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From Google's Pixel 9 and foldable phones like Motorola's Razr Plus to Samsung's Galaxy S25, these are the best Android phones that we tested and that you should buy.

• VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 3e brings back the free version of the hypervisor
• It was removed in February 2024 when VMware went subscription-only
• Broadcom has addressed customers’ concerns

VMware has resumed offering a free hypervisor once more, an announcement quietly included in the release notes for ESXi version 8.0 Update 3e has revealed.

The company had previously offered a popular free version of its hypervisor, but this was discontinued in February 2024 when VMware shifted fully to a subscription-based model, which meant the free version had to go.

However it now appears to be available once more as a free download from the Broadcom Support portal, which requires users to be signed in.

Broadcom offers free VMware hypervisor again

Broadcom hasn’t explained why it reversed its decision, but it could be a strategic decision to attract new customers.

The company got a lot of criticism when it changed its subscription models – CEO Hock Tan acknowledged widespread “unease” shortly after Broadcom’s VP for Cloud Platform addressed “questions and concerns.”

Moreover, VMware’s competitors, like Nutanix and Platform9, offer free community editions of their hypervisors, while open-source alternatives also offer a free option, potentially prompting Broadcom to reconsider its decision.

The company also recently reversed a licensing policy change, reducing the minimum license purchase back from 72 cores to 16 cores, thus making it cheaper for certain customers to access VMware services.

Apart from reintroducing a free version, VMware ESXi 8.0 Update 3e also addresses a number of critical bugs and security vulnerabilities.

Still, the company continues to face sharp criticism from customers, who have been unhappy with the licensing model shift to subscriptions, the product portfolio simplification and reported price increases.

All of this has happened amid the relocation of Broadcom’s headquarters to VMware’s Palo Alto campus, while VMware’s workforce has been reduced by around half from 38,000 to 16,000 under its Broadcom ownership (via Business Insider).

TechRadar Pro has asked Broadcom to share more context behind its decision to reinstate the free hypervisor, but we did not receive an immediate response.

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• Android 15 devices require at least 32GB of storage
• This is double the previous requirement
• They also require the ability to share emergency contacts with emergency services

If you’re reading this site then – as a tech fan – there’s a good chance your phone has 128GB of storage or more, but that’s not true of all handsets. In fact, some Android phones ship with just 16GB of storage. With Android 15 though, that's no longer allowed.

Digging into a GMS (Google Mobile Services) requirements document, Android Authority has found that Google has raised the minimum storage requirement from 16GB to 32GB for any devices that ship with or get updated to Android 15.

At least 75% of that storage must be allocated to the data partition, which is the area used for apps and files.

Many cheap phones – like the Galaxy A54 – already have more than 32GB (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd) A big boost for the cheapest phones

This should be of major benefit to the very cheapest Android phones, as 16GB simply isn’t enough in 2025 – especially when some of that is eaten up by the operating system itself. Arguably 32GB isn’t enough either, but it’s a step in the right direction.

That said, there are a couple of potential downsides. For one thing, as noted, existing 16GB devices won’t be able to get Android 15 – though we doubt many phones that shipped with just 16GB of storage would have been getting much in the way of Android updates anyway.

For another, this requirement could push manufacturers to increase the price of their cheapest phones. But it’s likely some people were buying 16GB phones without realizing how restrictive that would be, so at least this prevents that happening.

Along with the new 32GB requirement, Google has also made it a requirement that phones running Android 15 or later allow users to share their emergency contacts during emergency calls. Users have to opt into this but it’s a handy feature that would allow emergency services to update emergency contacts on what’s going on.

Technically, phone makers will still be able to avoid these requirements, but they’ll be locked out of GMS like the Google Play Store if they do, so we don’t imagine many will choose to do that.

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• The Switch-compatible version of the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 can be pre-ordered now in the US
• It's available at Amazon for $69.99
• In the UK, just the Windows and Android-compatible model is available

Looking to buy a new controller in anticipation for the release of the Nintendo Switch 2? You may want to check out the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, which has just had its pre-orders go live at Amazon US.

