ExpressVPN has revealed it is now offering ten times more money to anyone able to uncover security bugs.
The company announced, via Bugcrowd’s Bug Bounty program, that it will reward anyone who is able to find and demonstrate a “critical security bug” on ExpressVPN’s in-house technology, TrustedServer, with $100,000.
The company’s previous top reward was $10,000.
Monitoring user traffic
A “critical security bug” would be either something that would allow unauthorized access to a VPN server endpoint, or allow remote code execution (such as malware).
It would also mean any vulnerabilities in the VPN server that result in the leaking of the clients’ real IP addresses, or which would allow third parties to monitor user traffic.
TrustedServer’s goal, as ExpressVPN explains, is to “significantly minimize” problems inherent to traditional server management.
At its core, it’s an operating system, with “multiple layers of protection”, such as a custom Linux distribution built on Debian Linux and developed in-house, a reproducible build and verification system ensuring the authenticity of the source code and the build system, or the ability for ExpressVPN to know exactly what’s running on each and every server.
“Traditionally, VPN infrastructure may be vulnerable to several privacy and security risks,” commented Shaun Smith, Software Engineering Fellow at ExpressVPN and the architect behind TrustedServer.
“This is because most traditional approaches to managing server infrastructure cannot account for various security and privacy risks that are important for VPN service providers to mitigate. We built TrustedServer to address those risks, and make the same solution scalable, consistent, and secure across all our servers.”
Virtual Private Networks were once a staple of network security. However, in recent times, especially with the emergence of remote and hybrid working, and with cybercrime growing as dangerous as never before, organizations have been increasingly turning towards zero-trust network access (ZTNA).
February isn't traditionally a big time for GoPro news, but this year's been an exception thanks to the action-cam king's recent earnings call. Unusually, GoPro made some big predictions about its plans for the year ahead – including a pledge to branch out into new "types" of action camera.
In a revealing earnings call, transcribed by financial website The Motley Fool, GoPro CEO Nick Woodman said that "at the end of 2022, we plan to increase our hardware offering from the two product types we have today, Hero and Max, to four distinct camera products". That won't be the end of the growth either, with Woodman adding that "we expect to expand that further by the end of 2023".
So which new GoPro cameras can we expect to see? Naturally, the company didn't reveal any specific details, but it did drop a few vague hints. Woodman contrasted GoPro's new approach with its previous one, which it called "good, better, best". The latter led to the creation of three variations on the same concept – the Hero 7 Black, Hero 7 Silver and Hero 7 White – which offered different price points but appealed to the same kind of user.
This year will be very different, it seems. Woodman explained in the earnings call that "we think it’s important to build very differentiated specialized solutions for different use cases to appeal to entirely new groups of users". This would help GoPro avoid the current Hero problem: Potential customers looking at the one-size-fits-all action cam find it's "more than they need, or not enough of what they need”.
As Woodman explained. GoPro already makes "a Swiss Army knife" that can be adapted for extreme sports, vlogging or scuba diving. But that versatility also means its Hero cameras come with "a lack of specialization that some tip-of-spear customers really need or desire". Alternatively "for other users, it doesn't do enough".
These honest assessments, and GoPro's conclusion that it "needs a broadened product offering, a broader portfolio, more tools for more people", have sparked lots of speculation about what it could have up its wingsuit sleeves for this year. So we've rounded up the most likely contenders for those "four distinct camera products", and added our thoughts on how likely they are.
(Note: All of the model names below are purely speculative and placeholders for products we think could materialize, based on GoPro's comments during its recent earnings call).
GoPro Hero 10 Session
(Image credit: GoPro)
Likelihood rating: 3/5
When GoPro talks about new form factors, it's hard not to immediately think about a revival of its Hero Session from 2015. The little cube-shaped camera came with the tagline 'GoPro Performance, Simplified' and was designed to fit into nooks and crannies that standard GoPros couldn't squeeze into.
But we're not convinced this is the kind of camera GoPro has in mind when it talks about "specialized knives" to complement its Swiss Army knife flagship. First, the Hero Session range – which was discontinued in 2018 – was still aimed at the same non-specialist audience as the standard Hero series. Also, as our GoPro Hero 5 Session review remarked, it was "fiddly to use" with a "poor battery life".
Still, it's possible that GoPro might be able to overcome those issues and make a more premium DJI Action 2 rival. If so, we reckon it'd be tailored to a more specific use case, though, most likely FPV drone fliers, rather than the average action cam fan.
GoPro Cinema
A modified GoPro from Back-Bone mods(Image credit: Back-Bone)
Likelihood rating: 4/5
A pro-level GoPro seems the most likely candidate for one of the four product categories that the action maker talked about in its earnings call. CEO Nick Woodman said "we're going after developing premium solutions" and that "I think it sometimes gets missed that GoPros are used by professionals the world over, whether it's for film, television, their own commercial purposes, their own research purposes".
Indeed, Ridley Scott used GoPros to make The Martian, with the director stating that the cameras “became a character in the movie; they were mounted on the astronauts; Matt’s character actually records all of his video logs on them in the habitat." But despite these occasional starring roles, there's no doubt that a more specialized GoPro in the vein of a Sony RX0 II would go down well with filmmakers.
