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Apple has scheduled a product launch event, dubbed an "Apple Experience", for March 4 at 9AM ET. The company is reportedly holding this event in NYC, London and Shanghai. Everyone loves shiny new products, so what can we expect to see at Apple's first launch event of 2026? We don't know anything for certain, but we have plenty of educated guesses that have been sourced from industry reports and speculation from analysts. Budget-Friendly MacBook There have been rumors swirling that Apple is preparing to launch a cheaper alternative to the MacBook Air. Bloomberg reported on this all the way back in November. Industry rumors indicate that Apple will be stuffing this laptop with an iPhone processor, the A18 Pro, to keep the price down. Worth pointing out the three colors from the invite are light green, blue and yellow -- which just so happen to be the colors Apple has tested the low-cost MacBook with, as I wrote yesterday. Coincidence? We shall see. https://t.co/1FFVkfw9JZ pic.twitter.com/ssKDDzdJsw Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026 It's also been suggested that this laptop will only include 8GB of RAM, which kind of flies against the company's recent stance to outfit all Macs with at least 16GB of RAM. However, that would certainly help with the cost. You might have heard about a little thing called AI that chomp chomps on all RAM it can find. TechRadar has reported that this could be Apple's biggest laptop launch in years, with potential initial shipments hitting 8 million units. The price is likely to be somewhere in the $699 to $799 range, which is pretty nifty. However, I'd still go for an Air at $999. They are absolute workhorses. MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and Max chips It's likely that Apple will release more powerful MacBook Pro models this year and the timing seems to match up. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has suggested a March launch and the event is on March 4. The company has already released a MacBook Pro with an M5 chip, but both the M5 Pro and Max are likely on the horizon. We could be getting new laptops outfitted with these chips in various display sizes. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget There have also been reports that both of the higher-end M5 chips are getting a redesign to help improve heat dissipation and reduce defective chip rates. Additionally, the new chiplet design would allow the M5 Pro and Max to raise the total number of CPU and GPU cores. The Max is expected to have more cores than the Pro. This idea is helped along by the fact that MacBook Pro M4 Max orders are currently delayed. This is typically the case with an outgoing model as stock dries up to make room for new releases. Also, the Pro and Max variants typically get announced in the Fall, so we are due. New iPads Rumors have been circulating that we are about to get new iPads, including an update to the base model and the Air. The standard model, which would be the 12th-gen release, is expected to upgrade the A16 chip to an A18. This should also allow for the integration of Apple Intelligence tools, if that's your bag. Nathan Ingraham for Engadget As for that iPad Air, rumors suggest an upgrade to the M4 chip from the M3. An extremely light tablet with an M4 would be fairly notable in my estimation, as only the newest iPad Pro has that chip. iPhone 17e It was almost exactly a year ago that Apple announced the iPhone 16e, so you know what that means. It's time for a refresh. Recent reports have suggested that an announcement regarding the iPhone 17e is imminent, so this launch event seems like as good a place as any to reveal the latest "budget-friendly" smartphone. As for specs, Mark Gurman has suggested that it'll be getting an upgrade to the A19 chip, which is nice. Also, it could be getting MagSafe support. That sounds like an iterative upgrade, but the price is expected to remain steady at $599. Other Possibilities The following stuff is less likely, though certainly possible. There have been rumors that Apple is currently preparing a revamped Studio Display and Mac Studio desktop. The reports suggest a release sometime in the first half of the year, and March is right in the middle of that timeframe. It's also possible that the company will reveal an upgrade to the MacBook Air with the M5 chip. Reports indicate that this is unlikely to happen during this event, but it is worth noting that the M4 Air came out in March of last year. In other words, it's a toss up. The inclusion of Shanghai essentially rules out Siri, as expected, given the delays. https://t.co/mgNLR4qCYy Mark Gurman (@markgurman) February 16, 2026 What's not a toss up? You shouldn't expect anything regarding the long-anticipated Siri refresh. This looks to be a hardware event, so any software updates will likely have to wait until WWDC this summer. In any event, Engadget will be on hand to report on all of Apple's new products. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/heres-what-to-expect-at-apples-product-launch-event-on-march-4-173612772.html?src=rss
