Alexa may get smarter with more APIs rather than more AI
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Following ongoing reports that Amazon’s generative AI makeover of Alexa is not going well, it appears Amazon may take a more practical approach to making its smart assistant more useful. According to Business Insider, Amazon is partnering with several companies to make Alexa better at doing things you might want a digital assistant to do: including calling an Uber, tackling Ticketmaster for events, booking dinner through OpenTable, and handling GrubHub and Instacart for your food delivery.
Now, if this sounds familiar, it's because the likes of Uber, OpenTable, GrubHub and others already had Alexa Skills, but apparently, this is something different. These companies are reportedly being recruited to be part of the new Alexa, which Amazon has said will be a smarter, more capable voice assistant — so much more capable, that the company will charge a premium for its use.
Amazon wants to make the new Alexa capable of completing an entire task for a user rather than handing it off to a third party, as it largely does with Skills. BI reports that these partner companies would become the “primary option for handling those specific tasks on the upgraded Alexa." So, for example, when you ask Alexa to order that pizza you got last week from that place you like, it could potentially link into your GrubHub account and order you a pepperoni and pineapple, saving you several minutes of fiddling with your phone.
According to BI, the partnerships aren't final. In fact, an Amazon spokesperson told the publication that any product development process features ideas that “don’t necessarily reflect what the experience will be when we roll it out for our customers.”
The approach is an interesting antidote to the generative-AI hype around voice assistants. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel here, just make the wheel better. While the report didn’t include technical details, if Amazon is partnering with companies, it may well be to leverage a much more tried-and-true solution than generative AI: APIs.
Instead of unleashing an LLM-powered assistant on a service or website and telling it to execute a task for you (a model that companies like Rabbit and Humane AI have tried with limited success), Amazon could just use a smarter, more conversational Alexa to make the clunky command and control structure of API calls more seamless. While technically much less ambitious, if it makes for a smoother experience ordering your pizza via voice than with the current Alexa Skills process, that’s an improvement all round.
The downside is that if Amazon relies on partnerships to provide this functionality, your local pizza place may not be on that list. (Mine only just got online ordering, and it's spotty at best.) According to BI’s source, Amazon expects to have around 200 partners by Q3 next year. Depending on who those partners are, this approach of “let's make sure this actually works” rather than “here’s a chatbot that might try to add pinecones to your pizza” feels like a better solution.
Tesla’s first 500kW V4 Superchargers are coming next year
New V4 cabinet and Supercharger stalls. | Image: Tesla
Tesla will launch fully realized V4 Supercharger stations that support up to 500kW charging for EVs and 1.2MW for Tesla’s commercial Semi trucks next year. Sites with new V4 cabinets are going into permitting now. When they open next year, they’ll connect the charging stalls EVs plug into with upgraded electronics that support faster charging on Cybertruck and other manufacturers’ EVs.
Tesla started rolling out the V4 stalls in Europe and limited places in the US last year. However, their power cabinets are limited to the capabilities of V3 Supercharger stations that support 250kW max charging. The updated V4 stalls include new physical payment terminals, longer cords that can reach the charge ports of other manufacturers’ EVs without causing the vehicles to block additional spots, and CCS connectors (so you don’t have to bring your own adapter.)
According to Tesla, V4 cabinets can deploy faster and power up to 8 stalls each. It’ll especially be helpful to owners of certain EVs from Porsche, Hyundai, Kia, and more who currently get slower charging speeds on V3 Superchargers due to their lack of higher voltage charging.
Chrome is the world’s most widely used browser, and the government’s lawyers have argued that its use in cross-promoting Google’s products is one of the things limiting available channels and incentives for competition to grow.
Requirements that officials are preparing to propose include that Google separate Android from Search and Google Play, but without trying to force Google to sell off Android. Another requirement would say it has to share more information with advertisers and that it “give them more control over where their ads appear,” the outlet writes.
Bloomberg also reports that officials will recommend that the company “give websites more options to prevent their content from being used by Google’s artificial intelligence products.” Finally, they will reportedly push for “a ban on the type of exclusive contracts that were at the center of the case against Google.”
Google’s regulatory affairs VP, Lee-Anne Mulholland, said that the DOJ “continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case,” Bloomberg writes.
Amazon and SpaceX attack US labor watchdog in court
Photo by ANDREA RENAULT/AFP via Getty Images
Amazon and SpaceX are seeking to hamstring the National Labor Relations Board, asking a court to declare its processes for upholding labor law unconstitutional. But judges on a three-person panel appeared skeptical when the companies presented their arguments Monday.
In two separate cases before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the two companies argued that the NLRB is unlawfully forcing them to participate in administrative law proceedings over alleged anti-labor actions. The Amazon case centers around whether it’s required to bargain with the union at its JFK 8 fulfillment center on Staten Island, while the SpaceX case involves a charge by former employees who claimed they were fired after being critical of CEO Elon Musk.
A ruling in favor of the companies could undermine the NLRB’s power to enforce protections for workers. It comes just as vocal pro-union President Joe Biden is leaving office and deregulation-friendly President-elect Donald Trump takes over. Trump notably counts Musk among his chief allies after his massive fundraising push. The NLRB is an independent agency with five board members appointed by the president to 5-year terms.
During oral arguments, the judges mostly prodded attorneys on the finer points of the companies’ decisions to appeal, and the timeline of their objections. At one point, Judge James Graves Jr., an Obama appointee, expressed doubt that Amazon had even met the conditions for an appeal — suggesting it should have waited on the ruling from the district court first. Two days after Amazon’s notice of appeal, the district court denied Amazon’s request for a temporary restraining order on its NLRB proceedings.
George W. Bush-appointed Judge Priscilla Richman similarly pressed SpaceX’s counsel Michael Kenneally about why the company rushed to an appeal, rather than letting the case progress in a lower court. Kenneally said SpaceX waited as long as it felt it could to bring its challenge and accused the government of leaning on procedural arguments because it couldn’t defend the NLRB’s constitutionality. Graves appeared skeptical. “That sounds to me about like the argument that, ‘well, procedure doesn’t matter if I win on the merits, so just skip right over procedure,’” he said.
Both companies are seeking to short-circuit the NLRB’s proceedings with a court order, which requires demonstrating this would cause them irreparable harm. But in Amazon’s case, NLRB counsel Tyler Wiese called the company’s deadline for the district court “imaginary,” and said, “merely proceeding through an administrative process is not irreparable harm.”
Amazon and SpaceX both argue that the NLRB’s administrative proceedings are tainted because its board members or administrative law judges are unconstitutionally insulated from removal. They point to Article II of the Constitution, which says the president must “take care that the Laws be faithfully executed,” which they say includes removing officials.
Amazon also says the NLRB is violating the Seventh Amendment, which protects the right to a jury trial in certain civil cases. It argues that the NLRB shouldn’t be allowed to decide on financial remedies related to the case because it would deny the company due process. Cox said the board itself “improperly interfered with the [union] election by exercising its prosecutorial authority,” so failing to stop the proceedings would let the NLRB as as judge and prosecutor.
