This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford dives into his experience with Google's new $499 mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 9a. Is it really the new mid-range king, as we previously predicted? Or is it worth spending more for the Pixel 9? Also, we chat about how the Trump administration's volatile tariff strategy will affect consumer technology (not to mention everything else you buy). Sam Rutherford’s Pixel 9a Review: Basic in just the right way – 1:16Tariff Watch: Switch 2 preorders delayed, Razer pauses laptop sales in the U.S. – 30:27TikTok ban deadline extended for another 75 days – 42:40Samsung’s Ballie robot with Google Gemini arrives this Summer (allegedly) – 43:31Listener Mail – 46:53Working on – 57:41Pop Culture picks – 59:23
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1:04:22
The Switch 2 + A chat with the Cowboy Bebop creator on Lazarus
After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer. In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world and beyond. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, about his new anime series Lazarus.Switch 2 details are finally here, Sam Rutherford got hands-on time with it – 1:47U.S.’s broad new tariffs on China and beyond could make everything from keyboards to cars more expensive – 49:32TikTok’s divest-or-ban deadline is April 5, here are the possible buyers – 54:57xAI buys X, but how much does that matter? – 58:24Working on – 1:00:59Pop culture picks – 1:02:31
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1:22:29
Signalgate + 23andMe falls apart
This week, we learned that even government officials are addicted to their group chats -- except with the Trump administration those chats include war plans and potentially classified information. In this episode, we dive into the sheer recklessness and stupidity of Signalgate. And speaking of reckless, we also discuss 23andMe's bankruptcy and the privacy concerns around selling off customer DNA data.Signalgate: What happened, who was involved, and how to safely add someone to a Signal group chat – 0:4823andMe files for bankruptcy, customers are urged to delete their sensitive data – 21:25Canon’s PowerShot V1 and R50 V cameras go all in on vlogging – 27:21Apple announces WWDC dates, updates Airpods Max, and dodges fines in the EU – 32:52How did Napster sell for $207 million in 2025? – 45:32Around Engadget – 48:44Working On – 55:22Pop Culture picks – 57:56
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1:03:02
Google’s Pixel 9a could be the new mid-range king
After a ton of leaks, Google officially announced the $499 Pixel 9a, which has the potential to be the new king of mid-range phones. It has dual cameras and access to Google's AI features -- in many ways, it's everything the iPhone 16e should have been (especially its price). In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to discuss what's great about the Pixel 9a, as well as its potential downsides compared to the Pixel 9.Google’s announces the Pixel 9a - potentially the new midrange king – 1:15Fujifilm’s GX100RF: a 102MP medium format camera (nice!) with only one F4 lens (boo!) – 21:31Karissa Bell’s roundup of the craziest stuff from Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book – 24:14Donald Trump attempts to fire FTC’s two Democratic commissioners – 29:34Amazon will send all Alexa recordings to the cloud, no more local processing – 32:52Chinese EV maker BYD announces chargers that give 249 miles of range in 5 minutes – 39:10Pebble founder introduces two new e-paper smartwatches – 46:47Listener Mail: Trying to choose an OLED TV – 57:35Around Engadget – 1:03:49Working on – 1:09:56Pop culture picks – 1:10:28
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1:15:10
MacBook Air M4 review + Apple delays its smarter Siri
It's both a great and bad week for Apple. In this episode, we dive into Devindra's review of the excellent M4-equipped MacBook Air (and briefly chat about the new Mac Studio). We also discuss Apple's surprise announcement that it's delaying its smarter, AI-infused Siri, which may not arrive until next year. Did Apple over-promise last year, or is it wise to hold off on advanced AI features until they're ready? After all, Apple doesn't want a fiasco like Microsoft's Recall announcement. The MacBook Air M4 refresh maintains Apple’s seat on the ultraportable throne – 1:40…but the delay on a Siri upgrade could spell trouble long-term – 15:32Xbox’s first handheld might not be made by Microsoft – 34:29The White House turns into a Tesla dealership – 41:30Meta attempts to block unflattering expose book already on sale – 45:52Around Engadget: Ninja Swirl and Eero Pro 7 router reviews – 46:38Working on – 49:21Pop culture picks – 50:26
A weekly news show where your favorite Engadget editors tear themselves away from their crippling technology addiction, to discuss our collective crippling technology addiction.
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