Hasta La Gadget!

Welcome back to another Engadget Review Recap (or as I prefer to call it, ERR). This is the second edition of a mostly bi-weekly series rounding up the reviews that our team has published, as well as some insight on what’s coming, what we skipped and how we do our testing. Plus, fun team trivia! If you missed a review in the last two weeks or simply didn’t have the time to read every single thing we publish (how dare you), let this roundup be your quick catch-up. 

This week, we’re looking back at the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro reviews, as well as the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC, which is a mouthful of a name if I ever saw one. Other Pixel devices are also being tested as we speak, and the reviews team is pretty busy behind the scenes. On Monday, Apple announced an “It’s Glowtime” event for September 9, which means we’re also expecting new iPhones and Apple Watches to play with soon.

For now, though, here’s what’s been happening on the Engadget reviews team. 

Pixel 9 review: A solid, not-too-pricey Android flagship

by Sam Rutherford

First of all, huge news from the Engadget team: Our senior writer Sam Rutherford just had a baby! Sam will be off on parental leave for a bit, and has managed to keep himself extremely busy right down to the wire, filing hands-ons and helping with reviews up until he went off to the hospital. We will be lost without Sam, but are extremely happy for him and his family as they welcome the lovely addition to their lives. 

The Pixel 9 review is the last full review you’ll see from Sam for a while, and in it he clearly explains how impressed he is by Google’s premium-ish handset. To him, it’s the go-to Android phone, overshadowing Samsung’s S24 and any other Android flagship worth considering. It’s got a grown-up vibe to it like the Pixel 9 Pros, and has great camera and battery performance. At $799, it delivers plenty for the money.

It’s a little tricky to consider the Pixel 9 in the shadow of its Pro counterparts, since there’s also the Pixel 8a or the future Pixel 9a possibly nipping at its toes with a great set of features for a lower price. If you have the $200 or so to spare, you might be considering the Pros, which we also reviewed last week.

Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL review: Holy 94 points for a Pixel?

by Mat Smith

I kid you not: My jaw dropped when I saw the score that Mat Smith, UK bureau chief, proposed for the Pixel 9 Pro. It’s possibly the highest we’ve ever given any Google-made phone, not to mention also arguably the first time a Pixel has been scored in iPhone territory. In fact, both Mat and myself found ourselves mistaking the Pixel 9 Pro for our own iPhones by touch and when their screens were facing up. Sam also thought the Pixel 9 looked and felt remarkably similar to Apple’s flagships, which is, in a weird way, a compliment to Google. 

These phones feel grown up, refined and classy. Gone is the glossy finish that the Pixel 6 and newer came in, and with it also went the tendency for these devices to slide off any non-stable surface. The camera bar also looks more elegant, and the straight edges give the Pixel 9 Pros that iPhone vibe that older models lacked.

I love how Google was able to give its latest flagships the iPhone treatment while retaining its character with the camera bar. I adore the new colors, too, especially the pair of pink Pros I received. 

A huge part of why we scored the Pixel 9 Pro as high as we did is the fact that the new smaller Pro doesn’t have many compromises due to its size. The Pixel 9 Pro XL and the smaller version both have the same camera setup and are really only different in display and battery size. The larger flagship charges slightly faster, but the baby Pro lasts so. danged. long. It beat pretty much every recent phone we’ve on our video rundown battery test.

As usual, Google’s cameras beat the competition (especially at night), and while we don’t know if we’d pay to use its Gemini AI services ourselves, the fact that they’re available for free for now means it’s not a downside. Some of the new software, like the Pixel Screenshots app or the Add Me tool in the camera, are nifty and generally effective. Others, like Pixel Studio and Reimagine in the photo editing tools, are somewhat problematic, as detailed by Allison Johnson at The Verge.

If you can avoid using those features, which I think is remarkably easy to do, then you’ll find the rest of the Pixel 9 Pro satisfying. Its upgraded display is bright and beautiful, though Mat, who only slightly bragged in his review that he had larger-than-average hands, didn’t like that the Pro XL had a bigger screen than last year’s model. He’s not wrong, that thing is hard to maneuver, especially for those of us cursed with smaller extremities. For that reason, we took a point off the Pro XL’s score compared to last year’s Pixel 8 Pro. We also wish Google had kept its flagships more competitively priced for one more year, since the Pixel 9 lineup costs pretty much the same as the corresponding devices from Samsung and Apple, instead of a hundred or so dollars cheaper in prior years.

