Most headphones don’t last forever, especially wireless ones as the battery life will inevitably dwindle. If you’re ready for an upgrade and you’re willing to splash a little cash, are worth considering. Those headphones are currently on sale at Amazon. The price has , putting it at just $20 above the lowest price we’ve seen for the cans to date. The offer applies to all colorways.
Apple
Apple’s AirPods Max overear headphones are currently $100 off.
The price was one of our major drawbacks when back in 2020 so the sale mitigates that a bit. We gave the headphones a score of 84, with the audio quality and aesthetics proving to be major plus points.
We felt that the AirPods Max had great balanced sound and capable active noise cancellation (ANC). With both spatial audio and ANC enabled, we had no trouble getting 20 hours of use out of the headphones on a single charge, just as Apple pledged.
Given that it’s been a few years since the AirPods Max debuted and the fact Apple is in the midst of switching out the Lightning charging port for a USB-C one across all of its devices, a new version of the headphones may be on the way. That may result in Apple bringing the price of the original model down even further to clear out the stock. That said, if you don’t want to wait, this is a solid deal on a good set of headphones, particularly if you’re already entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.
Sonos’ first headphones and its AirPods Max competitor, the upcoming Sonos Ace, have leaked online. The slip-up revealed the headphones’ design and the array of buttons on both earcups.
Like other Sonos products, the Ace also appears to have a premium design, which should help it stand out.
Meet the Sonos Ace
Schuurman, an authorized Sonos parts dealer, inadvertently leaked the images, which The Verge first spotted. From the renders, it appears the Ace will have a toggle switch to switch between different listening modes. The right earcup has physical buttons for volume controls and a small LED for connectivity and battery status.
This is how Sonos’ first headphones could look like Photo: Schuurman/The Verge
Another image shows the in-box content, which will include a (usable) carrying case, a USB-C cable, and a USB-C to 3.5mm cable. This suggests the headphones will charge over USB-C and can play music over a wired connection.
Apparently, the Ace will integrate with other Sonos products, seemingly allowing you to listen to TV audio directly on the headphones.
Sonos Ace could ship with a usable carrying case. Photo: Schuurman/The Verge
The now-removed listing carried a price tag of €403.58, roughly translating into the Sonos Ace costing $450 in the US. Premium headphones from Sony and Bose are also priced in the same range, with the AirPods Max costing $549. If Sonos can trump the latter with sound quality, the company should have a winner on its hands.
Sonos headphones can give the AirPods Max tough competition
Sonos products stand out for their sound quality and ease of use. The company’s first pair of wireless cans should also excel in this area. They should give the AirPods Max tough competition, especially since Apple’s offering is showing its age now.
The retail leak suggests Sonos is making the final preparations for the Ace launch. So, expect the AirPods Max competitor to launch in the next few weeks.
It’s an iPhone 17 rumor frenzy this week courtesy of Jeff Pu, an analyst who has sources within Apple’s supply chain in Asia.
While the iPhone 16 lineup is still months away from being announced, rumors about the two-generations-away iPhone lineup typically begin to surface about a year-and-a-half before launch. For example, almost exactly a year ago, we learned that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will have larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively.
12GB of RAM
In a research note with investment firm Haitong, Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will be equipped with 12GB of RAM. For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro models have 8GB of RAM, and the iPhone 16 Pro models are also expected to have 8GB of RAM. The increase would contribute to improved performance for multitasking on the iPhone.
The alleged RAM amounts across the iPhone 17 lineup:
iPhone 17: 8GB
iPhone 17 Slim: 8GB
iPhone 17 Pro: 12GB
iPhone 17 Pro Max: 12GB
How that compares to the iPhone 15 lineup:
iPhone 15: 6GB
iPhone 15 Plus: 6GB
iPhone 15 Pro: 8GB
iPhone 15 Pro Max: 8GB
Narrower Dynamic Island on Pro Max
Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a “much narrowed Dynamic Island” as a result of the device adopting a smaller “metalens” for the Face ID system.
This would be the first size reduction for the Dynamic Island since its iPhone 14 Pro debut.
