 locations in the United States, there may be a Best Buy close to you, in which case, you can go to a location to drop off items to be recycled. You just need to take it to the customer service counter. They'll issue you a receipt, but keep in mind that you can't claim the drop-off as a deduction on your taxes because Best Buy isn't a charity. As of 2025, Best Buy also has a mail-in option. You can purchase a small- or medium-sized box from the retailer, fill it up with as many approved gadgets as you can and ship it back to Best Buy to be recycled. You can either drop off your boxes at a UPS drop-off point or schedule a UPS pickup . You can even recycle televisions and monitors, though in most places you'll be charged a fee of $30 per item to cover the higher costs of transporting and disassembling them. Best Buy’s in-house TV brands, Insignia and Dynex, will always be accepted for free, though, as long as they’re smaller than 50 inches. If you're turning in any desktops, laptops or PC gaming accessories, you’ll get a voucher for 20 percent off toward the purchase of a new Logitech mouse, keyboard, webcam or headset. Just be aware that Best Buy limits you to three items per household per day, including up to two televisions or monitors. Staples Recycling your stuff at Staples is similar to Best Buy — just bring your products to the checkout counter and an associate will help you out. But you can only bring in seven items a day, and the store won’t accept televisions at all . Staples Easy Rewards members also receive points for bringing in goods to be recycled or shredded; the points can be redeemed at checkout for discounts on purchases . If you can’t make it to a store, Staples also offers a mail-in program. You’ll need to purchase a recycling box first, which starts at $14 for a small box and goes up to several hundred for a full pallet . You can put as much as you want into a box as long as it fits inside and doesn’t exceed the weight limit . A “serialized” option is also available for an additional charge, which includes an inventory list for everything you send back. The boxes are shipped to you and then back to Staples at no extra cost; just drop off the sealed packages at your local UPS drop-off point or call for a pickup. Office Depot / OfficeMax Office Depot and OfficeMax have almost 1,000 locations around the United States but, unlike Staples and Best Buy, the company won't recycle your old gadgets for free. If you're only getting rid of a few phones, batteries or ink and toner cartridges, those can be turned in at any Office Depot or OfficeMax store for no charge. For everything else, you must purchase a Tech Recycling Box even if you’re already at the store. Once you have the box, you can fill it with as many items as you can fit inside, including smaller televisions, as long as it doesn’t exceed the weight limit. So it's a great deal if you have a lot of stuff you want to dispose of. These must be turned in at an Office Depot or OfficeMax store; an associate will check to make sure all the items are acceptable and prepare the box for shipping . You can also return used ink and toner cartridges and get $2 each, up to 10 a month, if you’re a rewards member and spend at least $10 in-store on products within the same month. Home Depot and Lowes You can dispose of old rechargeable batteries, old phones and CFL bulbs in the dropoff boxes at any of 2,300 Home Depot or 1,700 Lowe’s locations. The bins are usually located in the front of the store, and Home Depot has an 11-pound limit on individual items, while batteries must be under 300Wh. Target Target locations have drop-off bins for recyclables located near the entrance; in addition to bins for paper and plastics, there is a specially-designated bin for e-waste like cellphones and used ink cartridges. Manufacturers If you can't make it to a retail location, especially when you need to get rid of only one or two items, many companies offer recycling programs for their own products. They'll even pay for shipping. Some run their own programs while others use outside organizations. We've outlined policies from a handful of manufacturers below. Amazon Amazon would love for you to use its trade-in program and, if you’re looking to recycle Amazon-branded products like Kindles, Fire TVs and even Ring doorbells, you absolutely should. Amazon will send you a gift card as well as promotional discount to use on a future Amazon device purchase, even if the returned product is non-functional. For products from other manufacturers that can’t be resold, Amazon offers mail-in recycling through its partner Re-Teck. You can send in your busted phones and tablets, as well as select peripherals like keyboards and mice. You'll just need to fill out some forms online and generate a shipping label, which you can slap on any box. Drop it off at a UPS location, and you're good to go; Amazon will cover all the costs. Apple Apple If your iPhone or MacBook is still in good shape, you should consider selling it, but if it's too old or beat up you can still score a gift card by using Apple's trade-in program. For iPhones and iPads, you'll be asked to fill out a form attesting to the product's condition and given a trade-in quote . For Macs and Apple Watches, you'll be asked to provide a serial number as well. Though Apple won't give you cash for anything it deems too old, broken or otherwise unacceptable, you can still mail it in or bring it to