The Vergecast

Transportation editor Andrew Hawkins is here to answer your questions about the confluence of cars and gadgets. Could a folding phone replace a dashboard display? What to do about the iPhone Pro Max not fitting the Tesla's built-in wireless charger? And we hear from a listener who -- shockingly -- doesn't care about CarPlay.

Further reading:

The car of the future is an EV golf cart

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Nvidia's new DLSS 5 (Deep Learning Super Sampling 5) rendering technology uses AI to (theoretically) improve video game graphics. When it was announced, social media declared that it was "yassifying" video game characters, changing faces in a way game developers didn't intend. Linus Tech Tips' own Linus Sebastian and David Gauthier join guest host David Imel to break down the the hype and controversy.

Further reading:

The Beats 360 are what I’d bring to the gym if I hated earbuds

Peloton is back with a ‘cheaper’ folding treadmill

Whoop and Peloton integration is finally here

Xbox is barely Xbox anymore

Apple’s first live music venue is opening beneath its UK headquarters

Nvidia’s DLSS 5, explained

DLSS 5: Has Nvidia’s AI graphics technology gone too far?

DLSS 5 looks like a real-time generative AI filter for video games

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We tried out the new Googlebooks, which are essentially Chromebooks evolved with an Android elemental stone. They're made by Dell, Lenovo, HP, Acer, and Asus (not Google), but all have the new Googlebook OS, heavy Android phone and Gemini integration, and a built-in "Glowbar." Laptop reviewer Antonio G. Di Benedetto went hands-on with the new devices, and reports back to guest host David Imel.

Further reading:

⁠iPhone owners can now submit claims in Apple’s $250 million Siri AI settlement⁠

⁠The M5 Ultra Mac Studio tears through our benchmark tests⁠

⁠Gemini went rogue and hacked 3 companies⁠

⁠I got to see Google’s wild ideas about the future of laptops⁠

⁠These are the first five Googlebook laptops⁠

⁠Googlebooks feel like the first laptops built for Android owners⁠

⁠The long dream of the Googlebook⁠

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This week's iPhone 18 Pro discourse made aperture a priority, but today on Vergecast we zoom out to talk about the state of smart phone photography at large. Executive editor Jake Kastrenakes, guest host David Imel and senior reviewer Allison Johnson get into manual controls, "buckets of photons," and Apple and Google's strategies on how to prove a picture you took is real. Then, senior AI reporter Hayden Field returns to The Vergecast, just a few new revelations of misaligned behavior since her last appearance. She breaks down who's calling for a slowdown, who's full steam ahead, and the prisoner's dilemma facing the industry. And in the lightning round, we cover robotaxis calling the cops, the Boox Palma 3 e-reader, and the latest crop of intentionally low-quality digital cameras.

Further reading:

Version History: Oregon trail

iPhone 18 Pro review: it's all about the manual controls

The variable aperture isn’t the cool part of the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera

Apple’s new iPhone camera mode promises to prove your photo isn’t AI

Inside the suddenly explosive world of AI safety

Your robotaxi might be a narc

Waymo pulls over, calls cops on riders with a ghost gun

The Boox Palma 3 gets stylus support and a sleek redesign

Camp Snap’s 110D gives slim retro film cameras a digital upgrade

Fujifilm’s Instax Pal 2 is a tiny digital camera that may not disappoint

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0:00 Welcome and lineup00:30 Version History returns02:08 Oregon Trail livestream plug02:36 Apple camera geekout02:59 Apple's new CEO Emmy moment05:23 iPhone 18 Pro upgrades08:33 Pro controls usability11:46 RAW vs ProRAW explained14:35 Signal to noise deep dive21:35 Photographic styles debate25:25 Reference Image authenticity32:40 What we want next41:40 AI safety drama begins42:36 AI Safety Freakout46:10 Liability And Regulation51:34 China Race Narrative54:43 Pace The Frontier Plan55:54 Auditors Inside Labs01:00:22 Prisoners Dilemma Problem01:04:38 Accountability Dead End01:08:45 Waymo Calls The Cops01:14:56 The E Reader Race01:19:56 Tiny Retro Cameras01:26:32 Wrap Up And Goodbye

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Senior reviewers Allison Johnson and Victoria Song trade host and guest duties in a Vergecasting ouroboros that's never been attempted before and will probably never be attempted again. Allison talks about the iPhone 18 Pro's new camera, Victoria talks about the Watch 12 and Ultra 4's new sensors, and they both give their verdicts on who should upgrade.

Further reading:

The iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera update is all about the small gains

The Apple Watch Series 12 is the start of a new wearable era

Your ‘health age’ is fake

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