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• Trusted Signing, a Microsoft certificate-signing service, is being abused by criminals, researchers are saying
• The criminals are signing malware with short-lived, three-day certificates
• Microsoft is actively monitoring for certificate abuse

Cybersecurity experts have warned Trusted Signing, Microsoft’s code-signing platform, is being abused to grant malware certificates and help it bypass endpoint protection and antivirus programs.

Certificates are digital credentials that verify the authenticity, integrity, and security of software. They use cryptographic keys to establish secure communications and prevent tampering or impersonation, and are considered crucial for encrypting sensitive data, ensuring secure transactions, and maintaining user trust. In software development, code-signing certificates validate that an application has not been altered after release.

Microsoft describes Trusted Signing as a, “fully managed, end-to-end signing solution that simplifies the certificate signing process and helps partner developers more easily build and distribute applications.”

Lumma Stealer and others

However, BleepingComputer reports multiple researchers observing threat actors using Trusted Signing to sign their malware with “short-lived, three-day code-signing certificates”.

Software signed this way will remain valid until the certificate is revoked, which suggests that the malware could successfully bypass security solutions for a lot longer.

The malware samples they analyzed were signed by "Microsoft ID Verified CS EOC CA 01,” it was said.

Among the campaigns abusing Microsoft are Crazy Evil Traffers’ crypto heist, and Lumma Stealer.

One of the ways Microsoft seems to be tackling this issue is to only allow certificates to be issued under the name of a company that’s been operational for at least three years.

However, individuals can sign up and get faster approval, if the certificate is issued under their name.

Microsoft says it is constantly monitoring the landscape and revoking certificates that were found to have been abused.

"When we detect threats we immediately mitigate with actions such as broad certificate revocation and account suspension. The malware samples you shared are detected by our antimalware products and we have already taken action to revoke the certificates and prevent further account abuse,” the company noted.

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• This VPN is being abused to spread malware
• We've rounded up the best password managers
• Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will come to PS5 on April 17, 2025
• Bethesda has confirmed this today after rumors pointed to an imminent reveal
• The game was exclusive to Xbox and PC upon its initial release last November

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be released for PlayStation 5 on April 27 this year, Bethesda has revealed.

Shared in a post across its social media profiles, the publisher of the game has revealed the much-anticipated PS5 release date with a video featuring a look at the upcoming box art, and presented by Troy Baker in discussion with familiar face Nolan North.

See what happens when @nolan_north sends @TroyBakerVA an urgent text...#IndianaJones and the Great Circle launches on PlayStation 5 on April 17! pic.twitter.com/zY3g608wWRMarch 24, 2025

This is superb news for PS5 players who have been waiting patiently to play as the whip-wielding hero, and its release on another platform also marks the next step in Xbox's multiplatform strategy, taking games to competing platforms to reach more people.

Bethesda had originally teased that something was going to be announced today with the below social media post featuring Troy Baker.

keep eyes here tomorrow pic.twitter.com/WjeA1NSe3rMarch 23, 2025

We first reviewed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle when it initially launched on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass last November, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hardware writer Dashiell Wood said that it's "sure to go down as one of the greatest Indy adaptations in history." He went on to say that the game is "a globe-trotting adventure that will delight even those with just a passing knowledge of it. It’s also just a sheer joy to play thanks to some incredibly well-realized locations that are brimming with enough secrets to occupy you for hours at a time."

Fans of the movies who play on PS5, like myself, will now not have to wait long to dive in with pre-orders open right now. There's no news on specific PS5 features or DualSense Wireless Controller functionality yet, or indeed any graphical modes for PS5 Pro, so we'll ahve to wait and see if those details are announced in the run-up to the release date.

You might also like...

• The PS5 is currently selling faster than the PS4 did in the US, but I'm surprised to discover that the Xbox Series X and S are trailing behind Xbox One
• Sony patents PlayStation controller that you can charge by leaving in sunlight
• Minecraft developer rejects generative AI, 'it's important that it makes us feel happy to create as humans'

As AI shapes our world even further, we find ourselves at a defining intersecting moment for innovation and regulation. The EU AI Act officially going into effect and the emergence of tools like DeepSeek brings into focus the ethical implications of AI and the importance of responsible use.

Understanding and integrating AI responsibly doesn’t just stem from awareness, it requires a commitment to education, ethical practices and accountability. As technology propels us forward, businesses must uphold ethical standards to circumvent harm and bias and mitigate risk posed by AI.

By integrating a responsible approach to AI, businesses can continue to innovate while preventing misuse & misappropriation and fostering transparency. Employee training plays a pivotal role in this issue, ensuring a thorough understanding of AI ethics and compliance in practice. In a global context with varying regulatory frameworks, the challenge for companies is to build their own AI frameworks, creating a balance between regulations, ethics, and innovation. But how, and where, do we begin?

Start with compliance and employee training

As AI becomes a critical component of decision-making and daily operations, the importance of ethical AI training cannot be overstated. Organizations must recognize that implementing AI responsibly isn't just a technical challenge, but a people challenge too. A robust training program should cover key areas such as data privacy, misappropriation, transparency, accountability, and fairness, ensuring that AI use aligns with societal values and ethical principles. Neglecting this can lead to serious risks, including the misuse of AI tools, a loss of trust, damage to brand reputation, and even legal liabilities stemming from non-compliance.

To build an effective training strategy, it’s crucial to first assess the AI knowledge and skills of your workforce. Conducting baseline evaluations helps identify existing capability gaps, enabling leaders to design a training program that directly addresses those needs. Tracking progress over time ensures that employees continue to develop their skills and remain competent as AI technologies evolve.

Tailored development plans, which include regular feedback and guidance, empower employees to grow in their roles while fostering confidence in their ability to work with AI. It is crucial to understand how your organization intends to use AI, like specific use cases, and compare these needs with the skills of their workforce.

Role-specific risks must also be carefully considered. Not all employees interact with AI in the same way, so training should be customized to reflect their responsibilities. For example, employees handling sensitive data need advanced expertise in privacy protection and cybersecurity to minimize risks of data breaches.

Meanwhile, decision-makers must understand how to identify and address algorithmic bias to ensure fairness and equity in AI-driven outcomes. By creating role-based learning paths, organizations can prioritize the most relevant skills for each team member, optimizing the impact of training efforts.

Equally important is cultivating a culture of continuous learning. AI and its associated risks are constantly evolving, and regular risk assessments are essential to identify emerging knowledge gaps. Proactively updating training materials and programs helps employees stay prepared for new challenges and ensures they remain equipped to use AI responsibly over time. Additionally, incorporating practical, hands-on exercises, like simulated scenarios or ethical decision-making workshops, can reinforce learning and improve retention.

Implement ethical practices in your organization

The effective integration of AI into business processes requires organizations to adopt ethical practices that prioritize privacy, fairness, transparency, and sustainability. As AI becomes more embedded in decision-making and operations, it’s essential to ensure that its use aligns with both legal standards and ethical principles. This begins with establishing clear and prescriptive policies that outline what is and is not acceptable behavior when it comes to AI applications. These policies should provide guidance on data usage, decision-making, and accountability to prevent misuse or harm.

Compliance with global privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, is paramount. Organizations must ensure that data collection, storage, and usage practices align with these legal requirements, safeguarding consumer trust and protecting sensitive information. In addition, ethical frameworks need to account for current and emerging policies, like the EU AI Act, which aims to ensure that AI technologies are inclusive, transparent, and safe for users. This requires a proactive approach to understanding and implementing these standards.

To achieve this, organizations should establish a compliant governance structure that includes explicit policies and procedures for ethical AI use. This might involve regular auditing, rigorous testing of AI systems, and continuous monitoring to identify and mitigate potential risks. When businesses take these steps, they not only meet regulatory requirements but also build trust with their stakeholders and contribute to the sustainable and fair use of AI technology.

Investing in AI ethics training and adopting robust ethical practices are essential steps toward responsible and sustainable AI development. These efforts go beyond mere safeguards—they represent a strategic advantage. By integrating ethical principles into their AI workflows, backed with continuous and effective training, organizations can foster innovation responsibly, build enduring trust, and position themselves as leaders in shaping a future where AI serves the greater good.

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In Bad Law, Elie Mystal argues that our country's laws on immigration, abortion and voting rights don't reflect the will of most Americans, and we'd be better off abolishing them and starting over.

A firmware update will bring lossless audio and ultralow-latency audio to Apple's flagship headphones -- but only over a wired connection.

