The Engadget Podcast

This week, managing editor Cherlynn Low and senior reporter Karissa Bell are joined by The Verge's Allison Johnson to talk all about the new iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17s. We also answered some questions from Threads and talk about our hopes and dreams from the next Apple event. Also, Devindra and Ben chat about some recent news, including a truly awful AI podcasting company.

Cherlynn, Karissa, and a special guest break down the iPhone 17 news from Apple headquarters – 1:04

Notes from the iPhone Air hands on – 14:59

Once again, a big Apple event with...

We've survived Apple's iPhone 17 event and we're here to dive into all of the news. In this bonus episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham recap all of Apple's new hardware and try to determine if the iPhone Air has any substance behind all that style.  

We're just days away from Apple's September 9th iPhone 17 event, and the hype seems practically nonexistent. Did the many (many) leaks splash cold water on an enthusiasm, or are we just tired of annual iPhone events? In this episode, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham joins Devindra to discuss why even the rumored iPhone Air isn't really tingling our gadget geek senses. Also, we dive into the final repercussions of the US. v. Google antitrust trial: Turns out Google doesn’t have to sell Chrome, or give up much of anything else.   

The iPhone 17 is almost here, does anyone care...

Now that Apple has scheduled its iPhone 17 event for September 9th, it's time to dive into everything we’re  expecting. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic chat with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman about his latest Apple scoops. We're expecting an ultra-thin iPhone Air (which may turn out to be a dud), but when will we hear more about Apple's rumored move into robotics and that darned foldable iPhone?

iPhone 17 event preview with Mark Gurman: Apple’s rumored iPhone Air will be rough around the edges at first  – 1:03

What to expect from the main iPhone 17 line: mo...

This week, Google unveiled its full suite of Pixel 10 devices during an event hosted by Jimmy Fallon, of all people. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford dive into all of the new phone models and try to determine if Google has finally cracked the code on premium smartphones. Also, they chat about a few announcements from Gamescom 2025.

Google announces Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro – 1:08

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold – 7:13

Pro Res Zoom promises up to 100x virtual zoom with an AI assist – 20:34

Pixel Watch 4: a more vibrant screen and satellite connectivity – 26:04

Wha...

Ford has big plans for 2027: This week, the American carmaker announced a new "Universal EV Platform" for future electric cars, spearheaded by a $30,000 mid-sized EV pickup. In this episode, we're joined by SAE International Editor Roberto Baldwin to break down all of Ford's claims, as well as where its $5 billion manufacturing investment is going. Can Ford really rebound after slow EV sales and last year's disappointing product delays?
 

Ford has a plan for a ‘Universal EV Platform’ and a $30,000 mid-size electric pickup, can they pull it off? – 0:49

OpenAI releases GPT-5, the reception so far is mixe...

This week, Apple committed another $100 billion towards US investments in a bid to avoid the Trump administration’s chaotic tariff plans. Oh, and Tim Cook gave Trump a unique plaque with a 24-karat gold base. Just a normal business meeting in a normal country. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford discuss what this latest Apple investment ultimately means (and just how embarrassing appeasing the Trump administration looks). And since the news is fairly slow, we also take some time to answer a few listener questions. 

Apple attempts to avoid tariffs with another $100 billion U.S. inv...

We’ve been playing around with the developer betas of Apple’s latest software, and now that we’ve spent time with iOS 26, Liquid Glass and more on actual devices, we have thoughts. From representation in Genmoji and Live Translation adventures to Apple Intelligence musings, our hosts Cherlynn Low and Mat Smith share what you can expect on your iPhones later this year. We also go over our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, as well as Microsoft’s SharePoint server vulnerabilities.

Cherlynn and Mat on how iOS 26 feels in the developer beta – 1:17

Our r...

VR filmmaker Eliza McNitt has explored the cosmos with her previous work, but with her short film Ancestra, she taps into Google’s AI tools to tell a personal story. Based on her own birth, the film follows a pregnant woman who is shocked to learn she needs an emergency cesarean delivery. We hear her frightened thoughts as she thinks back to the creation of life and the way all living creatures are connected.

In this episode, Devindra chats with McNitt about Ancestra and the creative potential (and many dangers) of AI as a video production tool. Wh...

Samsung has finally debuted its latest foldables (after plenty of leaks), and boy they sure look thin. This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to chat about the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, as well as other highlights from its Galaxy Unpacked event. Also, we dive into a few of the best deals from Amazon Prime Day. You won't believe how cheap huge TVs have gotten.  

Breaking down the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 and everything else from Unpacked 2025 – 1:58

Galaxy Z Flip 7: bigger screens, bigger battery – 16:06  

Galaxy Watch 8: now with an antioxidant sensor? – 20:59  

Great d...