The NLRB says it feels confident in a 1937 Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Act. “It is nothing new for big companies to challenge the authority of the NLRB to enforce workers’ rights so as not to be held accountable for their violations of the National Labor Relations Act,” NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said in a statement. “While the current challenges require the NLRB to expend scarce resources defending against them, we’ve seen that the results of these kinds of challenges is ultimately a delay in justice, but that ultimately justice does prevail.”
LG’s first 480Hz OLED gaming monitor is $1,000
Image: LG
LG’s 27-inch OLED gaming monitor is one of the fastest models we’ve seen to date and it’s finally ready for preorder. The UltraGear 27GX790A (or GX7 for short) is priced at $999.99 and is built around a 480Hz panel from LG Display announced in early January with a 2560 x 1440 resolution and 0.03ms response time.
The base specs of the GX7 are on par with the $1,100 InZone M10S that Sony released in September. That makes the UltraGear GX7 a smidge cheaper, but it lacks some of the performance modes and variable refresh rate features available on Sony’s offering.
The UltraGear GX7 is listed as available for preorder on LG’s US website, but there’s no mention of a delivery date and it can’t yet be added to the basket for checkout. We’ve reached out to LG for more information and will update here if we hear back.
Image: LG
Here’s a shot of the UltraGear GX7 from the rear, showing the port locations behind the adjustable stand.
The UltraGear GX7 is compatible with both Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync technology to help eliminate flickering and screen tearing issues. The display carries a DisplayHDR True Black 400 certification that supports a wide color gamut and impressive black levels, and an “Anti-Glare and Low Reflection” coating to improve the viewing experience in brightly lit environments.
The monitor features ports for HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1, USB 3.0, and a headphone jack. It also comes with a slim, height-adjustable stand that can tilt up to 15 degrees, and swivel up to 30 degrees.
Trump picks Brendan Carr to lead FCC
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President-elect Donald Trump said on Sunday that intends to name Brendan Carr as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Carr, a commissioner at the FCC since 2017, has made a name for himself by threatening to use the commission’s powers to regulate speech online and over the airwaves.
Carr authored Project 2025’s section on the FCC, using it to propose restrictions on social media platforms meant to bolster conservative speech. He proposed limiting the legal shield that gives websites wide latitude to host and moderate user-generated content. He also suggested putting regulations on tech companies that would limit their ability to block and prioritize that content as they choose.
In the lead up to the election, Carr threatened to use the commission’s powers to punish companies for speech he doesn’t like. Just this month, he floated revoking NBC’s broadcast license after SNL featured Kamala Harris. As commissioner, he voted to repeal net neutrality rules in 2017 and later voted against restoring net neutrality earlier this year.
In an exceptionally vague statement, Trump says Carr will “end the regulatory onslaught crippling America’s Job Creators and Innovators.” He also says that Carr will “ensure that the FCC delivers for rural America.”
Apple’s Lightning-to-3.5mm headphone adapter may be going away
I haven’t been able to find mine for years. | Image: Apple
The Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter may have bitten the dust, as it’s sold out at Apple’s online store in the US and much of the world, MacRumors reports. The accessory is reportedly still available from Apple in some countries, including France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
If it’s truly gone, then this feels like the end of an era. Apple introduced the Lightning headphone adapter in 2016 alongside the iPhone 7, when it first courageously ditched the headphone jack. The company even included it with new iPhones for a couple of generations before it stopped doing that for 2018’s iPhone XS, leaving customers to buy one themselves, pick up Lightning EarPods, or get on the AirPods train (which many of us had started begrudgingly admitting were actually good).
The writing has been on the wall for what’s left of the Apple Store’s Lightning selection since last year’s introduction of USB-C to the iPhone 15 line. Now, the Apple Store has dwindled to a handful of Lightning adapters, cables (including that special audio cable for AirPods Max), and Lightning EarPods.
And I’m sorry to report that, at least in the US Apple Store, Apple’s Lightning-to-VGA adapter appears to be gone, too.
Trump Picks Brendan Carr to Lead F.C.C. Mr. Carr, who currently sits on the commission and is a vocal critic of Big Tech, has said the agency should regulate the tech industry.
ChatGPT Defeated Doctors at Diagnosing Illness A small study found ChatGPT outdid human physicians when assessing medical case histories, even when those doctors were using a chatbot.
Netflix served the Tyson vs. Paul fight to 60 million households
Netflix had a very big night. | Photo: Al Bello / Getty Images for Netflix
Netflix peaked at “65 million concurrent streams” during the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last night, according to Most Valuable Promotions, the promoter for the fight. Those streams went out to 60 million households globally, the group said in a press release shared with The Verge via email. That’s more than twice the traffic Netflix could see for its Christmas Day NFL stream this year, if everyone who watched last year streamed it.
The crush of people trying to watch Tyson vs. Paul seemed to be more than Netflix’s servers could easily handle, as the social web was awash with complaints about the quality of the stream, which many found to be muddy, or plagued with buffering and dropped connections. Downdetector recorded more than 100,000 complaints of Netflix streaming issues during the event, according to Bloomberg.
60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson!
The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes. pic.twitter.com/kA8LjfAJSk
That’s also just a massive number of people streaming a single live event at the same time. Disney served 59 million concurrent streams of a World Cup cricket match through its Disney Plus Hotstar service last year. It hit similar numbers a few days earlier, and again in June this year.
Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone told employees that the company dealt with this “unprecedented scale” by prioritizing keeping the stream stable “for the majority of viewers,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
“We don’t want to dismiss the poor experience of some members, and know we have room for improvement, but still consider this event a huge success,” Stone reportedly wrote.
Update November 16th:Added Disney Plus Hotstar streaming numbers for additional context.
18 states want the SEC to stop enforcing crypto regulation
In which various government bodies fight over “permissionless” assets | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The US Securities and Exchange Commission wants to “unilaterally wrest regulatory authority away from the States” when it comes to crypto, according to a lawsuit from 18 states. These states want to halt the SEC’s enforcement actions, so they can manage crypto regulation instead. Also named as a plaintiff on the suit is the DeFi Education Fund, a special interest lobbyist.
Controversial SEC chair Gary Gensler is named in the suit, along with other SEC commissioners. Gensler’s treatment of crypto during his time as chair has made him a punching bag for the industry — and for Republicans such as president-elect Donald Trump.
Gensler’s SEC has notched significant wins against the crypto industry — and in multiple court cases, judges have agreed that the SEC does have jurisdiction over crypto. “The SEC’s sweeping assertion of regulatory jurisdiction is untenable,” the lawsuit claims. “The digital assets implicated here are just that — assets, not investment contracts covered by federal securities laws.”
This is both annoying and highly debatable. Coinbase, which is being sued by the SEC, has argued the suit should be dismissed because Coinbase isn’t trading securities. US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla ruled against Coinbase — and the case is proceeding. “The ‘crypto’ nomenclature may be of recent vintage, but the challenged transactions fall comfortably within the framework that courts have used to identify securities for nearly eighty years,” Failla wrote
The states’ suit also argues that a precedent called the major questions doctrine means that the SEC shouldn’t litigate against the crypto industry without Congressional approval. This, too, is highly debatable: judges rejected this line of argument from Terraform Labs and Coinbase.
