Week in Review: The top stories in phones, wearables, streaming and more

Is the Phone of the Year here already? Plus Netflix snubs the Vision Pro, and the Apple Mac at 40
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January 26, 2024
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Welcome to the Week in Review
The week in review
It feels too early to be talking about contenders for our Phone of the Year award – CES is only just over, and I've not even unwrapped all of my Christmas gifts yet. But Samsung has other ideas. The Galaxy S24 Ultra was unleashed on the world last week, and after spending this week testing it we can safely say that it raises the bar for flagship mobiles. As Philip Berne says in his review, "This isn’t just a phone, it’s a laptop, a drawing tablet, a game console, and an entire camera bag in your pocket." Check out his full verdict below.

Apple also has its own do-everything gadget in the form of the Vision Pro, its VR-AR-spatial-computing-media-player-headset-from-the-future. The difference there, though, is that it's priced so high that questions remain as to how popular it will prove to be. Netflix is the latest company to decide the answer is 'not very'; we'll have a better idea whether it's right about that next week, when it finally gets into the hands of customers. Whether it will ever be as ubiquitous as the Mac is quite another thing, and you'll also find our tribute to that device on the occasion of its 40th birthday below.

Marc McLaren, UK Editor-in-Chief
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The week in Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra TechRadar review is here
The Galaxy S24 Ultra (Future)
Should you be spending some $1,300 / £1,249 (and up) on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra? Our comprehensive and detailed review will help you decide one way or the other, and if you want a mild spoiler for what's to follow… we think this is an excellent flagship.
Read the full story
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The week in virtual reality
The Vision Pro is still too niche for Netflix to make an app
There won't be a Netflix app for the Vision Pro at launch (Future)
In just a few days, the first buyers of the Apple Vision Pro will be able to get the mixed reality device on their heads – though they might notice a lack of first-party apps at the moment, something that Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters has been talking about.
Read the full story
The week in Apple
The Apple Mac is 40 – here's how it changed everything
Personal computing has come a long way (Getty Images)
To mark the Apple Mac's 40th birthday, TechRadar's US Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff looks back on one of the most important product launches in the history of personal computing, and at how the reverberations of that launch are still being felt today.
Read the full story
This week's top deals
A huge Super Bowl sale is now underway at Target
You want deals, and we've got them (Future)
If you're looking to add some extra gear to your home for a Super Bowl party – a new TV or soundbar, maybe – then Target is the place to go this week, as there are a host of substantial savings available for you to take advantage of ahead of the game.
Read the full story
The week in wearables
The Apple Watch X might miss out on a key feature
There could be more trouble ahead for the Apple Watch (Apple)
Apple remains locked in a patent dispute over the blood oxygen sensor in its current Apple Watch models, and the legal wrangling could affect this year's landmark 10th-generation wearable, which many Apple watchers think will be called the Apple Watch X.
Read the full story
The week in entertainment
Our pick of the best new shows and movies this weekend
Masters of the Air is now streaming (Apple TV Plus)
Now matter what streaming services you're signed up for – and there seem to be a growing number of them – we've got some top-tier recommendations for new shows and movies to watch this weekend, including Apple's Masters of the Air series and much more.
Read the full story
More of this week's top stories
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