US shoppers can pre-order the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 for $69.99 at Amazon, and the controller is due to ship between April 21 - 28 depending on your location and delivery options.

Pre-orders have also been available in the UK for a while; here, you can place an order down for an impressively affordable £49.99 at Amazon.

That's a good deal cheaper than its US counterpart. In the UK, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is slated to release on April 25. However, it's worth noting that this model is specifically the Windows and Android-compatible model. No Switch version in this region as of yet.

Pre-order the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller

The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is worth considering especially if the lack of Hall effect sticks on the Switch 2 Pro Controller is a factor of disappointment for you. By all accounts, this looks to be an improved version of the Ultimate, which is currently sits atop our best Nintendo Switch controllers guide.

UK pre-order price: Amazon - £49.99View Deal

While I've yet to personally test and review the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, it does seem like a straight upgrade over the original 8BitDo Ultimate which still sits as our 'best overall' entry in our best Nintendo Switch controllers buying guide.

According to the manufacturer, the Ultimate 2 boasts TMR thumbsticks which are essentially a Hall effect variant that offers even greater precision and longevity. We've also seen TMR sticks employed in the GameSir Tarantula Pro to great effect.

If you've already managed to secure a Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order, then I highly recommend checking out the 8BitDo Ultimate 2. While I thought the Switch 2 Pro Controller was a marked upgrade in my recent hands-on impressions, the Ultimate 2 is slightly cheaper ($69.99 as opposed to $74.99) and is confirmed to have drift-resistant sticks.

And of course, if you're sticking with the original Nintendo Switch, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 will be compatible with it as well as PCs and Android devices.

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• Metro 2033 was first released on March 16, 2010
• To celebrate the game's 15th anniversary, its 2014 remake is now free to keep on Steam
• The developers have also shared some small details on the next Metro game

Post-apocalyptic first-person shooter Metro 2033 originally released on March 16, 2010. The debut title from developer 4A Games, the game spawned multiple sequels and even a recent VR (virtual reality) spin-off in Metro Awakening.

Now, the studio has shared a new blog post to commemorate the game's 15th anniversary. "The legacy and success of Metro over the past decade and a half is something we at 4A Games are incredibly proud of," the post begins. It then reveals that long-time collaborator Dmitry Glukhovsky, author of the Metro book series upon which the games are loosely based, will continue working closely with the studio on "our next Metro title."

"It is amazing to see the advancement from the pages of a novel, into a fully realized game, through ever-improving sequels, and now into a global franchise with million of players," it continues. The anniversary will be marked with "events, deals and celebratory content on the Metro social media channels" with fans encouraged to share their fondest memories and favorite moments with the hashtag #Metro15.

Originally founded in Ukraine, 4A Games is now headquartered in Silema, Malta - though retains a 150 strong team in Kyiv. In addition to a new Metro game, the studio is currently working on "a brand-new unannounced IP" and wants to assure fans that "work is continuing on both of our projects despite missile strikes, air-raid sirens, and terror still raining down on Ukraine."

"These circumstances are incredibly challenging, the situation remains dangerous and not within our control, but we are currently as safe as possible," the post reads. "We want to manage your expectations around the reveal of the next Metro title, it will be ready when it is ready, and we can’t wait for you to see it."

With this in mind, I wouldn't expect much more news about the upcoming game any time soon. Still, the post reveals that it will feature "an even darker story" with an emphasis on themes like "conflict, the struggle for power, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom" for a "hard-hitting, political, anti-war" story.

If you head over to Steam right now, you are able to claim a free copy of Metro 2033 Redux, the 2014 remaster of Metro 2033, to keep which would be the perfect introduction to the franchise for newcomers. This offer is only available to until April 16, so I would act fast if you want to get your hands on it.

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• OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 13T will be announced on April 24
• This initial launch is just for China
• The company has also revealed the screen size and colors of the phone

The OnePlus 13T will be announced on April 24, the company has confirmed, although in typical OnePlus fashion you won’t have to wait until then to get an official look at the phone, as it has already been shown off.

A short teaser video posted to Chinese social media platform Weibo (via GSMArena) shows the front and back of the OnePlus 13T in full, complete with a flat back, curvy corners, and a choice of gray, pink, or black shades, as you can see below.