Go on over to Mat’s review for the details and camera samples. For now, suffice to say that the Engadget team is very impressed with the Pixel 9 lineup, and we eagerly await our own verdicts on the other products in the family, like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. 

Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC: Good, but Intel variants might be better

by Devindra Hardawar

Feels like we might be getting several iterations of the Dell XPS 13 soon. The XPS 13 Copilot+ PC that Devindra reviewed this week feels like one such variant, as if we’re in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s the XPS 13 we reviewed earlier this year but instead of an Intel Core Ultra processor, it uses an Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite chip. That means it lasts a lot longer than your typical PC using x86 system architecture, but also is more likely to encounter potential compatibility issues. 

If you don’t plan on gaming on your laptop or need it to run obscure apps, a Snapdragon notebook might work for you, especially if you want long battery life. Gamers who plan on playing Fortnite or League of Legends will need to opt for an x86 system. because the anti-cheat features on those titles will prevent them from working on Arm-based machines. 

Considering we’ll likely be getting an XPS 13 with Intel’s Lunar Lake CPU later this year, those who want greater software compatibility in an AI PC with Dell’s premium design won’t have long to wait. The Lunar Lake processors also have neural processing units (NPUs) that are faster than the Snapdragon X Elite’s, too. If you don’t mind waiting, you’ll likely find a variant that satisfies your needs (or your prime timeline) soon enough.

Elsewhere on Engadget: Interviews, gaming news and hands-ons

Speaking of AI PCs powered by Intel, let’s not forget AMD. Devindra had a chat with AMD’s product leads for Ryzen AI and published an article last week around the company’s AI PC strategy. This type of interview informs our coverage and reviews of devices with these components, and they’re a great opportunity for us to unleash our inner nerds (innerds? never mind).

We also got the chance to nerd out with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on the Engadget Podcast this week, getting an inside look at what Apple might be unveiling at its event on September 9. 

Gamescom took place last week, and the Engadget team covered the event live, with news around titles from franchises like Dune, Indiana Jones, Marvel, Call of Duty and Civilization. Sam published a hands-on with “King of Meat,” which he called a “monstrous mash-up of a co-op platformer.”

Not enough gaming coverage? We’ve got you. Mat published a piece on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which looks like a beautiful RPG from French studio Sandfall Interactive. Our team also produced a series of lists and roundups of various types of games, from the best Apple Arcade options and Netflix games to titles for specific consoles like the Playdate and puzzle and word games you can play daily.

Senior reporter Jess Conditt checked out Razer’s new Wolverine V3 Pro controller for Xbox and PC this week, which is the company’s first fully wireless controller for Xbox consoles and also its first with Hall effects joysticks. Jess spent a few days with the V3 Pro, mostly playing Overwatch 2, and she found it “snappy and surprisingly compact.” She said “the joysticks are precise — they require a little more force than the wireless Forza Horizon 5 Xbox controller I generally use, but they’re nice and accurate.”

On the horizon: Upcoming reviews and how we decide what to cover

We continue to test Pixel devices that are becoming available to the public later in September, while working on testing more AI PCs, leftover Samsung Galaxy products and more. I’m personally extremely excited to check out the new Barbie flip phone from HMD, because I can type so much more quickly on a T9 keypad than on a touchscreen. I think I can, anyway.

Many products are announced every week, not to mention every year, and just this week we saw new gadgets like that Barbie phone, as well as a new AI wearable called the NotePin. Whether we review these devices depends largely on how important they are to our audience (which is usually determined by our understanding of reader interest and how likely they are to want to buy something). Whether a product is ever going to make it to a larger market also matters, so vaporware or mini personal projects on Kickstarter aren’t things we typically review. 

Finally, our individual staff members’ workload and desire to test these things also contribute to the decision-making process — if someone on the team liked something so much they bought it with their own money, they are always welcome to write up their experience for the site, as part of our ongoing series around things we bought.

