WhatsApp has been hard at work lately adding features in order to compete with the likes of Signal and Telegram. However, there are a few new features already making their way to the Android app, including one that is still in the beta testing phase.
According to WABetaInfo (via Techradar), the new features are in addition to the status update ones that were announced last week, which were meant for both iOS and Android. These additional new features target the Android app specifically and were spotted when they appeared in the release notes of the latest version available via the Google Play Store.
The version in question is 2.23.3.77, which has an update date of February 13th, and lists the below new features:
You can now add captions when sending documents
Added support for longer group subjects and descriptions to better describe your group
You can now send up to 100 photos / videos at once (vs. 30 previously)
You can now create personalized avatars and use them as stickers and profile photos. Go to Settings > Avatar to get started.
The most prominent and useful one of all the aforementioned features, at least to me, happens to be the increase in the number of photos and videos that can be sent all at once within a conversation. Going from 30 to 100 is quite the leap and hopefully enough for even the most active photographers.
However, there is one rumored upcoming feature that has not yet made it out of beta: Disappearing Messages. The ephemeral message feature, made popular initially by Snapchat, is currently only available in the beta version of the app. Additionally, the beta version also includes a “Kept Messages” folder, which is meant to store the disappearing messages you prefer to keep indefinitely. Sadly, the beta version of WhatsApp for Android is currently full and not accepting new registrations.
All of these changes come at a time when Will Cathcart, Head of WhatsApp at Meta, is launching an all-out war against Telegram by urging his Twitter followers not to use that app, going as far as to label it as “Russian spyware.” So far, this battle has been beneficial for WhatsApp users in that it has sparked some innovation and new features to be launched. It will be interesting to see how far this goes and how much we as users can get out of it.
According to the report, 36% of users at Hackforums were likely women, based on their use of language, and 30% of XSS forum users, a Russian language cybercrime forum, were reportedly women.
In recent years, there has been a shift toward increased gender equality in underground cybercriminal forums. This stands in stark contrast to the more male-dominated cybersecurity industry, where women continue to face significant barriers to entry and advancement.
A recently published study by Trend Micro pushes forward a similar finding wherein at least 30%, if not more, of cybercriminal forum users, are women. Although the methodology used makes the results of the study somewhat unreliable, the report itself recognizes this.
Trend Micro inspected five English-language cybercrime forums: Sinister, Cracked, Breached, Hackforums, and (now defunct and seized) Raidforum, as well as five Russian-language sites: XSS, Exploit, Vavilon, BHF, and WWH-Club.
Since these sites are frequented by largely anonymous users, tools such as Semrush and uClassify’s Gender Analyzer V5 were used to estimate the number of female users.
According to the report, 36% of users at Hackforums were likely women, based on their use of language, and 30% of XSS forum users were reportedly women, based on the same analysis. At first glance, these numbers indicate that cybercriminal forums are more meritocratic than the white hat world, but this article will delve deeper to understand the reasons behind this difference.
One reason for the gender diversity in cybercriminal forums is that these groups are often more decentralized and less hierarchical than traditional workplaces. This can make it easier for women to participate and contribute their skills without fear of discrimination or harassment.
It is important to understand that these forums have traditionally been male-dominated spaces where men exchange information, tools, and services related to cybercrime.
However, with the increased diversity in the cybersecurity industry over the years, more women have entered the field. As a result, there are now more women who possess the skills and knowledge necessary to participate in these forums.
But why is gender diversity not growing at an equal rate in the cybersecurity workforce? The reasons for this gender gap are complex and multifaceted. Women face a range of barriers to entry, including unconscious bias, stereotypes, and a lack of female role models and mentors in the industry. Additionally, the highly technical and male-dominated culture of cybersecurity can create a challenging environment for women to thrive.
According to a 2022 report from Cybersecurity Ventures, women make up just 25% of the cybersecurity workforce, with even lower numbers in leadership roles. This gender gap is especially concerning, given the increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals and the potential consequences of a lack of diversity in this field.
