Samsung is making ‘extended reality’ wearable devices

Samsung’s Unpacked event isn’t just focused on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Book 3. The company has revealed to The Washington Post that it’s working on “extended reality” (that is, augmented, mixed and virtual reality) wearable devices. While there aren’t many details, the hardware will run a new, Google-designed version of Android designed with wearable displays in mind — this isn’t Meta’s heavily customized take on Android from the Quest line. Qualcomm will provide the chipset.

The “XR” hardware will also entail partnerships with Meta and Microsoft, although Samsung isn’t elaborating further. Rumors have swirled that Microsoft axed HoloLens 3 in favor of this project. In an interview with The Post, mobile president TM Roh says the ecosystem has to be “somewhat ready” before launch. The tech giant wants to avoid the missteps of rivals who debuted comparable hardware without robust support.

Samsung is no stranger to wearable screens. The company leapt into the market with 2015’s Gear VR, which used the smartphone as both the display and computing power. In 2017, the firm jumped into PC-oriented mixed reality headsets with the HMD Odyssey. Samsung largely left the market to rivals like Meta and HTC after 2018, however.

Whether or not the timing is right is another matter. Roh says Samsung has been working on its latest initiative for a while, and it may give the brand a quick counter to a long-rumored Apple headset that might debut this spring. With that said, Meta has been struggling with its metaverse efforts and cut 11,000 jobs to shrink costs last fall. Microsoft, meanwhile, has grappled with problems that include a halt to military HoloLens sales, the departure of the team lead over misconduct claims and reports the company may have scrapped the entire HoloLens unit as part of its recent layoffs. Samsung is reentering the mixed reality space right as some of the category’s biggest players are flailing or bowing out — it’s not certain if the Galaxy maker will fare better.

Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra vs. the competition: All about those cameras

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S23 series, and the formula will seem familiar if you’ve seen the company’s phones from the past few years: one ‘small’ 6.1-inch handset, a larger 6.6-inch version and a range-topping 6.8-inch Ultra that steals the show. They’re all faster and take better photos. The competitive landscape is very different this year, however. The S23 line is competing against not just an expanded Apple lineup with two large-screen iPhones, but a Pixel family that finally lives up to some of Google’s loftier promises. Check out the specs below to see how they compare, and be sure to look at our hands-on sessions with the S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra.

What’s Changed

The centerpiece upgrade, as you may have guessed, is the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200-megapixel main camera. It makes the S22 Ultra’s 108MP sensor seem modest, and Samsung claims strong low-light photography as well as 8K video at 30 frames per second. You can also expect an improved 12MP selfie camera on the S23 and S23+ models (up from 10MP) with 60FPS HDR, and those phones can shoot Expert RAW photos at their primary camera’s full 50MP resolution.

After that, the Galaxy S23 series revolves around incremental (if welcome) updates. They all use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, which promises ray-traced graphics and big boosts for AI performance and power efficiency. Batteries are ever-so-slightly larger, and there’s greater use of recycled components. Memory and storage are largely unchanged, although that still delivers up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage on the S23 Ultra. You’ll still want the highest-end device if you crave more than 8GB of RAM and a 1080p display. Simply speaking, there’s no rush to upgrade from the S22 if you’re still happy with its capabilities.

Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. iPhone 14 Pro Max

Galaxy S23 Ultra

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Pricing

Starts at $1,200

Starts at $1,099

Dimensions

163.3 x 78 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)

160.7 x 77.6 x 7.85 mm (6.33 x 3.05 x 0.31 in)

Weight

233.9g (8.25oz)

240g (8.47oz)

Screen size

6.8in (173mm)

6.7in (170mm)

Screen resolution

3,088 x 1,440 (501PPI)

2,778 x 1,284 (458PPI)

Screen type

AMOLED (120Hz, always on)

Super Retina XDR (120Hz, always on)

Battery

5,000mAh

4,323mAh

Internal storage

128 / 256 / 512 GB / 1 TB

128 / 256 / 512 GB / 1 TB

External storage

None

None

Rear camera(s)

Four cameras:

Wide, 200MP, f/1.7

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2

Right telephoto, 10MP, f/2.4

Left telephoto, 10MP, f/4.9

Three cameras:

Wide, 48MP f/1.78

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2

Telephoto, 12MP, f/2.8

Front camera(s)

