Technology

The White Lotus season 4: key information

- Season 4 is already confirmed
- No official details about cast, dates or plot revealed
- No cold destination on the cards
- Rumors of a European destination

The White Lotus season 4 was confirmed before season 3 even aired. If that’s not a surefire sign of how wildly popular this darkly comic anthology has become – and just how much juicy, sun-soaked chaos it still has to give – then we don’t know what is.

Even though we’ve barely had time to rinse the salt water from our hair and check-out of The White Lotus season 3, fans are already asking: where will the hit anthology series take us next?

We’ll be real with you, nothing is official yet, apart from the fact it is happening. But that won’t stop us from diving headfirst into the rumor pool.

Between interesting reveals in interviews, online rumors, and some good old-fashioned speculation, there’s plenty to get excited about. From potential destinations to returning characters and Mike White’s increasingly unhinged genius, here’s everything we (think we) know about The White Lotus season 4 so far.

The White Lotus season 4: when it is landing?

The big question is, where will The White Lotus season 4 be set? (Image credit: HBO Max)

Right now, there’s no official release window. All we know for sure is that HBO renewed The White Lotus season 4 back in January before season 3 even aired.

But that won’t stop us from making some educated guesses. Season 1 of the hit show arrived in July 2021, followed by season 2 in October 2022. Season three then premiered on February 16, 2025 – there was a slightly longer wait than usual due to the Hollywood strikes that paused production across the industry in 2023.

As for season 4? Production is expected to begin in 2026, which means we likely won’t be checking into the next White Lotus location until late 2026, or possibly even early 2027. What can we say? Luxury chaos takes time.

When it does arrive, expect to see it on HBO and Max in the US, just like previous seasons. Elsewhere, availability will vary. For example, in the UK, season 3 landed exclusively on Sky, while past seasons are available to buy on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.

The White Lotus season 4: has a trailer been released?

Will Natasha Rothwell star in all four seasons of The White Lotus as spa manager Belinda Lindsey? (Image credit: HBO Max)

Sadly, no trailer for The White Lotus season 4 has landed yet. And honestly, we’re not expecting one for a while. With production not likely to begin until 2026, you’ll be waiting a bit longer for your next dose of suspicious stares and sweeping drone shots of paradise.

In the meantime, you could rewatch the season 2 trailer if you’re missing Tanya McQuoid’s unforgettable chaos. (Let’s be real, we all are.) And consider this your official excuse to rewatch the whole series from the beginning, too – purely for research purposes, of course.

The White Lotus season 4: confirmed cast

Will any character in The White Lotus season 4 be more iconic than Tanya McQuoid? Doubtful (Image credit: HBO)

Potential spoilers follow for The White Lotus below.

As The White Lotus fans know by now, each season brings a brand-new group of guests and resort staff to a different, picture-perfect location.

So far, casting for season 4 hasn’t been confirmed. But it’s expected to feature another fresh ensemble of tourists and locals. That said, don’t rule out a few familiar faces.

The White Lotus isn’t afraid to bring characters back when it makes sense – just look at Natasha Rothwell’s return as spa manager Belinda Lindsey in season 3, or the recurring role of Greg (Jon Gries), who’s somehow made it through all three seasons.

Of course, we can’t talk about The White Lotus without mentioning Jennifer Coolidge’s unforgettable Tanya McQuoid, who became the emotional (and slightly unhinged) heart of the first two seasons. While her storyline may be, erm, wrapped up, never say never in The White Lotus universe.

Casting is always a major moment for this show. It tends to be a buzzy blend of big names and breakout stars, so expect plenty of excitement once the lineup does drop.

In a May 2023 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, creator Mike White teased that an “all-star season” might happen in the future, saying: “If the show goes on for a couple of seasons, it would be fun to have an all-star season [...] It would be easy to just be full-on anthology, but I think it's more fun to have little threads through the show.”

