Technology

Generative AI might have hit the creative industry like a freight train over the past couple of years, but there’s no doubting the positive effect artificial intelligence has had on photographic technology. It’s changed the way we capture, organize, and edit our photos, but I’m afraid it might be changing our perception of photography for the worse.

First of all, I want to address the elephant in the room. Generative AI does directly threaten photography but the impact won’t be quite as big as you might think. I believe commercial photography and stock photography will be hit hardest, because as generative AI improves, it will provide companies with a cost-effective alternative to expensive location shoots, studio time, or imagery to advertise their latest wears or populate their websites and socials.

But here’s the thing, artificial intelligence can’t generate a real photograph. You need a light-gathering device to expose a photosensitive surface to create a photograph. And the vast majority of photography is about capturing a moment in time. Until AI robots start walking around with cameras, traditional photography will prevail in some sense. How else are you going to document a wedding or newsworthy event?

How is AI affecting photography for the better?

AI noise-reduction tools like Adobe Lightroom's Denoise (pictured) have revolutionized low-light photography (Image credit: Adobe)

AI-powered technology is being used to enhance both cameras and image-editing software. Deep-learning AI can train autofocus systems to recognise specific subjects, so the camera knows the difference between a human’s face, a dog’s face, and a car, for example. Similarly, AI can be used to control variables such as exposure and white balance, depending on the scene being photographed. And the best phones are using computational photography to make intelligent enhancements such as tonal changes, sharpening, and noise reduction, instantly, as the photograph is being taken.

The best photo editor software has embraced artificial intelligence, too. Applications such as Skylum Luminar Neo feature a range of AI-powered tools, providing photographers with the ability to, say, select and replace a drab sky. While Adobe has – somewhat controversially – embraced generative-AI tools powered by its proprietary Adobe Sensei AI. Heck, Adobe Lightroom Classic plug-in, Neurapix, can even learn your own personal editing style and essentially anticipate what edits you’d make to 1,000 images per minute. And that’s before you consider enhanced image organization thanks to facial recognition and automatic geotagging.

But perhaps the biggest effect AI has had on image editing is noise-reduction software (which reduces the lurid grain experienced at high ISOs). This has revolutionized low-light photography, redefining the boundaries of what is and isn’t a usable image when it comes to noise. There is an argument, then, that we have reached – or are about to reach – optimum AI saturation within the photography industry. It’s changed the process of capturing a photo for the better, without encroaching too much on the creative process.

Maybe that’s about to change…

Why do I think AI has changed photography for the worse?

Wedding photographers are already expected to go above and beyond – AI imagery is only going to fuel unrealistic expectations. (Image credit: Getty Images/Mikhail Sotnikov)

The old adage: “the camera never lies” has seemed obsolete for decades. From early image manipulation in the darkroom to hoaxes such as the 1934 ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ of the Loch Ness Monster to the rise of digital image manipulation, society has long been skeptical of the authenticity of photographs. But during a time where a simple text prompt can generate a convincing image in seconds, we risk becoming more suspicious of photography than ever. And within the midst of a misinformation crisis, that’s not good news.

As AI-generated imagery becomes the norm, I think it will perpetuate unrealistic expectations when it comes to what a photographer can and cannot achieve. This has already proven problematic, thanks to the rise of social media. Wedding photographers are particularly vulnerable, with elite weddings and staged shoots helping to set expectations sky high. Suffice to say, photographs from a $200,000 wedding reception in Santorini aren’t going to look the same as photographs captured at your local golf resort. And AI is only going to send expectations soaring, with photorealistic images that may not even be possible for a photographer to capture.

AI-image generation will also cheapen photography, even further. Photographers are already lambasted for the fees they charge, despite the high cost of professional photography equipment and the hours they spend editing after the fact. There are many reasons why imagery has become less valued in society, but arguably the biggest reason is the prevalence of the smartphone.

Smartphones — jam-packed with computational photography — have allowed anyone to take a half-decent photograph. This has allowed businesses and individuals to question why they’re paying a professional photographer or videographer. You need look no further than social media to see that many brands and outlets opt for ‘lo-fi’ content as opposed to professional-grade content. And while stock library giants have already been accused of negatively impacting stock photographers' livelihoods, AI-generated imagery will surely land the final blow as would-be customers turn to cheaper (or free) AI image generation.

