Next week we’ll have the first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025, but before we can get there, we’ve seen a week full of tech announcements.
Leaks for the event were plentiful, but we also saw the long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2 announcement, groundbreaking Windows 11 updates, and kept up to date with the latest TikTok ban news.
Here’s our recap of the week’s biggest tech news in case you missed it. What a quick overview.
When you’re done, be sure to check out our pick of the 7 new movies and TV shows to stream this weekend (January 17).
Things are getting better on Nintendo Switch
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After years of speculation, hype, and rumors, the successor to the Nintendo Switch has finally broken out with the release of a Nintendo Switch 2 trailer. Aside from the name of the creation, the short teaser showed us some a lot – he confirmed that the console and its screen are larger than before (we heard it’s now an 8-inch screen due to leaks), showed us the new button on the Right JoyCon and gave us a new design kickstand for the console, alongside clips of a new Mario Kart title (while many call it Mario Kart9if Nintendo counts Tour as the main game it would be Mario Kart10).
While details are light, there’s a lot we’re still unsure about from this trailer alone; More importantly, it’s unclear how much the console will cost when it releases or what its specs are.
For those details, we’ll have to watch this space and wait to see what Nintendo announces next.
TikTok is coming to an end…for now
The TikTok ban in the United States has been looming for some time, but it took center stage this week as we approach January 19 – the day it will go into full effect. Users fearing losing the app have turned to competing services, but not just Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Chinese-made alternatives such as RedNote and Lemon8 (which is owned by ByteDance, just like TikTok) have proven popular.
It was hoped that the US Supreme Court would stop TikTok’s app store enforcement, but that is not the case, and although at the time of writing there are reports that the US government may not impose fines related to the ban at first, which has not yet been issued. confirmed. All that’s left for TikTok fans is that when Donald Trump takes office on January 20, he may work to overturn the ban – a ban he openly opposed although that he was one of the first detractors of TikTok.
We’re not holding our breath, but maybe next week we’ll all get back to sharing dances on the Clock app.
Samsung Unpacked ads leaked
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The Samsung Unpacked event (taking place on Tuesday, January 22) may still be a few days away, but we may already know everything there is to know about the brand’s upcoming smartphone announcements thanks to leaks.
This includes full specifications and color options for the entire three-phone lineup (consisting of the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra), details on AI improvements, including a new morning news feature, and even the Samsung Galaxy. The S25’s jazzy new ringtone (which Samsung itself released early).
As with all leaks, we should take these details with a pinch of salt until Samsung makes an official announcement, but with that happening fairly soon, we won’t have long to wait and see what it brings us. reserve.
Apple’s roadmap for 2025 leaked
Speaking of leaks, Apple’s iPhone and iPad roadmap for 2025 was revealed this week by noted journalist and tipster Mark Gurman (via a paid Bloomberg article), which details what technology we should see over the next 12 months.
The first is the iPhone SE 4 with Apple Intelligence and Face ID, which will arrive in the first or early second quarter. Next up, Gurman says we’ll get the iPad 11 with an A17 Pro chipset (just like the iPhone 15 Pro) and 8GB of RAM, which should mean it’s powerful enough for Apple bragging rights Intelligence.
In the spring, Gurman says we should get a new iPad Air with an M4 chipset to bring it in line with the latest iPad Pro models, and then the year will be rounded out by the blockbusters iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max. , and the launch of the iPhone 17 Air (or maybe just the iPhone Air).
Windows 11 24H2 broke games
It’s the same story again for Microsoft’s Windows 11 and its 24H2 update, causing problems for several users. This time around, players are frustrated with the features of their games, especially Ubisoft’s. Assassin’s Creed OdysseyAfter Valhalla And Origins Received patches to fix constant crashes.
While it’s easy to point the finger at Ubisoft’s developers, the 24H2 update has been a long-standing irritant to the user experience, with numerous bugs keeping some people away from operating systems (at least for the moment).
Valve has announced that SteamOS will be coming to other portable gaming PCs, giving gamers a great alternative. Additionally, a cloud-native image, Bazzite, running SteamOS (not affiliated with Valve), can be used on desktops. Microsoft must therefore get its act together before potentially losing many users.
DJI launched a one-of-a-kind drone
DJI has revealed the new and unique Flip, a multi-use drone for beginners like we’ve never seen before. Its Star Wars spaceship-like body features folding propellers with guards, meaning you can safely fly up close, armed with auto-tracking flight modes and 4K video up to 60fps, as well than clips in slow motion at 100 fps.
This is ultimately a larger, more expensive, supercharged DJI Neo – although the latter offers FPV flight – so check out our DJI Flip vs DJI Neo article to find out the key differences. During our in-depth review of the DJI Flip, we found that you get better 4K video and 48MP images than the Neo, with quality close to what you’ll get from DJI’s Mini 4 Pro without quite reaching those same summits.
Ultimately, what stands out most about the DJI Flip is its first-of-its-kind foldable design, which still falls into the 249g and lighter drone category that is largely unrestricted.
OpenAI predicted AGI in 2025
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, predicts that we will achieve AGI (artificial general intelligence, also known as superintelligence) “as we have traditionally understood it” in 2025 – a bold prediction for the year.
AGI is a type of AI that matches or even exceeds the cognitive abilities of a human in a wide range of cognitive tasks, compared to current AI models, which can only attempt to match people in a few specific areas. This is what science fiction has taught us to imagine when we think of AI.
This would be a major breakthrough in the field of AI, with many experts claiming that AGI would lead to an unprecedented revolution. For now, we’ll have to take Sam Altman’s word that AGI is almost here, but we could find ourselves in for a wild 2025 if his prediction is correct.
