Tech Blog

Recently, Google released the Pixel 10a, which was pretty much a static copy of the 9a. MobileSyrup editor-in-chief Jon Lamont reviewed the 10a and noted that while it was still a good phone, the 10a was also basically a clone of the 9a — interested customers should try to pick up a discounted 9a first, if they can find one.

Apple’s iPhone 17e is coming out on March 11, 2026. While it also seems like a clone of its predecessor, the iPhone 16e, I won’t be ending this review by telling you to buy the 16e instead, as there are some meaningful differences that I’d consider worth getting the updated version over last year’s model, such as a more durable display, better processor, double the storage, and MagSafe. Also, this one comes in a very pretty Soft Pink.

Meant to last

Okay, so we’ve all seen iPhones, and when I think of the most basic version of an iPhone, I picture the 17e. Aside from still having the notch, the iPhone 17e offers a modern design for a mid-range phone. It’s not super thin, the bezels aren’t tiny, but it fits in your hand well, and won’t weigh down your pocket.

Typically, I like big phones, so I wouldn’t choose this device, because it measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm with a 6.1-inch display; however, for those who prefer a more manageable-sized handset, the 17e is a good choice. I’ve had some friends with smaller hands hold the device, and they liked how it felt, and said it reminded them of their current devices, which were some older models like the iPhone 12.

It’s important to mention that Apple did some crazy drop tests on this phone to make sure it can withstand drops from a variety of angles onto asphalt. When I’m home, I go caseless with the 17e, and while I’m not performing drop tests, I’m a bit of a clumsy guy, but I have no worries about dropping the device. It’s even fallen a couple of times and is still going strong.

The iPhone 17e uses a durable Ceramic Shield 2, which makes it three times more scratch-resistant than even the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I still wouldn’t call the iPhone 17e the most durable of Apple’s handsets; that prize goes to the iPhone Air, but the 17e’s display can most definitely survive dings and drops.

Soft Pink

Let’s talk about the new Soft Pink colour. It’s a subtle pink, but I absolutely love it, and I really hope Apple brings this colour variant to its mainline of devices. The aluminum frame’s metallic pink looks so premium, despite the phone’s C$899 price tag. You even get the metallic pink around the single camera, which just looks so damn good. Seriously, it’s such a cool vibe.

Side note: I think Apple is getting pretty good at highlighting cool colour variants like this, or the Cosmic Orange 17 Pro 😍. Keep doing fun colours, Apple! As part of the reviewer’s package, Apple loaned me the $79 Soft Pink crossbody strap, which attaches to a silicone case. Wearing a pink iPhone around the streets of Toronto is baller. I feel like it adds a fun pink element to my outfits, and I’m a big fan.

Small yet powerful

The iPhone 17e comes with double the storage (256GB compared to the iPhone 16e’s 128GB storage base) at the same price. Last year, Brad Bennett called the iPhone 16e expensive, especially compared to the $300 cheaper iPhone SE. However, Bennett created a very detailed chart last year that detailed how much every iPhone costs in Canada adjusted for inflation, and the iPhone 16e put up a very good fight. And if the 16e put up a good fight, then the 17e, with double the storage and a better processor, is an OHKO.

The iPhone 17e features the same A19 chip as the iPhone 17, and it’s incredibly capable. I’m typically used to covering flagship-level devices, and the 17e can definitely compete against these phones; however, it’s worth noting that it can’t replace your 17 Pro Max. For instance, I was able to edit a reel for Instagram completely on the device, play Marvel Snap, and watch YouTube videos, all without any issues or lag. However, I also played titles like Oceanhorn 3 and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and while it played well without any hitch, the device would get a lot warmer. After 20 minutes of Oceanhorn 3, the 17e’s aluminum frame was hot to the touch. This can be mitigated by using a controller attachment like the Backbone Pro, but still something to keep in mind for the gamers out there.

The iPhone 17e also features Messages via satellite, so you can send a message if you’re off the grid or use Emergency SOS via satellite if you need rescuing.

I haven’t had the iPhone 17e for too long, but I’ve realized that it has a surprisingly good battery life. I could definitely go more than a day without charging, with an average of 4.5 hours of screen time. Playing Oceanhorn 3 definitely killed some of the battery, so on my testing days, I would need to charge before going to bed, but still, I was quite impressed by the little device.

And MagSafe, the iPhone 17e offers 15W wireless charging. I love that I can just put it on my Belkin MagSafe wireless charger. And of course, if you have other MagSafe accessories, you can magnetically and securely attach things like your wallet. However, I’d prefer quicker wireless charging like the iPhone 17; 15W isn’t bad, but call me greedy.

Beautiful shots

The iPhone 17e only has a single 48-megapixel ‘Fusion’ camera, which Apple says can take 2x telephoto zoom in optical quality. I haven’t reviewed a phone with a single camera in years, so this was a fun trial for me. Similar to the battery, I was very impressed by the quality of the images, showing you don’t need a phone with a 200-megapixel camera to take some awesome photos.

Details are great, colours are beautiful, there’s a great sense of high dynamic range and depth. However, despite being impressed by the camera, I still wished that the phone offered a second ultrawide camera; I felt like it was missing during my testing. I tend to go back and forth on whether I’d want more zoom or ultrawide, but it felt like it was missing.

Lowlight camera performance was good and full of details. However, after using the iPhone 17 Pro Max for the last several months, I wish the 17e had the Center Stage 18-megapixel camera; it’s so good, whereas the 17e’s selfies could be a bit better. And strangely, I didn’t realize how much I’d miss the Camera Control button. It’s worth noting, though, if you’re coming from an older device, then you won’t know what you’re missing, and the 17e is still worth considering. Plus, you can somewhat replace Camera Control with the Action button if you want that quick access. Although I like to use mine on Shazam just in case there’s a banger.

Should you buy it?

On the Apple website, there’s a section that says “Worth the upgrade?” that includes comparisons to the iPhone 11, 12 and iPhone SE 3rd gen, but honestly, I think the company is underselling this device. If you’re upgrading from even an iPhone 13 or 14 and want to keep it under C$1,000, I’d grab the iPhone 17e.

Of course, the iPhone 17 is better, but it also costs $230 more. At $899 for a phone with 256GB of storage, a solid performance — if you’re not hardcore gaming — beautiful pictures and MagSafe, the iPhone 17e is great.

Historically, I’ve never really used an iPad. I’m certainly more than familiar with the ecosystem, both because I bought my mother and grandparents iPads and I have an iPhone and MacBook. (Of course, I will also always attempt to troubleshoot any issues they have.) But in general, tablets haven’t exactly been my thing; for casual messaging and web browsing, I have my phone, and for more intense use cases, I’ve got my laptop.

But this year, I’ve gotten the chance to check out the latest iPad Air refresh (officially dubbed iPad Air M4) following the departure of the other MobileSyrup Brad, who was our primary Apple Guy. Because of that, I figured I’d take a bit of a different approach to writing about Apple’s new tablet. Since pretty much everyone else is going to have a more technical review breaking down its exact specs and performance, I thought I’d look at it in a more general consumer sense. In particular, it’s been a fascinating opportunity to compare my experience to that of Mum’s, who’s been heavily using her (now pretty old) iPad every day.

And so, read on for both of our impressions — one from a more tech-savvy 31-year-old who doesn’t normally use tablets, and the other from a less knowledgeable 58-year-old who lives by her tablet.

Brad’s experience

What immediately took me aback while using the M4 iPad Air is just how much of a powerhouse it is. As Apple touts, this latest tablet is 30 per cent faster than last year’s M3 Air and 2022’s M1 Air. On top of that, its new C1X modem uses up to 30 per cent less energy than its counterpart on the M3 iPad Air. It also sports a three times faster Neural Engine than the M1 iPad Air, which allows it to better handle Apple Intelligence and other AI features. (Full confession, though: I have never cared for this sort of AI functionality, though, and this tablet hasn’t changed that.)

With all of these beefier specs, I’ve been able to (almost) seamlessly integrate the iPad into my regular workflow and entertainment habits. For one, the better performance lets it balance all of my regular tasks, like word processing, social media browsing and YouTube videos/music in the background. When attached to the Magic Keyboard, it’s effectively just a better version of the 2020 M1 MacBook Air I’ve been using. The keyboard is admittedly expensive at $379, but I honestly think it’s worth it. The seamless magnetic connection eschews the need for any setup process, which can otherwise be tedious when you switch between devices and have to navigate various Bluetooth pairings.

I especially found the iPad Air transformative with Photoshop when used in conjunction with the Apple Pencil Pro. I’m still an amateur when it comes to the program, but even for editing photos, the ability to precisely drag borders and easily zoom in on specific parts of the image is wonderful. And of course, the simple options to write in Notes or even sign documents (which I often have to do for work) are incredibly handy. (While the $169 Pencil Pro is another pricey accessory, the inclusion of features like wireless charging when magnetically connected to the tablet, haptic feedback, a squeeze to open a palette and Find My support are most welcome.)

