Software engineering job listings have plummeted to a five-year low, with postings on Indeed dropping to 65% of January 2020 levels — a steeper decline than any other tech-adjacent field. According to data from Indeed’s job aggregator, software development positions are now at 3.5x fewer vacancies compared to their mid-2022 peak and 8% lower than a year ago.
The decline appears driven by multiple factors including widespread adoption of AI coding tools — with 75% of engineers reporting use of AI assistance — and a broader tech industry recalibration after aggressive pandemic-era hiring. Notable tech companies like Salesforce are maintaining flat engineering headcount while reporting 30% productivity gains from AI tools, according to an analysis by software engineer Gergely Orosz.
While the overall job market shows 10% growth since 2020, software development joins other tech-focused sectors in decline: marketing (-19%), hospitality (-18%), and banking/finance (-7%). Traditional sectors like construction (+25%), accounting (+24%), and electrical engineering (+20%) have grown significantly in the same period, he wrote. The trend extends beyond U.S. borders, with Canada showing nearly identical patterns. European markets and Australia demonstrate more resilience, though still below peak levels.
Earlier this week, Apple’s cheapest iPhone got a refresh and an unexpected name change. Instead of the widely anticipated iPhone SE 4, the company unveiled the new iPhone 16e, which shifts to a full-screen design with Face ID while putting Apple Intelligence on an entry-level model for the first time. It also sports the Action button, which debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. Pre-orders for the iPhone 16e are now open, with models starting at $599, and the phone will be more widely available on February 28. Here’s everything you need to know about pre-ordering the latest iPhone.
The best place to get an unlocked iPhone 16e is, unsurprisingly, direct from Apple. The iPhone 16e comes in only two colors, black and white, with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage configurations to choose from. Ordering an unlocked iPhone means you can take it to nearly any carrier of your choosing.
As usual, wireless carriers are also selling the iPhone 16e now, with various perks attached to purchases. Here are all of wireless carrier specials we currently know about for the iPhone 16e.
Verizon: New customers can save $420 when you order the iPhone 16e and sign up for a new plan. Existing customers can also save $420 if they add a new line when buying the iPhone 16e.
AT&T: All customers can get the iPhone 16e for $5.99/month with any unlimited plan. No trade-in required. Walmart also carries the iPhone 16e for AT&T customers, with monthly payments starting at $15.25.
T-Mobile: Get an iPhone 16e “on us” (or up to $830 off) when trading in an eligible device on Magenta Max, Go5G Plus/Next or when trading in and adding a line on Go5G or most plans. You can also get $500 off the iPhone 16e when trading in an eligible device on Go5G or most plans.
Boost Mobile: Get the new iPhone 16e for just $200 when you switch to Boost and sign up for the Unlimited Premium plan ($60/month).
The iPhone 16e looks much like the iPhone 14, one of Apple’s 2022 models. The new phone has a much larger screen than previous iPhone SE — a spacious 6.1 inches — along with Face ID and swipe-based multitasking gestures. (The model it replaces had a Touch ID home button.) It has a notch at the top of the screen, not the floating Dynamic Island from higher-end iPhones.
The phone has a 48-megapixel Fusion “2-in-1” camera with a 2x telephoto system. Compared to the more expensive iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the SE’s lack of extra rear cameras is one of the most noticeable things you’ll miss out on.
At $599, the iPhone 16e is also $150 more than previous iPhone SE models, which typically cost around $429. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 starts at $799, and the additional $200 gets you a better camera system and a more modern design.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/heres-how-to-pre-order-the-new-apple-iphone-16e-162258012.html?src=rss
Operator is now out in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK and most places where ChatGPT is also available, OpenAI has announced. The company launched Operator in the US back in January, introducing it as an “agent that can go to the web to perform tasks” for the user. Operator can handle various browser-based tasks for users, such as filling out forms, making restaurant reservations and ordering groceries. At the moment, it’s still a research preview in its early stages that comes with limitations, but the company said it hopes to roll out improvements based on user feedback.
Operator is now rolling out to Pro users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the UK, and most places ChatGPT is available.
