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Ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Samsung revealed it will be improving how ambient sound works on the Galaxy Buds2 Pro.

The feature will now have two extra levels of audio amplification in the Galaxy Wearable app, bringing the grand total to five. Additionally, users will be able to independently “adjust the volume on the left and right [earbuds]”. Altogether, that'll give Galaxy Buds2 Pro owners a greater ability to fine-tune their listening experience so it best suits their needs. For example, one earbud can output loud, clear audio, while on the other, the sound is softer and quieter. 

The company is also introducing a new tool in Galaxy Wearable called Adapt Ambient Sound, which is said to allow “even more clarity in helping users hear the world around them better.” That explanation is pretty vague, but it does remind us of Adaptive Transparency on the AirPods Pro 2. And if it’s anything like Apple’s feature, Adapt Ambient Sound should allow external sound to automatically seep through the Galaxy Buds2 Pro at key moments. This can be pretty useful in scenarios like when you have your earbuds while waiting in the airport but don't want to miss when you're boarding time is announced.

Samsung states the update will release in the coming weeks. However, “availability may vary by market, carrier, and [smartphone] model”. It’s unknown if this will be a global launch. We did ask the tech giant for clarification on the roll out and for more information on the Adapt Ambient Sound. This story will be updated at a later time.

Greater accessibility

The company claims that part of the goal of enhanced ambient sound is to help the “hard of hearing better enjoy the sounds of the world.” Apparently, a recent trial conducted by [the] Samsung Medical Center found the Galaxy Buds2 Pro “show promise as a hearing enhancement device” although the earbuds are no substitute for an actual hearing aid. At the very least, the update aims to help those who may have some hearing impairment and that would benefit from customizable sound amplification.

It’s worth pointing out Samsung isn’t the only company participating in Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 18, 2023) as Apple recently announced its fair share of accessibility features for its various devices. Chief among them is Personal Voice, “developed in cooperation with Team Gleason, a US-based non-profit ALS awareness foundation”. Basically, the tool can create “a synthesized version of your own voice” to say whatever you want without having to rely on a robotic Siri voice.

Making technology more accessible doesn’t have to be something only corporations do. If you own a website, you can help out by making sure your page is accessible to all. To learn how to do this, check out TechRadar’s list of the best web accessibility services of 2023.

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Latest Tech News

In April 2023, we reported on a major issue with AMD’s Ryzen 7000-series processors, which were randomly burning out and sometimes even taking the attached motherboard with them. The issue, caused by excessive SoC voltages running to the CPU, was affecting both the Ryzen 7000X3D and regular Ryzen 7000 CPUs, though more the former than the latter.

Asus is offering support to users who installed beta versions of its motherboard BIOS software, by extending its warranty period for its AM5 motherboard. According to PC Gamer, the manufacturer confirmed its warranty includes both the XMP and EXPO memory overclocking profiles.

AMD did fix the problem rather quickly through a timely AGESA firmware update for the 600-series AM5 motherboards that support next-gen CPUs, with said update limiting the voltage to the chip to 1.3V. The manufacturer also released an official statement, stating that “anyone whose CPU may have been impacted by this issue should contact AMD customer support.”

The problem is that at that time it was unclear whether AMD would honor warranties for this particular issue. As we pointed out in a previous article, that statement concerning reporting to customer service could be for data-gathering purposes as damage caused by hardware overclocking is explicitly not covered in Ryzen product warranties.

TechRadar has reached out to AMD for clarification regarding this situation and will update this story with any statements given to us.

Asus is stepping up to the plate while AMD is striking out 

When looking over the evidence it’s clear that the AMD EXPO memory profiles are the main culprit. The memory overclocking setting in the motherboard BIOS is what's leading to the overvoltage of the chips, and it's not expressly stated that the users overclocked the chips themselves, just the RAM, which has manufacturer-provided presets. 

However, Asus isn’t entirely faultless either. As Gamers Nexus noted when investigating this issue, Asus motherboards were still running EXPO memory profiles beyond 1.3V, which is supposed to be the SoC voltage cap set by AMD. And while this is a huge oversight on Asus’s part, it did own up to this defect and is compensating buyers, while AMD hasn't said one way or the other.