Translation? Keep your eyes peeled. The next guest list could be full of surprises.

The White Lotus season 4: story synopsis and rumors

The White Lotus season 4 is bound to be full of scandal and secrets – but where will it be set? (Image credit: HBO)

It’s still early days, but if The White Lotus season 4 sticks to what’s worked so well for the show before, we can probably expect the familiar setup, which includes a glossy, high-end resort, a cast of privileged and messy guests, and a dead body teased in the opening moments.

Traditionally, the show unfolds over 6 to 8 episodes, flashing back to the days leading up to the mysterious death while peeling back layers of wealth, power, desire, and delusion. But don’t get too comfortable, creator Mike White has made it clear the formula isn’t set in stone.

“I don’t think it needs to always be a body,” White told The Hollywood Reporter. “There are so many ways that we want to reinvent the show each year. Like, what is this show – other than people? A fresh mystery, people maybe expect that. But I don’t feel constrained by expectation. It’s fun.”

Whatever format The White Lotus season 4 takes, it’s safe to assume we’ll get another sharp, satirical look at human nature, filtered through the lives of both the resort’s wealthy guests and its often-overlooked employees. And just like past seasons, there’s likely to be a central theme that shapes the tone of the story.

In HBO’s Unpacking Season 2: Episode 7 video, White explained: “The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex. I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality.” So what will season 4 explore? Fame, politics, revenge, legacy? We can’t wait to find out.

But let’s be honest, half the thrill of a new season of The White Lotus is finding out where it’s set. Location doesn’t just provide the backdrop, it practically becomes a character in its own right.

According to Deadline, in a February 2025 interview, HBO executive Francesca Orsi teased a return to Europe, saying: “We’re going on some locations scouting in the next couple of weeks, so we’ll know soon [...] I can’t really say where we’re going to land but chances are somewhere in Europe.”

So far, each season has been filmed at a real-life Four Seasons resort, which doubles as the fictional White Lotus hotel. And there are plenty of glamorous European options still on the table – including a particularly dreamy one in the south of France.

That said, conflicting reports hint that the team may be eyeing an entirely new continent. According to Parade, a source revealed: “Right now, it’s looking like the next season of The White Lotus will be shot in Egypt or Mexico [...] They want to pick somewhere they haven't shot yet, so a new continent. They want to go somewhere completely new since this season is in Asia, which is why they're between the two. The decision should be made soon."

And don’t hold out for a snow-covered murder mystery anytime soon. As executive producer David Bernad said on The Bill Simmons Podcast: “Mike [White] doesn’t like the cold. That’s why we’ll never do it. So we’ll never do it….feel confident we’ll never do a season in the cold. He just, Mike is, Mike’s not built for, he’s a California guy. He’s not built for the cold. But never say never, but I would be surprised.”

So a ski resort is definitely off the table. But the options still feel endless. Wherever it is, you can bet two things. It’ll look stunning and someone will probably die there.

Will there be more seasons of The White Lotus?

Only The White Lotus season 4 has been confirmed, but we'd bet good money on future seasons, too... (Image credit: HBO Max)

Will The White Lotus extend beyond the confirmed fourth season? Oh, we'd put money on it. But nothing is confirmed.

Speaking to Deadline, Francesca Orsi said: “I imagine he is going to go beyond four [...] He [White] hasn’t confirmed it, but I think he has more to say than just one more season.”

So while nothing beyond The White Lotus season 4 has been confirmed yet, it’s clear the appetite – for both viewers and the creators – is there.

And honestly, why stop? The show's anthology format gives it endless flexibility. So as long as it continues to deliver its signature mix of satire, scandal, and sunscreen, we’re ready to check in for as many seasons as they'll give us.

For more news about the return of some of the best Max shows, check out our guides on The Last of Us season 2, Creature Commandos season 2 and Euphoria season 3.

