Feed aggregator

NPR speaks with people in Yemen and in aid groups who say the fighting is displacing families to areas without enough aid to support them.

In the Lower Ninth Ward, an old Family Dollar stands covered in graffiti. It looks abandoned. But inside, it's a treasure trove — clothing, home goods, toys and books. And everything is free.

(Image credit: Catie Dull)

'/>

Fox Corp. must turn over hundreds of documents that could shed light on how founder Rupert Murdoch handled some of his media companies' biggest scandals.

(Image credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Grandparents taking care of their grandkids is nothing new. But the surging cost of childcare in the U.S. has made familial support even more critical for some parents who struggle to afford it.

(Image credit: Lianne Milton for NPR)

Moscow's mayor described the wave of drones as the "largest ever" attack on the Russian capital and said there had been damage to a Moscow oil refinery and a residential building.

(Image credit: Andriy Andriyenko)

State officials say the new SpaceX site will be a $100 billion investment and launch thousands of rockets. Lawmakers helped ease regulations and negotiations were covered under nondisclosure agreements.

(Image credit: Kathleen Flynn)

Tee up those entries: It's time for the next NPR College Podcast Challenge, and hear how the contest changed the lives of past participants.

Students: It's time to turn on the mic and hit 'record.' Send us your podcasts and we'll pick the best ones. It's $5,000 for our grand prize and $500 for our finalists.

LaserPecker has been in the laser engraving and cutting sector for a while. Still, the LX2 is its first fully enclosed system of this type, and the first that feels genuinely suited to home and small-business use rather than a workshop with proper ventilation and space to spare.

The LX2 pairs the safety of a full enclosure with a modular head system, swapping between 20W, 40W, and 60W diode and 2W infrared without tools, enabling this machine to cover a far wider range of materials and objects than a fixed single-laser engraver. However, those machines are now becoming scarce.

In this test, I’ve looked at the LX2 with the 40W diode and 2W IR heads, connected directly to a MacBook Pro M1 Max, running LaserPecker Design Space in Beta, since the full release does not yet support the LX2.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)LaserPecker LX2: Price & availability

The LaserPecker LX2 is available direct from the manufacturer in the US here, and in the UK here.

At time of review, prices start at $1599 (down from $1999) / £1349 (down from £1799) for the 20W standard bundle. The 40W Standard Bundle is $1799 / £1849.

LaserPecker LX2: DesignSpecs

Laser technology: Interchangeable diode and IR laser modules
Build area: 500 x 305mm
Dimensions: 779.5 x 609.2 x 281.15mm
Weight: 22.5kg, main unit
Bed: Slatted support base, four slats supplied as standard
Software: LaserPecker Design Space (Beta, required for LX2 support), LightBurn also supported
Materials: Wood, acrylic and, with the 2W IR head, metals and plastics; see
Laser options: 20W diode, 40W diode (tested), 2W 1064nm IR (tested), 60W support
Camera: 12MP / 6K positioning camera
Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi; USB-C on the LX2 end, USB-A on the computer end; a Mac needs an adapter
Standard accessories: Smart Air Assist, cutting slats, fire extinguisher port

The LX2 is relatively heavy at 22.5kg, but despite its size, it is well built and easy enough to lift and move around in the workshop; it’s also lighter than the two other cutters I already have, and at 779.5 x 609.2 x 281.15mm in size, a standard, properly braced project desk is more than sufficient to hold it.

Like most fully enclosed machines, it has a lift-over top lid that lets you watch the cut or engraving in progress, and a handy front-panel opening that makes loading material easier and lets you use the LX2 as a front-loader if you don't have headroom above the machine. It is the only machine I have come across with this feature.

Round the back are all the ports and connectors, including the USB-C that connects to your computer, with both Mac and PC supported. One oddity worth knowing: the USB-C end of the cable goes into the LX2, and the USB-A end into your computer, so a Mac needs an adapter.

Alongside that are a USB-A port for a USB key, a security key port (which needs a key installed for the machine to run at all), the fire extinguisher port, Air Assist, and the smoke outlet.

The Air Assist itself is a surprise. It’s still external to the device, and while it is nicely designed, it sits alongside the machine rather than being integrated. It connects via its own cable, similar to USB-C but with a proprietary fit, and I found the connector rather delicate; a second cable was needed to complete the test after the original broke.

Inside is the 500 x 305mm work area, with markings on the base for camera alignment during calibration and each cut. There are also two cameras, with a live preview back to the software; accurate positioning is easy enough, as you’d expect on this level of machine.