The fact that Asus is covering for a problem that’s the fault of both AMD’s own Ryzen 7000-series chips and Asus’s motherboard is absolutely bonkers. Regardless of whether or not it normally covers overclocking-related incidents, this is clearly the fault of both companies. AMD EXPO is AMD's own creation, after all, so it can hardly blame Asus entirely.

Overclocking is a very common practice for gamers and tech enthusiasts alike, to the point that manufacturers will almost always list overclocked specs for their components and even provide tools to overclock their hardware. The idea that AMD did not make a clear statement of intent to rectify that issue when it really should be covered under warranty is a terrible business practice.

Hopefully, AMD will fix this by honoring warranties for replacement CPUs, since its own AMD EXPO technology appears to be the root cause of all these problems and buyers having to replace such an expensive chip on their own budget is unfair.

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It’s long been a case of when, rather than if, and now it appears the wait for the rumored Leica Q3 is almost over. The camera is tipped for a May 26 launch, and new pictures have leaked that, if real, confirm what street photography Leica-ites have hoped for: the Q3 will feature a new tilt-screen design. 

We’ve included the Q3 leaked pictures, courtesy of Leica rumors, below, and they suggest that the camera will indeed get a tilt touchscreen rather than a fully articulated (flip out to the side) screen. 

A tilt-screen makes waist-level shooting – a long favored shooting technique for street photography – all the easier, as you can look down to view what the camera sees, rather than shooting blind with a fixed screen like the one in the Leica Q2 / Leica Q2 Monochrom.  

It’s not all about the new tilt-screen, though; the fixed-lens full-frame Q3 looks to be a classic minimalist masterpiece, sporting improved features with a modern twist. In fact, if all the rumors are on the mark, we’d pitch the Q3 as the most compelling Leica to date. Let’s recap what else we’re expect from the Q2 successor. 

More pixels, more flexible

The 60MP full-frame sensor in the Leica M11 is expected to find its way into the Q3, which would represent a solid bump in resolution from the Q2’s 47MP. You might not need the extra pixels per se, but in a camera like the Q3, which we assume will also feature a wide-angle 28mm f/1.7 lens, more pixels makes more sense.

The Q2 has focal length simulation modes, whereby you can shoot at 35mm, 50mm and 75mm. What the camera is actually doing is cropping into the 28mm field of view, and therefore the resolution drops – so more pixels gives more detail for every one of those settings, making them more usable.

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

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(Image credit: leicarumors)

You might also be thinking that a higher resolution like 60MP is less forgiving, showing up any focusing errors or camera shake all the more, but the Q3 is rumored to feature improved phase-detection AF plus in-body image stabilization, which should go some way to ironing out those issues.

Whether or not the extra resolution unleashes higher-resolution 8K video, too, we’ll have to wait and see. 

Doing things differently

Leica does traditional rangefinder design very well, but that doesn’t mean it eschews the latest technology. 

Like the M11, the Q3 is tipped to feature internal memory (in addition to its SD card slot) with enough storage for around 700 raw images. And, improving on the Q2, there will now be a USB-C port through which the camera can be charged on-the-go. But there’s a new feature that’s even more intriguing. 

In leaked pictures, the underside of the camera seems to reveal electronic contacts that are rumored to be for a handgrip that also enables wireless charging. Think of how an electric toothbrush sits in a charging dock – something similar could be in store for the Q3. We can’t think of another camera (excluding smartphones) with this type of wireless function. 

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Given Leica’s track record, a wireless charging handgrip is likely to be a pricey extra, and we expect the list price of the Q3 itself to exceed that of its predecessor, too – the Q2 is currently $5,795 / £5,100 / AU$9,290. The Q3 will certainly cost a lot of money, but unlike the interchangeable-lens M11, the fixed lens here is built-in, so in Leica terms we’re at the more reasonable end of the price scale. 

We will bring you all the details of the Leica Q3 when the camera is officially launched, closely followed by our first impressions in our hands-on review.

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Latest Tech News

WhatsApp is currently rolling out a new Chat Lock feature that will ensure your private conversations stay that way.

The Chat Lock update takes chat threads and places them behind their own locked folder which can only be accessed via your device’s own password or biometrics. Additionally, the content of those conversations will be hidden in your notifications so nosy people can't see what you're talking about.