This week was a momentous one as Microsoft turned 50. On top of that, we finally saw the Nintendo Switch 2 in all its glory, and Sony's new OLED tech floored us.

To catch up on all that and the other biggest stories of the week, we've rounded them up here. There's a quick recap of each story, and links to further reading if you're desperate to know more.

Once you're up to speed on the news, be sure to check out our picks for the 7 new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend (April 4).

7. Microsoft turned 50 – and celebrated with a big CoPilot upgrade

(Image credit: Future)

Not many tech companies have lived long enough to celebrate their golden anniversary, but grizzled tech giant Microsoft hit that impressive milestone this week. Rather than sit back with a well-earned Old Fashioned or embarrass its grandchildren with a chicken dance, it announced a big upgrade to its CoPilot AI assistant instead.

CoPilot is now morphing from a fairly standard, generative AI chatbot into a full-blown companion to rival ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Well, that's the theory anyway – the new CoPilot now has a memory to help it "learn who you are deeply", while the mobile apps can use your smartphone's camera to help it understand what you're seeing.

That all sounds both useful and creepy, but will CoPilot have the staying power of Windows, Word or even Clippy? Time will tell – we'll let you know in 2075.

• Read more: Microsoft 50th Anniversary Copilot Event live – we're on the ground with all the latest news

6. Nintendo spilled (almost) everything on the Switch 2

(Image credit: Nintendo)

This week, we went hands-on with Nintendo Switch 2, which is due to launch in just a couple of months on June 5, 2025. The new console boasts a number of significant improvements over its predecessor. These include support for 4K resolution on TV, and 1080p on the handheld. We can also expect variable refresh rate support, 256GB of storage space and frame rates of up to 120fps for supported games.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is priced at $429.99 / £395.99 / AU$699.95 for the console by itself. A bundle that includes a digital copy of Mario Kart World can also be bought for $499.99 / £429.99 / AU$769.95. Though prices could rise, at least in the US as Nintendo announced it's delaying Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders in response to the recent Trump tariffs.

Plenty of official peripherals and accessories have been announced. A camera for the new GameChat feature will be sold separately and can be connected to the Switch 2’s USB-C ports. We’re also getting a Pro Controller 2 and a wireless Nintendo GameCube controller that will be compatible with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack’s upcoming Switch 2 GameCube game library.

• Read more: I spent four hours with Nintendo Switch 2

5. Nintendo showcased the Switch 2 software lineup too

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware reveal, we also got a preview of all the software coming to the new console later this year.

The headline was obviously the Switch 2’s biggest first-party launch title: Mario Kart World. This open-world rendition of the karting title is bigger and better in every way based on our preview, with some delightful new courses and an expansive map to race across.

Other hits from the showcase included Donkey Kong Bananza, new (albeit brief) Silksong details, a look at The Duskbloods – an exclusive FromSoftware title for the Switch 2 – and the arrival of GameCube Classics via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack service.

The only downside is the games are getting pricier with Mario Kart World starting at $79.99 / £75.99. Not to mention that Nintendo’s charging for Welcome Tour – an interactive instruction manual it has designed for the Switch 2.

• Read more: Nintendo Switch 2 live updates

4. ChatGPT had a rollercoaster week

(Image credit: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

It’s been a hell of a week for OpenAI. It kicked things off last week by launching native image generation inside ChatGPT. Previously it has relied on DALL-E for images, but now it could do them itself, and do them better. People quickly realized that it was great at imitating the style of the anime powerhouse Studio Ghibli and a craze for Studio Ghibli-style images of people hit the Internet, resulting in OpenAI’s servers going into meltdown as 1 million new users signed up in just one hour. ChatGPT went down at least three times this week.

Melting servers weren’t OpenAI’s only problem, with many people questioning the legality of producing art in the Studio Ghibli copyright style. Should an AI be allowed to reproduce Studio Ghibli’s founder Hayao Miyazaki’s painstaking frame-by-frame approach to animation with such faithful mimicry?