Billed as a ‘hardcore action RPG’ (role-playing game), The First Berserker: Khazan from developer Neople lives up to its description by offering a back-breaking, taxing, and demanding soulslike game that doesn’t ever let up, for better and for worse.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Release date: March 27, 2025

With some impressive combat and progression tweaks to the genre’s formula mixed in, it also has some solid ideas of its own. Dozens of hours of content, optional side missions, and secrets to find are backed up by some excellent voice work - even if the narrative doesn’t quite match the performance quality.

However, for long-running Soulslike fans, The First Berserker: Khazan’s combat feels on par with Lies of P’s quality. We are now at a point in the genre where developers are able to make combat that is on par with FromSoftware’s work on the iconic Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, et al. What is even more impressive is that this is Neople’s first soulslike - and you can’t tell at all.

(Image credit: Neople) A familiar formula

The setup of The First Berserker: Khazan is a familiar one for the genre. General Khazan wakes up after narrowly escaping death upon being branded a traitor and mercilessly tortured. Frail and weak, he stumbles upon an entity known as the Blade Phantom), providing him with grand, otherworldly powers, and allowing him to get back to his full strength.

On that journey, he will regain powers and abilities allowing him to use one of three weapon types while meeting a cast of characters that join him in a hub called The Crevice. They can upgrade his gear, improve his stats, and offer equipment to purchase, from weapons to armor pieces and your usual batch of consumables you can find in a soulslike game.

Khazan then journeys from level to level to seek revenge and become The First Berserker. While the game is set within the Dungeon & Fighter (DNF) universe, I have no experience with the other projects in it, but I found the story to be initially intriguing, offering impressive world design and great visuals and environments that grabbed me from the get-go.

(Image credit: Neople)

It also helps that the voice performances from Ben Starr as Khazan and Anthony Hell as the Blade Phantom, the two main characters you are with for most of the game, are fantastic. The rest of the supporting cast, bosses, and human characters you fight are also just as good. Everyone here does the best they can with the writing which often underdelivers.

As the story goes on, the game piles on lore and terminology that makes it a bit hard to follow for newcomers. The world you are exploring and the rules of it just sort of become an amorphous blob of stuff interjected between each level and boss fight. I’m sure it's really cool for fans of the DNF universe to see their world brought to life in a way it never has been before, but The First Berserker: Khazan doesn’t do a great job of keeping new players invested in it past the first few hours.

(Image credit: Neople) A brutal battering

While I wasn’t thrilled by the story, the combat in The First Berserker: Khazan is just exquisite. No soulslike has challenged me this consistently since I got into the genre with Bloodborne. There are so many adjectives I could use to describe the combat’s difficulty but it is simply one of the hardest soulslikes I have ever played. However, I loved every second of getting slaughtered.

The First Berserker: Khazan is heavily reliant on blocking, parrying, and dodging at the right times to avoid attacks, with even one hit doing significant damage. Precise dodge timing is required and parry windows are even shorter. Missing these will also lower your stamina with each block as you take damage, leaving you vulnerable and unable to move for a few seconds as your stamina fully recovers. It is grueling and there aren’t ways to get around these requirements either, unless you opt for the easier difficulty mode which lessens the effects of a lot of these punishing mechanics. You can’t simply out-level a boss or area.

The game also doesn’t opt for the build flexibility and customization that many soulslikes do these days, instead letting you develop and deepen combat with the three main weapon types (dual blades, greatsword, and spear) as you play. As you kill enemies and bosses, you earn skill points that unlock abilities that you can activate that vary up a weapon's moveset, as well as other moves and passive bonuses that are imbued into the weapon once activated.

I opted for a Greatsword in my playthrough and that allowed me to unlock abilities such as Breakthrough which let me charge into an enemy push them back away from a group and then slam down. Other abilities like Inner Fury summoned an explosion underneath where I was standing, dealing area of effect damage to everyone around me acting as a stun, building up an enemy’s stun meter to land a Brutal Attack while they were immobilized. It also helped with crowd control.

Best bit

The best moment in The First Berserker: Khazan came after finally beating Maluca after almost six hours. The fight is one of the best spectacles in the game, and it is a huge challenge to overcome, requiring you to master almost every aspect of combat from managing your stamina, knowing when to stun him, and honing your parries to deflect quick sword combos.

Within the skill tree, there are also additional combat moves that you can seamlessly slot in between attacks, such as being able to use a charged heavy attack with some added reach after performing the first hit in a light combo or being able to guard as you charge your heavy attack. There is even a ranged Spear attack that you can use.

This is the first time I can remember a skill tree and traditional combat abilities working this well in soulslike and I loved the fluid, dynamic nature of fighting in The First Berserker: Khazan as I unlocked more skills with a weapon. There’s an exceptional flow I got into as i combined attacks and seamlessly interweaved moves that became addicting. It’s all supported by excellent sound design and music, with the clink of a parry and the swoosh of a perfect dodge being especially satisfying.

Of course, combat is nothing in a soulslike without enemies, and The First Berserker: Khazan has a wealth of them. Skeletons, humans, demons, dragons, and more litter the game’s 16 levels and many bonus missions. They all have a great, varied selection of attacks and I never had issues with struggling to understand which moves were being telegraphed. The only downside is there are a few too many brown and grey villages and areas where you fight these enemies, that lack the flair seen early on and towards the end of the game.

Bosses, however, are exceptional and always a spectacle. The way their attacks and the visual effects combine together to create grand, herculean challenges is an aspect of the game that never gets old. Each one also challenged me in entirely different ways, requiring different approaches almost every time and forcing me to adapt to new combat styles.

Endure and try to survive

However, the sheer amount of attacks to learn, the parry timing, and the damage these bosses do, combined with the demanding combat is a lot to endure. I spent several hours on every single boss, sometimes spending more than five hours trying to finish them off. For example, Aratra, a giant spider has a number of stabs and swipes it can perform with its legs, a few jumping grab attacks, as well as a charge that requires you to block half-a-dozen successive hits. It also can inflict poison with its attacks, forcing you to manage a poison meter at the same time.

Another boss Rangkus, offers a unique blend of both ranged crossbow atatcks and melee attacks, forcing you to adjust to his constantly shifting moveset that switches between the two styles. You not only have to block, parry, dodge, and close the gap on him, but you also need to manage your position in the arena to stay close to him, preventing him from doing his more punishing area of effect attacksor charged crossbow shots that are almost impossible to dodge.

The First Berserker: Khazan has some of the hardest bosses I’ve ever experienced in the genre because they all ask so much of the player. While it felt like being in the trenches in the moment, the exhilarating jubilation I felt after beating each one is a feeling I haven’t felt in the genre in a very long time. Combat is really quite exceptional and to have something of this quality come from a studio’s first soulslike game is impressive.

(Image credit: Neople) Ideas of its own

While The First Berserker: Khazan definitely borrows a lot from the games that came before it, there are a few interesting twists to the formula, most of which work. For example, you can actually provide larger damage and stamina recovery boosts to Khazan beyond the traditional five stat upgrades you get from the currency enemies drop. By finding Vengeance Points, you can boost these stats universally across the game’s levels which encourages you to explore thoroughly as there is a meaningful reward for doing so.

You can also perform similar upgrades by using items gained from the red enemy summons or spirits to boost your own summon, enhancing their damage and strength during boss fights, giving you a reason to actually fight them and invest in your summon if you want. Although the AI isn’t that great on your summon, they can be used as a punching bag for a boss to let you land some free hits.

There are also a lot of fun twists and optional bonus missions, such as fighting a boss again in a new form or exploring an area from a main level in a new way. There are also a few collectibles to find in these and the main missions that can provide a variety of extra bonuses, armor pieces, or gear. I really enjoyed doing these and chasing these items. Being encouraged to explore in this way for tangible rewards made the linear-level design more intriguing as I scoured every crevice for secrets.

The one area that the game offers a twist on the soulslike formula here - that doesn’t really work - is the amount of gear (weapon and armor) customisation options. You can craft gear, upgrade gear, rework attributes and stat bonuses on gear and entire gear sets, sell that gear for money and buy other gear, and even dismantle gear.

It’s a lot of ways to use your unwanted items, but I never felt the need to engage with any of them meaningfully. I was still just using everything I obtained while exploring and making use of gear sets and the bonuses granted by them. I never felt a need to actually think about crafting a gear set or dismantling gear to save up for a specific item from the blacksmith. It largely just feels tacked on because I got so much gear as I was playing.

Should you play The First Beserker: Khazan? Play it if...

You're a veteran of the genre and looking for a challenging Soulslike
The First Berserker: Khazan is one of the most demanding soulslikes in the genre. There is little room to make mistakes in a fight and you will need to perfect your ability usage, dodges, and parries to survive against tougher enemies and beat bosses.