any Apple Store so it can be responsibly disposed of. Dell Dell offers drop-off recycling via a partnership with Goodwill. Not every location participates, but there are more than 2,000 that do. And, because it's a charity, you may even be able to deduct it as a donation on your taxes. Dell also has a mail-back program on its site where you can generate and print out a shipping label and drop the package off at a FedEx location instead. Epson You can ship old products back to Epson by simply creating a shipping label on its site and dropping it off at a FedEx location. If you’re located in New York, you can even get free packaging sent to you by calling 866-922-8252. Epson also recommends getting in touch with a local charity via Digitunity, where your old equipment may be refurbished for use by people in need. HP If you can, HP recommends taking its products to the nearest Best Buy. HP does have a trade-in program, but it’s geared toward business customers looking to upgrade equipment that still has market value and individual consumers will be redirected to other recycling methods. Ink and toner cartridges can be returned by mail; the company will mail you an envelope that can hold between three and eight ink cartridges and can be dropped off in a mailbox or at the post office. For toner and large quantities of ink cartridges, you can print out a label and use your own box, or request a box be sent directly to you, which you’ll fill with items and drop off at a UPS location. Other manufacturers Many other companies use outside recyclers to dispose of their products, and you'll often see the same names popping up again and again across different manufacturers. This should simplify things in some cases — you should be able to send in products from multiple sources in one package. You just need to fill in the make and model to generate a prepaid shipping label. However, different states have different rules on what you can return, so the drop-downs for selecting your product may vary by area. Two major recycling companies you'll notice a lot are RLG, which covers Acer, Google, Intel, Lenovo, and Microsoft; and MRM, which recycles products for Brother, Hisense, Hitachi, HTC, Logitech, Panasonic, TCL and Wacom. States There may not be a national law dictating that you must recycle your electronics, but at least 26 states have passed rules that vary widely on what they demand of manufacturers and consumers. Almost all states that do collect products for recycling provide this service free, with the bill footed by the companies in some way. Most provide some local programs to help you get rid of your stuff, regardless of whether recycling your gadgets is required or optional. States where you can no longer dispose of electronics in the regular trash and must recycle them include: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. The following states have laws requiring manufacturers to pay for recycling, but you, the consumer, are not actually required to recycle your electronics: Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. The following states have some special circumstances worth noting: Connecticut Does not allow recycling centers to charge you a fee for turning in electronics, so many organizations and retailers that would usually charge for recycling televisions and monitors do not accept them. Because you cannot dispose of them curbside, you can take them to a municipal transfer station for free. New York New York State has a law making it illegal to charge a fee at recycling centers, so this is your best bet for disposing of old televisions . If you live in a New York City apartment building with 10 or more units, contact your landlord about getting an ecycleNYC drop-off box installed in your building. It’s super convenient and free. Pennsylvania Does not allow retailers to charge you a fee to recycle, so places like Best Buy and Staples will not accept most televisions or monitors. Many recycling centers have also closed as a result of underfunding, so check the list of open locations first. Some nonprofit recyclers may still accept the items, and you should check to see if your local government is hosting any drop-off events. Lancaster and Dauphin Counties also still run civic recycling programs. Virginia This state does not have a dedicated statewide recycling program, but some localities run their own programs including Fairfax, Loudoun and Rockbridge counties, and cities like Arlington. Check each municipality’s site for details. Cell phones Cell phones are the easiest gadget to recycle — if you haven't already decided to sell yours off on eBay or via sites like Decluttr and ecoATM. But, if these options don’t appeal to you, you can send it to: Call2Recycle, which has drop-off centers all over the country in many chain stores, including Lowes, Home Depot and Staples. It will also accept rechargeable batteries. Cell Phones for Soldiers accepts phones in any condition and sells them to refurbishers or recyclers. The proceeds go toward purchasing phone cards for troops so they can call their friends and family back home. To be clear, the phones are not given directly to the soldiers. You can donate via mail: If you’re sending less than 10 devices, you’ll need to pay for shipping. More than 10 devices, and Cell Phones for Soldiers will give you a prepaid mailing label. You can also just drop it off at one of more than 3,000 locations. The three major US carriers — Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — all offer free recycling. You can trade in your old device in-store or send it in for a credit toward a new phone, or let them straight up recycle it. AT&T also participates in Cell Phones for Soldiers. If you do decide to try your luck with ecoATM to see if your old phone is still worth a few bucks and it turns out it's worth nothing, you can at least rest easy knowing that the company will also recycle your phone responsibly.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/where-to-recycle-electronics.html?src=rss