Once again, there is no honeycomb grid included, something that is an increasingly common omission, and LaserPecker supplies only four thin slats to support material. Four is not enough. If you buy this machine, budget for at least four more, since without them you will be constantly repositioning the slats you have to support each new piece of material.

Otherwise, the design is aesthetically stunning, and the build quality is superb. There’s no doubt that this is a solid machine, but even on initial unboxing you can see a few areas that need a little more design attention.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)LaserPecker LX2: Features

The feature list mirrors most other fully enclosed laser cutters at this price, and the build quality was obvious as soon as I lifted the machine out of its packaging. If the cutting accuracy holds up, this looks like a great option for a small business, and the modular heads add the flexibility to work across a huge range of materials and objects rather than being locked to one laser type.

The design is aesthetically stunning, and looks good on the workshop bench. The machine is big, but so is the work area it buys you. I like that it has front- and top-loading capabilities.

One of the big features is the ability to fit different modules with three diode options: 20W, 40W and 60W and a 2W IR for metal. This offers one of the most flexible solutions out there, so if you are running a business, this will be a great option.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

Fitting a module is simple enough, though it does mean connecting a data cable and an air assist tube each time. I would still prefer these integrated into the head itself, but it is easy enough as it stands.

Once running, the engraving and cutting offer impressive speeds, and speed is one of the LX2’s headline features: 1,000mm/s with acceleration up to 10,000mm/s² which means that if used with some of the larger accessories, such as the optional conveyor, much larger projects can be tackled.

Finally, and this is one of the lead features, there are two internal positioning cameras that help with placement accuracy in the software; this positioning accuracy is essential when working with the 2W IR head, where the finished mark is harder to preview by eye.

LaserPecker LX2: Performance

Setup, calibration and connecting the software took around an hour in total, roughly half an hour unpacking and fitting the head, and another half hour on calibration and getting connected. That is in line with other enclosed engravers of this type I have looked at recently.

Fitting the head was easy enough, if not quite as smooth as some rivals, and plugging in the data cable and Air Assist tube alongside it was straightforward, though I would still rather see it integrated into the head itself. Running the vent to an external filter is worth doing and worth budgeting for, though LaserPecker has not yet listed a price.

Installing the software meant finding the Beta build specifically, since the standard release of LaserPecker Design Space does not yet support the LX2. The first run takes you through mandatory safety training before you can use the machine, then through a USB connection to start with. Calibration is more convoluted than rivals I have used.

LaserPecker Design Space is all well laid out, although there are sections where you can still see that this software is in Beta, such as the WiFi connection, re-running calibration and some stability issues. However, it’s extensive, and once you start to familiarise yourself with how it works, it does generally make sense.

Importing designs requires you to add SVG files as an example project and then open them, but line and fill information is retained and accessing those settings and adjusting power and speed is straight forwrad. I also liked the fact that there is a set of material presets, and the settings for these are close to spot on.

When you first get started with a material there is a test chart installed which will show you the effect at the different powers and speeds, this is well worth running on any new material so that you can fine tune the settings.

Some experimentation is still needed to get the perfect result for a given material and finish, but this is a starting point rather than a blank slate for every job, and it improved noticeably over a couple of weeks of regular use.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

One issue that I did have during testing was with the Air Assist or to be more accurate the proprietary cable that looks very much like USB-C, and the one I received was delicate enough that the connector broke partway through the test.

That is why some of the wood samples from this review show scorching; results from earlier in testing, before the cable failed, are noticeably cleaner. Worth knowing if you are relying on Air Assist for consistent results.

Cutting 20mm basswood with multiple passes, with Air Assist working and the settings properly dialled in, produced results with little charring or residue, though getting there took time and experimentation rather than being right first time.

The 2W IR head fitted just as easily as the 40W diode, and its results were excellent; again, with no ready-made preset for every material, building the right settings is part of the process, and this is perfectly normal.

Testing the 40W module, it was able to produce clean and substantial cuts, and I tended to measure the material distance prior to each cut just to ensure the best performance.

LaserPecker LX2: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings)

The LX2 is a great machine with a few rough edges and odd decisions. Looking at the negatives, the first has to be the air assist cable to the machine; this is needed for automatic operation.

In the review I ended up just running a power cable directly to the Air Assist and bypassing the auto features. While breaking the cable partway through it was good to see that the Air Assist could be powered in a different way.

In use, the large workspace, high speed when needed, camera alignment and clean cuts definitely make this an appealing machine, but the software at present does hold it back; there are just small issues that need ironing out, such as the calibration process, the loading of files and some stability.

