🤩 Meta Quest 3S review, 🍎 MacBook Pro M4, 📱 Snapdragon 8 Elite phones, 📸 Sony ZV-E10 II review

10 tech stories in the quickest format possible

Friday’s 10-story newsletter ends with discount codes below ⤵️
Get a FREE premium subscription by referring friends to The Shortcut

🍎💻 1. Apple teases MacBook Pro M4 and iOS 18.1 next week

Mac no mistake! New Macs and iOS 18.1 are coming (Image credit of me with last year’s MacBook Pro: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

• 📅 Apple confirmed it’ll make a series of big announcements next week

• 🖥️ A punny teaser on X hints that some of the news is Mac-related

• 💻 Rumors suggest a MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini refresh with M4

• 💨 The MacBook Air M4 isn’t expected to receive an upgrade until 2025

After stealthily announcing the iPad mini 7 just 10 days ago and jubilantly launching the iPhone 16, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch 10 in September, Apple has teased a week of Mac (and likely iOS 18.1 update) news beginning Monday, October 28.

Apple’s senior VP of marketing Greg Joswiak posted a punny teaser on X. Mac no mistake, a new MacBook Pro with M4 chipset is coming ⤵️

Stay tuned for a MacBook Pro M4 review from me in the coming days. It’ll be a day-one purchase for me.

In addition to iOS 18.1 and MacBook M4, which I’ll review both ASAP on The Shortcut, expect to see an M4-equipped iMac M4, a smaller Mac mini M4, and new USB-C accessories (I can finally say goodbye to the last of my Lighting cables).

Don’t expect a dedicated event, though. It seems like there will be a week of press releases about Mac and iOS 18.1 with Apple Intelligence.

Ask Matt Swider on Twitter or Instagram for hand-picked deals from Walmart / Best Buy / Amazon / B&H / Samsung / Google / GameStop / Xbox / Microsoft Office (PC) deal / MS Office (Mac) deal

---

🤩 2. Meta Quest 3S review: this headset has finally sold me on VR for everyone

Meta sent us the new Meta Quest 3S for review (Image credit: Adam Vjestica / The Shortcut)

🏆 Review Score: 4 out of 5

Pros:

• ✅ Tempting price point at $299

• ✅ Mixed reality might be even more fun than VR

• ✅ Hand tracking is excellent

• ✅ No wires to hold you back

• ✅ Large enough sweet spot

• ✅ Loads of games and applications to try

• ✅ Entertainment is more immersive

• ✅ You can use it for productivity tasks

Cons:

• ❌ Limited IPD settings

• ❌ The headset needs to be charged after every use

• ❌ No headphone jack

Adam has been skeptical of VR since its conception, but the Meta Quest 3S has changed his mind.

At $299, the affordable price point is the Quest 3S’ biggest strength – allowing it to reach the mass market adoption VR so desperately needs. Meta has the opposite approach of the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink $3,499 Apple Vision Pro.

The Meta Quest 3S works well as a productivity tool at $299 (Image credit: Adam Vjestica/The Shortcut)

However, technology has also matured significantly in recent years, making virtual reality and mixed reality more engaging than ever. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to jump into the world of VR and AR, the Meta Quest 3S is easy to recommend.

Read Adam’s full Meta Quest 3S review below to find out more.

---

🐉 3. Snapdragon 8 Elite phones: this chip will power Samsung Galaxy S25

(Credit: Qualcomm)

• ⚙️ Qualcomm’s new 3nm chip to power the top Android phones in 2025

• 📆 First phones globally will come from Xiaomi, Honor, Asus, and Realme

• 🇺🇸 First US Snapdragon 8 Elite phones: OnePlus 13 & Samsung Galaxy S25

• ⚙️ AI-focused 8-core Oryon CPU sees a 45% CPU performance boost

• 🎮 The GPU sees a 40% gaming and 35% ray tracing uptick

• 🍎 Qualcomm says it’ll outperform Apple’s A18 Pro chip in benchmarks

The first Snapdragon 8 Elite phones were just announced, and Qualcomm hosted The Shortcut and other tech publications to preview and benchmark its next-generation chipset. It’s coming to top Android phones globally this month and launching on multiple US smartphones starting in January 2025 (i.e. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra).

It’s not called Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, but the Snapdragon 8 Elite is the official sequel to the premier chip found in Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones that The Shortcut covered extensively. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is bringing a new level of performance to next-generation Android phones.

---

📱 4. Asus ROG Phone 9 hands-on: first gaming phone with Snapdragon 8 Elite

I got my hands on the Asus ROG Phone 9 gaming phone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

• 📱 I went hands-on with the Asus ROG Phone 9 at Snapdragon Summit

• ⚙️ It’s powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset

• 🎮 This Android gaming phone utilizes the chip’s powerful Oryon CPU

• 📆 Launch event date and time: November 19 at 6am ET

I got to see inside the ROG Phone 9 (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

It turns out that I didn’t need to wait very long to test out my first Snapdragon 8 Elite phone. I went hands-on with the Asus ROG Phone 9, and even though the official launch date is November 19, I have some early impressions now.

