Target owes some of you $50 (tonight only)
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We posted about it twice before, but a reminder in case you missed it: Target is offering a free $50 Nintendo eShop gift card if the store delayed your Switch 2 pre-order beyond June 7 (June 8 or later). The catch? The promo expires tonight.
The Shortcut is all about delivering concise, banner-ad-free tech tips and reviews just like this. The best recent examples are our top 10 tech stories (below), our Switch 2 review, and our Galaxy Z Fold 7 review. We’re gearing up for a busy season. The Google Pixel 10 and iPhone 17 series are set to launch in August and September, respectively.
Have tech questions? Subscribers can join our Substack Chat to get answers and alerts on electronics deals, and exclusive gift card discount codes at the bottom of each email.
🎯 1. Delayed Switch 2? Target’s $50 Nintendo gift card offer ends tonight
🎯 Target delivered my Switch 2 pre-order well after its June 5 release date
💳 It’s offering a $50 Nintendo eShop gift card for severe delays
⏲️ Deadline: tonight, July 31 at 11:59 PM PT
📆 Fine print: Only June 8 (or later) Switch 2 pre-order deliveries are eligible
📧 Check your email for the offer, add the $50 Nintendo shop gift card to your cart
👤 Tip: Ensure you're signed in to your Target account when adding the gift card
💰 Redeem the gift card on the Nintendo eShop to purchase games or other content
Target didn’t deliver my Nintendo Switch 2 until June 10, five days after the release date, despite the fact that I pre-ordered it on April 24 within the first few minutes. I ended up waiting in line at Best Buy for my console on June 4 until midnight in NYC, just to push The Shortcut’s Nintendo Switch 2 review out as soon as possible.
🥳 Good news, everyone: Target is making up for this mishap. It’s offering a $50 Nintendo eShop gift card that can be used on Switch 1 or Switch 2 games and other digital items.
👀 Check the fine print: Your delayed console had to arrive on June 8 or later. We posted about this before, but today is the last day to claim the offer.
🍎 2. iPhone 17 Pro rumored to get an 8x telephoto camera, extra controls
🍎 Apple may give the iPhone 17 Pro a bigger camera upgrade than we thought
📸 A new report says it’ll get an 8x telephoto camera for closer zoom shots
🤳 It’s also said to be getting a new professional-grade camera app
⚙️ There could be an extra Camera Control button on the top of the phone
📅 Apple is rumored to announce the iPhone 17 Pro on September 9
Apple might give the iPhone 17 Pro camera a bigger upgrade than we were expecting. A tipster has relayed some new information to MacRumors, which hints at a few notable improvements, including an upgraded telephoto sensor and a professional-grade camera application.
💻 3. MacBook Air M4 at Amazon drops Apple's laptop to a record-low price
🤯 Amazon is offering a 20% discount on the 13-inch MacBook Air M4, priced at $799 (was $999)
🙌 The 15-inch MacBook Air M4 starts at $999 (was $1,199), with additional configurations at record-low prices
🚨 The 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 is also on sale for $1,299 (was $1,599)
💨 These deals feature huge savings, but stock may sell out quickly
You can get the 13-inch MacBook Air M4 with 16GB of RAM/256GB SSD for just $799 instead of $999, which is the lowest price we’ve seen yet.
If you need more storage space, the 512GB SSD model is also down to a record-low price at just $999 (was $1,199). And if you want more RAM, a 24GB configuration with a 512GB SSD is $1,199 (was $1,399).
Remarkably, the 15-inch MacBook Air M4 is also on sale, and the cheapest model is just $999 (was $1,199), saving you 17 percent. Again, that’s another noteworthy low price.
The 15-inch MacBook Air M4 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD option is $1,199 (was $1,399), which is, you’ve guessed it, another all-time low for Apple’s laptop. Even the high-end 24GB model is down to $1,399 from $1,599 at Amazon.
🎮 4. Asus ROG Xbox Ally X pre-order date and price revealed
📆 Asus ROG Xbox Ally X pre-orders start August 20, 2025
🤔 Asus ROG Xbox Ally X in the US may be between $599 - $899
💰 It’s based on European pricing: €899 for Xbox Ally X; €599 for the Xbox Ally
📆 October is the expected release date for both Xbox handhelds
🔜 Gamescom 2025 may be the first time we go hands-on with them
We’ve been patiently waiting for Microsoft to announce the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X pre-order date, but it looks like the information has now leaked before the Redmond-based company got the chance. August 20, 2025, is when you’ll be able to pre-order the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, according to reliable leaker billbil-kun, who has a fantastic track record
The prices of the two Xbox handheld consoles have also been revealed: The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X will cost €899, and the Xbox Ally will cost €599. We can predict, based on the European prices, that the handhelds will cost between $599 and $899 in the US, which matches the previous price leaks.
🎧 5. SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless review: premium drivers and sound profiles in an affordable gaming headset
🏆 Review score: 5 out of 5
🏅 Editor’s Choice Award
✅ Pros
🖍️ Lively colors and comfy, breathable design
🔊 Same premium drivers as the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless
🎛️ Full customizable EQ dramatically changes how lows, mids, and highs sound
🎮 266 preset profiles help make games sound as they were meant to be heard
🔌 15-minute quick charge gives you nine hours of gameplay
❌ Cons
🪫 Comparatively short 30-hour battery life
🎙️ Microphone lacks noise-cancelling
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 Wireless is a true rarity in today's age in that it’s a product that gives you more for less money. This $109 wireless gaming headset almost replaces the $129 SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5 Wireless with all the same sound profiles and wireless/Bluetooth quick-switch. It also features premium drivers pulled from the even more expensive $199 SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless.
