No more Google Meet and Zoom on the Nest Hub Max, support ends in September

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No more Google Meet and Zoom on the Nest Hub Max, support ends in September
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Google is apparently pulling the plug on a major feature on one of its own devices – the video call capabilities via Google Meet on the Nest Hub Max. Zoom will also be unavailable on the Nest Hub Max after September (via 9to5Google).

Naturally, smart home speakers emphasize on audio, and – even more naturally – smart home displays emphasize on both the video and audio side of things. Combined, audio and video produce something called “a video call”. It became somewhat popular during the last three years, as you’ve noticed. It’s only logical that many users bought the Nest Hub Max with exactly that in mind – to use the display for simple hands-free video calls.

That’s why people are not happy to learn that support for Google Meet and Zoom is discontinued. Some Nest Hub Max owners got a message from Google Meet that “Joining meetings will no longer be available on this device starting September 28”.

Zoom made a similar announcement back in July:

All support for Zoom for Google Nest Hub Max will end on September 30th, 2023. The Zoom application for these devices will stop functioning, and no further updates will be made available. New installations or application sign-ins on Google Nest Hub Max will not be possible after the end of support.

From frustration to refund declarations


Over at reddit, users are dissatisfied with Google pulling the plug on Google Meet and Zoom on the Nest Hub Max. In several subthreads, most comments are in tune: people are not happy about the coming change that will strip their devices of a key feature. “We bought this for my aging grandmother at the start of Covid so she could stay connected to the family. She uses a few other features, like music and weather, but the biggest appeal was a video phone. I’m extremely disappointed”, reads one comment and there are several more describing very similar stories.

Some are going further in their rage and swear to ditch all things Google (at least on the hardware front), while others declare that they want to make a refund since they’re not getting a key feature that was advertised and expected on the device.

The $230-ish smart home display is expected to continue the support for Look and Talk to activate Assistant and as a Nest Cam – after all, there’s a camera on the device (6.5 MP one, but decently enough for a fast video call) and it’s got to be used for something if Zoom and Google Meet won’t be available.

Folks over at 9to5Google are reaching out to Google for more information, so maybe there will be an official statement on why the tech giant is apparently pulling the plug on the video call capabilities on the Nest Hub Max.


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Which iPhones & iPads are supported?

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Which iPhones & iPads are supported?
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iOS 17 is launching today from Apple, after nearly 10 betas over the Summer. And it’s supporting a ton of iPhones and iPads this year. Which is not out of the ordinary for Apple. As they do tend to keep their phones and tablets updated for many years, far beyond what Android OEMs do these days.

Here’s the list from Apple as far as what devices are supported. Basically, it’s the iPhone Xs and newer. Thee include the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd Gen), iPhone Xr, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, and of course the new iPhone 15 series but it will come pre-installed.

For the iPad and iPad OS 17, the list is a bit shorter. It’s going to be the iPad Mini (5th Generation or later), iPad (6th Generation or later), iPad Air (3rd Generation or later), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st Generation or later), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd Generation or later).

What’s new with iOS 17?

In iOS 17, we’re getting a number of new features for the iPhone and in iPad OS 17 new features for the iPad. For the iPhone, some of the bigger features include StandBy, which basically turns your phone into a smart display when it is charging and rotated 90-degrees. This can be using a MagSafe charger or a wired charger. It also brings Facetime Voicemail, you know like regular voicemail, but now using Facetime.

For iPad OS 17, Apple is bringing over some features from iOS 16 actually, to iPad. That includes the ability to customize your lock screen. Like with the iPhone on iOS 16, iPad OS 17 lets you add widgets, change the clock style and much more. Interactive widgets are coming to both iOS 17 and iPad OS 17, allowing you to interact with them without opening the app. A good example of this is the Home widget, where you can turn on and off your lights right from the home screen.

The update is rolling out today, it might be a bit slow to update at first, since Apple makes the update available to everyone around the world, at the same time.