It’s also strongly rumoured that Deep Reasoning, the wildly popular agentic research capability found in ChatGPT Pro and ChatGPT Plus is coming to the free tier of ChatGPT very soon after a member of OpenAI’s Technical Staff revealed the information in an online discussion. Let’s hope the servers can handle it if and when this does happen.

• Read more: ChatGPT was down again – here's everything we know

3. CinemaCon 2025 gave us film previews galore

(Image credit: Getty Images)

CinemaCon 2025 gave us four days of showcase presentations from the biggest names in Hollywood including Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures.

There's so much we could talk about but a few highlights include the Spider-Man: Brand New Day title and date reveal, the John Wick 5 announcement, four The Beatles movies are coming in 2026, and we got the first footage from Wicked Part Two, Avatar: Fire & Ash, and Tron: Ares.

• Read more: CinemaCon 2025 – every big movie announcement

2. We saw Sony's new top-end OLED TV in action

(Image credit: Future)

Sony unveiled the new TVs it has coming in 2025, and probably the juiciest is the Sony Bravia 8 II – a follow-up to both the Sony Bravia 8 mid-range OLED and the high-end Sony A95L QD-OLED.

Sony didn't reveal prices, but said that it'll be cheaper than the A95L, despite being a QD-OLED TV, using the latest-gen panel (the same ones found in the Samsung S95F). With the new-gen panel it'll be brighter than any previous Sony OLED, and should have richer colors. It'll also be only way to get the highest-end QD-OLED screen with a glossy finish, rather than the matte Glare-Free 2.0 finish used by Samsung.

If the Bravia 8 II can hit the same kind of prices as the LG G5 and Samsung S95F – rather than coming in significantly more expensive, like the A95L did – then we could be onto something very special from Sony.

• Read more: I saw Sony's new top-end OLED TV in action

1. Garmin's new subscription caused chaos

(Image credit: Future)

Garmin has unveiled a new and extremely unpopular subscription platform, Garmin Connect+. The company says that its free experience isn't going anywhere, but that hasn't stopped furious users in their thousands protesting the new $7 subscription.

For the monthly fee, Garmin is promising users six paywalled features including Active Intelligence, an AI-powered agent that theoretically gives you more personalized insights into your training and performance.

Generally, fans of the brand are upset about the move because Garmins are often very expensive, making the added cost of a subscription harder to bear. There's also plenty of discourse about the fact that the subscription itself is very thin, and doesn't seem to offer a tremendous amount of value to users given the cost.

Whichever way you slice it, the Garmin Connect+ launch has been a disaster for the company, and with users already tense over a significant outage and premium devices being left out in the cold when it comes to software, the launch could not have been timed worse.

• Read more: Furious Garmin users revolt over new subscription service

• Indian government is expected to contribute a staggering 90% of the cost
• The announcement comes as fab demands is heating up on the back AI explosive growth
• Construction of these fabs is a very long process and always lags demand, sometimes by years

L&T Semiconductor Technologies (LTSCT), a fabless chip startup backed by Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro, is planning to build a $10 billion wafer fabrication facility in India.

A report by eeNews Analog claims the ambitious plan hinges on LTSCT achieving $1 billion in annual revenue by the 2026–2027 fiscal year.

Founded in 2023 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro, LTSCT was created to design a range of semiconductor components, including MEMS sensors, analog and mixed-signal ICs, RF chips, and smart power devices. While the company hasn’t yet started shipping chips, its CEO, Sandeep Kumar, expects commercial production to begin in the second half of 2025.

Increasing ABF production by 50%

eeNews Analog says Kumar told Business Standard, “A fab plant will require an investment of over US$10 billion. Even with subsidies, it will mean an investment of US$1 billion.” He noted the company’s fab plans would be triggered only if it achieves $1 billion in annual revenue by the 2026–2027 fiscal year.

