Revisit the good old days with an NES or SNES Classic Edition console in stock at Amazon

You should hurry up.

Ah, Nintendo, breaker of hearts and crusher of dreams. How can one company be so good at releasing such limited quantities of the coolest items ever?!

The Nintendo NES Classic Edition has been hard to nab from the get-go. When it was first released, people waited in line for hours in the hopes of snatching one up — myself included. This little gadget hit the reseller market fast after stock was depleted, selling for up to $1,000. Seriously. It was once thought to be gone forever, and it left thousands of fans upset, knowing that they may never have the chance to revisit their childhood favorites on an actual Nintendo machine. (Yes, you can emulate retro games. No, it isn’t the same. Don’t @ me.)

Thankfully, you don’t have to wait for six hours in the freezing Wisconsin snow to get yours like I did. You don’t even have to leave your house. Amazon has the Nintendo NES Classic Edition console in stock for the MSRP of $59.99. No markups, no hassle, and no blood, sweat, or tears. Except for maybe tears of joy.

If you haven’t yet gotten your hands on the Super NES Classic console, you can snag one of those at Amazon right now too for its regular price of $79.99.

The NES Classic is awesome. It has the look and feel of the original console, although it is slightly smaller and sleeker. It includes an old-school controller and it’s packed with 30 games, including Super Marios Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Mega Man, and more. It’s worth noting that the controller cord is pretty short, but extenders are available for cheap or you could even pre-order a wireless controller. If you were inclined to do some web searching, you may also find that rumor has it you can hack the console to include hundreds of other games, although you run the risk of bricking your machine, among other things, and an editor such as myself couldn’t possibly suggest that you do such a thing.

This is the first major restock of this console since it was released. If you’re interested, trust me: there are thousands of other interested people, too. Hop to it and beat them to the punch before it sells out again.

See at Amazon

Best sports apps for Android

Whether you’re keeping up with one team or twenty, there’s a sports app for you.

We all wish we could attend every game and keep up with every little announcement out of our favorite teams, but that times time and money most of us can’t afford. Since we have to deal with these pesky little things called lives, here are the sports apps to keep you in the game even while you’re stuck grinding through your daily 9-5, or worse, stuck at your significant other’s high school reunion.

• ESPN
• theScore
• CBS Sports App
• Yahoo Sports
• Google Assistant

ESPN

It may be a tagline, but when most people think sports and especially sports news, ESPN is the Worldwide Leader in Sports. ESPN’s app is one of the most-downloaded and most-used sports apps on Android, and that’s because it’s a first-class app that’s easy to navigate, easy to customize, and has scores for just about every college and major league sport you could imagine.

ESPN’s app does tie into some subscription-required services like ESPN+ content and cable subscriber content, but if you’re after just news and scores, there’s no subscription required. ESPN’s notifications can alert you of the latest injury reports or trade agreements, and let’s all be honest, who can resist that trademark Sportscenter Da-da-da, Da-da-da??

Download ESPN (free, subscription services)

theScore

theScore is a sports app that’s been around for a while, and it’s got two features that help set it apart from the rest of the pack here: a glorious dark theme and dedication to delivering the very best sports experience on Android. This app is very well laid out and allows you to quickly find the news, scores, and standings you need and then get back to what you want to do. And to ensure that you never miss an alert, theScore even lets you send a test alert to ensure everything is working ahead of a big event. theScore also has an esports app for those who are looking for the latest League of Legends tournament results.

Download theScore (free)

CBS Sports App

CBS Sports is a solid sports app, especially for cord-cutters, since the CBS Sports app features CBS Sports HQ, a free, streaming 24-hours sports channel with news, commentary, and events. The app is the only app left in our roundup that uses a hamburger menu instead of bottom tabs, which means you get a little more real estate when browsing scores or reading the news. It does mean, however, that you’ll need to swipe in from the left side of the screen whenever you want to switch between sections.

Download CBS Sports (free)

Yahoo Sports

Whether you’re looking for up-to-the-minute scores during the bedlam that is college football or you’re looking for longform editorial and in-depth sports journalism pieces, Yahoo Sports has got you. Yahoo Sports has some highlights and commentary videos, but is less video-heavy than CBS or ESPN, if you’d rather read your news than watch it.

One hidden bonus on the Yahoo Sports app is that if you’ve been stuck without your phone all day or all week because you got dragged off to some long weekend retreat with some nonsense “no tech allowed” policy, you can tap the Notification Center and see every headline Yahoo Sports pushed a notification for going back the last few days to help you catch up.

Download Yahoo Sports (free)

Google Assistant

Google handles millions of sports searches a day, from score searches to team searches to player stats and beyond. As such, Google Assistant has become a valuable sports app in its own right. If you follow teams in Google Assistant, it can notify you of team news, when your team is playing and where to watch it, and score updates. Google Assistant is also a good sports app to have because you can ask for sports information on any device, from your phone to Google Home to Assistant-enabled Chromebooks to even Android Auto in your car.

The only odd thing here is that to change your Sports team following and notifications for Google Assistant, you’ll need to head into the Google Search app’s Customize settings. This is because Google Assistant inherited some of its sports goodness from the Google feed — formerly Google Now — and that’s where the Google interest settings still live.