That doesn't necessarily mean a 1-inch sensor, like the RX0 II, as GoPro would likely want to maintain its excellent electronic stabilization. But pro-friendly features like 10-bit video recording and time-code syncing would be, even if the GoPro Cinema (or whatever it's ultimately called) is twice as expensive as the GoPro Hero 10 Black.
GoPro Dash
(Image credit: COOAU)
Likelihood rating: 3/5
On paper, GoPros seem like ideal dash cameras – they're small, have wide-angle lenses and take great stabilized video. But in practice, their limited battery lives, overheating tendencies and lack of tailored software means they can't quite compete with the best dash cams.
So could GoPro be prepping a car-friendly take on its Hero range? It's certainly possible; GoPro has talked about adding dash cam-like features to its GoPro Labs software, like adding start/stop capture when the camera detects USB power. And it would fit the CEO's observation that it needs to do things that "for years we just can't get done with a Hero camera due to certain physics constraints".
But GoPro would have some considerable ground to make up on the likes of Nextbase. And it may just be a leap too far, considering the company was previously burned by over-stretching into specialist sectors like drones that it had no heritage in.
GoPro Pilot
(Image credit: Apeman)
Likelihood rating: 3/5
One of the more interesting action cam concepts we've seen lately is the Apeman Seeker R1 – it's effectively an all-in-one safety system for cyclists, including a camera for monitoring and recording the road behind. Could GoPro create something similar for your bike?
GoPro certainly has the camera tech already, but there aren't currently any accessories in its ecosystem that add a 50-lumen tail-light or an anti-collision laser bike lane, like Apeman's new creation.
This tech certainly isn't beyond GoPro's reach, but the bigger question is how big the market is for an all-in-one system like this. We reckon it's slightly too niche for a dedicated GoPro camera, but perhaps the company has spotted a portable safety solution that'd also tie in nicely with the growing e-scooter boom.
GoPro Stream
(Image credit: Elgato)
Likelihood rating: 4/5
The traditional camera giants are falling over themselves to become the default choice for streamers and vloggers, a market that already numbers 50 million people (and counting) according to data analysts SignalFire. And it's certainly not impossible that one of the "professional" use cases that GoPro has in mind is Twitch and YouTube streamers.
You can already live-stream directly to the likes of Twitch with any GoPro from the Hero 7 Black onwards, while those with a GoPro Subscription can also stream directly to their audience via a private link. But GoPro's current live-streaming limitations mean there could be a gap for a dedicated device.
There's currently no way to raise the low bit-rate of GoPro cameras when you're live-streaming, and they still lack the finesse and feature set of a dedicated choice like the Elgato Facecam, which offers an excellent 1080/60p output. But there could be a gap for a premium GoPro alternative, particularly for home-streamers who want something that's just as comfortable venturing outdoors.
Analysis: GoPro prepares to spread its wings again
The rise of smartphones has forced all camera manufacturers to think outside the box of their traditional offerings, and GoPro is no different. The GoPro Hero 9 Black launch seemed like a big evolution for action cameras because its GoPro Labs software opened up new paths beyond the usual dirt trails. Now it seems GoPro is preparing to build on that newfound versatility with new forms of hardware "at the end of 2022".
While dreaming up next-gen GoPros is fun, the company doesn't have unlimited resources. It may have generated record year-end cash balances and revenues that were 30% up on 2020, according to its earnings call, but the distinct lack of action during the pandemic hasn't exactly helped its bottom line.
The ill-fated GoPro Karma drone(Image credit: GoPro)
GoPro is also likely wary of what happened the last time it tried expanding into new territory. In the mid-2010s, it overextended itself with launches like the GoPro Karma drone, a costly decision that ultimately led it towards the more focused path that's produced today's streamlined product range: just the Hero and Max action cams.
Still, while it's unrealistic to expect GoPro to suddenly return to its boom days in the 2010s, there are new possibilities for its little, stabilized cameras. We reckon the most likely scenario for those "four distinct camera products" is the addition of a new premium, professional GoPro and a streaming-focused camera, to join the Hero and Max. But we're looking forward to seeing what it comes up with later this year.
For a long time, many of us assumed that what we did directly before bed made the sole difference to how well we slept. But research is now showing us that how we start our day, and what we do in our waking hours, also plays a role in our ability to sleep at night.
To unpick this further, we spoke to Anne-Sophie Fluri, neuroscientist and Head of Mindfulness at MindLabs, a new mental wellness app that helps people overcome poor sleep, stress, anxiety and low mood.
Through her previous work at Imperial College London, Fluri was involved in the first study of the effects of LSD and meditation on the brain, so she has plenty of insight into how meditation helps you sleep better. Here’s what she had to say…
A neuroscientist's secret to great sleep
There are lots of great sleep tips out there, but the best ones are usually the simplest. Just ask Fluri: “The secret to great sleep in my opinion lies in what we do in the first few hours of waking up. Our circadian cycle determines when we want to be asleep or awake, and this is mostly governed by sunlight.
A huge barrier to falling asleep is often the replaying of your day's encounters”
Anne-Sophie Fluri
“When we’re exposed to light shortly before or after waking up, an internal timer sets off to secrete melatonin (which lets us fall asleep) about 12 to 14 hours later. So it's important that this burst of light happens early in the day so that we can feel sleepy at a reasonable time in the evening.”