12MP, f/2.2

12MP, f/1.9

Video capture

8K at 30FPS

4K at 60FPS

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

Apple A16 Bionic

CPU

3.36GHz octa-core

3.46GHz hexa-core

GPU

Adreno 740

Apple penta-core GPU

RAM

8 / 12 GB

6 GB

WiFi

WiFi 6e

WiFi 6

Bluetooth

v.5.3

v.5.3

NFC

Yes

Yes

Operating system

Android 13

iOS 16

Other features

USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging

Lightning, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe charging

Galaxy S23+ vs. Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
Samsung

Galaxy S23+

Pixel 7 Pro

iPhone 14 Plus

Pricing

Starts at $1,000

Starts at $899

Starts at $899

Dimensions

157.7 x 76.2 x 7.6 mm (6.21 x 3 x 0.3 in)

162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm (6.4 x 3 x 0.35 in)

160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 in)

Weight

195.9g (6.9oz)

212g (7.5oz)

203g (7.16oz)

Screen size

6.6in (167.6mm)

6.7in (170.2mm)

6.7in (170.2mm)

Screen resolution

2,340 x 1,080 (422PPI)

3,120 x 1,440

2,778 x 1,284

Screen type

AMOLED (120Hz, always on)

AMOLED (120Hz, always on)

AMOLED (60Hz)

Battery

4,700mAh

5,000mAh

4,323mAh

Internal storage

256 / 512 GB

128 / 256 GB

128 / 256 / 512 GB

External storage

None

None

None

Rear camera(s)

Three cameras:

Wide, 50MP, f/1.8

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2

Telephoto, 10MP, f/2.4

Three cameras:

Wide, 50MP, f/1.85

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2

Telephoto, 48MP, f/3.5

Two cameras:

Wide, 12MP, f/1.5

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.4

Front camera(s)

12MP, f/2.2

10.8MP, f/2.2

12MP, f/1.9

Video capture

8K at 30FPS

4K at 60FPS

4K at 60FPS

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

Google Tensor G2

Apple A15 Bionic

CPU

3.36GHz octa-core

2.85GHz octa-core

3.24GHz hexa-core

GPU

Adreno 740

Mali-G710 MP07

Apple penta-core GPU

RAM

8GB

12GB

6GB

WiFi

WiFi 6e

WiFi 6e

WiFi 6

Bluetooth

v.5.3

v.5.2

v.5.3

NFC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Operating system

Android 13

Android 13

iOS 16

Other features

USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging

USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging

Lightning, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe charging

Galaxy S23 vs. Pixel 7 and iPhone 14

Samsung Galaxy S23
Samsung

Galaxy S23

Pixel 7

iPhone 14

Pricing

Starts at $800

Starts at $599

Starts at $799

Dimensions

146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.8 x 0.3 in)

155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7 mm (6.1 x 2.9 x 0.34 in)

146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8 mm (5.8 x 2.8 x 0.31 in)

Weight

168.1g (5.93oz)

197g (6.95oz)

172g (6.07oz)

Screen size

6.1in (154.94mm)

6.3in (160.5mm)

6.1in (154.94mm)

Screen resolution

2,340 x 1,080 (422PPI)

2,400 x 1,080 (416PPI)

2,532 x 1,170 (460PPI)

Screen type

AMOLED (120Hz, always on)

AMOLED (90Hz, always on)

AMOLED (60Hz)

Battery

3,900mAh

4,355mAh

3,279mAh

Internal storage

128 / 256 GB

128 / 256 GB

128 / 256 / 512 GB

External storage

None

None

None

Rear camera(s)

Three cameras:

Wide, 50MP, f/1.8

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2

Telephoto, 10MP, f/2.4

Two cameras:

Wide, 50MP, f/1.85

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.2

Two cameras:

Wide, 12MP, f/1.5

Ultra-wide, 12MP, f/2.4

Front camera(s)

12MP, f/2.2

10.8MP, f/2.2

12MP, f/1.9

Video capture

8K at 30FPS

4K at 60FPS

4K at 60FPS

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

Google Tensor G2

Apple A15 Bionic

CPU

3.36GHz octa-core

2.85GHz octa-core

3.24GHz hexa-core

GPU

Adreno 740

Mali-G710 MP07

Apple penta-core GPU

RAM

8GB

8GB

6GB

WiFi

WiFi 6e

WiFi 6e

WiFi 6

Bluetooth

v.5.3

v.5.2

v.5.3

NFC

Yes

Yes

Yes

Operating system

Android 13

Android 13

iOS 16

Other features

USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging

USB-C, Qi wireless charging, reverse charging

Lightning, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe charging

Samsung Galaxy S23 系列登場：更環保設計、極黑拍攝，S23 Ultra 拍攝更高清銀河

Samsung Galaxy S23、Galaxy S23+、Galaxy S23 Ultra 外觀改動不大，翻倍了他們採用回收材質的部件至 12 件，並且是涵蓋手機內外。Galaxy S 系列的核心賣點 — 拍攝功能也在這代有升級，而且還是非常點題的「天文攝影模式」，Galaxy 手機終於可以拍攝到銀河了。…

Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ hands-on: Flagship phones that play it safe

While the Galaxy S23 Ultra might be the 200-megapixel camera-toting showstopper, Samsung is also unveiling two more premium smartphones. The Galaxy S23 and S23+ feature a minor redesign, some useful software tricks and, this time, almost spec parity across the two devices.