As always, it is shaping up to be a busy few weeks ahead for our team, so please send good thoughts and vibes. Thank you as always for giving us your time, and have a fantastic weekend!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-review-recap-the-pixel-9-phones-are-surprisingly-great-in-spite-of-their-price-140056442.html?src=rss

As the US speeds toward one of the most consequential elections in its 248-year history, Google is rolling out safeguards to ensure users get reliable information. In addition to the measures it announced late last year, the company said on Friday that it’s adding election-related guardrails to YouTube, Search, Google Play and AI products.

YouTube will add information panels above the search results for at least some federal election candidates. The modules, likely similar to those you see when searching the web for prominent figures, will include the candidates’ basic details like their political party and a link to Google Search for more info. The company says the panels may also include a link to the person’s official website (or other channel). As Election Day (November 5) approaches, YouTube’s homepage will also show reminders on where and how to vote.

Google Search will include aggregated voter registration resources from state election offices for all users. Google is sourcing that data through a partnership with Democracy Works, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with various companies and organizations “to help voters whenever and wherever they need it.”

Meanwhile, the Google Play Store will add a new badge that indicates an app is from an official government agency. The company outlines its requirements for apps that “communicate government information” in a developer help document. Approved applications that have submitted the required forms are eligible for the “official endorsement signified by a clear visual treatment on the Play Store.”

As for generative AI, which can be prone to hallucinations that would make Jerry Garcia blush, Google is expanding its election-related restrictions, which were announced late last year. They’ll include disclosures for ads created or generated using AI, content labels for generated content and embedded SynthID digital watermarking for AI-made text, audio, images and video. Initially described as being for Gemini (apps and on the web), the election guardrails will apply to Search AI Overviews, YouTube AI-generated summaries for Live Chat, Gems (custom chatbots with user-created instructions) and Gemini image generation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-is-rolling-out-more-election-related-safeguards-in-youtube-search-and-ai-190422568.html?src=rss

As the US speeds toward one of the most consequential elections in its 248-year history, Google is rolling out safeguards to ensure users get reliable information. In addition to the measures it announced late last year, the company said on Friday that it’s adding election-related guardrails to YouTube, Search, Google Play and AI products.

YouTube will add information panels above the search results for at least some federal election candidates. The modules, likely similar to those you see when searching the web for prominent figures, will include the candidates’ basic details like their political party and a link to Google Search for more info. The company says the panels may also include a link to the person’s official website (or other channel). As Election Day (November 5) approaches, YouTube’s homepage will also show reminders on where and how to vote.

Google Search will include aggregated voter registration resources from state election offices for all users. Google is sourcing that data through a partnership with Democracy Works, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with various companies and organizations “to help voters whenever and wherever they need it.”

Meanwhile, the Google Play Store will add a new badge that indicates an app is from an official government agency. The company outlines its requirements for apps that “communicate government information” in a developer help document. Approved applications that have submitted the required forms are eligible for the “official endorsement signified by a clear visual treatment on the Play Store.”

As for generative AI, which can be prone to hallucinations that would make Jerry Garcia blush, Google is expanding its election-related restrictions, which were announced late last year. They’ll include disclosures for ads created or generated using AI, content labels for generated content and embedded SynthID digital watermarking for AI-made text, audio, images and video. Initially described as being for Gemini (apps and on the web), the election guardrails will apply to Search AI Overviews, YouTube AI-generated summaries for Live Chat, Gems (custom chatbots with user-created instructions) and Gemini image generation.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-is-rolling-out-more-election-related-safeguards-in-youtube-search-and-ai-190422568.html?src=rss

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the nation’s internet service providers to block the social media platform X. The New York Times reports that the order stems from owner Elon Musk’s refusal to appoint a legal representative for his case and comply with Moraes’ order to shut down X accounts he deemed as harmful to the democratic process. The order has been published online by Brazilian news site Poder 360.

The justice issued a deadline to telecom companies and tech giants to remove the X from its app stores and platforms. Apple and Google have five days to take down the social media app from its app stores. Brazil’s telecommunication’s agency Anatel has confirmed it has received the order, and ISPs in the country have just 24 hours to comply with the order.

