Leica’s latest black-and-white-only camera is the $7,800 Q3 Monochrom
Leica is announcing a Q3 Monochrom, its latest digital camera that captures only black-and-white photos and video. In many ways, the Q3 Monochrom is the same as a standard Q3, but with its 60-megapixel sensor modified to not record color, and dressed up in a stealthier logo-less design. It’s available today for $7,790, a $1,055 upcharge from the regular Q3 that captures color.
Like the standard Q3, the Q3 Monochrom is a weather-resistant compact camera with full-frame sensor and fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens with image stabilization. It captures RAW photos in Adobe DNG and videos up to 4K / 60p or 8K / 30p. And it’s got a digital zoom button that can crop the lens to 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 90mm (if you prefer cropping as you shoot instead of in post).
It’s basically a spec-for-spec match of the standard Q3, but it’s the first Q camera to get Leica’s Content Credentials — embedding a digital signature into the files to verify authenticity. The other big difference is that the monochromatic sensor has a higher maximum ISO setting of 200,000. The color Q3 and Q3 43 cameras max out at ISO 100,000. Design-wise, the new model is much like other recent Monochroms. Its black finish is more matte, there’s no Leica red dot logo, any colorful markings are instead just white or gray, and the grip has a textured pattern more akin to M rangefinders.
You can of course set a standard Q3, or any digital camera for that matter, to black and white. But Leica has made Monochrom variant cameras since 2012 for good reason: by omitting the color filter array from the sensor, you can get slightly sharper images and better low-light performance. It’s a niche approach, but using one and working within that restriction is genuinely fun.
I can’t help but love the Monochrom cameras whenever I get to use one, but they’re getting even harder to justify as they keep climbing in price. (The Q2 Monochrom was around $1,800 less than the Q3 Monochrom when it launched.) Though the black-and-white-only digital camera experience may open up to more people soon, since Ricoh recently announced it will release a GR IV Monochrome in 2026. That will be Leica’s first real challenger in this niche space. And though we don’t know its price yet, it’s likely to cost many thousands less than the Q3 Monochrom.
Brendan Carr’s FCC launches probe into BBC’s Trump edit
FCC chair Brendan Carr has reportedly written to the BBC, PBS, and NPR announcing an investigation into whether a controversial BBC documentary with a misleading edit of a Donald Trump speech was ever aired in the US.
Breitbart obtained a copy of the letter, which hasn’t been shared publicly by either Carr or the FCC. It’s addressed to Katherine Maher, the CEO of NPR, Paula Kerger, the president and CEO of PBS, and Tim Davie, who was the director-general of the BBC until he announced his resignation last week.
In it, Carr asks if the BBC provided “either the video or audio of the spliced speech” to either NPR or PBS, and requests transcripts and video of any possible broadcasts of the program in the US.
The investigation was sparked by a 2024 BBC Panorama documentary which played footage of Trump’s speech on January 6th, 2021, but edited together two sections almost an hour apart to create what was presented as a single utterance suggesting Trump explicitly called for violence at the Capitol.
“We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be there with you,” Trump appeared to say. “And we fight, we fight like hell, and if you don’t fight like hell you’re not gonna have a country any more.” In fact the footage was made up of content from three separate sections of the speech, with the mention of fighting coming 54 minutes later during a segment on “corrupt” elections.
The documentary has caused a furor in the UK. The edit was brought to light this month when The Telegraph publicized a leaked internal BBC memo written by former editorial advisor Michael Prescott, previously political editor of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Sunday Times. It sparked a national debate about the BBC’s alleged bias, led to resignations from both Davie and former head of news Deborah Turness, and has prompted Trump himself to threaten to sue the broadcaster.
This isn’t Carr’s first time threatening PBS and NPR, but comes after a string of censorial actions from the FCC. In September Carr threatened the broadcast licenses of stations that aired Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, after which Kimmel was temporarily pulled off the air. Over the summer his FCC instated an ombudsman at CBS to monitor “bias” as a condition of the Paramount-Skydance merger’s approval, and Carr himself recently reposted Trump’s call to have Seth Meyers fired over jokes directed at the president. Just this week, Trump threatened to have ABC’s broadcast license revoked after a reporter asked him about the Epstein files, suggesting Carr “should look at that.”
