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Tag: top tech trends of the future
The Google/Epic Games app store showdown goes before Court of Appeals | The DeanBeat
We had a rare peek this week into the legal world of antitrust and its enforcement in the games industry. Google is appealing its loss in an antitrust trial as Epic Games convinced a federal court that Google had illegally acted as a monopolist in restricting Epic’s access to Android users.
Now Google has taken the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals and is trying to get the remedies that Epic Games won tossed out. The two sides argued before a panel of three federal judges in San Francisco.
The case started back in 2020, when Epic Games filed lawsuits against Apple and Google on the same day, after they removed Fortnite from their stores, after Epic tried to enable users to download Fortnite or buy Fortnite goods via their Apple and Google-based smartphones from directly within an Epic Games app. Apple won the antitrust lawsuit, while Google lost.
I also had a chance to hear developers from the Google-funded Developers Alliance this week as they talked about the arguments they had about the remedies and how they could harm their business. It was a rare chance to hear from some of the parties — partisans on behalf of Google — express their viewpoints, as detailed in an amicus brief filed in favor of Google. Google also faces tough enforcement remedies in the Google search antitrust lawsuit. They noted something Apple and Google brought up repeatedly — that security concerns meant that Epic should not be easily allowed to “sideload” Fortnite into the user’s phones because it introduced security risks. Epic argued its security was fine and this was an attempt to create friction, or keep users from straying off the Google Play store.
The Epic Games Store is launching third-party mobile games. In the case, I believe Apple won against Epic Games in part because it was a monolithic company. Apple could decide its own policies for its store and also enforce the policies on the phones that it makes. Google, however, had no such control over the whole ecosystem. Rather, it had to persuade phone makers like Samsung to adopt Android and use the Google Play Store. But that’s where it got into antitrust trouble with a real evidence trail.
Epic Games argued that Google paid Samsung to make the Google Play Store the default store on Samsung phones and keep others like the Epic Games Store off. Epic Games called witnesses who were former Google employees and they confirmed this was Google’s intent in signing those contracts. Because Google paid to keep Epic and others off the Android smartphones and that likely harmed consumers in the form of higher prices, the jury found that Google violated antitrust law.
I listened to the arguments before the court over a livestream. A three-judge panel heard arguments from both sides for two hours and signaled that they seemed skeptical of Google’s appeal.
Epic Games argued that Google monopolized the way consumer access and pay for apps on Android devices. In 2023, a jury concluded that Google illegally blocked competition, and a trial judge ordered it to change the Google Play Store. Google is appealing. Meanwhile, Epic Games lost all of its claims against Apple in a similar antitrust case, winning only one matter on the right for developers to advertise lower prices on alternative app stores within their App Store apps. Google agreed to pay consumers $700 million and make changes in response to a lawsuit by state attorneys general over Play Store practices.
Hogan Lovells US lawyer Jessica Ellsworth represented Google. She argued that Apple’s victory against Epic Games should bar an opposite result in Google’s case.
Jessica Ellsworth for Google argued that Google and Apple are fierce competitors and that this should be taken into account when Epic Games argues that they are monopolists. She argued that Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store and other Android stores all compete for mobile gaming transactions in a marketplace that is fundamentally competitive. And she noted Apple won, while Google lost.
“You can’t just lose an issue that’s fully litigated the first time around and then pretend that didn’t happen and try to get a different result against a different adversary,” Ellsworth said, implying that this is what Epic did when it lost to Apple and then won against Google. The discussion focused on whether the Apple case was “preclusive,” where Apple’s victory against Epic should preclude an Epic victory over Google. One judge asked Ellsworth if she believed the second trial should never have taken place at all.
Ellsworth also argued that the judge in the Google trial, U.S. District Judge James Donato, failed to instruct the jury on what was required to prove how defendants handle aftermarket sales, while she said the Apple jury received such instructions.
“The very same products should be subject to the same governing legal framework,” she said.
Judge Danielle Jo Forrest said each case has to stand on its own. In the Apple case, Google alleged the judge told the jury to work out what the relevant market was for antitrust enforcement. Google presumed that, if instructed to do so in its case, the jury would have similarly found that Google did not have the monopoly in the relevant market. The judge asked if the instructional error was a reason to throw out the jury’s conclusion.
“What we’re saying is that the jury was not given the proper instructions about what the standard is to find an aftermarket, and so having not been properly instructed, that is presumed prejudicial,” Ellsworth, the attorney for Google, said. “We know it was prejudicial here because that’s the same element of an antitrust claim. That is the reason Epic’s proposed markets, this siloed approach, failed in the Apple case.”
The judge responded that an overarching antitrust principle is that you take every case on its facts. And there are “clear factual differences between the Android world and the Apple world.”
Judge Gabriel Sanchez also said he was having difficulty with the argument that the companies were somehow in the same position, even though Apple makes phones while Google creates software.
Senior circuit judge Margaret McKeown replied, “Just because they are players in the same market doesn’t mean the Apple case is preclusive here.”
Gary Bornstein, co-head of litigation at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, spoke for Epic Games. The attorney pointed out the differences between Apple’s phones and Google’s business model, where it did not sell devices but did transactions with the likes of Samsung.
“The problem is continued delay in bringing relief to a market that has been suffering under anticompetitive behavior for the better part of a decade,” Bornstein said. “Sending it back for the district court to do the homework assignment of writing an opinion is completely unnecessary. And my friend made the comment earlier that there’s a problem here because we don’t have findings on market definition and findings on competitive effects from the district court the way we did in the Apple case, sufficient for this court to assess. And I quote the liability decision well, juries decide liability in antitrust cases all the time. There’s no reason why this court needs” to review a liability decision.
He said there was no inconsistency between the two cases because there were overlapping markets. Apple operates everything from making the phone to creating the app store on it. Google doesn’t operate the whole ecosystem, and consumers behave under a different structure with Android.
“For there to be preclusion, which is really the context in which this issue is being presented to the court, there needs to be some actual inconsistency, so that the two results can’t both be correct at the same time,” Bornstein said. “That’s not true here. You can have overlapping markets, even if one accepts, just hypothetically for a moment, that the finding in Epic vs. Apple about the nature of the market were taken carved in stone, that would not preclude because it would not be inconsistent with the existence of the markets found by the jury.”
Bornstein disputed Google when it argued that the changes Donato ordered would results in a big harm for user privacy and security. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has called the 15 steps required to sideload Fortnite onto an Android phone “scare screens.”
Microsoft filed a brief in support of Epic Games, as did the Federal Trade Commission. David Lawrence, policy director at the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice, argued in support of upholding Epic’s victory.
“District Courts have broad authority and discretion to craft monopolization remedies, and when the law has been violated, the remedy must restore competition. We’re most concerned today that Google’s arguments threaten those bedrock principles. We’d like to urge this court not to adopt categorical constraints proposed by counsel here on the remedial discretion of the district courts,” Lawrence said. “We’re concerned that those constraints, if adopted, could prevent future courts from doing their duty under the law to restore competition to monopolized markets.”
Lawrence said, “We have unlawful conduct that affected the point of sale, whether or not competing app stores were preloaded onto Android phones. Those Android phones are in the hands of millions of Americans today. Restoring competition just through that avenue could become more interventionist. Loading app stores directly under the phones, without the user desiring to interacting with the point of sale in a really interventionist way. This court found what we think is very reasonable means of opening up competition. It took the app stores that are already there on the phone the Google Play Store, and it said a customer wants to download a competing App Store, let it use that store for a limited period of time as necessary to reopen the market to competition.”
The court of appeals is expected to rule this year and it will likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Source linkThe 8 best TVs for gaming in 2025, as vetted by our experts
There are lots of excellent TVs out there that are just fine for watching cable or streaming Netflix. But if your screen needs are a bit more video-game-inspired, it’s in your best interest to invest in a TV that’s tailor-made for gaming. While this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to spend an arm and a leg for a TV that plays nicely with your Xbox or PlayStation, there are a few essentials you should be on the lookout for, especially when it comes to HDR performance, input lag, and response times.
While noteworthy TV brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG all produce TVs that are designed to handle all your console and PC gaming needs, brands like Hisense and TCL offer a couple of more budget-friendly offerings, too. Our TV experts spent more than 200 hours testing TVs this year, giving us the expertise we need to put together this roundup of all the best gaming TVs you can buy. Here are some of our recommendations.
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
The best TV for gaming
LG G4 Evo OLED
Pros
- Outstanding brightness
- Astounding accuracy
- Unprecedented flexibility
- Awesome gaming performance
- Five-year warranty
Cons
- Hit-or-miss sound
- Frustrating remote
Specification: Screen sizes available 55, 65, 77, 83, and 97 inches Display type OLED HDR support Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG Operating system webOS 24 Connectivity 4 x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, optical, 3 x USB-A What is there to say about the magnificent LG G4 Series OLED that hasn’t been said? For starters, there’s what our editor-at-large and TV expert, Caleb Denison, had to say: “The LG G4 is a triumph of modern television engineering.” Those are big words, but Caleb couldn’t be any more astute. The LG G4 delivers some of the best brightness levels we’ve ever seen from an OLED TV. We clocked 1,500 nits at one point, which is the kind of illumination generally reserved for a QLED set.
That’s thanks in part to LG’s decision to use Micro Lens Array (MLA). When combined with the TV’s class-leading HDR support, it’s hard to beat the vibrant colors and fantastic contrast the LG G4 is capable of. LG’s Alpha 11 AI Processor with AI Picture Pro and 4K upscaling are working hard behind the scenes, too. And with its HDMI 2.1 connectivity, low input lag, and LG’s Game Optimizer picture mode, your PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S gameplay is going to blow your mind.
There’s a small risk of burn-in with the LG G4, but as long as you keep your TV turned off when it’s not in use (or have an auto-timer set up), you shouldn’t have any issues. The LG G4 Series OLED is available in 55-, 65-, 77-, 83-, and 97-inch sizes, and the three largest models come with LG’s Slim Wall Mount (the 55- and 65-inch versions come with a stand).
LG G4 Evo OLED
The best TV for gaming
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Best budget gaming TV
Hisense U7N ULED Series
Pros
- High brightness
- Great contrast
- Vivid color
- Surprising accuracy
- Great for gaming
Cons
- Poor off-angle viewing
- Risk of dirty screen effect
Specification: Screen sizes available 55, 65, 75, and 85 inches Display type mini-LED HDR support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG Operating system Google TV Connectivity 2 x HDMI 2.1, 4 x HDMI 2.0, Ethernet, optical, 3.5mm analog audio out, 2 x USB-A Sitting one rung below Hisense’s U8N ULED and a step above its U6N ULED, the Hisense U7N is a bright and colorful QLED (Hisense just likes to say ULED) that continues to showcase Hisense’s takeover of the budget-friendly TV market. With its full-array mini-LED backlighting and Hisense’s Hi-View Engine PRO chipset, the U7N does a fantastic job at optimizing every frame. We’re very impressed by the contrast levels this mini-LED is capable of, too, but you may experience the occasional bit of light bloom during darker scenes in movies, shows, and games.
Speaking of gaming, the Hisense U7N is tailor-made for console and PC hookups. On top of HDMI 2.1 connectivity (on inputs 3 and 4), a 144Hz refresh rate, and VRR support, the TV’s Auto Low Latency Mode kicks in when a PlayStation or Xbox is detected and automatically switches over to Game Mode.
The U7N ULED isn’t half bad when it comes to sound quality either. A built-in subwoofer helps to drive extra low end into the soundstage but doesn’t trump dialogue and vocals. You’ll also be able to stream Netflix, control smart home devices, cast content, and more with the U7N’s Google TV OS.
Available in 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch sizes, the Hisense U7N ULED doesn’t have the best off-angle viewing, but this shouldn’t be a problem if you’re working with a smaller to medium-sized viewing space.
Hisense U7N ULED Series
Best budget gaming TV
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Best runner-up gaming TV
Sony Bravia 9
Pros
- Super-clean picture
- Deep blacks, minimal blooming
- Excellent contrast
- Searing HDR highlights
- Excellent motion handling
Cons
- Backlight fluctuations visible in dark rooms
- Very expensive
Specification: Screen sizes available 65, 75, and 85 inches Display type mini-LED HDR support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG Operating system Google TV Connectivity 2 x HDMI 2.1, 4 x HDMI 2.0, Ethernet, optical, 2 x USB-A New in 2024, the Sony Bravia 9 Series was not only the company’s flagship set of the year but it’s also one of the best TVs you can play video games on, bar none. According to Sony, microcosmic LED controllers allow the Bravia 9 to achieve the kind of contrast accuracy and inky black levels usually associated with the best OLED TVs. We loved what we saw (and heard) in our hands-on review of this mini-LED set, but how exactly does the Bravia 9 fare against input lag and demanding online gameplay? Quite nicely, though there is a slight caveat. We’ll let our editor-at-large Caleb Denison, shine some light on the matter:
“[The Sony Bravia 9 Series] doesn’t do 144Hz refresh rate, so it isn’t perhaps going to unlock that one feature for those using high-end gaming PCs. But it does support VRR (variable refresh rate), ALLM (auto low latency mode), and source-based tone mapping, so it’s a great companion to both of the Xbox and PlayStation 5 consoles.”