If you’re a serious maker or small business producing a genuine mix of cut wood, engraved products and customised metal items, where the modular approach makes sense at this price and with the flexibility of all those accessories, all makes this look like a great small business solution.

Should you buy the LaserPecker LX2

Value:

Well-balanced price, with huge creative potential 

4

Design:

Large and fully enclosed with large work area

4.5

Features

Modular lasers and availability of plenty of accessories future-proof the design

4

Performance

Fast cutting, precise, detailed engraving, but some software issues hold it back 

4

Total

A great machine with a few small issues; if you’re aware, it will provide excellent service. 

4

Buy it if...

You're running a small business. 

You regularly produce personalised products and need a fast, enclosed machine with enough workspace to handle efficient batch production.

You want maximum versatility. 

Swappable diode and infrared modules let one machine tackle cutting, engraving and detailed metal marking across many different materials.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You're into occasional light engraving. 

If you only engrave coasters or small gifts occasionally, cheaper compact machines can provide sufficient capability for considerably less money.

You have limited workshop space. 

The large footprint and 22.5kg weight mean the LX2 really needs a permanent, sturdy workbench rather than occasional desk space.View Deal

For more crafting tech, I've tested and reviewed all the best 3D printers and the best laser engravers.

Here are hints and the answers for today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Sept. 20, 2026.

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said that Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to attack Riyadh with a ballistic missile, the first time the Saudi capital has been targeted since the escalation in fighting with the Iran-backed rebels opened a new front in the Iran war.

(Image credit: Osamah Abdulrahman)

Ed Sheeran opened a solo concert Saturday with comments about Gaza after controversy swirled around his tour and supporting acts withdrew in solidarity with opener Macklemore, who was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage.

(Image credit: Evan Agostini)

• Samsung is shifting additional DDR5 and SSD production to outside manufacturers
• The company needs internal factory space for advanced HBM production
• DDR5 module assembly remains simpler than advanced HBM packaging processes

Samsung Electronics is shifting all additional production of conventional memory modules onto outsourced partners going forward.

The company is directing capacity growth for DDR5 modules and SSDs toward external firms, reserving its in-house capacity for the more advanced HBM packaging process.

Industry sources say this reflects Samsung's mounting need to use scarce back-end capacity more efficiently.

A deliberate pivot toward outsourced capacity

“Samsung Electronics lacks space to expand existing back-end production lines needed to manufacture semiconductors for artificial intelligence (AI), so it is reallocating space and equipment at packaging plants in Cheonan and Onyang to advanced packaging lines, including HBM,” a person familiar with the matter said.

“The company has decided to handle most increases in conventional memory module production through outsourcing rather than expanding its own capacity.”

Samsung has reportedly pressed its outsourced semiconductor assembly and test partners to expand capacity for DDR5 modules and SSDs.

The company has even gone a step further by asking partners to accelerate capacity expansions that were already part of its existing plans.

Several partners are already scaling up in response, including Dreamtech, Hanyang Digitech, and SFA Semicon.

Dreamtech began mass producing DDR5 modules in India last November and approved further equipment investment in June.

Its Noida facility, previously used for smartphone circuit board assembly, will eventually reach an annual capacity of over 50 million units.

Hanyang Digitech has invested more than 31.5 billion won in 2026 so far to automate its existing memory module plant located in Vietnam.

SFA Semicon is relocating DDR5 testing and assembly equipment from Samsung's Onyang campus to a new site in the Philippines.

That transition begins in November, with a second phase following during the second quarter of 2027.

Limited space drives the broader manufacturing shift

Samsung's own capacity constraints stem partly from a new HBM plant under construction at its Onyang campus, valued at 6 trillion won.

That facility will take multiple years to finish, leaving little room for conventional module expansion in the meantime.

A separate $1.5 billion back-end processing plant is also under construction in Thai Nguyen Province of northern Vietnam.

That facility will handle testing for older memory types, including DDR4, low-power LPDDR4, NAND flash, and universal flash storage.

DDR5 modules require mounting prepackaged DRAM and NAND chips onto circuit boards using surface-mount technology.

That process remains considerably less complex than advanced packaging methods used for HBM, making outsourcing comparatively straightforward for partners.

Micron previously pursued a similar route, shifting conventional memory production externally while concentrating internal resources on higher-margin products.

Whether SanDisk eventually follows a comparable path remains uncertain given how differently each company's manufacturing footprint and product mix are currently structured.