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More people are pre-ordering the iPhone 15 compared to iPhone 14

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More people are pre-ordering the iPhone 15 compared to iPhone 14
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Apple opened pre-orders for the iPhone 15 on Friday, and it saw some pretty big demand for all of the models. Which was pretty evident by the fact that the website was almost impossible to use. And the fact that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is now shipping in November.

Now, according to Wedbush, the analytics firm says that it is seeing 10-12% more pre-orders for this years iPhone 15 lineup than it did in the same period last year. Now, of course, Apple won’t say how good or bad pre-orders have been. In fact, Apple doesn’t even mention the number of iPhones it has sold in its quarterly earnings anymore. So companies like Wedbush have to use a number of methods to estimate these numbers.

On top of selling more units, Wedbush says that the average sale price for the iPhone 15 should be around $925. That’s about $100 more than it was in the previous 12-15 months. This is mostly because of the move to the Pro and Pro Max models this year. Wedbush says that the Pro Max is seeing the most of the demand here. So seeing an average selling price of $925 is not a big surprise, but still kind of low if the Pro’s are the biggest sellers.

Lots of good news for Apple

Despite many saying that the iPhone looks the same as the last one, or even the last five, there’s still plenty of excitement for the new iPhone. While the design didn’t change a lot, there were some design changes like the move to titanium on the Pros. There’s a lot of other smaller upgrades in the new iPhone. Like the new tetra-prism camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Additionally, there’s the new A17 Pro chipset, which is Apple’s first 3nm chipset. It’s said to be a big performance jump, and hopefully a big jump in battery efficiency too. After how bad the 14 series was with battery health.


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Rust Implant Used in New Malware Campaign Against Azerbaijan

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Rust Implant Used in New Malware Campaign Against Azerbaijan
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KEY FINDINGS

  • A new malware campaign targeting Azerbaijani targets has been discovered.
  • The campaign uses a novel malware implant written in the Rust programming language.
  • The implant is difficult to detect by security solutions and reverse engineering.
  • The attackers used a decoy image file of the Azerbaijani MOD symbol in the campaign.

Organizations should take steps to protect themselves from this campaign by keeping software up to date, educating employees about cybersecurity best practices, and using a comprehensive security solution.

A new malware campaign targeting Azeri infrastructure has been discovered by the Deep Instinct Threat Lab. The campaign is notable for its use of a novel malware implant written in the Rust programming language.

The campaign has at least two different initial access vectors. The first is a malicious LNK file with the filename “1.KARABAKH.jpg.lnk.” This file has a double extension to lure the victim into clicking on it, as it appears to be an image file related to the recent military conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The LNK file downloads and executes an MSI installer hosted on Dropbox. This installer then drops an implant written in Rust, an XML file for a scheduled task to execute the implant, and a decoy image file. The image file includes watermarks of the symbol of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense (MOD).

Rust Implant Used in New Malware Campaign Targeting Azerbaijan
Decoy image file and the invoice (Credit: Deep Instinct Threat Lab)

The second initial access vector is a modified version of a document that was previously used by the Storm-0978 group. This document exploits CVE-2017-11882 in Microsoft Equation Editor to download and install a malicious MSI file. This MSI file also drops a variant of the same Rust implant, as well as a decoy PDF invoice.

Once the Rust implant is executed, it goes to sleep for 12 minutes. This is a known method to avoid detection by security researchers and sandboxes. The implant is then expected to gather information and send it to the attacker’s server.

According to Deep Instinct Threat Lab’s blog post, could not attribute these attacks to any known threat actor. However, the fact that both Rust implants had zero detections when first uploaded to VirusTotal shows that writing malware in esoteric languages can bypass many security solutions.