One of the most significant reasons for the increase in the number of female users on cybercriminal forums is anonymity, which can be empowering for women who may face discrimination or harassment in the workplace.
In an underground cybercriminal forum, participants are judged solely on their skills and contributions, rather than their gender or other personal characteristics. This creates a level playing field where women can demonstrate their expertise and gain respect from their peers. As a result, women who seek out a gender-anonymous space have been increasingly drawn to these forums.
Lastly, the rise of cryptocurrencies has made it easier for women to participate in these forums. Traditionally, cybercriminals have used traditional payment methods, such as wire transfers or PayPal, to exchange money for tools and services.
Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife, Heather Morgan, were arrested in February 2022 and charged for their involvement in money laundering of funds stolen in the Bitfinex cryptocurrency hack of 2016.
Suzette Kugler, a 59-year-old US woman, was arrested for hacking the internal network of her employer, PenAir.
Valerie Gignac, a 27-year-old Canadian woman, was arrested in April 2015 for spying on people through webcams, harassing victims, and even owning a famous hacking forum with more than 35,000 members.
Eighteen-year-old Michaela Gabriella King carried out crippling DDoS attacks on her school system.
However, these methods are often difficult for women to use, as they may not have access to a bank account or a credit card. Cryptocurrencies, on the other hand, can be easily obtained and used anonymously, making it easier for women to participate in these forums.
What all of this proves is that women are not absent from the cybersecurity industry, but rather likely to be on the wrong side of it. Efforts to address gender inequality in cybersecurity are underway, with initiatives such as Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) and the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls competition aimed at encouraging more women to pursue careers in this field.
However, progress has been slow, and it will likely take a concerted effort from the industry as a whole to truly move the needle on gender diversity. By addressing the underlying barriers to entry and fostering a more inclusive culture, we can create a more equitable and effective cybersecurity workforce where women with a passion for cybersecurity become a valuable part of the industry.
Security firm ESET’s cybersecurity researchers have shared their analysis of the world’s first UEFI bootkit being used in the wild, which can bypass Secure Boot on fully-updated UEFI systems. It can even bypass it on fully-updated Windows 10 and 11 versions.
ESET’s Deep-Dive Analysis of UEFI Bootkit
According to researchers, there is no indication of who created this bootkit or its name, so they concluded that it corresponds to the BlackLotus bootkit. This bootkit has been promoted in underground cybercrime forums since 2022 for $5,000, with an additional $200 for updates.
Understanding BlackLotus Capabilities
BlackLotus is written in assembly and C programming languages, so developers can insert a suite of powerful features into an 80kb file. It not only disables Secure Boot but many other OS security mechanisms, including Hypervisor-protected Code Integrity (HVCI), BitLocker, and Windows Defender.
This bootkit can run on fully-updated systems running Windows 11 with UEFI Secure Boot enabled. It targets the firmware’s low-level chain called the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). This complex chain is responsible for booting modern computers. The UEFI bridges the computer’s firmware with the OS while serving as an OS itself.
Since the UEFI is located in the SPI-connected flash storage chip present on the computer’s motherboard, it is extremely hard to inspect or patch it. The difference between the way BlackLotus targets UEFI and other bootkits like MoonBounce, CosmicStrand, and MosaicRegressor is that these target the UEFI firmware stored in the flash storage chip whereas BlackLotus targets the software in the EFI system partition.
How Does BlackLotus Defeats Secure Boot?
It is achieved by exploiting a vulnerability found in all supported versions of Microsoft Windows and patched in January 2022. It is tracked as CVE-2022-21894. This is a logic flaw, dubbed “Baton Drop” by the researcher who discovered it, which can be exploited for removing Secure Boot functions entirely from the boot sequence when the PC starts.
Threat actors can easily exploit this flaw to obtain keys for BitLocker, which encrypts hard drives. For BlackLotus creators, this flaw has proven immensely useful because, despite being patched, the vulnerable signed binaries haven’t yet been added to the UEFI revocation list, which alerts about untrusted boot files.