Meta states in the announcement post that Chat Lock is ideal for people who share an unlocked smartphone with family, or, as shown in the official trailer, have their device stolen by their annoying, little brother. To enable the protection, all you have to do is tap the name of the chat and select the locking option. To reveal those chats, “pull down on your inbox” then enter your password or biometric in order to unlock them. Pretty simple stuff.

There are plans to expand Chat Lock options “over the next few months”. Meta states it’ll be possible to lock your conversations on companion devices. Plus, users will soon be able to create custom passwords for the chat that differ from the ones on their smartphones.

As for the launch, the post doesn’t say whether or not this is a global rollout nor does it mention anything about being able to use Face ID to unlock chats. We reached out to Meta for clarification. This story will be updated if we hear back. 

The new Chat Lock feature on WhatsApp (Image credit: WhatsApp)

Room for improvement

Chat Lock joins WhatsApp’s long list of security features from Device Verification to end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication, but that doesn’t mean things are perfect. There's always room for improvement as every now and again something goes wrong.

In this instance, we’re specifically referring to a recently discovered bug that allows WhatsApp to continuously use a phone’s microphone even if the app is closed. This was first discovered by a Twitter engineer who posted a screenshot of the app using the mic at least nine times in the early morning of May 6. Meta is aware of this but claims it isn’t their fault. Instead, the official WhatsApp Twitter account points the finger at Google, claiming there’s a bug in the Privacy Dashboard on Android. Regardless of whose fault it is, we do recommend turning off your microphone through your device’s settings menu to ensure complete privacy. 

But if that doesn’t satisfy you, check out TechRadar’s list of the best-encrypted messaging apps of 2023 for alternatives. 

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Latest Gadgets News

WhatsApp has rolled out new Chat Lock feature to help its users keep their messages and conversations private and secure. One can open these conversation only through correct passcode, fingerprint, or Face ID authentication. The feature has been globally launched and will be rolling out to all WhatsApp users on Android as well as iOS.

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Latest Tech News

The specs for AMD's new Ryzen 8000-series chips appear to have leaked, giving us our first look at AMD's "Granite Ridge" chips.

If the latest rumors are to be trusted, we know what we can expect to see for the various Ryzen 8000 mobile CPU models including core counts ranging from six to 16, a TDP from 65W to 170W, and a maximum L3 cache memory of 64MB. The report from Guru3D also revealed the desktop variant, which seems to be outfitted with similar specs like the Zen 5 CCDs (Eldora), Zen 5 CPU cores (Nirvana), six to 16 Zen 5 processor cores, 65W to 170W TDP, up to 64MB L3 cache, and 16MB L2 cache.

The new Zen 5 architecture should be a huge step up from the current Zen 4 — which is the current archiecture behind some of the best processors of the past year — providing up to an 18% performance increase while reducing power consumption by 34%. The chips are expected to use TSMC's 3NE and 3NP nodes, which will substantially improve their performance relative to Intel's rival chips, which are just now moving onto 7nm process nodes.

That efficiency is what’s most impressive about the jump from N5 to N3 process technology. The leaks reveal that TSMC's N3 process is projected to offer 10 to 15 percent higher speed with the same power consumption.

Is the AMD Ryzen 8000 CPU coming out in 2024?

This leak’s revelation that production most likely started in the later half of 2022 lines up with that release window since component development takes at least a year. We’ve also heard that Zen 5 is due to release in 2024, so this leak adds further evidence for that timeline.

Back on March 30, there was a press release about AMD Ryzen-based servers that hinted at the release of next-gen AMD CPUs. According to said press release: "Even though these new products are entry-level servers, CPU support does not end here and the AM5 platform is supported until at least 2025. The next generation of AMD Ryzen desktop processors that will come out later this year will also be supported on this AM5 platform…"

However, a corrective statement from Gigabyte spokesperson Liam Quinn clarified that the wording was off and that the company doesn’t actually know when the Ryzen 7000 successor will be released. 

This could mean several things, including that we won’t see any chips out until 2025. Or that AMD could instead go for a more gradual release, with some AM5-compatible chips coming out in 2025. A Ryzen 9 8900X launching in October 2024 and the Ryzen 9 8900X3D launching in March 2025 would certainly be in line with the expectations, but we'll have to wait and see.

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