Rust Implant Used in New Malware Campaign Targeting Azerbaijan
The campaign attack flow (Credit: Deep Instinct Threat Lab)

Implications of the Campaign

The use of a Rust implant in this campaign is significant for several reasons. First, Rust is a relatively new programming language, and it is not yet widely used by malware authors. This makes it more difficult for security products to detect Rust malware.

Second, Rust is a compiled language, which means that the malware is converted into machine code before it is executed. This makes it more difficult to reverse engineer the malware.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been engaged in several conflicts, which have witnessed a significant number of cyber attacks. However, it’s essential not to overlook or dismiss recent tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran as a potential cause of this malware campaign.

Recommendations for Organizations

Organizations should take the following steps to protect themselves from this campaign and other similar attacks:

  • Keep software up to date, including operating systems and security solutions.
  • Be careful about clicking on links in emails and messages, even if they appear to be from known senders.
  • Educate employees about cybersecurity best practices, such as phishing awareness and password security.
  • Use a security solution that can detect and block malware written in esoteric languages.

Conclusion

This new malware campaign targeting Azerbaijani targets serves as a reminder that attackers are continuously developing new techniques to bypass security solutions. Organizations must take the necessary steps to safeguard themselves from these threats.

While common sense is a valuable defence against such attacks, organizations should also contemplate transitioning their infrastructure from Windows to Linux as an additional security measure.


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The OnePlus Pad Go finally shows its face, and it’s pretty

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The OnePlus Pad Go finally shows its face, and it’s pretty
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OnePlus released an interesting and very powerful tablet earlier this year, and the company is already looking forward to its next. We’ve been following rumors surrounding a more affordable tablet called the OnePlus Pad Go. Now, thanks to Digital Trends, the OnePlus Pad Go was shown off in a new leaked image.

The OnePlus Pad was probably one of the most interesting tablets of the year. We were all waiting for OnePlus to finally release a tablet to the world. Well, the company made its entrance into the tablet market, and it was a big entrance.

If you want to know more about this device, you should read our OnePlus Pad Review.

We have an image of the OnePlus Pad Go

When the OnePlus Pad first landed, it brought a unique design, and the Go version continues that aesthetic with some slight alterations. The original OnePlus Pad has a brushed metal back panel with a unique greenish color. The Go edition incorporates the metal but not fully.

The majority of the body looks to be made from matte metal, and there’s a thin strip on the top that’s made from the brushed metal. This strip also houses the camera package. With this, we have this neat two-tone look. Also, on the back of the tablet, we have the OnePlus logo. 

Oneplus Pad Go leaked Image

At this moment, we’re still waiting for more information about this device. We got wind that this device is set to get an unveiling along with the OnePlus 12 and another set of OnePlus earbuds. The OnePlus 12 is set to be announced early next year. So, while it’s a long time to wait, we’re likely to get more information on this tablet in the meantime.

The OnePlus uses the Dimensity 9000 SoC, has 8GB of RAM (expandable to 12GB), has a large 144Hz display, and has quad speakers. The OnePlus Pad Go edition, since it’s more affordable, will have specs just a few steps behind those mentioned.


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iPhone 15 Pro from Caviar comes with 18K gold and costs over $8,000

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iPhone 15 Pro from Caviar comes with 18K gold and costs over $8,000
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As many of you know, Apple announced its new iPhone 15 series last week. The company announced four phones as part of it, two regular ones, and two ‘Pro’ ones. That being said, Caviar has now announced its version of the iPhone 15 Pro models, with 18K gold, and a high price tag.

Caviar just announced its luxury iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models

Many of you are familiar with this Dubai-based luxury class device maker. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max from the company come with a gold chassis, and also have different names because of it.

Both models have ‘Ultra Gold’ added to their names. So, the iPhone 15 Pro from the company is called the iPhone 15 Pro Ultra Gold. The iPhone 15 Pro Ultra Gold starts at $8,890, and goes up to $9,890. The Pro Max model starts at $9,670, and goes up to $10,390.