You're a fan of the Dungeon & Fighter (DNF) universe and keen to see it realized in a whole new way
This is the first big-budget triple-A action RPG in the universe and it offers a brand new way for fans to see the world they love come to life. It also has robust mechanics and gameplay to support that world-building and lore.

Don't play it if...

You're looking for an accessible and approachable soulslike with a lot of flexibility
The First Berserker: Khazan offers no meaningful accessibility options or gameplay adjustments besides an easier difficulty. However, once you choose that difficulty, you can’t bump it back up to normal. Additionally, you have to learn how to parry, dodge, and master almost every core combat mechanic, you can’t find easy workarounds or broken builds here.

You're looking for a narrative-driven soulslike with an easy-to-follow, quality storyline
Despite some great voice work, the writing and storyline here aren’t anything you haven’t seen before in the genre or other action games. It’s a by-the-numbers revenge tale and the writing often lets down the amazing performances. It’s also hard to follow for newcomers to the DNF universe.

Accessibility features

The First Berserker: Khazan includes aim assist for ranged weapons and an easy difficulty for those who are finding the combat too challenging. However, once you choose easy difficulty, you can’t change the difficulty back to normal, and the game doesn’t have any fine-tuning options for combat such as adjusting the parry window. The combat also doesn’t have much wiggle room to make things easier with upgrades and you can’t customize button mappings outside of the two default templates.

There are also no options for people who are colorblind, visually impaired, deaf, or have motor and reaction time problems besides some very minor adjustments such as hold to sprint, turning screen shake off, and basic subtitle options.

(Image credit: Neople) How I reviewed The First Berserker: Khazan

I played The First Berserker: Khazan for 30 hours completing the majority of the game’s main missions and finishing most of the side content. I played the game mostly in performance mode on PS5 with a DualSense Edge PS5 controller on a Gigabyte M28U gaming monitor and using SteelSeries Arena 3 computer speakers.

The First Berserker: Khazan tested me in much the same way Bloodborne did when I tried the genre in 2015. Since that year I have played almost every game in the genre including Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring, Demon’s Souls, Lies of P, The Surge, Lords of the Fallen, Ashen, Darksiders 3, and more.

First reviewed March 2025.

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #386).

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

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… For starters

NYT Strands today (game #387) - hint #2 - clue words

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

• PROP
• SAME
• SAWING
• CHOP
• CHAP
• POEM

NYT Strands today (game #387) - hint #3 - spangram letters How many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 9 letters

NYT Strands today (game #387) - hint #4 - spangram position What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: left, 4th row

Last side: right, 5th row

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

NYT Strands today (game #387) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #387, are…

• SLIDERS
• POPPERS
• WINGS
• FONDUE
• NACHOS
• CALAMARI
• SPANGRAM: APPETIZER

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

The WINGS phenomenon is fascinating. Once the part of a chicken no one wanted to eat, they are now so popular that there’s a few weeks every year where people panic on social media over a shortage when the supermarket shelves are temporarily bare and word spreads that Domino's is running short.

It’s no wonder there are supply fluctuations. According to the National Chicken Council, Americans consumed 1.5 billion chicken wings over Super Bowl weekend this year – that’s up 20 million on the previous year.

How are there enough birds to cope?

That said, although there are no chains exclusively selling squid – Squid Stop, anyone? – it’s amazing that there’s enough of them caught to cope with the demand for CALAMARI, truly the king APPETIZERs.

Although quality can vary between sublime and rubber band, I can’t look anywhere else if ever I see them on a menu.

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

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 24 March, game #386)

• EAGLES
• KISS
• RUSH
• GENESIS
• JOURNEY
• HEART
• BLONDIE
• SPANGRAM: ROCK BAND

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.

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #1155).

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 #1156) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* 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 #1156) - 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 1.

Quordle today (game #1156) - 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 #1156) - 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 2.

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 #1156) - hint #5 - starting letters (2) What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• S

• W

• F

• S

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

Quordle today (game #1156) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1156, are…

• SNEER
• WATCH
• FLORA
• STAIN

My winning streak continues, thanks in large part to getting plenty of green and yellow hits with my start words.

With three options on my final word (either batch, patch or WATCH) I managed to pick the correct one.

I’d like to pretend there was some science to this choice, but it was pure luck. That said, I did ask myself, “what is the most Quordley of all these words?”, which is usually the word you are least likely to think is correct.

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

Daily Sequence today (game #1156) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1156, are…

• CROWN
• ANGRY
• RATIO
• CLONE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1155, Monday 24 March: FLOUT, SMASH, RAZOR, SMALL
• Quordle #1154, Sunday 23 March: ALLEY, GAMUT, GEESE, RADII
• Quordle #1153, Saturday 22 March: PICKY, BRACE, BOOZE, SURLY
• Quordle #1152, Friday 21 March: DITTY, VALOR, TOWER, AMISS
• Quordle #1151, Thursday 20 March: RIPER, STILL, WAFER, NOTCH
• Quordle #1150, Wednesday 19 March: FLAME, CARAT, SPAWN, TUNIC
• Quordle #1149, Tuesday 18 March: NAVEL, TREAT, COPSE, SLINK
• Quordle #1148, Monday 17 March: INFER, FLINT, CHUMP, SHEER
• Quordle #1147, Sunday 16 March: INPUT, RUMBA, ELUDE, BLANK
• Quordle #1146, Saturday 15 March: SPEED, CLASH, RISKY, GRATE
• Quordle #1145, Friday 14 March: BELIE, SPEAR, GROWL, ADOBE
• Quordle #1144, Thursday 13 March: AMISS, METAL, TEARY, SHORT
• Quordle #1143, Wednesday 12 March: AWASH, PUSHY, RALPH, PROOF
• Quordle #1142, Tuesday 11 March: LINGO, JUICE, SHARP, REVEL
• Quordle #1141, Monday 10 March: AVAIL, THESE, TITAN, GAUGE
• Quordle #1140, Sunday 9 March: SKILL, IDEAL, WHERE, REHAB
• Quordle #1139, Saturday 8 March: WATCH, LAPSE, WREST, HEFTY
• Quordle #1138, Friday 7 March: GLEAN, SHINY, DECRY, MANGA
• Quordle #1137, Thursday 6 March: TRICE, EIGHT, BELCH, RIPER
• Quordle #1136, Wednesday 5 March: PLEAD, TWANG, MAJOR, RISKY

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 Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, March 24 (game #652).

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 #653) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• BALE
• CRYSTAL
• PANDA
• MUD
• TEDDY
• TUXEDO
• ABLE
• DAY
• ABEL
• CAL
• A BELL
• OREO
• ABE
• CROSSWORD
• BELA
• DICK

NYT Connections today (game #653) - hint #1 - group hints

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

• YELLOW: Monochrome
• GREEN: Letter jumble 
• BLUE: Head of state
• PURPLE: Sayings, apparently

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 #653) - hint #2 - group answers

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

• YELLOW: BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS
• GREEN: ANAGRAMS 
• BLUE: U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NICKNAMES 
• PURPLE: CLEAR AS ___ 

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

NYT Connections today (game #653) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #653, are…

• YELLOW: BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS CROSSWORD, OREO, PANDA, TUXEDO
• GREEN: ANAGRAMS ABEL, ABLE, BALE, BELA
• BLUE: U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NICKNAMES ABE, CAL, DICK, TEDDY
• PURPLE: CLEAR AS ___ A BELL, CRYSTAL, DAY, MUD

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

Today’s puzzle was CLEAR AS ___ MUD to begin with and I foolishly wasted time thinking that one group was made up of famous actors CRYSTAL (Billy), BALE (Christian) and, stretching the limits of logic, DAY (Daniel Day-Lewis), and er DICK (Van Dyke).

Next, I pondered on A BELL being an abbreviation of Alexander Graham Bell, the telephone inventor.

And then, well it became as clear as CRYSTAL.

I wasn’t sure if OREO qualified but I was confident that CROSSWORD, PANDA, and TUXEDO are BLACK-AND-WHITE THINGS.

The unexpected joy of snagging a purple foursome followed, before I finally clocked that ABEL, ABLE, BALE and BELA contained the same four letters and were ANAGRAMS of each other.

All a blessing, as I would never have gotten U.S. PRESIDENTIAL NICKNAMES in a month of Super Tuesdays.

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

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, 24 March, game #652)

• YELLOW: BAD-SMELLING FOUL, RANK, RIPE, SOUR
• GREEN: UNFLUCTUATING CONSTANT, LEVEL, STABLE, UNIFORM
• BLUE: WHO VIDEO GAMES ARE FOR, PER ESRB RATINGS ADULTS ONLY, EVERYONE, MATURE, TEEN
• PURPLE: THINGS WITH LAYERS EARTH, HENHOUSE, ONION, PHOTOSHOP

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.