This week, Devindra chats with Sam Chapman, Engadget’s new security reporter who’s been reviewing VPNs and related products. He dives into what led him to security, the VPNs he likes the most and thoughts on potential cyberattacks. Additionally, we discuss Microsoft’s latest news around the Windows 10 Extended Security Update, and Devindra explains why M3GAN 2.0 absolutely rules.

It's been a busy week! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Editor Jessica Conditt dive into their final thoughts on the Switch 2, as well as Jess's time covering Summer Game Fest. We also put a bow on WWDC 2025 and explore what works and doesn't with Apple's Liquid Glass redesign. 

Summer Games Fest 2025: Sword of the Sea, Mouse: PI for Hire, Big Walk and a ton more indies – 1:17

Nintendo Switch 2 review: more polish on the Switch form factor with scant new releases – 22:09

WWDC 2025 wrap up: what will users think of liquid glass? – 38:11

Air Tra...

In this special episode, recorded live in Cupertino, Cherlynn and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham are joined by the Washington Post's Chris Velazco and Wired's Julian Chokkattu to discuss Apple's announcements at WWDC 2025. Though the announcements were all over the place and felt difficult to judge until they roll out to devices, our guests and hosts agree that they felt more meaningful than past WWDCs.

The Switch 2 has finally launched, and we've got our systems in-hand to show them off. This week, Devindra, Sam Rutherford and Nathan Ingraham will dive into their first impressions of Nintendo's new console and Mario Kart World. And of course, we'll discuss the chaotic launch experience. Also, we chat about what to expect from Apple's WWDC 2025, where we'll likely see a new naming scheme and facelift for Apple operating systems, as well as more details about their AI plans with Apple Intelligence. 
 

The Switch 2 is finally out! Here’s our first thoughts – 1:05

Switch 2 display: bigger...

This week we're fielding your burning tech questions, as well as diving into a bunch of AI web browser news. Opera has started testing its fully agentic AI browser, the Browser Company is dumping the Arc browser in favor of something AI related and Mozilla is getting in a bit of hot water with experimental AI preview summaries. Try as we might, we just can't escape AI.

Listener Mailbag: How to set up an Xbox account for your kids, will screens be obsolete, and more – 1:34

Web browsers go AI ‘agentic’: The Browser Company leaves Arc behind...

Would you believe Google really wants to sell you on its AI? This week, we dive into the news from Google I/O 2025 with Engadget's Karissa Bell. We discuss how Gemini is headed to even more places, as well as Karissa's brief hands-on with Google's prototype XR glasses. It seems like Google is trying a bit harder now than it did with Google Glass and its defunct Daydream VR platform. But will the company end up giving up again, or does it really have a shot against Meta and Apple?

Lots of AI and a l...

It looks like we're entering the era of crazy-thin phones. This week, Samsung finally announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, its slimmest smartphone yet. Is there actually a point to it, or is Samsung just trying to beat Apple to its rumored super-thin iPhone? Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to dive into the S25 Edge, as well as some pre-Google I/O news from the Android Show.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge: How much does thin mean to you? – 1:32

What’s new at The Android Show 2025 – 16:50

Apple touts a bunch of new features...

This week we're diving into the new 12-inch Surface Pro, which, alongside the 13-inch Surface Laptop, is a foray into smaller Surface hardware. You can thank Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus chips for that. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic explore the compromises Microsoft had to make for these devices, and they dive into the rumors around Half Life 3 and the surprise leaked photos of Microsoft and ASUS's potential Xbox handheld. Also, Devindra chats with the head of Google's X division, Astro Teller, about the past and future of the "moonshot factory."

Surface Pro 12...

This week Meta held its first-ever AI dev conference, LlamaCon, focused on the development of its Llama generative AI model. But while there was plenty of hype, not much happened, besides the launch of the Meta AI app and a new Llama API. In this episode, Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell joins us to talk about her thoughts on LlamaCon after attending in person. After just announcing its latest Llama models a few weeks ago, it was as if Meta didn't have much else to say.

Meta’s Muted LlamaCon: who was the AI dev con...

4chan, one of the trolliest places on the internet, could be gone for good following last week's hack. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn break down what 4chan was and why it's influence can be found practically everywhere now. It's like we're living in  a poster's paradise. Also, we discuss YouTube's 20th birthday and all of the memories (and frustrations) it's given us over the years.

4chan is dead, RIP? – 2:08

Youtube turns 20 – 15:59

Nintendo’s Switch 2 is finally available for preorder at the same price – 33:03

Apple and Meta fined a combined €...

This week, we're diving into Engadget's coverage from the 2025 New York Auto Show. There are tons of EVs, as we expected, as well as some surprising disappointments (what the heck did Subaru do to the Outback?!). Also, we once again try to make sense of the Trump administration's tariff mess. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for a chat with Isaiah Saxon, the director of A24’s The Legend of Ochi, about his puppet-filled kid’s adventure.
 