That gold chassis on the two phones has a satin finish, as you can see below. The Apple logo is present on the back, and it’s made out of 24k gold, by the way. Caviar said that these phones are for the “chosen ones”, referring to celebrities, and people who can afford them.

Caviar iPhone 15 Pro series Ultra Gold image 1

‘Ultra Black’ models also got announced

Now, in addition to the ‘Ultra Gold’ models, Caviar also announced the ‘Ultra Black’ versions of the two devices. Those models are all-black, aside from the Apple logo on the back, and some accents.

The iPhone 15 Pro Ultra Black colors from $8,060 to $9,060, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max Ultra Black starts at $8,840, and goes up to $9,560. Those two models also have a 24k gold Apple logo on the back, while the chassis is made out of aviation titanium with PVD.

Caviar iPhone 15 Pro series Ultra Black image 2

Caviar is offering Titan Black, Dark Red, and Starry Night variants too

That’s not all, either. Those four models are joined by the Titan Black, Starry Night, and Dark Red versions of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

The Titan Black model has an aviation titanium body, while the Apple logo is made out of black nacre from Van Cleef & Arpels. The Dark Red and Starry Night models also have the same logo, but different chassis designs.

The Dark Red version’s chassis comes with cosmic patterns inspired by Mars. Each unit also has a unique design of marble carbon. The Starry Night version’s chassis is made out of forged carbon composite, with the violet fibers having a pattern resembling Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’ painting. Much like the Dark Red model, this variant has a unique marble carbon design.

Only 99 units will be produced, of each of these models

Do note that Caviar is making only 99 units of each of these variants that it announced. Visit the company’s website for more information.


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Satechi Dual Dock Stand Review: More Storage, More Ports

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Satechi Dual Dock Stand Review: More Storage, More Ports
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Satechi is known for its chargers, cables, and also docks and hubs. Their newest dock, the Dual Dock Stand, is a rather interesting one. It does a lot of things right, and one thing pretty wrong, unfortunately. Which we’re going to go over in this detailed review of the Satechi Dual Dock Stand, and help you figure out if you should buy it or not.

First off, let’s talk about the price. The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is pretty pricey, coming in at $149. Now this dock does have a lot more ports than other docks out there, and even has an NVMe SSD enclosure, which we’ve not seen before on a dock. So given that, it’s not too crazy that this is priced at $149, but that leads me to think that this is not for everyone.

satechi dual dock stand review AH 10

Satechi’s Dual Dock Stand has ports galore

The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is pretty impressive, when it comes to its port selection. It has an Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, a DisplayPort, two HDMI (4K60) ports, along with three USB-C ports. One of those USB-C ports is a PD port. Which is what you can use to charge your laptop.

That’s basically every port you could ever want for docking a laptop. But there’s one port that is missing. And it’s something that creators really need in a dock – SD card slot. As someone that takes photos for reviews like this, and other aspects of AndroidHeadlines, not having a SD card slot available on this dock is pretty much a dealbreaker, unfortunately.

While I’ve been using this on my desk for the past few weeks, I’ve actually really disliked it, because I needed to plug in another dongle to this dock, just to get a SD card slot. Literally if Satechi had added a SD card slot here, instead of a couple of USB-A ports, it would be perfect, or even in place of one of the HDMI ports.

satechi dual dock stand review AH 05

Add extra storage for your laptop

A very underrated feature of this dock, and why it’s still getting a pretty high rating in this review, is the NVMe SSD slot. On the bottom of the dock, there’s a slot that you can open, and there’s space for you to add a NVMe SSD in there. Now this won’t work as internal storage for your laptop, but more like a portable SSD. It’s a pretty easy way to add in some more storage, especially for those that need more storage, but don’t want to buy a new laptop. Especially with how cheap NVMe SSDs are these days.