ESPN is testing a generative AI avatar called ‘FACTS’
Image: ESPN
ESPN is testing an AI-generated avatar with the Saturday college football show SEC Nation. Dubbed FACTS, it’s going to be “...promoting education and fun around sports analytics” with information drawn from ESPN Analytics, which includes data like the Football Power Index (FPI), player and team statistics, and game schedules. We haven’t seen the avatar in action, but it sounds like a bot-ified version of stats encyclopedia Howie Schwab, who was ESPN’s first statistician and eventually the star of a mid-2000s game show, Stump the Schwab.
ESPN has already brought generative AI to its website with AI-written game recaps. FACTS is still in development, and there’s no word on when it could make its first appearance on the network.
FACTS uses Nvidia’s ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine), an Azure OpenAI integration to power language processing, and ElevenLabs for its text-to-speech capabilities.
In the announcement from its ESPN Edge Innovation Conference, the network claims FACTS is “absolutely not” made to replace journalists or other talent. “FACTS is designed to test innovations out in the market and create an outlet for ESPN Analytics’ data to be accessible to fans in an engaging and enjoyable segment,” the company writes.
The world’s biggest battery maker says Elon Musk’s 4680 cell ‘is going to fail’
Image: Tesla
Robin Zeng, the founder of the world’s largest EV battery company, says Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s big bet on 4680 cylindrical cell technology “is going to fail and never be successful.” Zeng, the chairman of China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), tells Reuters that when Musk visited China in April, “We had a very big debate, and I showed him. He was silent. He doesn’t know how to make a battery.”
Tesla’s “tabless” 4680 cells, which are used in some of its cars, including the Cybertruck, are supposed to have “five times” more energy capacity, and the company announced in September it had produced 100 million of them. A recent report by The Information said Musk had given the team working on the batteries an end of the year deadline to deal with costs and other problems.
CATL batteries, meanwhile, go inside everything from Tesla vehicles in China to Ford EVs in North America like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. The company specializes in lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP), which generally don’t get as much range as various cylindrical cell units used in many Tesla vehicles.
While Zeng wasn’t impressed with Musk’s battery knowledge, he thought he was good with chips, software, hardware, and “mechanical things.”
Zeng also commented that Musk’s problem is “overpromising” timelines, which he often does habitually, especially regarding Full Self-Driving technology. “Maybe something needs five years. But he says two years. I definitely asked him why. He told me he wanted to push people.”
Pokémon TCG Pocket will let you trade cards starting early next year
The Pokemon Company
Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has been a big hit since its worldwide launch last month, and the team behind it has shared a brief roadmap of a couple updates to come — including the ability to trade cards with other people.
“We are aiming to add a feature that allows certain cards to be traded starting in January, 2025,” according to an update from the team on the official Pokémon forums. “We are planning to gradually expand the selection of cards that are able to be traded.” It’s unclear what cards will initially be available to trade, and hopefully the expansion of the list doesn’t take too long.
The game will also get new booster packs by the end of this year. And there are other new features in the works in addition to trading, and the team says it will announce more details “as the dates for the addition of these features are finalized.”
PayPal will let you pool money for group gifts and shared expenses
PayPal is making it easier to collectively pool together funds on the platform. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images
PayPal is introducing a new money-pooling feature that aims to make it easier to collect and pay for things as a group. The feature is free and allows PayPal users to create a pool online or via the platform’s app, invite friends and family to contribute, track contributed funds, and transfer that cash to their own PayPal balance.
Provided you trust the pool organizer who will hold the power to spend or withdraw those funds, the pooling feature should provide a simple way to gather cash for things like gifts and group traveling collectively. Pool organizers can share pool joining links via “text, email, WhatsApp, and more” to people regardless of whether they have a PayPal account or not. Contributions can be made using a PayPal balance or bank account, and organizers can also set a pool name, description, target date, and funding goal amount.
Image: PayPal
Here’s what the setup process looks like in the PayPal app.
The money pooling feature is rolling out today across the US, UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Users in those regions can access it by selecting “Pool Money” from either the PayPal app menu, or in the “More Options” menu within the “Send/Request” tab.
Other apps like Settle Up are already available that directly focus on tracking and pooling group expenses. Venmo also introduced a similar feature last year called “Groups” with a notable distinction — the responsibility is entirely shared, which may be a better solution if you don’t want a single individual in charge of the group.
Are A.I. Clones the Future of Dating? I Tried Them for Myself. A New York Times reporter tested a handful of chatbots to see if they could help improve his dating life. The results were decidedly mixed.
F.B.I. Searches Home of Shayne Coplan, Polymarket Founder The search involving Shayne Coplan, the founder of Polymarket, known for its presidential election odds, was part of a criminal investigation, three people said.
Apple updates Logic Pro with new sounds and search features
Apple Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 with Quantec Room Simulator | Image: Apple
Apple today announced some minor updates to Logic Pro for both the Mac and the iPad, including the ability to search for plug-ins and sources and the addition of more analog-simulating sounds.
In Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1, you can now reorder channel strips and plug-ins in the mixer and plug-in windows to make it easier to organize the layout of an audio mix.
As for the new sounds, Apple added a library of analog synthesizer samples called Modular Melodies, akin to the Modular Rhythms pack already found in Logic.
A more exciting sonic addition is the new Quantec Room Simulator (QRS) plug-in, which emulates the vintage digital reverb hardware of the same name, found in professional recording studios all over the world. Apple has acquired the technology for the classic QRS model and the later YardStick models to integrate into this software.
Image: Apple
I wish the QRS plug-in looked like the real life reverb unit
Specific to Logic Pro for Mac, you are now able to share a song to the Mac’s Voice Memos app — which may be a great feature for when Voice Memos gets that multitrack option on the iPhone in iOS 18.2
Added to the iPad version of Logic Pro is the ability to add your own local third party sample folders to the browser window, to make it easier to bring external audio files into tracks and sampler plug-ins.
These upgrades are small for current Logic users, but they do overall make the digital audio workplace easier to use and adds to the plethora of useful tools for no additional cost. Users will have access to upgrade to Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1 today.
MKBHD got himself in trouble again
A screen grab of the video titled “How My Video Gear is Changing!” | Image: MKBHD
Marques Brownlee is dealing with another commenter backlash. Fans of Brownlee are furious that his latest video, titled “How My Video Gear is Changing!” on the MKBHD YouTube channel, is a fully sponsored segment for DJI, rather than an editorially independent review. The video also contained a clip of Brownlee driving a sports car way over the speed limit on a suburban road.
Commenters have flooded the video with criticism, calling out Brownlee for running the sponsored segment. “This can’t even be considered a sponsored video anymore. It’s literally just a ten minute advertisement,” reads one comment with more than 12,000 likes.