What’s hot in EVs from New York Auto Show 2025 – 1:56

Federal Judge rules that Google has a mon...

This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford dives into his experience with Google's new $499 mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 9a. Is it really the new mid-range king, as we previously predicted? Or is it worth spending more for the Pixel 9? Also, we chat about how the Trump administration's volatile tariff strategy will affect consumer technology (not to mention everything else you buy).  

Sam Rutherford’s Pixel 9a Review: Basic in just the right way – 1:16

Tariff Watch: Switch 2 preorders delayed, Razer pauses laptop sales in the U.S. – 30:27

TikTok ban deadline extended for another 75 days – 42:40

Samsu...

After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer. 

In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world a...

This week, we learned that even government officials are addicted to their group chats -- except with the Trump administration those chats include war plans and potentially classified information. In this episode, we dive into the sheer recklessness and stupidity of Signalgate. And speaking of reckless, we also discuss 23andMe's bankruptcy and the privacy concerns around selling off customer DNA data.

Signalgate: What happened, who was involved, and how to safely add someone to a Signal group chat – 0:48

23andMe files for bankruptcy, customers are urged to delete their sensitive data – 21:25

Canon’s PowerShot V1 and...

After a ton of leaks, Google officially announced the $499 Pixel 9a, which has the potential to be the new king of mid-range phones. It has dual cameras and access to Google's AI features -- in many ways, it's everything the iPhone 16e should have been (especially its price). In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to discuss what's great about the Pixel 9a, as well as its potential downsides compared to the Pixel 9.

Google’s announces the Pixel 9a - potentially the new midrange king – 1:15

Fujifilm’s GX100RF: a 102MP medium format camera...

It's both a great and bad week for Apple. In this episode, we dive into Devindra's review of the excellent M4-equipped MacBook Air (and briefly chat about the new Mac Studio). We also discuss Apple's surprise announcement that it's delaying its smarter, AI-infused Siri, which may not arrive until next year. Did Apple over-promise last year, or is it wise to hold off on advanced AI features until they're ready? After all, Apple doesn't want a fiasco like Microsoft's Recall announcement.
 

The MacBook Air M4 refresh maintains Apple’s seat on the ultraportable throne – 1:40

…bu...

Apple finally dropped some long-awaited updates this week:  An M4 MacBook Air (now starting at $999!), M3 iPad Air, as well as a refreshed Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips. In this episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about all of Apple's new hardware, as well as some interesting tidbits from Mobile World Congress 2025. Devindra also dives into his reviews of NVIDIA's RTX 5070 and AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT. It turns out AMD has finally delivered some killer GPUs to counter NVIDIA's dominance.

We mentioned a bunch of stuff from ou...

The keyword for the iPhone 16e seems to be "compromise." In this episode, Devindra chats with Cherlynn about her iPhone 16e review and try to figure out who this phone is actually for. Also, they dive into Amazon's Alexa+ event, where we finally learned more about the company's AI-powered voice assistant. Alexa+ seems useful, but can we trust it?

iPhone 16e review: too expensive with too many compromises – 1:28

Amazon Alexa+ is a conversational assistant powered by AI – 18:39

Framework unveils a cheap 2-in-1 laptop and a…modular desktop? – 40:53

Clone Robotics released...

Well we didn't get the iPhone SE fourth-gen this week -- instead Apple debuted the iPhone 16e, a $599 model based on the iPhone 14's design. It has a 6.1-inch OLED screen and the A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, but should we really consider it a cheap iPhone? In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into the iPhone 16e and how it compares to the rest of the iPhone 16 family.

Apple unveils its SE successor, the iPhone 16e for $599 – 1:22

Trump administration planning on 25 percent tariffs on auto and semiconductor imports – 32:02

Acer to raise prices by 1...

We joked about "President Musk" shortly after Donald Trump took office, but it turns out that wasn't far from the truth. Over the past few weeks, Elon Musk and his DOGE team wasted no time in trying to dismantle the American administrative state. They've illegally accessed the Treasury Department's federal payment system, pushed for USAID to be dismantled, and have also infiltrated the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In this episode, we chat with 404 Media's Jason Koebler about what Musk and his young tech cronies are up to, and how it ties into Silicon Valley's approach to the new Trump...

This week, Devindra chats with Volvo Group CTO Lars Stenqvist about the company’s progress developing zero emissions trucks, both of the electric variety and experimental hydrogen options. While it’s a completely different company from Volvo Cars, Volvo Group still impacts consumers as one of the largest producers of heavy trucks. Stenqvist dives into how Volvo is thinking about new technology, and we chat a bit about how it’s approaching completely autonomous vehicles. (Note: This interview was recorded in early January, so we didn’t have a chance to talk about this week’s partnership between Volvo and the se...