And that leads me to the final reason why I think AI has changed photography for the worse. Hiring a creative isn’t just about delivering the final product, it’s also about gaining access to their unique creative perspective. We’ve all seen AI adverts populating the web that dial the uncanny valley up to 100. As it stands, this imagery cannot hold a candle to what a skillful human can muster. Part of the problem is that AI cannot cultivate a unique style. Think Henri Cartier-Bresson, Annie Leibovitz, and beyond photography, Andy Warhol, and Stanley Kubrick. These are all creatives defined by their unique styles.

The fact is, there’s a difference between a unique artistic vision and somebody just heading online and prompting an AI-generated image. We are going to see photographers and artists alike embrace the powers of AI and create fantastic creative works that we cannot even conceive. But it’s the human element that’s the key. Ultimately, I always come to the same conclusion, when it comes to AI’s relationship with photography or the wider creative industry.

Artificial intelligence must not be seen as an alternative to the human creative, but a tool that bolsters their creativity. The photography industry – so far – has gotten that bit right. I just hope everyone else shares the same sentiment.

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Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, March 5 (game #1136).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1137) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 2*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1137) - hint #2 - repeated letters Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1137) - hint #3 - uncommon letters Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1137) - hint #4 - starting letters (1) Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1137) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• T

• E

• B

• R

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1137) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1137, are…

• TRICE
• EIGHT
• BELCH
• RIPER

Some unlucky guesses ruined my great start today.

After being gifted TRICE I tore into my next most gettable word and got four letters correct, but with multiple options chose the wrong ones before finally getting RIPER (not the most obvious of possible answers) and scraping by with the final two words.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1137) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1137, are…

• DELAY
• LEAFY
• THEME
• SENSE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1136, Wednesday 5 March: PLEAD, TWANG, MAJOR, RISKY
• Quordle #1135, Tuesday 4 March: FLOWN, ETUDE, TOPAZ, JOKER
• Quordle #1134, Monday 3 March: FRILL, KAYAK, REBAR, WORDY
• Quordle #1133, Sunday 2 March: TUNIC, GLOSS, DEBUG, LARGE
• Quordle #1132, Saturday 1 March: DENSE, BONEY, KITTY, SMEAR
• Quordle #1131, Friday 28 February: PASTA, RAZOR, PLUMB, DROOL
• Quordle #1130, Thursday 27 February: THIEF, CHAIR, ETHER, GRIME
• Quordle #1129, Wednesday 26 February: LOVER, SPIED, VAPOR, METER
• Quordle #1128, Tuesday 25 February: TWIST, TWEAK, MEANT, CLEAR
• Quordle #1127, Monday 24 February: LEASH, LEVER, TOTEM, CREME
• Quordle #1126, Sunday 23 February: RABID, RELIC, SCRAM, BASIS
• Quordle #1125, Saturday 22 February: ETHER, SONIC, VAUNT, ROUSE
• Quordle #1124, Friday 21 February: STIFF, PRIZE, SCOWL, DONUT
• Quordle #1123, Thursday 20 February: HASTY, DRAPE, FICUS, CRAZE
• Quordle #1122, Wednesday 19 February: ABATE, TROVE, VENUE, DRAPE
• Quordle #1121, Tuesday 18 February: TAMER, SCRUB, BRICK, DRIFT
• Quordle #1120, Monday 17 February: SADLY, WAFER, LITHE, IDIOM
• Quordle #1119, Sunday 16 February: GHOUL, AFIRE, COVEN, FIERY
• Quordle #1118, Saturday 15 February: CREEP, CONDO, GRILL, FANCY
• Quordle #1117, Friday 14 February: MEDIA, ELUDE, THUMB, WIDOW

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Wednesday, March 5 (game #633).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #634) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• FLAT
• STONE
• PETER
• PIPER
• MARY JANE
• WATER
• SLIDE
• WEED
• PAPER
• TAPER
• PLANT
• CASTLE
• FADE
• PRUNE
• MULE
• DWINDLE

