The time has come to say goodbye to Dark Sky. Nearly two years after Apple purchased the much-loved weather app, and more than a year after announcing its impending shutdown, Dark Sky is about to stop functioning. Since September, an in-app notification has warned iOS users the software would no longer work come January 1st, 2023. In September, Apple also removed Dark Sky from the App Store (following an earlier delisting from the Play Store).
If you’re looking for an alternative, it’s worth revisiting Apple’s own Weather app before turning to the App Store. Since iOS 14, the company has gradually integrated Dark Sky’s technology into its native offering. For instance, the Weather app now includes next-hour precipitation alerts, which is a feature that was directly inspired by Dark Sky. That said, if you’re set on trying a third-party alternative, a few that are worth checking out include AccuWeather and Carrot Weather.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
The fourth quarter of 2022 this week becomes the first with no new Mac models in 22 years as previously anticipated devices like the next-generation MacBook Pro and Mac Pro models have apparently been pushed out to 2023.
Historically, Apple released at least one new Mac model every year in the fourth quarter that runs between October and December, starting in 2001 with the launch of the iBook G3. This means that there has been a new Mac toward the end of the year for the entire lifespan of product lines including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The last Mac that Apple released is the M2MacBook Air, which launched on July 15. Depending on how long Apple waits to launch its next Mac, the time following the launch of the MacBook Air could be among the longest periods with no new Mac models at all.
While it was widely rumored that new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models would emerge before the end of the year, a time frame seemingly supported by some mass production forecasts, as 2022 draws to a close, it is now almost certain that these devices have been substantially delayed. The MacBook Pro delay first became apparent when Korean blogger "yeux1122" cited a supply chain source saying that the updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will not launch until around March next year. The picture became clearer when Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in October that the next wave of Mac releases will now take place in the first quarter of 2023, including updated versions of the MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and Mac Pro.
Overall, this constitutes a delay of up to six months over what was originally expected for the next-generation MacBook Pro models. Gurman expects the next MacBook Pros to have few other upgrades beyond the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips, but high-bandwidth memory and ports with newer specifications seem plausible.
The Mac Pro is another device that was once strongly believed to launch before the end of the year, not least because this would have aligned to Apple's wish to transition the entire Mac lineup to Apple silicon within two years. At its "Peek Performance" event earlier this year, Apple even directly teased the launch of the Apple silicon Mac Pro, saying "that's for another day." While Apple reportedly had an M1-variant of the Mac Pro ready to launch earlier in 2022, the company appears to be waiting for an even bigger performance and efficiency jump next year.
Multiple reports from Gurman about the Apple silicon Mac Pro's chip options and specifications provide a fairly straightforward picture of what to expect from the new flagship Mac, but little is currently known about the device's design, ports, performance, and potential for modularity and customization. Most recently, Gurman said that Apple had likely scrapped plans for an "M2 Extreme" chip, but M2 Ultra configurations of the new Mac Pro still seem to be on track for launch in 2023.
NVIDIA has now confirmed the upcoming RTX 4070 Ti desktop GPU.
The RTX 4070 Ti is not to be released until next week, but NVIDIA is already preparing their product pages for the official launch. It looks like one of the marketing teams has made a mistake by sharing/uploading the data early.
Basic specs and some official performance figures were shared by NVIDIA France who already took this information down. Thankfully, this was quickly spotted and captured by hardware leaker @momomo_us.
NVIDIA confirms that RTX 4070 Ti is indeed a rebranded RTX 4080 12GB (the one and only ‘unlaunched’ GPU in the history of NVIDIA GPUs). This model is to feature 7680 CUDA cores and boost clock up to 2.61 GHz. NVIDIA confirms this GPU features 12GB of GDDR6X memory. All the specs are identical to the RTX 4080 12GB.
NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti Specifications, Source: NVIDIA France
NVIDIA is also sharing some performance claims supposedly delivering up to 3.5x performance of RTX 3080 12GB in games such as Cyberpunk 2077. Obviously, those figures are meaningless as they are based on DLSS upscaling comparison not raw raster performance.
The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is now set to launch on January 5th, supposedly at $799 in the US. However, since only custom models will be available, this MSRP may be short lived.
We recently wrote about the first jailbreak tool available for iOS 16, which lets users read and modify internal system files, opening up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to customizations. However, a developer managed to use an exploit found in iOS 16 to change the default font of the system without jailbreak.