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Ticketing marketplace SeatGeek has announced a partnership with Spotify that will direct an artist's fans to its platform from the Spotify app. The integration is currently limited to a few participating venues for which SeatGeek is the primary ticket seller. While SeatGeek is one of the largest online marketplaces for the secondary ticketing market, the company's announcement makes clear that this Spotify integration only applies to venues where it's the primary ticketing company. For now, that's just 15 US partner venues, primarily professional sports arenas like AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Spotify has experimented with direct ticket sales in the past, but now focuses on signing on partners to integrate into the streaming experience. The company currently lists 46 ticketing partners, including Ticketmaster, AXS and others. The app also allows users to follow specific venues to be notified about upcoming concerts and events. The world's largest music streaming service has added a glut of new features recently. One helps listeners learn more about a song, while another new addition finally added group messaging. The platform, which now boasts some 750 million monthly users, has also been trying to address AI slop in its library, although not very hard by the looks of it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/spotify-debuts-seatgeek-integration-for-concert-ticket-sales-162248870.html?src=rss
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Now that pre-orders are open for the Google Pixel 10a, its time to see how it stacks up against last years Pixel 9a. At first glance, the two phones look very similar, and thats not a bad thing. Google hasnt tried to reinvent its budget-friendly formula this year, sticking to the same compact design, clean software experience and camera-first approach that made the 9a such a good value.Both phones share a lot in common, including 120Hz OLED displays, Googles Tensor G4 chip, strong computational photography and seven years of OS and security updates. The actual differences are more incremental, including a moderately brighter, tougher display, improved Extreme Battery Saver longevity, slightly faster wireless charging and the addition of Satellite SOS. Importantly, Google is keeping the starting price the same as before, with both phones coming in at $499.On paper, the Pixel 10a doesnt dramatically rethink what an affordable Pixel should be, but it does offer meaningful upgrades for the same price. While we wait for a review unit to evaluate the Pixel 10a's day-to-day performance, here's a quick comparison of the spec sheets of the two devices to see what the new model brings.Pixel 10a vs Pixel 9a: Design and displayTheres very little separating these two on performance. Both the Pixel 9a and Pixel 10a run Googles Tensor G4 chip with 8GB of RAM and the same storage options, so day-to-day speed should feel virtually identical. The Pixel 10a ships with Android 16 out of the box, though the 9a can be updated to the same version.Off the bat, the Pixel 10a doesnt look dramatically different from the Pixel 9a, and that appears to be intentional. Google is sticking with the same compact, no-frills approach from the last few A-series Pixels, so youre still getting a 6.3-inch OLED panel with a smooth 60120Hz refresh rate and a clean, understated aesthetic. The meaningful changes show up once you dig into the display specs. The Pixel 10a upgrades the cover glass from Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to Gorilla Glass 7i, which should offer better durability against drops and scratches over time. Brightness also gets a noticeable bump. The 9a topped out at 1,800 nits for HDR content and 2,700 nits at peak, while the 10a pushes that to 2,000 nits for HDR and up to 3,000 nits at peak brightness. In practice, that should make the Pixel 10a easier to read outdoors and a bit punchier when watching HDR video.Contrast is improved as well. The Pixel 10as panel is rated at a contrast ratio of more than 2,000,000:1, doubling