There are still some growing pains, to be sure. The keyboard on my MacBook Air is slightly wider, so it’s going to take some getting used to the comparatively smaller iPad Air accessory counterpart. In particular, I’ve found myself accidentally hitting the occasional wrong button. But of course, this is something that I’ll eventually be able to overcome. On the whole, though, I can absolutely see myself using the iPad Air more for work, especially since it does everything I need my aging MacBook to do but boasts more modern specs and features. Even just having the touch screen is a nice alternative to exclusively navigating using a mouse.

And of course, an iPad can do so much more than just work. As MobileSyrup‘s gaming editor who also handles a lot of streaming coverage, the M4 iPad Air is quite appealing to me. Its powerful tech allows it to run console-quality games like Hitman: The World of Assassination, the remakes of Resident Evil 2, 3 and 4 (plus 2021’s Village), Assassin’s Creed Mirage and more. In practice, they all boast solid visual fidelity and performance on iPad Air, even when I bumped up the graphics and frame rate. There are some marked downgrades compared to playing on console or PC, like some noticeable aliasing on environmental textures in RE4‘s iconic village section. On the flip side, scaling a sun-soaked skyscraper in Hitman 3‘s Dubai level showed off some impressive lighting and reflection effects.

Having the option to play these kinds of AAA games on iPad is appreciated, especially when some of them, like Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, can be purchased once through your Apple account and used across supported iPhone, iPad and Mac models. With that said, I’m a bit disappointed that there aren’t more of these higher-end games. Over two years ago, I praised Apple’s multiplatform gaming approach for having a lot of potential, but even after all this time, these are mostly just the same games that were shown off back then. Clearly, many video game companies still aren’t supporting Apple devices, which limits the iPad as a gaming platform.

What is much better for me, though, is streaming. I love having that significantly larger 13-inch screen when I want to put on a movie, TV show or YouTube video in the background. Considering I travel a lot for work, I could definitely see myself using the iPad on flights or in hotel rooms compared to my 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro. It is definitely clunkier to hold in bed, though, so that’s a trade-off I’ll have to weigh. If nothing else, though, I’m happy that I received the cellular model, since my room can often be a dead zone for Wi-Fi and I can adjust accordingly.

Mum’s experience

As someone who uses her iPad every day, I was quite curious to see what she thought of this latest model. Not only is it Apple’s latest and greatest iPad Air, but it’s also been several years since she started using the 9th-gen iPad Air, which was actually discontinued in 2024. (I hadn’t realized it had been that long, so she’s definitely been due for an upgrade.)

And sure enough, she was blown away by the significantly improved performance of the M4 iPad Air. Right away, she marvelled at how “fast” and “lightweight/thin” it is. Even something as simple as navigating through several tabs, from her email and MSN to a YouTube video, was so much better for her. But the biggest upgrade, she says, was the 13-inch screen. As someone with poor vision, the extra two inches have been an absolute game-changer.

She also really enjoyed using the Magic Keyboard, which she said was “good for typing long documents and emails,” and the Pencil, “which was more precise” than fingers and refreshingly required little pressure. (She recently broke some fingers falling, so this sensitivity is certainly welcome.) In her case, these accessories aren’t nearly as impactful as they are for me, but it’s always good to have options, in any event. And finally, she praised the battery life for lasting hours longer.

On the flip side, her biggest obstacle has been getting used to the lack of a Home button, given that her 2021 iPad Air was actually the last model to carry one. My grandfather had the same issue recently when I switched from an iPhone 7 Pro to a 15 Pro. I’ve since realized that the way in which you swipe up from the very bottom of the screen is something you can’t really “explain” or “show” to someone who’s older; it’s just an intuitive thing you have to get the hang of yourself. And of course, these growing pains won’t be a problem for anyone who’s been regularly using a more recent iPad, but they’re still something worth considering.

Other, more minor issues Mum had included the flat surface on the top of the otherwise rounded Pencil, which threw her off, and how the tablet feels “much heavier” with the Magic Keyboard. (To that latter point, she even mentioned how seniors with arthritis or others with joint problems could have some trouble with this.) But overall, she loves the new iPad and sums up her thoughts accordingly: “Anything that is different or potentially negative is far outweighed by the speed and size.”

Closing thoughts

There’s a lot to dig about the M4 iPad Air, especially for different people in the same family. From my perspective, the beefier specs, sizable, pristine screen and handy accessories make it a welcome addition to my workflow that can also double as an all-around solid entertainment device, even if the higher-end gaming options are a bit lacking. And for someone older, like my mother, having that faster speed and bigger display are a true game-changer, even for basic uses like email, web browsing and YouTube.

And best of all, you have plenty of options. The starting price, $799 for the 11-inch model and $1,099 for the 13-inch, are honestly pretty reasonable, considering I paid over $400 for her five-year-old model. While $300 more for the 13-inch model is a bit hefty, it would be worth it in Mum’s case. I also consider the fact that someone like her (or even me, really) isn’t the kind of person who needs the latest model often; this would do her for years, just as the 9th-gen model has.

Because honestly, the other accoutrements, from the higher storage space to cellular capacity, aren’t needed for her. Even in my case, I’m quite economical when it comes to managing downloads. Even on consoles, I’ve avoided ever using expanded storage options by simply deleting games when I’m done with them. And so, the base 128GB is more than enough for Mum (whose previous 2021 iPad Air sported half of that) and likely solid for me. For the purposes of this review, we have the 1TB model, which brings the 13-inch cost up to $1,809, but neither of us actually needs that.

All of that is to say that consumers, both young and old, can get a ton out of the M4 iPad Air, even with the more entry-level options. With its robust specs and features, it works remarkably well for both productivity and entertainment, and it’s already become a mainstay at home.

Pre-orders for the M4 iPad Air are now available ahead of a March 11 launch. You can pre-order the tablet on Apple’s website. It comes in Space Grey, Blue, Purple and Starlight colourways.

I have a confession: I don’t care for Pokémon.

While I adored the first few generations (even the arguably too aquatic Hoenn Region), I eventually found the series too stagnant, especially compared to other JRPGs like Final Fantasy, Persona and Tales. I also found it ridiculous how games like Sword and Shield could get a pass for being utterly broken at launch, even though Pokémon is the literal highest-grossing media franchise of all time. But of course, I’ll always have the fondest memories of losing myself in those early games.

As I’ve been playing through Pokémon Pokopia, I’ve found myself feeling that old magic. While not without its issues, Pokopia is a surprisingly thoughtful and deep spin on the series’ iconic “Gotta Catch ‘Em All!” ethos, and I’ve become rather enamoured with it.

First and foremost, it eschews the rather repetitive gym-to-gym structure that was part of the reason I fell off of the series. Instead, it takes the world of Pokémon and gives it an Animal Crossing-esque life sim treatment, which is such a peanut-butter-and-jam sort of mix-up. In the game, you play as a Ditto who assumes the form of a human and works together with other monsters to restore a dilapidated world.

It’s a strong premise that meaningfully builds upon the whole concept of Pokémon. It’s not about battling — it’s about ecological rebuilding. For a family game like this, it’s lovely to see such a positive message being placed at the forefront. And in practice, it makes for a remarkably compelling, if sometimes tedious, experience.

It all starts in a canyon area as you meet Professor Tangrowth and he teaches you the basics. Chief among them is how to create natural habitats that will bring back Pokémon to the barren wasteland. Sometimes, this is simply planting new patches of grass around a tree, while other times it requires more elaborate setups, like a makeshift dining room. It’s a clever twist of the puzzle element of the Pokémon series’ signature rock-paper-scissors elemental combat.

Further, it actually enhances that feeling of “catching” Pokémon. You didn’t just happen upon them in the wild — you took the time and care to restore their habitat and bring them to you. There’s an irresistible charm to restoring a weathered tree on a hill, then seeing a Scyther pop up, or building a little fishing camp by the sea, and Magikarp splashes over. And in my particular case, it’s been fascinating beyond the nostalgic monsters I know to find all these Pokémon that I didn’t recognize because I’ve been out of the game for so long. (Essentially, my only real frame of reference as an adult has been whoever got added to Smash Bros.)

Moreover, you’re encouraged to actively engage with all of these Pokémon. Find Squirtle and he’ll teach you Water Gun, one of the game’s HM-like abilities that lets you water and rejuvenate withered plants. Help out Magikarp with his home, and he’ll show you how to jump, a fun way to expand on everyone’s favourite useless fish. Raise Timburr’s comfort level by adding a light to his area, and he’ll help you build faster. While the actual dialogue from most of the Pokémon you’ll find is your standard child fare, the actual act of locating and teaming up with them is sound.