Changing the iOS font without jailbreak
Zhuowei Zhang shared his project on Twitter, which he calls a “proof-of-concept app.” According to Zhang, the app he developed uses the CVE-2022-46689 exploit to overwrite the default iOS font, so that users can customize the system’s appearance with a different font other than the default (which is San Francisco).
Since iOS has its own font format, the developer performed the experiment using only a few fonts, including DejaVu Sans Condensed, Serif, Mono, and Choco Cooky. And in case you’re wondering, Choco Cooky is the weird font that used to come pre-installed by default on Samsung smartphones. Now you can finally have it on your iPhone.
Zhang explains that the process should be safe for everyone, since all changes are reversed after rebooting the device. Still, the developer recommends users trying out the app to back up their devices before replacing the default system font. He also details that the change only affects some of the text on iOS, as other parts of the system use different fonts.
How to install the app and change the default iOS font
Although the app created by Zhang doesn’t require jailbreak, it might not be so easy to install it on an iPhone or iPad. This is because you need to either compile the Xcode project yourself or manually sign the IPA file with a developer certificate to install it on your device.
Even so, it’s interesting to see what the developer has achieved without having to jailbreak the device. More details about the project, including its source code, are available on GitHub.
Would you like to have an option to change the default iOS font? Let us know in the comments section below.
Every year, popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee (better known as MKBHD) holds his own Smartphone Awards, in which he chooses the best smartphones in different categories. While last year the iPhone was awarded in three different categories, Apple’s smartphone lost the spotlight to its competitors at this year’s awards.
Just like last year, MKBHD has set multiple award categories for smartphones. They are:
Best Big Phone
Best Small Phone
Best Camera System
Best Battery
The Design Award
Value Award
Bust of the Year
MVP (Phone of the Year)
Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of Android smartphones competing for the awards, while Apple currently sells only eight different iPhone models – and just five of them were released this year. Of course, although the awards are based on MKBHD’s own criteria, he considered both technical aspects and his personal experience with each device competing for the awards.
But how does the iPhone compare with all the other Android smartphones?
Best Big Phone
iPhone 14 Pro Max is certainly a big phone with its 6.7-inch screen. However, MKBHD chose Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra as Best Big Phone of 2022. According to the YouTuber, the S22 Ultra takes advantage of the massive 6.8-inch screen with the stylus combined with software optimized for the large screen, the 5,000 mAh battery, and four camera lenses on the back of the phone.
MKBHD also praised the ASUS ROG Phone 6, which is considered a gamer smartphone, in the same category for having “incredible, massive stereo front-facing speakers” and a headphone jack. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 also got an honorable mention for having the same thickness as a regular phone when folded.
Best Small Phone
Last year, Apple won the Best Small Phone category with iPhone 13 mini. After all, there aren’t many small phones left on the market, and iPhone 13 mini was essentially an iPhone 13 with premium hardware inside a body with a 5.4-inch screen. But this year, Apple killed the iPhone mini and replaced it with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
So the winner of the Best Small Phone of 2022 was the ASUS Zenfone 9. It’s certainly not as small as the iPhone 13 mini since it has a 5.9-inch screen, but it’s still considerably smaller than most smartphones today. With flagship specs, a “surprisingly great camera,” a headphone jack, and good battery life, MKBHD says the Zenfone 9 is “easily the best phone in this size.”
Oppo Find N2, which is a foldable phone, got an honorable mention in this category for looking extremely compact when it’s folded.
Best Camera System
Choosing the best camera on a smartphone can be extremely subjective, especially since there are different criteria for photos and videos, and each person has their own preferences when it comes to color level and sharpness. A few days ago, MKBHD shared the results of its blind smartphone camera test, in which Google’s Pixel 6A took first place, while the Pixel 7 Pro came in second.
But what about MKBHD’s preferences? Although he praised the photos taken with the Pixel 7 and Vivo X90 Pro+, iPhone 14 Pro Max won Best Camera System this year.
The YouTuber says that the iPhone has a more solid camera experience, which includes how fast it is to open the Camera app and take a picture, the consistency between all lenses, and how good the device is at shooting video compared to all Android smartphones.