The company is banking on India’s semiconductor push, which includes a $10 billion incentive program launched in 2021.

The Indian government is expected to contribute up to 90% of the cost of the proposed fab - a level of support that Kumar acknowledges is unusually high by global standards. LTSCT isn’t expected to seek outside funding beyond that.

eeNews Analog noted that LTSCT’s long-term strategy would see it transition from a fabless designer to an integrated device manufacturer (IDM).

The company has already secured more than $300 million in funding from Larsen & Toubro to support its design efforts, with plans to develop 15 chip products by 2027.

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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 5.

• Anthropic has launched an AI assistant for colleges called Claude for Education.
• The new AI aims to help students, faculty, and administrators with everything from tutoring to policy summaries.
• The new Learning Mode offers Socratic questioning rather than just answering questions.

Anthropic has a new version of its AI assistant Claude aimed at the world of higher education. The new Claude for Education model offers universities a way of embedding a less disruptive version of AI into classrooms and offices.

Claude for Education is designed to help students with their studies without just doing it for them, and to help faculty customize their curricula. Though Claude, like any other AI chatbot, could write a paper that a student might try to pass off as their own, Claude for Education does try to address that issue with the new Learning Mode. Claude will switch from just answering questions to responding with questions of its own in a nod to the Socratic method of teaching.

Ask for the answer, and Claude might instead ask for ways to think about the problem or what proof could support a thesis. Presumably, it would respond to a question about the airspeed of an unladen swallow by asking which subspecies the swallow belongs to. It can also make a study guide based on materials you upload. That's essentially a feature of Google's NotebookLM too, but has obvious utility in college. You can see how that works below.

Claude college

Anthropic wants students to consider AI less of a homework machine and more of a thoughtful TA. Since more than a quarter of teensuse ChatGPT alone for homework, it's an issue that needs to be addressed. Nobody wants to create a generation of students who just copy-paste AI output into their essays.

And some schools are responding. Northeastern University has signed on as Anthropic’s first official “design partner,” offering Claude access to 50,000 students, faculty, and staff across its 13 campuses. Champlain College and the London School of Economics and Political Science are also among the first adopters.

OpenAI has its own education-focused tools, and CEO Sam Altman even announced that ChatGPT Plus would be free to college students through May. Claude’s approach is more focused, like the deal OpenAI made with Arizona State University to incorporate its AI at the school.

Anthropic is looking to widen Claude's adoption at schools through its new Claude Campus Ambassadors program, which gets students to work with the company in rolling out educational initiatives. They’re also offering API credits to students who want to build cool projects using Claude.

Of course, the real test isn’t how many students use Claude, but how they use it. Because as much as I love the idea of AI making life easier for students and professors, there’s a line between using tech to learn and using it to dodge learning entirely. And that line is, well, blurry. It will be necessary to keep watching how these tools are used and whether they actually help students learn in meaningful, human ways.

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Adding eyes to artificial intelligence is always a tricky thing. Do you want it to see everything you're doing all the time? Certainly not, but I think most of us agree that an AI visual assist when you need it could come in quite handy. Microsoft's new Copilot Vision may be one of the most promising applications of AI-based visual capabilities I've seen yet.

Microsoft unveiled the Copilot Vision update for its Windows App and mobile apps (you can point your camera at things, and Vision can identify them for you) during a splashy, combined Copilot and Microsoft 50th Anniversary event.

Copilot all but got a brain transplant, using both homegrown (Microsoft AI or MAI) and OpenAI GPT generative models to deliver updates across memory, search, personalization, and vision capabilities.

Now that I've seen Copilot Vision in action, I can tell you it's one of the most exciting and important updates of the bunch – even if it is coming in two stages.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

In the version you can access for your supporting Windows Desktop app right now, Copilot Vision can see the apps you're running on the desktop. When you open Copilot – by selecting the icon or pressing your Copilot key on your keyboard – you can now select the new eyeglasses icon.