If getting outdoors in the morning is tricky for you, open your curtains and let natural light flood your home. You could also try a wake-up light for another burst of light upon waking up.
(Image credit: Getty)
You can’t force sleep, but you can ease into it
If you have spent too many nights staring at the ceiling, wondering why your brain won’t switch off and let you sleep, you’re not alone. In fact, says Fluri, “A huge barrier to falling asleep is often the replaying of your day's encounters, conflicts, or conversations.
“By acknowledging the events of your day, observing them without judgement, and finally practicing some relaxation techniques, you can learn to free yourself from a ruminating mind and find peace and comfort.
Fluri’s top three tips for helping people ease into sleep are:
Keep your electronics out of the bedroom
Dim the lights
Set your alarm for the same time every day and don't get used to hitting snooze!
Bedtime routines help you fall asleep faster
This is the part where what you do directly before bed affects how easily you drift off. “A bedtime routine is so important,” emphasises Fluri, who reads novels but not non-fiction (“it gets my mind racing”) as part of her routine.
If you stick to a schedule that suits you, you’ll fall asleep easier [and] wake up easier
Anne-Sophie Fluri
“The main components of my routine are going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day. A consistent number of hours’ sleep is much more important than catching up on your zzz’s whenever you can.
“I also don’t keep any electronics in my bedroom, put my phone away at least an hour before I want to fall asleep, and keep the lights warm and dim, often only using red light or even candles,” reveals Fluri.
“If you stick to a schedule that suits you (for me it’s seven to eight hours sleep), you’ll fall asleep easier, wake up easier, and most likely enjoy less disruptions while you snooze.”
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Meditation could be your best sleep aid yet
We love a good meditation app at TechRadar, and through her previous work at Imperial College London, Fluri is also well aware of the positive effects meditation has on the brain - and that extends to sleep.
“Meditation keeps racing thoughts at bay, teaches you how to be present and reduces the amount of thoughts or information we’re taking in,” explains Fluri. “It helps get your brainwaves into a slower-wave; one associated with relaxation.
If you wake up frequently in the night, meditation can also help you drift off again. “The combination of mastering your anxieties, teaching your body how to relax, and priming your body and mind for relaxation will help you fall asleep, and get back to sleep faster if you’ve woken up.”
Relax your mind and your muscles
When practiced regularly, breathing techniques and muscle relaxation exercises can help you fall asleep faster. They also act as a powerful antidote to stress.
Fluri has experienced this first-hand through her Releasing Muscle Tension class, which is similar to progressive muscle relaxation. “This technique uses the body to control the mind. It's a form of non-sleep deep rest, so you may or may not fall asleep, but it will teach you to actively calm yourself down.”
You can even use it in place of a nap, Fluri suggests. “One study in particular showed that this form of meditation allows dopamine to reset itself. Another determined an ability to enter a deep state of delta-wave sleep, while awake and maintaining awareness of one’s surroundings. So even if you’re not falling asleep, your body can reap the benefits of rest.”
If you want to try it for yourself, the above video is one of the most popular Progressive Muscle Relaxation for sleep exercises on YouTube with over 2.2 million views. We've used it a few times and it always works for us.
Don’t forget that how comfy you feel in bed can make a difference to how well you sleep, so make sure you have the best mattress for your body. If it is time for something new, the upcoming Presidents’ Day mattress sales are already rolling out some big savings on comfy beds.
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Ghostwire: Tokyo is set to come out in a little over a month, and the developer has just released the system requirements for the PC version of the game.
The system requirements are listed on the Ghostwire: Tokyo Steam page, and they're incredibly easy-going for a game that's only coming out on PS5 and PC. The game only has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 or Radeon RX 5500 XT listed as its minimum specs, and lists the 9-year-old Intel Core i7-4770K as its minimum CPU option.
The only high barrier to entry for most modern gaming PCs is going to be the memory requirements. The developer is recommending a minimum of 12GB of RAM to run the game, and a recommended 16GB of RAM. The store page doesn't say what resolution or graphics options these configurations will be good for, but it's a lot more reassuring than something like Dying Light 2 trying to recommend users spring for an RTX 3080 for 1080p.
When Ghostwire: Tokyo comes out on March 25, you can bet we'll be going hands-on with the PC version of the game to see how well the developer handled the port, just like we did with Dying Light 2.
Here are the full system requirements and recommended specs for Ghostwire: Tokyo.
One of the things that has been bothering me a lot about the latest AAA games to hit the PC lately is that system requirements are extremely high, in a time when it's never been harder to get your hands on a graphics card.
With Ghostwire: Tokyo, though, you should be able to get by with a GTX 1060, and that's still the most popular graphics card out there. Just by virtue of making this PC game easier to run, Tango Gameworks instantly expands its potential player base. And it's not even like this isn't a next-gen game.
Ghostwire Tokyo is being exclusively released on PS5, so the developers didn't even really need to consider last-generation hardware on the console side.
I can't wait to get my hands on this game to see how well it runs, whether it's on the older GPUs listed on the store page, or seeing what it takes to run the game maxed out at 4K with the maximum graphics. And if Ghostwire: Tokyo is anything like The Evil Within and its sequel, it's going to be a gruesomely beautiful game. Hopefully the framerate doesn't add to the fear.