Verizon is laying off over 13,000 workers
Verizon is preparing to lay off more than 13,000 employees, or about 13 percent of its workforce. In a message to employees, Verizon CEO Dan Schulman says that the reductions come as part of plans to cut costs and “reorient” the company “around delivering for and delighting our customers,” as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The company reported having around 100,000 full-time employees in September. Schulman writes in the memo that Verizon plans to “significantly reduce our outsourced and other outside labor expenses.” Verizon appointed Schulman — who previously headed up PayPal — as CEO last month as the company begins its “next phase” of growth.
“As a customer-first culture, we have to align our teams and resources to create new value for customers and build a faster, stronger and more proactive Verizon,” Schulman writes. “To do that, we must simplify our operations to address the complexity and friction that slow us down and frustrate our customers.”
Verizon’s most recent earnings report revealed that it had lost around 7,000 postpaid phone customers as the company continues to expand its internet offerings with a $20 billion merger with fiber provider Frontier and a deal to acquire the antenna-based internet service provider Starry.
The carrier will begin notifying US-based employees of their status on Thursday, according to the WSJ, while employees abroad will receive word in the “coming weeks.” It will also offer a $20 million “reskilling and career transition fund” for impacted workers.
Here’s Schulman’s full memo to employees:
Team,
Thank you for the many messages you’ve shared about the work we need to do to strengthen our company. I appreciate your ideas and candor. The pride you have for the role that Verizon plays in people’s lives is abundantly clear, as is your desire for us to lead the industry.
As I shared at our most recent all-employee meeting, we need to change and evolve as a company to meet the needs of our customers and expand our market leadership. Our current cost structure limits our ability to invest significantly in our customer value proposition. We must reorient our entire company around delivering for and delighting our customers.
As a customer-first culture, we have to align our teams and resources to create new value for customers and build a faster, stronger and more proactive Verizon. To do that, we must simplify our operations to address the complexity and friction that slow us down and frustrate our customers.
Today, we will begin reducing our workforce by more than 13,000 employees across the organization, and significantly reduce our outsourced and other outside labor expenses. We deeply value their contributions and are committed to providing comprehensive resources to support our employees throughout this transition. Every part of the company will experience some level of change, and we will have conversations with every affected employee to ensure they are treated with the utmost respect and care.
Changes in technology and in the economy are impacting the workforce across all industries. We see it in our families and within our communities. To help our people prepare for their future, we have established a $20 million Reskilling and Career Transition Fund for employees departing Verizon. This fund will focus on skill development, digital training and job placement to help our people take their next steps. Verizon is the first company to set up a fund to specifically focus on the opportunities and necessary skill sets as we enter the age of AI. It is my intent to also work with other companies and the public sector to address the opportunities and challenges in a world where technology will impact all of us.
Change is necessary, but it can be difficult—especially when it affects valued teammates. It’s important that we direct our energy and resources to set Verizon on a path to success. The actions we’re taking are designed to make us faster and more focused, positioning our company to deliver for our customers while continuing to capture new growth opportunities. Being a customer-first, cost-conscious culture will be a way of life for us. And each of us is responsible for living up to that commitment.
In the coming weeks, your leaders will share new organizational structures and priorities that align with our direction as a company. As we make these changes, we must work together to ensure we end the year strong, with a running start to 2026. The fourth quarter is an extremely important one for us, so I appreciate everyone bearing down to make it a great one, even in the face of change.
Our future will be defined by how we lead from here — with clarity, focus and a shared vision to win in the market and deliver meaningfully for our customers, shareholders and each other. To those colleagues who will be leaving, thank you for your many contributions. To those continuing with us, I appreciate your continued commitment as we build a stronger Verizon together.
Dan
The FCC wants to roll back steps meant to stop a repeat of a massive telecom hack
After one of the biggest telecom hacks in US history, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved to enforce strict standards on carriers' cybersecurity measures. On Thursday, the agency is set to vote to roll back those requirements, arguing they were an unnecessary overstep of its authority.
The China-linked Salt Typhoon hack revealed last year impacted telecom companies including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Lumen Technologies, The Wall Street Journal reported. The issue was so bad that US officials urged consumers in late 2024 to only communicate via encrypted apps, fearing adversaries may still be lurking in their carriers' networ …
Camera support could be the boost Matter needs
It's finally happening. Three years after Matter launched, the interoperability standard now includes the most popular smart home devices: cameras.
The Matter 1.5 spec, announced today, adds support for all types of video cameras - from indoor and outdoor, wired and battery-powered cameras, to video doorbells, baby monitors, pet cams, and more. Matter support should be possible with an OTA update, so some of your existing cameras could become Matter-compatible. The new spec also adds garage door controllers, soil sensors, bi-directional charging for EVs, and more advanced integration with utilities for energy management.
