Samsung today announced the launch of the Galaxy XR, a new mixed reality headset that will compete with the Apple Vision Pro. At $1,800, the Galaxy XR is $1,700 cheaper than the new M5 Vision Pro, but it is much more expensive than Meta's Quest VR devices.


Samsung says that its headset was created with a "human-centric design" that's meant to provide long-term comfort. The headset has a frame design that is supposed to distribute pressure across the forehead and the back of the head, providing support and minimizing facial discomfort. A detachable light shield offers deeper immersion by blocking out light, but the headset can be used without it. The headset weighs 545 grams (1.2 pounds) with the forehead cushion, so it is lighter than the Vision Pro. The Vision Pro with Dual Knit Band weighs between 750 and 800 grams.


Samsung included 4K micro-OLED screens with a resolution of 3,552 x 3,840 and a 109-degree horizontal field of view. There are 29 million total pixels with a 6.3-micron pixel pitch and 96 percent DCI-P3. There's a 72Hz default refresh rate, with 60Hz and 90Hz also available. Included cameras and sensors add support for hand and eye tracking.

The XR is powered by a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 chip from Qualcomm. There are two high-resolution passthrough cameras, six world-facing tracking cameras, four eye-tracking cameras with iris recognition used for authentication, and a 6.5-megapixel camera for taking 3D photos and videos. The headset also includes five Inertial Measurement Units, a depth sensor, and a flicker sensor. Samsung is selling optical inserts for vision correction separately.

Other features include two 2-way speakers and a six microphone array, Wi-Fi 7 support, Bluetooth 5.4 integration, 16GB memory, and 256GB storage. Like the Vision Pro, the Galaxy XR has a separate battery pack with two hours of runtime (2.5 hours for video watching), but the headset can also be used while the battery is being charged.


The Galaxy XR headset runs the Android XR platform, which Samsung developed alongside Google and Qualcomm. Google's Gemini AI is integrated at a system level, so it can understand the user's surroundings with the Galaxy XR cameras and microphones. According to Samsung, Gemini in the Galaxy XR is designed to feel like a "new type of AI companion."

Here's some of what Samsung says the headset can do:

• Gemini in Google Maps can be used to navigate to any location and users can ask for personalized suggestions about nearby places.


• Users can use natural language to ask Gemini to find the content they want to see on YouTube and get more information about the video they're watching.


• With a passthrough mode, users can see the physical world and draw a circle with their hand to search for information about any object in their field of view.


• 2D photos and videos can be auto-spatialized to add depth and dimension, similar to Apple's spatial photos and videos.


• Shows can be streamed on a 4K screen that feels like a personal theater.


• Sports fans can watch multiple games at the same time.


• With XR games, Gemini offers real-time coaching and tips.

Samsung is working on multiple form factors for future products, including AI glasses. Alongside Google, Samsung has teamed up with Warby Parker for its future smart glasses products, and it is also working with South Korean glasses brand Gentle Monster.


The Galaxy XR is available for purchase in the U.S. starting today from the Samsung website and Samsung Experience Stores. It is priced at $1,799.99, and Samsung has a 24-month financing option.

Early adopters will receive 12 months of access to Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, and Google Play Pass. Samsung is also selling a Galaxy XR Travel Case and Galaxy XR Controller for $250 each.
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When the updated Apple Vision Pro lands in stores tomorrow with the M5 chip and the new Dual Knit Band, its box label will also feature a key change from the original version: the words “Product of Vietnam”. Here are the details.

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YouTube today began rolling out a new AI likeness detection feature, which lets creators detect, manage, and request the removal of unauthorized videos that use AI to generate or alter the creator's facial likeness.


According to YouTube, the feature is meant to safeguard identities and prevent audiences from being misled by deepfakes.

The likeness detection tool is available in YouTube Studio under a content detection tab. After completing an identity verification process that requires a photo ID and a selfie video, creators will be alerted if there are any AI-generated videos that use their likeness. YouTube Studio will show a list of videos with titles, channel, views, and dialogue, along with an option to request a removal.

The tool supports likeness removal requests for AI videos, and copyright removal requests in case someone has used copyright-protected content without permission.