Still working on making Operator available in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein & Iceland—we’ll keep you updated!
The tool is powered by a model called Computer-Using Agent (CUA) that’s trained to see and interact with the buttons, menus and text fields people see when they visit a website. It can click buttons, type on text fields and basically interact with those elements “using all the actions a mouse and keyboard allow.” In its announcement, the company said it’s still working on launching Operator in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.
Operator is still only available for subscribers paying $200 a month for ChatGPT Pro, but the company plans to expand its availability to Plus, Team and Enterprise users in the future, before ultimately integrating its capabilities into ChatGPT. When that happens, it could be doing tasks for hundreds of millions of people around the world: ChatGPT recently surpassed 400 million weekly active users, twice as many as the user count OpenAI reported in August 2024.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpts-ai-agent-operator-is-now-available-for-most-pro-users-133050651.html?src=rss
Well we didn’t get the iPhone SE fourth-gen this week — instead Apple debuted the iPhone 16e, a $599 model based on the iPhone 14’s design. It has a 6.1-inch OLED screen and the A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, but should we really consider it a cheap iPhone? In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into the iPhone 16e and how it compares to the rest of the iPhone 16 family.
Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!
If you couldn’t stomach $800 for a new iPhone with Apple Intelligence, don’t worry: Apple just announced the iPhone 16e. At $599, it strikes a balance on specs, which is the soft and cosy way to say it doesn’t have everything.
It has a lot, though. With a 6.1-inch screen, it’s a much bigger device than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE, with a notch for FaceID (no more TouchID), USB-C (adios, Lightning) and the company’s A18 processor. There’s also an action button, which arrived with the iPhone 15 series, but no Camera Control.
Apple
That’s the same processor as the $800 iPhone 16, so you’ve got access to what seems to be the full gamut of Apple Intelligence. That includes generative AI writing tools, Genmoji, Image Playground, Visual Intelligence and ChatGPT integration. So yeah, a mixed bag.
The notable hardware standout might be the single 48-megapixel Fusion camera, at a time when ‘pro’ iPhones have three. The last time I tested a single-camera smartphone was the Pixel 4a back in 2020. Oh, and the last iPhone SE.
Apple has dropped both wireless charging and MagSafe’s magnetic ring for the iPhone 16e too, which is a surprise. I’m not a huge fan of wireless charging. It’s slow, inefficient and confusing. Having said that, I hope this isn’t the beginning of the end for Apple’s wireless charging feature. I love the mag part of MagSafe, which has introduced far more elegant tripods and phone mounts that lock iPhones in place without needing a clamp or a plug. In recent years, we’ve got unofficial MagSafe cases for other smartphones, so I can do the same with my Android phones.
The iPhone 16e lands on February 28 in black and white, but don’t worry, there will be fizzy color cases. Even if they don’t have MagSafe.
(And kudos to this hilariously timed discount on the Pixel 8a, now only $399. I love a good troll deal.)
HP has bought the company’s IP, but it doesn’t want the pins.
Engadget
The company behind the widely ridiculed AI assistant badge/thing has sold all its assets to HP for $116 million — not the billion-dollar buyout it hoped for.
In a note to its customers, the company said AI Pins will “continue to function normally” until 12PM PT on February 28, less than a week from now. Customers still within the 90-day return window (why did you buy it?!) will get a refund.
Oppo’s Find N5 is thinner than a headphone jack when unfolded and weighs only 229 grams. That’s just a few more than a typical flagship phone. Despite that footprint, it packs a 6.62-inch outer display and an 8.12-inch inner screen, with a seven-core Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and a 5,600mAh battery, which supports 80W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. It’s technically impressive, but there’s no word on when the device will make it to the US. Typically, the devices hit the US under OnePlus branding, but that company says there will be no OnePlus Open 2 this year, so you may have to go out of your way to get your hands on one. Also, expect to pay just shy of $2,000.
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.
Ten new electric vehicle battery factories are on track to go online this year in the United States.
This includes large plants from global battery giants such as Panasonic, Samsung, and SK On, and automakers such as Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Stellantis, and Toyota.