NYT Connections today (game #634) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Disappear slowly 
• GREEN: Green fingers 
• BLUE: For your feet
• PURPLE: Start with a beachy word

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #634) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: WANE 
• GREEN: DO SOME TASKS IN THE GARDEN 
• BLUE: SHOES 
• PURPLE: SAND__ 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #634) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #634, are…

• YELLOW: WANE DWINDLE, FADE, PETER, TAPER
• GREEN: DO SOME TASKS IN THE GARDEN PLANT, PRUNE, WATER, WEED
• BLUE: SHOES FLAT, MARY JANE, MULE, SLIDE
• PURPLE: SAND__ CASTLE, PAPER, PIPER, STONE

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 2 mistakes

My two mistakes today came from trying to weedle out the correct four words and getting one wrong. For WANE I included SLIDE instead of TAPER and for SHOES I chose PAPER instead of MARY JANE. Paper shoes are a thing, right?

It’s weird the things you’ll convince yourself of when playing Connections. For a while I thought I was looking for drug slang, seeing as hippies love WEED, Mary Jane is jazz-era lingo for cannabis, STONE is close to 'stoned' and MULE is someone who smuggles drugs.

Meanwhile, I’m sure PETER PIPER was confused to pick a PAPER rather than a pepper.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Wednesday, 5 March, game #633)

• YELLOW: PERIPHERY BORDER, EDGE, FRINGE, SKIRT
• GREEN: THINGS PEOPLE DO TO FINGERNAILS BITE, CLIP, FILE, PAINT
• BLUE: WHAT MIGHT BRING TEARS TO YOUR EYES ALLERGY, MELODRAMA, ONION, RELIEF
• PURPLE: __BALL RECREATIONAL SPORTS DODGE, KICK, PICKLE, SOFT

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, March 5 (game #367).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #368) - hint #1 - today's theme What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Love is in the apps

NYT Strands today (game #368) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• LION
• THAN
• ROPE
• LIFE
• SING
• GOING

NYT Strands today (game #368) - hint #3 - spangram What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Tinder phrases

NYT Strands today (game #368) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 4th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #368) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #368, are…

• MATCH
• LIKE
• CHAT
• GHOST
• PROFILE
• SWIPE
• MEETUP
• SPANGRAM: ONLINE DATING

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

After initially taking the theme literally and looking for app names, this puzzle revealed itself very easily and was all over quicker than a SWIPE left.

Despite having zero experience of ONLINE DATING, the terminology is commonplace and through friends and family I’ve experienced many of the perils and psychological trauma of dating apps, as well as the happiness they bring.

My friend met their partner via an app, despite years of bad mouthing them, after about five minutes of setting up his profile. Even more ridiculously lucky, it was their first time using an app, too, and his was the first picture they clicked on. They’re made for each other and I doubt they would have met any other way.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 5 March, game #367)

• BEAGLE
• BOUNTY
• TITANIC
• VICTORY
• MAYFLOWER
• SPANGRAM: HISTORIC SHIPS

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

• ChatGPT-4.5 release for Plus users will be staggered over a number of days
• Sam Altman proposes new credit-based payment system for subscribers
• X users offer a mixture of reactions to the idea

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has taken to X to announce that the release of ChatGPT-4.5, scheduled for tomorrow, will be delayed for all users. Instead of a major release, Open AI will be rolling the product out from tomorrow for a select number of users.

ChatGPT-4.5 is the next version of the popular ChatGPT chatbot, and is slated to be its largest and best model yet. It launched last week for ChatGPT Pro subscribers, and will be released to Plus subscribers this week, just not in one go as initially planned.

In another tweet, Altman also floated the idea of changing the pricing structure of ChatGPT Plus so that your $20 doesn't guarantee you unrestricted access. Instead, Altman proposed offering a number of tokens each month to subscribers, which could be spent across its different products, like Deep Research, ChatGPT o1, Sora and ChatGPT-4.5.

we are likely going to roll out GPT-4.5 to the plus tier over a few days.there is no perfect way to do this; we wanted to do it for everyone tomorrow, but it would have meant we had to launch with a very low rate limit.we think people are gonna use this a lot and love it.March 4, 2025

Low rate limits

In his post on X, Altman states “We are likely going to roll out GPT-4.5 to the Plus tier over a few days. There is no perfect way to do this; we wanted to do it for everyone tomorrow, but it would have meant we had to launch with a very low rate limit.”