Even more so than last year’s Galaxy S22 series, the 6.1-inch S23 and 6.6-inch S23+ are very, very similar. The main differences are the screen size, battery capacity and price. Although, the S23+ also has ultrawideband support, which could help with precision location hunting of any compatible Bluetooth trackers. Besides that, these are the same phone.

What’s new for 2023? Well, a mild redesign. The company has removed the camera cutout on the back of both devices, even though it’s another trio of cameras. The S23 series, regardless of which phone you choose, will launch in a range of colors: black, off-white, green and lavender. I like the muted green.

The Galaxy S23’s AMOLED FHD+ screen is capable of 120Hz refresh rates and now has a peak brightness of 1,750 nits – one of the notable upgrades from last year’s S22, which topped out at 1,300 nits. Beyond the bigger size, the 6.6-inch Galaxy S23+ has an identical screen and both are bright, vivid and smooth. Screens are what Samsung, always, does well on the Galaxy S series.

Galaxy S23 and S23+ stood upright on a wooden table, showing the homescreens.
Engadget, Mat Smith

The entire S23 series doubles the number of components made from recycled materials, up to twelve. That includes “pre-consumer” recycled glass for the front screen and back cover. In addition, Samsung used recycled aluminum for the SIM tray and volume keys. It also sourced recycled plastic from water barrels, discarded fishing nets and PET bottles for the speaker modules and in the construction of the back glass.

The camera specifications are recycled too: a combination of 50-megapixel wide, 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto sensor. In Samsung’s defense, last year’s S22 series beefed up cameras substantially. This year’s update is more of the same. The cameras seemed responsive and capable enough during our brief hands-on, but we’ll have to wait and see if they perform better than their predecessors in real life.

At least there are some imaging software advances. You can now capture full 50MP images in Samsung’s Expert RAW format, which used to be limited to 12MP. Video capture also picks up upgraded video stabilization. The S23 analyzes movements and compensates for your shakiness at up to two times wider angles than its predecessor. Rounding out the camera hardware, both the S23 and S23+ have an upgraded 12-megapixel selfie camera, which features a Super HDR mode that captures 60 frames per second in higher dynamic range.

While the cameras may not be pushing the boundaries of smartphone photography (that’s the S23 Ultra’s job) there are bigger batteries in both phones year. The Galaxy S23 has a 3,900mAh battery (up from the 3,700mAh cell in the S22), while the Galaxy S23+ has a 4,700mAh battery, 200mAh bigger than the S22+.

This year One UI update also throws in a few new useful features. Typically, Google’s Android updates dominate a “what’s changed” list between S-series phones. But this year there are some Samsung-made additions worth highlighting. Let’s start with the improved comfort mode. The S23 will now adjust contrast levels and colors to reduce the screen’s harshness later in the day. The S23 series also has a new image clipper – no S-Pen needed – replicating the addictive sticker feature that Apple introduced on iPhones in iOS 16.

Galaxy S23+ propped up in the middle of a conveyor belt with food.
Engadget, Mat Smith

Our first impressions: it’s not a particularly exciting year for Samsung’s smaller flagships. This year especially, The Galaxy S23 Ultra is clearly the company’s favorite child – check out our impressions on Samsung’s most expensive phone here. While these are still premium smartphones, we’d wait for our full review if you’re using an S22 and considering an upgrade. The Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy S23+ are available to preorder now. The S23+ starts at $1,000 with 256GB of storage, while the S23 starts at $800 with 128GB of storage.

How to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the rest of the S23 series

Samsung announced the latest cohort of Galaxy phones today at its annual Unpacked event, following it up with new laptop news as well. This year’s flagship is the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which sports a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a 200-megapixel camera sensor, S Pen integration and more. As in years past, Samsung also has the standard Galaxy S23 and S23+, which have the same processor as in the Ultra and similarly capable camera arrays. On the notebook side of things, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra has 13th-gen Intel processor plus NVIDIA graphics, while the Galaxy Book 3 Pro series come in standard clamshell and 2-in-1 designs. Here’s everything you need to know about how to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and all of the other devices announced at Unpacked 2023.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is available for pre-order today and starts at $1,199. Those who pre-order between today and February 16th on Samsung’s website are eligible for a free storage upgrade and up to a $100 Samsung credit. If you pre-order through Amazon, you’ll get a $100 gift card along with the same free storage upgrade. In addition, specific carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T have their own pre-order specials.