Beyond that 144Hz limitation, though, each of the Bravia 9’s four HDMI ports is HDMI 2.1 certified, ensuring you’ll get the absolute best motion and lag performance when connecting a modern console. And thanks to the chart-topping illumination this mini-LED monolith can achieve and the set’s excellent reflection handling, you should have zero issues gaming in a brightly lit room.
Oh, and the Bravia 9 is an absolute champ when it comes to support for class-leading codecs like Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound. We’re also glad to report that the sound on this TV isn’t half-bad either, though home theater diehards and gaming enthusiasts may prefer a soundbar, surround system, or gaming headset.
Sony Bravia 9
Best runner-up gaming TV
TCL QM7
Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends
Best budget TCL for gaming
TCL QM7 Series (2024)
Pros
- Excellent brightness, colors, and contrast
- Solid gaming optimizations
- Phenomenal HDR performance
- Google TV runs smoothly
Cons
- Issues with VRR at 65Hz
- Not the greatest off-angle viewing
Specification: Screen sizes available 55, 65, 75, 85, and 98 inches Display type mini-LED HDR support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG Operating system Google TV Connectivity 2 x HDMI 2.1, 4 x HDMI 2.0, Ethernet, optical, 3.5mm analog audio out, 2 x USB-A TCL is another excellent brand that produces exceptional, budget-friendly TVs that look and feel like higher-priced QLEDs and OLEDs. The TCL QM7 Series is a 2024 model that sits between the TCL Q6 Series and the QM8 Series. Equipped with TCL’s AIPQ PRO processor, TCL claims the QM7 is able to hit 2,400 nits at peak brightness. We’re assuming this is relegated to HDR. Still, the TV’s full-array LED backlighting, quantum dots, and numerous local dimming zones allow the QM7 to remain vibrant and colorful even when viewing SDR content.
As for gaming, the TCL QM7 has very low input lag and ALLM support, which allows you to game with a PlayStation, Xbox, or PC at up to 4K at 144Hz (limited to HDMI 1). And thanks to ALLM, the TV will automatically switch over to Game Mode when compatible gaming hardware is detected. This ensures you’ll get the best response times possible both online and offline.
While most gaming titles max out at 60 fps, do keep in mind that the QM7 Series has some trouble when the frame rate is between 60 fps and 70 fps. You’ll also want to make sure you’re sitting as centered with your TCL QM7 as possible, as the TV doesn’t have the best off-angle viewing.
When it comes time to stream some Disney+, the QM7 Series uses Google TV to get you access to apps, free live TV stations, smart home controls, and more. It’s not a perfect TV by any means, but if you’re looking for a 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, or 98-inch QLED that you’ll love playing video games on, the TCL QM7 Series is well worth your consideration.
TCL QM7 Series (2024)
Best budget TCL for gaming
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Best midrange OLED for gaming
LG C4 OLED Evo
Pros
- Excellent contrast
- Rich color
- Very good upscaling
- Great for gaming
- Accurate out-of-the-box settings
Cons
- Weak audio system
- Slight green tinge off-angle
Specification: Screen sizes available 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches Display type OLED HDR support Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG Operating system webOS 24 Connectivity 4 x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, optical, 3 x USB-A What is there to say about the excellent LG C4 OLED Evo that hasn’t already been said? Brought to us by the folks who know OLED TVs better than any manufacturer, the C4 Series sits just one rung below LG’s flagship G4 model. Like any good LG TV, the C4 is available in numerous sizes and delivers the kind of rich colors and impressive contrast levels that only an OLED can achieve. And thanks to LG’s Evo panel tech and features like Brightness Booster Max, the C4 is actually able to go toe to toe with a handful of LED-LCDs over illumination numbers.
But why is this TV so good for gaming? Not only will you be able to game at up to 4K/144Hz but each of the C4’s four HDMI ports is 2.1 certified. Whether you’re connecting a PS5 or desktop PC, HDMI 2.1 ensures you’ll get the best response time and reduced input lag. This is also thanks to features like VRR and class-leading HDR support, both of which can be found on the C4 Series.
The C4 even has a built-in Game Optimizer, though this preset is noticeably less bright than other picture settings. Should you decide to go with the C4, you’ll also want to make sure your seating is as close to the screen center as possible. In our tests, we noticed a slight green tinge when viewing the C4 off-center.
LG C4 OLED Evo
Best midrange OLED for gaming
Sony
One of the best screens in the business
Sony XR A95L QD-OLED
Pros
- Outstanding color accuracy and brightness
- Excellent contrast and luminance
- Great sound
- Gorgeous game mode picture quality
- Incredibly good upscaling
Cons
- Some deep features not available at launch
Specification: Screen sizes available 55, 65, and 77 inches Display type QD-OLED HDR support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG Operating system Google TV Connectivity 2 x HDMI 2.1, 4 x HDMI 2.0, Ethernet, optical, 2 x USB-A OK, we know it’s a 2023 TV, but the Sony XR A95L is still one of the best TVs we’ve ever tested, and if you can find one on sale it will make a fantastic gaming TV. Available in 55, 65, and 77-inch sizes, this is another QD-OLED set that employs quantum dots and self-emissive pixels, with a healthy dash of Sony’s Cognitive Processor XR thrown in for some of the best picture processing and upscaling in town.
As you can guess from our writeup on the Samsung S95C, the QD-OLED results are simply amazing. We’re talking incredible peak brightness levels, rich colors, unbelievable contrast, and lightning-fast motion handling for the A95L. But beyond the flagship features that we most certainly expect from a TV that starts pricing at around $2,800 for the 65-inch, what impeccable gaming tech can we anticipate from this bad boy?
Well for starters, like the midrange Sony XR X93L, the A95L model is optimized for Playstation 5 gameplay. Two of the TV’s four HDMI inputs are 2.1 certified, with support for 4K at up to 120Hz. To further buttress the motion handling, the A95L also includes support for VRR and ALLM, ensuring you’ll experience as little lag as possible when playing online or offline.
But perhaps our favorite A95L gaming feature is the set’s Auto HDR Tone Mapping. This is a feature you’ll enable during the initial setup of your PS5 with the A95L. Once activated, all of your gameplay visuals will receive full HDR treatment (as long as the actual game is available in HDR), giving you the best brightness, colors, and contrast, regardless of the genre.
The Sony XR A95L also supports Multi-View, which lets you game on one part of the TV screen, while the second half of the screen can be used to stream a movie or show from apps like YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. And like many of the models in this roundup, the A95L comes with a gaming dashboard that lets you adjust things like motion clarity and picture presets without having to go into the TV’s main settings menu.
Sony XR A95L QD-OLED
One of the best screens in the business
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Best gaming TV for bright rooms
Samsung S95D QD-OLED
Pros
- Exellent brightness
- Eye-popping color
- Snappy operation
- Great gaming features
- Awesome for bright rooms
Cons
- Anti-glare treatment is polarizing
- Blacks may appear lifted in bright rooms
Specification: Screen sizes available 55, 65, and 77 inches Display type QD-OLED HDR support HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG Operating system Tizen OS Connectivity 4 x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, optical, 3 x USB-A In our review, we called the 2024 Samsung S95D “one hell of a TV, one of the brightest — and definitely one of the best of the year.” We also explained the uproar the TV caused when it was revealed at this year’s CES, which centered on it’s anti-glare feature.
The technology reduces ambient light reflecting off the screen by spreading it across its surface. This helps create a more comfortable viewing experience, especially in bright rooms where traditional OLEDs often struggle. However, some people prefer a more localized effect, as the dispersion affects the entire screen, unlike on most other TVs.
But whether you care about the S95D’s anti-glare tech or not, it’s included on this list because of its excellent performance in brightly lit rooms, as well as its excellent gaming specs. Gamers will love the S95D’s lag-free and smooth gameplay thanks to the QD-OLED’s 144Hz refresh rate. It also features AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro and Auto Low Latency (ALLM) gaming mode that automatically switches the TV to this setting when a game console is detected. And if you don’t have a console, that’s OK, too — because it’s a Samsung, it features Sammy’s Gaming Hub that allows you to play a ton of games from Xbox and other online cloud streaming game services.
Of course, when you’re done laying waste to your enemies, you’re also getting one of the best TVs of the year to watch movies and TV shows on. The flagship S95D benefits from Samsung’s latest NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor, and supports HDR10+, as well as Dolby Atmos sound for immersive audio.
Samsung S95D QD-OLED
Best gaming TV for bright rooms
Samsung
Best midrange Samsung TV for gaming
Samsung S90D QD-OLED
Pros
- Unbelievable colors and contrast
- Solid brightness levels
- Top-notch HDR performance
- Great motion handling
Cons
- No Dolby Vision or DTS support
- QD-OLED is only on 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes
Specification: Screen sizes available 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches Display type QD-OLED (55-, 65-, and 77-inch), WOLED (42-, 48-, and 83-inch) HDR support HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG Operating system Tizen OS Connectivity 4 x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, optical, 3.5mm analog audio out, 2 x USB-A For those unaware, Samsung actually took a stab at OLED TVs well over a decade ago, and the results were… good. Then, the Big S quickly switched to only LED-LCD production for many years. And guess what? Now they’re making OLEDs again, only this time Samsung is back with a quantum dot-inspired vengeance.
The Samsung S90D is one of the brand’s 2024 OLEDs, and Samsung decided to do something rather polarizing with this premium TV: selling it with two different panel types. The 55-, 65-, and 75-inch versions of the S90D come with the superior QD-OLED panel, which was standard for all sizes on last year’s Samsung S90C. The more traditional WOLED display is used for the S90D’s 43-, 48-, and 83-inch sizes.
Equipped with Samsung’s Neo Quantum 4K AI Gen 2 processor, the S90D is able to leverage AI to continuously optimize picture quality from one frame to the next, regardless of the source. You can also expect bright HDR performance, vibrant colors, and inky black levels, courtesy of the TV’s amazing contrast. Gamers will be glad to learn that HDMI 2.1 connectivity is spread across all four HDMI ports, and the S90D is able to output 4K at up to 144Hz. And thanks to VRR and ALLM support, auto-switching to Game Mode happens as soon as you turn your PS5 or Xbox on.
As for apps, games, and mobile device casting, the S90D is powered by Tizen OS, which does a nice job of loading content quickly. Navigation from one screen to the next is smooth and intuitive, too.
Samsung S90D QD-OLED
Best midrange Samsung TV for gaming
Frequently Asked Questions
How we choose the best gaming TVs
Before we sign off, we thought we’d go over how we’ve come up with these entries, and what’s important to us when selecting a gaming TV.
The first thing we look for is low input lag. Because if there’s too much delay between the action of your thumbs and the action on screen, well, that’s just a frustration nobody needs. Plus, it can be a huge disadvantage in competitive gameplay, where a few milliseconds literally can be the difference between a win or a loss.
Next, we look for solid picture quality in the TV’s “game mode” preset, which is what you’ll want to use for the lowest input lag. The picture quality doesn’t have to be videophile-grade awesome, but it can’t be trash, either. Today’s game graphics are gorgeous, and you deserve all that gorgeousness, so we seek to find the best balance between low input lag and awesome picture.
Then we need to see great motion resolution. We don’t have to have 120Hz native panels for good motion resolution. A 60Hz TV can look good, but, not all of them do, so we want to make sure we see as little blurring and stutter as possible for the best clarity during fast-moving gameplay.
But since we mentioned 120Hz, that definitely is nice to have, along with some other advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR), auto-game mode, Dolby Vision gaming, and maybe even up to a 144Hz refresh rate in some cases. We also want to make sure that these TVs do a nice job at displaying both HDR and SDR gaming content.
What are important things to look for with a gaming TV?
While you could most likely get away with using any of the best TVs on the market for your gaming needs, there are a few boxes to tick off when deciding. First, you’re going to want to look for a TV with a low input lag — this is the time it takes for that gameplay video signal to run from your game console to your TV’s HDMI port. Measured in milliseconds (ms), you want this to be as low as you can afford (some of the best TVs clock in around the 5ms range).
Of course, you want the TVs color, resolution, and brightness to be on point no matter what you’re using your TV for, but another important element for gaming is making sure it has HDMI 2.1 inputs to ensure the best experience. This latest HDMI technology will make sure you can take advantage of the latest gaming features such as variable refresh rate (VRR) — this includes AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync — as well as the latest refresh rates such as 144Hz and 120Hz.
Ligue 1 Soccer: Livestream PSG vs. Monaco From Anywhere
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Watch Ligue 1 in Canada from CA$30 per month
Fubo Canada
It’s a first-vs.-third clash in Paris on Friday as Ligue 1 leader PSG host Monaco in a match that’s likely to have a big impact on the title race.
PSG currently have a comfortable 10-point cushion at the top of the table over second-place Marseille, and remain unbeaten domestically so far this season.
They now come up against a familiar foe, having already played Monaco in Ligue 1 just before Christmas followed by a meeting in the Trophee des Champions last month, with Luis Enrique’s Parisians winning both of those recent encounters.