You can also see that there’s a new button on the side in place of the alert slider we’re used to on OnePlus phones, and the company has previously confirmed that it's a customizable key that sounds similar to the Action button on iPhones.

The OnePlus 13T (Image credit: OnePlus) A small screen and a big battery

In another post the company revealed that the 13T will have a 6.32-inch screen, and in an earlier teaser OnePlus said its battery would be at least 6,000mAh, which is especially impressive given that the OnePlus 13T sounds fairly compact by modern smartphone standards.

That’s all the official news we have, but leaks have suggested that the OnePlus 13T will have a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 16GB of RAM, a 50MP main camera, a 50MP telephoto (with 2x optical zoom), and possibly an ultra-wide camera, the specs of which haven’t yet been the subject of leaks or rumors.

So this is sounding like an impressive phone – if the price is right. We should have a clearer idea of how good the OnePlus 13T is very soon, although note that, as mentioned, the April 24 announcement is just for China.

Hopefully though we won’t be waiting too much longer for a global launch, as it sounds like a promising compact alternative to the OnePlus 13.

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Rates this high won't last forever.

• Car rental giant Hertz confirms suffering a data breach
• The attack occurred through Cleo, a file transfer service provider
• The threat actors abused a zero-day to get in

Car rental giant Hertz has confirmed suffering cyberattack which saw it lose sensitive customer information.

In a data breach notification letter published on its website, the company said that the incident involved Cleo Communications, a software company that provided file transfer services for Hertz “for limited purposes”.

The report says an unidentified threat actor exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the Cleo platform to exfiltrate sensitive data in October and December 2024. The attack was spotted in mid-February 2025, prompting an investigation, with the analysis concluding some customer data was taken.

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Hallucinating malware

“We completed this data analysis on April 2, 2025, and concluded that the personal information involved in this event may include the following: name, contact information, date of birth, credit card information, driver’s license information and information related to workers’ compensation claims,” the announcement reads.

“A very small number of individuals may have had their Social Security or other government identification numbers, passport information, Medicare or Medicaid ID (associated with workers’ compensation claims), or injury-related information associated with vehicle accident claims impacted by the event.”

The exact number of affected individuals is not known at this time, with a company spokesperson saying it would be, “inaccurate to say millions” of customers are affected.

The identity of the attackers, or the nature of the breach, is also unknown at this time. It most likely wasn’t a ransomware attack, since it took the company months to realize it was hacked. That being said, this was most likely a simple data smash-and-grab.

To mitigate the damages, Hertz is offering two years of identity monitoring and dark web monitoring services to potentially impacted individuals, through Kroll, at no cost.

At press time, there was no evidence that the stolen data was misused in any way.

Via TechCrunch

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More than 250 companies have signed the “Secure-by-Design” (SBD) pledge from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). By committing to the voluntary pledge, software manufacturers are promising to increase multi-factor authentication (MFA) for products; better enable customers to do their own patching; reduce default passwords; and decrease vulnerabilities, among additional proactive, protective practices.

By embedding cyber defense from the outset of product development and system architecture, SBD is intended to transform cybersecurity from an afterthought to an essential, core element of design. Companies that fail to adopt this approach run the risk of falling behind in their security and compliance maturity, while losing consumer trust. They also could run into some very expensive problems, as the average cost of a data breach has increased to $4.88 million – up from $4.45 million in 2023.

Implementing an SBD strategy

So how do organizations effectively implement an SBD strategy? They can start by looking at the financial services sector, which is often more willing to invest in innovative approaches to security upskilling and additional preventative measures than other industries. These institutions are taking such steps because, frankly, they have to, given the immense challenges they face:

Increasing – and more costly – threats

If history has taught us anything, it’s that cyber criminals always follow the money. Financial organizations are experiencing 1,115 breaches a year, which ranks #4 among all verticals.

Regulatory pressures

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require financial organizations to achieve higher levels of governance and security. As part of the ongoing compliance process, the industry’s developers must bring verified skills to properly configure sensitive databases, payment gateways and portals.