A US court has overturned a January 2020 ruling that ordered Apple and Broadcom to pay the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) $1.1 billion in damages over the alleged infringement of its intellectual property.
CalTech had successfully argued that Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chips used in the iPhone used innovations described in its patents related to data transmission technologies and Apple was told to pay $737.8 million and Broadcom $270.2 million.
However, the academic institution’s damages model was based on an argument that it could have simultaneously negotiated licences with both Apple and Broadcom.
iPhone Broadcom retrial
Apple at the time had argued that the infringements described by CalTech related to Broadcom’s technology and that it was only a customer of the chipmaker. This, it said, meant that the university’s grievance was with Broadcom.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has now rejected CalTech’s theory and said the original ruling was legally “unsupportable.”
“The mere fact that Broadcom and Apple are separate infringers alone does not support treating the same chips differently at different stages in the supply chain," Judge Richard Linn is quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. "Caltech's two-tier damages theory is legally unsupportable on this record."
The big game is less than a week away which means Super Bowl TV deals are live with incredible bargains from all your favorite retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon. To help you find all the top sales, we've rounded up the best Super Bowl TV deals below on 4K, OLED, and QLED TVs.
Our top Super Bowl TV deal picks include everything from a mid-size 50-inch set to a massive 75-inch display, with features such as QLED and voice control, and at a range of prices to meet all your football viewing needs.
We've split our selection of Super Bowl TV sales into three categories: the outright best TVs for watching the Super Bowl, the best mid-range TVs, and the best budget TVs. We've included a range of different sizes in each category, and we've also picked a standout model for our Super Bowl TV deal of the week. This week's top bargain is this massive 70-inch 4K smart TV from TCL that's on sale for just $499.99 (was $829.99) at Best Buy.
We'll be updating this guide with all the best Super Bowl TV deals leading up to the big game, so make sure to bookmark this page for all the latest offers.
TCL 70-inch 4 Series LED 4K UHD Smart TV:$829.99$499.99 at Best Buy
Save $330 – This week's best Super Bowl TV deal is this massive 70-inch 4K TV from TCL that's on sale for just $499.99. An incredible price for a big-screen 4K TV - you're getting 4K UHD resolution, the Google Assistant and Chromecast built-in for seamless streaming, and a handy voice remote.
The best Super Bowl TV deals 2022:
1. Best Super Bowl TV overall
LG C1 Series OLED TV
Screen size: 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, 83-inch | Resolution: 4K HD | Display technology: OLED | Smart TV: LG ThinqQ AI, webOS | Curved: No
Stunning picture quality
WebOS smart platform
Ultra-thin design
Expensive
One of this year's best TVs, the LG C1 features a stunning OLED display within an Alpha a9 Gen. 4 processor, providing a cinema-like viewing experience - perfect for watching the Super Bowl. Gamers will appreciate the Game Optimizer menu, which allows you to easily access your games settings. The LG OLED TV also features virtual surround sound audio, four separate HDMI 2.1 ports, and works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant, enabling you to control your TV and compatible smart home devices completely hands-free.
See more of our top picks for the best Super Bowl TV deals.
LG A1 OLED UHD 4K Smart TV (48-inch):$1,199.99$799.99 at Best Buy
Save $400 – If you're looking for an OLED display under $1,000, the LG A1 is a fantastic option, and Best Buy has the 48-inch TV on sale for a record-low price of $799.99. You're getting 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and 20W of Dolby Atmos audio, plus LG ThinQ AI technology which allows your TV to become a smart home hub.
Samsung 55-inch QN85A Neo QLED 4K Smart TV:$1,599.99$1,099.99 at Samsung
Save $500 - Score the awesome Samsung Neo-QLED TV for Black Friday prices in today's Super Bowl TV deals at Samsung. With superb brightness, colors, and Samsung's excellent Tizen OS, this is a great choice if you're looking for a top-quality display. Featuring one HDMI 2.1 port, this one's also good for next-gen gamers looking to max out their games at 120Hz 4K resolution.
Samsung 65-inch The Frame QLED 4K Smart TV (2021):$1,999.99$1,499.99 at Samsung
Save $500 - Samsung's Super Bowl TV deals also include the gorgeous Frame TV, and this 65-inch set is marked down to a record-low price of $1,499.9. That's a massive $500 discount and the lowest price we've seen for the QLED TV. The stunning Frame TV transforms into a beautiful piece of art to seamlessly blend into your home's decor and includes customizable bezels, a QLED screen, and smart capabilities.
Screen size: 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch | Resolution: 4K HDR | Display technology: QLED | Smart TV: Roku | Curved: No
Mini LED backlighting
Supports Dolby Vision
Roku streaming service built-in
Can’t do 4K gaming
This TCL Mini LED TV has everything and more that you'd want in your mid-range dream TV. The QLED display delivers a stunning picture with bright, bold colors and life-like images thanks to the Quantum Dot technology and Dolby Vision HDR. You're also getting the Roku experience and voice control built-in, so you can use your voice to launch movies, browse shows, control the volume, and more.
See more of our top picks for the best mid-range Super Bowl TV deals.
Insignia 50-inch F50 Series Smart 4K QLED Fire TV (2021):$599.99$399.99 at Amazon
Save $200 - Amazon's Super Bowl TV deals include the all-new Insignia 50-inch QLED TV that's on sale for just $399.99. Not only will you get a 4K image with Quantum Dot technology, but the Insignia set also includes smart capabilities with Amazon Alexa built-in for hands-free control.