10.03.2025 15:50 If you’ve picked up an iPad in the last five years or so, the new iPad Air will not surprise you. It is, in every way but one, identical to the iPad Air that Apple released last spring. The only difference is that the latest iPad Air has the M3 chip inside, instead of the already-capable M2. Even the colors appear identical this year. Besides the 13-inch screen option Apple added last spring, the iPad Air is barely different from the one that was released way back in 2020. That makes this iPad exceedingly easy to review — everything I wrote last May when I reviewed the 13-inch iPad Air M2 applies here. I like that it has a long-lasting battery, plenty of power, a reasonable amount of base storage and a front-facing camera on the landscape edge. The 13-inch model is still fairly large, but it’s thin and light enough to hold without issue — though if you prefer holding an iPad to using it with a keyboard, you’re probably better off with the 11-inch model. The Apple Pencil Pro released last year is a nice upgrade for serious visual artists. I don’t like that it still relies on Touch ID instead of Face ID, and I think it’s time the iPad Air had a better display. Given that the M3 chip is the main change here, it’s worth giving it a little more attention. Geekbench 6 scores show that the iPad Air with the M3 is about 16 percent more powerful in both single- and multi-core scores. That’s pretty impressive given that the M2 iPad Air is less than a year old, but it’s not something that’ll radically change how you use the device. It does mean it’s a little more future-proof, though, and I’m always happy about that. In real use, the iPad Air handled multitasking through my workday, playing games, transcoding video and trying out various Apple Intelligence features with absolutely no hiccups and slowdowns. Apple has been aggressive about putting extremely powerful chips in the iPad Air and Pro lineups for a few years now, and it’s nice that you basically never have to worry about slowdowns. And the newer chip had no ill effects on battery life — I easily got eight hours during a workday with the Magic Keyboard connected the whole time, and close to the 10 hours Apple promises when doing more causal activities or watching video. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Apple also fixed one of my two major complaints about the last iPad Air. It has a new Magic Keyboard modeled after the much-improved one that was introduced alongside the iPad Pro M4. It’s thinner and lighter than the old iPad Air keyboard, has a row of useful function keys and the trackpad is a bit bigger. These aren’t major changes, but they are enough to make me much happier with the keyboard experience this year. It doesn’t have a few niceties you’ll find on the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard, though: The top case is smooth plastic rather than aluminum, the keys aren’t backlit and the trackpad has a physical click rather than haptic feedback. However, this keyboard is also $30 cheaper than the one it replaces. It’s still wildly expensive — $269 for the 11-inch Air and $319 for the 13-inch model. The iPad Pro M4 on the left and the iPad Air M3 on the right. The iPad Pro's keyboard has a slightly bigger trackpad. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget In fact, this whole package I’m trying is wildly expensive. The 13-inch iPad Air with 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity costs $1,449, and that’s not including the keyboard. However, a comparably specced iPad Pro costs, wait for it, $2,099 without its keyboard. The 13-inch Air starts at $799 with 128GB of storage, a price that seems fair to me. Similarly, the 11-inch Air at $599 feels like a great value and has numerous meaningful improvements over the basic iPad. With the new iPad Air so similar to last year’s model, I started thinking about the compromises that Apple makes to keep the price of the Air at a more approachable level, and whether those are reasonable in 2025. The major advantages the iPad Pro M4 has over the iPad Air M3 are: a much better OLED display with a higher refresh rate, more storage space on the base model, a more powerful chip, better speakers and microphones, Face ID instead of Touch ID, a thinner and lighter design, a LiDAR sensor and a few extra photo and video capture capabilities. The iPad Pro also offers a nano-texture front glass option on the 1TB and 2TB models, and those models with more storage also have 16GB of RAM instead of 8GB. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget In almost all cases, I don’t have any issue with those features staying exclusive to the iPad Pro. But after using the iPad Air for a bit, I think it’s time Apple finds a way to improve on the screen. In fact, I think there’s a solid solution waiting in the wings: deploy the mini-LED display that Apple used in the iPad Pro from 2021 and 2022. That screen refreshes at up to 120Hz, the same as others that Apple brands as ProMotion-capable, and max brightness when watching movies was 1,000 nits — and could jump up to 1,600 nits for HDR content. Brightness when not watching video maxed out at 600 nits, like the iPad Air, but given how popular iPads are for watching video, this would be a major improvement. Chances are that between the higher refresh rate and improved brightness, Apple feels the mini-LED screen would still be too close to the iPad Pro’s OLED panel . And Apple never made a mini-LED display for the 11-inch iPad Pro, so it would have to develop something new for the smaller iPad Air. There are plenty of reasons not to do it, but I think the iPad Air deserves a better screen. In fact, I’d be happy enough if Apple just gave me the same screen with a higher refresh rate. The company still reserves that feature for its most expensive “Pro” devices, but the landscape is a lot different in 2025 than it was in 2020. Plenty of midrange phones have 90Hz or 120Hz screens. Of course, Apple has never really cared about what other manufacturers do; it has pretty consistent rules about what devices get what tech. The iPad Air’s screen is essentially the same as the one on the MacBook Air, while the more expensive iPad Pro, MacBook Pro and iPhone Pro lines all get higher refresh rates. That’s just where we’re at, but I’m ready for it to change. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Of course, I also need to admit that the iPad Air’s screen remains quite lovely. Apple has fine-tuned its LCD tech to within an inch of its life, and it shows in the vibrant colors, overall sharpness and great viewing angles. Sure, I notice that blacks aren’t as “truly black” as they could be with an OLED or mini-LED, but I’m not sitting around thinking about that when I watch movies or play games. I just enjoy what I’m doing without fussing over screen specs. The lower refresh rate is more noticeable in day-to-day usage — you’re constantly touching, swiping and scrolling through content on an iPad, and it just does not feel as fluid. My main devices are a MacBook Pro, iPhone 14 Pro and iPad Pro, all of which use ProMotion. Stepping down to the iPad Air is just a bit of a bummer. And while Apple clearly feels it doesn’t always have to respond to larger industry trends, it’s hard to imagine it sticking with 60Hz screens for most of their products much longer. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget My other major quibble with the iPad Air is Touch ID. At this point, Face ID really does not feel like a “Pro” feature. Excluding the iPhone SE lineup, every new iPhone since 2018 has had Face ID, but you still need to spend $1,000 or more to get it on an iPad. That feels a little extreme! Touch ID is fine, but there are a lot of sites and services I often need to log in to for work and having to constantly reach up and touch the top button is a bit of a hassle. Especially compared with just making sure my face is in frame with the front camera. This probably felt like more of a pain during my review, since the iPad Air is brand new and setting up requires a ton of logging in to various apps. Still, Face ID definitely does not feel like a feature that needs to be locked to Pro devices at this point. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget Everything else you need to know about the new iPad Air is covered in my review from 10 months ago, but I’ll sum it up. I think the Air remains a clear upgrade over the base iPad — I appreciate its improved display, stronger performance, more robust multitasking experience and better accessories. Not to mention the 13-inch Air is the only way to get a big-screen iPad without breaking the bank. I’m glad Apple built a better keyboard too, and if you have an older iPad Air, the new keyboard will work with it. But the new iPad with the A16 chip is also better than its predecessor because Apple has fixed a number of issue with it since 2022. The price is lower, storage is doubled and the dumb Lightning Pencil charging situation is now gone. If you don't care about Apple Intelligence, more advanced multitasking and a better or bigger screen, a lot of people looking for "just a good iPad" won't miss the Air's upgrades, especially if they're saving $250. However, for people who want more from their iPad, the Air is just as easy for me to recommend as it was last year. You can get 80 percent of the iPad Pro experience for a lot less money, and the vast majority of buyers aren’t going to miss the Pro’s extra features. My main caveat is that this iPad Air feels like a slightly-upgraded stopgap ahead of a bigger redesign, much as the iPad Pro was in 2022. That iPad went from an M1 to an M2 and got some nice software updates, but was largely the same as its predecessor — and then Apple gave it a massive update a year and a half later. The iPad Air M3 feels like it's in a similar place, just waiting for a big refresh. I don't think it'll be too long before Apple has to update some of its older bits, particularly the display. If you’re the kind of person who really loves a good screen, it might be worth waiting another year to see if Apple finally brings faster refresh rates to more iPads.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/tablets/ipad-air-m3-review-a-modest-update-thats-still-easy-to-recommend-130045196.html?src=rss