Huawei FreeArc: One minute review

With audio brands and tech companies announcing open-ear earbuds left, right and center, it was only a matter of time before Chinese giant Huawei got in on the action too.

It was only minutes into the testing for this Huawei FreeArc review, though, that I understood these to be some of the best open-ear buds on the market right now. Huawei’s onto something here!

The reason for this is simple: as of their release, the Huawei FreeArc are the best-sounding examples of this form factor, and that’s a really impressive selling point given how earbuds like this work.

For those who aren’t familiar, open-ear headphones like these dangle the earbud over your eardrum, instead of plonking it straight in there; this means you can still hear sounds beyond your music. Useful for people in busy areas or who need to hear announcements, but less useful for audiophiles as having a bud centimeters from your ear can spell doom for well-tuned music.

Not with the FreeArc, though. Music has an impressive soundstage, sounds delicately tuned and maintains bristling energy. The best compliment I can give to Huawei is that I often forgot I was listening to open-ears.

Two enthusiastic thumbs up in the audio department, then, although the FreeArc do struggle just a little in a few other departments. The battery life is one, with the 23-hour lasting power of the case in particular an area that might dissuade certain buyers.

If you’ve got an Android phone, you’ll also find the app install process an absolute pain, as you have to side-load multiple apps through APKs. The process is only suitable for technophiles, or someone who can rope in a tech-savvy relative or friend to help.

OK so great-sounding, just slightly annoying to set up? Yes, but we're missing the big draw. Huawei has priced these buds to sell, making them some of the most affordable open-ears on the market right now.

You can overlook a few of issues in tech with competitive pricing, and the Huawei FreeArc do benefit from that when you consider their feature set. But purely from a sonic perspective, these are an absolute steal at the price.

Huawei FreeArc review: Specifications Huawei FreeArc review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Announced in February 2025
• Priced at £99.99 (roughly $130, AU$200)
• Not on sale in Australia or US

The Huawei FreeArc were announced in February 2025, at the same time as a slew of rivals, and went on sale shortly afterwards.

You can pick up the buds for £99.99 (roughly $130, AU$200) so they’re priced competitively against many of these competitors. There’s no US or AU pricing at the time of writing and I don’t expect the buds will go on sale in either region.

There are a few open-ear buds priced around that general area, or a slight amount cheaper, but most competitors cost up to 50% more. So Huawei has put out a really tempting option here.

Huawei FreeArc review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Mid-sized charging case
• Comfortable and reliable bud fit
• Temperamental touch controls

The Huawei FreeArc comes in a square carry case; it’s not the smallest I’ve ever seen from open-ear buds, but it’s definitely at the smaller end of the spectrum.

The case measures 67.8 x 67.8 x 26.5mm and weighs 67g, and it has basically what you’d expect from an earbuds case: place to lay each bud, a pairing button, and a USB-C port for charging.

The buds themselves weigh 8.9g so they’re not the lightest open-ears I’ve ever tested, but the difference is just a gram or so and they are by no means heavy. Like most open-ears (although not ear-clip/cuff designs – see the Bose Ultra Open), they consist of the main body as well as a sports loop that circles and slips behind the ear, which in the Huawei’s case ends in quite a pronounced teardrop shape.

Evidence of how easily-bendable the hook is. (Image credit: Future)

I found them reliably comfortable and lightweight to wear, and they didn’t shift much during exercises or runs, a problem some other open-ears have. Instead they’re firmly held pretty close to the ear, so you can hear your music well.

The buds’ body supports gesture controls, but I found them a little bit temperamental in picking up my touch. You’re meant to be able to swipe to change volume, double tap to pause or play songs and triple-tap to skip songs, and while the tapping ones worked well, I had to fight with the buds to pick up swiping.

The charging case doesn’t have any protective certification but the earbuds are IP57, which was a pleasant surprise to see given that most rivals are IP54. The ‘5’ in common means that they’re dust resistant and the ‘7’ means that they’re waterpoof up to a depth of 1m for half an hour, whereas most rivals are simply splash-proof. I don’t think this means that you should swim with the buds, but it still means they’re protected from the elements.

You can buy the FreeArcs in black, white or pale green, and as you can tell from the images, my review sample was the former.

• Design score: 4/5

Huawei FreeArc review: Features

(Image credit: Future)

• Battery life is 7 hours (only 23 for case)
• App has convoluted installation process
• Could do with extra features

The feature set is the Huawei FreeArc’s Achilles Heel, so let’s get the criticisms out the way upfront.

Firstly, the battery life isn’t amazing. At 7 hours of listening per bud, it’s not awful, though plenty of other buds (especially open-ears) beat it. But worse is the charging case, which only gets you 28 hours of listening, a stat that’s got to be one of the lowest I’ve seen in buds like this.

My biggest issue was that downloading the Huawei AI Life app, to unlock extra features, was an absolute pain (on Android, at least, but on iOS it’s simple). To get it on my Realme phone I had to download Huawei’s AppGallery (as an APK on my browser, as it’s not on the Play Store), which took some convincing on my phone, then use the AppGallery to download the AI Life, convince my phone to let me side-load apps from this app, and then set it up via this app. It’s a lot of faff and it took me about 10 minutes, which is approximately 9 and a half minutes more than this process generally takes me during reviews.

(Image credit: Future)

I’m not entirely convinced that the process is worth it either. It mainly lets you find your earbuds if you’ve misplaced them, manage which devices your buds are connected to, and change what the gesture controls do.

The main feature of the app is access to four music presets (default, Elevate for workouts, Treble boost and Voices for boosting vocals). You can also make your own, which gives you access to a 10-band equalizer.

Unlike at least one contemporary rival (that would be the Honor Earbuds Open) there’s no active noise cancellation, no low latency mode and no gimmicky AI feature – yes, I’m looking at the Honor Earbuds Open's AI translator here. None of these are ubiquitous in open-ears so I can’t detract points for that, but the FreeArc do feel like they’re missing some kind of USP.

• Features score: 4/5

Huawei FreeArc review: Sound performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Large 17mm x 12mm drivers
• Impressive sound stage
• Could have done with ANC

The core selling point of the Huawei FreeArc is that they’re the best-sounding open-ear earbuds I’ve tested to date. That’s not the biggest compliment in the world, given that the form factor naturally leads to worse audio (the speaker is dangling away from your ear, of course, and bass clout is usually the first casualty), but I was still impressed with how the FreeArcs sound.

The most palpable and immediately-obvious positive of the FreeArcs’ audio is the soundstage: it’s unprecedented for open-ears, and I was surprised to be able to pick out the strums of guitars and range of piano keys when I was listening.

Music is energetic and exciting, zealous and crisp, and it was a joy to listen to my favorite workout songs and actually hear the details in them. Admittedly, lots of my excitement came from the sheer fact that I could make out individual lines in songs (I hate to harp on, but open-ears generally sound pretty bad), but the Huawei’s do sound great.

Each earbud has a single 17mm x 12mm driver, which is bigger than I can recall seeing in past open-ear headphones, and that might go some way in explaining the quality of the Huawei FreeArc's sonic performance.

I would have liked to hear a little more bass in the FreeArc, as it ended up sounding just a touch underwhelming during workouts when I wanted a bassy kick. The aforementioned Elevate mode does improve things in terms of bass clout, but it also makes more complex songs sound oddly ‘crunchy’ and distorted, so I stopped using it.

It was almost a shame to listen to such high-quality audio in open-ears – it sounded amazing when listening in quiet environments, but as soon as I left the house or went somewhere busy, the extraneous noise that can't help but enter your ear makes it hard to appreciate the detail. ANC would be a blessing on these buds.

• Sound performance score: 5/5

Huawei FreeArc review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

Given that Huawei tends to release premium products, I was surprised to see the FreeArcs go for £99, which makes them fairly affordable as open-ears go.

They'd be decent value if they only had 'good' sound quality, but the fact that they sound great really helps cement the Huawei FreeArc as one of the best-value open-ear buds you can buy right now.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Huawei FreeArc review: scorecard Huawei FreeArc: Should I buy?

(Image credit: Future) Buy them if...

You're an audiophile

If you care about audio fidelity but still need to use open-ear headphones, the FreeArcs are your go-to pick.

You're on a middling budget

While I can't recommend the Huawei FreeArc for people on a low budget, those willing to spend a middling amount will find these a great pick..

You have an iPhone or Huawei mobile

I've waxed lyrical about the app installation pains, but this isn't an issue for people who use iPhones or Huawei devices.

Don't buy them if...

You wait a while before charging

The FreeArcs' battery life isn't awful, but the case charge is. If you don't often get a chance to power up your gadgets, their 23-hour lasting time might not cut it.