Samsung 65-inch 4K Smart TV:$648$429.99 at Samsung
Save $220 – A solid choice for a big screen on a budget, this Crystal UHD from Samsung is one of the company's entry-level displays, and it's on sale for only $429.99 - $140 cheaper than last week's price. This Super Bowl TV deal packs a solid 'Crystal' UHD 4K processor, an easy-to-use Tizen operating system, and full HDR support.
LG 75-inch UP8070 Series 4K UHD Smart TV:$1,179.99$869.99 at Best Buy
Save $310 - If you're looking a big-screen display under $1,000 in today's Super Bowl TV sales, Best Buy has this 75-inch 4K TV from LG that's on sale for $869.99. The LG display packs a powerful 4K Quad-Core processor resulting in bold, bright colors and realistic images, and includes webOS and a Magic Remote for easy streaming.
The Hisense H8G Quantum Series TV comes in a range of sizes, starting at 50 inches and going all the way up to 75 inches. The budget TV features smart capabilities, so you can stream your favorite movies and TV shows all in one place using the handy voice remote. You'll enjoy a stunning picture with bright, bold colors and sharp contrast thanks to the Quantum Dot technology and Dolby Vision Atmos.
See more of our top picks for the best budget Super Bowl TV deals.
Insignia 58-inch F30 Series 4K UHD Smart Fire TV:$479.99$379.99 at Best Buy
Save $100 - Our cheapest Super Bowl TV deal is this 58-inch 4K smart TV that's on sale for just $379.99. That's an incredible price for a big-screen 4K TV that includes the Fire operating system for seamless streaming and works with Amazon Alexa for hands-free control.
Hisense 65-inch R6 Series 4K Smart TV:$498$448 at Walmart
Save $50 - Another great Super Bowl TV deal from the budget brand Hisense, Walmart has this 65-inch set on sale for just $448. The 4K display packs Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10, DTS Studio Sound, and includes the Roku operating system so you can easily stream your favorite apps from the home screen of your TV.
All-New Toshiba 75-inch 4K UHD Smart Fire TV (2021):$999.99$769.99 at Amazon
Save $130 - If you're looking for a cheap big-screen display in today's Super Bowl TV deals, Amazon has the all-new Toshiba 75-inch 4K TV on sale for $769.99. The 2021 set features an Alexa voice remote and the Fire TV OS and includes Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10, and DTS Virtual: X for a premium picture experience.
Back when Nvidia first revealed the GeForce RTX 2080 and showed the world what DLSS is and what it would do, it seemed like a good way to get more budget-oriented systems able to use the new-fangled ray tracing tech it debuted at the same time. Especially because the first iteration of Nvidia's AI upscaling tech wasn't exactly phenomenal it seemed to play second fiddle to a lot of other tech the company was pushing.
However, with the advent of the games generation brought about by the PS5 and Xbox Series X, there's a greater demand for visually rich games, loaded with ray tracing and otherwise complicated visuals. There's nothing I like more than a gorgeous gorgeous video game, but games have become way harder to run in just the last couple of years.
Even the RTX 2080 Ti, a graphics card that was an unstoppable 4K behemoth a few years ago, has become a 1080p GPU in most modern games that support ray tracing. And as the best PC games continue to get more complicated it's becoming more essential for them to include either DLSS or AMD's alternative - FidelityFX Super Resolution, or FSR.
(Image credit: Nvidia)
Remember the 8K graphics card?
Every single time a high profile AAA game like the recently released Dying Light 2 comes out, I can't help but think back on the initial sales pitch for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, and how Nvidia swore that it was an 8K graphics card.
And while that's still technically true, you have to lower all the settings down to low and turn DLSS to performance mode to hit 60 fps at 8K. That's no way to live your life when you're spending thousands of dollars - especially at today's graphics card prices - on a GPU.
But even in other games, this remains true. Cyberpunk 2077, for instance, even with the RTX 3090, can't be maxed out at 4K without relying on DLSS to get a playable framerate. It's just a blessing that at the same time, Nvidia has been able to improve the DLSS technology so much that I usually just turn it on by default in any game that offers it these days.
Even the mightiest graphics card on the market, then, needs DLSS to hit a solid frame rate at the resolution it's marketed for in the most demanding games.
(Image credit: Nvidia)
Upscaling for everyone
I've been primarily a PC gamer for most of my life, and I still remember when Sony announced the PS4 Pro and showed off its checkerboard upscaling to hit 4K. Generally it worked quite well, but like any other PC gamer with access to a PC that could do 4K gaming, I scoffed. These consoles were advertising 4K gaming, but weren't actually playing games at a native 4K.
But guess what? Now that's most games, even on PC. Upscaling has become so good that it really doesn't matter what base resolution the game is being rendered at, because you really won't notice most of the time - especially if you're running FSR or DLSS at a "balanced" or "quality" preset.
This really struck me when I first started playing Dying Light 2, because I tried running it at 4K max with ray tracing effects enabled with the RTX 3090 and an Intel Core i9-12900K and it only got 40 fps. That's technically "playable" I guess, but I've been playing games at 60 fps for too long to settle for 40 fps in anything.
