It’s been another jam-packed week of tech news, and TechRadar covered all the big stories: Prime Day deals, Apple price hikes, new devices from Oura and Sonos, and much more.
If you haven’t been able to check in regularly on our site, this weekly ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) roundup is here to bring you up to speed. You can browse important headlines below and click on the links to access the full articles.
Sit back and review last week below, and we’ll come back to this time next week for another recap ICYMI.
7. We scoured the Prime Day deals
You may have noticed that it’s Amazon Prime Day this week – it’s now spanning multiple days of course – and the TechRadar team has been busy searching all Amazon categories to bring you the best deals: we found discounts on TVs, laptops, headphones, smartwatches, smart home gadgets, tablets and much more.
No matter what you need in tech right now, our US and UK roundup pages have a variety of deals that will suit, and many of these discounts are truly substantial – and many are still in effect. In addition to the latest prices and links for each product, we’ve also included our expert technical advice in each case, so you know exactly why which deals are worth pursuing.
6. We reviewed the Oura Ring 5
The Oura Ring 5 is a substantial step up from its predecessor: it’s thinner, lighter, and more durable, while still offering extra battery life — and according to our review, you might even forget you’re wearing it. Oura managed to refine the appearance of the device to look like a normal piece of jewelry, even with the cutting-edge sensors inside.
“This is by far the sleekest and most accurate smart ring on the market,” our review says, although it’s not perfect, and there are the usual Oura subscription fees to consider if you want access to most of the tracking features. If you’re wondering if the Oura Ring 5 is the right wearable upgrade for you, we’ll tell you everything you need to know below.
Meta has given us a bumper crop of new smart glasses, starting at $299 / £269 / AU$599 and developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica. We’ve got all the details here, including how they feel to wear, plus a look at the design and color variations you can choose from – you certainly can’t complain that there isn’t enough choice in this bundle.
We also received feedback from Meta CTO and Director of Reality Labs, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, who outlined the company’s vision for a smart future and said, “It turns out it’s pretty easy to make glasses that don’t look good.” This seems like a humorous dig at some of Meta’s rivals in the space, but see what you think of the new Meta Glasses line.
4. We reviewed the latest Sonos speaker
The Sonos Era 100 SL wireless speaker is more affordable than the Era 100 launched before it, but as our detailed review will tell you, Sonos has managed to achieve this without making too many compromises. Most importantly, the sound quality doesn’t drop even if the price drops, so you still get a top-notch listening experience.
Our review takes you through every aspect of the Era 100 SL speaker, from its ease of initial setup to the kind of performance you can expect from it – with London Grammar and DJ Shadow included among the artists whose music we used to test – and there’s praise for the “sound quality”, “great connectivity” and “iconic design” along the way.
3. The steam engine has an official price
It’s been a long wait for the Steam Machine, but we’re almost there and now know that the starting price is set at $1,049 / £879 / AU$1,609, and we can thank price inflation driven by the RAM crisis for that. If a Steam Engine is still within your budget, you’ll be able to place an order starting June 29, more than seven months after it was first announced.
If you don’t think it’s good value for money, we’ve put together a guide to creating your own Steam Machine alternative below. You get complete control over the budget and specifications of the components you choose, and it can be a lot of fun too (as we can confidently say given the years of PC building experience on the TechRadar team).
2. Apple revealed its painful price hikes
Speaking of the RAM crisis, it also affected Apple: the company increased the prices of several of its products, including iPads, MacBooks and even the HomePod. The recently launched MacBook Neo, for example, now has a starting price of $699 instead of $599 in the US, a not inconsiderable increase of $100 or 17% in a single jump.
We have all the details on the current price of every Apple gadget, with these price increases effective immediately on the official Apple Store. We also have some ideas on where you can still find these Apple products at their original prices from third-party retailers, although you’ll need to act quickly to grab them.
1. GTA 6 pre-orders have finally gone live
After two significant delays, GTA6 will finally go on sale on November 19, and you can place your pre-orders now for the PS5, Xbox Series
We’ll also be keeping an eye out for any bundles these stores offer, meaning you can buy the game and a console at the same time – so check back often if you’re interested. It’s exciting that pre-orders are now live for what could be the video game of the decade, and we only have five months until launch day.
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