the already respectable figure on the Pixel 9a. That wont radically change how the phone looks day to day, but it should translate to deeper blacks and slightly more depth in darker scenes, especially when streaming video or browsing photos at night.Pixel 10a vs Pixel 9a: CamerasOn paper, the Pixel 10as camera hardware looks very familiar. Like the Pixel 9a, it uses a 48-megapixel main camera paired with a 13MP ultra-wide, and theres no dedicated telephoto lens. Image quality, color science and low-light performance should therefore be similar between the two.Where the Pixel 10a pulls ahead is in software features. Google has added a few camera tools that arent available on the Pixel 9a, even though the underlying hardware hasnt changed much. One of those is Camera Coach, which debuted on last years Pixel 10 series and offers on-screen tips to help you frame shots better or adjust how youre holding the phone. The Pixel 10a also gains Macro Focus, allowing you to get much closer to small subjects like plants or textures. In our Pixel 9a review, we found the phone could capture solid close-up detail, but locking focus could be finicky at times, so a more dedicated macro mode should make those shots easier to nail.Finally, theres Auto Best Take, which automatically picks the best expressions from a burst of photos and combines them into a single image. The feature debuted on Googles Pixel 10 lineup last year, and its especially handy for group shots where someone always seems to blink at the wrong moment. By bringing it to the 10a, Google is extending one of its more genuinely practical AI camera tricks to a cheaper phone.Battery life and chargingBoth the Pixel 9a and Pixel 10a use a 5,100mAh battery and support the same 23W wired charging speeds. Where the Pixel 10a does pull ahead slightly is wireless charging. The Pixel 9a tops out at 7.5W, while the Pixel 10a supports wireless charging at up to 10W when used with Qi-certified Extended Power Profile (EPP) chargers, which are designed to deliver faster wireless power than basic Qi pads. The difference isnt dramatic, but the Pixel 10a should charge a bit quicker on a compatible wireless stand when youre in a pinch.Youll also get some extra hours in dire situations. When you activate Extreme Battery Saver, the Pixel 9a is rated for up to 100 hours, while the Pixel 10a extends that to up to 120 hours. The Pixel 10a gets Satellite SOSThe biggest safety-related upgrade on the Pixel 10a is the addition of Satellite SOS. Because it uses a newer modem compared to the Pixel 9as Exynos Modem 5300, it is capable of tapping satellite networks when necessary. This allows the phone to contact emergency services when youre outside of cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, which can be genuinely useful if you spend time hiking, traveling or driving in remote areas.If you already own a Pixel 9a, there doesnt appear to be a huge reason to upgrade. Day-to-day performance may feel almost identical, since both phones use the same Tensor G4 chip, the same amount of RAM and very similar camera hardware.That said, the Pixel 10a does make a stronger case for first-time buyers or anyone upgrading from an older Pixel. The biggest differentiator, though, is Satellite SOS its the one feature the Pixel 9a simply cant match due to hardware limitations. At the same $499 starting price, the Pixel 10a is, on paper, the better long-term buy if youre choosing between the two today. Google Pixel 10a vs. Google Pixel 9a: Specs at a glanceSpecGoogle Pixel 10aGoogle Pixel 9aPrice$499$499ProcessorGoogle Tensor G4, Titan M2 coprocessorGoogle Tensor G4, Titan M2 coprocessorDisplay6.3-inch Actua display, 1080 x 2424 pOLED at 422.2 PPI, Gorilla Glass 7i6.3-inch Actua display, 1080 x 2424 pOLED at 422.2 PPI, Corning Gorilla Glass 3RAM8GB8GBStorage128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GBBattery5,100mAh5,100mAhWireless chargingUp to 10WUp to 7.5WRear camera48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide, Super Res Zoom up to 8x48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide, Super Res Zoom up to 8xFront camera13MP selfie cam13MP selfie camSIMDual SIM (single nano SIM, eSIM)Dual SIM (single nano SIM, eSIM)ConnectivityWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v6, NFCWi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth v5.3, NFCOSLaunch with Android 16Launch with Android 15This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/google-pixel-10a-vs-pixel-9a-whats-changed-and-which-one-should-you-buy-150000786.html?src=rss
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