Welcome to Edition 7.32 of the Rocket Report! It’s true that the US space program has always been political. Domestic and global politics have driven nearly all of the US government’s decisions on major space issues, most notably President John F. Kennedy’s challenge to land astronauts on the Moon amid intense Cold War competition with the Soviet Union. The Nixon administration’s decision to end the Apollo program and focus on building a reusable Space Shuttle was a political move. More than 30 years later, the Clinton administration ordered a reevaluation NASA’s plans for a massive space station in low-Earth orbit. In the post-Cold War zeitgeist of the 1990s, this resulted in Russia’s inclusion on the International Space Station program. Flawed or not, these decisions were backstopped with some level of reasoning, debate, and national consensus-building. Today, the politics of space seem personal, small, and mean-spirited. Thankfully, there’s a lot of launch action next week that might thrust us out of the abyss, even just for a moment.
As always, we welcome reader submissions. If you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.
Rocket Lab launches for the 60th time. It’s safe to say Rocket Lab is an established player in the launch business. The company launched its 60th Electron rocket Tuesday from New Zealand, Space News reports. It was the second Electron launch of the year, coming just 10 days after Rocket Lab’s previous mission. The payload was a new-generation small electro-optical reconnaissance satellite for BlackSky. Rocket Lab has not disclosed a projected number of Electron launches for the year beyond estimating it will be more than the 16 Electron missions in 2024. The company said on its launch webcast that the next Electron launch was planned from New Zealand in “a few short weeks.”
Foldable phones are no longer a gimmick — they’re here to stay, and they’re better than ever. Whether you love the nostalgia of a flip phone or want the versatility of a near tablet-sized display that fits in your pocket, today’s new foldable devices are packed with cutting-edge tech. Brands like Samsung, Google and Motorola are leading the charge, pushing the boundaries of what a smartphone can do with sleek designs, powerful AI features and seamless multitasking.
Unlike traditional smartphones, foldable phones give you the best of both worlds: a compact form factor when you need portability and a big screen when you want to stream, game or get work done. Plus, with advancements in durability, better outer screens and flagship-level specs, these phones are more practical than ever. Whether you’re eyeing the latest Samsung phones or curious about what’s next for foldables, we’ve rounded up the best options to help you decide.
Note: For this guide, we’re focusing on devices that are widely available in North America and Europe. That’s because while there are even more options for people who live in Asia (especially China), they are often difficult to buy from abroad and may not support your local carriers.
When evaluating new foldable phones, we consider the same general criteria as we do when we’re judging the best smartphones. Devices need to have good battery life (at least a full day’s use), bright inner displays (peaks of at least 1,000 nits), sharp cameras and responsive performance. That said, foldable phones come in different shapes (and sizes); there are varying designs that may appeal to different types of people.
For those who prefer more compact and stylish devices, flip phone-style foldables resemble old-school namesakes but with flexible interior displays (typically six to seven inches diagonally) and smaller outer screens, often referred to as the cover display. Alternatively, for power users and people who want to maximize mobile productivity, there are larger book-style foldables (with seven to eight-inch main displays) that can transform from a candy bar-style phone to essentially a small tablet when opened.
Are foldable phones worth it? A note on durability
Aside from their displays, the biggest difference between foldable phones and more traditional handsets is durability. That’s because while some models like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Samsung’s foldables offer IPX8 water resistance (which is good for submersions of up to five feet for 30 minutes), their flexible screens – which are largely made from plastic – present some unique challenges.
Most foldables come with factory-installed screen protectors. However, unlike regular phones, users are instructed not to remove them without assistance from approved service centers. Thankfully, Samsung phones do offer one free screen protector replacement for its foldables, while Google charges between $29 and $129 depending on the warranty status of your device. That said, while we can’t do long-term testing for every new foldable phone on the market, after personally using the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 each for a year, I’ve found that Samsung’s pre-installed screen protector tends to start bubbling nine to 12 months after purchase. So you’ll probably want to factor in that your foldable may need some sort of servicing after about a year unless you plan on removing the screen protector entirely (which is possible, but goes against most manufacturers’ instructions).