In response, Brownlee edited the video to remove the clip of him speeding. It had originally shown him exceeding 95 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone and speeding past a sign on the road warning drivers to slow down for children. Brownlee pinned his own comment on the video this afternoon, saying he cut out the “unnecessary driving clip” and that he “hears everyone’s feedback on sponsored videos.” He then posted an acknowledgment and apology on X saying it was “absolutely inexcusable and dangerous.”
Last video I did something pretty stupid. You might've already seen it, but maybe not so I'll address it here. There was a clip with the action cam of me test driving a car and going way to fast. Absolutely inexcusable and dangerous.
Brownlee has increasingly been expanding beyond his traditional YouTube videos. He’s worked on physical products, like his Atoms shoes collaborations, and he joined the board at wallet maker Ridge.
Can Trump Prevent a TikTok Ban? His Team Says ‘He Will Deliver’ When asked about whether President-elect Donald Trump would prevent a TikTok ban in the United States, a spokeswoman told The New York Times: “He will deliver.”
This tiny smart lock promises to unlock your door in under two seconds
Nuki says its new Smart Lock Ultra is a third the size and three times as fast as previous models. | Image: Nuki
Popular European smart lock maker Nuki has announced the fifth generation of its smart lock. The Smart Lock Ultra is a third the size of the original Nuki, features a new brushless motor for faster operation, and promises at least six months of battery life. Plus, for the first time, the new lock has been designed to work with US deadbolts.
The Nuki Smart Lock Ultra (€349) will be available in Europe in December and is the company’s first full-replacement door lock. Previous Nuki models could be retrofitted over an existing lock, so you could keep using your existing keys. This one requires swapping out the entire cylinder and comes with three new keys. However, the US model, coming next year, will work as a retrofit lock and only require replacing the thumb turn on your door — similar to how the August smart lock works.
Martina Stix, Nuki’s communications manager, tells The Verge that the US version looks identical but comes with a different mounting plate and no replacement cylinder — so you can use your existing keys. She says it should be available in Q2 of 2025, with pricing still to be determined.
Image: Nuki
The Nuki Ultra, pictured on the right, is a third the size of the previous model, shown here on the left.
The big change here is that the Nuki Ultra packs all of the functions of the previous model into a much smaller design thanks to a new built-in battery that does away with the bulky battery compartment. The company says it’s also over three times faster — capable of locking or unlocking in under 1.5 seconds.
That’s very fast; the fastest locks I’ve tested take two to three seconds to fully unlock, and most are closer to five, especially retrofit locks. Stix says the speed comes from an all-new motor: “The new smart lock is powered by brushless engine technology, commonly used in electric cars, used for the first time in a Nuki smart lock.”
The lock can be controlled in several ways: with a key, with geo-fenced-based auto-unlock, with the Nuki app on a phone or smartwatch, or with any compatible smart home platform. It also works with all existing Nuki accessories, including a key fob and a separate Bluetooth keypad mounted outside the door, with the option of a fingerprint reader.
Image: Nuki
The Nuki Ultra Smart Lock uses a new brushless motor.
As with the Nuki Smart Lock (4th-gen) launched last year, the Ultra offers a choice of connectivity options: Wi-Fi, Matter-over-Thread, or Bluetooth. It supports Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and other Matter-compatible platforms.
The company’s existing keypad accessory does not support Apple’s Home Key function, which allows you to tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to an NFC-enabled lock or keypad to unlock it. Stix says Nuki plans to support Aliro when it launches next year, a new standard for smart locks that is reported to include a similar tap-to-unlock capability to Home Key, although the specification has not yet been released.
Image: Nuki
The lock has a built-in rechargeable battery and comes with a two-meter power cable for charging.
Unlike some previous generations of the lock, Wi-Fi connectivity is built into the Nuki Ultra, so there is no need for a separate bridge. The new battery technology promises up to six months of battery life (possibly more, depending on your connectivity choice; Thread or Bluetooth will last longer than Wi-Fi). But it does have to be charged on the door, which seems a bit awkward. The company supplies a two-meter magnetic power cable to reach a nearby outlet and says it can fully charge in under two hours.
The Smart Lock Ultra is available for preorder now at Nuki.io in Europe for €349 and will ship in December. The US version is expected to launch next year.
It’s no different on the inside than a normal model, says Valve:
Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White has all the same specs as the Steam Deck OLED 1TB model, but in white and grey. It also comes with an exclusive white carrying case and white microfiber cleaning cloth.
Since the 1TB OLED normally costs $649, you’re effectively paying $30 for the color. Valve says it’s allocated stock proportionally across each region, but once it’s sold out, it won’t be making any more.
Below, find a few more images of it direct from Valve.
I still highly recommend the Steam Deck OLED, though I could see some buyers picking an Asus ROG Ally X instead for its notable performance and decent battery life advantages, particularly if they decide to dual-boot the Bazzite operating system (which makes it feel a lot like a Steam Deck) alongside Windows.
(Yes, the ROG Ally X is a black variant of an originally white handheld, and this Steam Deck is the opposite.)
Here’s what the old Valve prototype looked like, straight out of Portal with an Aperture Science logo on the back:
GIF by Sean Hollister / The Verge
It’s not for sale.
Here’s hoping someone will print up some high quality Portal stickers, and perhaps we can add our own orange and blue Portal thumbstick covers or something.
The push for Elon Musk to lead American AI policy is already starting
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
Efforts to influence President-elect Donald Trump’s policies via Elon Musk are already beginning. On Friday, nonprofit AI advocacy group Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) launched a public petition asking Trump to make Musk his special adviser on AI, saying he is well positioned to protect the US lead on the technology while ensuring it’s rolled out safely.
“No one is better equipped to help the Trump Administration make America lead on AI than Elon Musk,” reads the petition circulated by ARI, which is led by former Democratic representative Brad Carson and says it doesn’t take corporate funding.
Musk has been a leading critic of OpenAI, a company he cofounded but more recently has distanced himself from and made into an opponent. Shortly after the release of ChatGPT, he signed onto a letter calling for a moratorium on the development of more advanced generative AI models in order to implement safeguards. Critics say his stances are largely self-interested, however, since he also runs his own AI company, xAI.
The ARI petition says it’s possible to deal with Musk’s conflicts of interest, arguing that with “proper mechanisms” to do so, “Musk would be an invaluable asset for helping the Trump administration navigate the development of this transformational technology.” ARI is aiming to get 10,000 signatures on the petition.
“Musk could emerge as a champion for AI safety in the administration,” ARI policy analyst David Robusto wrote in a recent blog post. Robusto pointed to Musk’s cofounding of OpenAI, his call for a moratorium on AI development, and support of California’s vetoed AI safety bill SB 1047 as reasons to believe his commitment to safety is deep-rooted. Robusto concedes that Musk hasn’t said much about what kinds of government policies should actually be implemented — besides the creation of a dedicated AI safety agency — but says his “lack of specificity suggests his thinking on the topic is evolving and can still be shaped by public debate over the issue.”