PSG host Monaco on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Parc des Princes, with kickoff set for 9:05 p.m. CET local time, making it a 8:05 p.m. GMT start in the UK, a 3:05 p.m. ET or 12:05 p.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 7:15 a.m. AEDT kickoff in Australia early on Saturday morning.
Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch game lives wherever you are in the world.
Bradley Barcola scored the winner in PSG’s 0-2 French Cup victory over Le Mans on Tuesday.
How to watch PSG vs. Monaco in the US without cable
Saturday’s game is live on BeIN Sports, which holds broadcast rights for Ligue 1 matches in the US.
There are several options for watching BeIN. Several cable and satellite TV providers in the US offer the network as part of their channel lineups, including Dish Network, Optimum and Spectrum (the latter requiring a $7-a-month premium for the Sports View add-on).
If you’re a cord-cutter, there’s a whole host of streaming platforms that carry BeIN Sports.
With an excellent channel selection, easy-to-use interface and best-in-class cloud DVR, the $73 per month YouTube TV is one of the best cable TV replacements. In order to watch BeIN Sports on the platform you’ll need its Sports Plus add-on, which costs an additional $11 per month. Read our YouTube TV review.
BeIN is available on Sling TV as part of its Sports Extra add-on for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue.
Its Orange and Blue packages start at $40 per month, and you can combine them for a monthly rate of $55 ($60 in some regions), with Sports Extra costing an extra $11 a month. The Orange option nets you one stream, while Blue gives you three. It’s not as comprehensive or as easy to navigate as YouTube, but with a bit of work, including adding an antenna or an AirTV 2 DVR, it’s unbeatable value. We’ll also add that the service offers local channels such as ABC and CBS in some regions where the monthly rate is $45. Read our Sling TV review.
There’s a lot to like about Fubo. In addition to BeIN Sports, it offers a wide selection of channels, plus its sports focus makes it especially attractive to soccer fans, as well as NBA, NHL and MLB fans who live in an area served by one of Fubo’s RSNs. It’s also a great choice for NFL fans, since it’s one of three services, alongside YouTube TV and Hulu, that offer NFL Network and optional RedZone. The biggest hole in Fubo’s lineup is the lack of Warner Bros. Discovery networks, including HGTV, Food Network, Cartoon Network, CNN, TNT and TBS — especially since the latter two carry a lot of sports content, in particular NBA, NHL and MLB. Those missing channels, and the $80 price tag, make it less attractive than YouTube TV for most viewers. Read our Fubo review.
On top of this, BeIN Sports Connect is the network’s standalone streaming platform. You can log in with your cable or streaming service credentials if your provider has BeIN in the package. This allows you to stream live matches and other programming on various devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops and so on).
Make sure to check if BeIN Sports is included in the specific package or plan you are considering, as it might be part of a sports bundle or require an additional subscription.
How to watch Ligue 1 from anywhere with a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view Ligue 1 matches locally, you may need a different way to watch the games — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Price $13 per month, $100 for the first 15 months (then $117 per year) or $140 for the first 28 months (then $150 per year)Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 35% speed loss in 2025 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $13 a month, but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $100 you’ll get three months free and save 49%. That’s the equivalent of $6.67 a month.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream PSG vs. Monaco in Canada
As with the US, BeIN Sports is where it’s at for fans of French soccer looking to watch this match in Canada, with the network holding the rights to broadcast Ligue 1 matches in the region this season.
BeIN Sports is available on select Canadian cable and satellite providers including Bell TV, Rogers and Shaw Direct, while cord-cutters can access BeIN through the streaming service Fubo Canada.
Fubo is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the Ligue 1 season, with exclusive streaming rights to every match on Sunday. It costs CA$30 a month, though you can save some cash by paying quarterly or annually.
Can I livestream PSG vs. Monaco in the UK?
French football fans in the UK were left up in the air at the start of the season, following TNT Sport’s decision not to renew broadcast rights for Ligue 1. There is now an option for watching games live, with the dedicated streaming platform Ligue 1 Pass up and running and showing today’s game live.
French football fans can now watch every Ligue 1 game live on subscription streaming service Ligue 1 Pass.
The service is priced at £10 a month, and can be accessed via the Ligue 1 Pass website. Dedicated apps for Apple and Android devices are set to become available for the service in the coming weeks.
Can I livestream PSG vs. Monaco in Australia?
No mainstream broadcaster currently owns the rights to show Ligue 1 football this season Down Under.
If you subscribe to an overseas streaming service that’s showing the game, such as Fubo, a VPN service will allow you to change your online location, allowing you to watch your domestic coverage.
Quick tips for streaming Ligue 1 soccer using a VPN
- With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming EPL matches may vary.
- If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
- If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- Remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.
The 33 Best Movies on Hulu This Week (February 2025)
In 2017, Hulu made television history by becoming the first streaming network to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, thanks to the phenomenon that was The Handmaid’s Tale.
While Netflix has largely cornered the streaming market on original movies—and even managed to persuade A-listers like Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón, and Martin Scorsese to come aboard—Hulu is starting to find its footing in features too. Below are some of our top picks for the best movies (original and otherwise) streaming on Hulu right now.
Still looking for more great titles to add to your queue? Check out WIRED’s guides to the best TV shows on Hulu, best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Disney+, and the best movies on Amazon Prime. Don’t like our picks, or want to offer suggestions of your own? Head to the comments below.
A Real Pain
Kieran Culkin continues his run as Hollywood’s most lovable scene-stealer—with an Oscar nomination to boot—in this buddy-ish road trip comedy written, directed, produced by, and costarring Jesse Eisenberg (who earned an Oscar nod for the screenplay). David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) travel to Poland in honor of their late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Despite going down two very different paths in life and their opposing personalities, the two find a way to reconnect and prove that blood is thicker than water.
Arcadian
Nicolas Cage does what Nicolas Cage does best (read: chew quite a bit of scenery) in this postapocalyptic thriller in which a father, Paul (Cage), and his twin sons Thomas (Jaeden Martell) and Joseph (Maxwell Jenkins) are three of the only people remaining on earth. Making this scenario even more challenging is the fact that they are terrorized at night by homicidal creatures dead-set on ridding the planet of all humans. When Thomas goes missing, Paul must venture out into the night to find him—an ill-advised adventure that ultimately leaves Paul wounded, fighting for his life, and relying on his sons to keep them all alive.
Nightbitch
Marielle Heller writes and directs this adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s 2018 novel—a bitingly dark horror-comedy about the challenges of motherhood. Amy Adams reveals a ferocity rarely seen in the six-time Oscar nominee’s previous performances. Here, she’s a stay-at-home mom simply known as Mother who begins to resent her husband (Scoot McNairy) and even her young son for stripping her of her previous identity as an artist. And at the same time, she begins to think that maybe she’s turning into a dog. Which all makes a lot more sense in the context of the movie.
John Wick
It’s been more than a decade since Keanu Reeves introduced audiences to one of cinema’s most enigmatic vigilantes: John Wick, a very talented hit man who is forced out of retirement after a couple of low-level Russian gangsters decide to steal his beloved 1969 Mustang and kill his puppy Daisy in the process. What the men fail to realize is that John isn’t just your average mark. The film has since spawned three sequels, a prequel TV series (The Continental), and the upcoming spinoff film Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas.
American Psycho
Nearly a decade before he revved up the Batmobile, Christian Bale was famously warned by many of the people in his circle that taking on the role of Patrick Bateman, the yuppie murderer at the center of Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel, would be “career suicide.” In some ways, it only strengthened Bale’s resolve. Director Mary Harron does a fabulous job in adapting the source material—something many people couldn’t figure out, in part because of its unlikable lead and graphic depictions of violence and murder. But in Harron’s hands, it becomes a jet-black comedy and a social commentary on 1980s greed.
Thelma
June Squibb is the action hero you didn’t know you needed. In the decade since her Oscar-nominated turn in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, the 95-year-old actress has become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actors. Here, she plays the eponymous grandma who is swindled out of $10,000 by a phone scammer targeting elderly citizens. When the authorities seem reluctant to take any real action, Thelma grabs a gun and her motorized scooter and takes the law into her own hands. Best of all? This vigilante comedy is based on writer-director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother.
Ad Astra
At an unspecified date in the near future, US Space Command Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) learns that mysterious power surges originating from an old space station are posing a threat to Earth. When he finds out that the activity can be traced back to the Lima Project—a search for extraterrestrial life led by his father, H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), who has been lost in space for 30 years—Roy journeys into the unknown. When cowriter/director James Gray announced the project, he very boldly stated that he was hoping to create “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie.” Did he succeed? Watch and make your own determination.
Late Night With the Devil
In the 1970s, Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) is a late-night talk show host who is constantly chasing Johnny Carson’s ratings but simply cannot compete. He scores the highest ratings of his career when he sits down for an interview with his beloved wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig), who is dying of cancer. When she passes away shortly afterward, Jack halts production on his show entirely. When he’s eventually ready to come back to work he’s even more determined to compete with Carson, so he decides to throw an occult-themed Halloween show for the ages, complete with a psychic (Fayssal Bazzi), a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon), and a possessed teen (Ingrid Torelli) who seems to know more about Jack and Madeleine’s relationship than he bargained for. Many critics have deemed Late Night With the Devil the best horror movie of 2024—and with good reason.
Babes
Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut does for motherhood what Bridesmaids did for marriage. New Yorkers Eden (Ilana Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau) are lifelong best friends with decades of history and traditions but now find themselves facing very different chapters in their lives. Dawn, who is struggling with postpartum depression, is trying hard to balance the demands of being a working mom and partner to her husband, while Eden has never been burdened by such demands. But when she discovers she’s pregnant after a one-night stand and determines that she is ready to be a single mom, their friendship begins to fracture in ways they never would have imagined. Glazer and Buteau’s chemistry as BFFs is undeniable in this brash comedy that isn’t always pretty, in part because of its brutal honesty.
The First Omen
True to its title, the sixth film in The Omen franchise is a prequel to the 1976 horror classic that birthed it. If you weren’t aware that there were half a dozen films in this series, there’s a reason for that: Aside from the Richard Donner–directed original, they’re just not very good. But nearly 50 years later, The First Omen has breathed new life into this seemingly tired premise. It’s 1971, and Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a young American novitiate, travels to Rome to work at an orphanage. She quickly forms a bond with Carlita (Nicole Sorace), one of the older wards, who is plagued by terrible visions. Despite warnings from the head priest (Ralph Ineson) that “evil things” will happen if she engages with Carlita, Margaret is convinced she can help the young girl. If you know anything about The Omen movies, you probably know where this is headed: Satanic kids bearing the mark of the devil (666) abound. Despite it being somewhat predictable, the film is well acted and well made—and could very likely spawn more entries.
Kinds of Kindness
Just three months after Poor Things scored four Oscar wins, Yorgos Lanthimos got much of the gang back together—including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley—for Kinds of Kindness, which debuted at Cannes. Unlike his previous works, this one is an anthology film, or what came to be marketed as a “triptych fable.” Just like the writer-director’s other movies, it is born from a place of absurdist comedy and over-the-top performances from its stars. Sex cults, reanimation, sandwiches, murder-happy bosses, and John McEnroe’s smashed tennis racket all play a part in the wildly fun festivities.
Little Women
Greta Gerwig is far (far) from the first writer-director to adapt Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women for the big screen. And she’s certainly not the first person to do an admirable job of it. (Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version starring Winona Ryder and Christian Bale is still a much beloved interpretation.) Yet Gerwig made the 19th century tale seem practically modern-day, and different from all the rest, with seemingly small decisions like playing with the novel’s timelines. It also doesn’t hurt that it just happens to star some of the most impressive actors working today, including Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, James Norton, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, Tracy Letts, Meryl Streep, and Bob Odenkirk.
Immaculate
Sydney Sweeney produced this religious horror flick and also stars as Cecilia, a young nun (yep, you read that right) whose traumatic brush with death has convinced her that God saved her for a higher purpose. When she is invited to join a convent in the remote Italian countryside that assists older nuns at the end of their life, she happily accepts—then quickly comes to realize that all may not be what it seems.
Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) is a man who should have it all: the one-time race car driver and founder of the Ferrari car company oozes charm, wealth, and excitement. But behind the scenes, the walls are closing in on him. Set during the summer of 1957, Michael Mann’s biopic finds Ferrari (the man) on the verge of bankruptcy, mourning the death of his son, and desperately trying to hide his past indiscretions from his estranged wife—who helped build the car company and who holds the key to his financial future. Though the film earned mixed reviews, it does a solid job of telling the complex story of a complicated man. But its biggest selling point is Penélope Cruz’s bravura performance.
Perfect Days
Nearly 60 years into his career as a filmmaker, Wim Wenders managed to make one of his best films yet with Perfect Days—which is saying a lot when you consider that this is the same director who made Paris, Texas (1984) and Wings of Desire (1987). Hirayama (Kōji Yakusho) is a toilet cleaner in Tokyo who is blissfully content with the simplicity of his life, as it allows him the time to indulge his more personal passions: music (he’s an avid collector of cassette tapes and allows his favorite music to set the soundtrack to his life), books, and nature. The movie is not punctuated by any overly dramatic storylines; just the quiet interactions that Hirayama has with those around him—family, coworkers, total strangers—and the way those interludes impact him. It’s that poetic simplicity, and Yakusho’s wonderful performance, that gives the film its heart.