Justice Moraes’ order doesn’t just block the country’s access to X. It also makes it a crime to use the app through a virtual private network (VPN). Anyone caught accessing X with a VPN could face a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).

Justice Moraes also froze the Brazillian bank accounts of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service provider on Thursday to further pressure Musk to comply with the court’s order. SpaceX, like X, is a private company majority owned by Musk, and X has $3 million in unpaid fines related to its case in the country. The day before, Justice Moraes issued a threat to ban the X platform entirely across Brazil if the social media company did not appoint a legal representative in the country. The deadline passed without any change to the court’s docket so the judge followed through on his promise.

Starlink expressed its disapproval with the order, vowing to fight the ruling. It even threatened to make its services free to customers to subvert the justice’s order.

The legal fight between Justice Moraes and Musk has been fuming for months. The Supreme Court Judge is also Brazil’s electoral authority and has been monitoring and issuing orders to candidates to steer clear of spreading false information through internet and social media channels.

Brazil’s 2022 presidential election between infamous incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and challenger and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reportedly filled with attempts to present voters with false information. Justice Moraes was, until recently, president of the nation’s Superior Electoral Court, which gave him the power to order takedowns of content that violated previous court orders. The judge issued a similar block of the messaging app Telegram for failing to freeze offending accounts, which was lifted after compliance.

Musk characterized Moraes’ directives to take down or freeze similar misinformation accounts from X as “censorship orders.” Earlier this month, Musk expressed his continued refusal to comply with the court by closing X’s Brazilian office in order “to protect the safety of our staff.” X’s Global Governments Affairs team also promised to publish all of “Judge de Moraes’ illegal demands and all related court filings.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/brazil-bans-x-for-refusing-to-comply-with-supreme-court-order-230247980.html?src=rss

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the nation’s internet service providers to block the social media platform X. The New York Times reports that the order stems from owner Elon Musk’s refusal to appoint a legal representative for his case and comply with Moraes’ order to shut down X accounts he deemed as harmful to the democratic process. The order has been published online by Brazilian news site Poder 360.

The justice issued a deadline to telecom companies and tech giants to remove the X from its app stores and platforms. Apple and Google have five days to take down the social media app from its app stores. Brazil’s telecommunication’s agency Anatel has confirmed it has received the order, and ISPs in the country have just 24 hours to comply with the order.

Justice Moraes’ order doesn’t just block the country’s access to X. It also makes it a crime to use the app through a virtual private network (VPN). Anyone caught accessing X with a VPN could face a daily fine of 50,000 Brazilian Real (around $8,900).

Justice Moraes also froze the Brazillian bank accounts of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service provider on Thursday to further pressure Musk to comply with the court’s order. SpaceX, like X, is a private company majority owned by Musk, and X has $3 million in unpaid fines related to its case in the country. The day before, Justice Moraes issued a threat to ban the X platform entirely across Brazil if the social media company did not appoint a legal representative in the country. The deadline passed without any change to the court’s docket so the judge followed through on his promise.

Starlink expressed its disapproval with the order, vowing to fight the ruling. It even threatened to make its services free to customers to subvert the justice’s order.

The legal fight between Justice Moraes and Musk has been fuming for months. The Supreme Court Judge is also Brazil’s electoral authority and has been monitoring and issuing orders to candidates to steer clear of spreading false information through internet and social media channels.

Brazil’s 2022 presidential election between infamous incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and challenger and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was reportedly filled with attempts to present voters with false information. Justice Moraes was, until recently, president of the nation’s Superior Electoral Court, which gave him the power to order takedowns of content that violated previous court orders. The judge issued a similar block of the messaging app Telegram for failing to freeze offending accounts, which was lifted after compliance.

Musk characterized Moraes’ directives to take down or freeze similar misinformation accounts from X as “censorship orders.” Earlier this month, Musk expressed his continued refusal to comply with the court by closing X’s Brazilian office in order “to protect the safety of our staff.” X’s Global Governments Affairs team also promised to publish all of “Judge de Moraes’ illegal demands and all related court filings.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/brazil-bans-x-for-refusing-to-comply-with-supreme-court-order-230247980.html?src=rss