This week was a little quieter than the past few we’ve had, but it was still jam-packed with essential tech news.
Apple faced ‘Scratchgate’ as its iPhone 17 Pro’s durability was called into question, and we got to test the new GoPro Max 2.
To catch up on both of these and more, scroll down for the week’s seven biggest tech news stories.
7. Google teased its Android Chrome OS
At Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit 2025, Google’s senior vice president of platforms & devices, Rick Osterloh, teased new details about Android being integrated into ChromeOS – confirming it’ll drop next year.
We have yet to see what the new and improved ChromeOS will treat us to, but Qualcomm’s CEO has seen the operating system in action, calling it “Incredible.
This high praise should, of course, be taken with a pinch of salt – Qualcomm will be providing the chipsets for these next-gen ChromeOS devices and other projects like Android XR, so it’s unlikely to say anything too critical. That said, it’s still an exciting update that might help shake up the computer operating system competition and get Microsoft to finally make some proper upgrades to Windows.
6. Sony set a date for Beyond the Spider-Verse, again
The third entry in the Miles Morales-starring movie trilogy has a new release date, and it’s good but not great news.
That’s because it’s set to release on June 18, 2027, which is two weeks later than Beyond the Spider-Verse‘s originally planned release date of June 4, 2027, as announced at CinemaCon back in April.
That said, it is seven days earlier than the June 25, 2027 release date had already been pushed back to. It’s unclear why the schedule has been tweaked so much, but perhaps it’s to better place the flick amongst its peers, as it now has a better buffer between Pixar’s Gatto, which is slated to arrive on June 4, 2027, and Shrek 5, with a June 30, 2027, launch.
5. We played Ghost of Yotei
Ghost of Yotei is an enormously enjoyable, action-packed, and downright beautiful follow-up to developer Sucker Punch’s first game in the series, Ghost of Tsushima.
The game’s world of Ezo is a standout feature of the game, and going anywhere in it is a joy. The landscapes and environments are exquisite and yearn to be explored, while the ability to identify far-off points with your spyglass and the game’s wonderful and interactive map only serve to encourage that sense of exploration and discovery.
Protagonist Atsu’s story is a gripping one, and she is a compelling character to play as and witness the changes over the course of the game, but perhaps the best thing about her is the slick, responsive, visceral, and bloody combat skills she has. Moving smoothly between enemies in a lethal dance, each of her strikes with whatever weapon you’re using has a poetry to them, and there’s nothing better in the game than mastering the combat to dispatch bosses or a gaggle of baddies.
While there is some repetition in the open-world activities, some excellent features are somewhat simplistic, and it only really builds upon its predecessor. Nevertheless, it still represents an excellent PS5 game and adventure, one that looks and plays exceptionally well on the PS5 Pro as well. It’s definitely a standout game of the year, and especially so for fans of the first game and those yearning for a big open-world adventure.
4. Google TV got Gemini
The TCL QM9K is the first Google TV to get the Gemini AI chatbot, a feature that elevates the usefulness of Google’s smart TV interface. TechRadar is currently reviewing the QM9K, and a top priority was to give Gemini on Google TV a thorough run-through.
Speaking with Gemini via the TV’s built-in far-field mic, we asked it to compile various lists of movies ranked by their Rotten Tomatoes score and limit those only to streaming services we subscribe to. We were also able to get tips for upcoming travel and to create surreal screensavers for the TV to automatically display when we entered the room.
Ultimately, Gemini proves to be a game-changer for Google TV, which otherwise ranks low on the totem pole among the best smart TV platforms. Google has announced that the Gemini will be added to select TCL and Hisense TVs later this year, as well as the new Google TV Streamer.
Not all sets will be compatible with Gemini, though, as it has specific hardware requirements, but Google TV owners should be on the lookout for the feature should an update become available.
3. GoPro took things to the Max 2
GoPro is well and truly back in the 360 camera game after launching the Max 2 this week – a full six years after the original Max. The ‘True 8K‘ shooter is turning up at a party that’s already getting crowded, however, with rivals Insta360 X5 and DJI Osmo 360 on the scene.
We had our hands on the Max 2 ahead of launch, and from our in-depth tests and side-by-side comparisons against our current top pick, the Insta360 X5, the Max 2 delivers the best image quality of all small 360 cameras in ideal conditions. The picture’s a little different in low light, however, where rivals fare better.
So, will the Max 2 dethrone the Insta360 X5? Not quite, but GoPro has impressed us and set a competitive price: $500 / £450 / AU$850 sees the Max 2 sit between the pricer X5 and the cheaper Osmo 360. If you’re already in the GoPro ecosystem with its accessories, then the Max 2 could now be your top 360 camera pick.
2. The Xbox handhelds went on preorder
After months of waiting, the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X have finally gone up for preorder ahead of their October 16 launch, and importantly, we know how much they’ll cost.
The ROG Xbox Ally will set you back $599.99 / £499.99 / AU$999, while the ROG Xbox Ally X is priced at $999.99 / £799.99 / AU$1,599.
If you opt for the standard model, you’ll get a device with a 7-inch display that’s powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Going all in on the X nets you an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.
We had the chance to preview the Asus ROG Xbox Ally at Gamescom 2025, and while we could see that being able to play the best Xbox games on the go has its appeal, “the execution is unwieldy at best” and “performance was a mixed bag”.
1. People reported scratched iPhones
Multiple iPhone 17 Pro users have taken to social media to complain that their lovely new smartphones scratch far too easily – levying blame at the decision to swap back to aluminium from harder titanium for the outer shell.
The team at iFixit carried out a teardown of the iPhone 17 Pro with its usual thoroughness, finding that there does indeed seem to be a vulnerability for scratches right around the raised camera plateau at the back.
However, Apple claims ‘scratchgate’ is overblown, saying that the scuffs shared online of iPhone 17 Pros in Apple Stores are, in fact, caused by worn MagSafe stands. It argues that the ‘scratches’ are material transferred from damaged MagSafe stands onto the iPhones.
That’s certainly an explanation, though time will tell if old MagSafe stands are the only thing to blame, or if ‘scratchgate’ is a bigger problem than Apple wants to admit right now.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