Via The Elec

• Satellite imagery shows China building a roughly ~200m ship in Shanghai that analysts say is a mothership for submarine-sized drones
• It pairs a bottom-opening well-deck and 12-arm cradle with an internal hangar that experts estimate holds four 115- to 148ft XXLUUVs
• While the ship itself is shorter than an Essex-class carrier, its dock clocks in at about 1,115ft

China appears to be building a type of ship no navy is publicly known to operate: a large surface vessel designed to carry, launch, and recover uncrewed submarines the size of conventional crewed boats

The hull was first posted on September 13 2026 by Japanese open-source analyst KAROTASU and assessed two days later by H I Sutton at Naval News.

It currently sits at a dock at the Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai, and Beijing has yet to formally acknowledge its existence, so it has no name, list of capabilities, or the military branch that will eventually operate it.

A large dock linked to a much smaller ship

KAROTASU's post places the vessel in what he calls a 340m-class dock, which works out to approximately 1,115ft. However, the dock is not the ship. The same post estimates the hull itself at roughly 200m long and 30m wide, and notes that a second, unidentified structure is being assembled in the same dock.

Defence Security Asia, using imagery dated September 15, puts the hull at about 205m by 27m, which clocks in at roughly 672 ft. This makes the mothership big, but not as big as the largest WWII-era fleet carriers, though larger than the US Navy's Independence-class light carriers from that era.

For context, an Essex-class carrier, the backbone of the US Navy's Pacific campaign from 1943, measured 872 to 888ft overall and displaced 36,380 long tons at full load. At 656 to 673ft, the Chinese hull comes up roughly 200 to 230ft short.

The primary use case of such a mothership would be to deploy extra-extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XXLUUVs), which is a mouthful, and it builds around China's naval ambitions at a time when it seems certain that any conflict or show of power between the world's two superpowers will involve a maritime component.

At 35 and 45m (115 and 148ft), the XXLUUVs are the size of small crewed submarines and have an estimated range of 10,000 nautical miles based on a similarly sized concept that a Chinese shipbuilder has exhibited.

This, at the very least, challenges the current balance of power on multiple naval fronts that were not in play previously: until now, the drones have been tested from specially built floating docks, which conceal them in port and carry them out to sea for launch.

This works well on paper and for trials, which often use a mix of towing, favorable weather, and predictable shore infrastructure, but it limits range to their maximum operating capabilities and access to spare parts/repair potential, all of which the yet-to-be-named vessel addresses.

All in all, in a world that has conflicts flaring up left, right, and center, the world's largest surface ship is designed around full-size uncrewed submarines, with an enclosed hangar to house and maintain them, which is both a statement and a real threat to the US and its allies on the naval front from China, which is closing gaps on multiple fronts and taking the lead on others, even as territorial disputes in the South China Sea remain a key issue.

The U.N. expanded the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's mandate 20 years ago to include monitoring adherence to a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah — the militant group created in 1982 to counter a second Israeli invasion.

(Image credit: Diego Ibarra Sánchez for NPR)

• Mouse Computer has fitted Ryzen AI processors into a laptop weighing just 981g
• The X2 uses a 12.2-inch display with 1920 by 1200 resolution
• A free SODIMM slot allows memory expansion from 16 GB to 32 GB

Japanese electronics maker Mouse Computer has introduced a compact laptop called the X2, a compact notebook weighing 981g.

The device pairs a 12.2-inch display with AMD processors, offering configurations that scale from modest to genuinely capable performance.

The laptop frame measures 277.1 mm wide, 210.2 mm deep, and 19 mm tall, retaining a single unoccupied SODIMM slot for later RAM upgrades.

Specifications built around three AMD chip options

Buyers can choose between three distinct AMD APUs, each aimed at a different performance and price bracket for portable computing.

The base option, a Ryzen 5 216, combines two full Zen 4 cores with four smaller Zen 4c cores in a six-core layout, which should perform similarly to AMD's existing Ryzen 5 8540U based on available benchmark comparisons circulating online.

A step up brings the Ryzen AI 5 340, part of AMD's Krackan Point lineup, also arranged in a six-core configuration.

Multicore results suggest this chip lands close to Intel's Core Ultra 7 165H and edges past the Core Ultra 5 325.

The top configuration, a Ryzen AI 7 350, uses eight cores split evenly between four Zen 5 and four Zen 5c units, which approaches Intel's Core Ultra 9 185H in combined multi-threaded and synthetic benchmark scores, according to early comparisons.

The portable display panel runs at 1920 by 1200 resolution and reportedly covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut.