It's actually wild to me when I sit down and think about that too, because the rock-solid 60 fps standard that we as PC gamers have all subscribed to hasn't always been there, and it's only recently that I at least started to expect every game to hit it.
(Image credit: Future)
A link to the past
Going back 10 years or so, when we were trying to get our PCs to play Crysis or Metro 2033 or The Witcher 2, there were so many times that I just settled for 40 fps - and that was at 1080p. Playing at a rocky frame rate was just something you accepted because in order to even theoretically get 60 fps at high settings you'd have to start toying with multiple GPU setups or lowering the resolution and deal with a fuzzy image.
Even then, when you had the resources for a sick Crossfire or SLI setup and were able to hit a solid 60 fps, you were at the mercy of jittery frame times, as the connection between the two graphics cards didn't have enough bandwidth to seamlessly and smoothly play games without a ton of work from developers and the graphics card manufacturers themselves.
Back in the days when a lot of games were coming out as PC exclusives and were able to really reach for the skies in terms of graphics without having to worry about console compatibility, settling for sub-par performance was just a fact of life. And trying to push as close to 60 fps as you could and brag to your friends about how well you were able to run a game with the new graphics card you just bought.
And, with how hard games are to run right now, we could be in another era just like that. Especially with how hard 4K gaming is marketed right now - even though many people haven't moved beyond 1080p - there are so many games out right now that no one would be able to max out until the next generation of graphics cards came out.
But now that upscaling has blown up in such a huge way, no one has to suffer through the low framerates and weird jittery frame times that we had to deal with in the early 2000s and 2010s. It's made PC gaming a lot easier to deal with in general. It's just a shame that the increased accessibility this generation has been met by inflated prices for hardware.
(Image credit: Universal)
Will it continue?
Both the GeForce RTX 3000 and Radeon RX 6000 series of graphics cards are the first generations to come out in this "next generation" of games. It's only natural for these cards to start to struggle as games are designed to take on more advanced hardware, and it's likely that the next generation of PC hardware is going to be able to hit high frame rates at high resolutions without necessarily needing upscaling to do it.
That's likely why Nvidia has started pushing tech like DLDSR as well as DLSS. DLDSR, or Deep Learning Dynamic Super Resolution, is the tensor-core powered version of DSR, something that already exists in the Nvidia Control Panel, where you can render a game at a higher resolution and then scale it down to your native resolution. This makes your game prettier and smoother-looking but will absolutely decimate performance.
The deep learning version of this is more efficient than brute forcing it through your regular shaders but it's still going to impact performance. So, it doesn't make much sense now, in a few years once, say, the RTX 4080 or RTX 5080 comes out, playing around with tech that makes games harder to run but prettier might start to make a lot of sense.
That's the scenario I'm hoping for. The last thing I want is for game developers or the GPU manufacturers themselves rely on upsampling tech as a crutch to push expensive and decadent graphics effects at all costs. That's the feeling I've been getting recently, but we're still early on in this gaming generation, so there's still time to prove me wrong.
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We're likely to see an iPhone SE 3 come out at some point, as it's a phone convention Apple seems to be continuing with, and reports suggest it could arrive as soon as early 2022.
Whenever it comes out, the iPhone SE 3 probably won't be called that, and it'll likely follow the iPhone SE (2020)'s naming convention with the year of release in the title, so perhaps we'll actually see the iPhone SE (2022). Then again, a recent leak suggests it could actually be called the iPhone SE Plus 5G.
The iPhone SE (2020) was one of the most exciting iPhones of 2020, providing excellent Apple hardware and software in a compact size and at a relatively low price. So how can Apple top that?
Easy – add some of the features from the flagships to the next mid-range iPhone SE. The iPhone 13 series launched with a few new features and tech, and while the iPhone SE 3 wasn't announced alongside the next range of flagship iPhones, perhaps the most exciting perks in those devices might trickle down to the mid-range iPhone SE line too.
The iPhone SE 3 is, as the name suggests, the third-gen model in its line, following the aforementioned 2020 device and the original 2016 model. That age gap could suggest we'll be waiting years until the iPhone SE 3, but the 2020 version was so well received, we don't imagine we'll be waiting that long, especially as rumors point to a 2022 launch.
Latest news
We weren't expecting the iPhone SE 3 until April or May 2022, but according to Bloomberg the device will be unveiled alongside the iPad Air 5 on Tuesday, March 8.
iPhone SE 3: cut to the chase
What is it? The next affordable iPhone
When is it out? The latest leak says March 8
How much will it cost? Likely around $399 / £419 / AU$749
iPhone SE 3 release date and price
We thought the iPhone SE 3 might land at Apple's Spring Loaded event in April 2021 - after all, that would be a year after the iPhone SE (2020) launched, but it was a no-show. Nor did it appear at the iPhone 13 launch in September.
But there may well be one in 2022 at least, because it's also rumored that there won't be an iPhone 14 mini - meaning Apple might rely on the SE line for fans of smaller phones.
Trial production is also apparently about to start (as of December 2021), further suggesting it's coming soon.
That said, we've elsewhere heard that the iPhone SE 3 might have been delayed until 2024, so there could be a long wait.
And there’s also the iPhone SE Plus to consider. This was rumored to land sometime after the iPhone SE (2020), and while we haven’t heard much about it lately, Ming-Chi Kuo (an analyst with a good track record when it comes to Apple) claimed back in April 2020 that the iPhone SE Plus might not land until 2022.