So far, cameras ha …
Windows on Arm is now ready for gaming thanks to some big changes
Last year Qualcomm promised that games would “just work” on its Snapdragon X Elite laptops, but in my testing I found that was far from the case. Now, a year on, Windows on Arm is a lot more ready for gaming, thanks to emulator improvements, driver updates, a new Snapdragon Control Panel, and Qualcomm’s work on anti-cheat compatibility.
Qualcomm is releasing its Snapdragon Control Panel this week, which automatically detects games you’ve installed on a Snapdragon X Elite laptop and then optimizes them. It’s very similar to the apps that AMD and Nvidia use for their own GPUs, with settings for frame rate caps, anti-aliasing, texture filtering, and much more.
The Snapdragon Control Panel also allows you to install the latest Adreno GPU drivers, which are optimized for the latest games to improve stability and performance. Qualcomm says it has made fixes and improvements for more than 100 games since launch last year, with continued bug fixes for stability and performance.
Alongside the Snapdragon Control Panel release, both Microsoft and Qualcomm have also made some significant changes to help PC gaming on Windows on Arm. Microsoft’s Prism emulator now supports x86 Advanced Vector Extensions (AVX), which are required by many games and creative apps. Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X2 Elite chips also support AVX2 emulation, and existing Snapdragon X series devices “will also receive the update in coming weeks.”
Microsoft has also updated its Xbox app on Windows on Arm recently to add the ability to download ARM64 compatible games. When Copilot Plus PCs launched last year, the Xbox app was simply a portal to Xbox Cloud Gaming. It didn’t have library or store options, so you couldn’t use it to install games from PC Game Pass. That’s all changed now.
Qualcomm has also been working with Epic Games to get Fortnite running on Windows on Arm, with full kernel-level anti-cheat support. You’ll need the latest Adreno GPU driver to get Fortnite running, and Qualcomm says it’s also working with other anti-cheat providers like Tencent’s Anti-Cheat Expert, Roblox’s Hyperion, Denuvo, InProtect GameGuard, Uncheater, and BattleEye to enable more multiplayer games on Windows on Arm.
Fortnite’s arrival on Windows on Arm comes just as the game debuts on the Xbox PC store. It’s the first time Epic Games has released Fortnite on another PC store or launcher, and it’s part of a deal to bring Fortnite Crew to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
All of these improvements are a much better start for gaming on Windows on Arm than the launch last year, but performance and compatibility is still far from perfect. You can check to see if your favorite game runs natively, via emulation, or not at all right here.
Here’s the Trump executive order that would ban state AI laws
President Donald Trump is considering signing an executive order as soon as Friday that would give the federal government unilateral power over regulating artificial intelligence, including the creation of an "AI Litigation Task Force" overseen by the attorney general, "whose sole responsibility shall be to challenge State AI laws."
According to a draft of the order obtained by The Verge, the Task Force would be able to sue states whose laws are deemed to obstruct the growth of the AI industry, citing California's recent laws on AI safety and "catastrophic risk" and a Colorado law that prevents "algorithmic discrimination." The task force …
The best iPhones
Editor’s note: Black Friday doesn’t officially take place until Friday, November 28th; however, if you want to shop ahead of time, we’ve rounded up the best early Black Friday deals you can already get.
If you’ve been holding off on getting a new iPhone, now’s the perfect time to size up your options. Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup is now available, which includes the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and a brand-new model, the ultra-thin iPhone Air. These new phones offer a number of new features over their predecessors, such as upgraded cameras, faster chips, better battery life, and even better screens — Apple Intelligence, however, is still a work in progress.
Alongside the new hardware, Apple also launched iOS 26 (yes, the numbering system has changed and we’re jumping from iOS 18), which includes a new Liquid Glass user interface, live translation, wallpapers in messages, and more. The software marks Apple’s biggest visual redesign since iOS 7, and despite some very polarizing reactions, we think it looks fine.
If your current iPhone is humming along, there’s no need to rush out and get a new one. But if you’re questioning whether it’s the year to replace your iPhone that’s a few generations old, then I think the answer is an easy yes. There are real gains to be had this time around, especially in the basic iPhone 17, which features a higher-refresh-rate display than last year’s model for smoother-looking animations, plus double the base storage to 256GB — all without raising the price, despite the current tariff situation.