You don't listen when it's quiet

Due to their design, you can only make the most of the Huaweis if you listen somewhere quiet. If you only use earbuds in noisy environments, you might not appreciate these buds.

Also consider

Honor Earbuds Open

These buds cost a little more and don't quite match the Huawei buds in sound, but their battery life is better, plus they offer effective active noise cancellation (I know, it shouldn't work, but it does).

Read our full Honor Earbuds Open review

OpenRock Pro

Fitness users should look perhaps to the OpenRock; they have an incredible battery life and a sturdy design – don't expect quite the levels of sonic brilliance as the Huawei or Honor options above though.

Read our full OpenRock Pro review

How I tested

I listened to the Huawei FreeArcs for two weeks before writing this review, and the testing process coincided with that of two rivals: the Honor Earbuds Open and the EarFun Openjump, which helped me better understand all three.

I used the Huawei FreeArc alongside my Android smartphone for most of the review, and also paired them to my Windows laptop at several times. Mostly I listened to music on Spotify but also tested podcasts, games and TV shows. I tested them at home, in the office, on walks around my area and also for various workouts (road cycling, running and gym workouts).

The FreeArcs are the latest of many products I've reviewed for TechRadar; I've been doing so for over six years and have reviewed headphones, smartphones, tablets and more.

Read more about how we test

• First reviewed: March 2025

• Apple is rolling out lossless audio and ultra-low-latency support to AirPods Max with USB-C
• You'll still need a cable though: Apple's introduced a new USB-C to 3.5mm audio option
• It's the first major software update for Apple's over-ears, which were refreshed with USB-C in September 2024

While iOS 18.4 won't introduce the AI-infused Siri, it will expand the feature set and capabilities of Apple’s AirPods Max. The Cupertino giant's flagship over-ear headphones last received an update in September 2024, with a USB-C port and new colors, but no changes to the audio performance.

That will change with iOS 18.4, though, as when Apple ships the software update in April, AirPods Max will get support for lossless and ultra-low latency audio when used with a cable. Yes, note the catch: it won’t be available wirelessly.

While you might be thinking you’re limited to a USB-C to USB-C cable, ie. the one that comes in the box with AirPods Max, Apple is also – finally – bringing back a USB-C to 3.5mm audio cable to let you unlock listening in better quality with more devices. Yes, you'll need to get one of those, but if you wanted to listen to Apple Music's Lossless output on some of the best hi-res audio players it is now an option.

(Image credit: Apple)

Now, Apple Music's Lossless audio on AirPods Max with a cable will be supported up to 24-bit/48 kHz, a healthy improvement over than anything you'll get over Bluetooth. That is also an improvement over AirPods Max with Lightning, as when used with a cable, you could hit 24-bit/48 kHz audio, but it went through some additional processing.

It’s worth noting, though, that this is below Apple Music's maximum Hi-Res Lossless output – that is, 24-bit/192kHz – so you’d need one of the best headphone DACs to unlock the streaming service's full potential.

Even so, this should improve the listening experience, and lossless audio here will also be compatible with ‘Personalized Spatial Audio’ to improve immersion, and dynamic head-tracking will still be enabled here. Apple also notes that this makes the AirPods Max the first headphones to let you create, mix, and listen in the spatial audio standard with head-tracking as well.

If you’re after the lowest latency possible, maybe for the first listen of a new album or to give you a leg up when playing a AAA title like Resident Evil 3 or Assassin's Creed Shadows, plugging in via the cable is likely worth it.

Apple says the ultra-low-latency experience with AirPods Max is on par with the speakers built into the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This means that the AirPods Max should offer a meaningful improvement in lowering lag, making them a better fit for gaming or even live streaming your playing.

Two features arriving in the form of a free update is excellent news, but Apple also releasing a USB-C to 3.5 mm audio cable is fantastic news. It was a weird omission not to offer this alongside the original launch of AirPods Max with USB-C, and it is a very welcome addition to Apple’s cable lineup.

(Image credit: Apple)

The cable is up for order now at $39.99 / £39 / AU$65 in one size – 1.2 meters – and only comes in the color white. I do hope Apple might eventually drop it in color-matched options to the AirPods Max with USB-C – purple, blue, orange, Midnight, or Starlight – though.

We also know that iOS 18.4 – as well as iPadOS 18.4 and macOS Sequoia 15.4 – will arrive in April of 2024, and you’ll need to install that on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to get your AirPods Max with USB-C to be updated. In fact, just a few weeks back, Apple finally shed some light on how to update your AirPods.

There is also no change to pricing for AirPods Max with USB-C, in any color these over-ear cans are $549 / £499 / AU$899. Though right now, in the United States, on Amazon, they are just $479.99.

Much like Adaptive Audio or the hearing health features arriving for AirPods Pro, Apple continues to have an excellent pattern here – and that’s offering up new features months down the line as a free upgrade for its AirPods customers.

It stretches the value significantly, especially for a product like AirPods Max, which doesn’t get as frequently refreshed as AirPods Pro or AirPods – it’s nice to see feature drops like this arrive.

Let’s hope there will be more in store at Apple’s WWDC 2025, which should take place in just a few short months in June of 2025 if that tradition continues.

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@techradar

♬ original sound - TechRadar

ChatGPT was down for many on Monday (March 24), especially users in the US, where prompts were returning error messages across multiple models, including 4o and 03-mini.

We first noticed the issue on a number of our own ChatGPT queries and then confirmed that others are reporting similar issues with the artificial intelligence platform on Downdetector and on Reddit. Dwondetector, which tracks outages across the web, noted outage reports starting at roughly 9AM ET and growing since then until then started declining around 11AM ET.

ChatGPT and Sora most recently suffered major outages late last year and in January but have been fairly stable since then.

Today's issues, which were acknowledged by OpenAI on its status page, lasted roughly three hours. However, the worst of them was only about 45 minutes (we couldn't process prompts and Sora was unavailable).

OpenAI has not published any further details on the outage beyond the acknowledgment and mitigation measures.

No answers

(Image credit: Future)

This is what the outage looks like when you're trying to get a prompt response from ChatGPT 4o.

What's notable here is that the platform is not down but ChatGPT's ability to answer after ingesting a prompt appears compromised.

ChatGPT has yet to acknowledge any issues on its X (formerly Twitter) feed but we'll keep an eye on it for updates.

Up not down

(Image credit: Future)

Downdetector's report tracker for OpenAI services has been rising since the morning (9AM ET) and steadily rising since then.

It's worth noting that the service is tracking all OpenAI services and not just ChatGPT. However, most reports we're seeing elsewhere only point to ChatGPT as the primary culprit.

The outage may not be global since our counterparts in the UK report no issues with processing prompts.

We're seeing them on both the desktop and iOS app.

Reddit gets it

(Image credit: Future)

While not everyone is reporting issues, the outage has risen to what we like to call "Reddit Level". That's when word of it props up on Reddit, a place where someone can stand up and say (post), "YoC chatGPT is not working for me. Whatsup?!" Reddit's 1.6B users will then be on the case.

In this case, the user asked if it was down and then noted how his chat history appeared to have disappeared. Thankfully, our chat history is still in place.

Sora block

(Image credit: Future)

While we don't have many individual outage reports for Sora, we did find that we can no longer log into the generative video AI platform. That's a bit worse than ChatGPT where we can at least log in and enter a prompt that currently goes nowhere.

Downdetector doesn't break out individual OpenAI service platforms, but, since this is an OpenAI outage, we can safely assume that it may be affecting more than just ChatGPT.

Signs of life

(Image credit: Future)

While we successfully entered a prompt and received a response from ChatGPT, the results spit out slowly, like a second per word. So there is still sluggishness here and we're not clear if OpenAI and ChatGPT are out of the woods, yet.

We've also contacted OpenAI for comment on the service issue and we'll update our live coverage with its response.

OpenAI confirms

(Image credit: Future)

While we have yet to hear back from OpenAI, its own status system reveals ongoing issues.

"We're currently experiencing issues," notes the page and specifically points to ChatGPT and "increased error rates."

Even though OpenAI doesn't call put Sora, we can see from the chart that it too has had a few blips this morning.

Sora coming back

(Image credit: Future)

We were able to successfully log into Sora, enter a prompt, and generate a video. That's good news for all you fans of anthropomorphic animals (our own personal favorite generative video subject).

Still, if OpenAI's servers are having trouble, you may want to wait a bit for the platform to clear the decks before you hand it any mission-critical work.

The recovery continues

(Image credit: Future)

All of ChatGPT's key models are now working again – at least in our tests – but the results still flow in very slowly. While a bit frustrating, it's preferable to the models being completely unavailable.

Similarly, Downdetector reports for OpenAI have been on the decline, and that's a good sign from the wider audience.