With all of that said, there are some frustrating elements. On the whole, there’s a wonderful progression to the game, from constructing small leaf huts, brick paths and local Pokémon Centers in the opening areas to entire towns with interlocking staircases, powerlines to charge machinery, colourful playgrounds with water fountains and crop-filled farms. And there’s an undeniable charm in seeing the Pokémon happily going about their days in the areas we collectively built.

The only problem, though, is that the road to get there can occasionally feel like a slog. For one, I often found myself speeding through the long stretches of banal banter. (It turns out that Professor Tangrowth isn’t as smart as his name would suggest.) What’s more, the main quest design can leave much to be desired.

Take the mission to rebuild your first Pokémon Center. You’re told you have to bulldoze with a strong Pokémon who can be found in a nearby cave. Once you get there, you’ll find a trapped Onyx, so you go ask the professor for help. But he’s apparently too distracted, so you have to take him to the opposite side of the island to check out a lighthouse. After this strange detour, you’re told you need to make it rain to weaken Onyx’s restraints, which involves locating a Slowpoke. But before he can help, you have to escort him as he agonizingly waddles halfway across the island, building soft terrain and stairs for him lest he tire out and stop for a breather. And then, once you get to the town square, he has the audacity to ask you to raise the humidity before he can bring out the water.

This is probably my single least favourite thing in video games: wasting my time with needless padding that keeps me from what I actually want to do. And unfortunately, the sluggish pacing and heavy tutorials can recur even many hours into the game. While I can certainly appreciate that this is a bubbly kids game at heart, I do wish Pokopia struck a better balance with this rigidity and hand-holding.

Because at its best, Pokopia is an absolute delight. When left to my own devices, I absolutely adored simply wandering off. Exploration is rewarded as you unlock new abilities like rock smashing to open new paths. Often, I’d climb a tall mountain and find new environments, a Poké Ball containing decorations, objects to create habitats, tantalizing world-building logs depicting life before the dystopia or new Pokémon entirely. There’s a constant sense of discovery here, and it kept me hooked.

And that’s ultimately what will make Pokopia stick with me. While I definitely could have done with less tedium, the moment-to-moment loop of finding new Pokémon and working together to rebuild society is genuinely wonderful. That’s something we could all use right now, and I never thought I’d find it in a Pokémon game.

Pokémon Pokopia is now available on Nintendo Switch 2.

Image credit: Nintendo

Marathon’s server slam ran this past weekend across PS5, Xbox and PC, offering players a chance to preview the game before its release on March 5. The latest game from Bungie, the makers of Halo and Destiny, is an extraction shooter, which has been… contentious. It certainly isn’t the game that fans were expecting. After putting roughly ten hours into the Marathon server slam, I have thoughts.

Extraction shooters seem to be one of those subgenres that people either love or hate. To those who love them, they offer unparalleled tension, with real stakes where every shot counts and getting eliminated means losing everything. To those who hate them, they’re just frustrating, with an obtuse gameplay loop and brutal punishments for mistakes.

Each game in the genre offers a vastly different experience and level of punishment. Arc Raiders is rather forgiving, with a long TTK (time-to-kill) and a community that’s focused more on PvE than PvP. It’s a good starting point for new players. Whereas Hunt: Showdown is known for its intense atmosphere, team-focused gameplay and… vocal community. That’s the nicest way I can phrase that. Unless you have an experienced player to guide you, it’s a tough one to get into. And though I’ve never tried Escape From Tarkov, it seems to be the most intense of them all.

Marathon stands out from the pack thanks to a neon-drenched art style, synth-infused soundtrack and best-in-class gunplay. But despite its polished and inviting exterior, it’s a competitive game that’s highly unforgiving. If you’re planning on playing this solo, expect to have some rough first rounds as you get your bearings. Not only will the UESC bots give you a serious challenge, but you’ll be faced with environmental effects, loot, contracts, shells and of course, other players.

Not for the nice players

If you play like a Canadian, Marathon will be extra challenging. Many of us from the Great White North are polite by nature. We say hello when we meet someone, sorry when we bump into them, and thank them when they pass the maple syrup. In a game like Arc Raiders where there’s proximity chat and a friendly community, that bodes well. You can take on bosses together, trade, and even make friends.

But in Marathon, if you even hesitate to shoot for a second, you’ll be down before you can ask if they want to share a two-four. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the middle of a quest, being hunted by bots or about to extract; Bungie’s shooter is a player-versus-player experience through and through. Don’t expect anyone to be willing to talk, let alone come to your aid.

While the game does offer solo modes and trios, it has clearly been designed with teams in mind. The bots hit hard, the tight corridors make for great flanking opportunities, and the short TTK demands precise teamwork. While I played most of my time in the game solo, I had the most success and the best time playing with mates. It’s a similar experience to games like Apex Legends or PUBG where, between firefights and objectives, there’s a good chunk of downtime as you move between various landmarks to chat and catch up. So if you’re looking for a new game for your group, this might be a good fit. Just know that currently, there isn’t a mode for duos.

Bungie’s gunplay is still the best around

In terms of game feel, Marathon has some of the tightest shooting mechanics I’ve ever experienced, which is no surprise given the studio’s pedigree. The weapons have some real weight to them, even when they are energy weapons, and the audio feedback is crunchy and satisfying. I also love the world of the game so far. Not only does the art style stand out from any other game on the market, but the subtle storytelling given through contracts and brief cutscenes really sells the idea that you’re a contractor who’s trapped in a loop of life and death until you pay off your debt.

And those contracts offer a satisfying levelling system that provides some much-needed goals to work towards. You can work with various companies who demand different things from their contractors. Some will want you to steal confidential data, others will want you to collect resources, while some will task you with taking out fellow players. Depending on your playstyle, you can align with a faction and level up in that area to dominate.

The issue at the moment is that the tasks on the contracts aren’t always clear. Early on, I was tasked with activating a TAD Station. What’s a TAD Station? Good question. I had no clue. I eventually found it by accident when searching a building, but beyond knowing that it was on the Perimeter map, I had no way of knowing what it looked like or where to even look. A quick search brings up a bunch of Reddit threads from similarly frustrated players. Hopefully, Bungie listens and adds some additional language to smooth out these issues.

The UX isn’t much better, especially on PS5. While the UI looks great, navigating the menus and inventory on a controller is a nightmare. Bungie have carried over their system of using the thumbstick like a mouse to navigate their game from Destiny, instead of allowing players to use the D-pad. And trying to find important information is even worse. To figure out where on the map you need to look for certain mission items, you need to hover over the mission so that a text box pops up revealing additional information.

There are also the issues that Bungie has already said it’s addressing, such as limited ammo and healing resources, aggressive heat generation with movement abilities and general PC performance, but I’m confident that those will be fixed with time.

But is it worth the $50 CAD?

So that leaves me with the $50 question: is it worth it? Honestly, I don’t know. The server slam only featured a few maps, didn’t have all of the character classes (shells) and limited progression, so this is by no means a review. As the game rolls out and more content is added near the middle of March, I should have a better idea of where I and the game stand.

But there’s one major issue that I haven’t mentioned that may take more than just a few patches to address: the gameplay loop.

Currently, I’m not sure what’s exciting in the game besides the occasional firefights. Despite being built entirely around the idea of collecting loot, none of the rewards feel meaningful at the moment. I pick up a bunch of stuff with no meaningful value, extract and then do it all over again. If I die in a match, I lose those items, but it doesn’t really matter because I don’t have any attachment to them. It doesn’t feel like there’s a clear enough objective or high enough stakes.

If there was a plethora of unique weapons like Borderlands to find, then I’d feel far more inclined to explore, and I’d definitely feel the pressure to safely escape if I got an exotic hand cannon. But there’s nothing like that.

When I play Hunt: Showdown, there’s a clear goal of finding and eliminating a massive eldritch boss at the end of the match. And once you’ve eliminated the boss, you then need to wait a painfully long time before you’re able to escape, all the while hoping other players don’t take you out and steal the reward that you worked so hard to earn. There’s a clear purpose to each round — and not only do you lose your weapons, you lose the character you’re playing as forever. Real stakes.

Even compared to battle royales, where you’re collecting loot and only getting into scraps a couple times per round, there’s a clear end goal of being the last team standing. Marathon currently lacks both purpose and stakes.

Still finding the gameplay loop

For players like me who need a bit more of a goal to work towards, Bungie will need to continue to build out that gameplay loop. I love the gunfights, I love the aesthetic, and I definitely love the world-building. But I don’t know if I’ll be itching to queue into matches a couple weeks from now if they don’t find that hook.

But that’s not to say I didn’t have a good time during the server slam. There were several matches that got my heart going a kilometre a minute. My team would barely get through a fight, find the extraction point, only to get downed by the UESC and barely manage to escape alive. The Bungie magic in the moment is still there, I just hope they can expand on it and make this something truly great.

And hey, if you do check out Marathon, all I ask is that if you’re playing and the other player doesn’t shoot first, at least say sorry before you end them.