The critical – and fragile – state of consumer trust

Financial service firms’ customers expect no less than the absolute fortification of their personal data and transactions. If an institution suffers an attack that compromises any of this, it runs the risk of losing consumer trust with potentially devastating market/revenue consequences – if not extinction.

SBD developer readiness

Fortunately in our research, we have found that the financial industry is doing an exceptional job of positioning for SBD developer readiness. There is no quality that is more “make or break” in significance than the upgrading of the skills and tools of the people who innovate, develop and disseminate code at the heart of our digital systems.

Indeed, in taking a closer look at what these companies are doing, we get a better sense of the level of developer risk management this industry is pursuing– and can help lift other industries as they “shift left” in seeking to make good on the CISA pledge.

Investments in upskilling

On average, in organizations, there are less than four software security group (SSG) specialists for every 100 developers. Given how few of these specialists are on board, it’s no wonder that code-level vulnerabilities continue to plague most verticals.

This speaks to the urgency of developer upskilling, with a focus on flexible, dynamic training programs that align learning within the context of “real life” threats – a “learning by doing” approach. The financial sector is considered an early adopter of these and other initiatives aimed at building security into the software development life cycle (SDLC), and has achieved high maturity rates here as a result.

Benchmarking

To ensure upskilling initiatives are working, organizations must establish baselines and benchmarks to assess whether SBD is recognized as an indispensable part of their DNA. Such benchmarking should cover the state of developers’ security skills, awareness and the measurement of their success profile against that of other industry members. With this, these leaders will truly know if their teams have earned a “license to code,” and that the inherent risk of developers with low security skills is being managed and effectively improved.

Proactive threat modeling and testing

Financial services providers are quite good at regularly conducting threat modeling to address risks sooner rather than later – preferably before an attack ever has a chance to strike. The industry also relies upon strict code reviews, testing and audits to reveal vulnerabilities and additional areas of concern.

By following financial institutions’ lead in establishing a baseline for developer risk management activities and implementing the described best practices, organizations across the board will cultivate a winning developer-driven security culture. This environment will prepare developers to implement robust, secure code from start to finish, to the point in which this emerges as a habit they can perform at speed.

That’s when companies of all kinds will demonstrate they’re doing far more than simply signing CISA’s pledge – they’re delivering on its promise to make SBD a universal norm by acting now to defend the future.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 15.

If you’ve managed to steer clear of ChatGPT all this time, just know you might be using an OpenAI AI model soon without even realizing it.

OpenAI unveiled a new suite of models aimed at developers looking to embed some AI into their software. The GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano models might not declare themselves, but they seem purpose-built for subtle inclusion in other products.

These aren’t the chatbots you open for conversation and then close after getting your trivia question answered to go back to your email inbox. These models power your inbox, to-do list, or budgeting app. They could fuel a recipe manager and adjust ingredient portions for any last-minute additions to the dinner party.

What makes GPT-4.1 and its smaller, slightly speedier siblings different from past releases is that it is explicitly designed for developers rather than for developers in addition to a role with ChatGPT. These are workhorse models optimized for instruction-following, coding, and reasoning from vast chunks of information.

That means they are very good at doing exactly what you tell them to do in a format familiar to any software developer. OpenAI also boasts about its speed and cost relative to its power, making it even more enticing for developers with an ingenious app idea but limited resources.

OpenAI has ideas about apps getting much smarter thanks to its models and the clever way developers can deploy them. Picture your expense tracker automatically and accurately, immediately categorizing purchases or your notes app, producing a summary of everything that happened during a particularly chaotic day at work. Your photo editor might offer captions that don’t sound like they were written by a robot or at least like a robot that has spent some time around people.

This is AI as infrastructure – not a product, not a personality, but a quiet presence that makes everything run smoother and better.

OpenAI inside

We’ve seen glimmers of this before. Gmail’s autocomplete, Photoshop's image suggestions, and other tools have plenty of AI underlying their features. However, what OpenAI is semi-obliquely promising with GPT-4.1 is that plugging AI into an app will be easy, fast, and cheap.