Samsung didn’t deviate too much from last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra with this year’s flagship. The Galaxy S23 Ultra looks much the same, although it does have a slightly flatter design that presumably address complaints about its predecessor’s curved screen edges. This year’s phone has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity-O QHD+ touchscreen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750 nits. Beneath it lies an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, although you will still be able to access your info and apps with face recognition as well. The S Pen integration has carried over again, with the Ultra sporting an embedded stylus that you can use to doodle, take notes and more.

Aside from the small design change, the biggest difference between this year’s Ultra and last year’s is the upgraded rear camera array. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a whopping 200MP Adaptive Pixel sensor, along with a 12MP ultra wide shooter and a 10MP telephoto lens. The system is capable of shooting 8K video at 30fps, 4K video at 60fps or FHD video at 120fps and 960fps, the latter of which is dubbed Super Slow-Mo. Plus, it can shoot 4K/60fps video from its 12MP selfie camera, too.

When it comes to specs, the Galaxy S23 Ultra runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and supports up to 12GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage and 5G connectivity. It has a 5,000mAh battery inside and supports fast charging and wireless PowerShare.

Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+

Both the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S23+ are available for pre-order today and they start at $799 and $999, respectively. Those who pre-order between today and February 16th on Samsung’s website are eligible for a free storage upgrade and up to a $100 Samsung credit. If you pre-order through Amazon, you’ll get up to a $100 gift card along with the same free storage upgrade. In addition, specific carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T have their own pre-order specials.

Much like last year, the S23 and the S23+ do have some similarities between them. Both run on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets and their rear camera setups are the same: a 50MP wide shooter, a 12MP ultra wide camera and a 10MP telephoto lens. With that, you’ll be able to shoot 8K video at 30fps, 4k video at 60fps and FHD video at 120fps or even 960fps with Super Slow-Mo.

While their designs are cut from the same cloth, the Galaxy S23+ has a 6.6-inch Dynamic FHD+ AMOLED screen while the Galaxy S23’s display measures 6.1-inches. Both, however, have an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,750. In addition to the larger screen, the S23+ includes a larger battery, “Super Fast Charging 2.0” with a wired connection and UWB support, plus the option to get up to 512GB of storage (as opposed to only 256GB on the standard model).

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra

The new Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra will be available for pre-order on February 14th and it starts at $2,199. It will be widely available on February 22nd.

The most advanced model in Samsung’s notebook lineup, the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra has a 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED x2 display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It sports a full aluminum frame and parts made from recycled plastics. It maintains a sleek and slim design we’ve come to expect from Galaxy Books, while much of the upgrades are in its interior. The notebook runs on 13th-gen Intel Core i9 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 graphics, and it can be specced out with up to 32GB of RAM and up to a 1TB SSD. There’s even an expansion slot that you can use if you need even more storage in the future.

You’re also getting an FHD webcam on this laptop that offers improvements like light correction and auto framing using Samsung’s Studio Mode. That’s paired with AI noise-cancelling microphones to provide a better video conferencing experience. Standout new features include Multi Control, which lets you control your laptop, tablet and Galaxy phone from one keyboard and trackpad, copying and pasting content between devices seamlessly; and Second Screen, which lets you use your Galaxy Tab as another monitor when you need extra screen space.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360

The Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes will be available for pre-order soon starting at $1,249. The Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360 (16-inch only) will also be available for pre-order soon starting at $1,399. All of the new laptops will be widely available on February 22nd.

If you’re just on the market for a regular laptop, you’ll get to pick from the 14-inch or 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Pro. The 2-in-1 version only comes with a 16-inch display, and all three of these laptops have minor differences when compared to the Book 3 Ultra. The Pros support 13th-gen Core i7 CPUs and Intel Iris X GPUs, but they can be configured to have up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage (albeit that’s your cap there, as there’s no expansion slot on these). You do, however, get the same 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2x display on the Pro laptops, so you won’t have to sacrifice there — and the 360 model supports touch input as well. The other noteworthy difference to call out is that both the 16-inch standard and 2-in-1 models have a larger battery than the 14-inch Book 3 Pro laptop, which is to be expected.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra hands-on: A 200MP camera is the biggest update

It’s February and the first major flagship phone launch of 2023 is here. Samsung is launching the new Galaxy S23 series at its Unpacked event in San Francisco today, and this year’s trio of phones are no surprise. While last year’s focus was on the add…

Samsung’s Galaxy Book 3 Ultra laptop includes AMOLED screen tech borrowed from phones

True to the rumors, Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Book 3 line — including the company’s first-ever Ultra laptop model. The Galaxy Book 3 Pro, Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 convertible and Galaxy Book 3 Ultra all center around 120Hz, 2,880 x 1,800 “Dynamic AMOLED 2X” displays with technology lifted directly from Samsung’s higher-end smartphones. You’ll only find touch input on the Pro 360, but this still promises rich colors (120 percent of the DCI-P3 gamut), smooth responses and DisplayHDR True Black 500 support.