You can play Marathon on PlayStation, Xbox and Steam.

Image credit: Bungie

I was a big fan of Google’s Pixel 9a last year. It offered really great value for what you got, with a very similar experience to the Pixel 9 for $420 less.

I also really like Google’s Pixel 10a. Mostly because it’s the same phone as the Pixel 9a. The ultimate “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Copy, paste, ship.

The few external changes Google made can be measured in millimetres. Some of the new additions are purely software, and it’s not clear why these features couldn’t also be brought to the Pixel 9a, given that both phones have the same Tensor G4 chip and 8GB of RAM.

Here’s a short list of what’s actually new:

• Support for Satellite SOS.
• AI camera features like Camera Coach and Auto Best Take.
• Gorilla Glass 7i instead of Gorilla Glass 3 (more scratch- and drop-resistant).
• A slightly brighter display (3,000 nits peak vs. 2,700 on the 9a).
• Faster charging (30W wired/10W wireless vs. 23W wired/7.5W wireless on 9a).
• Slightly smaller dimensions and no camera bump.

So yeah, not a whole lot different. If you’ve already got a Pixel 9a (or a similar smartphone), I don’t think the Pixel 10a makes a compelling case for upgrading. If you have a Pixel 8a or older, I think there’s enough new stuff on the 10a to make it feel like a decent upgrade. But given the similarities between the 10a and the 9a, I’d recommend most people look for a 9a first. If you can find it cheap somewhere, such as at a carrier trying to clear out old stock, you can probably get it for fairly cheap.

All that being said, I still think the Pixel 10a is a decent phone for its price. It does a lot of things right, even if it’s not all that impressive on paper. Sure, it’s not a must-upgrade device, but if you’re in the market for a decent, all-rounder budget phone, it’s hard to go wrong with the 10a.

Battery don’t quit

Let’s start with the big one: battery. The Pixel 10a sports a 5,100mAh battery, the same size as last year’s Pixel 9a. It’s also bigger than every other Pixel battery, save the 5,200mAh 10 Pro XL. Thanks to this massive battery, the Pixel 10a truly goes on and on and on.

In my time testing the phone, I regularly got two days of use out of a single charge, typically averaging three to four hours of screen time per day. On heavier use days, I sometimes had to top up in the evening to make it to bedtime, but generally the 10a was able to make it through. My typical usage involves a lot of messaging and emailing with friends and coworkers, browsing social media, listening to music and podcasts, watching the occasional YouTube video, and some light gaming.

This, for me, is huge, coming from the Pixel 10 Pro, which had me topping up once every day or day and a half. It was something I also loved about the 9a, especially since both the 9a and 10a weigh less than 190g. The phones are super light, making them comfortable to hold, despite all the battery.

Capable camera

The Pixel 10a’s camera is another area worth highlighting. While there are no significant changes compared to the 9a camera hardware, both phones are able to capture decent images that come close to what you’d get from a flagship Pixel phone.

However, without the higher-end camera hardware you’d find on the likes of the Pixel 10 Pro, the Pixel 10a isn’t nearly as versatile. For most people, the Pixel 10a will work just fine, but it will struggle in more difficult scenarios like lowlight photography or zoom photography.

What is new this year is the addition of some camera software features, such as Camera Coach and Auto Best Take.

Camera Coach launched on the Pixel 10 series and uses Google’s Gemini AI to help people take better pictures. When users tap the Camera Coach icon in the top-right corner of the camera app, Gemini will analyze the scene and suggest tips for a better photo. While I didn’t find it all that useful myself, I do think it’s a great tool for people who might not be as tech-savvy or as familiar with photography.

Auto Best Take, on the other hand, is just generally useful for group shots. There’s always one person who blinks or looks away when taking a photo, and Auto Best Take can merge together shots so everyone is looking at the camera.

Everything else

Last year’s Pixel 9a sported a great design, with one of the few minor flaws being the tiny camera bump. While small by modern standards, the tiny bump was enough to make the Pixel 9a wobble when lying on a table.

Google, thankfully, fixed this with the 10a, making the rear totally flat. The rest of the Pixel 10a hardware isn’t all that different — even the colours are basically the same, but this year it looks like Google cranked up the saturation. (As you can see in the photos, I got to test out the Berry colour, which looks great.)

Beyond that, it feels like a rehash of Google’s greatest hits. The Pixel 10a sports several Gemini features for the AI lovers out there, though it lacks some of the tentpole new capabilities seen on the Pixel 10 series, like Magic Cue. Not that Magice Cue was ever that useful — I’ve hardly missed it on the 10a. The Pixel 10a has Call Assist, Circle to Search, Gemini Live, the improved Pixel Weather app, Quick Share to AirDrop, and more.

Should you buy it?

Ultimately, the Pixel 10a is a repeat of an already decent mid-range phone. On one hand, I have a hard time praising Google for just doing the same thing again this year. On the other hand, the Pixel 9a was really good, so it makes sense that Google is just doing it again.

Moreover, I think that Google’s decision to stick with the Tensor G4 in the Pixel 10a, instead of bumping it to the newer G5, is more about differentiating the A-series from the flagship Pixels. Last year, I felt like the Pixel 9a was the obvious choice over the Pixel 9, since it was much cheaper without significantly sacrificing the experience.

However, this year, the decision isn’t so simple. On paper, the Pixel 10 looks a lot better than the 10a — it has the Tensor G5, 12GB of RAM, faster charging, MagSafe Pixelsnap, a telephoto camera, and a few extra software and AI goodies to sweeten the deal. Is it $420 better? I’d argue no, but it’s been out longer and has gone on sale as low as $849 — at that price, I think the Pixel 10 is a better choice.

So, should you buy the Pixel 10a? I think it’s a good option for anyone who wants a budget-friendly option with a capable (but not outstanding) camera and a few AI features. It’s especially good for those who care about battery life. But if you want a little more out of your phone, like a telephoto camera and more AI, the Pixel 10 is the way to go, especially if it’s on sale.

If you do decide to get the Pixel 10a, just check for a Pixel 9a first. You could save some money and end up with basically the same phone.

The Pixel 10a starts at $679 for the 128GB version and is available in Lavender, Berry, Fog, and Obsidian. You can find it on Google’s website, as well as at Best Buy, Amazon, and carrier stores.

Part of what makes it so fun to cover Nintendo is the unexpected swings that the Japanese gaming giant will take.

In the past year alone, the company has debuted a Mario-themed Talking Flower accessory, a sequel to the critically panned Kirby Air Ride, a Pokémon spin-off in which you play as a Ditto assuming the form of a human in a post-apocalypse, among other things. That’s to say nothing of the many weird peripherals it’s released over the years, like Nintendo Labo, the Power Glove, NES Laser Scope and, of course, R.O.B.

Now, the company has made the strange move of bringing back the Virtual Boy, its tabletop console from 1995, which was the first system capable of stereoscopic 3D glasses. Given that it was a critical and commercial failure during its brief year-and-change on the market, it’s surprising to see Nintendo coming out with a Switch and Switch 2 version of the device in 2026 that includes both a physical peripheral and Switch Online emulation.

But honestly, I’m so glad that the company did. While it’s undeniably niche, the Virtual Boy is a notable part of gaming history, and so it’s genuinely meaningful to revisit. As I’ve been playing around with the modern replica, I’ve become rather enamoured with it. Sure, most of its seven-title launch lineup isn’t something you’d spend all that much time with, and the red monochrome display is limiting, but it’s nonetheless fascinating to see early versions of prominent games and technology today.

For instance, Red Alarm takes inspiration from Star Fox to deliver a different space fighter experience from the perspective of stereoscopic 3D, which enhances immersion by making you feel like you’re in the cockpit. While the wire-frame visuals are rudimentary, they do also evoke the feeling of a simulation. Again, Red Alarm predates high-fidelity graphics and VR by many years, so I got a kick out of comparing this to modern flight games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Montreal-based Motive’s Star Wars Squadrons, and Ace Combat. 

Likewise, The Mansion of Innsmouth can be viewed as a precursor to modern survival horror. In the first-person action-adventure game, you have to escape a maze-like Lovecraftian mansion while using limited ammo to shoot off monsters. It’s easy to see overlap between this and, say, Resident Evil Requiem, a modern horror game in which you navigate zombie-infested labyrinthine settings in first-person with scarce resources.

Golf is also pretty interesting. While I haven’t played a recent golf game in many years, I did go through several of the 2000s ones with my uncle when I was a kid, and even that 10-odd-year leap from the Virtual Boy is notable. Above all else, I was surprised to see options to tweak direction, club, power and even stance.

The Virtual Boy even makes you appreciate an all-time classic like Tetris a bit more. While there are seemingly infinite versions of the puzzle game nowadays, this full 3D version, naturally, has you viewing the falling blocks in a whole different way.

