This week DJI made a surprising move into e-bikes, ChatGPT revealed how it works, and Nothing announced three new products – which we’ll find out more about in a showcase on Monday next week.
We know keeping up with the world of tech can be a challenge, so in this weekly catch-up, we round up all of the top news stories of the past seven days so you can get up to speed on everything.
Next week, be sure to check back here for the low down on the new gadgets from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, and for now, let’s jump into things. Speaking of Samsung…
7. Galaxy Unpacked’s tech leaked ahead of time
Next week’s news cycle will almost certainly be dominated by Samsung Galaxy Unpacked-related announcements, but if recent leaks are to be believed, then there may not be any announcements left to share.
Ahead of the event itself – which is set for July 10 – leakers have seemingly revealed almost all of the key upgrades heading to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. Both phones look destined to feature a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, IP48 dust and water resistance, and new Galaxy AI features. The Fold, specifically, is tipped to get a brighter main screen, slightly better battery life, and a marginally larger cover screen, while the Flip is rumored to get a new 50MP main camera and a higher-capacity battery.
Incidentally, leakers have also predicted that Samsung will throw in a pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro earbuds with every Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Galaxy Flip 6 purchase, so we’re looking forward to seeing what audio upgrades are on the agenda.
6. DJI moved from sky to land in surprise e-bike reveal
Drone manufacturer DJI made a surprise leap from its drones to electric bikes. In an official announcement, DJI confirmed it was working on the Amflow PL, an electric mountain bike with its new Avinox Drive System. This drive system uses technology that would otherwise be the province of drones and smartphones, delivering real-time riding data to the frame’s built-in touchscreen.
The bike will also use an app to allow you to adjust power settings, set it in anti-theft mode, and check its location, similar to the Cowboy 4 electric bike. Our top electric mountain bike pick right now is the Specialized Levo SL Expert Carbon eMTB, a fantastic ride that’s a little lighter than the Amflow PL’s predicted 19.2kg. It’s also a lot cheaper too, so the Amflow PL better be good to nab a spot on our best electric bikes list.
5. Nothing announced a new cheap phone, smart watch and earbuds
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked isn’t the only event next week. Nothing is hosting a showcase for three new CMF gadgets – its budget-friendly tech range – with the CMF Phone 1, CMF Watch Pro 2, and the CMF Buds Pro 2.
Specs-wise the CMF Phone 1 boasts a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Sony 50 MP camera, a 5,000mah battery for up to “22 hours” of use, 16GB of RAM, and a removable back plate that you can customize with your own choice of colors and accessories.
Less is known about the Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2, though the latter will offer interchangeable bezels so you can create different looks for your watch. We’ll learn more about all this tech on July 8 during the Nothing Community Update on 8 July 2024 at 5am ET / 10am BST / 7pm AEST.
This week the Meta Store sold out of its Quest 2 headset in various regions, with other retailers all over the globe also reaching the end of their Quest 2 supply. So now you’re left with only the Meta Quest 3 (which is a fantastic option anyway) or the Meta Quest Pro (which we don’t recommend over the Quest 3).
Those looking to buy a cheaper option shouldn’t panic that you’ve missed your chance. It’s looking more and more likely that a budget Meta Quest 3S will launch at Meta Connect in September – with the Quest 2 selling out suggesting that Meta is making room for a new VR headset model in its stock rooms.
We’ll have to wait and see what it announces at Connect 2024, but if you’re on the fence about buying a Quest 3 right now you might want to hold off and see what’s shown off in a couple of months.
3. ChatGPT spilled the beans on its secret rules
AI chatbots often feel like mysterious black boxes, but this week ChatGPT gave us a fascinating insight into its thought processes – or at least how OpenAI told it to behave.
A Redditor managed to get ChatGPT to divulge its system instructions with a simple “Hi”, which led to some revealing internal rules like “never use emojis, unless explicitly asked to”. Not content with that, ChatGPT also laid out the internal rules for OpenAI’s Dall-E image generator.
A separate ChatGPT user discovered that there are multiple personalities when you use its GPT-4o model, giving us an insight into future versions. That’s fine, ChatGPT – get it all off your chest.
2. Leica launched a ‘budget’ camera
Leica’s latest digital compact camera, the D-Lux 8, is official. It comes six years after the now discontinued D-Lux 7, with a fresh look and UI for 2024 inspired by the Leica Q3, which is Leica’s pricier full-frame compact and one of our favorite cameras from 2023.
The D-Lux 8 is firmly in the minor refresh category. It has a simpler control layout than the D-Lux 7, a new textured body, an improved OLED viewfinder, and a higher-resolution LCD screen and, finally, delivers raw DNG capture in addition to JPEG to Leica’s D-Lux series. Paired with the improved Leica Fotos app, it’ll be easier to edit and share photos on the go. Besides that, it’s business as usual. We still have the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) 21MP sensor with a maximum photo size of 17MP and 4K video up to 30fps, plus the handy 24-75mm f/1.7-2.8 zoom for everyday photography.
Most importantly though, the D-Lux 8, which costs $1,595 / £1,450, might be a Leica that you can actually buy in 2024.
1. Rising RAM prices might have made the RTX 5090 even less affordable
Were you hoping Nvidia’s RTX 5090 GPU might be a little more affordable than the 4090? Well, we have terrible news as analysts this week predicted it’ll shoot up in price. That’s because RAM prices are going up 3-8% in the next three months, and they’re expected to rise higher as demand for these kinds of components increases in part due to the demand for larger and more powerful AI data center servers.
It’s a shame it could be a pricier piece of tech, as the RTX 5090 was shaping up to be quite the computing beast. With it expected to have GDDR7 RAM (which features 60% more bandwidth and is a 50% power efficiency improvement over GDDR6), plus an over 30% improvement in frames per second for gaming, it’ll be a powerful 4K gaming component.
There’s always the chance Nvidia could eat into these costs to help maintain a competitive edge over rival GPU maker AMD, but we’ll have to wait and see what pricing tactic it uses.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