---

📸 5. Sony ZV-E10 II review: a small, but powerful camera for content creators

The compact-but-feature-rich Sony ZV-E10 II (Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

🏆 Review score: 4.5 out of 5

🏅Editor’s Choice

Pros:

• ✅ 📹 New sensor enables 4K60p video with only a slight crop

• ✅ 🎨 10bit color for all video modes thanks to the image processor

• ✅ 🗜️ Larger grip for better handling

• ✅ ⚖️ Electronic image stabilization is much improved

• ✅ 🔋 Added Sony Z battery improves this camera’s longevity

Cons

• ❌ 🤖 Lacks Sony’s latest AI subject recognition

• ❌ 🫨 Electronic shutter can create images warped by the rolling shutter effect

The Sony ZV-E10 II is a plucky little camera that gives you many of the benefits of Sony’s pro-grade hybrid cameras but for a more reasonable $999 price (or $1,099 with a kit lens). It features the same 4K60p capable sensor as Sony’s higher-end a6700 and FX-30, plus the same long-lasting Z-batteries to boot.

Read our full Sony ZV-E10 II review to find out more.

---

👀 6. OnePlus 13 leak shows off flat edges and wood grain back

(Credit: OnePlus)

• 👀 The OnePlus 13 has been spies in a newly leaked photo

• 📐 It seems to show off a fresh, flat-edge design

• 📱 It’s a departure from the usual curved sides of past phones

• 🪵 OnePlus has also added a wood grain finish to the device

• 📅 We expect to see the OnePlus 13 in early 2025

The new OnePlus 13 could be released in early 2025, and a crystal-clear image has just surfaced online. Before disappearing from the social media site Weibo, 9to5Google scooped up the leaked image to show off OnePlus’ upcoming flagship against a block of wood.

OnePlus 13 seems to have a similar design to what we’re used to from OnePlus, with a large, circular housing for the cameras, a centered logo, and the Hasselblad “H” next to the lenses, showing that there will be Hasselblad tuning in the camera system.

---

🎧 7. New Xbox Gaming Headset: Dolby Atmos & a better voice-isolating mic

(Credit: Microsoft)

• 😌 Added Dolby Atmos support with a free license included

• 🛜 New Qualcomm S5 Gen 2 chipset and Bluetooth 5.3 support

• 🎙️ Improved microphone with voice isolation and auto-mute

• 🔋 20-hour battery life, 5 more hours than previously

• 💸 $10 price bump up to $109.99

• 🏷️ Available to purchase now at Best Buy and more retailers soon

---

🎮 8. Another Nintendo Switch 2 game has been confirmed ahead of the console's reveal

(Credit: Nintendo)

• 🆕 A new Nintendo Switch 2 game has been announced

• 🔜 Playtonic’s Yooka-Replaylee is coming to Nintendo’s next console

• 🗣️ The developer made the announcement on X

• 🤔 Nintendo still hasn’t officially unveiled its next system

---

⌨️ 9. Nuio Flow keyboard is a wild take on typing, and I got to try it

(Credit: Nuio)

• 🖥️ Nuio is a new peripheral/ergonomic company that’s coming for your desktop

• ⌨️ The new Flow Keyboard offers an ergonomic design

• 🧑‍💻 Adjustable stands, wrist pads, and a desk mat pair perfectly with it

• 💰 These accessories don’t come cheap, which makes them intriguing

---

📷 10. Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is the first action camera with dual AI chips

(Credit: Insta360)

• 📷 The new Insta360 Ace Pro 2 is the first dual AI chip action camera

• 🤖 Dual AI chips promise to improve image processing in two stages.

• 🔍 Also features an upgraded 8K sensor and a wider FOV lens

• 🤳 Larger flip-up touchscreen, plus added wind guard and removable lens guard

• 🔋 Longer battery life and Endurance Mode for double the recording time

⬆️ Tap the 🌟 icon button on this page ⬆️

🔒 Bonus: $100 PS & Xbox, $50 Nintendo gift card deals; 50% off Game Pass

• 🟦 $100 PlayStation giftcard for $87

• 🍄 $50 Nintendo Gift Card for $43

• 🟩 $50 Xbox Gift Card for $43

• 🟩 $100 Xbox Gift Card for $83 (better deal)

• ❎ 50% off Xbox Game Pass for $26 (Microsoft’s MSRP is now $60 for 3 months)

We’re expanding our discount codes for paid subscribers as a pack-in. It’s sort of like CD-ROM pack-ins for subscribers of 90s magazines.

😬 Can’t afford it? Totally fine. I’m opening up more ways to be a paid subscriber for people who can’t spare the $5/mo ($4.16/mo) to keep us going. Support us in other ways by referring your friends & family to The Shortcut. Help us grow!

Here are the actual discount codes for paid subscribers ⤵️