A return to normal

(Image credit: Future)

As you can see from the above chart, OpenAI, and ChatGPT in particular, is returning to normal operations.

OpenAI offered a small update on its status page regarding the outage, noting that it's identified the issue and is working on "implementing mitigation." Whatever OpenAI is doing, it appears to be working.

(Image credit: Future) Regular speed

(Image credit: Future)

Tests of multiple ChatGPT models show the generative AI platform is not only back, it's essentially at full speed. 4o, o1, and 03-mini are all returning answers almost instantly (the reasoning ones are designed to take a beat before spitting out a response).

Tough day for many AI

(Image credit: Future)

When ChatGPT outage reports first surfaced, we noticed that Perplexity was, according to Downdetector. It quickly recovered but now we're seeing Anthropic's Claude users reporting service issues.

Granted, Claude AI is not nearly as popular or widely used as ChatGPT but one has to wonder if these outages are in any way connected.

It is possible that some systems might be relying on the same web service provider (say they were all using AWS). Not likely, but the coincidence is interesting and, for now, unexplained.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT is almost back to normal.

It could've been worse

(Image credit: Future)

A closer look at OpenAI's status page reveals an over 99% uptime for Sora and ChatGPT, a great record by any measure. Plus, this outage, which appears nearly resolved, did not spread globally.

Multiple check-ins with our UK counterparts found a responsive ChatGPT service capable of instantly answering any prompt.

In fact, this outage didn't even warrant a red bar. There were outages in December 2024 and January of this year which were much more severe.

(Image credit: Future) It's over

(Image credit: Future)

According to OpenAI's status page, there are no longer any issues. TechRadar can confirm that ChatGPT is now functioning normally. Now it's time to get back to work with these penguins.

(Image credit: Sora)

The Galaxy S25 series joins our list of the best Samsung phones we've tested and that you should consider buying.

• Researchers claim primary target of a recent cascading supply chain attack was Coinbase
• The cryptocurrency exchange was not compromised, but hundreds of other projects might suffer
• The attack went through a GitHub Action tool

The endgame of the recent cascading supply chain attack on GitHub was to breach Coinbase, one of the world’s most popular centralized cryptocurrency exchanges, experts have claimed.

Cybersecurity researchers Unit 42 (Palo Alto), and Wiz, revealed the attack, noting although Coinbase successfully defended itself, it is difficult to deem the attack a failure, since hundreds of other projects suffered as collateral damage.

Coinbase claims no damage was done - however, 218 other repositories are thought to have been impacted as a result of this attack.

No damage to Coinbase

A cascading supply chain attack is a cyberattack where compromising one component, such as a software dependency or tool, triggers a chain reaction that spreads the breach to multiple connected systems or projects.

In this case, cybercriminals tampered with a small tool, a GitHub Action called reviewdog/action-setup@v1. It is a popular tool that helps automate tasks in software projects. How they breached this Action wasn’t revealed, but the attackers managed to get the tool to leak certain access codes into publicly visible logs.

They then used these codes to inject more malicious code into another widely used tool, called tj-actions/changed-files. This tool is part of Coinbase's development process, and by doing so, they tried to move into the exchange’s code repository, gain deeper access, and wreak more havoc.

"The attacker obtained a GitHub token with write permissions to the coinbase/agentkit repository on March 14, 2025, 15:10 UTC, less than two hours before the larger attack was initiated against tj-actions/changed-files," Palo Alto Unit 42 said.

"We followed up by sharing more details of our findings with Coinbase, which stated that the attack was unsuccessful at causing any damage to the agentkit project, or any other Coinbase asset," the researchers added.

Once the threat actors realized their attack against Coinbase was unsuccessful, they pivoted to other projects, the researchers said. We don’t know if any other attacks were more fruitful for the criminals.

Via BleepingComputer

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Satechi SM3: Two-minute review

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)

Satechi has been making Apple-esque accessories for a few years now, with keyboards, mice, charging docks and more on its roster. But in all that time, it’s never made a mechanical keyboard – until the SM3 came along.

Satechi has opted to kick off its mechanical range with a full-size board that features a numpad on its right-hand edge. It looks great and will fit in neatly with your Apple devices, but it also works perfectly well with Windows PCs.

The key switches feel a little heavy and there’s only one switch choice. Satechi has opted for its own proprietary switch, making it harder to know how the board will feel before you buy. That holds it back, and we’d prefer more choice here. Looking beyond that, it’s got plenty of connectivity options, making it well suited to people who find themselves typing on different devices during the day.

Satechi SM3: Price & availability

• How much does it cost? $119.99 (about £93 / $190 AUD)
• When is it available? Available now
• Where can you get it? Available globally

The Satechi SM3 costs $119.99, which is about £93 or $190 AUD. That’s not an outrageous price to pay, especially for a full-length board.

Satechi SM3: Design

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)

The SM3 is Satechi’s first full-length, 108-character keyboard. That means it comes with a numpad on the right-hand side, along with a couple of bonus keys for connecting the device to Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, or over a cable.

My review unit came in a simple, attractive gray and white colorway, but there’s also a darker version available. Both come with 14 different backlighting patterns (some of which are a touch distracting) but it only shines in white – there’s no RGB here. That white backlighting was often hard to see in daylight against the white keycaps, making discerning keys with a quick glance trickier than it should have been. There was no issue in low light, though.

Image 1 of 2

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)

This is a slimline keyboard with low-profile keycaps (there are a few spare Windows ones in the box), and that helps it fit neatly into a bag on your travels, provided your backpack can accommodate the keyboard’s full-size length. The keycaps are removable, but any replacements need to fit Satechi’s proprietary switch stems (more on that later).

The SM3 is also impressively lightweight for a large keyboard, weighing in at 1.42lbs (648g) on my scales. For comparison, my Keychron K8 – with its smaller tenkeyless design – weighs 1.96lbs (889g). The Satechi SM3 comes with an aluminum top and sides, while the underneath is made from sturdy plastic.

Around the back are two pop-out feet to prop the board up. Although there are two height options here, they’re both at a fairly shallow angle. It would have been good to have an option for a higher incline. There’s also no wrist rest, but that’s not a huge problem.

Satechi SM3: Performance Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)

The Satechi SM3 is a mechanical keyboard, but it only comes with one switch: a proprietary brown tactile option. It’s a little heavy and sluggish in use, and after a few days I noticed some finger fatigue from having to press harder than I’m used to. A more lightweight configuration would have been welcome. The switches are not hot-swappable, either, so if they don’t feel right to you, you’re stuck with them.

This is definitely not a gaming keyboard, but it’s surprisingly viable for this usage. I played a range of titles, including fast-paced shooters and much more sedate games, and in both cases the keyboard stood up reasonably well. You won’t find any gamer-specific features, but the low-profile keycaps were easy to find by touch in the heat of battle. The main issue is the board’s length, and I found my mouse hitting the edge of the numpad at times.

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future)

I did have occasional issues with certain keys not registering when pressed, and this seemed to mainly affect the space bar and left Shift key. There were no issues with ghosting in my testing, though.

You can connect the SM3 to two devices over Bluetooth, one using the 2.4GHz receiver, and one with the included USB-C cable. Switching over Bluetooth takes about a second and just requires you to press a single button on the keyboard. You can also change layouts between Windows and macOS, and the keys to do this have “Mac” or “Win” helpfully printed on their keycaps.

Disappointingly, there’s no companion app to assign macros and reassign keys, and the SM3 is not compatible with QMK or VIA.

Should you buy the Satechi SM3?

(Image credit: Alex Blake / Future) Buy the Satechi SM3 if…

You like the Apple aesthetic

This board will fit in well alongside Apple’s devices.View Deal

You want a numpad

The extended layout is ideal for numpad users.View Deal

You work on the go

It’s not the smallest board, but its lightweight design won’t weigh you down when it’s in a backpack.View Deal

Don’t buy it if…

You prefer lighter switches

Satechi’s proprietary switches are quite heavy.View Deal

You want more switch options

You only get brown tactile switches here, and they’re not hot-swappable.View Deal

You like customising your keyboards

With no QMK/VIA compatibility and no Satechi-made companion app, you can’t assign macros or customise the device.View Deal

Satechi SM3: Also consider

Logitech Signature K650

Our pick for the best keyboard, the Logitech Signature K650 comes with a full-size layout and low-profile keycaps. It’s not got mechanical switches, but it is very reasonably priced and is packed with extras. Read our full Logitech Signature K650 review View Deal

Razer Pro Type Ultra

One of our favorite mechanical keyboards is the Razer Pro Type Ultra. You get a full-size layout and a superb typing experience, although its lack of low-profile switches means it’s not as lightweight or portable as the Satechi SM3. Read our full Razer Pro Type Ultra reviewView Deal

How I tested the Satechi SM3

I tested out the Satechi SM3 in both work and gaming scenarios, using it to type all day long and game in the evenings. I also paired it with both a Mac and a PC and tried it on both machines to see how well it fared with the different key layouts.