This lets you see a list of open apps; in our case, we had two running: Blender 3D and Clipchamp. This means that while Copilot is aware of the available apps running on Windows, it is not automatically watching.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

We selected Blender 3D, and from that moment forward, something in my Windows existence shifted. I realized that Copilot can truly see which app you're running, and instead of guessing at your intent, it answers based on the app and even the project you're working on.

A 3D coffee table project was open, and using our voice, we asked about how to make the table design more traditional. Our prompt contained almost no details about the app or the project, but Copilot's answer, in a lovely baritone, was fully contextual.

We then switched and asked about how to make annotations in the app. Copilot started to answer but we interrupted and asked where to find the icon to add the annotations. Copilot quickly adjusted and promptly told us how to find it.

This could prove enormously useful because you're no longer breaking your flow to jump out to search or even to over-explain which app you're using or the project. Copilot Vision sees and knows.

Let me tell you, though, about what's to come.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

We followed the same steps to open Copilot and access the Vision component, but this time, we pointed Copilot at our open Clipchamp project.

We asked Copilot how to make our video transitions more seamless. Instead of a text prompt explaining what to do, Copilot Vision showed us exactly where to find the necessary tool in the app.

A giant arrow (inside an animated circle) appeared on the screen, pointing at the transitions tool it recommended we use as it explained the necessary steps. We ran through this demo a couple of times, and owing to its still under-development nature, it didn't always work.

When it did, though, it pointed to a potentially exciting change in how we'll work with apps in Windows.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

We've also seen a demo video that shows Copilot Vision digging even deeper into the Photoshop app to find the right tools. This, my friends, is Clippy on steroids.

Imagine the future where you use text prompts or your voice to figure out how to perform tasks in an open app, and Copilot Vision digitally takes your hand and guides you through. There's no sign that it will take app-level actions on your behalf, but this could be an incredible visual assistant.

The good news is that the Copilot Vision that at least knows what app and project you're working on is available now. The bad news is that the Copilot Vision I really want has no definite timeline. But I have to assume it won't be long. We did see it live, after all.

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The news is a reversal from February announcements that said it would "no longer ship o3 as a standalone model."

The end of A Minecraft Movie plants the seed for a bigger, blocky, cinematic universe to take shape.

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Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 194, for April 5.

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Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 398 for April 5.

• Kingdel Mini PC supports up to 32GB of DDR5 memory and 2TB SSD storage
• Runs Windows 11 and boasts dual 2.5 Gb Ethernet, and four screen support
• It has a 7-inch touchscreen that can be raised up or used flat

The mini PC market has evolved in recent years to include models with built-in displays, such as the Ayaneo Retro Mini PC with its 4-inch 90° flip screen, and the Aoostar G-Flip 370 and G-Flip mini, which feature 5-inch and 5.5-inch touchscreens, respectively.

Now, Chinese mini PC maker Kingdel, a relatively unknown player in the space, has entered the fray with a device featuring a 7-inch display and a dual-hinge design that flips beyond 90 degrees, enabling both vertical and horizontal use.

In addition to its built-in tablet-size screen, the Kingdel Mini PC supports up to four external monitors via HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, and two Type-C ports. Networking options include dual 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.

Customizable RAM and storage

This compact machine runs Windows 11 and is powered by a 6nm AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX, an 8-core, 16-thread mobile processor based on the Zen 3+ architecture. It has a base clock of 3.3 GHz, a boost clock of 4.9 GHz, and 16MB of L3 cache.

For graphics, the Kingdel Mini PC features the integrated Radeon 680M GPU, built on RDNA 2 architecture with 12 compute units running at 2.4 GHz. It’s designed to handle everyday tasks and light creative workloads.

Measuring just 175 x 137 x 55 mm, the device is compact enough for space-constrained setups. It is available barebones, without memory or storage, on Aliexpress for a reasonable $443.68, which is 40% off its usual $739.46 MSRP.