The 16-inch Galaxy Book 3 Ultra (pictured above) is, unsurprisingly, billed as a performance powerhouse. It comes with up to a 13th-gen Intel Core i9 and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4070 graphics — this is very much a gaming machine. You can also expect up to 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD (with an expansion slot), a 1080p webcam and an AKG-tuned quad speaker array with Dolby Atmos surround. Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB-A port, a microSD slot, a headphone jack and HDMI round out connectivity. The Ultra is an easy-to-carry system despite the specs, weighing 3.9lbs and measuring 0.65in thick thanks to a “full” aluminum frame that you’ll also find in other models.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360
Samsung

The Galaxy Book 3 Pro and Pro 360 (middle) are more conventional thin-and-light portables. Both support up to a 13th-gen Core i7 and lean on integrated Iris Xe graphics. They support up to 32GB of RAM a 1TB SSD and the ports of the Ultra, but don’t have the Ultra’s expansion or HDMI 2.0 compatibility (only HDMI 1.4). The Pro is available in a very light (2.42lbs) 14-inch model as well as a 16-inch (3.4lbs) configuration, while the Pro 360 is only available in a 16-inch (3.7lbs) variant. The touchscreen laptop does have optional 5G, however.

Integration with Samsung’s phones is tighter than before, too. Multi Control now lets you steer your handset (not just your tablet) using the Galaxy Book 3’s keyboard and trackpad — you can drag-and-drop content between devices. You can automatically upload the phones’ Expert RAW photos and edit them in Adobe Lightroom, too. The company is also eager to note support for Microsoft Phone Link, including new productivity features. You can quickly continue web browsing on your computer, or quickly connect to your phone’s hotspot.

Prices start at $1,249 for the Galaxy Book 3 Pro, $1,399 for the Pro 360 and $2,199 for the Ultra. Pre-orders begin today. They’ll ship on February 17th, starting with the Pro and Pro 360 notebooks. It’s evident that the Ultra is the headliner, though, as it’s one of the few truly portable laptops that can still deliver the performance needed for games and heavy-duty media editing.

Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra hands-on: NVIDIA RTX 4070 power in a super slim frame

Samsung is ready to take its Ultra branding to the final frontier — at least, as far as its mobile products go. After introducing an Ultra variant of its tablets last year, the company is launching a similarly high-specced model of its Galaxy Book lapt…

‘Apex Legends Mobile’ is shutting down after less than a year

Along with delaying Star Wars Jedi: Survivorby six weeks, Electronic Arts says it’s shutting down Apex Legends Mobile less than a year after releasing the game on iOS and Android. The company is also abandoning Battlefield Mobile and closing Industrial Toys, the studio behind that game.

“At Respawn, we aim to provide players with games that are consistently outstanding,” Respawn Entertainment said in a statement. “Following a strong start, the content pipeline for Apex Legends Mobile has begun to fall short of that bar for quality, quantity, and cadence. It is for this reason, after months of working with our development partner, that we have made the mutual decision to sunset our mobile game.” Tencent and Lightspeed had been working on the mobile version.

EA has already delisted Apex Mobile (which Apple named the iPhone game of the year for 2022) from app stores and halted all in-app purchases with real money. The game will still be playable for a few more months until the servers are switched off on May 1st at 7PM ET. EA says it won’t refund real money purchases but suggests that users can request refunds from the App Store or Play Store.

As for Battlefield Mobile, that game hadn’t been fully rolled out. EA started testing it in select markets in the fall of 2021. EA says it’s still focused on helping the Battlefield series reach its potential (it has ambitious plans for the franchise) and supporting Battlefield 2042, but a mobile version is no longer on the cards for the time being.

Meanwhile, around the same time EA announced the end of Apex Legends Mobile, it emerged that the Epic Games-published Rumbleverse, a pro wrestling-themed battle royale, will shut down at the end of this month. While big players like Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds, the PC and console version of Apex Legends and Fall Guys seem to be doing just fine for now, these closures suggest the battle royale bubble is starting to burst.