Admittedly, some of the games don’t really benefit all that much from the 3D effect. Galactic Pinball is basically just the same pinball I played on my grandparents’ Windows XP computer as a kid, while Teleroboxer, which does have a sometimes neat 3D flourish of the punches flying towards you, is otherwise a fairly standard riff on Punch-Out!

Honestly, Wario Land is probably the best all-around title here. For one, it uses the 3D effect in some clever ways, from hazards like swinging spike balls coming through the screen at you to Wario being able to jump to-and-from platforms in the background. In fact, that latter element actually influenced games like Donkey Kong Country Returns, adding to its historical appeal.

My only major gripe surrounding this launch lineup is that it’s pretty limited at just seven games. To its credit, Nintendo has confirmed that 16 of the Virtual Boy’s total 22 games will eventually come to Switch Online. Two of these titles, Zero Racers and Dragon Hopper, were previously never released, further building on the Virtual Boy’s time capsule feel. Knowing all of these games are coming is good, but it makes it a bit harder to recommend buying the device now versus later on when more titles have been released.

On the flip side, I will give Nintendo credit for offering flexibility when it comes to accessing these games. While the main way to check out the Virtual Boy is through a $109.99 replica device that rests atop a table with a stand, a much more affordable $29.99 cardboard version is also available. Both of these have slots that you can slide your Switch or Switch 2 into, although the Switch Lite isn’t supported. That said, I find the plastic Virtual Boy more natural to use, since the cardboard model requires you to hold up your Switch to your face like some sort of goofy visor. (I’ll also mention that I didn’t find myself getting any eye strain with either model, though your mileage will, of course, vary.)

All of this is to say that the Virtual Boy has a very specific appeal. For most people, the Switch Online’s existing catalogue of classic games will be more than enough to scratch that retro itch, especially since they’re of a higher quality and don’t require any peripherals.

But if you’re someone who appreciates the history of gaming as both an art form and technical showcase, the Virtual Boy is very much worth checking out. Game preservation is incredibly important yet rarely pursued by companies, so I have to give Nintendo a lot of credit for releasing this.

Earlier this year, I wrote about the MSI Prestige 14 Flip laptop. There was a lot to like about it, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to dive into one of the most interesting parts of the laptop: its chip. The Prestige sports Intel’s new Panther Lake chips — specifically, the Core Ultra X7 358H on the laptop I tried.

Having spent more time with the Prestige 14 now, I’ve been able to dive in and really put the Ultra X7 through its paces. And frankly, I’m impressed. It might not be enough for Intel to take back the crown, but it’s a huge step in the right direction for the company.

And more importantly in my eyes, we have — for the first time in a long time — a situation where three companies are pumping out solid chips for laptops. Four, if you count Apple (but I’m not, since M series chips are only available in Apple products, and you can’t get other chips).

Powerful when you need it, efficient when you don’t

First, lets talk daily use. Over the few weeks I used the Prestige 14 Flip, it was a battery champ. It routinely made it through my workday and the battery lasted well into the following day. In one test, I took it off the charger at 8:52 a.m. By the end of my workday at 4:30 p.m., it was only down to 54 per cent. The following morning when I sat down to work at 8:30 a.m., it was at 52 per cent.

That battery life is honestly even better than what I experienced using Qualcomm’s excellent Snapdragon X chips, which is a huge win for Intel. I can’t say how the Core Ultra X7 stacks up to Qualcomm’s second-gen laptop chips as I haven’t tested any (yet). But from a battery life perspective, Intel is leaps and bounds better than it was before and, finally, competitive again.

Moreover, the battery life was excellent without significantly hampering performance. In my experience with older Intel laptop chips, you could eke out longer battery life via Windows’ ‘best efficiency’ power mode toggle, but not without noticeable performance degradation.

That wasn’t the case with the Prestige Flip. I almost exclusively used it in ‘Balanced’ mode, and got both excellent battery life and never noticed a hiccup in performance. It was fast and smooth, handling every task I threw at it from hefty web browsing to photo editing and more.

It’s also worth pointing out that Intel has a new tool called the ‘Intelligent Experience Optimizer’ (IEO), which activates when the power mode is set to ‘Balanced’ to better handle power delivery without users needing to change power settings in Windows. In my experience with the Prestige, this worked really well, and effectively eliminated the need for me to fiddle with power settings. Instead, I left the Prestige in ‘Balanced’ mode and it took care of the adjustments for me, boosting performance when needed and scaling back to extend battery life when working on lighter tasks.

Intel has done a lot of work to improve performance while reducing power draw in Panther Lake, and it’s great to see that effort paying off. Some of the more notable changes include what Intel calls the ‘low-power island,’ a cluster of Intel’s Darkmont efficiency cores (e-cores), which handles most of the workload. The Panther Lake chips will draw on the performance cores (p-cores) when needed for more intensive tasks, while relying on e-cores for everything else to minimize power draw.

Yea, it can run Doom

While my real-world testing was very positive, the benchmark situation was also pretty impressive. I ran a few different tests on the Core Ultra X7, including Geekbench 6, Geekbench AI, Cinebench 2026, and Passmark. The Prestige 14 scored well across all of them both while plugged in (enabling maximum performance) and while on battery power.

While plugged in, the Core Ultra X7 was even able to rival the performance seen on some of Intel’s desktop CPUs, which is extremely impressive in a thin-and-light PC like the Prestige 14.

And while the Prestige 14 isn’t a gaming laptop, it does have some surprising gaming chops — yes, it can run Doom. Specifically, Doom: The Dark Ages. I gave the game a try on the Prestige 14 to see if it would live up to Intel’s claims and was honestly quite impressed, given that the laptop is only sporting the integrated Intel Arc graphics and not a dedicated GPU. Even with just that, it was able to manage a fairly consistent 30 to 45fps at 1080p on low settings while using Intel’s XeSS upscaling tech.

Sure, it doesn’t look nearly as good or feel nearly as smooth as it does on my gaming rig, but it was definitely playable. Moreover, I typically avoid upscaling tech like XeSS and DLSS because I’ve found them to be pretty lacklustre, but XeSS on the Prestige 14 wasn’t bad at all. Doom remained quite crisp and clear on the small laptop screen.

Ultimately, Panther Lake-equipped thin-and-light laptops like the Prestige won’t be replacing gaming PCs any time soon. However, the gaming experience was good enough that I could see myself using it while travelling. Typically, when I go on a work trip, I’ll bring along something like the Asus ROG Xbox Ally to game on in my downtime. But with what Panther Lake is able to do, I could stick with just my work laptop and save some space in my suitcase.

Still heats up under load

I will note here that the chip can still get quite warm under intense workloads. For example, after running my benchmarks, I measured temperatures ranging between 45 and 50 degrees Celsius along the top edge of the keyboard. Worse, after my gaming test, it climbed as high as 60 degrees. Granted, I was using the thermometer on my Pixel 10 Pro to measure, which isn’t the most accurate, and the temperatures weren’t out of bounds for a laptop like this. Still, it’s a bit too warm, leading to the Prestige feeling uncomfortable to touch after longer, intense workloads. And you definitely don’t want it on your lap while you game.

Despite the heat, I came away very impressed by the Core Ultra X7 and Intel’s Panther Lake. The company has made some impressive strides and in many ways has caught up to the competition. Last year, I would have recommended most people get a laptop with a Snapdragon chip, but so far this year, it’s looking like people will have a lot of choice.

Intel’s newest chips are great, Qualcomm is putting out impressive hardware, and AMD is no slouch either — we’re truly spoiled for choice right now… if only someone could figure out a way to bring RAM prices back to a reasonable range.

I’ve been reviewing phones for a long time, and Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 Ultra might have one of the best features on an Android device for LGBTQ folks… hear me out.

For this hands-on, I’ll focus on the Galaxy S26 Ultra as Samsung has spent a lot of time making this device more special than the others with its new ultimate feature for the gays, the ‘Privacy Screen.’

While I’ve praised Samsung for innovation over the last year with handsets like the Galaxy S25 Edge, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Galaxy TriFold, the company’s flagship S series continues to be a bit boring in comparison. Samsung again has gone with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” methodology. This seems like a con, but Samsung didn’t take any chances with the S26 Ultra, because the South Korean tech giant leaves experimentation to its other handsets.

The Samsung S26 Ultra is very similar to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but the South Korean tech giant has made the phone better, maybe not in the ways you expected or wanted, but these updates are worthwhile. These updates include faster charging, brighter pictures, and the Privacy Screen — and while I joke it’s big for the gays, it’s actually a pretty notable feature for literally anyone who cares about privacy.

I went hands-on with the Galaxy S26 Ultra a couple of times, but I still have to take the device out in the wild and put it through its paces to test out the camera, battery, processing and whether its AI features are as good as they seemed — because surprisingly, some of those AI functionalities definitely seem worth it.