According to researchers, hundreds of vulnerable bootloaders are currently in use, and if these signed binaries are revoked, it would render millions of devices useless. That’s why fully updated devices are still vulnerable because threat actors can replace patched software with vulnerable, old software.
Why UEFI Bootkits are a Threat?
UEFI bootkits are powerful threats because the UEFI has complete control over the operating system’s boot process. That is how it can disable various OS security mechanisms and deploy its own kernel-mode and user-mode payloads in early OS startup stages. This lets the attackers stealthily operate and gain high privileges.
How the Bootkit is Deployed?
The way this bootkit is deployed is unclear, but the attack chain involves an installer component that writes files to the EFI system partition and disables HVCI and BitLocker, after which it reboots the host.
BlackLotus disables protection solutions to deploy a kernel driver, which protects against the bootkit file deletion, and an HTTP loader. Conversely, the bootloader establishes communication with the control server and executes the payload.
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 may miss out on one highly requested change from foldable fans. It could feature the same cover display as the 2022 model. We don’t have visuals to confirm that just yet, but tipster Ice Universe says the new Fold will get a 6.2-inch screen on the outside. It is the same size as the one on last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 4.
A 6.2-inch screen is pretty big for a smartphone. Fans weren’t asking for Samsung to make it bigger. But what everyone wants is a wider panel. The Galaxy Z Fold 4’s external display has a tall aspect ratio of 23.1:9. That’s much taller than the 19.5:9 aspect ratio of the Galaxy S23’s 6.1-inch display. The problem with a tall screen is some apps don’t fit perfectly. It also makes typing a little difficult. Long story short, the tall aspect ratio of the external display blocks the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from being a full-fledged smartphone without unfolding.
Fans were hoping that Samsung would fix this shortcoming with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 this year. But chances seem quite low. That’s not to say it’s 100 percent not happening, though. The tipster has only confirmed the size of the screen. They didn’t say anything about the aspect ratio. It’s very much possible that the Galaxy Z Fold 5 will feature a 6.2-inch cover display with a wider aspect ratio. Like, how Samsung brought the aspect ratio down from 25:9 on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 to 23.1:9 on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 without changing the display size.
The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5 will bring some notable upgrades
Samsung is hard at work on its fifth-gen foldable smartphones. The company needs to be at its best more than ever because the competition is growing rapidly. Rumors so far have been quite promising too. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are said to be thinner and feature a new type of hinge that reduces the crease on the display. The Flip model is also reportedly getting a bigger external display, which has also been one of the highly requested changes. Improved cameras are expected as well.
A wider cover display would make the Galaxy Z Fold 5 a worthy upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Analysts are expecting as many as ten brands to launch a foldable smartphone this year with a total of 20 Fold-like models. Most of them will feature a wider display on the screen. Samsung can’t afford to lag in a market that is getting more competitive by the day. Lack of choices save it in the previous years but likely won’t anymore. We should get a clearer picture of the fifth-gen Galaxy foldables in the coming months.
It’s March, and for fans of College Basketball, that means March Madness. Now, before we get to the big NCAA Tournament and crown a new National Champion, we have the conference tournaments. Including this Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.
The Big Ten is one of the larger conferences in College Basketball, with 14 teams. That means that there’s going to be a handful of teams that will get to skip the first round, and a few more that get to skip the second round as well. Making for an interesting looking bracket. But in the end, there will only be one Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament champion. And that might be Purdue. However, in this tournament, we’ve seen lower seeds make it quite far. It is March Madness after all.
Here’s how you can watch the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament this year.
What’s the Big Ten bracket?
The bracket has been announced, and since it does have 14 teams, some teams do get to skip out on the first round. Here’s the full bracket.