First reviewed March 2025

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• The Microsoft Surface 7 has been labeled "frequently returned" on Amazon
• No reason was officially given, but user reviews cite Arm-based incompatibilities
• It's believed this could be happening due to more competition being available

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite-powered Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 has been deemed "frequently returned" on Amazon.

Specificially, it's an Amazon listing for the Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024) featuring a 15-inch touchscreen, Snapdragon X Elite SoC, 32GB RAM, and 1TB of storage.

Despite having nearly 400 user reviews, with an overall rating of 4.2 / 5 stars, the laptop appears to be returned often according to the retailer, with the disclaimer telling prospective buyers to "check the product detais and customer reviews to learn more about this item".

Detailed top reviews on the laptop from verified buyers have rated the Microsoft Surface 7 with five stars, with particular praise for the battery life. However, a common complaint is that "a lot of programs didn't work with Arm" which is something we've said in our own coverage.

In our five-star review, we praised the incredible performance, excellent battery life, great display, and solid pricing, with the only minor negatives being a lacking port selection, lack of an OLED variant and slight issues with the touchpad's sensitivity. With that said, why are users returning it so frequently? Amazon has not issued any reason why.

Another reason the Microsoft Surface 7 could see so many returns is that people could trade the device in for a computer with a competitor's chip. That's because AMD has made waves with its Ryzen AI processors, such as the coveted Ryzen AI Max+ 395, which has just arrived in some of the best laptops and best ultrabooks on the market. Those wanting superior performance for general computing, AI workloads, and greater compatibility may return to x86 architecture.

We can also look at the pricing of the laptop compared to its competition. This listing is available on Amazon with an MSRP of $2,099.99. However, the machine has been discounted by 26% to $1,544.83 for some time. It's possible that those who purchased it for the sticker price could have buyer's remorse, especially when weighing up against similarly priced options like the Arm-based MacBook Pro M4 (starting at $1,599 for the 14-inch model) which came out after the Surface.

Consumers still don't know what they're getting themselves into

If you've kept a keen eye on the laptops over the past 12 months, you'll no doubt have heard the buzzword "AI PCs" when it comes to Snapdragon X Elite, Ryzen AI, and Lunar Lake laptops in 2024 and 2025. There has been a wealth of promise in advertising around all the new tools you can use through having a dedicated NPU, and how many TOPs of performance you can expect from Qualcomm and the competition in general.

However, to the average everyday computing consumer, there's been no solid throughline in what this tech does, and what it can offer you, especially in the jump from traditional x86 architecture and over to Arm-based silicon. Yes, the latter can have superior battery life and snappier performance in isolation, but it comes at the cost of compatibility.

Windows on Arm has come a long way in the last year as more devices (like the Microsoft Surface 7) adopt it over x86-based alternatives, but you're still not going to get to do everything that you could on that architecture. A lot of popular software is yet to offer an Arm version, and it's not been communicated to hardware manufacturers what's available and what isn't.

As such, users could buy the Microsoft Surface 7 expecting it to do everything their old laptop could, and then be disappointed when they run into problems. If you're asking people to spend $2,000, they will want everything to be perfect out of the box, and a common understanding of differing architectures (and compatibility overall) just isn't going to happen overnight.

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• HP says it's now considering making a handheld gaming PC thanks to Valve's SteamOS
• SteamOS will soon be available on other handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go S
• The reason why HP hasn't made one yet is because of Microsoft's Windows 11

Sales of handheld gaming PCs continue to grow year by year, with a steady stream of new releases from Lenovo, Asus, and MSI, but one PC manufacturer has been missing in action - and the reason why may not come as a huge surprise.

As reported by Notebookcheck (via an interview with XDA), HP is now considering making a handheld gaming PC powered by Valve's SteamOS, as its Senior Vice President and Division President of Gaming Solutions, Josephine Tan, confirmed. And if you were wondering why it took so long, it's because of Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system.

Tan suggested that she has struggled with using Windows 11 and further hinted at the operating system's lack of simplicity, especially for handheld owners when resuming games—a feature that devices like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck take advantage of. This meant there were no plans from HP for a handheld.

However, now that Valve's SteamOS will be available for other handhelds besides the Steam Deck (like the Lenovo Legion Go S), Tan made it clear she is open to the idea of making a handheld gaming PC. While SteamOS still has some disadvantages, notably its inability to launch games with anti-cheat software baked in, and no official support for features such as frame generation, the user experience is still arguably much better than when using Windows 11 on a handheld.

(Image credit: Future) Microsoft should take this as a heads up...

If it wasn't clear enough already, Windows 11 hasn't been one of Microsoft's best releases in recent years: I'd say it's one of the worst I've seen in terms of bugs and seemingly neverending issues (specifically with its 24H2 update), and for a handheld gaming PC enthusiast, it's just not up to the job.

Aside from 24H2's frustrating bugs, Windows 11 pales in comparison to SteamOS for handhelds - and while it's understandable that there’s no 'portable' mode for Windows 11, as Microsoft's focus is on desktop PCs and laptops, it's another reason why many are moving away from the OS.

It's gotten so bad that I've considered installing Bazzite (a SteamOS clone) on my main desktop PC - and testing it out on my Asus ROG Ally for months suggests that it might not be a bad idea. Ultimately, this should be a wake-up call for Microsoft. Windows 11, besides its current 24H2 issues, just doesn’t work for handhelds, and with the popularity of handheld gaming PCs showing no sign of slowing down, now would be the perfect time for Microsoft to look into making its operating system work better on these devices - otherwise, it could really start to miss out.

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• A threat actor is offering a database for sale, alleging it came from Oracle
• The archive contains encrypted SSO passwords and more
• Oracle denied being breached or losing data

Oracle has denied suffering a cyberattack and a data breach, following claims from a hacker to have stolen millions of records from company servers.

In mid-March 2025, a threat actor with the alias rose87168 released 6 million data records, claiming they were seized from Oracle’s Cloud federated SSO login servers. The archive posted on the dark web included a sample database, LDAP information, and a list of companies.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Oracle was having none of it, issuing a statement declaring, "There has been no breach of Oracle Cloud. The published credentials are not for the Oracle Cloud. No Oracle Cloud customers experienced a breach or lost any data."

Encrypted SSO passwords

In the meantime, rose87168 took the archive for sale, in exchange for either an undisclosed sum of money, or zero-day exploits.

The threat actor claims the data includes encrypted SSO passwords, Java keystore (JKS) files, key files, enterprise manager JPS keys, and more.

"The SSO passwords are encrypted, they can be decrypted with the available files. also LDAP hashed password can be cracked," rose87168 said.

"I'll list the domains of all the companies in this leak. Companies can pay a specific amount to remove their employees' information from the list before it's sold."

Before listing the stolen archive for sale, the threat actor apparently asked Oracle for 100,000 XMR (the Monero cryptocurrency), but the company also demanded “all information needed for fix and patch,” and since rose87168 did not provide, the negotiations broke down..

To prove the stolen files were legitimate, the threat actor gave BleepingComputer a URL for Internet Archive, which shows that they uploaded a .txt file containing their email address to login.us2.oraclecloud.com server.

The publication reached out to Oracle for an explanation - we have also contacted the company for comment.

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Netgear Meural Canvas II review

The Netgear Meural Canvas II is a premium 27-inch digital photo frame that will allow you to show off your photos at a huge size. But that’s only half of its talent: it's also an art frame designed to screen a wide variety of visual art, offering an optional subscription that will unlock access to over 30,000 artworks. This will likely make it appealing to those who want to show off photos of their family, and also enjoy art by a range of artists from Katsushika Hokusai to Gustav Klimt.

Getting started with the Netgear Meural Canvas II is straightforward… for the most part. Once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll navigate to the Canvas tab, then click to add a new device. Scan the QR code that displays on the Canvas II’s screen and you’re good to go. However, it isn't always totally foolproof. On one occasion, I was forced to set up the frame again – after resetting the Canvas II, every time I scanned the QR code, it threw up an error about not being able to connect to the Wi-Fi. Eventually, I resolved the issue by connecting it via an Ethernet cable for initial setup; but it’s worth being prepared, just in case you experience similar setup gremlins.

Adding photos to the Meural Canvas II is a breeze. Select "upload" from the app and you can send either individual shots or even link whole albums, letting you easily add all your snaps of Ibiza 2022 in one go. Meanwhile, you can buy individual artworks from the Meural app for $3.95 / £3.99, or access over 30,000 free with a Meural membership. Again, adding these is as simple as selecting the artwork in question and tapping "Send to Canvas".