The Grindr Phone

Imagine this: you’re sitting on the very crowded TTC, and you get a notification from someone with the user name ‘bigduck69.’ You open the message and receive a non-consensual nude. Firstly, you’re annoyed because someone just flashed you, but secondly, you’re embarrassed because a stranger is sitting beside you, and now they think you casually look at nudes when you’re on the bus.

Now, picture this same scenario, but instead, you have the Galaxy S26 Ultra and while you’re annoyed because someone just flashed you, no one around you can see your screen. After all, you have the Privacy Screen turned on and set to go private whenever you open Grindr.

Samsung announced its new Privacy Screen ahead of the launch of the Galaxy S26. The South Korean tech maker says that this is a hardware and software protection with pixel-level privacy. This will prevent peering eyes from taking a look at your phone’s screen, and works if your screen is horizontal or vertical.

In practice, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Screen only allows the person using the handset to see the screen; if you’re trying to peek from different angles, the display looks black. This is similar to using one of those privacy screen protectors that are usually sold separately.

While I used the Grindr example because this has definitely happened to me, the Privacy Screen can also work if you want to take a look at your banking apps when you’re in line at a store. It’ll also block out notifications you receive, and it can even turn on when you’ve unlocked your device and insert your PIN or passcode.

The Privacy Screen wasn’t on my bingo card for the S26 Ultra, but it’s a pretty useful feature, and literally everyone I’ve told about it thinks it’s a good idea. And great for when you get unexpected dick pics.

Samsung says the Privacy Screen could potentially increase your battery life, considering it’s turning off diagonal pixels, but this may be negligible. During a Samsung roundtable about AI, I asked about whether Samsung considered using your phone’s camera and AI to determine if you’re looking at your phone or if someone is peeking at it, and I was told there was more room for error, turning on the Privacy Screen because someone walked by you, for instance, and it could potentially drain your battery, but the company is looking into this.

“Call me an Uber”

While the Privacy Screen might be the most appealing feature on the Galaxy S26 Ultra to many, the company’s focus this — and last — year is AI. Samsung has brought a lot of AI features to the table, and I definitely don’t think all of them are useful; however, if you’re okay with AI that can make your life a little easier, Samsung does have something new for you.

Starting with agentic AI, you’re now able to call an Uber by pulling up the Assistant and saying “Call me an Uber” followed by your desired destination. Your phone will then go through the steps of opening the Uber app, finding your location, your destination, and then waiting for you to confirm the Uber. You’re able to do other things on your device while this is happening. Additionally, you can interrupt at any point or simply watch your device go through all the steps. An agentic AI isn’t necessary to order an Uber; it’s not really necessary at all, but I’m up to try anything that helps me save time. So far, this is the only feature on the S26 that uses agentic AI, but Samsung is looking to expand the agentic features on its devices.

Another new feature is called Now Nudge, which works similarly to Google’s Magic Cue. Whenever you have a messaging app open, the AI will attempt to make suggestions to make life easier. For instance, if a friend asks about what you’re doing on a certain day, the AI will read your calendar for you and suggest a reply based on what you have scheduled. The AI will also allow you to pull up your calendar; it’ll go straight to the correct date and show what you have planned.

Another Now Nudge demo I saw showed someone asking for the pictures of their trip to Australia. The AI showed a ‘Shared Photos’ suggestion in the keyboard, tapping it brought them to the Gallery app, of all their photos together in Australia. You then select the photos and press done, and the AI brings you back to the conversation, where all you have to do is press send. I saw these demos in action, but after the failure of the Magic Cue launch, I definitely would want to try it out myself. But from what I saw, it looked promising.

There’s also a new ‘Finder’ search tool that lets users easily look up information by typing. If you’re travelling and don’t remember what hotel you’re supposed to be heading to, type ‘hotel’ in the Finder tool and the AI will pull up instances of hotel on your handset, such as reservations, calendar events and emails to try and find the most relevant details for your query. It seemed to work well in practice, but again I’d like to try this out for myself.

Samsung has also improved Photo Assist, and I tried this out for myself, and it worked astonishingly well. It was able to add realistic-looking air to MobileSyrup contributor Ted Kritsonis. He said when he had hair, it looked different, but it was a pretty good look. Photo Assist also uses AI to combine photos. For instance, you’re able to add your dog to photos of you and your friends, and the AI will try its best to make the picture look realistic. I saw this in practice, and it also worked pretty well.

Tiny changes

Samsung has also made some hardware upgrades to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The most notable change increases the aperture of the primary and the periscope lenses, allowing them to capture more light and take brighter pictures. The nightography on both cameras looked phenomenal in the dark room demo that Samsung set up. You could even zoom in and see pretty good details in the low-light picture. The S26 Ultra is also capable of adapting its photos for better performance underwater. When taking pictures under the water, there tends to be too much blue light, but your S26 Ultra is able to adjust the lighting and colour to make these images look better — but the handset is still not saltwater-proof, so you’ll need to have it in a saltwater-proof enclosure.

Horizontal lock is another new feature coming to the S26 Ultra, allowing users to keep videos stable even if they change the orientation of the device. This isn’t a huge update for me, but creators seem quite excited about it.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is also more rounded than its predecessor, but not to a significant degree. It’s also slightly thinner and lighter, but as someone who’s had his hands on both devices, I could barely tell. While the battery remains the same size, Samsung has amped up its charging speeds and now features 60W wired and 25W wireless charging. And as expected, the device uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which is supposedly more powerful in comparison to the regular 8 Elite Gen 5.

Optimistic

Those with the Galaxy S25 Ultra might be a little annoyed to learn they’re not getting the new Galaxy AI features like agentic AI and Now Nudge. Samsung says this is because the S25 Ultra isn’t powerful enough to run them.

But while that’s a bummer, Samsung did something else surprising with the Galaxy S26 series. The Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra 256GB are more affordable than their predecessors. (However, Samsung also isn’t offering a 128GB S26 variant this year.) In a one-on-one interview with Raj Doshi, Head of Mobile at Samsung Canada, he shared that Samsung made these handsets more affordable because of their popularity. However, the company also made the other storage/RAM configurations more pricey, as the company is being affected by the increase in RAM prices worldwide.

While I don’t think Samsung took any big risks with the S26 Ultra, it seems like it’ll be just a solid experience, especially if the AI is everything it’s cracked up to be. While I love gimmicky hardware, I like my software to just work well and make my life easier, and it looks like Samsung is aiming for that experience.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra releases in Canada on March 11, and pre-orders open now.

Resident Evil Requiem is incredibly ambitious.

As the iconic horror series’ latest entry that also coincides with the celebration of its 30th anniversary, Capcom is ostensibly positioning the game as a “best of both worlds” dual-protagonist experience that marries the nail-biting survival horror of RE2 and 7 with the thrillingly visceral action of RE4. And for the first time in the series, Requiem features support for both first- and third-person POVs at launch, further blurring the lines between Resident Evil‘s two main genres. It’s a thoughtful way to honour the series’ storied history, but of course, it could have led to something incredibly disjointed, like Resident Evil 6.

Fortunately, Requiem is much more successful than RE6 in this regard, deftly weaving its many influences and styles into a thoroughly satisfying, if occasionally uneven, experience. In fact, Resident Evil Requiem eventually proves to be one of the series’ most wholly engrossing — and surprisingly emotional — entries to date.

A terrific two-hander

Admittedly, Requiem has some bizarre roots. That’s because one of the game’s two leads is Grace Ashcroft, a young FBI agent who’s actually the daughter of Alyssa, one of the playable characters from 2003’s Resident Evil Outbreak. Centring the narrative around someone tied to an oft-forgotten PS2 spin-off is peculiar, no doubt, but Capcom wisely doesn’t require you to have played it. Instead, this setup serves as the emotional hook for Grace’s story, as her investigation into her mother’s mysterious death leads her to being hunted by a gleefully sadistic former Umbrella researcher named Victor Gideon. Along the way, fan-favourite RE hero Leon S. Kennedy’s own investigation into a string of murders brings him into the fray and uncovers a larger conspiracy surrounding Umbrella, Raccoon City and a mysterious government operation known as Elpis.

Part of what makes Requiem such a success is how quickly it endears you to Grace. In an early playable flashback, you see Alyssa’s sudden and shocking murder through the young Ashcroft’s eyes, immediately letting you understand why she’s still so shaken up in the present day. Thanks to Angela Sant’Albano’s unflinchingly raw performance, Grace’s jittery, stammering demeanour seamlessly carries over from cutscenes to moment-to-moment gameplay through frantic, anxious breathing that punctuates every bit of exploration.

This struggle to overcome trauma extends to Leon, and it’s a natural extension of his journey thus far in the series. One of the masterstrokes of Capcom’s modern remakes of RE2 and 4 is how they further developed Leon by establishing a deeper through line for his overarching story. Initially, he’s a fresh-faced cop, rough-around-the-edges but infectiously earnest, but after surviving the Raccoon City outbreak, we see him in RE4 as a more hardened survivor who copes with the horrors through snappy one-liners. But of course, you can never quite get over such harrowing experiences, and even 30 years later, Leon still carries those scars with him.