So this might land instead of the iPhone SE 3 – or maybe we’ll get an iPhone SE 3 and an iPhone SE 3 Plus. It's hard to say at this point.
As for the price, there’s no news there, but the iPhone SE (2020) starts at $399 / £419 / AU$749, so the iPhone SE 3 is likely to have a similar price – if not perhaps slightly higher.
The iPhone SE 3 might have a similar price to its predecessor (above)(Image credit: Future)
Apparently the phone will have an A15 Bionic chipset (the same as in the iPhone 13 range) and support 5G, but might otherwise be similar to its predecessor, with the same bezel-heavy design and 4.7-inch LCD screen, while another leak says it will also have 3GB of RAM like its predecessor.
We've also previously heard that it might have a 4.7-inch LCD screen and 5G support, so those aspects are looking likely. More recently a third source has weighed in to say the A15 chip and 5G will be added, but the design and screen size won't change with the next refresh.
That said, another source claims that actually it will have a 5.7-6.1-inch LCD screen, while elsewhere we've heard that while it might stick with a 12MP camera, it could at least have a new sensor.
Elsewhere we've heard that Apple could bring Face ID to a future iPhone SE model. That would likely mean a substantial change to the design, with no more home button and a notch instead. However, given that the leaks above suggest a similar design for the iPhone SE 3, this change might be further out (if it happens at all).
In fact, one source said an iPhone 11-like design was on the cards but then backtracked and said that Apple had decided to stick with the iPhone 8-like look for 2022. The source also said that the company plans to use the iPhone 11-like look on the iPhone SE (2024).
Finally, we've also heard that this upcoming phone might actually be called the iPhone SE Plus 5G.
What we want to see
As good as the iPhone SE (2020) is, there’s always room for improvement, so here’s what we want from the iPhone SE 3.
1. A modern design
The iPhone SE (2020) has a rather old fashioned design, and certainly an older design than the rest of the current iPhone range. So we’d like to see things brought up to date for the iPhone SE 3.
By that we mean get rid of the home button and the big bezels above and below the screen, for a more modern look. Doing this would also allow Apple to increase the screen size without increasing the overall size of the handset - or alternatively keep the screen the same size and shrink the phone even smaller.
2. An OLED screen with a higher resolution
The SE (2020)'s screen doesn't overly impress(Image credit: Future)
The iPhone SE (2020) has an IPS LCD screen with a 750 x 1334 resolution, neither of which are exactly cutting edge.
Now, there are of course limits to what can be done with a mid-range phone, but when you consider that the similarly priced OnePlus Nord and Google Pixel 4a both manage a higher resolution and OLED technology (which typically delivers better contrast and other improvements versus LCD), it’s hard to see how Apple could justify omitting these things from the next iPhone SE model.
That said, we wouldn’t count on getting either – Apple rarely competes with Android phones on pure specs.
3. Better battery life
The iPhone SE (2020) has a small 1,821mAh, which might seem reasonable given the phone’s compact size, but we found it didn’t go far, lasting around a day.
That’s not terrible, but it’s certainly not impressive, so we’d like much more from the battery in the iPhone SE 3, whether that’s achieved through increasing the size or making things more efficient.
4. Keep it small and affordable
The iPhone SE (2020) stands out through both its small size and its relatively affordable price, and we want both of those things to remain for the iPhone SE 3.
There aren’t many compact phones anymore – certainly not ones with good specs, and nor are iPhones known for being affordable, so the two things make for a great combination.
5. More cameras
The iPhone SE (2020) has just one rear camera, which isn't really enough(Image credit: TechRadar)
The iPhone SE (2020) has just one camera on the back and one on the front, and while they perform reasonably well, they don’t give you the versatility that you can get with more lenses.
Of course, with even the iPhone 13 only having a dual-lens snapper we don’t expect too much more from the iPhone SE 3, but when you consider that rivals like the OnePlus Nord and Moto G 5G Plus have four cameras on the back and two on the front, you’d think an extra lens or two wouldn’t be too much to ask for.
6. 5G
Apple has now embraced 5G on its flagship range, and we really hope the company lets the tech filter down to the iPhone SE 3, as it’s already available on some of the SE (2020)’s key rivals, notably the aforementioned OnePlus Nord and Moto G 5G Plus, among others.
7. A higher refresh rate
Another feature offered by a number of rivals now is a high refresh rate. The iPhone SE (2020) has a 60Hz refresh rate, which until relatively recently was what all handsets other than gaming phones offered, but now numerous mainstream phones have refresh rates of 90Hz or 120Hz.
It’s a feature that the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max offer, but we’re not optimistic that Apple will bring it to the iPhone SE 3, since it's only on Pro models so far, so Apple is likely to keep the tech as a premium feature for a while.
But it would be great if the company did start including this as a standard feature – it could still differentiate by giving its flagships a 120Hz (or higher) rate, and the iPhone SE 3 a refresh rate of 90Hz.
If leaks are to be believed then the iPad Air 5 might land sooner rather than later, which makes sense, as the iPad Air 4 is getting on a bit now.