Once you’ve set up and loaded your Meural Canvas II with photos and art, the first thing you’ll likely notice about it is that substantial display, which can rival any of the best digital photo frames can offer. Netgear’s digital art frame is gargantuan – at 27 inches, it exists right on the nexus between a photo frame and the Samsung Frame, the gorgeous art-focused TV screen. Not only does this mean it will show off your favorite snaps and paintings at a large size, butunlike much smaller frames, it doesn’t look swamped by space when you mount it on your wall.

(Image credit: Future)

While such epic screen estate is a definite plus, it does have an impact on detail levels. Stretching its relatively modest 1920 x 1080 resolution over such a large area does mean the Meural Canvas II has a relatively low pixel density of just 80ppi. Compare this to the super-crisp 212ppi density offered by the Pexar 11-inch Digital Picture Frame, and you can see that you won't be getting the sharpest picture on the market. However, to put this in perspective, this is no worse than a mid-market 4K 55-inch TV such as the LG C4 and, given the frame is designed to be viewed across the room, you’re unlikely to notice too much blurriness unless your face is basically pressed up against its display.

This was absolutely my experience living with the Meural Canvas II. Even on that expansive screen my photos looked crisp from most vantage points. Monochrome shots of the grand ceiling of the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba showed off the intricate filigree of its vaulting in exquisite detail, while a color macro photo of the head of a thistle displayed the fine threads of its wispy thistle-down. When it comes to art, Blossoming Acacia Branches by Vincent van Gogh looked so detailed that his daubs of thick yellow oil appeared three dimensional.

Color reproduction is also impressively accurate. Whether I was displaying snaps of fireworks exploding into a haze of violet sparks and smoke, or blooming rhododendrons in a riot of reds and amber, every hue was faultlessly replicated. Meanwhile, Hilma af Klint’s Altarpiece No. 1 showed every color and tone of her prismatic pyramid flawlessly, never causing them to become oversaturated. I honestly couldn't spot the difference between the images on my iPhone 16 Pro’s camera and on the Meural Canvas II, which is a definite compliment given the iPhone’s almost slavish commitment to precise color reproduction.

At 300 nits, the 27-inch model I tested also felt plenty bright enough, without losing the impact of its blacks. Rocky outcroppings and distant valleys in my snaps of Fuerteventura displayed impressive levels of contrast, perfectly balancing the bright sunlit highlights with the dark shadows. And the screen's brightness is sufficient to continue to enjoy your artwork in direct sunlight. Don’t get me wrong: the sun does dull the image slightly, but its ambient light sensor boosts the brightness to compensate and that matte, anti-glare finish assures there’s very little in the way of reflections or glare.

(Image credit: Future)

The Netgear Meural Canvas II’s beauty goes beyond that screen, though. Its overall design is gorgeous; the perfect blend of minimal chic and authentic materials. Those thick white bezels make a convincing mount for your images, further reinforcing its artistic cred, while the range of finishes in which it's available – matte black, matte white, dark wood and light wood – make it super easy to complement your decor.

When it comes to your mounting options, the Meural Canvas II doesn’t come with a stand, which is perhaps understandable, given I’m not sure I’d trust a plastic stand to support its substantial bulk. I wasn’t able to test out its wall-mounting system – I rent and can’t quite justify losing my security deposit in the spirit of journalistic curiosity. Nevertheless, its mount seems easy enough to use, and for $49.95 / £45.99 can be upgraded to a swivel mount that will allow you to spin the frame’s orientation without removing it from the wall.

When you’re not using the app, you can control the frame using hand gestures, swiping through the air in front of it to change between your artwork, view metadata providing additional info on artwork and photos, or to navigate through menus. It’s all very Minority Report… if Tom Cruise had spent half that film frantically waving his hands and getting increasingly bewildered like a technophobic relative trying to use TikTok. I’m being only slightly hyperbolic here: occasionally, the frame would pick up the return stroke of my gestures, recoiling in the opposite direction – this was fine when just navigating artwork, but occasionally became quite irritating when trying to tweak complex settings buried down in multiple submenus.

Ultimately, aside from the odd UI quirk and the slightly lower pixel density, the Meural Canvas II is a fantastic picture frame. But the big stumbling block for most people will likely be that price. Starting at $599.99 / £649.99, it isn't going to meet anyone’s definition of cheap, particularly when you factor in the optional $8.95 / £8.99-a-month art membership. So if you can’t afford this kind of outlay, you might be better off with one of the best digital photo frames. However, if you can stretch to it, the Merl Canvas II is a thoroughly worthy purchase, offering a window to a world of art in your living room.

(Image credit: Future) Netgear Meural Canvas II review: price & release date

• From $599.99 / £649.99
• Announced ‎September 6, 2019
• Meural membership costs $8.95 / £8.99 a month or $69.95 / £69 a year

First announced back on September 6, 2019, the Netgear Meural Canvas II retails for the not-insignificant sum of $599.99 / £649.99 for the 21-inch version or $699.99 / £822.99 for the 27-inch version. However, right now it’s reduced down to $399.99 and $499.99 respectively on Netgear’s US site right now.

For context, the Canvas II’s closest rival for the title of the best premium digital photo frame for art fans is the 27-inch Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas, which retails for £490 (around $620). That means even the smaller sized 21-inch Canvas II is pricier.

Meural membership is an additional cost. Costing $8.95 / £8.99 a month or $69.95 / £69 a year, it offers access to over 30,000 artworks, expands cloud storage from 4GB to 20GB, allows you to push images to multiple Canvas products, and offers up to 60% off premium content. However, if you’re happy just displaying your own photos and artwork, you’re by no means obligated to upgrade, so you shouldn’t necessarily let this put you off.

(Image credit: Future) Netgear Meural Canvas II review: specs

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Netgear Meural Canvas II? Buy it if…

You want a huge digital frame
At 27 inches, the Meural Canvas II is the biggest digital photo frame you’ll find – at least without buying a full TV screen. If you really want to show off and make a statement with your photos and art, it really can't be beat.

You want easy, ethical access to art
Yes, you’ll need to pay an additional subscription to access the Meural’s full library of official artwork. But with a catalogue of more than 30,000 pieces and a scheme that remunerates artists fairly for their work, it’s a great way to celebrate art and artists in your home.

Don’t buy it if…

You want to save some money
The Netgear Meural Canvas II is unashamedly costly. While I’d argue it gives an adequate return on your investment, it’s one of the most expensive frames we’ve seen – and the 27-inch version even comes at a similar price to the $799.99 / £799 4K 43-inch Samsung Frame TV.

You just want to show off a few holiday snaps
As mentioned above, this is a premium art frame and comes at considerable cost. That means that if you’re not that excited about its art-displaying functionality, nor desperate to see your photos at maximum size, plenty of smaller frames will probably suit you just fine.

Netgear Meural Canvas II review: also consider

Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas
The Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas is one of the strongest arguments we can think of against buying the Canvas II. It’s similarly bright, crisp and colorful; it also comes with a 27-inch screen, yet is available for considerably less money. There are a few image cropping quirks that the Canvas II doesn’t experience, and there’s no membership that offers unlimited art access here. But you can buy pieces to display from around £4 ($5 / AU$9) each and there are plenty of free images available. Read our full Vieunite Textura Digital Canvas review.

Aura Walden
If you don’t necessarily need a massive 27-inch display, the Aura Walden is your best choice for a premium digital picture frame. Measuring 15 inches, it’s super crisp and bright; it has a gorgeous yet understated design; and its app is both easy to use and allows friends and family to share their snaps to your frame. Read our full Aura Walden review.

How I tested the Netgear Meural Canvas II

• Tested the product over multiple weeks
• Tried it out with a variety of photos and artwork
• Have many years of experience working with photography

I tested the Netgear Meural Canvas II over a period of several weeks. I uploaded a wide variety of my own photos using the Meural app and also loaded a range of artworks onto the screen.

I made sure these images covered a wide variety of subjects, both portrait and landscape, and everything from monochrome landscapes to vibrant pictures of blossoms and leaves. I tested the frame in multiple positions to assess its performance in different lighting conditions, as well as trying it in both horizontal and vertical orientations.

I have extensive experience in photography, whether that’s the years I spent shooting on my Canon DSLR, or the snaps I now take on my iPhone 16 Pro. I’ve taken around 40,000 photos in the past and I’ve also got around a decade of experience preparing images for print, which has given me a lot of insight around spotting issues with image resolution and color reproduction.

• First reviewed: March 2025
• Read more about how we test