In the Big Ten Tournament, the top four seeds get a double bye. While the next four seeds get a single bye. So only the 11, 12, 13 and 14 seeds play on the first day. So in order to go the full distance, from one of the bottom seeds, that’s five games in five days you need to win. However if you’re in the top four seeds, that’s only three games in three days. A much easier task.
Purdue pulled out the regular season championship for the Big Ten this year. While the rest of the field – except Minnesota and Ohio State – mostly had the same record until the last couple of games. So this could end up being a pretty crazy tournament.
When is the Big Ten Tournament?
The Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament will kick off at 5:30PM CT on Wednesday, March 8 with the number 13 seed Ohio State taking on the 12 seed Wisconsin. Then, 25 minutes after that game ends, number 14 Minnesota will take on number 11 Nebraska. There will be four games on Thursday, another four on Friday, then two on Saturday and the Championship on Sunday, March 12.
Where can I watch the Big Ten Tournament?
The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will air on the Big Ten Network (BTN) and CBS. Only the semifinals and the championship will air on CBS, the rest of the games will be on BTN. Since these games are all being played in the same arena, the United Center in Chicago, these games won’t overlap. In fact, for a good number of the games, they will start 25 minutes after the previous one finished. So you can watch every single game in the Big Ten Tournament.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is our best option for watching the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. That’s because it does have BTN available, as well as CBS. So you’ll be able to watch it all on YouTube TV. And one of the best features here is that there is unlimited cloud DVR. So you can record all the games and go back through and watch them later. You can also catch up with key plays from YouTube TV. Making it easier to watch the game, if you’re late.
YouTube TV does offer a free trial and you can sign up here.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is a good option, if you don’t like YouTube TV. It’s not that we don’t like Hulu + Live TV, it’s just more expensive and doesn’t offer a whole lot more. For $70 per month, you can get BTN and CBS, along with most of the NCAA Tournament channels, to experience March Madness. It also has unlimited cloud DVR like YouTube TV.
Hulu does offer a free trial for Live TV, which you can sign up for right here.
When is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday is happening on March 12. That will be following the conclusion of Sunday’s conference championship games. Typically, CBS airs the Selection Sunday show between 6PM and 8PM ET. Though sometimes it can run a bit late if the 4PM games go into overtime.
During the show, we’ll find out who is in the NCAA Tournament this year, and who is not. While we have “experts” doing bracketology all year long, we kind of have a good idea of who is in and who’s not, the committee can still surprise us. It’ll also be interesting to see who gets to play who.
Keep in mind that conference tournament winners do get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. So 32 teams will already be in the field, and the committee will need to add another 36 teams. As well as seeding them in the correct order. With four regions of 16 teams. Along with the first four games, there’s a total of 68 teams that get into the tournament. And the excitement of March Madness is upon us.
For the NCAA Tournament, the First Four games will take place in Dayton, OH on March 14-15. With the first and second rounds taking place March 16-19. The regionals happening from March 23-26. And the Final Four happening on April 1, with the National Championship on April 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Apple has applied for a new patent that would allow iMessages to be read in the sender’s voice. And no, this is not Siri reading the message or a straight-up voice note. This is your phone reading the written words as it thinks they would sound and be said by the person writing them. (via PatentlyApple)For those of you who have used a VoIP service, this might remind you a bit of the Voicemail transcription some of those apps have, albeit working somewhat backward, as it is words being turned into audio and not the other way around.
As we already established, this would be nothing new practicality-wise, since Siri can already read out loud messages to you whenever you find it convenient. If this feature does end up reaching real implementation in Apple’s devices, it would serve more as a fun extension that would bring personality to iMessages, which might sound superficial, but these little details tend to be quite liked by most users.
How would iMessage to voice note work?
Whenever one side sends a message via the iMessage app to another person who owns an iPhone, the phone would ask if they would like to attach a voice file. What is this voice file you ask? Well, the good news is that you don’t actually have to manually train some kind of voice model because you have already been doing that by talking to Siri.By using all that it has heard you speak, Siri would have already created and stored the file on your phone. Once you send that voice file, on the opposite side the recipient would get to choose whether they want to receive just your message or the file with it as well. If they decide to accept both, then going forward your messages will be read with a simulation of your voice, instead of Siri’s.