Furthermore, foldable phone owners need to be mindful about keeping sharp objects away from their flexible displays, as rocks, keys or even pressing down very hard with a fingernail can leave permanent marks. In the event that you need to get a flexible screen serviced, you’re potentially facing a much higher repair bill when compared to a typical phone (up to $500 or more depending on the model and the severity of the damage). In short, while the ruggedness of foldable phones has improved a lot, they’re still more delicate than traditional handsets, which is something you need to account for.
However, foldables continue to evolve, with better AI features, improved specs and a more refined form factors that makes them even more practical. Whether you’re after a flip phone for nostalgia or a big screen device for multitasking, today’s foldable phones offer exciting possibilities — you just have to decide if they’re the right fit for you.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-foldable-phones-160030013.html?src=rss
A new AI tool developed by Google solved a decade-long superbug mystery in just two days, reaching the same conclusion as Professor Jose R Penades’ unpublished research and even offering additional, promising hypotheses. The BBC reports: The researchers have been trying to find out how some superbugs – dangerous germs that are resistant to antibiotics – get created. Their hypothesis is that the superbugs can form a tail from different viruses which allows them to spread between species. Prof Penades likened it to the superbugs having “keys” which enabled them to move from home to home, or host species to host species.
Critically, this hypothesis was unique to the research team and had not been published anywhere else. Nobody in the team had shared their findings. So Mr Penades was happy to use this to test Google’s new AI tool. Just two days later, the AI returned a few hypotheses – and its first thought, the top answer provided, suggested superbugs may take tails in exactly the way his research described.
Most microSD cards are fast enough for boosting storage space and making simple file transfers, but some provide a little more value than others. If you’ve got a device that still accepts microSD cards — whether it’s a gaming handheld, a dash cam, a drone or an Android tablet — we’ve scoured the market and put more than a dozen top contenders through a number of benchmark tests. You can find our top recommendations below, alongside some general shopping advice before you grab one.
The first thing to figure out when buying a microSD card is how much storage space you need. Modern cards are usually available in sizes ranging from 32GB to 512GB, with several models now available in 1TB or 1.5TB capacities as well. The first 2TB cards from major brands have started to arrive in recent months as well, which is exciting, but those are still fairly rare (and very expensive) by comparison.
For most, a 128GB or 256GB model should be a sweet spot between price and storage space. But if you need more room — say, for stashing a bunch of games on a Steam Deck — a 512GB card or greater could make more sense and often provides a better cost-per-GB ratio. These days, you can find a decent 128GB card for around $15 or less, a good 256GB card for less than $30 and a solid 512GB card for less than $40 (with faster models priced a little higher). There’s a starker increase when you go up to 1TB cards, which often cost closer to $100, though we’ve seen some fall into the $70 to $80 range within the last year. The first wave of 2TB cards are an even bigger leap: the 2TB SanDisk Extreme, for example, is priced at $200.
Note that a microSD card’s performance may differ depending on what capacity you buy. SanDisk says its 128GB Extreme card delivers sequential write speeds up to 90 MB/s, for example, while the higher-capacity models in the same line offer up to 130 MB/s.
When we talk about microSD cards today, we usually refer to cards that use the microSDXC (eXtended Capacity) standard, which have a capacity between 32GB and 2TB. Your device needs to support this for it to work with a microSDXC card. This will almost never be an issue these days, but some older devices (a Nintendo 3DS, for instance) are only compatible with microSDHC (High Capacity) cards, which range from 2GB to 32GB.
Read and write speeds
MicroSD cards are primarily judged on their read and write speeds, which are usually measured in megabytes per second (MB/s). Generally, most microSD cards have faster read speeds than write speeds.
These metrics can then be broken down into sequential and random performance. Sequential read and write speeds matter when you’re trying to access or save long, constant streams of data, such as opening a large video or copying a big batch of files from a PC. If you want to use a microSD card for media storage, this is particularly important. Random performance, meanwhile, is about how quickly a card can read and write small files scattered throughout the device.