Origin
Writer-director Ava DuVernay finds a way to yet again change the language of cinema with what is both a biopic and a historical document. The movie is based on the life of Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism for her work at The New York Times. It follows Wilkerson’s journey to write her 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents—a project that took her from the US to Germany to India to research the troubling history of each country’s caste system and the parallels that exist between them.
The Contestant
On January 11, 1998, 22-year-old comedian Tomoaki Hamatsu entered an apartment in Japan where he lived, nude and with no human contact, for 15 months as part of an understandably controversial game show titled Susunu! Denpa Shōnen. Hamatsu had no idea his life was being broadcast. This riveting documentary delves into not just how anyone ever allowed this experiment to happen, but the real-world effects—cultural, psychological, and beyond—it had on both Hamatsu and the tens of millions of viewers who were somehow drawn into witnessing his on-camera abuse.
Anatomy of a Fall
Between her starring roles in The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall, German actress Sandra Hüller made it clear that when it comes to scripts, she knows how to pick ’em. In this compelling courtroom drama, Hüller plays a successful writer turned murder suspect when her husband (Samuel Theis) is found dead outside their home on a snowy day. Ultimately, it might be her son (Milo Machado-Graner) and/or his guide dog (Messi, the movie’s real star) who ultimately seal Sandra’s fate. It’s a smart, twisty, and well-acted mystery that will keep you guessing.
Poor Things
Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) is a young woman with the brain of an infant who is brought back to life by the lovably mad scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter, aka God (Willem Dafoe). But Bella is a fast learner and is intrigued by the many adventures the world has to offer her—regardless of what polite society dictates. Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, and Christopher Abbott are among the men who are entranced by Bella’s frankness (“I must go punch that baby”) in what is undoubtedly the most over-the-top title in Yorgos Lanthimos’ filmography—which is saying a lot. One caveat: Those who are easily offended by nudity or graphic sex might want to give this a skip.
BlackBerry
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton is practically unrecognizable in this immensely entertaining recounting of the rise and fall of BlackBerry—the must-have cell phone that had the world entranced before the iPhone came along. Howerton costars as Jim Balsillie, the very real negotiator who, alongside Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel), gave the world its first smartphone. Which is a lot more dramatic (and darkly humorous) than it sounds.
The Royal Hotel
Ozark star Julia Garner reunites with director Kitty Green (The Assistant) for this taut psychological thriller in which BFFs Hanna (Garner) and Liv (Jessica Henwick) decide to backpack their way through the Australian outback. When they’re offered the chance to live and work at a remote hotel in order to replenish their dwindling bank accounts, they jump at the chance—despite Hanna feeling that something isn’t quite right with their place of employment or its clientele. She’s on to something. Garner has played one badass character after the next, and The Royal Hotel is no exception.
All of Us Strangers
Adam (the always superb Andrew Scott) is a television writer who largely keeps to himself, until an awkward encounter with his tipsy neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) kickstarts a passionate new relationship. But when he’s not in London with Harry, Adam is returning to the suburban home where he grew up—and where he encounters and is able to interact with his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), despite their having died 30 years ago. In the hands of a lesser director, the fantastical elements could seem forced. But with Andrew Haigh (Weekend, 45 Years) behind the camera, the surreal setup only augments the emotion.
Self Reliance
New Girl’s Jake Johnson makes his feature directorial debut with this wonderfully weird and occasionally dark meta comedy, which he also wrote and stars in. Tommy Walcott (Johnson) is living a pretty ordinary existence until he’s approached by Andy Samberg (as Andy Samberg), who offers him the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to win $1 million as part of a massive reality competition. The only thing Tommy needs to do is not get murdered for 30 days, despite being hunted by dozens of contract killers whose job is to ensure that no contestant walks away with the big prize. The catch? Contestants can only be killed when they’re entirely alone. So Tommy takes it upon himself to partner up with another contestant, which is where Maddy (Anna Kendrick) comes in. Since they both have a cool mil to gain and a lot to lose (aka their lives) if they don’t triumph, they make a pact to spend every waking moment of the next 30 days together. Just when you think you know where Self Reliance is headed, it goes ahead and surprises—and in the best ways possible.
No One Will Save You
Home invasion thrillers are never in short supply, but the really effective ones are hard to come by. Kaitlyn Dever shines—and proves yet again that she can shoulder the weight of an entire film—as Brynn Adams, a seamstress living a solitary existence in her childhood home and mourning the loss of her mother and closest friend. When she wakes up one night to discover that someone is in her house, that someone turns out to be something. A home invasion thriller with extraterrestrials might not have been on your must-watch Bingo card, but No One Will Save You is 93 minutes well spent.
Miguel Wants to Fight
Miguel (Tyler Dean Flores) is 17 years old and has never been in a fight. So when he learns that he’ll be moving away from the place and people he has known all his life, he enlists his pals to help him get into his first fistfight. It’s probably not the first coming-of-age ritual to spring to mind, but it’s certainly among them. A talented cast of young actors make this comedy—cowritten by Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion—immensely watchable.
Sanctuary
Hal Porterfield (Christopher Abbott) has just been handed the keys to the castle following the death of his hotel magnate father. Rebecca Marin (Margaret Qualley) is a dominatrix who believes she deserves some of the credit—and half the cash—that comes with Hal’s new CEO position. Sexual politics have rarely played out as twisted, or darkly funny, as they do in this mesmerizing, and often claustrophobic, thriller from Zachary Wigon.
Corsage
Vicky Krieps delivers yet another top-notch performance as Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who—following her 40th birthday—longs to recapture the freedom of her youth. Marie Kreutzer writes and directs this fictional biopic (Empress Elisabeth is real, though the story told within takes plenty of creative liberties), which sees the royal rebelling against her lack of power to affect any real change, despite her title. Even more so, it’s about a woman who is desperate to hold on to the power that youth and beauty entitle her to—regardless of the consequences.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Environmentalism meets heist movie in director Daniel Goldhaber’s thriller about a group of young people who try to—as the title implies—expose the fragility of the oil industry. It’s not often that a movie examining the fight against the climate crisis is also an edge-of-your-seat adventure, but here those elements come together beautifully. (You can give cinematographer Tehillah de Castro a bit of credit for that.) Smart, prescient, and nearly unprecedented, How to Blow Up a Pipeline is more than worth the stream.
Rye Lane
Raine Allen-Miller made a splash at Sundance in 2023 with her directorial debut, which offers a playful twist on the typical rom-com. Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson) are both twentysomethings reeling from recent break-ups. After a chance—and rather awkward—first meeting, the pair spend a day wandering around South London, bonding over their shared experience, finding cheeky ways to get over the mourning of their previous relationships, and maybe discovering that romance is not dead after all.
Triangle of Sadness
Think of it like Gilligan’s Island, but with more class commentary and vomit. When a bunch of rich people head out to sea on a luxury yacht, their plans are thwarted when a terrible storm leaves many of them stranded on a beach where none of their money or power can help them survive. That already gives away too much, but suffice to say, if you like The Menu-esque critiques of the excesses of wealth with just as many dark-comedy twists, this Oscar-nominated film is right for you.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
OK, so this might be the movie that turned the idea of “lesbian period drama” into a trope, but it’s also one of the best modern queer romance films around, alongside Moonlight and Carol. Set on an isolated French coast in the late-1700s, writer-director Céline Sciamma’s film centers on a young aristocrat woman, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), who is betrothed to a wealthy Milanese man. When Héloïse’s mother hires Marianne (Noémie Merlant) to paint a portrait of her daughter, the two women fall in love and have the kind of heartbreaking affair that made lesbian period dramas so undeniable in the first place. You’ll be transfixed.
Fresh
Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a single woman who is on the lookout for a partner but tired of the online dating scene. When she meets Steve (Sebastian Stan), a quirky, handsome stranger, she decides to give him her number. The two hit it off on the first date and eventually find themselves making plans to spend a weekend away—which is when Noa realizes that Steve has been hiding a few disturbing details about himself. Ultimately, Fresh stands as a lesson in the horrors of dating in the digital age (both real and imagined).
Palm Springs
Given the existence of Harold Ramis’ near-perfect Groundhog Day, it takes a whole lot of chutzpah for a filmmaker to add another picture to the infinite-time-loop rom-com canon. But writer-director Max Barbakow did it anyway with Palm Springs, and audiences are thankful he did. Building upon the rules originally established in Groundhog Day, Palm Springs offers its own unique twist on the story. Instead of showing one person (Bill Murray’s Phil Conners) slowly being pushed to the brink of insanity because he’s the only one who seems to be experiencing the phenomenon, Palm Springs has three wedding guests—Nyles (Andy Samberg), Sarah (Cristin Milioti), and Roy (J. K. Simmons)—living the same day again and again and working together to find a way out of it.
Weekly deals roundup: Get the Galaxy S25, S25 Ultra, and many more at top discounts while you can!
The big day has finally arrived for early Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra adopters, and it’s hard to think of something or someone that could possibly rain on Samsung’s parade this end of the week.But if you’re not entirely sure where you should buy the latest heavyweight contenders for the title of best Android phone in the world to maximize your savings, I’m here today to share some of the wisdom gathered in my years and years of tracking the top mobile tech deals out there.If you’re not 100 percent certain that these are the best phones for you, I also have you covered with an extensive list of first-class alternatives at killer prices, as well as some of the greatest tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds you can currently purchase at the heftiest discounts.This week’s top three deals are virtually unbeatable
At least in the short term, I don’t expect Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra launch offer and Amazon’s Galaxy S25 introductory promotion to be eclipsed by any major US retailer. The same goes for the Galaxy S24 FE’s somewhat random new $150 Amazon discount, which is exclusively available on a gray colorway and currently unmatched by Samsung’s official e-store, strongly suggesting you don’t have a lot of time to pull the trigger and secure a potentially very nice Valentine’s Day gift for your better half without spending an arm and a leg.The “vanilla” S25 and the state-of-the-art S25 Ultra are obviously way costlier than the S24 Fan Edition, justifying both their list prices and currently reduced prices by packing the most impressive mobile processor out there and supporting all of Samsung’s latest and most exciting Galaxy AI skills.
These other smartphone offers are also pretty phenomenal
A half-off Motorola powerhouse from a couple of years ago with a gorgeous screen and excellent battery life? Now that’s what I call a truly unbeatable Valentine’s Day deal. Unless, of course, you or that special someone in your life happens to be a so-called Android purist or general hardcore Google fan, in which case it’s difficult to think of something more attractive than the 2023-released Pixel 8 Pro at a $400 discount of its own.Then you have the OnePlus 12 bundled with a pretty unusual (and incredibly valuable) gift, as well as the new and improved OnePlus 13 super-flagship at a cool $100 launch discount in a 512GB storage variant. The top-of-the-line Motorola Razr Plus (2024) foldable is still marked down by the same $200 as last week (and the week before that), thus looking significantly more compelling than the Galaxy Z Flip 6, while the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is… not affordable, but slowly getting there.Last but certainly not least in this category, the Galaxy S25 Plus is… obviously not the best phone in its family, but if you like big screens and you cannot lie afford the S25 Ultra, it will have to do.So many amazingly discounted tablet options!
Yes, we have something for (almost) everyone in this product category this week, starting with the mid-range S Pen-wielding Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE at an unusually low price and the mid-range non-speaker dock-including Google Pixel Tablet at a discount that’s kind of become the norm lately, which doesn’t make it any less appealing for budget-conscious Android tablet buyers.The OnePlus Pad 2 is a bit costlier, but also a lot better all in all, especially if you pair it with a productivity-maximizing keyboard. And then there’s the brand-new and already discounted Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus with not just a large, super-sharp, and super-smooth display in tow, but a keyboard and a stylus included as well.The best smartwatch deals out there are about quality rather than quantity
Who needs a dozen mediocre promotions when you can have three substantial discounts on some of the best smartwatches with some of the coolest designs and greatest value propositions around? The Apple Watch Series 10 is obviously ideal for iPhone users, while Android enthusiasts have a tough choice to make between a dirt-cheap Samsung Galaxy Watch FE with somewhat outdated hardware and a costlier OnePlus Watch 2 with an undeniably beautiful aesthetic and impressive specifications.What a rich selection of deeply discounted earbuds!
Each product on this list has its very own set of strengths and weaknesses, but regardless of your budget constraints, favorite brand, and design preferences, you (or your loved one) will undoubtedly be satisfied with your final choice.
Honor Magic 7 Pro camera review: All-encompassing AI joins solid hardware
A few years after expanding into Europe, Honor is hoping the flagship Magic 7 Pro will convince even more users to give the brand a try outside of China. With advanced silicon-carbon battery tech, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and growing AI software, the Honor Magic 7 Pro might make a compelling case. The smartphone race outside of North America is often won by a device’s camera system — just look at what brands like Vivo are doing — so if Honor wants to win, it’ll need the Magic 7 Pro to deliver standout camera performance.