Musk has previously claimed he’ll join the Trump administration in a role he created from whole cloth: the head of a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose role would be to gut the entire US regulatory system. But Robusto hopes he could promote AI safety even in that capacity — if only by hitting the departments that manage it less hard. Robusto says Musk may spare agencies key to AI safety policy like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from cuts to federal spending. And if Musk imposes mass layoffs across the government to save costs, the government may lean more on AI tools to make up the workload.
“With proper guardrails in place, his unique combination of technical expertise and safety advocacy could be a valuable asset in developing responsible AI governance,” Robusto writes.
Boost Mobile says it’s a real wireless carrier now
Remember the race to 5G? | Image: The Verge
Boost Mobile has announced it is on its way to meeting FCC coverage deadlines by the end of the year and says it has earned the title of MNO — Mobile Network Operator — rather than MVNO, which is a virtual network operator mainly reselling service from other carriers. Mission... accomplished? Sort of. It’s progress, at least.
Boost, you will remember, is supposed to be our nation’s fourth wireless carrier thanks to a wonky deal that allowed T-Mobile to buy Sprint. Dish Network — now owned by EchoStar — bought the brand as part of the deal and is required by the FCC to hit certain milestones in its 5G network buildout to hold up its part of the bargain. Last June, it was required to cover 70 percent of the US population; by the end of the year, it needs to reach 80 percent. Boost’s chief technology officer, Eben Albertyn, told The Verge, “We are well on our way to meeting this goal.” He says the company has lit up more than 20,000 of the 24,000 cell sites it has promised to deploy by June 2025.
“Covering” 80 percent of the population is one thing; actually providing service to customers on that network is another. While Boost’s network has been under construction over the past few years it has mainly offered service through AT&T and T-Mobile as an MVNO.
Boost spokespeople weren’t able to tell me what percentage of customer traffic rides on Boost’s own network versus its roaming partners. However, the company’s director of communications, Meredith Diers, says it has migrated “over half a million customers onto our network and our core since the beginning of this year.” New customers in covered areas are also loaded directly on the network, provided they have a phone compatible with its network. Considering that just a couple of years ago, there was just one phone compatible with the network, that’s good progress.
The effort has certainly come a long way since the days of Project Gene5is, its early pilot program that weirdly had something to do with NFTs. But Boost’s subscriber numbers are still small; in its August earnings release the company said it had 7.28 million subscribers. T-Mobile counted 127 million customers in its most recent earnings release. Even if it meets those FCC milestones on time, there’s much more work to be done.
Mattel accidentally linked a porn site on Wicked doll packaging
The first part of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande (left) and Cynthia Erivo (right) will arrive in theaters on November 22nd. | Image: Universal Pictures
Barbie producer Mattel has issued an apology after customers spotted its Wicked edition dolls listed an adult website on the packaging. The toy merchandise mistakenly directed customers to the homepage of the Wicked Pictures pornographic movie studio, instead of the correct WickedMovie.com URL.
“We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this,” Mattel said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children.”
Mattel said that the dolls, which have been released to coincide with Universal’s film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical, are “primarily sold in the US” and that the error was a “misprint.” It’s unclear how many of the mislabeled toys, which are advertised for children aged four and up, have already been distributed to stores. According to The Hollywood Reporter, impacted products from the toy line are currently being pulled from shelves at various retailers including Walmart. Best Buy, and Amazon.
Mattel has advised customers who have already purchased the dolls, which retail between $24.99 to $39.99, to “discard the product packaging or obscure the link.” Some are taking financial advantage of the blunder, however — products advertised to specifically include the printing error are being listed on eBay for hundreds of dollars.
Wicked serves as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz that’s told from the perspective of the witches Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande). Part one of Wicked will debut in theaters on November 22nd, with a second film expected to release in November 2025.
The next Nintendo Direct is all about Super Nintendo World’s Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country gets a Nintendo Direct showcase on Monday. | Image: Nintendo
Nintendo says it’s finally going to show off the long-awaited Donkey Kong Country area of Super Nintendo World in a Nintendo Direct stream on Monday at 5PM ET. It’s an encouraging sign for the theme park expansion devoted to Mario’s first nemesis, the opening of which was delayed earlier this year.
Nintendo first confirmed that it was building the area, which will feature a mine cart rollercoaster ride, back in 2021. Nintendo and Universal Studios showed the region off — or a digital render of it, anyway — earlier this year, and confirmed that when the Orlando, Florida version of Super Nintendo World opens on May 22nd, 2025, it will have all of the same attractions as its Osaka counterpart.
As for Nintendo Switch 2 news, well, don’t get your hopes up. Nintendo says “no game information will be featured.”
Tune in on 11/11 at 2 p.m. PT for a SUPER NINTENDO WORLD Direct livestream! The stream will be roughly 10 minutes and showcase Donkey Kong Country of #SuperNintendoWorld at Universal Studios Japan. No game information will be featured. #NintendoDirect
Nintendo said in May that Donkey Kong Country’s Mine-Cart Madness rollercoaster will have “jaw-dropping maneuvers” that include being “blasted out of a barrel, seemingly jumping over gaps as they speed along the rickety track.” And like other parts of the park, visitors can expect Donkey Kong-themed merchandise and interactive experiences.
Spotify’s AI is no match for a real DJ
Was anyone asking for this? | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
At the risk of stating the obvious, AI is absolutely everywhere lately. There’s AI in your car, AI in your messaging app, AI in your glasses. I’ve gotten pretty desensitized to it all as a hazard of the job, but it was Spotify’s AI DJ that actually got my attention.
I’ve listened to a top 40 radio station in the past two decades, so I’m familiar with the concept of a robot picking music for me. In that context, an AI DJ doesn’t seem like much of a stretch. But after using it on and off for a week, I’m convinced it’s the perfect analogy for our AI-everything moment. It’s eerily human, and it plays a lot of music I like. But take it from someone with access to a high-quality local indie radio station — one that employs human DJs! — there just ain’t nothing like the real thing.
Spotify’s AI DJ has been around since early 2023, but it piqued my interest recently when I was scrounging around the app looking for some work-friendly tunes. The AI voice greeted me by name, then after a little preamble, told me it had some “dream pop and neo-psychedelic waves” picked out. As the music started, I was annoyed at how extremely my shit it was. I shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that Spotify has nearly a decade’s worth of data on my musical listening habits. It drew on my previous listening for the next track, too: a song by Classixx, whose Hanging Gardens album I listened to on repeat last year. But while I listened to Hanging Gardens on Spotify, I didn’t discover it there. I heard it first on KEXP — a local station where real humans pick the music.
“DJ X” is represented by an animated green circle that moves as it talks.
Do I want to listen to Santigold? Yeah, but it’s more meaningful coming from a human curator.
See, here in Seattle, we’re extremely spoiled. In between the robot-programmed, conglomerate-owned stations, we have a real honest-to-god independent station on our radio dials: 90.3, to be precise. I started listening to KEXP through their online stream years before I moved to Seattle. Being a local has only made me more of a fan; I celebrated the opening of the “new” KEXP location in 2016 and saw one of my favorite bands play a free in-studio show there not long before they broke up. I’ve logged countless hours working on my laptop in the community gathering space. Being able to walk into my favorite radio station and just like, hang out, remains cool as hell all these years later. I wish every city in the country had a KEXP.