Of course, relevant questions are raised about whether users should be alerted about the AI model since they might consciously avoid it in its more visible form. Plus, the usual privacy questions about apps get more complex with AI involved. If your grocery app starts predicting your purchases before you search, is that convenience or surveillance?

Many apps might never tell you they’re using GPT-4.1 under the hood if they don't have to, especially if it’s just powering something like a search function or summarizing your reading list. There’s a good chance millions of people will be using OpenAI models every day without ever realizing it, for good or ill.

Broad adoption of the models by developers might actually help with public acceptance. If AI is more like a utility and not an in-your-face feature, people might be more comfortable with it. It could be like Wi-Fi.

You don’t think about the Wi-Fi noting your location when you check the weather; you simply expect it to work. AI moves from spectacle to plumbing, annoying when it fails and invisible when it works.

That also means who we define as an AI used will change. Instead of someone who opens ChatGPT or Midjourney, an AI user will just be someone using an app, like how everyone using an app is technically a software user.

For OpenAI, there's also a possible shift in power in their favor. By moving away from direct engagement and toward app integration, you’re ultimately relying on OpenAI whether you signed up for ChatGPT or not. Smarter tools are often more helpful, less annoying, and better at dealing with whatever task they're assigned.

But it also means more of your digital life will be shaped by a handful of foundational models operated by companies that aren’t always transparent about how those models are trained, what data they’ve consumed, or what they might get wrong.

So, if you’ve been proudly avoiding AI tools, get ready to either massively extend your list of software to avoid or be prepared to parse some user agreements to check for GPT-4.1's quiet reshaping of your digital world.

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When TV manufacturers announce their new ranges each year, I'm often left feeling conflicted. I can’t help but wonder how much better the best TVs can become.

If a TV is worthy of a five-star rating from me and my fellow reviewers, is that same TV suddenly redundant when its successor earns the same star rating? On the other hand, I do get excited by new technologies and features that are designed to improve image quality in the pursuit of true perfection.

That second statement can certainly be applied to the Samsung S95F, the company’s flagship 4K OLED screen for 2025. Not only does it boast the same processor as its higher-end 2025 8K TVs – which should result in more impressive upscaling of non-4K content – but it also features Samsung’s second-generation Glare Free anti-reflection technology.

Introduced with the S95D last year, the Glare Free technology promises to banish pesky light reflections from the screen. I saw it myself on the S95D and can comfortably say it was a big reason – combined with its overall performance – that it was awarded the TV of the year 2024.

However, while it was certainly an innovative introduction, I didn't think it was quite perfect. I found blacks weren’t as deep as I'd seen in other 2024 OLED TVs without this tech, instead looking a little washed out and grey.

So when I was made aware that the technology had been further refined in the S95F, I jumped at the opportunity to see it in action on both the 83-inch and 77-inch models to see if black levels had been improved.

Improvements across the board

Even with overhead lights on, no reflections can be seen on the screen of the Samsung S95F. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

Samsung had set up a viewing experience of both TVs for the media in a hotel room in Sydney where I’m based. The weather wasn’t the usual bright sunshine that one would normally associate with Australia, but there was still some daylight to test the screen’s anti-reflection capabilities, along with bright overheard lights throughout the room.

As I expected, the Glare Free technology on the Samsung S95F worked flawlessly, making the entire screen viewable no matter how bright the room was. It really is an impressive feat that makes it a superb screen for brightly lit homes (including those in Australia, because we do have more sunny days than overcast ones, honestly).

However, I personally think the anti-glare layer does still have some impact on the overall picture quality. I admit that the second-generation panel is an improvement over the S95D – a sentiment shared by my colleague Al Griffin, who’s said that black levels are definitely elevated compared to last year’s model – but, for me, the image looks a little flat in comparison to OLED TVs from other brands.

Head-to-head

I have the LG G4 OLED TV at home, for example, which I use daily. It too has an anti-reflective coating of sorts, but I’m not going to lie and say it isn’t susceptible to reflections from overhead lights, ambient lighting or from the sun pouring in through my windows.

Having said that, I’ve rarely had a major issue with reflections and I’m still able to watch content with little interference.