Keep in mind that this is a just a patent, so there is no certainty about the feature reaching actual implementation in the future. That said, it is easy to imagine, as it just seems like something Apple wouldn’t skip on.
The phishing attack commences by sending malicious emails disguised as financial files, such as invoices.
The cybersecurity researchers at SentinelOne have observed a new phishing campaign in which attackers are abusing the Windows User Account Control (UAC) bypass to distribute the DBatLoader and Remcos RAT malware. The primary targets of this campaign are organizations in Eastern Europe.
New Phishing Campaign Delivering Remcos RAT
According to SentinelOne, scammers are using DBatLoader malware loader to distribute Remcos RAT to businesses and institutions across Eastern Europe. The attackers use emails that seem to have come from authentic sources, such as reputed institutions in their target regions, to lure victims.
When they are successful in luring users into clicking on the malicious link included in the email’s content, the attackers easily leverage the malware loader, bypass Windows UAC, and drop Remcos RAT.
How Does the Attack Occur?
The attack commences by sending phishing emails disguised as financial files, such as invoices. These emails include a tar.lz archive containing the DBatLoader executable.
The phishing email as seen by SentinelOne
When the victim checks this email, they are lured into opening the DBatLoader’s initial stage payload, which is disguised as a LibreOffice, PDF, or MS Office document. Once this is done, the second-stage payload is retrieved from Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, one of which has been active for at least a month.
“When a user decompresses the attachment and runs the executable within, DBatLoader downloads and executes an obfuscated second-stage payload data from a public cloud location,” said SentinelOne’s Aleksandar Milenkoski.
According to SentinelOne’s blog post, the RAT is loaded only when DBatLoader executes a Windows batch script through a Windows UAC evasion technique involving DLL hijacking and mocking trusted directories. Through easinvoker.exe, Windows automatically elevates the process without issuing a UAC prompt when located in a trusted directory—the mock %SystemRoot%System32 directory.
About Remcos RAT and DBatLoader
DBatLoader abuses public cloud infrastructure for hosting its malware-loading capabilities. Remcos is a feature-rich RAT, which is frequently used by cybercriminals in espionage campaigns and is typically distributed via phishing emails.
Ukrainian CERT recently reported about Remcos-based phishing campaigns targeting state institutions for conducting espionage. In this instance, the attackers used password-protected archives as malicious email attachments.
This malware can collect keystrokes, video, audio, screenshots, and device or system-related information. Moreover, it can also deliver additional malware to the system.
It’s March. And for sports fans, that means one thing – March Madness. But before we get to the NCAA Tournament, we have a ton of conference championships. Including this one for the Big East.
The Big East is a conference with 11 teams, so the bracket does look a bit odd. But that also means that a handful of teams get to skip the first round of games. And after a long basketball season, that is definitely good to have. The number one seed here in the Big East is Marquette. With Xavier, Creighton and UConn rounding out the top four. This is a conference, that historically, has a pretty big presence in the NCAA Tournament.
Here’s how you can watch the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament this year.
What’s the Big East bracket?
The bracket has been announced, and since it does have 11 teams, some teams do get to skip out on the first round. Here’s the full bracket.
As you can see, five teams skip the first round. With the first round having three games, and then four in the second round. So Marquette, Xavier and Creighton don’t know exactly who they are playing just yet. This is bound to be a great tournament, though.
When is the Big East Tournament?
The Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament will kick off at 3PM ET on Wednesday, March 8 with the number eight seed St. John’s taking on the number nine seed Butler. All of the games will be on FS1, including the Championship game on March 11.
Like most of the tournaments, the Big East Tournament will take place on subsequent days. And in order to win the tournament, your team needs to win at least three games. If they are a six seed or lower, they’ll need to win four. That many wins in as many days can be pretty tough, but an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament is on the line here.