The best iPhone for most people
Apple iPhone 17
Score: 8
| Pros | Cons |
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Where to Buy:
Screen: 6.3-inch 2622 x 1206 OLED, 120Hz refresh rate / Processor: A19 / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.6 main with sensor-shift IS; 48-megapixel ultrawide; 18-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 40W wired, 25W wireless MagSafe / Qi2 / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
The iPhone 17 marks a turning point for the standard model. After years with a lower-quality screen, the cheapest model finally got two major upgrades for 2025: an always-on display and a high-refresh-rate panel. These features make it feel meaningfully better than the iPhone 16 and prior models in everyday use, bringing it closer than ever to the Pro models. And at the same $799 starting price as the previous generation, this year’s update is a no-brainer.
While the iPhone 17’s 48-megapixel main camera is carried over from last year, the ultrawide camera has been changed from a 12-megapixel sensor to a 48-megapixel sensor, and it delivers sharper and more vibrant photos. The device features an 18-megapixel Center Stage selfie camera, which is also in the Air and 17 Pro. Your selfies may not look materially better, but the front camera’s square sensor elevates the user experience, making it possible to take horizontal selfies while holding the device vertically (no need to rotate the phone).
Apple also gives you double the storage — 256GB versus 128GB in the base iPhone 16 — and improved battery life. The standard 17 still lacks a proper telephoto camera, and the A19 chip is slower than the A19 Pro found in the Pro models. Still, it’s a big step up in almost every way, even if it looks basically the same as every iPhone from the past six years.
Read our full iPhone 17 review.
The best high-end iPhone
iPhone 17 Pro
Score: 8
| Pros | Cons |
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Where to Buy:
Screen: 6.3-inch 2622 x 1206 OLED, 120Hz refresh rate / Processor: A19 Pro / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.78 with sensor-shift IS; 48-megapixel 8x telephoto with OIS; 48-megapixel ultrawide; 18-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 40W wired, 25W MagSafe / Qi2 / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
The iPhone 17 Pro introduces a bold redesign and a number of notable upgrades, including the lineup’s most advanced camera setup yet. It also features rounded edges, and similar to last year, it’s on equal footing with the 17 Pro Max in terms of performance. The biggest differences are that the Pro Max offers a larger display, a larger battery, and up to 2TB of storage.
Whereas the iPhone 17 is for most people, the 17 Pro is geared more toward creators. The device has three 48-megapixel cameras, including a 48-megapixel telephoto, and it offers several pro features aimed at those who want to take the best possible photos and videos. Some of those features include Genlock support, which lets videographers sync up timecodes across multiple cameras, and support for ProRes RAW recording. It also sports the upgraded Center Stage selfie camera found in other 2025 iPhone models.
Despite the additions and improvements, there’s little here that makes the 17 Pro an absolute must-upgrade. However, it comes in an irresistible orange, which is apparently the new “it” color.
Read our full iPhone 17 Pro review.
The iPhone with the best battery life
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Score: 8
| Pros | Cons |
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Where to Buy:
Screen: 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 OLED, 120Hz refresh rate / Processor: A19 Pro / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.78 with sensor-shift IS; 48-megapixel 8x telephoto with OIS; 48-megapixel ultrawide; 18-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 40W wired, 25W MagSafe / Qi2 / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s redesign isn’t just about looks. Apple hollowed out the device’s aluminum frame to fit in the biggest battery yet in an iPhone. Apple says the device offers up 39 hours of video playback, which is 12 more hours than last year’s iPhone 16 Plus, our previous battery champ. The device can easily push through a full day and then some, though your mileage will vary depending on how often you play mobile games, watch videos, and doomscroll on social media.
There are other benefits to going with the 17 Pro Max. It has the largest display among the latest iPhone lineup — 6.9 inches — and offers up to 2TB of storage, giving creators more room than ever for storing their media. If you want the most iPhone you can possibly get, including the longest battery life, then the 17 Pro Max is the way to go.
Read our full iPhone 17 Pro Max review.
The best iPhone for people who hate bulky phones
iPhone Air
Score: 7
| Pros | Cons |
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Where to Buy:
Screen: 6.5-inch 2736 x 1260 OLED, 120Hz refresh rate / Processor: A19 Pro / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.6 main with sensor-shift IS; 18-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 30W wired, 20W MagSafe / Qi2 / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
The iPhone Air is Apple’s biggest redesign since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It’s shockingly thin and light, at 5.6mm and 165 grams, respectively. Thanks to its titanium frame and Ceramic Shield 2 display, it’s more durable than you might expect, too. The device feels deceptively small, despite having a 6.5-inch display. You really have to see and feel the phone yourself to get the appeal.