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are…
Apple is holding at least five announcements for later in the year that will not arrive at the company’s “Let loose” special event next week, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. In a report detailing his expectations for Apple’s upcoming event, Gurman noted that there are a total of five things that the company is holding for later in the year: AI features: While Apple may tease new…
It’s been a long time since the last one, but an Apple event is finally right around the corner! While it’s anticipated to be a fairly short pre-recorded affair, we’re expecting to see the first updates to the iPad lineup in over a year and half, so make sure to tune in to see what Apple has in store. Other news and rumors this week included a couple of product introductions from Apple’s…
It’s hard to believe we’re already a third of the way through 2024. That said, when we’ve had so many fantastic shows to stream since the year began, it’s little wonder the time has flown by.
The world’s best streaming services aren’t done bringing us more potentially great series, either. Between now and September 1, there are lots of new shows, plus the highly anticipated return of fan favorites, to look forward to. With that in mind, I’ve handpicked 10 of the most exciting shows I can’t wait to watch in mid-2024 (NB: I would’ve includedCobra Kai season 6, whose first installment is out on July 18, but it was too late to include in this article. Sorry, Cobra Kai fans!).
Anyway, from epic sci-fi adventures and bloody fantasy to stellar superhero outings and romantic royal dramas, here are the shows I’m excited for in the weeks and months ahead.
Dark Matter (Apple TV Plus)
Release date: May 8
Apple TV Plus has become my go-to streamer for all things sci-fi over the past two years – with good reason. From Foundation and Silo to Severance and Constellation, there are plenty of top-tier shows of this genre to immerse myself in on the tech giant’s streaming platform.
Dark Matter will hope to add its name to that growing list. Based on Blake Crouch’s mind-bending, best-selling novel of the same name, it stars Joel Edgerton as Jason Dessen, a physics professor and devoted family man who becomes embroiled in a multiversal mystery after he’s abducted from his reality. Jennifer Connolly, Alice Braga, and Oakes Fegley are among its strong supporting cast.
Considering how mind-bogglingly inventive Dark Matter‘s trailer looks, I suspect Apple will have another sci-fi hit on its hands. Expect, then, to see it join our illustrious best Apple TV Plus shows list in due course.
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Dark Matter will launch with a two-episode premiere. New episodes will air weekly.
Doctor Who season 14 (Disney Plus/BBC iPlayer)
Release date: May 10 (US); May 11 (UK and Australia)
Fourteen years after ending his initial tenure as the showrunner of Doctor Who‘s revival (if you discount the 60th-anniversary specials and 2023 Christmas episode), Russell T Davies returns to take the legendary British sci-fi series in a bold, new direction.
Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson reprise their roles as the 15th Doctor and Ruby Rose from the aforementioned Christmas special, to lead the rebooted show’s 14th season filled with daring, fun-filled adventures across time and space. Indeed, Doctor Who season 14’s official trailer invites you to get your groove on before it materializes on Disney Plus internationally and BBC One/BBC iPlayer in the UK.
Incidentally, this is the first time a new season of Doctor Who will air on Disney Plus due to a landmark deal that’ll even see Doctor Who season 14 debut on the service before BBC One. Here’s hoping Davies, Gatwa, and Gibson can get the Who-niverse back on track after the lackluster Jodie Whittaker era and earn it a spot on our best Disney Plus shows list.
Doctor Who season 14 will launch with a two-episode premiere. New episodes will air weekly.
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 (Netflix)
Release date: May 16
Okay, I’m going to level with you – Bridgerton isn’t really my idea of a good time. But, considering one of the best Netflix shows is set to return to our screens later this month, I felt I had to include it.
This time around, Netflix‘s aristocratic drama will focus its attentions on Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton’s Colin Bridgerton, with the duo engaging in some rather steamy scenarios that’ll no doubt set the cat among the Regency-era pigeons.
Like a number of other Netflix TV Originals in recent times, Bridgerton season 3 will be released in two parts – volume 1 arriving in mid-May, and volume 2 launching in early June. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether to wait until the full season is out before getting your latest romantic period drama fix.
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 will release in full on May 16.
