This week, DJI made a surprising foray into e-bikes, ChatGPT revealed how it works, and Nothing announced three new products, which we’ll take a closer look at in next Monday’s showcase.
It can be hard to keep up in the world of tech, so in this weekly catch-up, we round up all the top stories from the past seven days to help you stay up to date on everything.
Be sure to check back here next week for more details on the new gadgets at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked. Now, let’s get to it. Speaking of Samsung…
7. Galaxy Unpacked tech leaked in advance
Next week’s news cycle will almost certainly be dominated by Samsung Galaxy Unpacked-related announcements, but if recent leaks are to be believed, there may not be any announcements left to share.
Ahead of the event scheduled for July 10, leakers have seemingly revealed almost all of the major upgrades coming to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. Both smartphones will reportedly feature the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, IP48 dust and water resistance, and new Galaxy AI features. Specifically, the Fold is expected to feature a brighter main screen, slightly longer battery life, and a slightly larger cover screen, while the Flip is rumored to feature a new 50MP main camera and a larger battery.
Incidentally, the leaker also predicts that anyone who buys the Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Galaxy Flip 6 will get a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro earphones, so we’re excited to see what kind of audio upgrades are in store.
6. DJI surprises with air-to-ground electric motorcycle
Drone manufacturer DJI has made a surprising leap from drones to electric bikes. In an official announcement, the company confirmed that it’s working on the Amflow PL, an electric mountain bike equipped with a new Avinox drive system that uses technology normally found in drones and smartphones to provide real-time ride data to a built-in touchscreen on the frame.
This bike, like the Cowboy 4 electric bike, also allows you to use the app to adjust power settings, set it in anti-theft mode, and even locate it. Our top picks for electric mountain bikes right now are: Specialized Revo SL Expert Carbon eMTBa great ride quality that’s a little lighter than the Amflo PL’s expected 19.2kg. It’s also pretty cheap, so the Amflo PL should be good to make it on our list. Best Electric Bike list.
5. No new budget phones, smartwatches or earphones were announced.
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked isn’t the only event happening next week, as it will also be showcasing three new CMF gadgets – the CMF Phone 1, CMF Watch Pro 2 and CMF Buds Pro 2 – a range of affordable tech products.
Specs-wise, the CMF Phone 1 boasts a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 50MP Sony camera, a 5,000mAh battery that lasts up to “22 hours,” 16GB of RAM, and a removable backplate that can be customised with your favourite colours and accessories.
Not much is known about the Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2, except that the latter will offer interchangeable bezels so you can change up the look of your watch. More details on this tech will be revealed in a Nothing community update on July 8, 2024 at 5am ET / 10am BST / 7pm AEST.
The Meta Store sold out of the Quest 2 headset in various regions this week, and other retailers around the world are running out of Quest 2 stock, so all you’re left with now is the Meta Quest 3 (which is a great option in any case) or the Meta Quest Pro (which we don’t recommend over the Quest 3).
If you’re looking to buy a cheaper option, don’t worry you’re missing out: There’s a good chance the cheaper Meta Quest 3S will be available at Meta Connect in September, and with the Quest 2 selling out, it seems Meta is making room in its inventory for a new VR headset model.
We’ll have to wait and see what’s announced at Connect 2024, but if you’re on the fence about buying a Quest 3 right now, it might be worth holding off and seeing what’s announced in a few months.
3. ChatGPT reveals secret rules
AI chatbots often feel like mysterious black boxes, but this week ChatGPT gave us some fascinating insight into its thought process, or at least what OpenAI has told it to do.
A Reddit user got ChatGPT to leak a description of its system with a simple word: “Hello,” which led to the exposure of internal rules such as “never use emojis unless explicitly told to do so.” Not content with that, ChatGPT also revealed the internal rules of OpenAI’s Dall-E image generator.
Another ChatGPT user discovered the existence of multiple personalities when using the GPT-4o model, providing insight into future versions: Come on, ChatGPT, get it all out of your chest.
2. Leica launches “low-cost” camera
Leica’s latest digital compact camera, the D-Lux 8, has been officially announced. Coming six years after the discontinued D-Lux 7, the new camera is ready for 2024 with a fresh look and UI inspired by the Leica Q3, Leica’s more expensive full-frame compact and one of our top cameras of 2023.
The D-Lux 8 definitely falls into the minor refresh category. It has a simpler control layout than the D-Lux 7, a new textured body, an improved OLED viewfinder, a higher-resolution LCD screen, and finally brings RAW DNG capture to Leica’s D-Lux series in addition to JPEG. Combined with the improved Leica Fotos app, it makes it easy to edit and share photos on the go. Other than that, it’s business as usual. It still has a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) 21MP sensor with a maximum photo size of 17MP, 4K video up to 30fps, and a 24-75mm f/1.7-2.8 zoom that’s handy for everyday photography.
But most importantly, the $1,595/£1,450 D-Lux 8 actually Will purchase in 2024.
1. Rising RAM prices may have made the RTX 5090 even more unaffordable
Were you hoping that Nvidia’s RTX 5090 GPU would be a bit more affordable than the 4090? Unfortunately, that’s bad news, as analysts this week predicted prices would skyrocket. That’s because RAM prices are expected to rise 3-8% over the next three months, with prices expected to rise further as demand for these components increases due to demand for larger, more powerful AI data center servers.
It’s a shame that it’s likely to be a more expensive piece of technology, as the RTX 5090 was shaping up to be a pretty powerful computing monster. Featuring GDDR7 RAM (60% more bandwidth and 50% more power efficient than GDDR6) and expected to deliver over 30% better frame rates for gaming, it will be a powerful 4K gaming component.
It’s always possible that Nvidia could slash these costs to remain competitive against rival GPU maker AMD, but we’ll have to wait and see what pricing strategy it adopts.