Alternatively, if you want a preconfigured model, there are a number of options ranging from 8GB DDR5 RAM with 256GB of NVMe storage for $482.24, right the way up to to 32GB RAM with up to 2TB of storage for $715.40. All models are currently 40% of the usual price.

Via Aliexpress

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Hints and answers for Connections for April 5, #664.

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• With a price tag of $2,066, the GMKTec EVO-X2 is for those with deep pockets
• Radeon 8060S GPU pushes mini PC graphics performance to new heights
• 126 TOPS of AI performance make EVO-X2 a leader in its category

We recently reported on the official launch of the GMKTec EVO-X2, a compact yet powerful mini PC powered by AMD’s flagship Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU - and GMKTec even got AMD CEO Lisa Su to sign the first production unit, making it a nice little collector’s item.

GMK Gemini now says the EVO-X2 is now set to launch in the Chinese market for CNY 14,999, or roughly $2,066 - a steep increase over its predecessor, the EVO-X1, which cost $1,099 at launch.

At the heart of the EVO-X2 is the Strix Halo APU, boasting 16 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of up to 5.1GHz. The system supports up to 128GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 2TB of SSD storage, positioning it as a serious contender in the best workstation category.

EVO-X2 packs power

Graphics performance comes from the integrated Radeon 8060S GPU, which includes 40 compute units, more than double the 16 CUs found in the Radeon 890M that ships with AMD’s Strix Point lineup.

In recent tests by ETA Prime, the EVO-X2 demonstrated smooth 1440p gaming performance, assisted by the advanced “Arctic” cooling system featuring a vapor chamber and dual-turbine fans, that keeps thermal output under 140W.

Built with AI and data-intensive workloads in mind, the EVO-X2 also boasts impressive machine learning capabilities. It supports a local 70-billion parameter model without needing cloud resources, and its XDNA 2 NPU delivers 50 TOPS of dedicated AI performance, contributing to a total of 126 TOPS, surpassing the estimated AI capability of Nvidia’s RTX 5090D.

For connectivity, EVO-X2 comes with four USB-A ports, two 40Gbps USB-C ports, an SD card reader, HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.0, a 2.5GbE Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. It also supports WiFi 7 for wireless connectivity.

Pre-orders in China begin on April 7 via JD.com. At the time of writing, there’s been no word on global availability for the new device.

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The annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention gets underway tomorrow, April 5, 2025, in Las Vegas, and one of the first show-related news items to hit my mailbox details a new ATSC 3.0 digital TV tuner from electronics manufacturer ADTH.

The ADTH NextGen TV USB is a $69.99 adapter that offers a low-cost way to upgrade any TV with an Android, Google, or Fire TV smart TV system to receive TV channels broadcast in the ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV format, which provides benefits such as high dynamic range support and Dolby Atmos audio.

Some of the best TVs from brands such as Samsung, Sony, Hisense, TCL, and Panasonic have built-in ATSC 3.0 tuners, but the feature has not yet become universally implemented. That situation has created a niche market for external tuners, most of which cost $200 and up, making ATSC 3.0 compatibility a pricey upgrade.

Now, with an external tuner selling for under $70, upgrading a TV with ATSC 3.0 will be an easier-to-swallow concept for a wider swathe of viewers.

ATSC 3.0: why you need it

According to the ATSC, an industry group that develops the standards used for TV and radio broadcasting, ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, is on track to soon reach 80% of viewers in the US (see the most recent coverage map below).

Along with high dynamic range (including Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats) and Dolby Atmos audio, the benefits that ATSC 3.0 offers over the ATSC 1.0 broadcasting system (which is still active and supported even by TVs with ATSC 3.0 tuners) include interactive features such as personalized program guides and even games.

The format also supports 4K broadcasting, though that feature has yet to be implemented and so far appears likely to be eclipsed by HDR, which can be applied to 1080p broadcasts and has already been widely used for sports and other programs.