But the thinner design comes with a few substantial compromises compared to the other models available this year. One of the biggest is that the Air features a single 48-megapixel camera on the back. That’s not to say the device’s camera is bad. But it’s a far less versatile system than even the far more affordable iPhone 17, which has a dual-camera setup. The second compromise is on battery life, which is just okay. It’s not terrible, but it’s not great, either.
At $999, you’re paying a lot for middling battery life and camera performance. Those who primarily care about design, though, may be more forgiving about those shortcomings.
Read our full iPhone Air review.
The best inexpensive-ish iPhone
iPhone 16E
Score: 7
| Pros | Cons |
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Where to Buy:
Screen: 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR / Processor: A18 Cameras: 48MP Fusion with 1x and 2x optical zoom, 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 20-watt wired, 7.5W Qi, no MagSafe/ Weather-resistance rating: IP68
This recommendation comes with a heavy sigh. Yes, the 16E is the cheapest new iPhone Apple sells. Yes, it’s a good phone. It has a capable camera, reliable performance, full water resistance, wireless charging, and will be supported with software updates for years to come. But its $599 price tag starts to feel like too much when you consider what it’s missing.
There’s no MagSafe, which you can kind of add by way of a MagSafe case, but it’s a bummer not to have it built in when it has basically become a standard iPhone feature. There’s no ultrawide camera, no Dynamic Island housing timely information, no camera control button (not a huge loss, honestly), and no Ultra Wideband for precise object tracking. It does support Apple Intelligence, but that doesn’t feel like much of a consolation, given that it’s very much still a work-in-progress.
The 16E will most likely receive more years of software support than a previous-gen model like the iPhone 14 or 15. And sure, Apple Intelligence might turn into something useful someday. The 16E is a good choice if you want the path of least resistance to blue bubbles and FaceTime at your fingertips. But if you’d like MagSafe, a more advanced camera, and some of the other bells and whistles that got lost on the way to the 16E, then it’s not a bad idea to look at one of the older iPhones.
Read my full Apple iPhone 16E review.
What’s coming next
Apple’s latest iPhone lineup is available now, but there are already reports about what’s next. One report suggests Apple is readying a book-style foldable iPhone for 2026, which allegedly looks like two iPhone Air models put side by side. Apple is reportedly still working to flatten the crease that appears when the phone is unfolded, but has otherwise settled on a design. Looking ahead to 2027, a report claims Apple is planning a redesigned “all-screen” iPhone to celebrate the device’s 20th anniversary. These upcoming releases are allegedly part of Apple’s three-year plan — starting with the new iPhone Air — that’s aimed at refreshing its smartphone lineup.
Update, November 19th: Updated to reflect current pricing / availability. Brandon Russell contributed to this article.
Netflix signs a three-year deal to stream MLB live events and games
Today, Major League Baseball announced new media rights deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix that run for the next three seasons. The Netflix deal brings live MLB games to its platform and continues to grow its library of sports programming in an arrangement that Front Office Sports reports is worth about $50 million per year.
Netflix will stream a single game on Opening Night of each season, the Home Run Derby, and one “special event game” each year. In 2026, that will cover the “Field of Dreams” game broadcast from Dyersville, Iowa, on August 13th, 2026, between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies.
The games signed up by all three networks cover a media deal that MLB previously had with ESPN alone, and on NBC’s end, gives it the Sunday Night Baseball game, as well as draft coverage and other games for its networks. According to the league, “Some Sunday night games will stream on Peacock and simulcast on NBCSN during weeks there is overlap with previously negotiated media rights deals on NBC,” while Peacock will also carry MLB’s Sunday Leadoff games that start around noon and simulcast on the newly relaunched NBC Sports Network.
And for ESPN, it has a 30-game broadcast package each season that will be exclusive to its channels and the ESPN app, 150 out-of-market games streaming (one per day) in the ESPN app, and the ability to sell MLB Network and some in-market games via the ESPN app.
Nvidia says some AI GPUs are ‘sold out,’ grows data center business by $10B in just three months
Nvidia just sold more AI chips than it's ever sold before, blowing past its own estimates in today's Q3 2026 earnings. Not only did it pull in a record $57 billion in revenue - and roughly $4,000 of pure profit per second - it grew its data center business by $10 billion in a single quarter alone. It reported a record $51.2 billion from that data center business, a 66 percent increase over last year.
A lot of eyes are on Nvidia's data center revenue right now as a bellwether for the "AI bubble" as a whole. Nvidia doesn't seem to expect its data center growth to slow down despite fears of that bubble popping - its Q4 outlook is a whopping $ …