This is something that I have not seen from any other dock or hub, so far. It’s something that I do think others will copy, however, as it is a really smart feature to have.

satechi dual dock stand review AH 11

Pulling double duty, as a stand

Perhaps my favorite feature of this dock is actually the fact that it is a stand. It’s shaped like a wedge, with a big of rubber on the top. This is so that your laptop can rest on it, at an angle. This keeps your laptop from moving around too much, and also makes it easier for airflow. Which can be an issue with laptops, especially if you have it closed when plugged into a monitor. As there’s not a lot of space for that heat to go.

It’s a very underrated feature, in my opinion, and it’s what makes this stand pretty impressive, despite not having the SD card slot as I mentioned throughout this review. But the stand is about the perfect width for my MacBook Air M2 13.6-inch, so for others that have larger laptops, it should still work fine, it just won’t be lined up perfectly.

satechi dual dock stand review AH 03

Should you buy the Satechi Dual Dock Stand?

When it comes down to whether I should recommend this dock or not, it comes down to two things. That’s, the price, and the lack of a SD card slot. There are a ton of great options on the market today, that offer all of the ports you need, at a lower price. But on the flip side, this does offer some other features that those don’t. Like the optimized airflow and the NVMe SSD slot for expanded storage. It also supports up to three monitors – now this will depend on your laptop’s specs. Which is not something that a lot of the others can say.

The Satechi Dual Dock Stand is a good dock, but is it the best? No. You can pick up the Satechi Dual Dock Stand from their website.


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ThemeBleed Code Execution Vulnerability In Windows 11 Themes

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ThemeBleed Code Execution Vulnerability In Windows 11 Themes
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A researcher found an interesting vulnerability in Windows 11 Themes that could allow arbitrary code execution. Dubbed “ThemeBleed,” the vulnerability existed due to several other issues that together allowed code execution attacks. Microsoft patched the flaw following the bug report.

PoC Exploit Available For Windows 11 Themes Vulnerability

In a recent post, security researcher Gabe Kirkpatrick has shared details about a serious security vulnerability affecting Windows 11 Themes.

As explained, the researcher observed the issue with .theme files that enable users to customize their operating system appearance. These files include configuration details, and the vulnerability affected the .msstyles files that contain icons.

While these .msstyles files should include no code, the researcher found them otherwise. Thus, opening a .theme file also loaded the .msstyles file and the code.

Next, loading the .msstyles file triggers a theme version check, and encountering version 999 calls another function to load a signed DLL safely. However, due to the DLL closure following the signature verification and the subsequent reloading, a race condition appeared between these steps. An adversary could easily replace the verified DLL with a malicious one, which will then be executed.

Another vulnerability affecting the .theme file is bypassing the Mark-of-the-Web warning by wrapping the theme into a .themepack cab archive file.

Hence, chaining these vulnerabilities allowed an adversary to trick the victims into running maliciously crafted .theme files. Once done, the attacker could achieve code execution on the target device without memory corruption.

The researcher has shared the PoC exploit for this flaw on GitHub, confirming that the issue typically affects Windows 11.

Following this discovery, Kirkpatrick reported the matter to Microsoft in May 2023. The tech giant acknowledged the vulnerability and rewarded the researcher with a $5000 bounty.

Besides, Microsoft labeled this flaw (CVE-2023-38146) as an important severity issue, releasing the patch with September Patch Tuesday updates.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Samsung Galaxy devices let you select apps to update with OS updates

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Samsung Galaxy devices let you select apps to update with OS updates
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Samsung is testing a nifty new feature that gives Galaxy users more control over their phones. The latest version of One UI 6.0 beta for the Galaxy S23 series lets users select which apps to update after installing the system update. Older One UI versions automatically update pre-installed apps on Galaxy devices.

Samsung Galaxy devices will give users more control over app updates

Android phones are known for their high level of customization and control features. Samsung’s Android-based One UI custom software for Galaxy devices adds to those abilities. However, one aspect of the One UI experience that users currently can’t control is their phones automatically updating the system apps when installing OS updates.