A 180-degree hinge, 60 Wh battery, and 500 GB NVMe SSD round out the internal hardware package.

Connectivity includes gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5, USB Type-A ports, HDMI output, and a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

A 2 MP webcam with a privacy shutter supports Windows Hello, while Windows 11 Home ships preinstalled on every unit.

Battery life reaches roughly 12.5 hours during video playback and about 25 hours in idle mode, measured under JEITA 3.0 standards.

Pricing stays confined to the Japanese market for now

The Ryzen AI 5 variant, equipped with 16 GB of RAM and 500 GB of storage, costs ¥239,800, or roughly $1,545.

The higher Ryzen AI 7 configuration carries the same memory and storage allotment but costs ¥259,000, or about $1,670.

Sales of this device will begin sequentially from October, though the rollout remains confined to the Japanese market via the company’s online store for now.

The laptop is currently available in three colour options — Cosmo Blue, Frost Gold, and Pearl White.

Both versions ship with single-channel memory by default, though the empty SODIMM slot allows an upgrade path from 16GB to 32 GB.

A compatible 16 GB DDR5-5600 module currently retails for around $229 through Amazon's storefront.

Interested customers elsewhere would need to rely on import services to acquire a unit, adding cost and complexity to the process.

Via Mouse | GDM (originally in Japanese)

Charles Cecil wants to make one thing clear: “I'm not anti-AI.”

The veteran British developer behind the legendary 1996 point-and-click game Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars speaks to TechRadar about AI's divisive role in modern game development - and, in particular, how it was used in the upcoming remake of the sequel, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, due out in 2027.

The original, a commercial success selling 759,000 copies, sees American tourist George Stobbart team up with freelance journalist Nicole Collard to track a mysterious Mayan stone across Paris, London, and Central America. This remake doesn't use AI, and, according to Cecil, there's a very good reason for that.

AI don’t think so

(Image credit: Revolution Software Ltd)

“I think AI has its place,” Cecil says. “It's just not relevant in our games because we want human animation, human characterization and human expression, and that's much better done by humans.”

A perfect example of that lies in the game's hand-drawn art, all of it redone for Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged.

This hugely labor-intensive process encompassed roughly 55,000 frames of animation, more than the 30,000 of Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars’ 2024 remake.

“George opens the newspaper and kind of just glances at the screen,” says Cecil, referring to the actions of the game's protagonist in an early scene. “He's looking at the viewer, and that's what human beings do. That is not something that AI can do.”

In low-res, eyes were just dots on a face. In high-res, eyes are windows to the soul and therefore have to be animated with precision and intent. Where applicable, artists were free to add flourishes, using their own interpretation to fill in the gaps.

For instance, the painting of Professor Oubier hanging on the wall in the rapidly burning study was always too pixelated to see clearly. Now, however, you can make out exactly what he looks like in 4K, at 36 times the original resolution, all while a visibly uncomfortable George jostles his rope bindings.

Developer Revolution Software didn't stop there. The team redrew scores of items that never really made much sense. Take the poison dart, which now looks less like a playing dart and more like something shot out of a blowpipe.

Human revolution

(Image credit: Revolution Software Ltd)

Despite the decision to abstain from AI use for the most part, it wasn't entirely absent. AI was used for the initial round of upscaling before artists added detail by hand, with backgrounds scanned as black-and-white layouts for them to build on using the originals as references. AI was more of a tool than a creative device.

“We experimented with AI for the first one, and we used AI to upscale and then redraw the characters. And as I say, it can upscale, but it can't put any character in.”

That's largely thanks to the luxury of time. The first game needed to be made in a year or risk cancellation. Revolution Software sprinted to the finish line, but made a few shortcuts along the way.

One oversight was 40 voice lines that were recorded and packaged in the game's files but never used. Now, in Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged, fans can finally hear them (one line involves George asking the Parisian waiter about the tequila worm in his pocket).

Another infamous example occurs in the Game Boy Advance version. “You have a choice to go to Spain or Syria,” says Cecil. “If you do one, you can finish the game, and it's fine. If you do the other, it takes you there, but you can't then finish. There's a bug that doesn't allow you to finish…It's an awful, awful bug. I mean, it's absolutely shocking.”

(Image credit: Revolution Software Ltd)

An AI might have spotted such mistakes, but then again, you could argue mistakes are what give art humanity. If nothing else, they make for a great story.

But the remake is far from a bug-fixing exercise. Instead, it's an opportunity to make the game better. Where most remasters seek to preserve the subject, Broken Sword - The Smoking Mirror: Reforged is almost an act of excavation.