I’ve spent the last few weeks pushing the Magic 7 Pro’s “Falcon Camera” to its limits, snapping shots and taking videos across two continents. Honor sent me to Bled, Slovenia for the Magic 7 Pro global launch event, where I got to test this phone’s camera while scaling the Slovenian Alps, visiting ski slops, and riding ATVs. Back home, I tried out the Magic 7 Pro camera system in the completely-different desert terrain of Phoenix, Arizona.
So, how does the Honor Magic 7 Pro camera perform? It’s tricky, because the raw camera hardware is downright impressive. For instance, the telephoto camera has a large sensor size and a high megapixel count, increasing its versatility. The problem is that the Falcon camera’s AI engine can be both overreaching and underwhelming at times, and some of Honor’s claims — like the 100x AI Super Zoom — should be taken with more than a few grains of salt.
All told, the Honor Magic 7 Pro does have some of the best camera systems available in a flagship. It’s not quite at the level of Vivo handsets, but it’s closer than ever. And for the second straight year, the Honor Magic flagship takes the best motion shots of any smartphone.
Main camera
Like most Android flagships, the Magic 7 Pro has a “pro” camera mode that lets you view and tweak just about every setting. However, the truth is that most users will take photos using the simple point-and-shoot method, and that’s how I tested the Honor Magic 7 Pro as a result.
You’ll immediately notice that opening the camera and snapping a photo is quicker than ever on an Honor phone, because the Magic 7 Pro finally supports double-clicking the power button to launch the camera from anywhere. This was shockingly not available on the Magic 6 Pro, and something my colleague Nicholas Sutrich pointed out in last year’s camera review. Now that this has been corrected, it takes merely a second or two to take a picture with the Magic 7 Pro.
Most of the photos you’ll take with this phone will be with the main camera. It uses a 50MP, f/1.4-2.0 wide lens with multi-directional phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and optical image stabilization (OIS). This appears to be mostly the same sensor as Honor used in the Magic 6 Pro.
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All modern flagship camera phones — from the Google Pixel 9 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro to the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra — have large main camera sensors that can provide a great level of detail in shots. One thing that separates these phones, more than detail, is their ability to handle light and color.
I’ve really enjoyed how the Honor Magic 7 Pro has performed in this aspect. I’ve tested the latest Pixel phones to produce photos with poor color accuracy and overaggressive computational photography. By comparison, the Honor imaging engine performs closer to that of Apple’s or Samsung’s, and that’s a good thing. The colors captured in the photos above felt representative of what I was seeing with my own eyes.
Even on a sunny day, the main sensor was able to capture the moment without losing detail or color accuracy due to overexposure. These shots represent the best of what the Honor Falcon camera can do — it performs excellently during the daytime with limited to no AI processing needed.
I also want to mention that the best AI features, at least where photos are concerned, may not involve computational photography at all. The third image in the gallery above is of a Slovenian plaque, one that is significantly deteriorated and written in a language I can’t natively read. After snapping the picture with the Magic 7 Pro, I was able to use Circle to Search to translate the text and make sense of it — even without having the full text. To me, this is a much better use of AI than changing the physical attributes of a photo.
Telephoto & ultrawide camera
Once a shortcoming for Honor, the Magic 7 Pro’s telephoto camera is now a selling point for the device. Last year, the Magic 6 Pro had a telephoto lens that could only do 2.5x optical zoom, which paled in comparison to the 10x optical zoom of the Galaxy S23 Ultra or the 5x optical zoom of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Now, the Honor Magic 7 Pro’s telephoto camera can deliver optical-quality zoom at 6x, which is right in line with the top Android zoom lenses.
The way Honor achieves this is a little outside the box, but in my testing, it works. The brand is using a 200MP, f/2.6 periscope telephoto lens with a 1/1.4-inch sensor size and native 3x optical zoom. Compared to last year, the Magic 7 Pro has greater optical zoom capabilities and a higher megapixel count. More importantly, the large sensor size and high megapixel count means the image can be cropped in software without a loss in quality — this is how Honor can deliver 6x zoom in “optical quality.”
This unique telephoto sensor also enables the Magic 7 Pro’s zoom lens to be used for portrait mode, which is neat. In the image gallery below, you’ll see how the Magic 7 Pro performs across 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, and 6x zoom levels. Based on the results, it’s clear this phone can indeed deliver optical-level zoom at both 3x and 6x lengths.
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The first photo in that set was taken at 0.5x with the Magic 7 Pro’s ultrawide camera, which is a 50MP, f/2.0 sensor with a 122-degree field of view. I personally find myself using ultrawide cameras the least out of modern phone lenses, and this one performs about as expected. It captures a wider frame while not losing too much detail and should be a feasible alternative to the old-school panorama.
Beyond the standard zoom distances (0.5x-6x), the Magic 7 Pro is claimed to shoot up to 100x using a mix of digital zoom and AI enhancements. The feature is called “AI Super Zoom,” and while cool, I wouldn’t count on it. For starters, only zoom shots up to 30x can be processed on-device, while AI Super Zoom (up to 100x) requires a cellular connection for processing. This might be a deterrent for you or be outside your comfort level.
Even when AI Super Zoom is available, it’s a bit slow, and you can only do it immediately after you take the shot. It’d be nice if you could do so after the fact, kind of like how Google’s Video Boost works for Pixels. Moreover, results can be mixed at best, as you can see below.
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The first set of photos in the gallery above can give you an idea of the best-case scenario for AI Super Zoom. The original photo is blurry, grainy, and it’s hard to make out the details. Meanwhile, the AI Super Zoom version looks a lot sharper, even if it’s a bit too sharp to be a natural photo.
On the other hand, the second set of photos can represent some of the worst-case scenarios. With AI Super Zoom, all the detailed and sharp cuts in the snow were completely covered up by broad-stroking AI enhancement. The first-aid logo on the snowmobile was lost to the enhancement as well. It’s clear that, after multiple tests, AI Super Zoom may be just as likely to make a photo worse with a watercolor-like image void of detail.
Overall, I thought native shots from the ultrawide and telephoto lens looked sharp, but AI Super Zoom wasn’t quite as good as advertised.
Low-light & motion capture
It’s time to give the Honor Magic 7 Pro its flowers: this is the best motion-capture camera phone I’ve ever tested. At a time when the last Samsung Galaxy S24 series had serious motion blur issues, and the iPhone 16 Pro series has more motion blur than any iPhone in recent memory, the Magic 7 Pro couldn’t be more different. It snaps clear photos of subjects in motion consistently, whether you’re using the regular camera mode or one specialized for motion.
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As you can see in the images above, whether I was capturing a darting pet, a steady Gondola lift, or a skier, the Magic 7 Pro delivered a clear shot. If you hate motion blur, this is the camera phone for you.
Honor has a few shooting modes specifically for capturing motion. There’s AI Motion Sensing Capture, which was introduced last year and can take photos for you when a subject moves. New this year is HD Super Burst, which takes a burst of photos and works great in motion. You can see HD Super Burst in action in the gallery below, and the results are impressive.
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Low-light performance is a bit shakier, depending on the situation. Honor deserves some credit for not adding a ton of light to night shots on the Magic 7 Pro, to be clear. Whenever I take night shots with an iPhone or Pixel and come back to them a few months later, it’s hard to see that it really was a night from the artificial brightness of the image. With the Magic 7 Pro, shots are dark, but they can be too dark at times.
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The good news is that the Magic 7 Pro camera adjusts quickly to changes in lighting; it can adjust exposure and light balance within a second or two after opening the camera app. In my testing, there wasn’t much of a difference when using night mode versus standard mode. You can pick up on some differences, particularly with bright light sources — like a streetlamp or lighted sign.
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In the comparisons above, you’ll see that night mode tries to mute these bright light sources. However, I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the results — Honor’s processing seems to smoothen out the light sources in a way that’s clearly unnatural. For that reason, I often preferred the original shot over the night shot.
Front-facing camera
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not that big a user of the front-facing camera on smartphones. With that being said, if you love selfies, video calls, or social media, the Magic 7 Pro’s front camera can do the job. It has a 50MP, f/2.0 sensor with PDAF, which is more than you’d typically see on a front-facing sensor. Honor also put a depth sensor beside the camera for biometrics, and this explains the pill-shaped cutout in the display.
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Selfies and portrait shots turned out well, not only capturing me but also some of the details in the landscapes behind me. When using portrait mode, bokeh is still turned off by default, so keep that in mind if you enjoy background blur. It only takes one tap to turn bokeh on, but you could argue that’s one more tap than it should take with portrait mode active.
Video
Considering the motion capture performance of the Magic 7 Pro, it shouldn’t be a surprise that this phone also handles video quite well. It officially supports 4K resolution at either 60 or 30fps, which isn’t industry-leading for a flagship but is still more than capable.
For video, the Honor Magic 7 Pro uses electronic image stabilization (EIS). This isn’t usually a good thing because EIS is often less reliable and more jarring than OIS. Despite using EIS and only 60fps, I thought the Magic 7 Pro recorded solid video, even while sledding down a small ski hill.
Honor Magic 7 Pro sledding video test – YouTube
Watch OnAnother challenging test involved mounting the Magic 7 Pro to the top of an ATV while riding it through the city of Bled. This would be hard for any smartphone to handle due to the rough terrain and engine vibrations coming from the ATV.
Honor Magic 7 Pro quad video test – YouTube
Watch OnThe Magic 7 Pro didn’t perform perfectly — it struggled to focus on the landscape versus the mounting clamp partially in the frame. The phone’s EIS also couldn’t stabilize enough to compensate for the engine vibrations, which is to be expected. Even with these circumstances, I thought this phone performed well, although the iPhone 16 Pro Max is probably still the video king.
Conclusion
(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central) If you can look past all the AI noise, the Honor Magic 7 Pro has a camera system capable of hanging with the best of the bunch — even if it can’t usurp Vivo flagships just yet. There are some AI and camera features, like AI Motion Sensing Capture and HD Super Burst, that are genuinely great. However, I think too many of them, such as AI Super Zoom and even the over-aggressive night mode, can take away from the Magic 7 Pro’s quality camera hardware.
This phone’s calling card is its ability to capture basically any kind of shot with zero motion blur. For those who are getting tired of motion blur — and after spending time with the Galaxy S24 series and iPhone 16 Pro series, I am — the Honor Magic 7 Pro feels like a breath of fresh air.
Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 Wireless Color All-in-One Review
The Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 Wireless Color All-in-One printer, Epson’s replacement for the Epson XP-8700, stands out for both its high-quality photo output and its long list of features. Built around a six-color ink system that helps boost photo quality, it offers a flatbed for scanning and copying, supports mobile printing, and can print directly on appropriately surfaced discs. It also has a 4.3-inch color touch screen to give commands, automatically extends the output tray from its closed position if needed when you start a print job, and asks if you want to retract it when you power down. At $299.99, it’s a little pricey, but it offers enough to make it our new Editors’ Choice pick for families who need a light-duty home printer that can also print high-quality photos.
Design: Lots of Hidden Features
The XP-8800 is easily small enough to find room for, at only 5.6 by 13.7 by 13.4 inches (HWD) with the output tray closed, and it weighs only 14.6 pounds, which makes it easy to move into place. The output tray opens to the front, extending an additional 7 inches. Setup is standard for a cartridge-based inkjet, using an automated setup routine you download from Epson’s website. For my tests, I connected the printer to our testbed PC by USB, the only wired connection option. However, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct are also connection possibilities.
Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.Printhead alignment is automatic, which is particularly welcome for a printer with six ink cartridges. The automated setup routine stepped through the entire process without problems in my tests, including printing an alignment page at the end and instructing me to place it on the flatbed so it could scan the image, analyze the results, and adjust the printhead settings as appropriate.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
You can also print from mobile devices. Epson offers apps for both iOS and Android that can print via your network, assuming the printer and device are both connected to it, or can print directly to the printer via Wi-Fi Direct. You can also print from and scan to USB memory keys and SD cards, although it’s easy to miss the USB port and card slot. Both are on the front panel, near the bottom left, when facing the printer. However, they’re hidden when the paper-tray cover and front panel that holds the touch screen are closed, as well as from some angles, even when the covers are open. And depending on the lighting, they can get lost in the shadows, due to the black color of the printer itself. Once you find them, plugging in a card or USB key will bring up a self-explanatory menu (for scanning and printing) on the touch screen.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Another hidden feature is the tray for holding a printable disc. When not in use, it sits in a slot on the underside of the main paper tray, so if you don’t already know where to look for it, you might use the printer for years and never notice it. If you want to print labels on printable discs, be sure to read the manual to find out where the tray is and how to use it. Once you’ve learned how, you’ll appreciate the supplied Photo+ app’s ability to design disc labels easily and print them.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Paper handling for printing is flexible but strictly light-duty. The main tray at the bottom front of the printer can hold 100 sheets of up to legal-size paper. It also supports automatic duplexing (two-sided printing), which worked without problems in my tests for letter-size paper. However, it doesn’t support automatic duplexing for legal-size paper. A second tray just above it lets you load up to 20 sheets of Epson’s Premium Photo Paper Glossy, so you can keep both photo paper and plain paper loaded at all times rather than having to switch back and forth between the two. The photo tray can handle sizes from 3.5 by 5 inches to 5 by 7 inches, as well as the wide-format 4 by 7.1 inches (for printing at a 16:9 aspect ratio). In addition, the XP-8800 has a manual feed slot at the back of the printer’s top panel that can accept paper up to 8.5 inches wide by 47.2 inches long. Both the main tray and the manual feed slot can handle either plain paper or photo paper.