While many TV makers now provide ATSC 3.0 tuners in their TVs, in some cases the feature is reserved for the highest-end models. Samsung’s 2025 8K mini-LED TVs such as the Samsung QN990F, for example, provide ATSC 3.0 support, while some of its 4K models feature an ATSC 1.0 tuner.

LG also used to include an ATSC 3.0 tuner on its G-series OLED TVs such as the LG G3. Starting in 2024, however, LG ceased ATSC 3.0 support for all of its TVs, making an external tuner a necessity for them to receive ATSC 3.0 broadcasts.

The most recent ATSC 3.0 broadcast coverage map was released in December 2024 (Image credit: ATSC)

Clearly, LG’s popular OLED TVs would be a perfect fit for a relatively cheap, add-on device like the ADTH NextGen TV USB, which plugs into a USB port on a TV and connects to one of the best indoor TV antennas.

But brands like LG and Samsung use a proprietary smart interface for their TVs (webOS for LG, Tizen for Samsung), and, as mentioned above, ADTH’s USB receiver only works with the Android TV, Google TV, and Fire TV smart TV systems.

Will LG bring back ATSC 3.0 support to its TVs, and will Samsung start implementing it in lower-cost models? That's impossible to tell.

ATSC 3.0 support is growing, as is clearly demonstrated by Hisense, which added ATSC 3.0 tuners to its full Hisense 2025 TV lineup. Until then, many viewers will have to depend on external solutions and, unlike the new ADTH USB receiver, they won’t be cheap.

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Many of us remember January 19, the day TikTok was erased from app stores before being reinstated approximately 12 hours later.

We were told TikTok had a new shelf life of 75 days, and promised a US buyer would soon swoop in to save the day.

But today, April 4, is 75 days after January 19 - and we still don't have a finalized deal in place for one of the world's largest social media platforms with over 175M US users.

Is TikTok actually getting banned in the United States again?

No, TikTok won't disappear from app stores - yet

Even though that initial 75 day grace period, issued by Presidential executive order decree, has now passed, TikTok is here to stay...for now.

The Trump administration has issued yet another executive order to keep TikTok in US app stores for another 75 days, which makes the new deadline June 18.

He explains in a post on Truth Social, "My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress. The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days."

Post by @karissabe View on Threads

More importantly, ByteDance sent us their first public comment on the potential sale, and, to be honest, it sounds no more certain that what we''re hearing from President Trump:

"ByteDance has been in discussion with the U.S. Government regarding a potential solution for TikTok U.S.  An agreement has not been executed.  There are key matters to be resolved.  Any agreement will be subject to approval under Chinese law," said a ByteDance spokeperosn in an email sent to TechRadar.

The question remains: How many 75-day extensions will we get before the long-awaited deal is finalized?

Trump mentions his administration does "not want TikTok to 'go dark,'" but at this time, we have very few details on the potential deal in place, and ByteDance notes there are "key matters" they still have to resolve.

While we wait for the pair to reach an agreement, there are numerous TikTok suitors in the mix.

We're aware of some interested parties, namely:

• Mr Beast
• Perplexity AI
• Oracle
• A consortium that includes Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary
• The White House

But TikTok's fate ultimately still looms in the balance as nothing concrete has come from any of these potential buyers.

Governments, Tariffs, and TikTok

President Trump also touches on tariffs, which have been making waves recently as popular tech companies deal with the rising costs of production and transit.

Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders were just announced as delayed in the US "amid tariff uncertainty" for example, and it's possible the Chinese government isn't interested in approving a sale with these hefty fines in place.

Trump explains, "We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs (Necessary for Fair and Balanced Trade between China and the U.S.A.!). This proves that Tariffs are the most powerful Economic tool, and very important to our National Security!"

It's undoubtedly a rocky sea to navigate, but at least we know we have another 75 days of doom scrolling ahead of us.

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