Best Battery
The winner of Best Battery of 2022 is the ASUS ROG Phone 6. Since it’s considered a smartphone for gamers, ASUS put a 6,000 mAh battery inside the phone. At the same time, it supports fast charging up to 65W, which lets users recharges the battery from 0% to 100% in less than an hour.
Last year, iPhone 13 Pro Max won the Best Battery award, and many other reviews also praised the battery life of last year’s iPhone despite the addition of the 120Hz display. However, iPhone 14 Pro Max failed to offer the same battery experience as iPhone 13 Pro Max since Apple kept the battery the same size and added an Always-on Display.
Interestingly, Marques praised the battery life of the iPhone 14 Plus, which beats the iPhone 14 Pro Max since it has a regular 60Hz display without the Always-on feature. As a result, iPhone 14 Plus consumes less power than the Pro model.
The Design Award
The design category is also quite subjective, and even MKBHD agrees with this. And the smartphone that won The Design Award in 2022 is the Nothing Phone. Looking from the sides, the Nothing Phone reminds one of the latest iPhones. However, Nothing Phone has a transparent back full of LEDs that can be used for multiple things like notifications and flash light while you’re filming.
“It definitely skirts the line right between gimmick and feature. […] I find it really neat. I think it’s cool that you can see how much battery is as you’re charging. […] Little things like that. You don’t see a lot of phones trying new stuff.”
The Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 got an honorable mention in the design category for being a foldable phone that looks much more solid than other foldable phones.
Value Award
Last year, Google’s Pixel 6 won the Value Award, and this year the award was given to the Pixel 7. MKBHD argues that the Pixel 7 is the best in its $599 price range, and it even beats some more expensive flagships with its specs. “It’s so good that it made the [Pixel] 7 Pro kind of feel like not that good of a deal,” he added.
ASUS Zenfone 9 once again received an honorable mention, this time in the Value Award category for offering a “really unique combo” that includes a 120Hz display for $699.
Bust of the Year
The 2021 Bust of the Year was Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2, which has two separate screens and was launched at a $1,500 price tag. This year, however, MKBHD chose the OnePlus 10T as Bust of the Year for having a “pretty big delta between expectations and possibilities versus actual results.”
MVP (Phone of the Year)
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra was the 2021 winner of Phone of the Year. But what about this year? The winner for 2022 is Google’s Pixel 7. Just as mentioned before, MKBHD says the Pixel 7 has great value with its good cameras, display, and battery, plus “flagship software experience” while it costs much less than other premium smartphones.
With similar arguments, ASUS Zenfone 9 also won an honorable mention as Phone of the Year. In third place, MKBHD chose the Galaxy S22 Ultra for this category, which he defines as “boring” and “expensive,” but at the same time one of the best phones one can get in 2022.
Wrap-up
From three categories in 2021, the iPhone has now only been awarded in one of the categories in 2022. And yet, MKBHD pointed out that he prefers the iPhone camera because of its outstanding quality for shooting video.
What are your thoughts on the results? Would you have a different list than MKBHD for the best phones of 2022? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Switch Pro was heavily rumoured not so long ago as a mid-generation upgrade on the existing Switch console, which launched in 2017.
Reports suggested that Nintendo was planning to release a more powerful variant with an improved screen, but, despite numerous sources seemingly corroborating this - including developers who had apparently been told about it - no Switch Pro was forthcoming, and the arrival of the OLED edition seemed to indicate that another hardware update wouldn't be on the way for a while.
Now, the gang behind Digital Foundry are claiming that the system was in Nintendo's plans at one point, but was eventually cancelled. As of now, there are no plans to release a more powerful version of the Switch before its successor arrives.
This rumour has been confirmed to Digital Foundry by more than one unnamed developer.
As for Nintendo's next console, Digital Foundry says we shouldn't expect to see it next year.
Digital Foundry also speculates that Nintendo is "worried" about transitioning from Switch to its next system. It's a fair assumption to make, given that Nintendo went from boom (with the Wii) to bust (with the Wii U) and back again with Switch, but one would think the company is wise enough to stick with the hybrid approach, given that it has proven so successful and is essentially its own niche. But who knows?
Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with some fresh predictions this morning for the iPad mini. After the major refresh of Apple’s smallest tablet in 2021, Kuo believes the company could miss a 2023 launch for the next generation. Meanwhile, he explains why Apple’s first foldable won’t replace the mini.