Picking up in the immediate aftermath of its predecessor’s surprising (and bizarre) finale, Outer Range season 2 reunites us with the Abbott family – led once more by morally complex patriarch Royal (Marvel alumnus Josh Brolin) – as they contend with their questionable decisions from season 1.
That’s not all they’ll have to deal with, mind you. The Wyoming-based family will have to fight off threats on multiple fronts, including slanderous and physical attacks from vengeful rivals the Tillersons. Oh, and they’ll need to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding the black hole that suddenly appeared in their backyard last season. Catch up on this fascinating neo-Western sci-fi show before its second installment arrives ASAP.
Outer Range season 2 will debut with a single-episode premiere. New entries will arrive weekly.
Eric will see Cumberbatch take on the role of Vincent, a New York-based puppeteer whose nine-year-old son goes missing one morning on his way to school. Increasingly desperate for answers about his child’s whereabouts, Vincent becomes more unhinged as the story progresses. He eventually becomes convinced that his son’s drawings of the titular ERIC – a blue monster puppet that Vincent created – are the only way to bring his son home.
The next big Star Wars TV show kicks off a packed June for the world’s most popular streamers. Set 100 years before Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars: The Acolyte will bring the legendary franchise’s High Republic era to life in live-action for the first time. Based on the footage I’ve seen, and the stuff I’ve read about it, The Acolyte sounds like it could be the best Disney Plus show ever made in that galaxy far, far away.
Surprisingly positioned as a neo-noir mystery-thriller, it stars Amandla Stenberg (Bodies Bodies Bodies) as Mae, a former Padawan who reluctantly reunites with her Jedi Master Sol (Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-sae) to investigate a series of murders. An all-star cast, including Carrie-Anne Moss, Jodie Turner, Dafne Keen, Manny Jacinto, Charlie Barnett, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, and Joonas Suotamo, is also set to feature.
Star Wars: The Acolyte will debut with a two-episode premiere. New installments will be released weekly.
The Boys season 4 (Prime Video)
Release date: June 13
The Boys are back in town – well, next month, anyway. That’s right, the hugely successful Prime Video superhero series returns in shockingly hilarious fashion in mid-June as Amazon, Disney, and HBO (more on HBO below) go head-to-head for viewers’ attention throughout June.
The Boys season 4 will pick up events following its predecessor and Gen V season 1, the college-based spin-off that proved equally popular with audiences. It’ll continue to explore the increasing tensions between the titular Supe hunters and The Seven, aka the world’s best superhero team led by the erratic Homelander, in typically gory and satirized fashion.
The first three episodes of The Boys season 4 will be released on launch day. New episodes arrive weekly.
Presumed Innocent (Apple TV Plus)
Release date: June 14
Apple continues to adapt best-selling novels for its streaming platform in June with Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent, an eight-part series that aims to offer a more intriguing and twisty-turny murder mystery than Tom Holland’sThe Crowded Room did.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Chicago deputy chief prosecutor Rosat ‘Rusty’ Sabich, who finds himself at the center of a horrific murder case when he’s shockingly accused of committing said crime. Of course, it doesn’t help that the married Rosat had an affair with the woman he’s suspected of killing. Ruth Negga, Bill Camp, O-T Fagbenie, and Elizabeth Marvel join Gyllenhaal on the show’s roster. J.J. Abrams is among Presumed Innocent‘s many executive producers, too.
Presumed Innocent will premiere on Apple TV Plus with two episodes. Subsequent entries will be released every week.
House of the Dragon season 2 (Max)
Release date: June 18 (US); June 19 (UK and Australia)
A stacked June is rounded out by the return of this critically acclaimed Game of Thrones prequel series, which will be available to stream on HBO and Max in the US.
Set in the immediate aftermath of season 1’s stunning and emotion-laden finale, House of the Dragon season 2 will mark the start of the ‘Dance of Dragons’ – an epic civil war that destroyed House Targaryen, the family that ruled Westeros for generations, from the inside. Expect plenty of fire (and the odd glimpse of ice, judging by the footage I’ve seen) from this high-fantasy show.