A "low rate limit" would mean restricting how much people could use ChatGPT-4.5, and it seems that a staggered rollout is OpenAI’s preferred way to stop its servers overloading from everybody trying to use the new LLM at once.

Altman continued: “So we think it's better to let people have real, long conversations with it, but that means we have to stagger people in rather than have everyone hit it hard at the same time. Hope that makes sense and look forward to seeing your feedback!”

Altman added “We think people are gonna use this a lot and love it.”

Referring to his idea of changing the payments structure for ChatGPT Plus Altman added “No fixed limits per feature and you choose what you want; if you run out of credits you can buy more. What do you think? good/bad?”

No fixed limits

While some X users responded positively, the response was generally negative with user Chubby posting, “Dislike. It discourages you from playing with the models. If you're worried about running out of credits, you'll get stingy”, and user Van Mendosa writing, ”This model adds unnecessary friction @sama People don’t want to think in “credits” or micromanage their AI usage like an arcade token system.”

Altman’s public use of X to garner user feedback on potentially massive changes to the way that ChatGPT works is unusual, but could partly be explained by the effects of sleep deprivation as he and his partner have recently welcomed a new baby into the world.

In a further tweet Altman goes on to say “Very proud of the OpenAI team for what is perhaps the most impressive scientific/technical breakthrough of recent decades.” (Here he seems to be referring to ChatGPT-4.5).

“Thought that was the thing I'd always be most proud of in life. Turns out I am now more proud of a preemie baby for learning how to eat on his own! (I realize I am getting neurochemically hacked here but idc, it's the best)."

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• The Nvidia RTX 5070 Founders Edition card will not be available today
• Nvidia has confirmed it will be coming at some point in March, 2025
• Availability is expected to be incredibly limited, as with other Blackwell cards

It's launch day for the RTX 5070 with the hotly anticipated midrange graphics card now (hopefully) available in the hands of gamers across the US, UK, and beyond. However, it's just AIBs on sale for now, as Nvidia has stated that while a Founders Edition model is coming, there's a bit of a way to go yet.

While the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 Founders Edition models shipped alongside partner variants (such as Gigabyte, Zotac, MSI, ASRock, Asus), the same cannot be said for the midrange Blackwell offering; Nvidia has confirmed the RTX 5070 Founders Edition model will be coming "later in March" with an exact date still to be determined (via Andreas Schilling on X).

According to this source, Nvidia told Schilling of the lack of Founders Edition availability just two and a half hours before the review embargo lifted. This leaves the availability of the Nvidia-made card into question. Historically, while both the Founders Edition models of the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 were technically available, they were even more ephemeral than their AIB counterparts (particularly in the US and the UK).

Traditionally, the Founders Edition models of Nvidia GPUs are most commonly found in the US through hybrid retailers (online and brick-and-mortar) such as Micro Center and Best Buy. Whereas in the UK, it's typically, only Nvidia's website (and in incredibly limited supply). We've seen the rest of the Blackwell lineup disappear from shelves near-instantly, and the same is looking likely of this one; despite (seemingly) reduced demand against the other three GPUs.

A lack of confidence for a troubled product

By all accounts, the RTX 5070 has failed to trailblaze the way that its predecessors (the RTX 4070 Super and RTX 4070) did in 2024 and 2023 respectively. We gave the latest Blackwell GPU a less-than-stellar 3-star write-up in our review, citing near-identical generational performance when compared to the RTX 4070 Super despite the jump to PCIe 5.0 and GDDR7 video memory, which were made (effectively) useless by the reduction in Compute Units and transistors overall.

The fact that Nvidia has decided to delay its Founders Edition of the cheapest card in the Blackwell lineup could be somewhat telling. It's possible it is preparing for a wider availability than was seen from the three other GPUs. However, this could be a strategic move considering tomorrow's launch of AMD's RX 9070 and 9070 XT, neither of which will feature a Reference (AMD-made) version. Could Nvidia be holding back to snipe its competition with the cheapest variants available? It's a possibility.