Kuo shared his iPad mini insights on Twitter this morning. First, considering the idea of Apple’s foldable arriving in 2025 that could replace the iPad mini, Kuo believes “it’s unlikely.”
Back in April Kuo shared that Apple’s first foldable arriving in 2024 was previously a possibility, but it became “clear this prediction needs to be revised.” He updated that to 2025 at the earliest for a foldable iPad or hybrid iPhone/iPad.
To be clear, today’s prediction doesn’t say that Apple will miss the possible 2025 foldable debut, but that it won’t replace Apple’s smallest tablet since the first foldable will have “a markedly higher price than an iPad mini.”
iPad mini 7 in 2024?
When it comes to the follow-up to the overhauled iPad mini 6, Kuo says availability “is expected to start by the end of 2023 or in 1H24” which means it could miss a fall launch and the holiday 2023 season.
The main upgrade will be a new processor, with more details unclear at the moment.
Notably, iPad mini is in a trickier spot than ever with the new iPad 10 featuring the same design with a larger screen, at a more affordable price.
In a study we saw just yesterday, iPad mini only made up 4% of all the iPads in use.
(3/3)
Additionally, Apple is currently working on a new version of the iPad mini equipped with a new processor as the main selling point, and the mass shipment is expected to start by the end of 2023 or in 1H24.
A New York man filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple on Dec. 24, alleging that the Apple Watch’s blood oximeter has a “racial bias” against individuals with darker skin tones.
The Blood Oxygen app is available on Apple Watch Series 6 and newer and can “measure the oxygen level of your blood on-demand directly from your wrist, providing you with insights into your overall wellness,” Apple explains.
New York resident Alex Morales alleges that he purchased an Apple Watch between 2020 and 2021, and was aware that the watch “purported to measure blood oxygen levels and he believed it did this without regard to skin tone,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit further alleges that during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers “confirmed the clinical significance of racial bias of pulse oximetry” using patients’ records.
“For decades, there have been reports that such devices were significantly less accurate in measuring blood oxygen levels based on skin color,” the lawsuit reads.
“The ‘real world significance’ of this bias lay unaddressed until the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, which converged with a greater awareness of structural racism which exists in many aspects of society.”
Apple noted on its website that the Blood Oxygen app is “only designed for general fitness and wellness purposes.”Getty Images
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The tech company notes on its website that the Blood Oxygen app is “only designed for general fitness and wellness purposes.”
“Blood Oxygen app measurements are not intended for medical use, including self-diagnosis or consultation with a doctor,” Apple writes.
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LG may not make smartphones anymore, but it's still building components for them. The company's LG Innotek arm just unveiled a periscope-style true optical zoom camera module with a 4-9 times telephoto range. That would allow smartphone cameras to retain full image quality through the entire zoom range, while potentially reducing the size and number of modules required.
Samsung developed a similar camera module, also known as a "folded" lens, with a four times zoom first used in the Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphone. LG Innotek provided a previous version of its zoom module to Sony for the Xperia 1 IV smartphone.
Most smartphone cameras use hybrid zoom setups that combine digital zoom and multiple camera modules. Certain zoom ranges (typically 2x, 3x, 10x, etc.) use individual cameras, with a digital zoom to fill in between those (2.5x, 4.5x, etc.). As a result, sensor resolution and thus detail can be considerably reduced.
LG's "Optical Zoom Camera," however, contains a zoom actuator with movable components, similar to what you'd seen on a zoom lens in a mirrorless or DSLR camera. It operates quickly and precisely down to the micrometer, according to LG, while saving battery life. It also has a built-in optical image stabilizer to reduce blur, something that can be a problem for telephoto lenses that magnify hand movements. (iFixit shows exactly how such modules work here.)
With the module installed, a sensor would retain full resolution through the entire 4-9x zoom range, providing more detail on telephoto shots. LG also pared down the module's thickness to reduce the size of the camera bump.
The company partnered with Qualcomm to integrate the tech in the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform. "It will enhance the image tuning custom for the optics, which includes Auto-Focus, Auto-Exposure, Auto-White Balance, lens shading correction and much more. Users will be able to focus quickly. And the photos and videos will have stunning image quality," LG wrote.
