Fujifilm’s X-E5, new Bose speakers and Qualcomm’s smart glasses chips – Your Gear News this week

Fujifilm announced This week’s new camera X-E5 is the latest in its XE rangefinder mirrorless camera series. Think of the XE as an interchangeable lens version of the X100. The big news in the X-E5 is Fuji’s latest 40-megapixel APS-C sensor and 7-speed In-field Image Stabilization (IBIS). This is the first XE series camera with IBIS, and Fujifilm says it will bring you about 7 handheld cameras. The new sensor also means video specifications jump to 6.2k at 30 frames per second (1.23 crop) and 4K 30 fps full sensor video.

The X-E5 restores the focus mode switch on the side of the body (not present in the X-E4) and adds a new film analog dial. While many Fuji’s enthusiast-level cameras have this control, one on the X-E5 can store custom presets with its own movie recipes. One thing that remains unchanged is the weather seal, which still doesn’t exist here. Also disappointing is that the viewfinder remains smaller, with the same trivial resolution (236m dots, 1025 x 768) with older models.

The X-E5 will be available in the US for $1,699 in August, and will be available with Fuji’s new 23mm F/2.8R WR lens for $1,899, and will be launched with the X-E5. To meet demand (things that Fujifilm can’t do with the X-E4), the company didn’t sell the lens as a standalone sale until the second half of 2025. You can book in Adorama or B&H Photo. –Scott Gilbertson

Bose announces new buds and speakers

Provided by Bose

Bose has three new products coming soon, including an update to our favorite earbuds. Quietcomfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Generation) is getting a lot of improvements, including better AI algorithms to help them filter noise spikes more efficiently and improve overall voice pickup and call quality. There is now wireless charging, a new wax figure and powerful limited edition deep plum colors. They are priced at $299/£299 and are available for reservation now.

Adding the bud are two new speakers: the SoundLink Plus and the SoundLink Micro (second generation). There is no reward for guessing the huge difference between them, but plus it is a new mid-range portable speaker that sits between the SoundLink Flex and the SoundLink Max, and Micro is an updated version of the company’s smallest Bluetooth speaker.

For the latter, Bose is expected to improve sound quality (especially at up-frequency), USB-C charging, higher 12-hour battery life and Bose app compatibility. Plus promises to “prepare” designs “bring bass”, as well as a 20-hour battery, a charging USB-C port and an IP67 rating. It will be offered in black, blue dusk and summer-prepared citrus yellow for $269/£249, while the Micro costs $129/£119, and the color scheme will soon appear. –Real burning

Qualcomm Demos smart glasses new chip

At this week’s Augmented World Expo (AWE), Qualcomm demonstrated its new Snapdragon AR1+ chipset designed for smart glasses and is able to run small language models without tying it to a smartphone or relying on the cloud for processing.

Currently, most smart glasses are designed to stay in touch with a smartphone that will handle any processing of AI-related queries, such as when you ask a Meta AI question through Meta Ray-Bans (powered by the original AR1). But this absorbs valuable battery life and can also introduce some delay as the ping pong ball is requested and it returns. By integrating the ability to directly handle small language models through the AR1+ chip on smart glasses, you can expect faster response, better battery life, and privacy when retained on the device on all devices. This also means you can get replies from AI chatbots without needing a phone.

The AR1+ chipset is also 26% smaller than its predecessor, which Qualcomm believes will make smart glasses wear slightly less. Improvements in power management also help improve the efficiency of the chip, and the company has added image processing technology from smartphones to help smart glasses with built-in cameras to better understand the world around them.