Since random read/write speeds are much lower than sequential ones, storage device makers tend not to advertise them as loudly. But they’re important if you use a card with a gaming device or a single-board computer like the Raspberry Pi, where it often has to rapidly save and access small bits of data in random locations.
Speed ratings
If you look at a microSD card, you’ll see a buffet of numbers, letters and symbols. Most of these refer to the card’s speed class and performance ratings, which are determined by the SD Association.
A card’s Video Speed Class, or V-rating, details its minimum sequential write speed, which is especially important when recording video from a camera. It ranges from V6 to V90. Most of the cards we tested had a V30 rating, so they have a sequential write speed of at least 30 MB/s. This should be enough to support up to 4K video at lower bitrates. Higher-rated V60 and V90 cards are usually better for capturing 8K, but they come at a much higher cost.
The UHS Speed Class, or U-rating, also refers to a card’s minimum sequential write speed. It comes in two varieties: U3, which mandates a minimum of 30 MB/s, and U1, which is rated for 10 MB/s.
The older Speed Class rating overlaps with the other two systems. It’s signified by a C symbol and goes from Class 2 to Class 10, with the number (again) indicating minimum sequential write speed. This rating is less relevant nowadays, but you may still see a “C10” logo on some cards.
The Application Performance spec, marked by an A symbol, is an indicator of random read/write speeds. This is measured in IOPS, or input/output operations per second, rather than MB/s. There are two categories here: A1 cards offer a minimum random read speed of 1,500 IOPS and a minimum random write speed of 500 IOPS, while A2 cards bump those up to 4,000 IOPS and 2,000 IOPS, respectively. Both ratings also guarantee sequential write speeds of at least 10 MB/s.
To keep it simple, most people should look for a card with V30, U3 and A2 ratings. It’s totally possible to get a solid card without those: A U1 card might be worth it if you just need a cheap, high-capacity option, for example. V60 and V90 cards are worth a look if you’re serious about shooting high-resolution photos and video as well. But overall, cards with the certifications above should provide the best blend of price and performance today.
It’s important to emphasize that these ratings are baselines. Most V30 cards offer significantly higher write speeds than 30 MB/s, for instance, and some A1 cards can outperform some A2 models in practice. The speeds advertised by manufacturers aren’t always 100 percent accurate, either: Sometimes the card will be slower in real-world use, other times it may actually be a bit faster.
UHS bus speeds
The other spec to note is the card’s bus interface. Most microSD cards available today are UHS-I, which have a theoretical maximum speed of 104 MB/s. There are also UHS-II cards, which have an extra row of pins on the back and can reach up to 312 MB/s. (A UHS-III standard technically exists as well but hasn’t seen wide adoption.) These are labeled on the card with a Roman numeral I or II.
UHS-II cards are usually the ones with those higher V60 or V90 ratings. If you shoot lots of 4K to 8K video or frequently use burst mode to capture ultra high-res photos, the performance gains of a good UHS-II card can save you time.
However, these are much more expensive than UHS-I cards: This 128GB Lexar Professional Gold model, for instance, is a relative bargain at $40. While that’s less than many UHS-II models we’ve seen in the past, it’s still more than double the typical price of our top pick mentioned below. You need a device that’s compatible with the UHS-II interface to see any benefits, too, and stock for UHS-II cards is generally spottier. For now, the higher speeds aren’t worth the price premium for most people, so we stuck mostly to UHS-I cards with our recommendations.
The absolute fastest microSD cards you can buy right now, though, are based on a different interface called SD Express. This has technically been around for several years and now includes its own subset of speed classes, but the gist is that it’s much faster than UHS-I or UHS-II: SanDisk’s recently released microSD Express card, which is the first commercially available model we’ve tested, advertises sequential read speeds up to 880MB/s. For context, that’s quicker than some older SSDs.