“All of these things we now have the time to do,” says Cecil. “Because what Revolution has done for the last 15 years is we've self-published all our games. And I can decide when we’re going to spend a little bit more time getting this, right? Is it worth it?”

The devs found time to add features, too, like a new three-tier hint system that actively monitors your progress and feeds you steadily more obvious tips so you're not stuck for too long. The final tip tells you outright what to do. Thankfully, purists can turn it off.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch 2 players get four different control schemes: touchscreen, gamepad, one Joy-Con 2 detached and used as a mouse, or a versatile combination of everything.

Plus, there’s something Cecil has personally wanted to add for 30 years: a beautiful, detailed map of Paris. This is used to aid player navigation instead of having them rely on clunky icons. With everything in the game, these feel like choices made by humans, not AI.

“We've really gone out of our way to produce something that, in my view, is completely future-proof, because people were playing the first one 30 years ago, and millions and millions of people have played that game. And my ambition is that in 20 years' time, a fourth generation will be playing again.”

“Going forward,” he continues, “people are going to seek out human-crafted art. You know, there's going to be that sense, because obviously we all have a human connection with each other.”

Huawei, as a brand, is in a very interesting place right now. The company is genuinely innovating on a lot of fronts. It just launched the Mate XT2 tri-folding phone, which brings Samsung-like Privacy Display tech to the tri-folding form factor, as well as the Watch D3, which puts medical-grade blood pressure measurements into an even slimmer smartwatch.

But the problem with Huawei has always been that you can't buy a lot of the company's devices in markets outside Asia. And while that doesn't look like it's changing anytime soon, every once in a while, Huawei does launch some products in the West, and it reminds us (again) of what we're missing from other major hardware makers.

That's exactly what happened with the new Huawei MatePad Air. I usually use my still-going-strong M1 iPad Air (2022) as my main tablet, but I've spent the past month using the MatePad Air as my primary device. And it has shown me the one upgrade Apple could make that would probably convince me to finally buy the next iPad Air.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

The MatePad Air itself doesn't look like some groundbreaking new tablet. In fact, Huawei has so many tablets in its lineup that you'd probably have a hard time distinguishing the new MatePad Air from some of the company's other models just by looking at the back.

But flip the MatePad Air around, and that's where, for me, it starts beating a lot of the competition. The MatePad Air comes with a 12-inch OLED display with up to a 144Hz refresh rate and a 1,200-nit peak brightness. But the model I've been testing for the past month is the higher-end PaperMatte version, which can reach up to 2,000 nits.

If you're unfamiliar with Huawei's PaperMatte display technology, it's essentially a special anti-glare treatment on top of the display that, Huawei says, eliminates up to 99% of ambient light reflections. It also gives the screen a more paper-like texture, which feels natural when you're writing with a stylus, while also helping reduce things like eye strain and smudges.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

And this display alone is what has made me prefer using the MatePad Air over my iPad Air for the past month.

Think about what you actually do with a tablet. Whether you use an iPad Pro or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, almost everything revolves around the display. You're watching content, taking notes, making video calls, or reading. For 99% of the time, you're looking at and interacting with a screen.

It's not like the iPad Air's display is bad. It's still a good-looking panel, and I've used my M1 iPad Air for years without any complaints. But Apple hasn't meaningfully upgraded the display technology in a while, and it's starting to show its age.

The iPad Air still uses an LCD panel. It's still stuck at 60Hz, and the bezels are quite thick as well. None of these things really bothered me before, but switching back and forth between it and the MatePad Air made the difference quite obvious.

The 144Hz OLED panel on the MatePad Air is obviously smoother, the colors look great, and the thinner bezels make watching content much nicer. And that PaperMatte display just makes everything twice as nice.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

I've used the MatePad Air pretty much everywhere, be it the subway, airplanes, or my home, and not having reflections constantly bouncing off the screen has been great.

And it's not like Apple doesn't know how to do this. The company already offers its nano-texture display on the iPad Pro. The problem is that you need to buy one of the most expensive iPad Pro configurations (specifically, a model with 1TB or more) to even get the option, pushing the price to $1,899 / £1,899 / AU$3,249.

Huawei, on the other hand, makes the upgrade much easier to swallow. In the UK, you get the PaperMatte display regardless of which version of the MatePad Air you choose; the cheapest is just £699.99 (it's not available in the US). You're also getting 256GB of storage on the base model, compared to the 128GB starting storage on the iPad Air.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

Of course, the MatePad Air isn't better than the iPad Air at everything. Apple's M-series chips still give the iPad a major performance advantage, and if I'm editing videos or doing other compute-heavy work on a tablet, I'd still rather have the iPad Air.