The new module will appear in smartphones announced at CES 2023 starting January 3rd. LG didn't reveal any brands or models, but there are a number of smartphones coming soon with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that could potentially use it. Those include the OnePlus 11 series, Xiaomi 13, Motorola X40 and Oppo Find X. Apple is also a large customer of LG Innotek and could use the zoom module in next year's iPhone 15 series, according to previous reports.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
Microsoft is busy developing new features not only for Windows 11 but also for its stock apps. The next major change coming to one of Windows 11's stock apps, Notepad, is likely to support tabs, a leaked feature by a Microsoft employee shows.
Tabs in Notepad will work exactly like how they function in Files Explorer and web browsers: you will not have to open multiple windows for multiple folders and directories. All of them can be clubbed into one single window but in numerous tabs. If tabs ever launch for Notepad, it will perhaps be the most exciting announcement for those using the app in Windows 11 in a year. The last time we heard something major related to the app was when Microsoft redesigned the Notepad app for Windows 11 users.
The screenshot of the tabbed interface in Notepad displays a confidential warning telling employees not to discuss or take screenshots. Despite the warning, the screenshot was circulated on Twitter before the original author deleted it. But luckily, we managed to get a hold of it even though it is no longer on Twitter thanks to @PhantomOfEarth on Twitter.
However, the leaked screenshot does not tell us anything about when it will be available for the general public. It is possible that Microsoft will test the new interface in Notepad with Windows 11 Insiders before making it a part of its upcoming "Moment" updates. Maybe the software giant will push it to Insiders early next year.
When the 2nd-gen Nest Hub was announced in March of 2021, Google said Sleep Sensing would eventually become a paid feature. After previously targeting 2023, sleep tracking will now be free for another year.
The Nest Hub’s Google Store product page was recently updated to say Sleep Sensing is “free through 2023.” The preview was previously “free through 2022,” which was what Google established in November of 2021.
Google now “plans to integrate Sleep Sensing into Fitbit Premium” in 2024. The company has not been specific about what that entails, but one interesting integration would be combining sleep data from the Nest Hub with the Pixel Watch and Fitbit smartwatches our trackers. With Health Connect last month, Google Fit has already made it so that wrist-based heart rate data is shown alongside other Nest Hub sleep stats.
In our experience, Soli radar-powered Sleep Sensing is quite accurate and comparable to wrist derived stats. You can get sleep stages (Awake, REM, Light, and Deep), as well as find out whether you were snoring or coughing over the course of a night. The Nest Hub also tracks other sounds and light changes that might have disrupted your sleep. You’ll also get a room temperature readout that unfortunately remains limited to Sleep Sensing and cannot be accessed on-demand for other uses.
It’s a nice sleep tracker for those that don’t want to wear anything on their wrist. That said, if a user already has a smartwatch they wear to sleep, it’s not clear that Sleep Sensing is valuable enough to pay for. Google will eventually require Fitbit Premium to use and that’s currently $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
It takes seconds for someone to compromise privacy and security on your Android phone. Though compromise from strangers such as hackers and other cybercriminals are more commonly discussed, sometimes it is the snooping by those near you that can be the most shocking. Detecting that your phone has been tampered with is also hard for you to detect when a snoop has infiltrated your private life - and I've got help with finding out.
It doesn’t take very long for any nosy person from gaining access to your phone or change settings that grant them access in the future or remotely.
Most people wouldn’t even think to guard their Androids, especially around friends, family or familiar settings so chances are that you wouldn’t notice if your phone has been creeped on.
As a safeguard, simply follow the steps below to bolster your phone’s security, so it isn’t susceptible to hackers or snoops.
Please note settings may vary depending on your Android phone's manufacturer.
Photo of a woman holding a Samsung phone. (Fox News)
It takes no time at all to input your screen lock to access your Android. While you may think more sophisticated methods are needed to gain access to your Android, it can be as easy as peering over your shoulder while you least expect it to spy on what screen lock you’ve inputted.
Once this snoop gets a good glance or even several looks over time, they can get into your phone when you set it down to use the bathroom or run to get something from another room.
Follow the quick steps below to make sure it is more difficult for snoopers to gain access to your phone.
1. Restart your Android
Photo of a woman restarting her Android smartphone. (Fox News)
For Most android phones:
Hold Power button then select Restart or Power off and restart from the Power Options menu.