With all said, the RTX 5070 could be a worthwhile investment if you're upgrading from an older Ampere (RTX 30 series) or Turing (RTX 20 series) 70-class card for a massive two/three generational boost. Some partner cards may be hovering around the promised $549 mark, whereas others will inevitably be priced upwards of $600 depending on cooler size, overclocking potential, RGB, and more.

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• Samsung has confirmed that One UI 7 is finally launching in April
• A pre-release build has been available on the Galaxy S25 series since launch
• More devices will get access to beta versions in the lead-up to release

Samsung has confirmed that One UI 7 will finally see a stable release in April, four months after the updated Android wrapper was first made available alongside the Galaxy S25 lineup.

One UI 7 has shipped with the Galaxy S25 series since the new flagship handsets were released in January, but this is a pre-release build. The software is still officially in beta on most Galaxy devices.

One UI 7 is based on Android 15, which launched in October last year – this means users of some of the best Samsung Phones from recent years, like the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S23 series, will have been waiting as long as half a year to get their hands on the update.

That’s quite a bit longer than customers of competing phone brands like Google and OnePlus have had to wait – the Pixel version of Android 15 and OnePlus’ OxygenOS 15 have been available for selected devices for quite some time already.

iPhones of course run Apple’s own iOS software instead of Android, with Apple typically issuing updates to all eligible devices at the same time. This is all to say that Samsung’s One UI 7 release strategy has been pretty unconventional.

In the run-up to stable release, Samsung has enabled new One UI 7 betas for the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 folding phones. The Galaxy S24 series previously had access to the beta, while Galaxy S23 series users will need to wait another month according to Android Authority.

As we previously reported, there’s a chance that Google will issue Android 16 in May, which could threaten to make One UI 7 feel outdated very soon after launch – not that there’s much Samsung can do about it now.

In total, all Galaxy S handsets (including FE models) dating back to the Galaxy S21 series will get One UI 7, as will Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip models dating back to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 3. A smattering of A-series devices and Galaxy Tab tablets will also get the update – PhoneArena has handily compiled a full list.

So, now that the end of this long wait is in sight, what do Samsung fans have to look forward to? Read on for a quick recap of the five best new features in One UI 7.

Now bar

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Now Bar is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Dynamic Island, but instead of a pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen, Samsung’s implementation exists as a pill-shaped bar that’s detached from any physical hardware.

The Now Bar lives on the lock screen of your Galaxy phone, and can display notifications, playing music, or other routines like timers and bespoke uses unique to specific supported apps.

Though not as omnipresent as the Dynamic Island or other Android live notification delivery implementations like OnePlus’ Dynamic Cloud, the Now Bar is a neat new way to keep an eye on your apps and activities.

New notifications

(Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

The way Samsung Galaxy phones handle notifications has changed with One UI 7. The Quick Settings and notifications tabs have been separated to reduce clutter, and now inhabit two distinct menus.

As Android Police notes, there’s also the new Filter Notifications tab in the settings app, that allows users to filter out minimized, old, or background notifications.

What’s more, notifications have a new look, with a rounded pill shape that fits with the rest of the newly updated UI.

Refreshed UI

(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)

One UI 7 brings a new look to Galaxy, with refreshed stock icons, new smoother animations, and new widget styles.

There’s also a frosted glass effect found throughout the UI that gives a sense of dimension and smoothness to the overall experience, with rounded corners on most icons and tabs.

Aesthetics are, of course, subjective, but there’s no denying that One UI 7 looks sleek and modern compared to its predecessor, One UI 6, although whether it matches your personal taste is another matter.

More Galaxy AI tools

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

When Samsung revealed the Galaxy S25 series and One UI 7 at this year’s first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked showcase, the company put a strong focus on its new AI tools and features.

As SamMobile notes, some of these features will come to older Galaxy phones with the release of One UI 7 – the self-described Call Transcripts feature and Writing Assist tools are two prominent examples, and Android Police suggests that Audio Eraser could come to older handsets too.