It’s through this lens that his relationship with Grace proves to be unexpectedly poignant. Forever plagued by a sense of survivor’s guilt and regret over his inability to prevent the destruction of Raccoon City, he dedicates everything to helping her and investigating this larger mystery. All the while, he’s dealing with an unknown infection that’s slowly killing him, adding even more urgency to his quest. This all results in Leon’s most personal and heartfelt outing to date, especially when he eventually returns to the ruins of Raccoon City to directly confront his past in ways that will resonate strongly with longtime fans of the series.

The linchpin to Leon’s gripping character arc is an absolutely sensational performance by Nick Apostolides, who reprises the role from the RE2 and 4 remakes and masterfully blends the character’s signature action hero charm with his tortured, weathered spirit. There are some genuinely touching scenes with Leon that simply wouldn’t work without the haggard physicality and understated pain that Apostolides imbues in him.

Even when Requiem can go over-the-top in tying together elements from the series’ larger lore, especially where the secretive history of Umbrella is concerned, the interwoven stories of Grace and Leon never fail to provide meaningful human stakes that keep you hooked for the 10-plus hour campaign.

Survival horror at its absolute best…

Requiem also succeeds in using its two protagonists to explore different flavours of the Resident Evil gameplay experience. As the less-experienced Grace, everything is rooted in traditional survival horror, and it’s simply outstanding. The main reason for that boils down to Grace’s combat options being largely limited beyond her FBI-issued handgun. What’s more, ammo scarcity feels more prominent than ever, even on Standard mode, which places an appreciable emphasis on picking your battles.

Indeed, rarely have I felt so vulnerable in a Resident Evil game, and it greatly heightens the survival horror. It’s common for these games to start you off with a tiny arsenal before you become a walking armoury who easily mows down hordes of zombies, but that refreshingly never happens with Grace. This challenges you to more carefully study the labyrinthine level design, in which you have to run back and forth between dimly lit hallways, dank crawlspaces and the like to obtain items to unlock previously inaccessible paths. Often, I found myself holding my breath as I tried to sneak by enemies, or, when combat was inevitable, flee from them entirely.

None of this is to say that the act of playing as Grace doesn’t evolve at all, though, as Capcom has taken a measured approach to progression. Through exploration and a crafting system, Grace can occasionally obtain items that upgrade her maximum health or firearm damage and stability. But it’s said crafting system that’s particularly appealing for several reasons. In essence, the main resource to produce items is blood, which Grace can siphon from defeated enemies or fixed locations on the map. You can only carry a limited amount of this liquid, however, so you’ll have to decide when to acquire it and when to use it.

This creates a remarkably compelling risk-reward element. Do you take a gamble on killing enemies or trying to skirt around them to reach a pool of blood? When you’re exploring, is it better to use your hemolytic injector, which costs quite a few resources to craft, to instantly stealth kill a zombie or throw it on a deceased enemy to make sure they don’t return as a more powerful Blister Head variant? (As the name suggests, these are a fun riff on the Crimson Heads from the OG Resident Evil.)

Enhancing this constant sense of fearful desperation is the role of multiple stalker enemies who pursue you à la Tyrant/Mr. X in RE2, Nemesis in RE3 and Jack Baker in RE7. This includes “The Girl,” the towering fanged demon featured prominently in Requiem‘s marketing, and a hulking chef who wields a massive, blood-soaked cleaver. Naturally, their ever-looming presence means you have to be even more careful about when and where to fight, lest you alert them to your presence.

But even outside of these stalkers, the regular enemies are exponentially more memorable this time around because Capcom has given many of them eerily human characteristics. Yes, these particular infected organisms will often speak to you in a chilling reminder of the souls they once carried. Sometimes, they might utter an apology for attacking you as the life leaves their bodies, adding a tinge of melancholy to your victory over them, while in other cases, an otherwise monstrous stalker might scream profanities at you to make them even scarier. My personal favourite enemies? A pair of female zombies who pace back and forth while singing, with their haunting hymns enriching the atmosphere as I roamed the spooky halls of Rhodes Hill Chronic Care Center.

This section effectively makes up nearly half of the game, and in Grace’s segments, it represents some of the absolute best survival horror in all of Resident Evil. But of course, you also get to play as Leon, and that’s a decidedly different affair — for better and worse.

…But only until the action takes over

Since Leon’s reveal at The Game Awards in December, Capcom has been candid about the fact that his parts of the game will be far more action-heavy à la RE4. After all, it wouldn’t make sense for this grizzled survivor to be as frightened and vulnerable as Grace. It was ultimately a shrewd move, as periodically switching between Grace and Leon after cliffhanger, TV episode-esque endings lends Requiem a captivating rhythm. With a full arsenal that includes the likes of rifles, shotguns, and machine guns, playing as Leon feels like a reward for having guided Grace to survival for just a bit longer, your very own himbo super weapon that you get to briefly unleash on enemies that once utterly terrified you.

It’s reminiscent of RE4 in the best way, creating palpable tension through hordes of enemies and challenging you to analyze your threats in real-time and exercise crowd control while juggling your deadly, expansive loadout. This means that it’s once again important to shoot enemies in the leg or head, thus stunning them and leaving them open to a powerful melee attack. These moves now even have gloriously flashy contextual animations, like Leon brutally kicking an enemy’s head into a wall before crushing it in a dazzling pool of blood and gore that paints the surrounding environment.

But Requiem‘s biggest innovation is Leon’s hatchet, which works as an evolved version of his knife from the RE4 remake. As in that game, Leon can use his bladed weapon for basic slashes and even parries to incoming blows and projectiles, with durability wearing down each time. That said, the hatchet can’t fully break (unlike the RE4 knives), with Leon instead having to take a few moments to sharpen it to restore durability. It’s a smart way to ensure that combat maintains propulsive, especially since you’ll be fighting many powerful enemies.

These include those with chainsaws and other weapons, which Leon can actually use once he defeats them. With the chainsaw, Leon can hack his way through hordes like he’s in Dead Rising, while other items, like spears and propane tanks, can be picked up and tossed at enemies. All of this creates a balletic, crunchy rhythm to combat, as you’re constantly mixing up gunfire, stuns, hatchet attacks and throwable objects. It also feeds into a wristband system that, like the Pesetas in RE4, rewards you with currency that can be used to buy weapons, healing items and upgrades, making the action even more rewarding. All in all, it’s a level of cathartic brutality that meaningfully builds on the white-knuckle intensity of RE4, making Leon’s sections a genuine blast to play.

The problem with all of this action, though, is that it can dominate the entire experience. After the stellar Rhodes Hill section, you head to Raccoon City for the latter half of the game and largely control Leon, outside of some extended Grace sequences. Given how well Requiem had meticulously balanced the ebb-and-flow between terrifying survival horror and pulse-pounding combat, it’s somewhat disappointing to see how it’s discarded in those later hours.

Worse still, there are some pacing problems when you first arrive in Raccoon City, with Leon going on an extended quest to search for explosives through various abandoned buildings. While there’s a pervasive melancholy in rummaging through these ruins, this area goes on too long and drains the game of some of its otherwise strong narrative momentum. Thankfully, Requiem does stick the landing, bringing together all of its plot threads and gameplay mechanics into a stirring final area that does justice to both Leon and Grace. I just wish the road to get there was a bit smoother.

An unforgettable experience

In so many ways, Requiem feels like the ultimate Resident Evil game. It takes the numerous disparate survival horror and action elements of its predecessors and dials them both up to eleven. It gives us a stellar new lead and a best-ever depiction of a fan-favourite, both of which have intimate and heartfelt journeys that bring new levels of emotional depth to Resident Evil. And it brings together a plethora of the series’ long-running story threads to expand the universe in some truly fascinating ways.

Even if it doesn’t always come together in a fully cohesive manner, Requiem overall represents Resident Evil at its best, making it both a must-play and an early Game of the Year contender.

Resident Evil Requiem launches on February 27 on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

Image credit: Capcom

I’m what could be described as a laid-back audiophile. My musical upbringing and studies in music production and engineering have given me a huge appreciation for good sound quality. I’ve got a very solid handle on what to listen for in a good audio mix.

I’m not as picky as a lot of audiophiles, but my last two pairs of everyday headphones were the Beats Solo 3 and Microsoft Surface Headphones 2, which cost more than $200 each. I used each of them until the metaphorical wheels fell off and they stopped working. Those are big shoes to fill, I absolutely loved using them for the several years that I did.

I’m also a working mom on a humble budget, and replacing either of those headphones is not an option for me right now. A lot of folks are feeling the burn in our current economic state, which is why I was so excited to find an affordable pair of headphones that meets my standards for everyday, casual listening.