But most of the time, that's not what I'm doing on my tablet. I mostly use my iPad to watch content and browse the web, and for both of these things, I'd rather have the MatePad Air's display.

Plus, the hardware around the OLED display is pretty impressive, too. At 12 inches, the MatePad Air sits somewhere between Apple's 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models. It weighs just 509g and uses an aluminum frame and back, making it more than 100g lighter than the 13-inch iPad Air.

It's thinner too, measuring just 5.3mm compared to 6.1mm for the larger iPad Air, despite Huawei fitting a 10,100mAh battery inside compared to roughly 9,705mAh on Apple's tablet.

(Image credit: Sanuj Bhatia / TechRadar)

That said, none of this means I'm ready to completely ditch the iPad. I still prefer its performance, app ecosystem, and just how well it works with the rest of my Apple devices. But after a month with the MatePad Air, the one thing I desperately want to take back to my iPad is this display.

Give the next iPad Air an OLED display with (hopefully) an anti-reflective PaperMatte-like option that doesn't burn a hole in my pocket, and my M1 iPad Air might finally have a reason to retire.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max main camera's new variable aperture is a huge deal and, in my limited experience, I can already see that it could transform iPhone photography. Still, to know why this matters, you need to understand how it works.

The best analogy is your eyes.

If you've ever squinted to read something, you understand how an aperture works. The more open your pupil, the more light that comes in, but it's widely scattered, making objects in the distance out of focus. If you squint, that cuts the amount of light coming into your eye, but it also removes more of the scattered light, leaving only the sharper light and imagery. On a camera, the open aperture (represented by lower f-stop numbers) has the same effect as your wide-open pupils. Lots more light, but only stuff nearest you is in focus. A smaller aperture, represented by higher f-stop numbers, is the eye-squint: less light but more focus throughout the frame.

Ever since Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro (and Pro Max's) big camera update, which also includes voluminous Pro-level controls, I've been itching to try them. As soon as I got my iPhone 18 Pro Max in black, I ran outside to see if the update makes an appreciable difference in photography quality and possibilities.

The short answer is yes.

Understanding this new variable aperture

A few things you should know about this new hardware feature. First, it's only on the 48MP main lens, so the 48MP, 4x telephoto, and 48MP ultrawide cameras only have fixed apertures: ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/2.2, respectively. Those are decently wide apertures, but the Main camera has Auto, ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4.0. That's a wide range. It's not quite DSLR-level, where you can stop down to, say, ƒ/11, which can be useful for deep focus and for capturing ultra-bright objects like the moon at night.

It's also worth noting that these are physical f-stops. The iPhone 18 Pro Max Main camera aperture features an array of interlocked blades thinner than a human hair, and they slide over each other as the aperture opens and closes. It's an engineering marvel. In the right light, you can see them adjusting.

I think it's fair to wonder why we need a physical, variable aperture when many of the iPhones since the iPhone 7 Plus have included portrait mode technology. In the early days, it used information from its wide and telephoto lenses to craft a bokeh effect. Eventually, Apple started using software to analyse the image and create a portrait mode with just a single lens (see 2020's iPhone SE). No matter how the iPhones have done it over the years, it's impressive and, for most users, good enough.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

My goal, though, was to see how the portrait mode on the iPhone 18 Pro Max might differ from variable aperture photography (my preferred setting was f1.48). In other words, software vs. hardware. I did also fiddle with the other f-stops, but in bright daylight, the bokeh effect on ƒ/1.8 and ƒ/2.8 is quite subtle.

I took pictures of myself, photos of statues, and the image above of a drying leaf. That photo, or rather that one compared to the Portrait Mode shot of the same leaf, is what convinced me: this is a game changer.

When you use Portrait Mode on an iPhone, you can adjust the bokeh before or after photography. It's a reminder that this is, at least in part, a software effect that can include or discard as much background sharpness as you desire.

iPhone 18 Pro Max variable apertureLance UlanoffPortrait modeLance UlanoffA new leaf

Using the variable aperture is more akin to traditional photography. You have the lens, the aperture settings, and, now, if you choose, shutter speed, exposure, and focus. In the initial images, I left everything alone except for the aperture. To access it, you select the grid menu in the camera app, choose Aperture, and then select the aperture opening of your choice.

iPhone 18 Pro Max variable apertureLance UlanoffPortrait modeLance Ulanoff

I chose f1.48 and snapped a photo of the same leaf.