Image 1 of 2

I find blacks to be 'more' black on the LG G4, resulting in a deeper, more cinematic image. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)Image 2 of 2

The LG G4 does show up more reflections, although they're not as pronounced as my phone camera makes out. (Image credit: Future / Max Langridge)

I’m also OK with the reflections it does suffer from because the image quality makes up for it in my opinion. Following my short time with the Samsung S95F, I watched the same movies on the LG G4 when I got home, which included Abigail for its dark scenes and shadow detail.

At the end of Abigail when the lead character Joey leaves the house at night and gets into her van, a large tree can be seen in the background. When comparing this scene on both the Samsung S95F and LG G4, it looked more grey on the Samsung screen than on the LG. Plus, when Joey gets into the van and turns a light on, revealing dark blood on her face, I thought the scene had greater depth on the LG TV.

I can't say the same for more colorful scenes, however. I watched Toy Story 3 on both screens and found much less to separate the two. Both were vibrant and punchy and an enjoyable watch overall. It's just the darker scenes that I find don't have quite the impact on Samsung's TV.

In other words, I find the picture of the LG to be more cinematic than the Samsung. Don't get me wrong, though: I’m not for one moment saying the S95F is a bad TV, because it absolutely isn’t – it just doesn’t suit my personal preferences.

Waiting for the competition

All this brings me to the headline of this feature: TVs I'm more excited for that have been released, or will be released, this year. First up, perhaps unsurprisingly, is the replacement to my current TV – the LG G5.

This year LG has introduced a new ‘four-stack’ OLED panel (which, as it happens, is the same screen used in the 83-inch version of the Samsung S95F) that promises higher brightness and improved color reproduction.

I’ve already had a brief introduction to the G5, viewing it at LG’s offices in Sydney side by side with the G4, and my colleague Al has recently published our LG G5 review, giving it a glowing five-star rating.

The LG G5 gets a brightness boost this year, enabling it to hold up much better in brightly lit rooms. (Image credit: Future)

I can't argue with this score, as based on the content that LG was showing on the two screens, there were noticeable differences in color and detail.

One video was of some models walking down a runway in dresses of various colors and one that stood out in particular to me was a red dress. The difference in the shade of red on both screens was clear as day, with the LG G5 looking punchier, yet more natural.

The G5 also revealed more creases in the middle of the dress compared to the G4, indicating that it should also be capable of picking out greater detail in other content.

My only concern with the G5 is the way it handles Dolby Vision, something my colleagues at What Hi-Fi? mention in their review. The vast majority of content I watch at home is mastered in Dolby Vision, so naturally I’m now worried when I get to see it properly myself. What Hi-Fi? has said LG is aware of the issue and a fix is on the way.

I, of course, will have to reserve full judgement until I can watch content I’m familiar with on the G5. Still, it’s without a doubt the TV I’m most excited for this year.

But wait, there’s more…

Actually, there's still some doubt. The LG G5 was the most exciting launch for me this year… until Sony announced the Bravia 8 II QD-OLED TV – expected to begin shipping within the next couple of months.

When I published my Sony Bravia 8 review, I was impressed by its beautiful, natural-looking images and brightness levels, considering it was a ‘standard’ WOLED panel with no additional brightness-boosting technology.

That’s all set to change in the Bravia 8 II, which will be sold as a step-up model over the Bravia 8, rather than a full replacement. In fact, Sony has said the new model is a replacement for the A95L that’s been on sale since 2023.

(Image credit: Future)

TechRadar's entertainment-channel Managing Editor, Matt Bolton, has already seen the Bravia 8 II in action and noticed how it’s able to unearth subtle details in content and produce colors that appear more saturated. He also reaffirmed that, despite getting a brightness boost thanks to the addition of quantum dot (QD) technology, it’s the company’s latest processor and how it’s used that will likely have the greatest impact.

I have also now seen the Bravia 8 II myself during a media briefing at Sony’s offices in Sydney, where it was placed side-by-side with the Bravia 8. Indeed, there was a clear difference in HDR performance, with particularly bright parts of an image – a lit-up sign, for example – being noticeably brighter on the new model.