For $109, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3 puts other affordable gaming headsets to shame. Its flexible 40mm drivers are almost infinitely customizable with a fully tweakable equalizer and 266 game profiles. The smartphone and PC app lets you easily swap between profiles and hear COD: Black Ops 6, games as they were meant to be heard.
It doesn’t have the longest battery life at just 30 hours, but a 15-minute quick charge will give you back nine hours of gameplay.
📱 6. Pixel 10 Pro prices just leaked – and it's great news all around
📱 The Pixel 10 series isn’t seeing a price jump compared to the Pixel 9
💰 That’s according to a new report which “reveals” the pricing of Google’s next phones
💵 All four devices will reportedly cost the same as their 2024 counterparts
🏷️ That means the Pixel 10 will start at $799
📅 Google will announce its next Pixel phones on August 20
Google isn’t increasing the price of the Pixel 10, according to a new report from Android Headlines.
10: This means the Pixel 10 series will start at $799 for the 128GB model.
10 Pro: The Pixel 10 Pro will start at $999 and come with 128GB of storage by default.
10 Pro XL: The larger Pixel 10 Pro XL, which is reported to start at $1,199. That’s technically higher than the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s starting price, but the base storage for the 10 Pro XL is said to be 256GB, eliminating the 128GB model.
10 Pro Fold: The new Pixel 10 Pro Fold will keep the same $1,799 starting price for 256GB of storage
🔫 7. GTA 6 Collector's Edition: pre-order date and price predictions
👍 The GTA 6 collector's edition is expected to be highly popular among fans
🤔 It will likely include a mix of physical items and digital bonuses, inspired by the game's Vice City setting and characters
📆 Pre-orders are predicted to open at least a month before the game's release
💰 The price could reach $199.99, reflecting inflation and the inclusion of unique memorabilia
Grand Theft Auto 6 is likely to break sales records when it releases next year. And even though most will opt for the regular game version, Rockstar will want to offer an extravagant GTA 6 collector's edition to sell to the most dedicated fans.
But how much will a Grand Theft Auto 6 collector’s edition cost, and what will it contain? We have some thoughts.
📐 8. Galaxy S26 Ultra could get thinner and keep the same battery size, says rumor
📱 Samsung is reportedly slimming down the Galaxy S26 Ultra
📐 A new rumor says it could be 7-8mm thick
🔋 The battery could wind up remaining the same size
⚙️ It’ll also reportedly come with a 6.9-inch display, an upgraded 200MP camera, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2
📅 Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S26 Ultra in early 2026
Samsung’s next flagship phone is already hitting the rumor mill hard, and a new leak claims to shed early light on what the Galaxy S26 Ultra specs could include. Right now, it seems like the phone could be thinner than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, all while keeping the same battery size.
By trimming the thickness of the device, Samsung will reportedly maintain the same 5,000mAh battery as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Other rumors suggest it could grow to 5,500mAh, potentially using silicone carbon-based battery technology to make it happen. As of now, it’s unclear how big the battery could be, but at least it doesn’t seem like it’ll shrink.
Other potential specs for the Galaxy S26 Ultra include a 6.9-inch display with a new third-generation anti-reflective glass, helping to reduce even more glare and reflections. Samsung could also remove the digitizer for the S Pen and use some alternative method to make it work (while keeping it around, unlike on the Galaxy Z Fold 7).
🥗 9. Uber Eats is bringing AI powers to the sparse restaurant menus
🤖 Uber Eats is adding a range of AI tools to its app to help improve the customer experience
🤔 Generative AI is being used to create menu item descriptions and to summarize customer reviews
👀 It is also being used to detect and enhance low-quality images of food
🍔 The app will let customers add photos of menu items that don't have pictures, with a potential rebate if the image is used
Uber Eats has announced it’s adding AI features to various elements of the app to help improve the general experience. Generative AI is being added to help create descriptions for menu items and to summarize customer reviews to highlight areas that need improvement for specific businesses.
🥘 Menu upgrade: Uber Eats has also said that it’s using AI to enhance low-quality images of food that it detects by making changes to lighting, resolution, and the framing of the image, or by editing the food onto different backgrounds and plates.
If there isn't a photo of a menu item, the app will also allow users to upload a photo of their own order when they leave a review of a restaurant. This feature is launching globally and is accessible by tapping the "add photos" option when you rate an order.
🔊 10. Samsung HW-QS700F review: thin soundbar, full sound
🏆 Review score: 4 out of 5
🏅 Editor’s Choice Award
✅ Pros
🔊 Loud, room-filling sound
🗣️ Pronounced center channel for dialogue and vocals
🎥 Strong stereo separation and height audio
🩴 Unique multi-position design
📐 Clean industrial design in a thinner package
🔌 HDMI 2.1 passthrough for consoles and optical audio for external devices
❌ Cons
🧗🏻♂️ Soundmix suffers while this soundbar is vertically oriented
🥁 Lackluster bass and clarity for music listening
❌ 📺 Q-Symphony, auto-calibration, and most features require a connected Samsung TV
❌ 📣 Voice Enhance Mode isn’t very strong
The Samsung HW-QS700F is more than another 3.1.2-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar. It features a slim and adaptable design that lets it easily slip under any TV or hang flat against a wall. Despite being so thin soundbar still puts out plenty of decibels and is loud enough to be heard even across a big studio apartment or living room. You get fantastic stereo sound, height audio, and loud dialogue out of this soundbar, making it superb for watching movies and shows.
Of course, it’s not fantastic at everything. I found the bass to be too weak for a truly room-shaking experience, and the lack of clarity makes this soundbar good for background music listening at best. You’ll also need a Samsung TV to take full advantage of its dialogue boosting, auto-calibrating, and other features.
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