House of the Dragon‘s sophomore outing was given an official Max release date and three (!) fiery trailers in late March, which confirmed it’ll go up against Bridgerton, The Acolyte, and The Boys in June. You and I, dear reader, are being well and truly spoiled on the TV front in mid-2024, aren’t we?
NB: House of the Dragon season 2 will be viewable on Sky Atlantic in the UK and Binge in Australia.
The Umbrella Academy season 4 (Netflix)
Where’s The Umbrella Academy season 4 trailer, Netflix? (Image credit: Netflix)
Release date: August 8
With July looking like a sparse month for shows that piqued my interest, we’re fast-forwarding to August for the final entry of this article. Step forward The Umbrella Academy season 4, the last outing in Netflix’s hit superhero series. Bizarrely, it will only comprise six episodes instead of the 10 its three forebears were made up of.
All six episodes of The Umbrella Academy season 4 are expected to be released on launch day.
For more TV streaming coverage, read our guides on the best Hulu shows and the best Paramount Plus shows. Alternatively, find out what we know about Amazon’s Fallout season 2 (release date TBA) and FX’s The Bear season 3, which could make a surprise return to our screens in June if online speculation is to be believed.
Hisense just announced its new Hisense U9N series mini-LED TVs, and as part of that announcement, the company invited reviewers, myself included, to spend quality hands-on time with a pre-production 75-inch version of the U9N at a launch event in New York.
The Hisense U9N series TVs slot between the company’s flagship ULED X series and the new U8N series (review coming soon) TVs, and incorporate technology from the ULED X lineup. Specifically, they use Hisense’s Hi-View Engine X picture processing and a mini-LED backlight with up to 5,300 local dimming zones. That’s a strikingly high number, even among the best TVs that use mini-LED – the Hisense U8K, in contrast, topped out at around 1,000 local dimming zones.
As you might expect, the premium tech packaged in the U9N series comes with a price boost over the U8N series, with the 75-inch version selling for $2,999 (around £2,400 / AU$ 4,530) and $3,999 (around £3,200 / AU$ 6,050) for the 85-inch version. (Compare that to the $1,999 pricing for the 75-inch Hisense U8N.) Hisense plans to ship both models this summer, and they will be sold at Best Buy and Amazon.
The Hisense U9N features substantial side-firing speakers, as shown here. (Image credit: Future)
The U9N series also has a premium design that aligns closely with the ULED X series TVs. That includes an aluminum bezel and side-mounted speakers, with the latter providing the left and right channels for the TV’s built-in 4.1.2 Dolby Atmos speaker system, which gets up to 82 watts of power (on the 85-inch model).
Picture-enhancing features of the U9N series include Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ high dynamic range support, and IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker Mode presets. An ultra-wide viewing angle feature ensures that picture quality is maintained when viewing from off-center seats and the screen also has an anti-glare coating to reduce reflections.
On the gaming front, the U9N series supports a 144Hz refresh rate, VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and Dolby Vision gaming.
The Google TV platform handles smart features and streaming and there’s an ATSC 3.0 tuner for receiving next-gen digital TV broadcasts.
The U9N’s off-axis viewing performance is excellent as demonstrated by this color test pattern shown straight on and at an extreme angle. (Image credit: Future)
Picture Performance
Along with its massive dimming zone count, Hisense has made dramatic brightness claims for its U9N series and the other new Hisense TVs announced for 2024. With the TV in its Filmmaker Mode picture preset, I measured around 3,000 nits peak brightness on a 10% white window pattern – a result that bests even the new Samsung QN900D flagship 8K TV, which measured around 2,400 nits on the same test. Dramatically high brightness confirmed!
Brightness with a fullscreen white test pattern in the same mode was 600 nits, a result that also bests Samsung’s flagship TV. On other tests, the 75-inch U9N managed a very impressive 99.3% coverage of the UHDA-P3 color gamut and 82% of the BT.2020 color gamut, and a measured input lag of 15.2ms when in Game mode. That level of input lag isn’t the best we’ve measured – some of the best gaming TVs clock in under 10ms – but it’s still considered good enough.
Along with its stellar measured performance, the QN9 has excellent off-axis uniformity. Looking at a pattern from the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark4K Blu-ray disc designed to test off-axis performance, the TV’s ultra-wide viewing angle feature ensured that color and contrast were perfectly uniform even at a far off-center viewing position.