Some new Galaxy AI features, like the Now Brief, are specifically enabled by the S25 series hardware, so we'll have a bit of a wait before we know exactly what’s coming to older Galaxy phones.

Better adaptive charging options

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Adaptive charging allows your phone to monitor and adapt to your personal charging schedule to best preserve your device’s long-term battery health.

Most modern smartphones offer some kind of adaptive or hard-limiting battery preservation, but One UI 7 offers Galaxy users new depth in how they approach this feature.

With One UI 7, you can choose between three charging limiters – a basic limit that stops charging at 100% and restarts at 95%, an adaptive mode that stops charging at 80% until the phone predicts you’ll soon wake up, and a hard 80% limit.

Conventional tech wisdom suggests that lithium-ion batteries are best kept at between 20% and 80% charge, so these options should help you get a few more cycles out of your phone’s battery.

There you have it: five reasons to get excited for One UI 7 as we wait for it to finally launch in April. Will the wait be worth it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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• Move comes after the UK Government reportedly asked Apple to build an encryption key
• Apple refused, and disabled its encryption service for UK users

The UK Government's privacy row with Apple over an alleged backdoor request continues, with reports claiming the company appealed to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent court that can investigate claims made against the Security Service.

The UK Government had reportedly asked Apple to build a master key for law enforcement agencies in its end-to-end encryption (E2EE) service, Advanced Data Protection (ADP) - however Apple refused, and pulled ADP altogether.

This is believed to be the first legal challenge to any provisions in the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act allowing the break of encryptions. The tribunal will look into the legality of the UK government’s request, and whether or not it can be overruled.

Privacy concerns

The request was condemned by both privacy groups and also came as a surprise to the American government, who called the request a “clear and egregious violation of American’s privacy and civil liberties”, after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard shared “grave concern” over the implications of the request.

The case could be heard this month, but as of yet, it's not clear if there will be any public disclosure of the hearing - and it’s likely the UK Government will argue that the case be restricted due to national security concerns.

The E2EE, built by Apple, means the photos, messages, and other data of the users who chose to enable the service is protected, and cannot be accessed by anyone - even Apple.

Some campaigners have previously argued in favor of the backdoor for the UK Government, so that law enforcement agencies have access to potentially harmful materials or evidence of abuse material - but many are concerned that the creation of a ‘master key’ brings a risk of that key falling into the wrong hands.

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• Microsoft launches new Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus option
• Recovery can be 8x quicker than Cross-region Disaster Recovery
• Admins can select their preferred region for sovereignty

Microsoft has looked to up its data recovery options for users with the launch of a new Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus (DRP) offering.

The upgraded tool is designed for users requiring high-performance disaster recovery, so centers around faster recovery times, lower data loss risks and preallocated capacity.

Working much like the Cross-region Disaster Recovery solution, Disaster Recovery Plus replicates Cloud PC disk snapshots in an alternate region.

Microsoft adds an even more powerful disaster recovery option

“When it’s activated, users will be pointed to a temporary Cloud PC. During an outage, the user will have access to their temporary Cloud PC with all installed applications and settings based on the latest restore point," noted Windows 365 Cross-region Disaster Recovery (CRDR), Principal Product Manager Doug Coombs.

However, the temporary Cloud PC only serves to provide affected users with access to previously restored files, and does not act as a replacement for their primary system, meaning that no “applications, data, or other information will be preserved” – instead, users are urged to save work to OneDrive or SharePoint.

In a handy guide, Coombs confirmed users can choose from any geography or region that Windows 365 is available for their alternate region, allowing admins to consider other factors like data sovereignty.

“Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus provides enhanced disaster recovery capabilities such as a shorter Recovery Time Objective (RTO), preallocated capacity, and a shorter Recovery Point Objective (RPO) compared to Windows 365 Cross-region Disaster Recovery," he added.

Cloud PC tenants with up to 50,000 Cloud PCs in a region can expect recovery within four hours with CRDR, compared with under 30 minutes for DRP.

Windows 365 Disaster Recovery Plus is available in preview as a licensed add-on for Windows 365 Enterprise edition only, but it will be generally available by the spring.