Where can I watch the Big East Tournament?
The 2023 Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament will air on FS1. Some games might get moved over to FS2, depending on what other games and tournaments FS1 is set to air. Remember, that since these are all being played at the same arena – Madison Square Garden in New York City – that these games won’t overlap. And that can also mean that some might get pushed back.
Sling TV
Sling TV is going to be the best place to watch the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament. It does have FS1 (as well as FS2) available in the Sling Blue package. Which is normally $40 per month, but right now they are running a promo where you can get it 50% off for the first month. That makes it just $20 and you can cancel after March Madness is over.
Sling TV does offer a 7 day free trial, and you can sign up for it here.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is our second option for watching the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament. That’s because it is quite a bit more expensive than Sling TV, at $65 per month. But you are getting all of the channels for this tournament and almost every other basketball tournament – including the NCAA Tournament later this month. On top of that, YouTube TV does offer unlimited cloud DVR, so you can record to watch later on.
YouTube TV does offer a free trial and you can sign up here.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV is a good option, if you don’t like Sling TV or YouTube TV. It’s not that we don’t like Hulu + Live TV, it’s just more expensive and doesn’t offer a whole lot more. For $70 per month, you can get FS1, along with most of the NCAA Tournament channels, to experience March Madness. It also has unlimited cloud DVR like YouTube TV.
Hulu does offer a free trial for Live TV, which you can sign up for right here.
When is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday is happening on March 12. That will be following the conclusion of Sunday’s conference championship games. Typically, CBS airs the Selection Sunday show between 6PM and 8PM ET. Though sometimes it can run a bit late if the 4PM games go into overtime.
During the show, we’ll find out who is in the NCAA Tournament this year, and who is not. While we have “experts” doing bracketology all year long, we kind of have a good idea of who is in and who’s not, the committee can still surprise us. It’ll also be interesting to see who gets to play who.
Keep in mind that conference tournament winners do get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. So 32 teams will already be in the field, and the committee will need to add another 36 teams. As well as seeding them in the correct order. With four regions of 16 teams. Along with the first four games, there’s a total of 68 teams that get into the tournament. And the excitement of March Madness is upon us.
For the NCAA Tournament, the First Four games will take place in Dayton, OH on March 14-15. With the first and second rounds taking place March 16-19. The regionals happening from March 23-26. And the Final Four happening on April 1, with the National Championship on April 3 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
At this point, is it any wonder that WhatsApp is one of the first-choice IM (instant messaging) apps out there? It is available on both Android and iOS, it has end-to-end encryption for extra security and — most notably — it is constantly getting updated with new features.
But people don’t just use WhatsApp for themselves — numerous businesses opt to have a WhatSapp communication channel open, so that customers can get in touch more easily. While that sounds awesome, it also means that their info is public and as such, not every caller is a customer, per say.
Luckily, WhatsApp realizes the value of this utilization of its app, and as such is reportedly working on a feature to help users handle spam calls more effectively. This information comes courtesy of WABetaInfo and it describes how one toggle can take care of all of this spam-related hassle.
All of the power is behind this one, simple toggle.
The WABetaInfo team has managed to uncover development traces of this new feature through the latest release of the WhatsApp beta program on Android. By the looks of things, the way this is intended to function is as follows: users can mute calls from unknown callers. Simple as that!
That, however, wouldn’t be helpful for businesses, right? As such, WhatsApp will still let users keep a record on who has called, just in case there is ever a need to call back. Said records will be kept in the Call List and Notification Center, just as with any other call.
Right now, the feature is still under development, so we don’t really have a release date for this one. But by the sound of things, it will be worth the wait, as it will not only help alleviate the stress of spam calls, but also help with combating scammers and trolls.