It’s a substantial upgrade that — spoiler alert — has largely held up in our testing, but just about zero popular devices natively support SD Express right now, and again, SanDisk’s card costs much more than the best UHS-I options. It’s still possible to take advantage of the boosted performance with a dedicated SD Express card reader, but that adds even more to the final cost. It’s also worth noting that SD Express cards are not backwards compatible with UHS-II (or UHS-III), so if you try to plug one into a device with a UHS-II slot, it’ll be limited to UHS-I speeds. Still, the tech should have plenty of appeal if more gadgets that support the interface do arrive. Besides SanDisk, Samsung has said it plans to release an SD Express card as well.
A note on card readers and reaching advertised speeds
While the UHS-I interface has a theoretical maximum of 104 MB/s, some UHS-I cards can exceed that speed through proprietary extensions. However, you need a compatible card reader and host device to take advantage of that extra performance. If you find a UHS-I card advertising speeds higher than 104 MB/s, this is what’s going on. You can see these limits in action with a Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck: Both of those gaming devices support the UHS-I interface but don’t go beyond its official speed, flattening any sequential gains some cards may have elsewhere. (Differences in random read and write speeds can still matter, though.) The same thing will happen if you plug a more powerful UHS-II or SD Express card into a device that doesn’t accept those interfaces.
The takeaway: Your microSD card will only be as fast as the slowest link in your chain.
Warranty
Many microSD cards are designed to be durable, with protection from water, extreme temperatures, X-rays and drops. Still, in case of catastrophe, a long warranty is always good to have. Many manufacturers offer lifetime or 10-year limited warranties, though we’ve noticed that “endurance” cards marketed to withstand more hours of writing are usually covered for a shorter period of time. For example, Samsung’s Pro Endurance, a model aimed at security cameras and other monitoring devices, comes with a five-year warranty.
Avoiding counterfeits
The memory card market has had a particular problem with scammers selling fake products. To guard against this, only buy from a known brand and a reputable retailer such as Best Buy, B&H Photo or Adorama. If you shop at Amazon, only buy if the shipper and seller is Amazon.com. (That said, a handful of users have reported receiving counterfeits even from Amazon directly in the past.) Remember: If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be wary of any retailer offering significantly a lower price than others.
Once you receive a card, check its packaging for any irregularities. You can run benchmark tests like CrystalDiskMark or BlackMagic Disk Speed Test to verify its speeds aren’t drastically lower than what’s advertised (or possible, given its specs). You can also use software that’s designed to verify the true capacity and performance of your card, such as H2testw and FakeFlashTest.
How we test microSD cards
We’ve put close to 20 microSD cards through a series of tests to verify their sequential and random performance. These included benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, BlackMagic Disk Speed Test, ATTO Disk Benchmark and AJA System Test, as well as a few “real-world” tests. We copied and pasted a small folder of photos about 1.15GB in size to and from each card, then did the same with a larger 12.2GB folder containing multiple file types and subfolders, timing the process each time. We also checked how each card performed on the Steam Deck, downloading games of varying sizes — including Stardew Valley, Aperture Desk Job, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Apex Legends— then timing how long it took to launch each game and load save files.
Where applicable, we used a Kingston USB 3.2 UHS-II reader to test each card on both Windows 11 and macOS Sonoma. However, if a card could be bundled with (or is specifically advertised to use) a proprietary reader, we mainly tested with that, since we figure that’s the one most interested buyers will end up using. For Windows testing, we used an Alienware gaming PC with an Intel Core i9-10900F, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. For macOS, we used a 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with an Apple M1 Pro chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. If a reader couldn’t connect over USB-C, we used CalDigit’s TS4 dock to test the corresponding card on the MacBook.
We tested the 128GB version of each card wherever possible, though for a few cards — SanDisk’s Extreme and Samsung’s Pro Plus and Pro Ultimate — we were only able to test higher-capacity models. We also reformatted each card before testing with the SD Association’s Memory Card Formatter tool.
Other notable microSD cards
The Samsung Pro Ultimate.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Samsung Pro Ultimate
The Samsung Pro Ultimate was the closest competitor to the Lexar Professional Silver Plus across our benchmark tests, but it’s tangible worse in terms of sequential write speeds, typically costs more and doesn’t offer a 1TB option. The Samsung Pro Plus is a bit slower for sequential reads, but it’s close enough otherwise and usually easier to find at a lower price.