YouTube creators that are members of the YouTube Partner Program will get access to the likeness detection tool over the next few months. In a statement to TheWrap, YouTube said that the first creators selected to use the feature are those that "may have the most immediate use for the tool." All monetized creators will have access by January 2026.
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Aura, known for its digital photo frames, today announced the launch of the $499 Ink Frame. The Ink Frame is Aura's first color e-paper display, with all other models using LCD displays. According to Aura, the Ink Frame is meant to show photos with a softly lit, vintage look that more closely resembles a printed picture than a digital screen.


The 13.3-inch frame features an E Ink Spectra 6 display with a resolution of 1600 x 1200. Spectra 6 supports six colors, but Aura uses a dithering algorithm to create the appearance of millions of tones. Like Aura's other frames, the Ink Frame supports uploading an unlimited number of photos to Aura's cloud service. Aura users can also have friends and family members send photos directly to a frame with the Aura app.

Because the Ink Frame uses e-paper, it uses little battery, so this is also the first Aura frame that is cordless. The Ink Frame provides up to three months of battery before it needs to be recharged with the included USB-C port and cable. The Ink Frame does not have a backlight, and it instead includes a built-in front light that adjusts to the ambient lighting in the room and turns off in the dark.

Aura says that the Ink Frame automatically transitions to a new photo overnight to maximize battery life, and when rendering each photo, the frame rearranges millions of capsules, causing the screen to flash. It is meant to show just one photo per day, and more frequent updates will impact battery life. Photo transitions take approximately 30 seconds.

The 0.6-inch frame is much thinner than Aura's other frames. It has paper-textured matting and a glossy finish for the image that's displayed, which Aura says makes it look like a classic frame and not a piece of tech. Brightness adjusts automatically to match the ambient lighting of the room that the frame is in.

The Ink Frame can be positioned in portrait or landscape orientation, and it comes with hardware for tabletop or wall mounting. It features a graphite frame with a white paper-like mat.

Aura's Ink Frame is available from the Aura website for $499.
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A few days ago, Apple doubled down on its accusations that Epic Games is trying to undermine the App Store model and profit from Apple’s ecosystem without contributing to it. Today, the company returned to court to try to make its case.

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Streaming prices for HBO are increasing for the third year in a row, with prices increasing by $1 to $2 per month depending on the plan.


The Basic with Ads plan is $1 more expensive at $10.99 per month, while the Standard plan is now $18.49 per month, a $1.50 increase. The Premium plan is $22.99 per month, up from $20.99 per month.

Yearly prices are also going up. The ad-free plan is $110 per year (up from $100), the Standard plan is $185 per year (up from $170), and the Premium plan is $230 per year (up from $210).

Price increases are effective immediately for new subscribers, and existing subscribers will see price hikes when their plans renew.

Warner Bros. Discovery previously increased the price of HBO Max in January 2023 and June 2024, back when the service was still called Max. Before all of the price increases, HBO Max had been priced at $14.99 per month for a Standard plan when it launched in 2020.

Along with the price increase, HBO Max is aggressively cracking down on password sharing. Starting in September, the streaming service began requiring a one-time code for logins from different locations, with users encouraged to pay $7.99 per month to add extra viewers.

HBO Max uses account information, IP address, device ID, and user activity to determine if accounts are used by people in more than one household.

Disney+, Hulu, and Netflix have all seen price increases this year.
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Apple TV has its fair share of strong thrillers, but one of my all-time favorites is easily Hijack, starring Idris Elba. And Apple has just announced the release date for Hijack season 2.

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Curious about the new M5 Apple Vision Pro? Chance Miller spent the last week with the upgraded hardware, including the new strap, which you can read about in his review for 9to5Mac.

Separately, I’ve spent the last few hours using my M2 Apple Vision Pro with the Dual Knit Band, which you can purchase separately from Apple for your existing Apple Vision Pro.

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One of the flagship new features of Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11 is hypertension notifications. But in a welcome surprise, watchOS 26 brings the new hypertension feature to select older Apple Watch models too. Here’s how to set it up, and which models are compatible.

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iOS 26 is a huge update for iPhone, with a Liquid Glass design and lots of new features for built-in apps like Wallet, Messages, and Music. One popular app—Apple Calendar—mostly got overlooked this year, but it did gain one key new advantage: event creation via screenshots.

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Last month, Beats launched several exclusive color options in partnership with select retailers across the US, the UK, and Australia. Now, two more have arrived in the US.