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• Google accused of search and ads market monopolization
• The company could have to sell off Chrome and more, but is fighting back
• Execs meet with US government to discuss implications

Google representatives have met with the US government to try and talk the White House out of breaking up the company.

Reports from Bloomberg claim the company has argued splitting up its businesses could harm the American economy - but also affect national security.

The US Department of Justice is simultaneously exploring two antitrust cases against Google, concerning both its search market dominance and its online ads business.

Google says breakup would be bad for national security

A federal judge ruled Google illegally monopolized the search and advertising markets last year – Statcounter has it that Google accounts for nine in 10 online searches, with Bing coming in a very distant second place with just a 4% share of the market.

The most concerning remedy proposed by the DOJ in Google’s eyes is for it to sell off the Chrome browser, which accounts for two-thirds of all browser sessions globally (via separate Statcounter figures). Google could also be forced to end its exclusivity deals with the likes of Apple.

A trial to determine the outcome is scheduled for April 2025, and Google could know where it stands as soon as August, but there is hope for the company thanks to the special timing of these events. The Biden administration had tried to break up Google at the start of the investigations, however new Trump leadership could work in Google’s favor.

It’s not the first time that Google has pulled the national security card – in 2022, it and key rivals such as Amazon, Apple and Meta had been told to open up their networks to competitors. At the time, Google said such a move could weaken US tech competitiveness against China – a hot topic in today’s administration.

A Google spokesperson told TechRadar Pro: "We routinely meet with regulators, including with the DOJ to discuss this case. As we’ve publicly said, we’re concerned the current proposals would harm the American economy and national security."

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• Activo Volcano in-ear monitors are available now
• Triple-driver IEMs with 3.5mm, 4.5mm and USB-C connections
• $80 / £99 / about AU$127

If you're looking for high-spec in-ear monitors with a low price tag, Astell & Kern would like to help – or rather, its lifestyle sub-brand Activo would. After launching its fantastic Activo P1 hi-res audio player and equally-impressive Activo Q1 IEMs previously, the brand has announced a third family member: the Activo Volcano. And they're a fraction of the price you'd pay for the Q1.

The official price of the Q1 earbuds is $349 / £299 / about AU$600. But the new Volcano IEMs are just $80 / £99 / about AU$127 – and we suspect they'll be an amazing-value addition to the world of the best wired earbuds.

(Image credit: Activo) Volcano value

I'm intrigued by these new IEMs because I reviewed and still use the Q1, which I gave four and a half stars to in my Activo Q1 review. The most obvious difference is in how the Volcano IEMs look: they don't have the large brass housings and steel nozzles of the Q1, and there's a different driver inside too. Here you're getting a triple-driver setup comprising one 8mm dynamic driver and two 6mm ones.

The frequency response is the same as the Q1 at 20-20,000Hz, and sensitivity is 100dB/mW. Impedance is 16 ohms. The cable is a seven-strand silver-plated and five-strand oxygen-free copper wire hybrid with two-pin connectors at one end and a choice of 3.5mm, 4.4mm and USB-C connectors at the other.

The package includes the obligatory ear tips: three memory foam and three silicone. And while the weight hasn't been detailed yet the IEMs look a lot less chunky than the Q1; not a big deal for me but some reviews have suggested that the Q1 were a little too husky in a few cases.

At this price, the Volcano undercut several impressive rivals, including the mighty Sennheiser IE 200 earbuds. Their single dynamic driver covers a wider frequency range – 6Hz - 26kHz to the Volcano's 20Hz - 20kHz – but the Volcano are considerably cheaper: the Sennheisers are currently retailing for around $119 / £125.

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• Asus has given us the details of its RTX 5070 launch models
• Three versions of the RTX 5070 are being launched, and one is at MSRP
• However, the other two RTX 5070 variants look steeply priced, and there are hints that stock might be scarce (on top of rumors saying the same)

Asus has revealed details of its RTX 5070 graphics cards for the launch day of this new Nvidia GPU – which is today, in case it escaped your attention – and it’s not good news. Unfortunately, it more or less confirms our fears around the potential scarcity of stock, and likelihood of inflated pricing.