Although this picture exaggerates the effect, screen reflections could be seen on the U9N with overhead lights on. (Image credit: Future)
With 5,300 local dimming zones, you’d expect to see detailed reproduction of shadows in dark scenes, and the UN9 didn’t disappoint. Watching the scene in Dune: Part One where Paul Atreides is tested by the Reverend Mother (Question: “What’s in the box?” Answer: “Pain”), backgrounds in the dim environment had a high level of clarity, and the mesh covering her face was a deep, solid black tone.
While I didn’t notice anything off with movies, I did note some “black blotching’ effects on a starfield test pattern on the Spears & Munsil disc designed to test local dimming performance. Basically, with local dimming switched off, I could see plenty of stars in the pattern, and when switched to the Filmmaker Mode’s default High setting, large patches of stars disappeared. Hisense told me the issue is something they had also noted, however, and it will be fixed before the UN9 ships this summer.
Turning to No Time to Die, another demo 4K Blu-ray and one that I use to test motion handling, there was a high level of motion judder in a shot where the camera pans across a cemetery on a craggy hillside. Adjusting both the Custom Judder and Blur settings in the Motion Clarity menu to +4 remedied the issue, and it only added a very slight amount of “motion smoothing” to the image.
Although the U9N is touted as having an anti-glare screen, I could see a fair amount of screen reflections when I turned on the overhead lights in the room I tested it in. It certainly wasn’t the worst instance of this I’ve encountered, but having seen the new Samsung S95D OLED TV’s Glare-Free technology in action, which proved completely immune to room lighting, I’m starting to have higher expectations for glare-reduction tech.
Sound performance
Most high-end TVs now arrive with built-in 4.1.2 Dolby Atmos speaker systems, which use actual upfiring speaker drivers on the TV’s top edge rather than virtual processing to deliver Dolby Atmos soundtracks. Hisense’s U9N managed to play loud during the action scenes in both Dune and No Time to Die without sounding overly strained and there was good bass and dialogue clarity. Built-in TV speakers typically aren’t a match for the best soundbars, but anyone wanting spacious Dolby Atmos sound from a TV alone will not be disappointed with the U9N’s performance.
The Hisense U9N comes with a much improved new remote control with a backlit keypad. (Image credit: Future)
Mini-LED to the max
The Hisense U9N’s high brightness and impressive local dimming make it a hot prospect to land among the best TVs of 2024. And even though the 75-inch model’s $2,999 price could be considered high for a TV, it’s still quite reasonable compared to the mini-LED competition – it’s lower than the 75-inch Samsung QN90D, for example, which costs $3,299.
Does the Hisense U9N leave room for improvement? Its motion handling isn’t the best, and when I measured it in Filmmaker Mode, both gamma and white balance were less accurate than what I usually expect from a premium TV. Even so, I walked away from my encounter with the U9N impressed, and could see it making serious waves this summer once it arrives.
Sometimes, a weekend comes along that’s so stacked with new movies and TV shows to stream, we have a hard time narrowing down our list of recommendations to seven entries.
This weekend is one of those weekends, so rather than tease our chosen titles in today’s introduction, we thought we’d rattle off the four series that aren’t included in the below list, since they’re still worthy of your time: the third seasons of Clarkson’s Farm, Hacks and Welcome to Wrexham are all now streaming on Prime Video, Max and Disney Plus, respectively, while new period drama Shardlake comes to Hulu.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven more of the biggest new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend.
The Idea of You (Prime Video)
If the surprising box office success of Anyone But You taught us anything, it’s that audiences will turn out for a good old fashioned rom-com, and Amazon will be hoping that its latest star-studded melodrama, The Idea of You, proves similarly popular.
Adapted from Robinne Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name by The Big Sick director Michael Showalter, this Prime Video-exclusive movie stars Anne Hathaway as a 40-year-old divorcée who strikes up an unconventional romance with the lead singer of a popular boy band (Nicholas Galitzine).
