ICYMI: the week's 8 biggest tech news stories, from the Galaxy Z ...
Every week in tech is a busy week, so there's no real surprise that the last seven days have been packed with news and leaks: we've seen major stories around ChatGPT, Spotify, Apple, Google, and more besides. Here at TechRadar, we've also found time to publish two major reviews: for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and for Deadpool and Wolverine, the latest movie from Marvel (which may mark a turning point in its fortunes).
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Review
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is Samsung's new flagship foldable for 2024, and while we didn't get a huge upgrade in every area, the overall improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is noticeable. It's quite simply the best foldable that Samsung has ever put out. As always, our full Galaxy Z Fold 6 review is as comprehensive as possible: find out how the foldable scores in all the areas that matter, including performance, battery life, and durability (a crucial consideration in a foldable phone).
ChatGPT's New Voice Mode
A new Voice Mode for ChatGPT was announced in a flurry of hype back in May, but some issues – including a spat with Scarlett Johansson – pushed the launch back. Now OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said an early testing version will launch sometime next week. ChatGPT can already talk to users, but the new Voice Mode means "real-time, natural conversations with AI" – so it's going to be almost exactly like talking to a human being, with pauses, interruptions, and all the inconsistencies of everyday conversation. In theory, at least – and it'll likely only come to a small group of Plus subscribers to start with, ahead of a full launch later this year.
Spotify's Lossless Audio Tier
While ChatGPT's new Voice Mode has been delayed, it's got nothing on Spotify's lossless audio tier, which was first teased all the way back in February 2021. More than three years later, it seems that this new extra-premium streaming plan is still in the works. In the latest Spotify earnings call, CEO Daniel Ek made reference to a "deluxe" version of Spotify that's on the way, with a higher price tag attached, but he stopped short of saying when we might be able to sign up to it – so be prepared to keep waiting for the upgrade.
Marvel's Deadpool and Wolverine Movie
There's a lot riding on the new Deadpool and Wolverine movie from Marvel, as two of its most bankable characters team up – and based on our full review of the movie, fans of the two franchises (and the MCU in general) will get plenty of enjoyment from this movie. While it's sometimes "overly chaotic", the movie is a "gloriously gory, riotously funny, cameo-stuffed, and surprisingly endearing flick" – though it may not be enough to fully reverse the fortunes of the MCU. Note that our review comes with mild spoilers inside.