VideoCardz was keen-eyed enough to notice the post from Asus on Reddit outlining the RTX 5070 launch details, and there will be three models available to buy later today (in under a couple of hours, in theory).

The positive news is that there is a model from Asus which debuts at the official MSRP set by Nvidia, which is $550 in the US. This is the entry-level Prime flavor of the RTX 5070 (and presumably it’ll be in line with Nvidia’s recommended pricing in other regions, too).

If you want the Prime OC model, though – the overclocked version of this baseline graphics card – Asus has jacked up the asking price to $700.

You’ll need a fatter wallet still to avail yourself of the Asus TUF Gaming edition of the RTX 5070, which tips the scales at $740 – which I should note is only just shy of the MSRP of $750 for the RTX 5070 Ti, a far superior graphics card.

These are the prices you’ll find on the Asus online store in the US, and at other retailers which should follow these MSRPs. Furthermore, those are the only three models launching today, which as I’ll discuss next, is another ominous sign.

(Image credit: Friends Stock / Shutterstock) Analysis: Prime mover, but Prime OC – not so much

The fact that Asus is only kicking off with three RTX 5070 models is a pretty hefty hint that stock is going to be very light, as are the suggestions dropped elsewhere in that Reddit post. There is an Asus ROG Strix version of the RTX 5070, we’re told, but it isn’t going to be on sale from the get-go.

Asus states that: “Unfortunately, the ROG Strix cards will not be available Day 1. There is currently no ETA for when these cards will be available.”

That sounds pretty gloomy, then, and Asus doesn’t seem hopeful that the top-end model will be out anytime soon. When you consider this in the cold light of all the rumors about the RTX 5070 having poor levels of supply, once again it looks like this might be an Nvidia Blackwell launch of the paper-thin kind. A field day for scalpers and bots, if you will (again).

The pricing from Asus is worrying here, too, pushing what should be a mid-range GPU into upper-mid-range territory. Okay, so this is to be expected with some top-tier custom graphics cards, but what about the difference between the Asus Prime and Prime OC here – which is $700 vs $550 for a bit of an overclock on the latter. A 27% price increase, in other words.

Granted, we don’t know how much of an overclock it is – Asus still hasn’t listed the boost speeds for these cards, they are still ‘TBD’ on the official specs pages – but still, we can look at the same Prime and Prime OC variants of the RTX 5080 to get a good idea of what to expect.

So, what should you expect? In the case of the RTX 5080, the overclocked Prime heaps on a whole 45MHz to the max clock speed (reaching 2685MHz versus 2640MHz). Okay, so you will be getting a better build quality with the board, no doubt, and maybe more overclocking headroom for enthusiasts – but a price hike of 27% with the RTX 5070’s overclocked version of the Prime feels… opportunistic at best, cynical at worst.

Because Asus knows that these graphics cards are going to fly off the shelves, and so people will probably pay a sizeable premium to secure one (and avoid paying far more of a premium from a scalper, potentially).

At least the entry-level Prime is at its MSRP, but there’s some doubt around that too, with VideoCardz being skeptical about whether a price hike might be applied in short order following today’s launch. Will this card hold at the MSRP level beyond this week? Well, maybe, to be fair, as the base Prime model of the RTX 5070 Ti is still holding at $750 (on the Asus online store, and at Newegg, for example).

But that raises the question I already touched on: why buy the Asus TUF incarnation of the RTX 5070, which remember is pitched at $740, when you could get the Prime 5070 Ti variant instead, for just ten bucks more? (If it wasn’t out of stock, that is).

The Ti spin is so much better, after all, and it absolutely wouldn’t make sense to get the TUF 5070. Unless, of course, it’s the only model actually available, and you’re desperate to get a slice of Nvidia’s Blackwell action. That said, stock of the RTX 5070 is pretty much assured to be shaky at this point, given all the rumors, and so this question will probably be entirely theoretical later today, when sales of the RTX 5070 are live for a few milliseconds – and then inventory runs dry.

We shall see, but the way Asus has lined up pricing for these RTX 5070 models doesn’t make a lot of sense (aside from the perspective of pushing profits).

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