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Apple's updated M5 iPad Pro is set to launch tomorrow, and we were able to test out the new tablet ahead of its launch to provide some early first impressions for those thinking about upgrading.


The 2025 ‌iPad Pro‌ comes in 11-inch and 13-inch size options, with no changes to the design. Updates are purely internal, with Apple adding an M5 chip and faster SSDs. Base model ‌iPad Pro‌ options with 256GB or 512GB storage have an M5 chip with a 9-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 12GB RAM, while the higher-end 1TB and 2TB models feature a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16GB RAM.

We tested the 13-inch model with a 512GB SSD, so it has a 9-core CPU and 12GB RAM. Multithreaded CPU performance is up about 15 percent compared to the M4 model, and GPU performance is up to 30 percent faster. SSD performance is up to 2x faster.

Other features include the N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and the C1X modem that offers 5G speeds 2x faster than Apple's C1 modem.

If you have an M4 ‌iPad Pro‌, there's no reason to upgrade, because all you'll get is a modest performance boost. For those with an older ‌iPad Pro‌ or who are thinking about getting an iPad to replace a Mac, the M5 ‌iPad Pro‌ is going to be able to do almost anything.

Make sure to watch our video for full details.
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Reviews arrived today for Apple’s M5 iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, and new Vision Pro. When comparing the new M5 iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models especially, one historic trend is clearly continuing: iPad hardware innovation keeps outpacing the Mac.

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Last week on Reddit, a user posted an image of their Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro that had apparently shifted to a pinkish, rose gold-like color.

Another example posted to TikTok similarly shows an iPhone 17 Pro in cosmic orange turning pink on the camera plateau and around the edges. Even though there are a few examples of this gaining traction on social media, it’s not remotely close to a widespread phenomenon.

Here’s what’s likely causing the discoloration, and what you can do to prevent it from happening to your iPhone 17 Pro.

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In July, Apple filed a lawsuit against Jon Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti over alleged theft of the company's trade secrets. The complaint alleged the pair coordinated to break into former Apple software engineer Ethan Lipnik's development iPhone, in order to access and profit off details about iOS 19, which ended up being called iOS 26.


Prosser leaked various details about what is now known as iOS 26, in videos shared on his YouTube channel Front Page Tech. The videos revealed some details about iOS 26's new translucent design, which Apple ended up calling Liquid Glass, months before Apple announced the software update at WWDC 2025 in June.

Earlier this month, Apple's lawyers said Prosser missed his deadline to respond to the complaint. As a result, they filed a request for a default judgment against Prosser, which was entered by the court last week. Apple is seeking monetary damages, and an injunction to prevent Prosser and Ramacciotti from further disclosing any of the company's confidential information that was allegedly illegally obtained.

Prosser has since provided an update on the matter — he said he is not ignoring Apple.

"All I can tell you is that regardless of what is being reported, and regardless of what the court documents say — I have, in fact, been in active communications with Apple since the beginning stages of this case," said Prosser, in a statement published by The Verge. "The notion that I'm ignoring the case is incorrect. That's all I am able to say."

What happens next remains to be seen.
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The first reviews of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. Apple began accepting pre-orders last week.


Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro already surfaced prior to today, revealing that the M5 chip is up to around 20% faster in the laptop, compared to the equivalent previous-generation model with the M4 chip.

GPU improvements are more substantial, with the M5 chip offering up to 35% faster graphics compared to the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results.

Beyond the M5 chip, there is only one notable change. The new 14-inch MacBook Pro supports PCIe 5.0 storage technology, and Apple says this results in up to 2× faster SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model.

The Verge's Antonio G. Di Benedetto ran the AmorphousDiskMark benchmark tool on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, and the results he shared in the chart below confirm that SSD read and write speeds are actually a little more than twice as fast compared to the equivalent previous-generation model. However, the speeds are roughly on par with the higher-end 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 Pro chip.



PetaPixel's Jeremy Gray achieved similar results for SSD speeds.

There is little else to say about the new 14-inch MacBook Pro.
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Last month, 70W highly compact Nano charger. I’ve been testing them out for a handful of weeks now, and they’ve proven to be quite useful.

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Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Apple will release the first foldable iPhone in 2026. Meanwhile, unforeseen circumstances seem to be defining development of Apple’s first foldable iPad.