Photo of a tutorial on how to change the lock screen on an Android. (Fox News)
Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone
Tap ‘Security’
Select type of screen lock preferred by tapping ‘Screen Lock’
Already have a Screen Lock in place? You’ll need to input your pattern, pin or password to pick a different lock: Pattern: Use your finger to draw a simple pattern PIN: Enter a minimum of 4 numbers, but longer PINs (more than 4 numbers) tend to be more secure. Password: Enter 4 or more letters or numbers
Pattern: Use your finger to draw a simple pattern
PIN: Enter a minimum of 4 numbers, but longer PINs (more than 4 numbers) tend to be more secure.
Password: Enter 4 or more letters or numbers
Select Screen lock option by tapping the one you prefer then follow the on-screen instructions
It’s important for your security to keep your phone’s operating system updated. Any time loopholes for hackers and snoopers are discovered, usually there is an update to stop them.
To check which Android OS you’re running
Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone
Tap ‘About Phone’ then ‘Android version’
You can find your ‘Android Version," "Android security update," and "Build number"
Get the latest Android Updates available for you
If you get a notification, open it and select ‘update’
If you cleared the notification or your device is offline:
Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone
Tap ‘System’ then ‘System Update’
After you see your status, you can follow any steps presented on the screen (if necessary)
Stock phone of a phone with a lock on the screen. (Fox News)
How to prevent Android snoops from spying
Be mindful when you’re inputting in your screen lock. Even someone looking over your shoulders can be compromising your security so be aware of who is around you when you’re inputting your screen lock. For those of you who don’t pay attention or want to pay attention, you can get a privacy screen protector. It is usually a plastic or tempered glass piece that you can stick to your phone screen to not only protect your screen from cracks or scratches but also blocks out light from certain angles so people around you can look at what you’re inputting.
Never share your password or passcode. If you’ve got a google profile set up on your Android device, you can set up different or guest profiles, which will limit their access to the settings and information on your phone.
Send videos and photos directly to someone instead of handing over your unlocked phone
Never leave your phone unattended
By far the smartest protection is to install good security protection on all of your devices for the best protection. My top pick is TotalAV (Limited time deal: $19 your first year (80% off). See my expert review of the best antivirus protection by searching ‘Best Antivirus’ at CyberGuy.com.
Have you been snooped on before? Or hacked? How did you find out? Comment below.
For more Android tips, head over to CyberGuy.com and search "Android" and be sure to subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter at CyberGuy.com/Newsletter.
Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. CyberGuy.com articles and content may contain affiliate links that earn a commission when purchases are made.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
While I was eager to see how these new GPUs compared to NVIDIAs, I had to go through several rounds of driver and motherboard BIOS updates on my Ryzen 9 7900X before both cards were stable enough to actually use. That's something I occasionally run into when testing cutting-edge hardware (NVIDIA's cards also required a BIOS update), but there were still issues with AMD's cards even after that. Halo Infinite, for example, refused to launch matches with either card. Sometimes my PC would completely shut down while testing Cyberpunk 2077, which required me to unplug my desktop and reset my BIOS before Windows would boot again.
I've been benching AMD and NVIDIA video cards on this PC, equipped with a premium Corsair 1000W PSU, for the past several months without any stability issues. So it was a surprise to see just how much havoc these GPUs could wreak. I haven't seen other reviews complaining of similar issues, so I'll chalk up my experience to early drivers. AMD just released a new driver that resolves an issue of high power draw during video encoding, so I'm hoping the company is also trying to address the bugs I'm seeing.
None
3DMark TimeSpy Extreme
Port Royal (Ray Tracing)
Cyberpunk
Blender
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX
12,969
14,696/68fps
4K FSR RT: 57fps
2,899
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT
11,688
13,247/61fps
4K FSRT RT: 50fps
3,516
NVIDIA RTX 4080
12,879
17,780/82fps
4K DLSS RT: 74fps
9,310
NVIDIA RTX 4090
16,464
25,405/117.62 fps
4K DLSS RT: 135fps
12,335
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
7,713
9,104/42.15fps
N/A
N/A
When the cards ran smoothly, they proved to be fairly competitive with the RTX 4080. The 7900 XTX was on-par with the 4080 when it came to 3DMark's TimeSpy Extreme benchmark and Geekbench 5's Compute test. The 7900 XT scored 1,000 points lower on TimeSpy Extreme, which was 3,000 points higher than last year's RTX 3080 Ti, but it was bested by that NVIDIA card when it came to Geekbench. Hitman 3 also ran blazingly fast on both cards in 4K, reaching 165fps and 180fps when I flipped on FSR upscaling. Much like NVIDIA's cards, there's little reason to run any game in 4K without the help of advanced upscaling tech.