I’ll admit, The Razer Edge 5G wasn’t quite what I imagined it to be when Razer first teased it last year. What I thought would be a gaming handheld more akin to Logitech’s G Cloud, turned out to be a gaming tablet bundled with a Razer Kishi V2 Pro controller. It’s still a gaming handheld, but not one solid unit like I thought it was going to be.
Turns out, though, that this is a good thing. Because Razer packed the Edge 5G (and the Edge Wi-Fi) with some powerful enough components to handle demanding mobile games too. And in my personal experience, these are almost always better with touch controls. And it’s a lot easier to use those touch controls on a tablet device than on something like the G Cloud. Which does also have a touchscreen. The Edge 5G is in all honesty, one of the coolest gaming devices the company has released in years.
Yes, it makes some great keyboards, and its gaming laptops are usually top-notch if you can get over the insanely high price tag. But those are more of the same. More of something Razer has been offering for years. Newer models of hardware it releases on an annual basis. The Edge 5G, is a new gaming device category for the company if you don’t factor in the original Edge from over a decade ago – a handheld gaming PC. It is however a similar idea. Even if it’s meant for cloud gaming as opposed to local PC gaming.
I’ve been using this thing for over a month and I absolutely love it. And it’s been the sole reason I’ve gotten back into games like Control, because it plays so well on mobile via GeForce NOW. And that AMOLED display really does amp the visuals up. Is Razer’s Edge 5G really all it’s cracked up to be though?
The Razer Edge 5G gets a big boost from Verizon
Razer’s execution of the Edge 5G (in partnership with Verizon) is what really makes the device a compelling piece of hardware. But Verizon is doing some heavy lifting here. Unfettered access to your cloud games no matter where you are. Although, you are still limited in some ways. If you don’t have Wi-Fi access, you’ll need to rely on Verizon’s 5G mobile internet. Which, can also sometimes be spotty. If it’s not available in your area, then the device defaults to 4G LTE. Which isn’t exactly a great experience for cloud gaming.
Some areas of my apartment will get a 5G connection just fine while others, 4G LTE is the only option. And after many attempts to play games using the LTE, it’s become clear that it just doesn’t have the speed or reliability to make cloud gaming work. That being said, if you can connect the Edge to 5G, gaming is great. And in most of my sessions over mobile internet, I didn’t experience any dropped connections and visuals were just fine.
I will say though that it still did seem to perform a little better over Wi-Fi. And if you’re using apps like Steam Link, you’ll need to be on the same network as your PC anyway. But when you can play games using the 5G connection, it’s a pretty surreal experience. Being able to sit in traffic (not while you’re the driver of course) and play games you’d normally play on your PC or console at home.
While the Verizon 5G support isn’t the only notable part of this device, I really feel like it sets the Edge apart from the G Cloud, and any other similar devices that may come out in the future.
Better performance means less battery life
It’s the unfortunate way of things. The Edge 5G has a great display. Which helps games look more vivid. But that higher resolution display and faster frame rate do cause the battery life to take a hit.
This is only amplified with the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 mobile platform inside. It’s a more powerful chipset that delivers better performance in games like Genshin Impact. But that also means an increase in battery drain. I was getting around 7-8 hours of battery life on average. Which isn’t terrible but it’s only a little more than half of what you get on the G Cloud.
You’ll have to be ok with these concessions if you want the uptick in performance and the ability to play over 5G. Though honestly, that might be worth it if you want a device dedicated to just cloud and mobile gaming. And that’s not really a bad thing to want if you want to keep games off of your phone for the most part.
Just like with gaming phones, you’ll also notice that the better performance does lead to a warmer device, albeit not by much. Though I think Razer also does a pretty good job here with the Edge’s cooling tech. Also worth noting is that while I did notice the device getting a little warm from time to time, it didn’t get nearly as warm as the ROG Phone 6 Pro can. And I never really had any issues with the Edge 5G’s fans spinning up.
When it comes down to it, 7-8 hours of battery life is going to be more than enough for some gamers. And if you need to you can always keep it plugged in for the passthrough charging.