Kingston Canvas Go Plus
The Kingston Canvas Go Plus is a fine card and worth buying over the Samsung Evo Select if the two are ever available for the same price, but its sequential write speeds lagged well behind the Lexar Silver Plus and, to a slightly lesser extent, Samsung Pro Plus.
The SanDisk Extreme and PNY Elite-X.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Delkin Devices Power
We haven’t used it ourselves, but if you’re willing to pay for a more powerful UHS-II card built for heavy-duty video recording, the Delkin Devices Power has tested well elsewhere and should deliver significantly faster sequential write speeds than our picks above. It’s one of the few UHS-II cards we could actually find in stock, but it costs a ton, with a 128GB model normally priced around $80.
SanDisk Extreme
The SanDisk Extreme effectively matched the Pro Plus in a few of our sequential tests, but that was partly due to us only being able to secure the 256GB model, which is higher-rated than the 128GB version. It’s a fine choice if you see it on sale at a reputable seller, but it’s broadly slower than our top pick and often costs more.
The SanDisk GamePlay and SanDisk Pokémon.
Jeff Dunn for Engadget
SanDisk GamePlay
The SanDisk GamePlay performs similarly to the SanDisk Extreme but costs a good bit extra as of our latest update. We couldn’t get it to reach its advertised speeds with the company’s own “Pro” card reader or other third-party options, so it fell short of our top picks.
SanDisk Pokémon
The SanDisk Pokémon does outperform its advertised read and write speeds, but not by enough to outpace the Lexar Silver Plus or Samsung Pro Plus. It essentially charges extra for having a picture of Pikachu (or Gengar, or Snorlax) on a product you’ll never look at.
The Lexar Professional 1066x.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Lexar Professional 1066x
The Lexar Professional 1066x is another OK alternative to the Samsung Pro Plus if our main picks are unavailable, but its sequential reads and random speeds aren’t on par with either Samsung’s card or Lexar’s own Silver Plus. That said, it’s worth getting over the Samsung Evo Select if you see it for a lower price, as its sequential write speeds are much faster. It also comes with a lifetime limited warranty.
SanDisk Extreme Pro
The SanDisk Extreme Pro is a close analog to the Samsung Pro Ultimate but, as of this writing, is either unavailable at most trusted retailers or priced too high by comparison. The Lexar Professional Silver Plus has faster sequential write speeds as well.
PNY Elite-X
The PNY Elite-X often goes for cheap and wasn’t too far off the random read/write performance of Samsung’s Pro Plus in CrystalDiskMark, but its sequential speeds were well behind our top picks.
Recent updates
February 2025: We’ve updated this guide with a new top pick: the Lexar Professional Silver Plus. The Samsung Pro Plus, our previous recommendation, stays as a runner-up. We’ve also added SanDisk’s recently released microSD Express card as a pick for those who want the absolute fastest card possible, albeit with heavy caveats. This is one of the first microSD cards to use the SD Express bus interface, so we’ve included more details on what that entails in our “what to look for in a microSD card” section. Lastly, we’ve removed our write-up for SanDisk’s Apex Legends card, as it appears to have been discontinued, and included testing notes for a couple of the company’s more recent releases.
November 2024: We’ve checked back with this guide to ensure our recommendations are still accurate and made light edits for clarity.