In the span of a week, the Chinese startup DeepSeek has completely disrupted the AI landscape with its free and "open source" R1 model. In this episode, Devindra, Engadget Senior Reporter Igor Bonifacic and Producer Ben Ellman dive into what makes R1 so special, and what DeepSeek is doing differently from OpenAI and other competitors. Also, we try to figure out what’s up with “Incention,” a weird AI/blockchain project for creating new Hollywood IP, and wonder if Helion’s fusion reactor is actually legit.
 

DeepSeek’s R1 model shakes up the AI landscape – 1:55

Quick menti...

It feels like CES again with a slew of tech news this week! In this episode, Devindra dives into his final thoughts on NVIDIA's $2,000 GeForce RTX 5090, a super-powered video card with a healthy dose of AI. Senior Reporter Sam Rutherford also joins to explain everything Samsung launched at its Galaxy S25 Unpacked event. And of course, we'll chat about some of the technology industry and policy changes from the new Trump administration. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for our chat with YouTube Director of Product Management Jack Greenberg about some new features headed to YouTube Premium.<...

So it looks like the TikTok ban may actually be happening, barring a last-minute Supreme Court decision. In this episode, Senior Writer Karissa Bell joins Devindra and Ben to discuss the potential finale of TikTok in America, as well as why some users are finding refuge in RedNote, a Chinese Instagram clone. They also dive into why Meta is giving up on third-party fact checkers, and how this relates to Mark Zuckerberg's descent into the right-wing world. Finally, we explore the tidbits of information from Nintendo's Switch 2 unveiling.

Stay tuned to the end of this episode for...

We’re officially recovering from CES 2025! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Reporter Sam Rutherford dive into their favorite PCs from the show, and debate the merits of Lenovo’s extra-large Legion Go S handheld. They explain why they like ASUS’s ultra-light Zenbook A14, and Sam gives us his final thoughts on Dell’s clunky brand transition.

Lenovo’s surprising CES showing: ThinkBook Plus Gen 6’s rollable screen – 0:47

Legion Go S by Lenovo is the first third-party handheld to run SteamOS – 4:35

NVIDIA’s RTX 5000 seems great… – 10:16

…But Jensen Huang’s keynote on NVIDIA’s future...

We've survived two days of CES! In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest innovations in robot vacuums, new AI PC hardware from AMD and Intel, and Dell's decision to nuke its PC brands in favor of Apple-esque "Dell Pro" and "Dell Pro Max" branding. (Note: We recorded this episode before NVIDIA announced its new RTX 5000 GPUs, but we'll have more to say on that soon!)

We're ringing in 2025 with everything we're expecting to see at CES! That includes new video cards from AMD and NVIDIA, a holographic windshield from Hyundai and potentially more satellite enabled phones. AI will still be a major topic -- like the next generation of AI PCs -- but it also seems like we'll be hearing a lot more about classic CES stories. In addition, we explore why Meta wants to start adding AI users to Facebook and Instagram. 

CES 2025 Preview: LG’s bendable 5K OLED, AI PCs, and a broadening satellite phone market – 2:17

New vi...

This week, we're looking back at our hellish 2024 and trying to figure out where to go from here. We began the year with enormous hype around artificial intelligence, but that's cooled off after seeing how useless many AI features have been. It's also clear that many companies, including Microsoft and Apple, are trying to push half-baked AI concepts onto users. Looking forward, we're expecting a rough few years for the tech industry (not to mention the world as a whole).

2024 in review: AI hype hasn’t led to much and the social media vibes are in...

At long last, iPhone users have access to Apple's AI image generation tools, Genmoji (for customized emoji) and Image Playground. But based on our testing, these Apple Intelligence features aren't fully baked. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss why these AI tools aren't very useful and dive into some of Apple's most egregious image generation fails.

iOS 18.2 AI image generation arrives half baked. Genmoji are fun, but weird – 1:13

OpenAI’s Sora video generation model was finally released – 37:17

GM kills its Cruise robotaxi project – 45:43

Google’s Gemini 2.0 is now available f...

Our review-in-progress of the Kindle Scribe 2 is live, and this week on the Engadget Podcast our host Cherlynn Low talks about Amazon’s latest writing tablet with noted ereader aficionado Alex Cranz. The pair are joined by Engadget’s own ereader expert Valentina Palladino, and they all get deep on the state of reading on books, tablets and phones. Our hosts also dive into what’s happening at Intel, as well as modern cars and personal listening habits.

Kindle Scribe 2, Kobo, Boox and more: the state of ereaders in 2024 – 2:12

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger retires –...