Epson doesn’t offer a recommended maximum number of pages per month, but if you want to keep refills of plain paper down to once a week, the 100-page capacity translates to about 400 per month, which should be enough for most home printing needs. For scanning, the printer offers an 8.5-by-11.7-inch flatbed only, which means you can scan only one page at a time and no larger than letter or A4 size.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
As is typical for cartridge-based inkjets, particularly for photo-centric models, the running cost for the XP-8800 is relatively high. Based on prices and rated yields as given on Epson’s website, the cost per page (cpp) is 4 cents per mono page and 17.8 cents per standard color page when using the high-capacity cartridges and somewhat higher for the standard cartridges. Keep in mind that these running costs are based on a standard set of text and graphics pages. They have little to no relevance to the cost for printing photos.
Testing the XP-8800: Impressive Photos, Good Graphics, Pretty Good Text
To judge the XP-8800’s performance in the appropriate context, I compared it with three other photo-centric all-in-one printers aimed at home users: the Epson Expression Photo XP-970, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550, and the Canon Pixma TS9521C Crafter’s All-in-One. (The Canon model we tested is discontinued, but Canon says the current TS9521Ca is the identical printer minus the Bluetooth Low Energy support that was used strictly as one option for initial setup.)
For printing our Microsoft Word text file, the XP-8800 was barely enough faster than the XP-970 to qualify for third place instead of being tied for last.
Meanwhile, on our full business-applications suite (which adds PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint files), the XP-8800 came in second overall. The ET-8550 was the fastest for both the Word file and the full suite, at 202 seconds (3 minutes and 22 seconds) for the suite, or 1 minute and 51 seconds faster than the XP-8800.
Of course, with these printers, our photo printing tests using photo paper are potentially more significant than our business suite using plain paper. On the photo tests, the average time for 4-by-6-inch photos was 23 seconds for the first-place TS9521C, compared with 29 seconds for the second-place XP-8800. The XP-970 was a close third, and the ET-8550 was a convincing fourth. In short, the XP-8800 offers a respectable photo print time for a photo-centric printer.
Photo output quality in our tests, using the supplied Epson Photo Paper Glossy, was a match for a professional photo lab. Shadow detail and highlights held well, and I saw no hint of dithering, posterization (shading changing suddenly where it should change gradually), or other common issues. That said, note that scanning a photo and printing it resulted in only a minor loss in color saturation and fine detail, while copying the same photo in one step degraded the photo quality much more significantly. In the copied version, I saw obvious color shifts and loss of both shadow detail and highlights. So, if you want to copy a photo, it’s best to do so by scanning it to a file first and then printing the file.
Graphics output in our official tests using default settings and plain paper was good but not in the same class as photo output. I saw no visible dithering and no posterization, even in the images that tend to show these problems. Still, colors were more in the range of pastels rather than being vibrant and nicely saturated. I also saw some banding in dark solid fills; it looked like sweeps of the printhead probably caused the bands, but they were subtle enough that you could miss them if you were not looking closely. Thin lines generally held well, although in our line graph with a black background, the thinnest line didn’t stand out as well as it should. Some additional ad hoc testing with Epson’s glossy photo paper and matte presentation paper confirmed that graphics output with the right paper offers the same high level of quality that I saw with photos, adding vibrant color in particular.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Text quality on plain paper is best described as good enough for most purposes. All the fonts you’d use in a business document were easily readable at 6 points, and some were just as readable at 5 points. Still, a look through a loupe showed that even those that were readable at 5 points had a tendency to have ragged edges or be poorly formed, with adjacent characters bleeding into each other and a lowercase “e” in some fonts looking more like an “o” with a horizontal line across the middle. Even at 10 and 12 points, the characters in most fonts looked just a little less crisp than they should. One of the two stylized fonts with heavy strokes in our tests was readable but not well-formed, even at 12 points. The one that’s easier to render well hit that bar at 8 points.
On our ink-smudge tests using plain paper, black text showed smudging with water but was still readable. It didn’t smudge at all under our highlighter pen. Color inks in graphics on plain paper resisted smudging from water, but the pages were left with water stains. The same was true for color inks on the supplied photo paper.
Verdict: A Compelling Choice for Printing Photos at Home
All of the printers mentioned here deliver superb photo output. The trick is to pick the one that matches your other needs as well. Two key differences among the XP-8800 and the other three are that each of the others adds Ethernet as a connection choice, and each one can print on larger paper than the XP-8800 can.
The XP-970 is similar in most ways to the XP-8800 on features and performance, but it can accept single sheets of 11-by-17-inch paper in its rear slot for borderless prints, making it the obvious alternative if you need to print large once in a while, or even if you just want an Ethernet connection. The TS9521Ca is a close competitor to the XP-970. But although you can load more than one 11-by-17-inch sheet in its rear tray (the number depends on the paper type), it doesn’t offer borderless printing for anything larger than letter size.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
The ET-8550, one of our top picks for photo-centric printers, is the only printer mentioned here that can handle up to 13-by-19-inch paper, and it can hold up to five sheets of photo paper at that size. It’s the most expensive printer in this group, but because it uses ink tanks rather than cartridges, you can save enough on ink, if you print enough, to make up for its higher initial price. It’s the obvious choice if you need to print at 13 by 19 inches or if you print enough pages to benefit from the low running cost.
All that said, if you don’t print enough to save money by getting a tank-based printer, don’t need to print at larger than legal size, and don’t need Ethernet, the XP-8800 is hard to beat for great-looking photos. That’s enough to make it our new Editors’ Choice winner for light-duty photo-centric printers for printing on up to legal-size paper.
Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 Wireless Color All-in-One
Pros
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MoreCons
The Bottom Line
High-quality photo output—plus the ability to scan, copy, and print on discs—makes the Epson XP-8800 a solid choice for printing photos at home.
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“AI tasks will happen automatically and seamlessly”: Qualcomm’s Kedar Kondap believes AI is the future of computing
While the term “AI PC” may have first been used in 2023 by Intel when marketing its Meteor Lake CPU, it wasn’t until a year later that the AI PC started to break through to the mainstream.
Qualcomm helped define the AI PC market in June 2024 with the release of its Snapdragon X Elite processors, and leaders at the San Diego company hope to continue surfing this wave well into 2025 and beyond.
“We expect AI will become ubiquitous as consumers and businesses continue upgrading to the latest PCs over the next decade,” Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Compute and Gaming unit at Qualcomm, tells Laptop Mag.
Kondap believes the AI trend will continue: “As the AI PC user base grows, we expect developers to bring AI into every level of the user experience, from the operating system and apps to cloud services.”
While Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chipset has been the subject of excitement due to its fast performance and long battery life, the X Elite chipset is also a new entrant to the laptop and mini-PC market, arriving just last June. Will the company be able to carry that momentum forward?
Naturally, Kondap is confident about the future of Qualcomm, noting the company’s early performance leads over rival chip makers like Intel and AMD, alongside the growing potential of AI. From Kondap’s point of view and from the outside, Qualcomm seems well-positioned to compete for dominance in Windows laptops for years to come.
“We were early to see the value of dedicated AI processing cores for mobile devices and introduced dedicated NPU cores before our competitors,” he says. “Looking forward, we will continue to push the boundaries of the entire Snapdragon X Series to deliver the best combination of power, performance, and innovation in the PC industry.”
Snapdragon successes
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite CPUs set new records for performance and power efficiency on Windows systems. But how exactly did Qualcomm launch with a chipset that outperformed the competition from Intel and AMD?
Citing Moore’s Law, Kondap explains it this way: “Chip manufacturing technology is improving at a fairly steady rate, enabling processors to physically shrink in size every two or three years.
“Every size reduction enables us to improve power efficiency and add more transistors. Then we refine the manufacturing process annually to achieve further efficiency and performance improvements.”
However, Qualcomm’s success isn’t just down to smaller and smaller transistor designs. The Snapdragon X Series also features custom Oryon CPU cores built from tech startup Nuvia’s IP and Arm’s v8.7 micro-architecture.
We refine the manufacturing process annually to achieve further efficiency and performance improvements.
Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Compute and Gaming, Qualcomm While Qualcomm and Arm are in a legal standoff over Nuvia’s CPU core designs, the initial court case ruled in favor of Qualcomm that the Oryon CPU cores are appropriately licensed, meaning Qualcomm can continue building the Snapdragon X Series into the second generation.
Qualcomm’s custom Oryon cores are a “ground-up redesign, focusing on PC-specific computational demands,” enabling the Snapdragon X Series to outperform its other Arm rivals, Kondap says.
“The performance advantage of Snapdragon X Series stems from both its unique architecture and custom-designed Oryon cores, which mark a significant leap forward in processing power,” Kondap explains.
Qualcomm considers the Snapdragon X Oryon CPU cores to be an “industry-leading” design that “integrates power-optimized, new custom microarchitecture, including a new address translation unit.”
As Kondap explains, “This improves multi-tasking application performance, virtualization, and hypervisor situations common for demanding modern PC workloads. A sophisticated branch predictor and advanced power management design have been meticulously engineered to provide superior power efficiency.”
Building an ecosystem
Qualcomm’s biggest challenge with the Snapdragon X Series processors isn’t performance, power efficiency, or even the size of semiconductors. Instead, the struggle for Snapdragon has been the comparatively small Windows on Arm ecosystem.
To Qualcomm’s credit, many major applications are available on Windows on Arm natively, if not through emulation, including Adobe Photoshop and a number of music and content creation applications like DJayPro and Moises.
In addition to building out a robust ecosystem that can meet the needs of most users, Qualcomm has also heavily invested in AI features and applications.
The struggle for Snapdragon has been the comparatively small Windows on Arm ecosystem.
After all, as Microsoft’s chosen Copilot+ flagship processor, the Snapdragon X Series has become practically synonymous with the terms NPU (neural processing unit) and artificial intelligence.
But where does Qualcomm see AI going in the future? So far, we’ve seen AI text, video, audio, and image generation, plus AI summaries for emails and PDFs. However, the exciting aspects of AI are not what it is doing right now but where it will be in the next few years.
Kondap believes the future of AI in computing is multi-faceted. “I’m most interested in advancing the capabilities of on-device AI to enhance productivity, creativity, and overall efficiency for both professional and personal use” — an opinion Kondap shares with Qualcomm as a whole.
Instead of manually editing every photo by hand, you’ll be able to ask your PC to act as your agent, applying the choices you made in earlier examples to stylize new images.
Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Compute and Gaming, Qualcomm “Qualcomm’s long-term vision for AI PCs includes a powerful roadmap for improving PC productivity, creativity, and entertainment,” he said.
“We expect AI PCs will be able to tackle larger and more complex AI tasks for users, as well as anticipate their intent and needs by drawing on context and past interactions.”
Offering a clearer picture of how these concepts could look in action, Kondap says agentic AI is the future of artificial intelligence.
“Instead of manually editing every photo by hand, you’ll be able to ask your PC to act as your agent, applying the choices you made in earlier examples to stylize new images,” Kondap says.
AI’s impact on everyday computing could be revolutionary, with the same agents Kondap mentions also taking on roles that help with everything from squeezing out additional performance to improving user accessibility, stating:
“We can expect improvements in sustained thermal performance, real-time translations, and interactive control through hand and facial expressions.”
All of this is in service to a clear future where “AI tasks will happen automatically and seamlessly: Your PC will be able to make the most of larger screens and windows, so even old videos and games look smoother and more detailed than before.”
Qualcomm’s 2025 roadmap and what’s ahead
Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon X Elite flagship silicon in June 2024 alongside the Snapdragon X Plus and has since rounded out its laptop and mini-PC processor lineup with the budget-friendly Snapdragon X Plus 8-core and Snapdragon X.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips were the first to be part of Microsoft’s new Copilot+ ecosystem, helping bridge the gap between Windows and macOS systems in performance and power efficiency.
With new budget systems arriving with the same NPU as the higher-powered flagship, Qualcomm’s strategy appears clear as the company gears up for its second generation of Snapdragon X silicon.
With the Snapdragon X chipset launch during CES 2025, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series portfolio is officially complete. If you want to snag one of the best AI PCs, now’s a good time to buy. Particularly with the proposed White House silicon tariffs, laptops and gaming hardware prices could spike up to 40%. Of course, the US tariff tactics are subject to change, so these figures are not set in stone.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chips helped push Windows to close the performance and efficiency gap against Apple in 2024. However, subsequent launches from AMD, Intel, and Apple have caught up and overtaken the Snapdragon X Elite.
So, Qualcomm will need to keep pushing innovation to pull ahead in 2025.