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Apple's large-screened foldable iPad could be delayed due to development issues, reports Bloomberg. Apple wanted to launch the device in 2028, but problems with weight and display technology may cause it to be pushed back until 2029.


Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a large foldable device, though information has diverged on whether it will be positioned as an ‌iPad‌ or a Mac. The product is expected to have an 18-inch display created by Samsung, with Apple focusing on minimizing the display crease.

A large foldable OLED display is expensive, and the foldable device could be up to three times as expensive as the 13-inch iPad Pro. Apple charges $1,299 for the 13-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, so if prices doesn't come down for components over the next few years, the foldable ‌iPad‌ could cost as much as $3,900.

When the ‌iPad‌ is closed, it looks like a Mac, with an aluminum shell and no exterior display. When open, it is similar in size to the 13-inch MacBook Air, but there is no physical keyboard. Because of the large screen size and the aluminum chassis, prototypes weigh around 3.5 pounds, making it significantly heavier than the current ‌iPad Pro‌ models.

According to Bloomberg, the foldable ‌iPad‌ is apparently similar in design to the Huawei MateBook Fold, which is an 18-inch foldable tablet priced at $3,400.


Apple's first foldable device, an iPhone, could come out as soon as next year. Multiple rumors have suggested that Apple wants to introduce it as part of the iPhone 18 lineup, though some recent information indicates that it too might be delayed.
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The first reviews of the Vision Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday.


The updated Vision Pro ships with a more comfortable Dual Knit Band in the box. Plus, the headset now supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in reduced motion blur and a smoother experience while using the Mac Virtual Display feature.

9to5Mac's Chance Miller on the M5 chip's performance:

In my five days with the Vision Pro (M5), I've had significantly more consistent performance across various workflows. In situations where the M2 Vision Pro would start to lag and stutter, the M5 Vision Pro keeps up. The fans still kick in, but overall performance is more sustainable and consistent, even as my windows began to pile up.

Six Colors editor-in-chief Jason Snell on the same:

There are a few places where the speed of the M5 processor is readily apparent, most notably when the system is churning to build a new Spatial Persona. It's funny, but generally, I have never found myself feeling that the pure processing speed of the Vision Pro is letting me down. It feels fast, even the M2 model. Clearly, the real power is being expended to maintain the illusion of reality on those OLED displays, and that's why most of the benefits in this chip upgrade are in rendering.

Snell is referring to the Vision Pro's foveated rendering, which means that content directly in front of you appears sharper and more in focus, while peripheral content appears slightly more blurry. With the M5 chip, Apple says the updated Vision Pro can render 10% more pixels compared to the original model with the M2 chip.

Reviewers found the combination of 10% more pixels being rendered, and 120Hz support, results in content appearing more crisp and smooth on visionOS.

However, CNET's Scott Stein said that while the updated Vision Pro does offer an improved viewing experience, it is not dramatically better:

I'd say the changes aren't dramatic, and that most key parts of the experience are unchanged. It still has a narrower field of view compared with other VR headsets, giving more of a goggle-eyed view of things, and the hand tracking and eye tracking are still the same -- great, but not better.

A common complaint with the original Vision Pro, when used with the Solo Knit Band, is that it becomes uncomfortable to wear during prolonged usage. To mitigate this problem, Apple has released the Dual Knit Band, which has both a lower strap that goes across the back of the head, along with an upper strap that goes across the top of the head.


More importantly, the Dual Knit Band's lower strap is embedded with tungsten inserts that provide a counterweight for additional comfort and balance.

TechRadar's Lance Ulanoff said the Dual Knit Band is vastly more comfortable:

There's now an included and fully-redesigned Dual Knit headband that finally spreads out and balances the headset's 600 grams of weight (most of which lives in the goggles) across your whole noggin. I can now wear the Vision Pro for two hours, and, when I remove it, not feel like my face is going to slide off my skull. It's a vast improvement.

Tom's Guide's Mark Spoonauer agreed:

I will say that the Vision Pro is comfier to wear for longer sessions. I felt less pressure by eyes after 30 minutes and no neck strain, which is an improvement.

Stein on the Dual Knit Band:

The weight is more balanced and the headset doesn't feel like it's falling down on my cheeks so much. […]

The Vision Pro's still heavy, and in fact it's heavier than the original by 5 ounces, thanks to the new strap's woven counterweights in the back. The Vision Pro weighs 1.6 pounds without the battery pack, versus the Meta Quest 3's 1.1 pounds with battery onboard.