The performance gulf between AMD and NVIDIA appeared once I started dabbling with ray tracing. The 7900 XTX and XT scored well below the RTX 4080 in the 3DMark Port Royal benchmark (at least they managed to beat the 3080 Ti). I also only saw around 57fps in Cyberpunk 2077 on the Radeon 7900 XTX while playing in 4K with full ray tracing and AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution technology. Without FSR, that frame rate dipped to an unplayable 25fps. The slower 7900 XT only managed to hit 50fps in 4K with FSR and ray tracing enabled.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Basically, if you're eager to get a video card that reaches well above 60fps in 4K with ray tracing, you'll have to look elsewhere. But if you can live with 1,440p, you'll find more to like: The 7900 XTX reached 130fps in Cyberpunk with ray tracing, FSR and graphics settings maxed, while the 7900 XT hit 114fps. That's almost enough to max out a 120Hz gaming monitor! Personally, I still find 4K gaming to be overrated — 1,440p still looks great, and you may never notice the benefits of pushing more pixels. But I’ll admit that I've been spoiled by NVIDIA's DLSS3 upscaling technology, which allowed me to hit 74fps in Cyberpunk while playing in 4K with ray tracing. That's as close to gaming heaven as I've ever been.
But there's one thing you'll find with these AMD GPUs that you won't with NVIDIA's: Reasonable street prices. Even after their launch, you can still snag the 7900XT and XTX close to retail. Many RTX 4080 models, meanwhile, are inching towards $1,500 at online retailers (assuming you can find them in stock at all). Spending close to $1,000 on a video card is still hard to stomach, but at least it makes more sense than going all the way to $1,500.
The Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT are a solid step forward for AMD, especially when it comes to 4K gaming. But I'm hoping the company can get its driver situation in order, and perhaps eke out better ray tracing performance in the process. Most gamers are still better off waiting for AMD and NVIDIA's next-gen mid-range cards, which are sure to be launching soon. But if you're an avowed AMD fan, you've finally got the high-end upgrade you've been waiting for.
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In-built into Android is a number of Developer options that allow you to go beyond the regular user-facing functionality to get even greater control over your daily experience – here are some of our tips to get the most from your phone.
First and foremost, Developer options can sometimes be known as “Developer mode” on some Android devices. These added controls are somewhat obviously not available right out of the box and designed to let developers (and by extension users) configure system behaviors to help profile and debug app and system performance.
Before we start, you will need to go to Settings > System > About phone > Tap “Build number” seven times > Enter PIN or pattern. To access the wider Developer options or Developer mode, you’ll need to head to Settings > System > Developer options. From here, we can start making tweaks.
Table of contents
Video — 10 advanced Developer options settings to instantly enable
When you plug your Android phone into a PC or laptop, there is a predefined process that will run automatically. This can vary from phone to phone, but thanks to Android developer options, you can adjust this to suit your own personal preference.
You can choose between File Transfer mode, USB tethering, act as a digital interface for audio with MIDI, or picture transfer with PTP mode. You can also set it so your Android phone doesn’t transfer any data and will just charge if that is supported.
This is a real timesaver if you only plug your phone in to a computer to remove files and can be enabled by heading to Settings > System > Developer options > Default USB configuration. From here, just set up whatever option you prefer.
Force split-screen mode
The default split-screen mode in Android is excellent at allowing you to truly multitask on your phone. Sadly, it doesn’t work with every single application for one reason or another. Thanks to a toggle within the Developer options section in Android 12 and Android 13, you can force split-screen mode even for unsupported apps on your Android phone (or tablet).
You might encounter some issues with unsupported applications, but this is especially useful as most apps will scale accordingly to your screen size anyway. To enable head to Settings > System > Developer options > Force activities to be resizable.