Reid Scott and Annie Mumolo also star in The Idea of You, which critics have described as a “plane movie par excellence” and “a damn sight better than what we’ve been forced to get used to” in the rom-com genre. For the right viewer, then, this could be one of the best Prime Video movies of the year.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
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A Man in Full (Netflix)
Jeff Daniels has made a habit of leading well-made TV dramas in recent years, and the veteran actor returns to do just that in A Man in Full, which is now streaming on Netflix.
This six-episode adaptation of the 1998 novel by Tom Wolfe centers on the fictional Charlie Croker (Daniels), a charismatic Atlanta real estate mogul who is suddenly faced with the prospect of bankruptcy and the collapse of his empire. Diane Lane, William Jackson Harper, Lucy Liu and Bill Camp also star; the latter reuniting with Daniels after starring alongside him in 2019’s The Looming Tower series.
Suffice to say, A Man in Full has left critics divided, with some calling it a “skin-crawling Trump satire” and others a “substandard Succession.” We haven’t seen the series yet, so we’ll leave you to decide whether it’s one of the best Netflix shows, or another Netflix flop.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Unfrosted (Netflix)
Sticking with the best streaming service, Netflix also plays host to Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial feature debut, Unfrosted, this weekend.
This surprisingly star-studded biopic-of-sorts follows the real-life race between rival breakfast cereal companies to create a revolutionary toaster pastry product (read: a Pop Tart) in the early 1960s. Seinfeld himself leads the cast alongside – wait for it – Melissa McCarthy, Hugh Grant, James Marsden, Amy Schumer, Christian Slater, Daniel Levy, Bill Burr and many more.
Depending on who you read, Unfrosted is either a “deliciously silly, spoofy tale” or “one of the decade’s worst movies,” so don’t expect to see this one make our list of the best Netflix movies any time soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The Veil (Hulu)
Less than two years after leading The Handmaid’s Tale to its fifth and final season, Elizabeth Moss returns to Hulu to front FX’s new spy thriller The Veil.
This six-episode series – which comes from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight – follows a globe-trotting MI6 agent (Moss) whose mission to extract and interrogate a suspected ISIS leader (Yumna Marwan) catches the attention of French and American intelligence services.
Josh Charles and Dali Benssalah also star in The Veil, which critics have described as a “compelling spy yarn with a few loose threads.” UK viewers will likely have to wait for this one to debut on Disney Plus later in the year.
Now available to stream on Hulu in the US.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (Disney Plus)
Disney’s follow-up to 2022’s Tales of the Jedi series comes to Disney Plus in its entirety this Saturday (or Star Warsday to those who celebrate).
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire charts the rise of the fearsome Galactic Empire through the eyes of two very different warriors: The Mandalorian‘s Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and The Clone Wars‘ Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger).
Grand Admiral Thrawn, The Grand Inquisitor and General Grievous are all confirmed to appear across the series’ six episodes, so Tales of the Empire sounds like a must-watch for nostalgia-loving Star Wars fans
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Peacock)
If you’re in the mood for a heavy-hitting wartime drama, a small screen adaptation of Heather Morris’ best-selling novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz is now streaming on Peacock.
This co-production between Peacock in the US and Sky in the UK chronicles the real-life romance between Auschwitz prisoners Lali (Jonah Hauer-King) and Gita Sokolov (Anna Próchniak), who strike up a lifelong romance in the most inhuman of circumstances.
Harvey Keitel and Melanie Lynskey also star in The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which critics have described as “well made, well acted, well intentioned” but ultimately “grotesque”, for reasons we’re sure you can guess.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
The Contestant (Hulu)
The third of three (three!) Hulu-based recommendations to feature on this week’s list is new documentary film The Contestant.
This feature-length production tells the hard-to-believe story of Tomoaki Hamatsu, a Japanese man who unwittingly became the star of a Truman Show-style Japanese reality show in which contestants are left alone in a room for months and forced to obtain food and clothing through sweepstakes.
Critics have described The Contestant as “mind-blowing” and “something [that’s] halfway between sensationalist exposé and intimate confessional,” so it sounds like a must-watch for fans of revelatory documentaries.
The new SoundLink Max Portable Speaker adds a bit of heft and a bunch of powerful sound to the Bose line of SoundLink Bluetooth speakers, the company said Thursday.