The result, which you can see above, was two pretty good pictures, but closer examination reveals how Portrait Mode struggled with the curling leaf. Look at the stem. It's almost gone. By contrast, on the variable aperture shot, it was clear that the phone wasn't trying to apply some software magic to separate the leaf from the background and create the bokeh. The leaf is complete. The whole image looks natural and, honestly, the hardware does what it would do on a traditional camera: let the lens and aperture opening make the call.

The leaf is in stark, colorful focus, and the background, while not as blurred as you get from Portrait Mode's default settings, is pleasantly out of focus.

iPhone 18 Pro Max variable apertureLance UlanoffPortrait modeLance Ulanoff

I saw similar results with my selfies. Again, Portrait Mode goes hard on the background blur, but because it's largely computational, some artifacts remain. In particular, the space between the right stem of my glasses and my head is oddly sharp. And, if I'm being honest, the default level of bokeh sort of disconnects me from the background environment.

The results on the Gertrude Stein statue are less equivocal. The default portrait mode seems to favor the figure a bit more, though I still like the variable apertures' more realistic background blur.

Let's go Pro

Later, I started fiddling with a combination of aperture settings, shutter speeds, exposures, and focus. There are limits on all of these tools, but that's really the limitation of a smartphone camera. Without the really big sensor, wider space between the lens, aperture, shutter, and sensor, there's only so much you can do.

Still, I was impressed. My variable aperture shots look closer than ever to pro-level photography, and the additional pro controls are just so much fun to play with.

For this black and white style image, I adjusted the shutter speed to 1/223s with f1.8Lance UlanoffHere, the shutter speed is just 1/121s with f2.8Lance Ulanoffshutter speed 1/602s at f1.8Lance UlanoffF2.2 at a slow 1/60s.Lance UlanoffThis is a high-speed shot (1/2088s) at f1.48.Lance UlanoffEven though there was a lot of shadow, I used the Pro settings to push this to 1/693s with an f1.48 aperture.Lance UlanoffF1.48s with high shutter speed (1/14286s).Lance Ulanoff

If there's any disappointment here, it's that we have just one variable aperture. I could do amazing things with more f-stops on the telephoto lens. Ah well, there's always next year.

Check out my gallery to see some of what I shot on my first day with the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

• New and improved solar panel materials have been analyzed
• Two key physics effects combine to create the improvements
• It could help panels break through the 33% energy conversion rate

There's a long-standing physics theory that suggests solar panels will only ever be able to convert a maximum of 33% of the sunlight that comes their way, but a team from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands has detailed a way to harvest extra energy from 'hot' electrons that could push through this limit.

Solar panels work by using the photons from sunshine to jump-start electrons. With the most energetic photons, the result is super-charged, so-called hot electrons, that have the potential to generate significantly more electricity — but the problem is they cool down too quickly and lose the energy as heat before it can be captured.

This new research builds on previous studies reporting a promising new tin-based solar panel material. The material has demonstrated it can keep the heat from hot electrons trapped for around 1,000 times longer — but there have been competing ideas about the mechanism making that possible.

Trying to clarify what was going on, though a series of computer simulations and experimental measurements, was the purpose of the new research: understanding the material's key properties will help scientists build on the potential of the material and potentially scale it up into something that's viable commercially.

Ultra-long cooling

Two physics effects are essential for the upgrades reported by scientists (Image credit: Faber et al., ACS Energy Letters, 2026)

The analysis carried out by the researchers determined that there were two different actions at work. First, an effect called a hot phonon bottleneck creates a heat trap: as the environment around the buzzing electrons warms up so quickly, the electrons end up reabsorbing the thermal energy again, keeping their heat for longer.

Second, what's known as the Burstein-Moss effect creates an atomic traffic jam. As hot electrons cool, they quickly fill up the lowest available energy states in the material, which means other hot electrons can't lose their heat as quickly — it's like an airplane filling up from the front, with passengers arriving later having to walk all the way to the back.

These two effects were already known about, but now we know they're the reason that these special solar panel materials work — and that in combination they provide the extended hot electron cooling that might help to nudge future solar panels above that crucial 33% ceiling, and create clean energy more efficiently.

"It is the simultaneous satisfaction of these electronic, phononic, and chemical criteria, operating under high-injection conditions, that enables the ultra-long cooling times necessary for practical devices," write the researchers in their published paper, which appears in the journal ACS Energy Letters.