It’s not that I like everything that I hear on KEXP. “The Friday song” is banned in my house because my husband and I are both so sick of it. And as much as I’ve tried, I can’t get into Wet Leg. It’s a me problem. But that’s kind of the point of a radio station, isn’t it? You hear some stuff you like and some stuff you’re not as into. Maybe you hear a song you forgot about but love or a band you dig that you’ve never heard before. It’s a well-rounded meal, while an AI-curated set feels like a dessert buffet. It’s all the stuff you love, and it’s great at first, but then it gives you a stomach ache after a while.
In the era of Spotify algorithms and top 40 stations, a DJ might seem like an abstract concept. But KEXP’s DJs are very much real people that I see out in the community, emceeing local music festivals and shopping at the co-op grocery store. It’s an obvious but crucial difference. When a real human plays a song you really like because they really like it, too, it hits different than when it comes from an algorithm.
Being on air and sharing music is “a way of connection with thousands of people across the world,” says Evie Stokes, DJ and host of KEXP’s Drive Time. “It’s a great way for me to be honest and have accountability and community that I think we so desperately need.”
Her connection to the audience is built through and alongside the music; Stokes has shared her journey into sobriety with her listeners. “Every time I talk about it on air… I get an influx of messages from folks who are going through similar paths in their life.” That connection simply can’t exist when the only thing running the station is a robot.
One of the downsides of being employed as a writer is that it’s basically impossible for me to listen to the radio while I work. I can’t write to songs with lyrics, and I definitely can’t write while a DJ is talking. So I turn to Spotify a lot during the workday, and I’ve listened to plenty of “lofi” and “smooth jazz beats” playlists while blogging. I’ve used another of Spotify’s AI features, too: AI-created playlists. For the purpose, they’re fine. Best of all, there’s no pretense that a human is picking the music for me. I tell the computer what mood I’m in, and it assembles a playlist of tunes that fit the assignment.
If nothing else, the AI DJ is a kind of totem of the particular AI moment we’re in. Generative AI is buzzy, and tech companies are busy shoving it into every corner of every product they make, whether it has any business being there or not. There’s plenty of stuff AI can do and probably will do for us in the near future. But standing in for a real human, especially in creative applications, isn’t one of them. Take it from the Polish radio station that tried — and failed spectacularly — to replace its human presenters with AI characters.
Does anyone actually want an AI DJ calling them by name? Does anybody want an AI-generated DM from their favorite creator? Does anyone want to have a Zoom meeting with your AI avatar? Maybe, but I think the tech executives pushing for more of this stuff are vastly overestimating this demand and underestimating the value that a real human brings to an exchange. People want to listen to podcasts, for Christ’s sake. A podcast is just humans talking to each other. Conceptually, listening to a podcast is about as advanced as gathering round the radio for your favorite program like people did a hundred years ago. Some things are constants.
On the day I started listening to the Spotify AI DJ, I got in the car that afternoon to pick my kid up from daycare. DJ Riz was hosting Drive Time on KEXP, and the first thing I heard him play was “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” by Lesley Gore, released in 1963. It’s a bop that’s as syrupy-sweet as the candy in its title. Riz followed that up with Love from Mos Def’s 1999 album Black on Both Sides. I’m sure I wouldn’t have listened to either of those songs on my own that afternoon, let alone back to back. But it worked, and the juxtaposition made me smile. You just don’t get that kind of thing from AI.
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The Brave New World preview opens on Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) visiting one of the first supersoldiers, Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), in prison after his attack on the president. Isaiah, who doesn’t seem to remember the attack, warns Sam to “be careful.”
The trailer then sets up some heavy tension and intrigue, using a fun splitscreen theme to build to a much more thorough reveal of Ross’ Red Hulk than Marvel did in July. Although it leaves the feeling that he’s the movie’s main villain, it also suggests there’s much more to the story than just “Sam fights a Hulk.” Captain America: Brave New World hits theaters on February 14th.
Then there’s the nearly four-minute-long “special look” at Thunderbolts, which offers more of the Thunderbolts working as an actual team, assembled by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as a super-powered task force of flawed anti-heroes.
The movie’s other main characters include Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ava Starr / Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour), Antonia Dreykov / Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko), and John Walker / US Agent (Wyatt Russell). Oh, and Bob (Lewis Pullman), who seems like just a guy until you see him, injury-free despite a shirt that looks like it’s full of bullet holes that might have come from the dozen or so people pointing guns at him.
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The Beatles’ final song, restored using AI, is up for a Grammy
Paul McCartney in 2022. | Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images
The Beatles have been nominated for two Grammys — nearly 50 years after the band officially split up. Their final song, called “Now and Then,” was restored last year with the help of AI, and is now up for record of the year alongside the likes of Beyoncé, Charlie XCX, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift. It’s also been nominated for best rock performance, where it goes up against Green Day, Pearl Jam, and The Black Keys.
However, “Now and Then” was never released, as technology at the time couldn’t separate John’s vocals and piano to get a clear sound. But in 2021, filmmaker Peter Jackson and his sound team were able to separate the instrumentals and vocals with machine learning technology, allowing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to finally complete the song.
Though “Now and Then” was finished using machine learning, it still falls within the bounds of The Grammy’s rules surrounding AI. The guidelines currently state that “only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a GRAMMY Award,” but work that contains “elements” of AI material is “eligible in applicable categories.”
It’s a bit strange to see “Now and Then” competing with modern-day music like Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” but it’s been a long time coming. We’ll get to see how the Beatles fare during the 2025 Grammy Awards, which takes place on Sunday, February 2nd.
YouTube Premium’s legacy price breaks are going away for more users
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
YouTube’s premium subscriptions are about to get more expensive for long-time subscribers with legacy plans in more places. In December, YouTube told US subscribers with legacy YouTube Premium plans (stemming from discontinued services Google Play Music or YouTube Red) they’d need to start paying the current $13.99 per month price in the new year.
YouTube Music users in Europe have posted emails they received announcing a price increase for them, too, and just like the US, some report getting three more months at the current price before the hike.
In an email to The Verge, YouTube communications manager Paul Pennington confirmed prices are increasing for both YouTube Premium, which removes ads on the streaming videos and includes access to the music service, as well as the YouTube Music standalone plans:
We’re updating the price for YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium for new and current subscribers in Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Uruguay, and Turkey.
Members who signed up originally via Google Play and received early adopter pricing will get three additional months at their current price.
The initial Reddit poster said they were on the legacy plan from a Google Play Music subscription that started before YouTube Music launched (as YouTube Music Key in 2014 with a $7.99 monthly rate in the US), leading to their eventual merger and the shutdown of Google Play Music. Now, their monthly rate as a subscriber in Spain is going up from 7.99 euros to 10.99, which is still less than the rate for new subscribers to the individual music subscription, which is 12.99 euros.