Apple hasn't made any strides to lessen how big and it feels to wear the Vision Pro.

Apple is selling the Dual Knit Band separately, with U.S. pricing set at $99. It is compatible with both the new and original Vision Pro.

We have not seen any reviews that include in-depth battery life testing, but Spoonauer did share this brief yet promising remark:

After using the Vision Pro for an hour and a half I was down to 55%, which is pretty decent.

Apple says the updated Vision Pro now offers up to 2.5 hours of battery life overall, and up to three hours for video playback, per charge. That is an extra 30 minutes in each category compared to the previous model.

Most reviews concluded that the Vision Pro has received some nice quality-of-life improvements, but they are not game-changing upgrades. Ultimately, the Vision Pro remains a niche, expensive product, and there are no major reasons for owners of the existing model to upgrade. This may be the last Vision Pro model released for quite some time, as Apple has reportedly shifted its focus to augmented reality glasses.

Video Reviews

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Apple's Beats brand recently rolled out two new retailer-exclusive colors through Walmart in the U.S., debuting the Solo4 headphones in Drenched Gray and the Solo Buds earphones in Ivory.


The Ivory Solo Buds have been available for about a month through exclusive retail partners in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, but availability has now expanded to Walmart in the United States, where they are priced at $69.00 and are available for delivery within just a few days.

Notably, Walmart is also the retail partner in Canada and the earbuds are still listed with pre-order status and estimated availability of mid-November there even though the listing went live and they were supposed to be available a month ago.

The Drenched Gray Solo4 headphones have also been listed through Walmart in Canada since last month, and availability recently expanded to Walmart in the United States as well. It does not appear that this color will come to retail partners in other countries, and similar to the Solo Buds, the September listing in Canada still shows a pre-order status with mid-November availability, while the U.S. is showing quick delivery times.

Walmart is currently selling the Drenched Gray Solo4 headphones for $129.00, a significant discount from the full Solo4 retail price of $199.95 and even the $149.95 pricing Walmart, Amazon, and select other retailers are currently offering on other colors.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Walmart and Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
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Apple’s M5 MacBook Pro arrives in stores this week, and the first reviews have just arrived. Here are the highlights of everything you should know about the M5 MacBook pro.

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OpenAI today introduced ChatGPT Atlas, a dedicated AI browser that includes ChatGPT integration. OpenAI says that the browser was designed around the question "What if you could chat with your web browser?"


There is a dedicated "Ask ChatGPT" sidebar, allowing users to ask the chatbot questions directly from the browser without having to go to the ChatGPT website or app. ChatGPT will be able to do things like provide page summaries, compare products, answer questions about content on a website, edit and check code, and more, because it can see what the user is looking at. Browser memory is included for personalization purposes, and Atlas will learn more about the user over time.

For searches, the browser opens with a ChatGPT-based response, but there are quick access tabs to get to traditional search results, images, and other options. The ChatGPT sidebar is meant to stay open while browsing takes place, providing a browsing companion.

The new browser includes OpenAI's Operator AI agent that can take actions and complete web-based tasks like booking restaurant reservations, ordering groceries, creating purchase lists from online recipes, and filling out online forms. There is a "Cursor Chat" tool for editing writing inline in the browser.

All of the standard browser features are also included, like tabs, bookmarks, history, and password integration. The design is simple and familiar, featuring a standard search window like Safari or Chrome.

ChatGPT Atlas is launching on the Mac to begin with, and versions for iOS, Android, and Windows will be coming in the near future.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas browser will compete with Apple's Safari browser and Google's Chrome browser. Safari does not have AI integration as of yet, but Chrome does. With OpenAI, Google, and also Perplexity offering AI browsers, Apple may need to integrate Siri and other AI tools into Safari in the future to keep up with the competition.

ChatGPT Atlas is available on macOS starting today, but agent mode is only available to Plus and Pro users at the current time.
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Apple’s first Vision Pro hardware update is here, and it’s more than just a spec bump. Sure, there’s an M5 chip inside, but that doesn’t tell the full story.

I’ve been using the new Vision Pro (M5) for the last six days. Here’s everything you need to know.

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