AceBeam P20 review: A skinny flashlight that packs a mighty punch
I’ve tested quite a bit of kit from China-based illumination specialists AceBeam in the past and have always found the products to be fantastically well-made and high-performing.
I don’t think the night sky around my house has ever quite recovered from me blasting it with the AceBeam X75, and there is probably a message travelling through space from the squinting population of a planet in a distant galaxy, asking me to please not shine the bloody thing at them ever again.
I’ve also been impressed with the brand’s headlamps, which, while very different in design from classic outdoor models such as the Petzl Swift or the excellent Black Diamond Distance LT, have been up there with the best and most innovative head torches I’ve seen.
Suffice to say, I’ve been looking forward to testing out the P20, which is a lot smaller and half the weight of the X75, and yet boasts a beam that travels even further than its big brother. On paper this flashlight looks like being one of the very best hand torches on the market, but let’s see how it does in the field.
AceBeam P20 review
Price and availability
In the United States, the torch is generally available through a mix of online retailers and specialty flashlight shops, with prices typically ranging from around $100 to $150 USD. Retailers like Amazon, as well as dedicated tactical and outdoor equipment shops, often carry the P20.
In the UK, buyers can expect prices in the vicinity of £80 to £120, with availability primarily through online platforms and specialist retailers catering to outdoor and tactical equipment enthusiasts. In Australia, the torch is typically priced between AUD 150 and AU$200. Head over to Acebeam for more info.
Specifications
- RRP: $199 (US) / £190 (UK) / €183 (EU)
- Weight (including battery): 504g/17.7oz
- Length: 26.75cm/10.53 inches
- Head diameter: 79mm/3.11 inches
- Tube diameter: 25.4mm/1 inches
- Power: High-capacity 21700 battery pack with built-in USBC port (also compatible with 2 X 21700 lithium-ion batteries)
- Brightness: Ultralow (50 lumens), Low (150 lumens), Med1 (470 lumens), Med2 (1100 lumens), High (1800-2300 lumens), Turbo (1800–5500 lumens), Strobe (3000–3600)
- Range: Up to 1280m (1400 yards)
- Modes: 7 (Ultralow, Low, Med1, Med2, High, Turbo, Strobe)
- Run time: 2 hours 40 minutes on High / 74 hours on UltraLow
- Ingress rating: IP68
Design and features
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The thin body of the P20 flashlight has a spiral textured grip handle, with an anti-abrasive, corrosion-resistant finish. Just below the head section you will find the thumb-operated side switch. A single press turns the beam on and off, and holding the button down takes you through the four main modes: low, med1, med2 and high. The torch remembers what mode it was on when turned off, and returns to that setting when reactivated. This side switch also lights up when activated, with a colour indicator letting you know how much juice is left in the battery (green for high, red for low).
To use the UltraLow 50-lumen mode (in which mode the battery will last up to three whole days) you hold the side switch down for half a second. At the other end of the spectrum, double-clicking the side switch turns on the Turbo setting, which shoots out a 5500-lumen beam with a range of 1280m. This lasts about 15 seconds, before stepping down to a mid-level beam. To activate the strobe setting, you triple-click the side switch.
Lastly, holding down this side switch for 3 seconds locks the torch, so you can’t accidently turn it on (three flashes let you know the lock is on). To unlock, hold it down for another 3 seconds (two flashes indicates it’s unlocked).
On the base of the torch is a ‘Tactical’ tail switch, which instantly activates the light (regardless of whether the torch is on or off) when pressed. If the torch is already on, and set to high mode, pressing this tail switch bumps the beam up to the Turbo setting.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The P20 is built tough, with an ingress rating of IP68, meaning it’s dust-proof and genuinely waterproof (fully submersible to 2 meters / 6.5 feet for up to 30 minutes). It can be bashed around a fair bit, too. Most torches have a standard lens that’s 2mm thick, but the AceBeam P20 boasts a 3mm tempered glass lens for extra strength.
It also comes with a lanyard and a carry/storage bag. There are no colour beam options, but you can opt to have a green filter supplied (for an extra $10), which is easy to attach to the outside of the lens (just like screwing a filter on an SLR camera).
The P20 comes with a 5000mAh 7.4v battery pack (rechargeable via a USBC port), but it can also be powered with two 21700 batteries.
Performance
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
I have been using the AceBeam P20 flashlight in a variety of outdoor scenarios over the last 6 months, ranging from after dark hikes and camping escapades to doing everyday tasks around the garden and using it while out and about in the car at night time.
The first thing to say is that it is a very easy torch to handle: the slimline stem fits nicely in the palm of my hand, and the textured pattern makes it simple to maintain a no-slip grip – even when you’re wearing thick winter gloves. Although the head of the torch is much wider than the handle, the unit is really nicely balanced.
The range of beam strengths is perfect – plenty for every conceivable circumstance, but not so many that things become complicated. It’s very easy to toggle between the modes too, using the side switch.
The Turbo setting is crazy bright, but useful if you want to see across a valley or look out across a moor, or far out to sea (this is a torch aimed at professionals working in fields such as security and rescue, as much as at outdoor enthusiasts, so there are myriad scenarios when having a beam range of over 1km might be useful – even potentially life saving).
The auto step-down function, which dims the beam and prevents you from leaving the torch on Turbo mode, is a good feature, both functionality (so you don’t blaze through your battery power) for safety and (this model doesn’t have a fan, and it can run pretty hot on the maximum setting – I wouldn’t leave it on the floor of a tent on full beam, for example).
At the other end of the scale, the UltraLow mode will give you a little bit of illumination (50 lumens, enough glow to reveal your surroundings and find your way around) for three entire days. In between these extremes are four very useful lighting modes, which are all most people will ever need.
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
The strobe setting is extremely bright (3000–3600 lumens), which is good for signalling across a large distance, but there is no pre-programmed S.O.S. mode. It’s also a bit of a shame there are no in-built colour settings, which are very useful for lots of things (from reading maps and star gazing without shattering your night vision to considerately observing wildlife and finding your way out of a shared tent or dorm without disturbing everyone else). You can, however, choose to get the green filter for an extra tenner – and that’s the one you need for looking at wildlife. It’s easy to attach the filter, but don’t over tighten it, otherwise it’s a nightmare to get off (as I discovered).
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
At nearly 27cm long, the P20 is obviously not intended as an everyday carry item, but its slim build and comparatively low weight does mean you can easily slip it into the pocket of a hiking backpack if you prefer a flashlight to a headtorch. Equally, it’s very easy to carry in a vehicle. Unlike some AceBeam lights, though, it doesn’t have a magnetic bottom, and it doesn’t stand up on its own either, so it’s not as easy to position as other models – a drawback if you’re trying to do a task that requires both hands. It can’t really be used as a camping lantern, for the same reason.
The Tactical rear button can be useful for boosting the light or turning the torch on in the pitch black, but it’s easy to activate by mistake, so be sure to lock the torch when it’s not in use (especially if you’re carrying it in a backpack or other bag).
There are a couple of anomalies in the performance. When you activate the light via the Tactical tail switch, you can’t moderate the strength of the beam with the side switch. Also, after bumping the beam from High to Turbo with the Tactical tail switch, the auto step-down doesn’t kick in after 15 seconds, which means you could easily burn through your battery life very quickly (and, as mentioned, it can get hot).
Lastly, while it’s great that the P20 can be powered with batteries (so you can carry back-up during longer trips), it’s not especially easy to buy 21700 batteries in the UK (they’re available online).
Verdict
(Image credit: Pat Kinsella)
Easy and comfortable to carry, simple to operate, and extraordinarily powerful, the AceBeam P20 is a very good choice of flashlight for people happy to have their light source in their hand rather than on their head. This low-weight light sabre throws a big beam a very long way – well over a kilometre – but it can be a more elegant weapon against the powerful dark side as well, with a range of more subtle settings. The battery life is every bit as impressive as the range, and it’s hard as nails – able to withstand both bashings and soakings if need be.
Some alternatives to consider
For a chunkier handheld flashlight, which is heavier to carry but much easier to position than the P20, check out the bazooka-like AceBeam X75.
If you’re into Everyday Carry, however, and you’re looking for something smaller, the Olight Baton 4 is a brilliant and very classy little torch – a proper pocket rocket.
Cisco: Latest news and insights
Cisco is the dominant vendor in enterprise networking, and under CEO Chuck Robbins, it continues to shake things up.
Its most recent mega-acquisition is its $28 billion purchase of Splunk, a bold move that adds revenue opportunities in observability, data analytics, AIOps, and genAI. And in the security arena, Cisco is building out its platform-based approach to enterprise security with elements such as its new Hypershield AI-native architecture. Meanwhile, Cisco continues to weather the tech industry’s ups and downs, balancing supply constraints, layoffs and restructuring plans.
Cisco news and analysis
Cisco researchers highlight emerging threats to AI models
February 4, 2025: Cisco security researchers this week detailed a number of threats they are seeing from bad actors trying to attack the large language model, AI’s most common component. Being able to disguise and hide content from machine analysis or human oversight is likely to become a more important vector of attack against AI systems, according to Cisco..Cisco touts ‘Internet of Agents’ for secure AI agent collaboration
January 30, 2025: When AI agents begin to proliferate, a new, open structure will be needed so they can securely communicate and collaborate together to solve complex problems, suggests Cisco. To head off potential problems such as agent sprawl and fragmented infrastructure, Cisco’s advanced research outfit Outshift is proposing the “Internet of Agents.”Cisco CEO Robbins on AI: Pressure to deploy is real
January 22, 2025: Interest in AI has exploded over the last two or three years, but enterprises are only just beginning to think about how they’re going to take advantage of it, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins told the audience at the company’s recent AI Summit.Cisco unveils AI Defense package
Jan. 15, 2025: Cisco rolled out a service that promises to protect enterprise AI development projects with visibility, access control, threat defense, and other safeguards. The AI Defense package offers protection to enterprise customers developing AI applications across models and cloud services, according to Tom Gillis, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco’s security, data center, Internet and cloud infrastructure groups.Cisco in 2025: Lots of hard work ahead
Jan. 8, 2025: Cisco executed a fairly short list of technology rollouts in 2024 and made a surprising lack of major updates to its core networking portfolio, which might have contributed to the 23% decline in networking revenue. In 2025, Cisco needs to refocus on enterprise networking and make the data center an all-inclusive home for AI applications, industry watchers say. Security technologies must continue to be a priority as well.Cisco in 2024: the highlights
Cisco grabs SnapAttack for threat detection
Dec. 17, 2024: Cisco is acquiring threat-detection startup SnapAttack for an undisclosed amount as it continues to expand its security portfolio. Established in 2001 by Booz Allen’s Dark Labs, SnapAttack is known for its threat detection and engineering technology, which melds threat intelligence, attack emulation, and behavioral analytics to help customers identify potential vulnerabilities and gaps in their networks, ideally before problems happen.Cisco strengthens AWS integration to speed multicloud troubleshooting
Dec. 5, 2024: Cisco bolstered integrations between its own hybrid cloud offerings and AWS to improve visibility and help enterprise customers more accurately troubleshoot application availability issues across multicloud networks. The new network troubleshooting capabilities revolve around container security technology that Cisco gained in its acquisition of Isovalent and integrated into its infrastructure offerings.Cisco, NTT Data partner to simplify private 5G connectivity
Nov. 26, 2024: Cisco and NTT Data extended their partnership to offer customers more streamlined options for deploying private 5G services for enterprise connectivity. The partnership ties Cisco’s networking technologies to NTT Data’s Transatel network.Cisco: Pressure to deploy AI is up, but only 13% feel ready
Nov. 20, 2024: Pressure to implement AI plans is on the rise, but the readiness of enterprise networks to handle AI workloads has actually declined over the past year, according to Cisco’s AI Readiness Index.Cisco amps up Splunk observability platform
Nov. 14, 2024: Updates to Cisco’s Splunk Observability portfolio include new features as well as tie-ins to Splunk AppDynamics to help IT teams unify visibility and improve performance troubleshooting across on-premises and cloud environments.Cisco launches intelligent Wi-Fi 7 access points
Nov. 14, 2024: Cisco has taken the wraps off a pair of intelligent WiFi-7 access points and introduced a new way of licensing wireless gear across cloud, on-premises and hybrid networks.Cisco IoT wireless access points hit by severe command injection flaw
Nov. 7, 2024: Cisco’s URWB hardware has been hit with a hard-to-ignore flaw that could allow attackers to hijack the access points’ web interface using a crafted HTTP request. Cisco said the issue affects three products: the Catalyst IW9165D Heavy Duty Access Points, the Catalyst IW9165E Rugged Access Points and Wireless Clients, and the Catalyst IW9167E Heavy Duty Access Points.Cisco takes aim at developing quantum data center
Oct. 31, 2024: Cisco Research recently hosted its Quantum Summit 2024 gathering that drew industry experts to discuss ongoing work focused on everything quantum from networking to security, but it was research being done in the quantum data center that garnered most of Cisco’s focus.Cisco pumps up data center networking with AI, large workloads in mind
Oct. 16, 2024: Cisco is boosting network density for its data center switch and router portfolio as it works to deliver the infrastructure its customers need for AI workloads and high-performance computing. Specifically, Cisco is scaling up its Nexus 9000 data center switches and Series 8000 routers for AI-ready networking.Cisco revamps key DevNet sandboxes