It’s these smaller details that can actually have the greatest impact on the content you watch, making Sony’s new screen one to consider.

2025 is an exciting year for TVs. Samsung and LG continue with their innovation and now Sony is throwing its hat into the ring to compete in the premium OLED space. If you’re loyal to a particular brand, then I have no doubt you’ll continue to be impressed, but if you’re planning to invest in a new screen this year, then it’s clear you won't be short of talented options.

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• Grok also has personalities for NSFW roleplay, crazy conspiracies, and an “Unlicensed Therapist” mode

xAI’s Grok may be about to start remembering your conversations as part of a broader slate of updates rolling out, all of which seek to match ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and other rivals. Elon Musk’s company tends to pitch Grok as a plucky upstart in a world of staid AI tools; it also seems to be aiming for parity on features like memory, voice, and image editing.

As spotted by one user on X, it appears that Grok will get a new "Personalise with Memories" switch in settings. This would be a big deal if it works and mark a shift from momentary utility to long-term reliability. Grok's reported memory system, which is still in development but already appearing in the web app, will allow Grok to reference previous chats.

This means if you’ve been working with it on something like planning a vacation, writing a screenplay, or just keeping track of the name of that documentary you wanted to watch, Grok could say, “Hey, didn’t we already talk about this?”

Grok’s memory is expected to be user-controlled as well, which means you’ll be able to manage what the AI remembers and delete specific memories or everything Grok has remembered all at once. That’s increasingly the standard among AI competitors, and it’ll likely be essential for trust, especially as more people start using these tools for work, personal planning, and remembering which child prefers which bedtime story.

This should put Grok more or less on par with what OpenAI has done with ChatGPT’s memory rollout, albeit on a much shorter timeline. The breakneck pace is part of the pitch for Grok, even when it doesn't quite work yet. Some users have reported already seeing the memory feature available, but it's not available to everyone yet, and the exact rollout schedule is unclear.

Remember Grok

Of course, giving memory to a chatbot is a bit like giving a goldfish a planner, meaning it’s only useful if it knows what to do with it. Even so, xAI seems to be layering memory into Grok Web in tandem with a handful of other upgrades that lean toward making it feel more like an actual assistant and less like a snarky trivia machine.

This memory update is starting to appear as a range of other Grok upgrades loom on the horizon. Grok 3.5 is expected any day now, with Grok 4 slotted for the end of the year.

There’s also a new vision feature in development for Grok’s voice mode, allowing users to point their phones at things and hear a description and analysis of what's around them.

It's another feature that ChatGPT and Gemini users will find familiar, and Grok’s vision tool is still being tested. Upgrades are also coming to the recently released image editing feature that lets users upload a picture, select a style, and ask Grok to modify it.

It’s part of the ongoing competition among AI chatbots to make AI models artistically versatile. Combine that with the upcoming Google Drive integration, and Grok starts to look a little more serious as a competitor.

Also on the horizon is Grok Workspaces, a kind of digital whiteboard for collaborating with Grok on a more significant project. These updates suggest that xAI is pivoting to make Grok seem less like a novelty and more like a necessity. xAI clearly sees Grok’s future as being more useful than just a set of sarcastic and mean voice responses.

Still, even as Grok gains these long-awaited features, questions remain about whether it can match the depth and polish of its more established counterparts. It’s one thing to bolt a memory system onto a chatbot. It’s another thing entirely to make that memory meaningful.

Whether Grok becomes your go-to assistant or stays a curious toy used only when some aspect goes viral depends on how well xAI can connect all these new capabilities into something cohesive, intuitive, and a little less chaotic. But for now, at least, it finally remembers your name.

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• A new leak claims to detail the specs and pricing of AMD's upcoming Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU
• The price could be as low as $269 in the US for the 8GB model
• Performance is claimed to sit between the Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT

We might finally have a proper idea of what AMD's long-awaited Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU is going to be capable of - and it's looking like it could be worthy of induction into the best graphics card hall of fame.

Thanks to leaked information shared by Moore's Law Is Dead (MLID) on YouTube, we now know that the RX 9060 XT could be shipping with 32 compute units, a 128-bit memory bus with both 8GB and 16GB VRAM models available, and a TDP between 150W and 200W.