The first three generations of iPad Air had all sported a fairly similar look, but the iPad Air 4 brought a design overhaul to the series, moving it from merely being a larger entry-level iPad into effectively an 'iPad Pro Lite' device. The 2020 iPad Air hit the shelves with a modern-looking design, generous processing power and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, but without some of the premium features that make the iPad Pro the top-dog tablet.
So what could the iPad Air 5 bring? Another design update? Improvements to the screen? An extra camera? We've heard that all of these and more might be in the works, and you can read full details of all the leaks and rumors below. We've also put forth a wish list of what we'd like Apple's next generation of tablet to look like.
This includes fixes to some of the iPad Air 4's niggles, some new features missing from the current edition, and plenty more.
Latest news
We might have a release date for the iPad Air 5: according to one reliable source, we'll see the tablet unveiled alongside the iPhone SE 3 on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The next generation in Apple's mid-range tablet line
How much will it cost? Likely around $599/£579/AU$899
When will it be out? March 8, 2022 is the rumored date
iPad Air 5 release date and price
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Apple doesn't generally keep to a yearly release schedule for its iPad Air line, but one is likely due soon, as the iPad Air 4 had its first birthday in October 2021.
Bloomberg – which is usually accurate in terms of its Apple predictions – says that the iPad Air 5 will appear alongside the iPhone SE 3 in an event that Apple is planning to hold on Tuesday, March 8.
Price-wise, the iPad Air 4 costs $599/£579/AU$899 for a model with 64GB of storage, with prices going up for more storage or cellular connection. We could see prices for the iPad Air 5 in the same ballpark.
We're hearing more and more about now: one source claims that an iPad Air model launching probably in early 2022 will have a 10.9-inch OLED screen.
That size is the same as the iPad Air 4, but the technology is different, as current models use LCD. A move to OLED could lead to better contrast and colors, among other upgrades.
However, more recent whispers about this Apple tablet suggest that OLED isn't working out as Apple wanted, so the iPad Air 5 is going to stick with LCD instead. That's come from not one but tworeports now.
One other source meanwhile didn't mention OLED but did say the iPad Air 5 will have a 10.9-inch screen, along with an A15 Bionic chipset (also found in the iPhone 13 range), plus 5G, a dual-lens camera (with an ultra-wide joining the main one), four stereo speakers, and a design that's similar to the iPad Pro 11 (2021) - though still without Face ID.
Some of those claims have been reiterated in a more recent leak, saying that the iPad Air 5 will have an A15 Bionic chipset and 5G, along with a similar design to its predecessor (complete with squared edges), a 10.9-inch screen, a single-lens rear camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera.
What we want to see
Here's what we want to see in the next iPad Air model.
1. Generous storage options
(Image credit: TechRadar)
The iPad Air 4 is available with two storage options: 64GB, which is unlikely to be enough for most users; and 256GB, which is quite a bit more expensive.
Most tablets come with 128GB, because it caters well to the majority, and would work well with iCloud (or your cloud storage tool of choice) for those who require extra storage still.
We'd like to see the iPad Air 5 arrive with 128GB of storage, with Apple dropping the 64GB option entirely. The latter may be a suitable provision for entry-level iPads, but is unlikely to ever be sufficient for the types of power-users who would be investing in the iPad Air.
2. Improved selfie camera
We took issue with the iPad Air 4's selfie camera – a 7-megapixel unit, it wasn't great for video calling, taking selfies, or recording video of yourself.
Bumping up those numbers to a 10- or 12-megapixel unit would make the selfie camera more useful. Better still would be the inclusion of iPhone selfie technology.
3. Even more color choices
We were pleased to see Apple offer the iPad Air 4 in a range of color options. In particular, we liked the addition of the pastel shades.
We'd like to see more of the same with the iPad Air 5, with perhaps some new color options too. The iPhone XR and iPhone 12 are available in some great, vibrant colors, so let's see them used more!
(Image credit: Apple)
4. Longer-lasting battery
The iPad Air 4's battery lasted around 10 hours of use. This is similar to that offered by the majority of iPads; 9-12 hours is the quoted figure for general use. If you're using your iPad to watch movies in bed, or work in coffee shops from time-to-time, this is totally acceptable.
However, if you're a creative using your iPad on a film shoot, a businessperson trying to work on a long-haul flight, or a parent looking to entertain your kids on a long car ride, then you may struggle with that amount.
We'd like to see the iPad Air 5 boost battery life, or at least include software optimizations that keep the device ticking over for longer.
5. Better iPad widget handling
This is more a problem with iPadOS 14 and Apple's software, than iPad hardware, but it's a change we'd welcome.
One of the key features of iOS 14 is the ability to create widgets based on your apps, and leave them on the home screen for easy use. In iPadOS, you can only add these widgets to a carousel on the 'main' home page, making them difficult to find if you have lots of apps, and therefore much less useful.
We'd like to see iPadOS 14 improved so you can add widgets to your home menu wherever you like, not just in the same position.
6. Thinner bezels
The iPad Air 4 and iPad Pro designs don't sport the huge bezels of the entry-level iPad and iPad Mini, but there remains a pretty chunky border separating the screen from the edge of the tablet.
A thinner bezel around the iPad Air 5 would offer an improvement to the design, making the tablet's body size more closely match its screen size. This isn't a deal-breaking demand, which is the reason it sits last on this, but thinner bezels always look better – and this is a wish-list, after all.