The design is undeniably Razer
Razer’s products have a defining look. A style that hasn’t changed a whole lot in quite some time. And really, there’s nothing wrong with that because why fix what isn’t broken? When it comes to the style of the Edge 5G, I’m comparing it more to the likes of Razer’s gaming laptops. And in the past, its phones and older Edge tablet that ran on Windows.
It’s a box slab with very subtle rounded edges and draped in a matte black coating. And if you’re a fan of this look (I certainly am), you’re going to love the look of the Edge 5G. Because it carries that same design. Thankfully, there’s no Razer Chroma RGB here. Don’t get me wrong. I love Chroma RGB. But there’s a time and place for it. And I just don’t think it’s necessary to have on this kind of device.
On a gaming laptop, sure. Because you’re sort of meant to play games on a laptop while it’s plugged in. Where the RGB isn’t going to impact the battery life. However, the Edge 5G is intended to be an entirely mobile device that is much more portable than a gaming laptop. And Chroma would just eat up power.
Plus, you wouldn’t really be able to show it off most of the time anyways. If you’re using the Edge 5G for its intended purpose – cloud gaming – then it’ll be nestled in between the two sides of the Kishi V2 Pro. And the only logical place to have Chroma would be on the tri-snake logo that gets covered up.
Chroma aside, the Edge has a sleek look to it whether it’s sitting in the Kishi V2 Pro or not. And it’s fairly comfortable to hold. Though I will admit I do think the G Cloud is more comfortable for longer gaming sessions, as there’s just a little less to hold onto with the Razer Edge 5G’s setup.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – the price
Look, at $599, the 5G model of the Razer Edge is not cheap. That’s essentially the cost of a new phone. Which you could also use for cloud games, Android games, and slap into a Kishi V2 controller if you wanted physical controls for some of them.
But there’s still something to be said for having a dedicated device for handheld cloud gaming that isn’t your phone. Especially if you want a less powerful phone mostly for calls, texts, photos, and the occasional internet browsing. The Edge 5G serves the purpose of being a powerful Android tablet that can play demanding mobile games and cloud games. All without having to drain down the battery life of what is essentially your lifeline these days.
Again, though, $599 is a lot to ask. And I think Razer and Verizon know that. It doesn’t mean that’s going to impact their decision on the price point. Just that they’re aware of the price tag being costly and being confident that it’s worth it. In my opinion, the Edge 5G is certainly a niche product. Cloud gaming, despite it being pretty darn good these days, is still new. And there’s more work to be done to make it a more seamless experience comparable to local PC and console gaming.
But there are going to be people who want a device like this. And are willing to pay the premium if it means they can play cloud games anywhere thanks to Verizon’s 5G internet. So yes, $599 is a lot, but if you do want to play cloud games and not use your phone for it, you might as well do so with the best option out there. You can also get the Razer Edge 5G for as low as $10 a month for 36 months ($360) if you sign up for a new line on Verizon, which makes it cheaper than the Wi-Fi model at full retail.
Should you buy the Razer Edge 5G?
I’m not going to sit here and pretend that this is a device everyone needs to have for handheld gaming. For many, in fact probably most, a smartphone with decent hardware components will be fine. Especially at this price tag. But don’t let that deter you if you want something made specifically for cloud gaming.
Razer and Verizon have created a great gaming handheld. And it’s definitely fun to use. That being said, the Razer Edge 5G isn’t worth it for some consumers. There’s just no reason to buy one if you already have a phone that plays mobile games with decent quality. And if your phone is also 5G, then you already have a device for cloud gaming on mobile internet too. For those who do want a separate device for this however, the Razer Edge 5G could be a great fit.
Buy the Razer Edge 5G if:
You want a dedicated gaming handheld with 5G support
You live in an area with a strong 5G connection or travel to one often
The price doesn’t scare you off
Don’t buy the Razer Edge 5G if:
Your phone is more than capable of handling local and cloud games and you don’t need a dedicated cloud gaming machine