Edifier’s V80 Hybrid active noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones have taken me entirely by surprise. I initially borrowed a pair from a friend when my Surface Headphones 2 bit the dust, but ended up purchasing a pair for myself for a list of reasons.

First of all, the price is so right. At $70 regular price (and on sale for $45 at the time of writing), they’re definitely budget-friendly. In the under $50 price point, you’re not going to find a lot of huge brand names, but the Edifier V80s are a great example of why that’s not a bad thing.

I hadn’t heard of Edifier before trying out the V80s, and probably wouldn’t have taken a second look at them if I hadn’t been able to try them out before buying.

Cushy comfort

The first thing that impressed me about the Edifier V80s was how comfortable they are. The ear cushions and headband cushion are so soft. I wear glasses, and have had problems with headphones that press the arms of my glasses into my head giving me headaches. I haven’t had that issue at all with these headphones. The finish on the cushions feels great on the skin. It’s almost silky, but they don’t slip off my head at all.

Other headphones have also given me problems when using them at the gym regularly. Sweating in my Beats Solo 3s did eventually cause the ear cushions to disintegrate, but I’ve since started using earbuds at the gym instead to avoid the same problem with the Edifier V80s. They’re just too pretty to risk it.

I love the brown colour of the Edifier V80s. Typically, I’ll opt for black because it’s just the easiest to style, but this terra cotta-adjacent shade is just neutral enough that it works with most of my outfits as well. Switching it up has been nice, and I get compliments on them all the time.

Good sound, with some tweaks

As for the actual sound quality, the Edifier V80s really impressed me. They’re not perfect, but they are more than good enough for the price point. They sounded a little bit thin out of the box, which is usually an indicator that they need a bit of a boost on the lower frequencies (usually between 16-250 Hz). The Edifier ConneX app made it easy enough to make that change. You get four frequency ranges that you can adjust by 0.5dB increments. What sounds best will depend on your preferences and the type of music you listen to, as audio mixes can differ a lot across genres.

For me, the Edifier V80s needed what’s called a low-pass filter. Simply put, it allows lower frequencies to pass through, and limits higher frequencies (2kHz-6kHz). For thin, hollow-sounding audio, this can easily give your headphones a richer, full-bodied mix. You can also set it and forget it – once I tailored the sound, it stuck even when I connected to another device.

A lot of headphones and earbuds have an accompanying app these days, and most streaming platforms also have built-in EQ settings. Don’t be scared to get in there and mess around until you find a sound you like.

Phone calls are very clear on the Edifier V80s, and the Bluetooth range is also quite impressive. It seems to cut out around 30 feet, but I’m not often that far away from my phone, so it’s not really a concern. They also live up to their low-latency claims. I haven’t noticed any lag when gaming or watching videos, but they do come with a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable if you do have issues, or if you’ve still got a phone with a headphone jack and prefer a wired connection.

As far as active noise cancelling (ANC) goes, these headphones are fine. They’re not the strongest, but they definitely suffice. I sometimes wear them and turn on ANC with no music playing just to cut down a bit of extra background noise while still being able to hear what’s happening around me.

I’ve never had a good time with touch controls on headphones. One thing I really like about the Edifier V80s is the tactile buttons. There are only four buttons, and the control scheme is simple enough, with some customizability included on the multi-function Bluetooth button.

Excellent value

They do have pretty intense sound leakage, so if you like your music really loud (which you shouldn’t because it will absolutely damage your hearing over time), that’s something to be mindful of in public spaces.

Lastly, I’m very impressed with the battery life on these headphones. A full charge yields about 40 hours of listening on normal mode, or 26 hours with ANC. Charging for 15 minutes will get me through most of an eight-hour workday in a pinch, though frustratingly, you can’t listen to music and charge the headphones at the same time.

In general, the Edifier V80s are a stellar deal. They have no business being as good as they are for the price. Am I going to use them for mixing and mastering? Probably not. But I will absolutely continue using them every day for music and phone calls. I can forgive what they lacked in rich audio because it was easy to fix. They’re cute, comfortable, and inexpensive, which is actually more than can be said for many higher-end brands.

The Edifier V80 Hybrid headphones are available on Amazon Canada for $69.99, but at the time of writing were on sale for $44.98.

Gaming phones have a reputation for being big, bulky and scorching hot. They’re often so aggressively styled that pulling one out in public makes you feel self-conscious. RedMagic has been chipping away at that reputation for a few generations now, and the 11 Air is the most convincing argument yet that you can have gaming performance and a stylish device in the same package.

I used the RedMagic 11 Air as my daily driver for a solid month, and the thing that surprised me was how normal it felt to carry it around. It’s only 8mm thick and weighs 207g. It feels like a well-made phone that also happens to demolish whatever game I throw at it. That is an impressive balance to pull off, so kudos to RedMagic.

Design: slim and pleasant to hold

The first thing that surprised me when I pulled the RedMagic 11 Air out of its box was how it didn’t look or feel like a gaming phone. It’s slim and light, and rounded edges mean it feels nice to hold in the hand for extended lengths of time. That’s an improvement over the RedMagic 10 series, which felt like I was holding a brick.

The design itself is completely unremarkable, and I mean that as a compliment. It has a clean, minimal look, and the only flourish is the illuminated RGB logo. You can toggle that off or change the colours. I leave it on. It’s a gaming phone — lean into it.

The build quality is solid thanks to Gorilla Glass 7i on both front and back, an aluminum alloy frame, and IP54 water resistance. It’s not IP68, so don’t drop it in a pool, but it’ll handle sweat and the occasional splash.

Display: edge-to-edge and nice to look at

The display is one of the best things about this phone. The 6.85-inch AMOLED panel is nearly bezel-free, and although it doesn’t get as bright as the RedMagic 11 Pro, it gets the job done. Colours are punchy, and the 144Hz refresh rate keeps everything buttery smooth. There’s no flickering thanks to 2592Hz PWM dimming. I measured it at 1,515 nits of brightness, which is exceptional for the price.

Performance: the best part of this phone

I threw everything at this phone, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor never faltered or lagged. Call of Duty: Warzone, Genshin Impact and even War Thunder all played smoothly on this device at high settings. I didn’t notice any meaningful thermal throttling during extended sessions, and the phone stayed comfortable to hold even after long gaming marathons. Benchmark numbers back that up, scoring 3,068 on Geekbench single-core and 7,084 for multi-core.

The pressure-sensitive shoulder trigger zones at 520Hz are genuinely responsive for mobile gaming. It’s hard to go back to a regular phone after you’ve used them in a high-stakes shooter like Call of Duty: Mobile.

Battery: don’t worry about it

This device packs an enormous 7,000 mAh battery. I was consistently getting over 24 hours of use on a single charge. Even with heavy gaming mixed in, I could easily get 12 to 15 hours without issue. I stopped thinking about battery life completely, which is par for the course with the last two generations of RedMagic phones.

Charging is quick thanks to fast charging and charge separation. But the phone gets really hot during charging if I don’t remember to manually turn on the fan. I don’t like the lack of wireless charging, but that’s my own thing. I love wireless charging.

Camera: don’t buy this phone for the cameras

The cameras are the worst part of this phone. RedMagic devices have never had great cameras because photography is not their focus. The RedMagic 11 Air’s cameras are another order of bad. The 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) gets the job done in good light, and Xiaomi’s camera software is excellent as always. But the hardware is basic. The 8MP ultrawide is mediocre. Low light performance is soft. Video is functional but nothing special, even if the specs list 8K recording.

This is a gaming phone. The camera suite exists to check a box. If you care about photography, look at Samsung or Google. If you want a gaming phone that can fire off a quick snap of your dinner for your Discord chat, this could be the phone for you.

Software: same old RedMagic minimalism

RedMagic’s OS remains one of the more barebones Android skins on the market. Whether that’s a plus or a minus depends on your own tastes. Personally, I like it. It reminds me of the old Google Nexus phones from a decade ago. No gimmicks and no bloat. The phone gives you a clean slate to customize how you want.

The gaming-focused software is what makes RedMagic phones unique. Pressing the red button on the left side of the phone launches the Game Space launcher. Here you will find all your installed games, a plugin library to help you during gaming performance, a weird waifu animated character and options for AI behavioural learning.

Should you buy the RedMagic 11 Air?

This device set out to be a slimmed-down, mid-range version of the more powerful RedMagic 11 Pro, and it mostly achieves that. It has a great display, a decent cooling system, a powerful CPU and great battery life. The cameras are bad, the software is bare-bones, and there’s no headphone jack, but those aren’t the reasons you’re buying this phone.

Canadians won’t find this phone at your local telco kiosk. Instead, you can buy it directly from RedMagic at redmagic.gg. It starts at $729 and includes free shipping.

This is a phone for gamers who want performance and battery life without dropping a lot of money or carrying a gaudy giant gaming phone in their pocket. It’s a decent mid-range device, and I recommend it for anyone needing a simple phone that plays games well.