Now, that's not a whole lot to go off at this point, but MLID's leak also notes that performance is 'above RTX 4060 Ti, but likely below RX 7700 XT'. Okay, so that doesn't sound that impressive, but here's the thing: the leak also includes pricing details, and it's looking very attractive on that front.

The 8GB model will reportedly cost between $269 and $299, while the 16GB version is claimed to be priced at $329-379. It's unclear whether these are potential price ranges AMD itself is still contemplating, or projected price ranges for AIB partner cards. For reference, the RTX 4060 Ti - which it supposedly outperforms - originally retailed at $399, and that was almost two full years' worth of GPU price inflation ago.

Battle of the budgets

Even if AMD hits us with the high end of these price estimates, it'll be a seriously competitively priced desktop GPU. Although Nvidia has been dominating the high-performance end of the market with its RTX 5000 cards, there's no denying that AMD's biggest rival has been fumbling its budget game lately, leaving Intel (isn't that weird) as one of the best options in the affordable PC gaming space thanks to its excellent Arc B580 card.

If Team Red can deliver RXT 4060 Ti-beating performance at a $269 price point, well, it's game set and match for the budget GPU market - at least, for the time being. It's worth noting, though, that MLID's source does say 'original plan as of a month ago' regarding these projected prices, likely in reference to the recent tech pricing carnage caused by Donald Trump's tariff war. So... watch this space, I guess.

(Image credit: AMD)

Another interesting point raised by the leaker was that the RX 9060 XT might lack hardware encoders - it's possible that to keep the price down, AMD has opted to include only the free-to-implement AV1 video encoder, not the (arguably better) H.264 and H.265 encode functions, since those require a licencing fee.

The leaker claims there are no plans for a 'non-XT' RX 9060 card, which tracks given the two different VRAM versions and the suggested $269 base price. Additionally, AMD might be considering a Radeon RX 9050 XT, presumably priced somewhere in the $200-250 range.

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One UI 7 was designed to showcase Samsung's AI ambitions, but a bug now appears to be getting in the way of momentum.

Apple Intelligence has not had the best year so far, but if you think Apple is giving up, you're wrong. It has big plans and is moving forward with new model training strategies that could vastly improve its AI performance. However, the changes do involve a closer look at your data – if you opt-in.

In a new technical paper from Apple's Machine Learning Research, "Understanding Aggregate Trends for Apple Intelligence Using Differential Privacy," Apple outlined new plans for combining data analytics with user data and synthetic data generation to better train the models behind many of Apple Intelligence features.

Some real data

Up to now, Apple's been training its models on purely synthetic data, which tries to mimic what real data might be like, but there are limitations. In Genmoji's, for instance, Apple's use of synthetic data doesn't always point to how real users engage with the system. From the paper:

"For example, understanding how our models perform when a user requests Genmoji that contain multiple entities (like “dinosaur in a cowboy hat”) helps us improve the responses to those kinds of requests."

Essentially, if users opt-in, the system can poll the device to see if it has seen a data segment. However, your phone doesn't respond with the data; instead, it sends back a noisy and anonymized signal, which is apparently enough for Apple's model to learn.

The process is somewhat different for models that work with longer texts like Writing tools and Summarizations. In this case, Apple uses synthetic models, and then they send a representation of these synthetic models to users who have opted into data analytics.

On the device, the system then performs a comparison that seems to compare these representations against samples of recent emails.

"These most-frequently selected synthetic embeddings can then be used to generate training or testing data, or we can run additional curation steps to further refine the dataset."

A better result

It's complicated stuff. The key, though, is that Apple applies differential privacy to all the user data, which is the process of adding noise that makes it impossible to connect that data to a real user.

Still, none of this works if you don't opt into Apple's Data Analytics, which usually happens when you first set up your iPhone, iPad, or MacBook.

Doing so does not put your data or privacy at risk, but that training should lead to better models and, hopefully, a better Apple Intelligence experience on your iPhone and other Apple devices.

It might also mean smarter and more sensible rewrites and summaries.

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