Force peak refresh rate
Even if your phone has a high refresh rate screen, it might not always be running at the maximum rate. You might notice frame drops or times where the refresh rate dips to lower speeds. Often this is limited by the applications on your device, but the Android system will do this to save battery or even improve performance.
That said, you might have a 90, 120Hz, or even higher refresh rate screen. Thanks to the Developer options section within Android, you are able to force your devices peak refresh rate to be used across every area of the system.
To enable this, head to Settings > System > Developer options > Force peak refresh rate > Toggle “On.”
Block all sensors tile
Your smartphone knows a lot about you. Some might say too much. If you are worried about your privacy at certain points, then there is a neat quick toggle to disable all of your on-device sensors including GPS, microphone, camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and even magnetometer will be inaccessible to any app on your phone while this is toggled.
There could be some battery benefits here, too. You will lose out on some functionality if you leave the block in place all the time though. However, it’s still useful to have access to. To add it to your device Quick Settings panel, head to Settings > System > Developer options > Quick settings developer tiles > Sensors off.
This will be added to the first position in your Quick Settings panel or notification shade but can be moved to wherever you see fit. Mobile data and Wi-Fi are unaffected by this tile.
Select mock location app
There are tons of applications that need your location for functionality. Some might argue too many. There are tons of apps out there that allow you to fake your current location, which can be useful for games that require location for certain in-game unlocks or features. A prime example is Pokémon Go or even streaming apps when you want to access geo-locked content.
You can use location spoofing applications to default to a specified region and with the Developer options, this means you can place your Android anywhere on the planet with zero problems. To enable head to Settings > System > Developer options > Select mock location app > Now select your preferred app.
Speed up on-device animations
Android gets a lot of undeserved criticism for the quality and consistency of animations and perceived smoothness. In recent years, things have improved dramatically. Thanks to the enhanced developer options mode, you can tweak your phone’s animations though if they are too slow or not slow enough for your liking.
If you want to tweak animation speed, head to Settings > System > Developer options. From here there are three options that you can toggle to improve speed. “Window animation scale,” “Transition animation scale,” and “Animator duration scale” can be tweaked to suit your own personal preferences. It’s worth noting that .5x speed means faster, so smaller numbers mean even faster animations.
Wi-Fi scan throttling
Battery life is one of the biggest complaints of any smartphone and taking steps to potentially increase it is always worthwhile — so long functionality isn’t impaired. One such function that might be worthwhile disabling is “Wi-Fi scanning.” However, you can still keep this enabled for quick Wi-Fi switching but restrict how often the scanning process takes place.
Wi-Fi scan throttling limits background apps from scanning for Wi-Fi to once every 30 minutes. Without being activated, this can be as much as once every 15 seconds. In our opinion, this is a good middle ground if you don’t want to disable Wi-Fi scanning entirely.
To enable head to Settings > System > Developer options > Wi-Fi scan throttling.
Force dark mode
A dedicated dark theme or dark mode has been one of the best additions to Android in recent years. It still isn’t perfect though but, thanks to a toggle found within Developer options, you can force a dark theme even for unsupported Android apps and certain system sections.
As you would expect, this can be buggy. Certain UI portions can become obscured or hard to decipher as a result of using this option. We would say use this functionality with caution as it can make some apps difficult to use properly.
If you want to enable dark theme everywhere, head to Settings > System > Developer options > Override force-dark.
Always enable/disable mobile data
Even when your phone is constantly connected to Wi-Fi, mobile data will be active for quick switching between networks. This is great if you are moving between networks on a regular basis, but for most people, this can affect battery longevity.
To disable or enable this function, head to Settings > System > Developer options > Mobile data always active > Toggle on/off. With this function disabled, it’s worth noting that when turning off or disconnecting from Wi-Fi, it’ll take a couple of seconds before mobile data is available, but we think this is a worthwhile compromise.
Monitor and manage running services
Within Developer options, you can manage and monitor any ongoing processes running on your Android phone including cached apps. If your phone is running strangely or you just want to get an idea of what is sapping at device memory, then this dashboard is a useful place to visit to get a better idea of what is going on.
You’re able to stop any processes or applications from this pane too if you wish. Head to Settings > System > Developer options > Running services to get an idea of the current state of your Android phone.
We want to know just what Developer options you simply have to enable right away on your Android phone. Is there something you literally cannot live without? Let us know down in the comments section below.