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The best Garmin watches for training and everyday life
Garmins aren’t just multisport behemoths anymore. | Illustration by Will Joel / The Verge
Garmin may be best known for its hardcore fitness watches, but it’s got an extensive line of lifestyle offerings, too.
Few brands are as synonymous with outdoor sports as Garmin. You’ll find these fitness trackers and smartwatches on dozens of wrists at any 5K, marathon, or Ironman. You’ll also find Garmin devotees among divers, thru-hikers, golfers, kiteboarders — you name it. But these devices aren’t just for athletes. The company’s made significant strides in its lifestyle offerings, so regardless of your fitness level, there’s a Garmin for everyone.
If you’re coming from a more traditional smartwatch, Garmin’s core strengths lie in fitness, GPS, adventuring, and durability. These are hardy devices that are meant to withstand the elements and last weeks on a single charge. Several models come with offline maps, advanced navigational features, and more training metrics than any other platform. And although many wearable companies have begun rolling out subscriptions, Garmin has publicly stated it has no intention of charging its users extra. That’s a good thing since Garmin devices tend to be on the pricier side.
Garmins aren’t too shabby on smarts, either. While more fitness-focused than anything from Apple, Google, or Samsung, there’s enough to get you the basics like notifications and then some. For example, most Garmins have fall detection and safety features, and several of the latest Garmins recently got an FDA-cleared EKG feature. (You’ll need a phone on hand, however, as only one Garmin model has cellular connectivity.) Many Garmin devices also support offline music playback and come with a small third-party app ecosystem.
There are a lot of Garmin watches to choose from. No, seriously, there are six major lineups, and each has a multitude of models. But no worries — I test several Garmins every year and can help point you in the right direction.
The best Garmin for runners
Sizes:42mm w/ 18mm straps; 46mm w/ 22mm straps /Weight:39g (42mm); 47g (46mm) /Battery life:Up to 15 days (42mm); 13 days (46mm) in smartwatch mode /Display type:OLED touchscreen /GPS:All-systems GNSS and dual-frequency GPS /Connectivity:Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi /Water resistance:5ATM /Music storage:8GB
Garmin has many running watches, and a lot of them are great. But the Forerunner 265 or 265S (if you have petite wrists) strikes an excellent balance between price, feature set, battery life, and a vibrant OLED display.
That said, the Forerunner 265 / 265S is a bit of an odd duck. It comes a mere nine months after its predecessor, the Forerunner 255, and is, in many ways, pretty much the same watch. The main difference is the 265 has an OLED display compared to the 255’s memory-in-pixel screen. Usually, that means worse battery life, but in this case, we got about a week on a single charge with the always-on display enabled. Without it, you can get up to 15 days. Given that OLED is easier to read and just, well, looks nicer, that gives the 265 lineup an edge over the 255.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The 42mm Forerunner 265S fits on my petite wrists well. Plus, it’s lightweight, so it won’t distract you while running.
The 265 also has dual-frequency GPS (also known as multi-band). The gist is you get much more accurate maps in challenging environments like cities and dense forests because you can access both the L1 and L5 satellite frequencies. And even with dual-frequency GPS enabled, you still don’t lose a whole lot of battery life. I wore it during a half marathon with that and the AOD enabled, and I still had over 80 percent battery by the time I got home. This is also an excellent price, as the majority of multi-band GPS watches cost well over $600.
My main complaint is that $450, while not bad for Garmin, is still a lot when you consider that’s the same price as smarter smartwatches with great running features. Some runners won’t care. But if you’re on a budget — or you’re new to running and feel iffy about spending that much — then consider the Forerunner 165 series. It starts at $250 (add another $50 for onboard music) and does almost everything the 265 series does. The main things you’re missing are dual-frequency GPS and a few more niche sport profiles. But if you’re mostly sticking to running, gym equipment, cycling, swimming, and hiking, you’re covered.
Neither has all of Garmin’s training features, but it’s got what you’ll need to run anything from a 5K to a full marathon. That includes a Race Predictor, which gives you an estimate of what your best time would be based on your actual training. You can also use PacePro to figure out your pacing strategy for a race. You also get Garmin’s Training Readiness feature to help gauge load and recovery, Garmin Coach plans, and a host of running form metrics. It also supports offline music and safety features like fall detection. The only thing they lack is advanced mapping. (They still have trackback, point-to-point navigation, and real-time breadcrumb trail support, however.)
Sizes:42mm w/ 20mm straps; 47mm w/ 22mm straps; 51mm w/ 26mm straps /Weight:42mm: 63g stainless steel, 58g titanium; 47mm: 78g stainless steel, 70g titanium; 51mm: 98g stainless steel, 88g titanium /Battery life:42mm: up to 10 days (4 with AOD); 47mm: up to 16 days (6 with AOD); 51mm: up to 31 days (11 with AOD) /Display type:OLED /GPS:All-systems GNSS and dual-frequency GPS /Connectivity:Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi /Water resistance:10ATM /Music storage:Up to 32GB
The Epix Pro will get you every fitness feature that Garmin has to offer. And I mean everything. It would frankly be easier to tell you what the Epix Pro does not have: things that are limited to LTE smartwatches and some of the new smart features on the Fenix 8, like an on-board voice assistant. Otherwise, you’ve got topographical maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and more training metrics than even a seasoned triathlete would know what to do with.
The Pro is more size-inclusive than the standard second-gen Epix, which only comes in 47mm. You can get the Pro in that size, too, but it also comes in 42mm and 51mm. This was a major complaint I had with the second-gen Epix last year, and you love to see companies actually take this sort of thing seriously. The best part is the Pro models start at the same price as the regular Epix did. You’ll have to pay $100 extra for materials like titanium and sapphire crystal, but that’s also true of the standard Epix.
That said, it muddies the waters if you’re trying to pick between the Epix Pro, Fenix 7, Fenix 7 Pro, and now, the Fenix 8. The main difference is the Epix watches all have OLED displays. One reason I prefer OLED is that they’re much easier to read indoors — where most of us spend the majority of our time. The Fenix 7 series’ memory-in-pixel displays (plus solar charging if you opt for it) allow for weeks and weeks of charge, but the smallest Epix Pro can get around 10 days with normal usage. The 47mm and 51mm Pro models can go longer between charges due to bigger batteries, but I felt that the 42mm has enough juice to satisfy most use cases. Garmin also has so many battery-saving modes and options that I highly doubt this will ever be an issue.
Not helping matters is the fact that the Fenix 8 lets you choose between an OLED or a MIP display. You also get smart features like an onboard voice assistant, the ability to take calls from the wrist, and the Garmin Messenger app. The main problem is the starting price is now $350 more than the standard Fenix 7 and right about on par with the Epix Pro. My personal feeling is the Fenix 8’s smart features are just okay and that you’re really not missing much by not having them. This is also the season where we see discounts on older models, so I would put on my bargain hunting hat for a discounted Epix Pro or Fenix 7 Pro while inventory still lasts.