“This all-new portable speaker has lasting power, rugged durability, and delivers incredible sound for its size,” Bose noted. “Now you can set the vibe with your favorite playlist no matter where you go.”
Bose SoundLink Max Portable Speaker
We first wrote about the new Bose SoundLink Max Portable Speaker in mid April, when a leak and an FCC filing predicted its imminent release. And the rumors turned out to be true, right down to the somewhat hefty price tag of $399. You can preorder SoundLink Max at Bose.com with shipping after May 16.
Bose said the new speaker takes great advantage of Bose technology and audio know-how:
The system leverages a Bose Articulated Array with three transducers across the front of the speaker to deliver a spacious stereo experience that goes beyond the speaker itself. Two custom-designed passive radiators are responsible for providing a level of bass performance that also defies the speaker size.
Using technology found in Bose soundbars and proprietary digital signal processing that dramatically minimizes distortion, the speaker reproduces full, natural sound regardless of what you’re listening to. The result is a system that allows you to hear every instrument, clear vocals, and the beat of your music, no matter where you’re listening or where the speaker is placed.
Using the Bose app, you can personalize your listening experience through adjustable EQ settings, including bass, mid-range and treble.
Built for durable portability
You can preorder the speaker May 16 in black or dusk blue colors. Photo: Bose
SoundLink Max’s design uses a powder-coated, silicone-wrapped steel enclosure for a premium look. And it’s also tough. Bose said it withstands bumps and drops and resists peeling, flaking and UV-light-related corrosion. An IP67 rating protects against water, dust, rust and shocks. Bose stopped short of saying it’s OK to drop it in the pool, however.
The device is a little bigger than others in its line, like SoundLink Flex, but it’s still compact for portability. It measures 10.42in wide, 4.73in high and 4.13in deep and weighes just under five pounds. Its integrated, removable rope handle makes it easy to carry around. And you can get a rope strap as an option to carry it over your shoulder. In addition, four optional color handle accessories can customize the speaker’s look.
The speaker’s playback time runs up to 20 hours on a full charge, according to Bose. And its USB-C port can charge your iPhone or other mobile devices (like the one transmitting tunes to the speaker via Bluetooth 5.3).
Hi-def and lossless audio
The new speaker supports SBC and AAC codec standards, so it works with most Bluetooth devices, including Apple’s.
However, the highest-quality sound is reserved for devices that support Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive codec (sorry, iPhone and iPad users):
For high-definition audio, it uses Snapdragon Sound with the latest Qualcomm aptX Adaptive codec, which automatically adapts up to lossless quality. Snapdragon Sound technology allows for more seamless and robust connectivity with premium Android devices. The SoundLink Max also offers Google Fast Pair for added ease-of-use when pairing Android devices.
And the speaker isn’t just wireless. An AUX input lets you jack in via cable from sources like turntables and MP3 or CD players. And the speaker’s shortcut button can switch to or from AUX and enable Spotify Tap, Bose said.
The SoundLink Max comes in black or blue dusk colors. You can preorder now for $399 and it will ship after May 16, Bose said.
Bose may be best known for its noise-canceling headphones, but the company makes solid portable Bluetooth speakers too. In fact, the company’s SoundLink Flex made our best Bluetooth speakers list as a great option among contenders in its price range. Today, the company is adding to the SoundLink lineup with its largest portable Bluetooth speaker yet: the SoundLink Max ($399). While the overall design is similar to previous Bose devices, this model packs bigger sound and longer battery life into that expanded frame.
Inside the SoundLink Max, three transducers and two passive radiators power “a spacious stereo experience” that includes bass performance that sounds like an even larger speaker, according to Bose. The company says this portable unit employs tech typically used in its soundbars and pairs that with digital signal processing to reduce distortion for “full, natural sound” across genres. Bose is promising that you’ll be able to hear every aspect of a song clearly, no matter the musical style and no matter where the speaker is located. You’ll also be able to adjust lows, mids and highs via the Bose app if the stock tuning doesn’t suit your preferences.
