ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Apple's Air Pod Max 2 surprise to Nvidia DLSS 5 backlash | Tech Radar

Overview

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Apple's Air Pod Max 2 surprise to Nvidia DLSS 5 backlash

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Details

This week, Apple launched new Air Pods, Alexa+ landed in the UK, and we got our first Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer — and much more that you need to know about.

To catch up on the biggest stories we’ve covered this week, we have this handy ICYMI catch-up. Scroll down for snippets about each story, plus links for you to find the full piece and a deeper dive.

When you are done here, be sure to also check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows you should watch this weekend.

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for March 14, 2026

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for February 14, 2026.

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories for January 31, 2026

Just over a year after its debut in the US, Alexa+ has arrived in the UK — and it’s got more than just a British accent. The AI-powered virtual assistant connects to services and news sources used by people in the UK (including Tech Radar), and its chatty new personality uses particularly British turns of phrase (including calling users ‘mate’ when commiserating over the previous night’s football score).

Underneath the surface, Alexa+ is designed to work as an ‘ambient’ assistant that’s there when you need it, and fades into the background when you don’t. You can give it instructions using natural language rather than phrasing commands in a specific way, and it can follow multiple commands at once. It’s rolling out in Early Access now for owners of the latest Amazon Echo speakers and displays, and will be coming to older Alexa-enabled devices later on.

Read the full story: Amazon Alexa+ has arrived in the UK, and it's got more than just a British accent

The day finally arrived: we got the first trailer for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and it is filled with details about what’s in store for Peter Parker in the next flick.

We see him still living with the fallout from No Way Home, which ended with the whole world forgetting who he is — including his best friend and his girlfriend. Clearly dealing with some stuff mentally, Peter has thrown himself into being the best Spider-Man he can be — tackling a whole load of bad guys, including facing the Hand, it seems — but something is also messing with his powers and causing him to mutate in some way.

We didn’t get a glimpse of who Sadie Sink is playing in this movie yet, but with an emphasis on mutants, could this be some kind of X-Men setup?

Read the full story: Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer breakdown

This week, Meta announced that on June 15, its Horizon Worlds metaverse will become mobile-exclusive, meaning VR players would no longer be able to enjoy (or be subjected to, as was the case for many) the platform’s many VR worlds. But, it then reversed course… kinda.

In an Instagram AMA, Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth revealed that instead of closing Horizon Worlds down entirely in VR, Meta will instead keep existing spaces alive — VR players just won’t get anything new.

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Chat GPT to OLED TVs

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech news stories from Discord's mass exodus to Apple's big March event teaser

While not the biggest story for many, this is a serious shift for Meta, which even changed its name to go all-in on the metaverse — a dream which now feels like it’s not far from being sunset entirely.

Read the full story: Meta isn’t closing down its VR metaverse after all

A gorgeous design, a bright 6.8-inch display, and an impressive mid-range chipset with a streamlined OS, the latest Nothing Phone is nothing short of a delight in so many regards.

The camera admittedly isn’t quite up to the standard of some more premium handsets, with the 50MP main snapper not capturing the picture performance you’d expect from rivals.

That aside, using this phone is just fun in a way so few phones are these days, and at

Read the full review: I reviewed the new Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

3. Samsung’s Trifold might have been discontinued

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Samsung might be pulling the plug on its Galaxy Z Tri Fold phone that was launched just three months ago. Initial reports said sales would stop in South Korea first, following a final restock, and then in the US.

There are several reasons for this, but it’s apparently down to industry costs to manufacture the device, which is why the Galaxy Z Tri Fold went for a staggering $2,899. Additionally, Samsung never intended the device to be for the average consumer and was to simply showcase the innovative lengths the company was capable of going.

However, this doesn’t tell us that the Galaxy Z Tri Fold series is being discontinued altogether, as recent reports suggest that the company is in the process of developing a sequel device.

Read the full story: Samsung’s Galaxy Z Tri Fold was short-lived

Air Pods Max 2 are finally — finally! — here. It’s been just over five years since the original launched, and while Apple upgraded them with USB-C instead of Lightning, there have been multiple new Air Pods Pro models in that time.

The Air Pods Max 2 are pretty much exactly what we might have guessed: they have Apple’s H2 chip powering them, which means a ton of new smart features; they have a claimed 1.5x improvement to active noise cancellation; and they have a new “high dynamic range amplifier” for “cleaner” audio.

Two things that haven’t changed? The below-average 20-hour battery life and the design. The latter has become a modern icon, so that’s understandable, but it’s a shame that Apple also didn’t make them any lighter. Still, Air Pods Max are loved for the detailed and natural sound, so if that’s been improved even further, maybe they’ll be worth the still-hefty $549 price.

Read the full story: 5 years later, we get the H2 chip and a ton of new features

It’s been a rough week for Nvidia since it unveiled DLSS 5 at GDC 2026, which led to mass backlash from gamers and game developers online. This is because DLSS 5 doesn’t continue the trend of the tool’s upscaling task as it has always done with previous iterations; instead, it effectively changes the look of environments, and most importantly, character models to look quite literally lifelike, using generative AI.

Essentially, DLSS 5 utilizes “content-controlled generative AI” according to Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, after hitting back at gamers, saying “they’re completely wrong” about DLSS 5’s use in games going forward. Popular game publishers and studios such as Capcom have already signed up and supported the use of DLSS 5 in both current and future games, once the feature is released this fall, and did so without informing their game developers.

It may be too late for Nvidia to hit the reset button on DLSS 5, but its hand could be forced if gamers and developers continue to push back against the use of generative AI in games.

Read the full story: Nvidia's CEO goes full Principal Skinner in response to DLSS 5 backlash

Hamish is a Senior Staff Writer for Tech Radar and you’ll see his name appearing on articles across nearly every topic on the site from smart home deals to speaker reviews to graphics card news and everything in between. He uses his broad range of knowledge to help explain the latest gadgets and if they’re a must-buy or a fad fueled by hype. Though his specialty is writing about everything going on in the world of virtual reality and augmented reality.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

1 There's a sneaky way to watch Milan-San Remo 2026 for FREE

2ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories for March 21, 2026

3 Secure your spring break travels with Mullvad VPN — it's the simplest VPN deal I've ever seen

4 Ready or Not 2: Here I Come review — the sequel is convoluted and full of carnage, but saved by star power

Tech Radar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Key Takeaways

• ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Apple's Air Pod Max 2 surprise to Nvidia DLSS 5 backlash

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• This week, Apple launched new Air Pods, Alexa+ landed in the UK, and we got our first Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer — and much more that you need to know about

• To catch up on the biggest stories we’ve covered this week, we have this handy ICYMI catch-up

• When you are done here, be sure to also check out our picks for the seven new movies and TV shows you should watch this weekend