But really the winning feature of the Epix Pro is the hands-free flashlight. It’s so useful in my day-to-day life, and all you have to do is double-press a button. It’s as bright as your smartphone, comes with a red light option if you want something easier on the eyes, and can act as a strobe in an emergency situation. The Fenix 7 Pro and 8 watches also have a flashlight, so a lot of this is going to come down to personal preference for the display, price, and whether you care about smart features.
If you’re set on the most battery life possible, I recommend the Fenix 7 Pro over the standard 7 for a few reasons. Its MIP display is slightly brighter, all sizes have the flashlight, and, like the Epix Pro, it has an updated sensor array. I also recommend it over the MIP versions of the Fenix 8 because it comes in more sizes, and costs around $300 less. Especially since the Fenix 8’s smart features are a bit half-baked.
Sizes:40mm w/ 20mm straps /Weight:19g /Battery life:Up to 5 days /Display type:“Hidden” OLED touchscreen /GPS:Tethered GPS /Connectivity:Bluetooth, Ant Plus /Water resistance:5ATM /Music storage:N/A
What I love most about the Vivomove Sport is it doesn’t look like what most people expect from a Garmin. It’s a hybrid smartwatch, which means it looks like a regular watch but can track fitness and deliver notifications. Garmin’s hybrids are also unique in that they all use an OLED display that stays hidden until you need it.
This is best suited for a casually active person who wants style and value in a lightweight package. Think wellness, more so than fitness. It gets you continuous heart rate monitoring and blood oxygen level monitoring and can even provide abnormal heart rate alerts. You also get access to more in-depth metrics like respiration rate, fitness age, stress, and Body Battery, which is Garmin’s tool for visualizing how well-rested you are. For smart features, you get all the basics, like notifications, alarms, and timers.
Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
You can’t easily read a whole text on this hidden OLED display, but you will know who sent it and make an educated choice about whether you want to reach for your phone.
The Sport isn’t quite as full-featured as some other Garmins you’ll find on this list. For instance, you’re giving up built-in GPS in favor of tethered GPS through your phone. There are no contactless payments, nor is there a microphone or speaker for taking calls on the wrist. But this is a budget pick, and you get a lot, considering this is an entry-level gadget that could pass for a Swatch at a glance.
I don’t love that the battery life is short for a hybrid, at around three to four days. Even so, that’s still much better than what you’ll get on an Apple Watch or Wear OS 3 watch. If you’re willing to spend about $100 more, the $269.99 Vivomove Trend has more chic materials, gets you more screen real estate, and wireless Qi charging. Otherwise, this is a great lifestyle wearable that can serve as a classier alternative to your typical fitness band.
If you prefer something newer to the Sport that’s also stylish, the Garmin Lily 2 is another good option, especially if you’ve got particularly small wrists or prefer something extremely lightweight. The swipe and tap gestures are still a little fiddly to use — which was also the case with the first-gen model — but the fresh design is a fun way to lightly monitor your fitness without bogging yourself down with notifications. Garmin also recently announced a new version called the Lily 2 Active, which adds a physical button, GPS, and support for more sports tracking for a starting price of $299.99.
Sizes:40mm w/ 20mm straps /Weight:38g /Battery life:Up to 11 days /Display type:OLED touchscreen /GPS:All-systems GNSS /Connectivity:Bluetooth, Ant Plus /Water resistance:5ATM /Music storage:4GB (for Music Edition)
If you were disappointed by the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, the Venu Sq 2 is the next best thing (and, in some ways, better).
At a glance, the Venu Sq 2 could easily be mistaken for an Apple Watch. On the wrist, you’ll notice it’s made of plastic, but it still looks quite chic and extremely lightweight. The screen is bright, easy to read, and looks better than any Versa or Sense ever did.
The feature set is also great for the price, with built-in GPS, a ton of watch faces, emergency safety features, and contactless payments. If you pay $50 more for the Music Edition, you’ll also get about 500 songs worth of storage, but we wouldn’t recommend it. This doesn’t have cellular connectivity and, therefore, isn’t truly standalone. You’ll most likely be carrying your phone with you anyway.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The display is nicer than anything Fitbit ever made — and with smaller bezels, too.
As for health features, the Venu Sq 2 basically has everything you’d get on a Versa or Sense smartwatch but with Garmin’s treasure trove of metrics as well. That includes heart rate tracking, blood oxygen tracking, intensity minutes (how much moderate exercise you get in a week), stress tracking, hydration tracking, respiratory rate, period tracking, and Garmin’s recovery feature, Body Battery. As far as fitness goes, you also get access to Garmin Coach, which provides free 5K, 10K, and half marathon training plans. You love to see it.
Another big leg-up Garmin has over Fitbit? None of these features or metrics are locked behind a paywall.
Sizes:41mm w/ 18mm straps; 45mm w/ 22mm straps /Weight:40g for the 3S; 47g for the 3 /Battery life:Up to 10 days for 3S; 14 days for 3 /Display type:OLED touchscreen /GPS:GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO /Connectivity:Bluetooth, Ant Plus, Wi-Fi /Water resistance:5ATM /Music storage:8GB
Garmin has shored up the smarts in its watches over the past few years, and the Venu 3 series is the smartest (and most affordable) of the bunch.
The Venu 3 series comes in two sizes: 41mm and 45mm. Like the Venu 2 Plus, it has a microphone and speaker. You can take calls directly from the wrist as well as issue commands to your phone’s digital assistant via Bluetooth. It’s not the same as having Siri, Bixby, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant built directly into the watch, but it’s a clever workaround that works well for hands-free control. It also supports safety features like fall detection and live tracking as well as contactless payments.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Venu 3S has Garmin’s latest heart rate sensor and adds a wheelchair mode and nap detection.
Like other OLED Garmins, the display is both vibrant and easy to read. As for health and fitness, you get a nice mix of basic and more advanced features and metrics. It has Garmin’s latest heart rate sensor, which enables FDA-cleared EKG and AFib detection features. Overall, it leans a bit more on the wellness and health side of things, with intensity minutes, blood oxygen monitoring, sleep tracking, period tracking, abnormal heart rate alerts, and stress tracking. As for training, you still get built-in GPS, VO2 Max, heart rate zones, respiration rate, and downloadable training plans via Garmin Coach.
New to the 3 and 3S is a sleep coach that factors in metrics like heart rate variability and recent activity to determine your sleep needs. It also finally adds nap detection, a feature that’s been long overdue for the Garmin platform. The Venu 3 series also adds audio-guided meditation sessions, and you can view how these sessions directly impact your metrics. From an accessibility standpoint, this also adds a new wheelchair mode.
Technically, the new Fenix 8 is slightly smarter in that it adds an on-board voice assistant. However, it is also more than double the price and not what I’d consider a good value for the average athlete. It’s more for people who spend hours upon hours training every week.
This is the Garmin for you if you want the platform’s in-depth training without sacrificing the productivity of a smartwatch. The main things it’s lacking are cellular options and a robust third-party app ecosystem. That said, it’s got Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer for offline listening. It’s also a good option if you’re fed up with MIP displays and want a smarter Garmin rather than a full-on smartwatch.
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