Oct. 10, 2024: Cisco has expanded its DevNet sandbox environments to make it easier for network professionals to test and develop applications for key enterprise networking technologies. The new and upgraded DevNet sandboxes are dedicated to Catalyst Center, CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure automation, and Meraki products.Cisco layoffs hit California workers
Sept. 20, 2024: Cisco’s rolling layoffs are taking a toll on workers in California. According to the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) system, which mandates a 60-day notification of large-scale layoffs, 842 employees impacted by the vendor’s current restructuring plan will come from the San Jose-San Francisco area. There is also speculation – not confirmed by Cisco – that some of its headquarters buildings will be closed.Cisco ties AppDynamics to Microsoft Azure for cloud application management
Aug. 30, 2024: Cisco is now offering its AppDynamics application management suite as part of Microsoft Azure cloud services. Through the integration with Azure, Cisco’s AppDynamics platform can manage the performance of applications, virtual machines and other resources hosted on Microsoft’s cloud platform.Cisco snaps up AI security player Robust Intelligence
Aug. 27, 2024: Cisco announced plans to acquire Robust Intelligence, a security startup with a platform designed to protect AI models and data throughout the development-to-production lifecycle. It’s paying an undisclosed amount to acquire the company, which Cisco has previously invested in through its Cisco Investments portfolio.Cisco to cut 7% of workforce, restructure product groups
Aug. 14, 2024: Cisco is cutting 6,000 jobs in its second round of layoffs this year and combining its networking, security and collaboration groups into one unit led by Jeetu Patel. Cisco wants to use this restructuring to pump more resources into three growth areas: AI networking, security and collaboration.Cisco expected to follow Dell with layoff announcement: Report
Aug. 09, 2024: A round of layoff announcements at Dell and Cisco are a result of both companies currently losing core market share to new industry competitors: Arista Networks for Cisco, in their core networking business, and low-cost PC manufacturers like Acer for Dell, an analyst said.Cisco: AI can help security challenges created by IT/OT integration
July 31, 2024: When companies increase IT/OT integration, they can simplify operations, boost security and streamline decision making, according to Cisco’s industrial networking research.Cisco Talos analyzes attack chains, network ransomware tactics
July 11, 2024: Cisco’s Talos security intelligence group analyzed ransomware groups to identify common techniques and offer recommendations to help security team better protect their businesses.Cisco adds heft to cybersecurity push with acquisitions, new talent
July 09, 2024: With new leadership, key acquisitions, and an AI-driven, platform-based vision, Cisco is betting big on security. Its dominance in networking and telecommunications products and services is well established, but its role in cybersecurity is less cemented.Cisco debuts CCDE-AI Infrastructure certification
June 07, 2024: Cisco announced a new certification program it says will empower IT pros to design infrastructure for AI and machine learning. The company’s new Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) AI Infrastructure certification is a vendor-agnostic, expert-level certification that will equip IT professionals with the ability to design modern AI/ML compute and networks now and as they evolve, says Par Merat, vice president of Cisco learning and certifications.Cisco steps up observability play with Splunk tie-ins
June 07, 2024: Work has already begun to integrate Splunk, AppDynamics, and ThousandEyes as Cisco strengthens its observability lineup. At the recent Cisco Live event, execs from Cisco and Splunk detailed plans to create what they called a “unified observability experience” to help customers manage applications across on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.AI takes center stage at Cisco Live
June 05, 2024: Cisco put AI front and center at its Live event, touting new networking, management and security products. CEO Chuck Robbins says the AI evolution is coming on fast, like the cloud transition on steroids. “You’re probably trying to figure out use cases, if you are haven’t already, and how you can use it,” said Robbins in his keynote address.Cisco gears up to capitalize on Splunk deal, AI revolution
May 30, 2024: Despite a recent rough patch, Cisco has growth opportunities on multiple fronts. Its strategy starts with the $28 billion acquisition of Splunk, a bold move that adds $4 billion in annual revenue to Cisco’s roughly $55 billion base. More importantly, it creates revenue-generating opportunities across a variety of fast-growing markets: security, observability, data analytics, AIOps, and genAI.AT&T taps Cisco fixed 5G wireless gateways for WAN service
May 30, 2024: Cisco Meraki has rolled out 5G fixed wireless access gateways, and AT&T said it will use them to offer a new service for business branch offices. The new Meraki MG cellular MG52 and MG52E gateways fill out the high-end of Meraki’s cellular gateway family and offer 2 Gbps/300Mbp throughput – which is twice the throughput of current high-end MG offerings.Cisco research highlights network complexity, security challenges
May 22, 2024: IT leaders need more help managing and securing their distributed networking environments, Cisco asserts in its Global Networking Trends Report. “Network architectures are more sophisticated, more complex, and spread across more multi-clouds and multi-vendors than ever. IT leaders are also besieged by rising cybersecurity risks, increased demand from new app and workload types, and vastly distributed workforces and infrastructures,” said Jonathan Davidson, executive vice president and general manager of Cisco networking.Cisco, Nutanix strengthen joint HCI package
May 16, 2024: Last year, Cisco killed its Hyperflex platform and essentially turned over that business to Nutanix. Now, Cisco and Nutanix have significantly expanded their alliance with new management capabilities, AI components and networking extensions for their integrated hyperconverged infrastructure package.Cisco adds AI features to AppDynamics On-Premises
May 10, 2024: A new virtual appliance for Cisco’s AppDynamics observability platform will give enterprise customers more deployment options as well as AI-driven capabilities for anomaly detection and root cause analysis, application security, and SAP monitoring.AI features boost Cisco’s Panoptica application security software
May 07, 2024: Cisco has added a variety of new AI-based security features to its cloud-native security platform that promise to help customers more quickly spot and remediate threats. The features extend the vendor’s Panoptica platform, which is designed to secure cloud applications from development to deployment with a focus on protecting containerized, microservice applications running on platforms such as Kubernetes.Cisco, Red Hat extend networking, AI integrations
May 03, 2024: Cisco and Red Hat are expanding their 15-year-old strategic partnership, this time to bolster networking, AI and cloud integrations. At the Red Hat Summit 2024, the two vendors will demonstrate how tightly integrating Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) with Red Hat’s OpenShift can help customers improve their network operations.Cisco-backed startup Corelight raises $150 million
May 02, 2024: Cisco is part of a group that backed security startup Corelight with $150 million in Series E funding. The new funding will enable Corelight to further develop its technology, which transforms network and cloud activity as well as packet capture into evidence that security teams use to proactively hunt for threats, accelerate response to incidents, gain network visibility, and create powerful analytics results, according to the startup.Cisco marries AI and security with cloud-based data center offering
April 18, 2024: Cisco announces AI-based Hypershield, a self-upgrading security fabric that’s designed to protect distributed applications, devices and data.Cisco: AI networking adds to data center sustainability challenges
April 03, 2024: Data centers are notorious energy hogs, and the increase in heavy-duty networking and compute power required to handle AI workloads is only going to exacerbate the sustainability issue. But there are efforts underway to address the growth of AI and ML in data centers while keeping energy efficiency, cooling and performance in mind.Beware the gap between security readiness and confidence levels, Cisco warns
March 27, 2024: Security readiness among enterprises has dropped in the past year, while the confidence level of many organizations is up. This disparity between confidence levels and security readiness suggests that companies may be overestimating their ability to navigate the threat landscape, Cisco reports in its newly released Cybersecurity Readiness Index.Cisco: AI tools, better workspaces would boost in-office appeal
March 27, 2024: Cisco released its hybrid work study and found 72% of employees are positive about returning to the office, but they want better-equipped workspaces and more modern collaboration technologies. Office spaces at many companies are too focused on individual work rather than structured around spaces that can encourage collaboration, social interaction and creative brainstorming, according to the survey, which polled 14,050 employees and 3,800 employers in 19 countries worldwide.Cisco taps former Microsoft, Broadcom exec
March 25, 2024: Martin Lund will lead the group responsible for delivering the silicon, optics, and hardware for Cisco’s core switching, routing, and wireless offerings.Cisco, Intel expand Wi-Fi 7 partnership
March 21, 2024: Joint development work by Cisco and Intel is aimed at delivering more reliable Wi-Fi connectivity and new capabilities for latency-sensitive applications.Cisco aims AI advancements at data center infrastructure
March 20, 2024: The Splunk buy and Cisco’s partnership with Nvidia are part of its efforts to build data-center network infrastructure for supporting AI/ML workloads.Cisco completes $28 billion Splunk acquisition
March 18, 2024: Cisco closed its $28 billion acquisition of Splunk, promising product innovations across its security, observability and AI portfolios with the integration of Splunk. Network security teams can use Splunk’s technology to gain better visibility into network traffic, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and SIEM systems.Cisco Talos: 3 post-compromise tactics that threaten your network infrastructure
March 07, 2024: The bad actors who are perpetrating advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks aren’t just looking to access your network. They want to hang around to collect valuable data or lay plans for future attacks. Post-compromise threats are growing, Cisco says, and they’re aimed largely at aging network infrastructure and edge devices that are long past end-of-life stage and may have critical unpatched vulnerabilities. “… the older legacy components have more avenues for access, especially if the devices are out of support and they haven’t been updated in three or four years,” said Nick Biasini, head of outreach at Cisco’s Talos security research arm.Cisco, partners to offer tailored IoT/OT packages
Feb. 29, 2024: Cisco has implemented a new blueprint that involves working more closely with partners to offer packages of networking and software components that meld IT elements with Internet of Things (IoT) and operational technology (OT).Cisco to cut 5% of workforce amid restructuring; layoffs will impact 4,200 jobs
Feb. 14, 2024: After days of speculation, Cisco announced a restructuring plan that will see the networking vendor cut 5%, or about 4,200 jobs, from its 84,900 workforce as it plans to continue to focus on high-strength areas such as AI and security.Cisco brings AI assistant to cloud app security service
Feb. 08, 2024: Cisco is launching a generative AI-based assistant to help customers handle cloud-native application security issues more quickly and efficiently. The Cisco AI Assistant for Panoptica will help businesses streamline, prioritize, and remediate risks and misconfigurations in multi-cloud environments, according to Vijoy Pandey, senior vice president of Cisco’s Outshift advanced development group.Cisco launches Motific hub to streamline generative AI deployment
Feb. 07, 2024: Cisco is delivering a cloud-based service that gives enterprise customers a centralized hub for managing AI elements. Called Motific, the service promises to help streamline and accelerate the creation, deployment and management of generative AI-based applications for the enterprise.Cisco, Nvidia target secure AI with expanded partnership
Feb. 06, 2024: Cisco and Nvidia have expanded their partnership to offer integrated software and networking hardware that promises to help customers more easily spin up infrastructure to support AI applications. The agreement deepens both companies’ strategy to expand the role of Ethernet networking for AI workloads in the enterprise. It also gives both companies access to each other’s sales and support systems.Cisco, Hitachi deliver managed hybrid cloud services
Jan. 31, 2024: Cisco and Hitachi Vantara have unveiled the first fruits of their partnership, signed last year, that aims to bring managed as-a-service offerings to enterprise customers with hybrid cloud environments. The joint offering, Hitachi EverFlex with Cisco Powered Hybrid Cloud, includes a range of converged infrastructure services that meld compute, networking and software technologies from Cisco and storage capabilities from Hitachi.Cisco looks to ease management of software agents
Jan. 26, 2024: Cisco AppDynamics rolled out a new management product that aims to take the pressure off operations teams tasked with maintaining a growing raft of application and infrastructure agents. Smart Agent for Cisco AppDynamics can help customers spot and update out-of-date software agents as well as quickly on-board and manage new agents through a centralized user interface, Cisco stated.Cisco brings SSE technology to new Kyndryl services
Jan. 25, 2024: Kyndryl’s new managed services incorporate Cisco’s Secure Access platform, which includes zero-trust network access, secure web gateway, and firewall as a service.Cisco, T-Mobile team to offer managed 5G service
Jan. 24, 2024: Cisco and T-Mobile have teamed to offer a managed 5G-based connectivity service for remote branches and small offices. The T-Mobile-managed package, called Connected Workplace, will make use of Cisco Meraki 5G cellular gateways as well as its network and visibility management platform. The Meraki software includes cloud-managed security features and a central Meraki dashboard for network management support. Together with T-Mobile’s unlimited nationwide business internet service, the offering will allow organizations to network everything from end users and IoT devices to point-of-sale systems and video installations.Cisco sees headway in quantum networking, but advances are slow
Jan. 22, 2024: While core quantum networking technologies such as repeaters and photonics are being developed, it is security applications that are likely to be the first real-world developments that come out of the lab, according to Liz Centoni, executive vice president, chief strategy officer and general manager of applications at Cisco.Cisco buy highlights container networking, security
Jan. 17, 2024: Cisco’s acquisition of startup Isovalent, developer of open-source tools Cilium and Tetragon, underscores the potential of the popular eBPF kernel technology for multicloud networking and security.