August 2024: We’ve updated this guide to note the recently released 1TB models for three of our top picks: the Samsung Pro Plus, the Kingston Canvas Go Plus and the Samsung Evo Select. We’ve also made sure all pricing details are as up to date as they can be.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-microsd-card-130038282.html?src=rss
California is considering officially recognizing Bigfoot as its state cryptid through Assembly Bill 666, introduced last week by North Coast Assemblymember Chris Rogers. “Rogers’ district spans Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Sonoma and Trinity counties, a region known as the epicenter of Bigfoot lore,” reports SFGATE. From the report: Assemblyman Rogers’ Assembly Bill 666 is still in its early stages. According to the California Legislative Information website, the bill’s title has been read aloud in the state Assembly and is now being printed and distributed to committee members for review. If it clears committee, it must then pass the Assembly and Senate before reaching the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
[Matt Moneymaker, a longtime Bigfoot researcher and former star of the Animal Planet series ‘Finding Bigfoot], is eager to witness history. “If there’s going to be a date, an occasion when they’re voting on whether or not to make it the official cryptid, I would love to be up there in Sacramento,” he said. “I would gladly pay my way to be there when that happens.” “Mankind has always had a fascination with monsters, and mythologies from around the world include stories of strange and terrifying creatures,” writes Slashdot reader Pickens in a story published in 2008. “Examples include the half-bull, half-human Minotaur of Greek myths, the living clay Golem of Jewish traditions, British elves and Chinese dragons…” What’s your favorite monster?
Rivian reported its first-ever positive gross profit of $170 million in Q4 2024, driven by cost reductions and increased regulatory credit sales, despite a $4.7 billion net loss for the year. The company said it expects to sell 46,000-51,000 vehicles this year and achieve “modest gross profit.” The Verge reports: Rivian reported $170 million in positive gross profits, which includes production and sales but does not factor in other expenses, for the three-month period that ended December 31, 2024. That was based on $1.7 billion in revenues. The company said its net loss for the fourth quarter was $743 million, as compared to $1.5 billion in net losses in the same period in 2023.
Rivian earned $4.5 billion in revenue for the full year 2024, based on the delivery of 51,579 vehicles. It record a net loss of $4.7 billion, compared to $5.4 billion in 2023. Rivian cited increased revenue from the sale of regulatory credits to other automakers, which is also a primary revenue driver for Tesla. The company said it saw a $260 million increase in regulatory credit sales in the fourth quarter year over year.
Mirnotoriety shares a report from The Register: The operators of Ghost ransomware continue to claim victims and score payments, but keeping the crooks at bay is possible by patching known vulnerabilities and some basic infosec actions, according to a joint advisory issued Wednesday by the FBI and US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The Feds warned orgs to beware of this spectral menace, which is known to have infected critical infrastructure and entities in every sector of a typical economy, and which has been observed scoring ransoms as recently as January. It is said to have racked up victims in more than 70 countries, including some in its China homeland.
Ghost first appeared in 2021, and according to the Feds, the gang will “rotate their ransomware executable payloads, switch file extensions for encrypted files, modify ransom note text, and use numerous ransom email addresses, which has led to variable attribution of this group over time.” The Chinese group has therefore been identified as Ghost, Cring, Crypt3r, Phantom, Strike, Hello, Wickrme, HsHarada, and Rapture over time. The group’s favored tactics, however, remain consistent: It targets unpatched systems to exploit known vulnerabilities that allow it to infect targets. […]
According to Bloomberg, YouTube plans to introduce a lower-priced, ad-free version of its paid video service. From the report: The package, dubbed “premium lite,” will be announced soon in the US, Australia, Germany and Thailand, according to a person familiar with the plans. The service will target viewers who primarily want to watch programs other than music videos. While YouTube may be best known for the free videos uploaded by users, the company also offers a variety of paid services. YouTube Premium is a $13.99-a-month package in the US that lets subscribers watch everything on the service, including music videos, without ads.
“As part of our commitment to provide our users with more choice and flexibility, we’ve been testing a new YouTube Premium offering with most videos ad-free in several of our markets,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re hoping to expand this offering to even more users in the future with our partners’ support.”
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The chief executive of streaming giant Netflix on Thursday announced a $1 billion investment to produce some 20 films and TV series in Mexico annually over the next four years. Speaking at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s morning press conference in Mexico City, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said he looked forward to entering more partnerships with producers in the Latin American nation. Sheinbaum said the investments in the film industry should produce many jobs beyond immediate production needs, such as hospitality for actors and crew members, fashion designers and also spur tourism. “It’s an industry that gives a lot of mileage to the economy,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s not only important for Mexico to be seen in the world, but also because of the economic development and jobs generated by a production.”