Bose
Bose opted for a powder-coated, silicone-wrapped steel enclosure for the SoundLink Max, which the company says offers a more refined look. The speaker is also IP67 rated, so dust, water, rust and dropping it shouldn’t be an issue. This all makes the Max well-suited for outdoor use, and when you do take it on the go, you won’t have to worry about recharging often. Bose says the SoundLink Max will last up to 20 hours, plus it can juice up your phone via a USB-C cable if needed. A removable rope handle will assist with transport, but Bose also makes a carrying strap if you prefer over-the-shoulder hauling.
The SoundLink Max is equipped with Snapdragon Sound, which offers more consistent connectivity with recent Android devices, and aptX Adaptive that provides improved audio quality over Bluetooth. The speaker also supports Google Fast Pair and Bluetooth 5.3.
Pre-orders for the SoundLink Max start today from Bose, and the speaker is schedule to ship on May 16. In addition to being the company’s largest portable Bluetooth unit, it also ties the Bose Portable Smart Speaker for being the most expensive at $399. If you’re looking for something smaller, the SoundLink Micro ($99), SoundLink Flex ($119) and SoundLink Mini II ($149) are also available from Bose.
Remedy Entertainment has provided an update on the development of Control 2, Codename Condor, and the Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes.
In a recent shareholders report published on April 29 (via Eurogamer), Remedy confirmed that its remakes of Max Payne 1 and Max Payne 2 – which were announced in 2022 – are set to move into “full production” during Q2 of 2024 after completing its production readiness stage.
Elsewhere, the studio’s upcoming co-operative multiplayer game Codename Condor, set in the Control universe, has now entered into full production. That means it has “reached the final development stages before the game is launched.”
The report indicates that, based on “wide internal playtest,” it “can see that the core loop is engaging, and the game brings a unique Remedy angle to the genre.”
As for Control 2, the development team has “focused on finalizing the proof-of-concept stage, in which the game world, game mechanics and visual targets are proven” and the studio expects the project to advance to the “production readiness stage” during Q2 2024.
Finally, Codename Kestrel – Remedy’s multiplayer action game – is still in the concept stage as the team “works to refine the game concept.”
Remedy adds that Alan Wake 2, which launched in October, has now sold 1.3 million units as of the beginning of February and at the end of the first quarter, the game has been able to recoup “significant part of the development and marketing expenses.”
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Alan Wake 2 is also set to receive two paid expansions – Night Springs and The Lake House. The former is expected to release in late spring, while the latter has yet to get a release date.
In addition to game development updates, Remedy reported that Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent has now increased its shareholding in the studio to 14.80% after acquiring a 3.8% stake back in 2021.
Shared to X by Apple tipster Sonny Dickson (via PhoneArena), a new iPhone 16 dummy unit picture displays all four rumored iPhone 16 models – that’s the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max – side-by-side, in descending order of premium-ness.
As you can see below, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is listed as being the largest phone of the lot, at 6.9 inches (up from last year’s 6.7-inch size), while the iPhone 16 Pro also gets a size bump, from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are listed as remaining at 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively, which fits with all previous rumors we’ve heard so far regarding iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus screen sizes.
Why might Apple be going back to this iPhone 12-style design? For our money, spatial video could be the reason: while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can capture spatial video (i.e. 3D-style content viewable on the Apple Vision Pro headset), the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus can’t. The theory is that the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can use their two vertically-arranged lenses to shoot from two slightly different camera angles at the same time, but the same approach isn’t possible on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
So, by adding vertically-arranged camera lenses to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, Apple could open up the spatial video format to a larger audience, thus encouraging more Apple Vision Pro sales. Alternatively, the company might just prefer the iPhone 12 camera style, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the spatial video rumor is true.
The iPhone 16 will reportedly look a lot like the iPhone 12 (Image credit: Apple)
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It’s worth noting that dummy units – despite being used by case makers to ensure that their cases fit upcoming phones – are not always 100% accurate, so we’d still take every iPhone 16 rumor listed in this article with a pinch of salt. Mind you, these latest dummies align with other leaked iPhone 16 dummies we’ve already seen, so we’re quietly confident that we know exactly what to expect from the iPhone 16 and its siblings.