Galaxy phones update all preinstalled Samsung apps to the latest version following a system software update. You can’t turn off this behavior, nor can you make the phone automatically update apps downloaded from the Google Play Store, Galaxy Store, or sideloaded from other sources. We understand that the company does this to ensure compatibility of apps with the latest OS version. However, the lack of control is a little annoying.

Thankfully, One UI 6.0 will address this problem. As spotted by Android Police, the software update screen now has a new “Choose apps to update” option under the App updates section, which states that “some apps can be updated along with this software update.” It takes you to a new page where you can select which Samsung app to update following the system update.

A screenshot shared by the publication shows that you can individually select/unselect apps from the list, either by scrolling through the list or manually searching their names. You can also completely opt out of app updates by toggling the “All apps” button off. This will prevent your Galaxy phone from automatically updating the apps once the OS update is complete. This may speed up the whole update process.

This feature can come in handy in many situations. For example, if you have a daily data limit, you can opt out of app updates and manually update them the next day. While you’ll find many Samsung apps on the Google Play Store, some are exclusive to the Galaxy Store. Both platforms support auto-updates.

Samsung is testing this feature with One UI 6.0

Samsung is currently testing the new feature with One UI 6.0 beta. The new One UI version, which is based on Android 14, is available for the Galaxy S23, Galaxy A54, and Galaxy A34 in various countries. The Korean firm will likely begin a stable rollout of the big update in late October. Along with this control over app updates, One UI 6.0 brings a host of new features and improvements to Galaxy devices.


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A new line-up of TCL Q & S class TVs is now available for purchase

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A new line-up of TCL Q & S class TVs is now available for purchase
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If you are currently in the market shopping for a smart TV, the new TCL Q and S class line-up might catch your fancy. The smart TV manufacturer TCL just announced this new lineup of products as it aims to gain more users. To appeal to users of this product, TCL made sure to pack a ton of impressive features on both the Q and S TV series.

Aside from their hardware specifications, prospective buyers will find the smart features of these products appealing. Both the Q and the S series run Five TVs out of the box, and this system is popular in the region where these products aim to retail. TCL is already making these TVs available for purchase in the US, which is the main target market for retail.

When it comes to hardware, the new Q series from TCL comes with QLED screen displays. The more affordable S series comes with a 4K UHD screen on the top models and a 1080p FHD display on the base models. Either series users go for, they will get a wide range of choices on which screen size works best for them.

TCL’s new Q and S class TVs might be a great pick for you if you’re into Fire TV vibes

Fire TV lovers will find these new series from TCL very impressive and very usable. This software comes with a ton of smart features that make streaming your favourite movies and shows blissful. But TCL also did a good job with the specifications of the new Q and S class TVs.

The Q class is more expensive and packs a better display, while the S class is more affordable. With the new Q class, prospective buyers get stunning 4K Ultra HD Resolution with QLED technology and UltraWide Color Gamut technology. However, the S class comes with 4K UHD technology on some trims and 1080p FHD on other trims.

Both models offer up to 75 inches worth of screen size, the Q class starts at 55 inches and the S class starts at 32 inches. With the Q class, buyers get more impressive HDR formats, unlike the basic HDR formats in the S class. The Q class also gives buyers better picture quality thanks to the High Brightness Direct LED Backlight they come loaded with.

Both series support Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision for better display and sound quality. The new TCL Q and S class TVs both come with a ton of connectivity ports for pairing with peripherals. These will be ideal for those who game on their TV and for this, the Q class offers Motion Rate 120 for smooth gaming.

The starting price for the Q class is $449.99 for the 55-inch option, and it tops out at $799 for the 75-inch option. The S class TVs kick off pricing at $169.99 for the 1080p FHD 32-inch option and tops out at $649.99 for the 4K UHD 75-inch option. These TVs from TCL are now making their way to retail stores both online and offline for purchase.


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