Google Assistant: Everything you need to know

Download Google Assistant (free)

Who’s keeping score for you?

Which sports app do you trust to help you keep your scores straight as we head into football season? Do you keep more than one sports app on hand to make sure you have all your bases covered? Sound off in the comments below and tell us your gameplan.

Where to buy the LG G7 ThinQ

Your guide for buying the G7 in the U.S. and Canada.

LG’s playing it safe this year with the G7 ThinQ, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad phone. In fact, the G7 is one heck of a smartphone that’s at least worth a look.

If you live in the United States or Canada and are interested in picking up the G7 ThinQ for yourself, here’s everything you need to know.

United States

Unlocked

Weeks after launch, LG finally started making the U.S. unlocked version of the LG G7 widely available. It’s available in multiple colors, with 64GB of storage. Importantly, the U.S. unlocked model is designed to work on all four major U.S. carriers — yes, including Verizon and Sprint. Both Amazon and B&H Photo have already started to discount the LG G7 from its original $749 price tag.

See at Amazon
See at B&H Photo

Sprint

If Sprint’s your carrier of choice, you’re going to pay more than most to own the G7.

On Sprint, the phone will cost you $33/month for an 18-month lease, and if you decide to keep paying for six more months to actually own the G7, you’ll be looking at a final price of $792 — $42 more than T-Mobile and Verizon.

Sprint is offering a lease one, get another for free deal, but you’re required to either add two new lines or upgrade two existing ones.

See at Sprint

T-Mobile

Jumping over to T-Mobile, the G7 costs $30 down and then $30/month afterward, resulting in a final retail price of $750 ($30 more than the Galaxy S9). To help offset the cost, T-Mobile is running a BOGO promo that allows you to get two G7s for the price of one via monthly bill credits.

See at T-Mobile

Verizon

Last but not least for U.S. carriers, pricing for the G7 at Verizon is similar to that of T-Mobile, including a payment of $31.25/month for 24 months for a final price of $750.

In honor of the G7’s launch, Verizon’s offering an instant $100 off discount just for buying it on an installment plan. Better yet, that deal can be combined with Verizon’s other trade-in promotions.

See at Verizon

AT&T

Although LG devices usually show up on AT&T like clockwork, this year appears to be slightly different. Instead of carrying the G7, AT&T is instead selling the V35 — a phone that has the design of last year’s V30 and the modern specs of the G7. It’s an interesting mashup, to say the least, and one that’ll cost you a pretty penny at $900.

See at AT&T

U.S. Cellular

The LG G7 is also available at U.S. Cellular. It costs $749.70 if you buy it with a prepaid plan, but if you purchase it on an installment setup, you can save $300 by paying just $14.99/month for 30 months after monthly bill credits.

Should you choose to go the installment route, you’ll pay $0 down and have 0% APR. Not too shabby!

See at U.S. Cellular

Project Fi

Google’s own carrier, Project Fi, has branched out its phone offerings to two of LG’s latest phones, including the G7. Pricing is set at $749, with optional 24-month no-interest financing that breaks it down to $31.21 per month. Choose between black or blue colors.

For a limited time, Project Fi is offering a $300 bill credit with purchase of the LG G7, which makes it extremely enticing for new Fi customers in particular. The deal ends on July 29.

See at Project Fi

Canada

Bell

At Bell, you can purchase the G7 between $199.99 and $399.99 depending on what kind of two-year plan you sign up for. If you prefer to purchase it outright, it’ll set you back $1,049.99.

If there’s a Bell store nearby, you can go there, trade-in an eligible phone, sign up for a two-year Premium Plus plan with data, and get the G7 for as little as $0.

See at Bell

Freedom Mobile

If Freedom Mobile is your Canadian carrier of choice, there are four main ways you can buy the G7:

• Pay $0 down + $20/month MyTab Boost for 24 months on current $50+ plans (save $480)
• Pay $250 down + $25/month MyTab Boost for 24 months on current $40+ plans (save $110)
• Pay $480 down + $20/month MyTab Boost for 24 months on current $30+ plans
• Pay $960 to buy the G7 outright

See at Freedom Mobile

Rogers

Rogers is also selling the G7 in The Great White North, with pricing working out as follows:

• $199 on two-year Premium+ Tab
• $399 on two-year Premium Tab
• $549 on two-year Smart Tab
• $699 on two-year Talk & Text Tab
• $999 with outright with No Tab

See at Rogers

SaskTel

For SaskTel customers, the carrier’s running a promotion through June 30 that lets you get a $200 bonus credit on top of the trade-in value of your existing phone when you upgrade to the G7.

Along with that, pricing works out as follows:

• Pay $0 down + $20/month with Plus Pricing on a two-year $20/month+ plan
• Pay $199.99 down + $10/month with Plus Pricing on a two-year $10/month+ plan
• Pay $399.99 with a two-year voice and data plan
• Pay $99.99 with a monthly, device only, or prepaid plan

See at SaskTel

Telus

Last but not least, Telus is also selling the LG G7 ThinQ.

You’ll pay between $200 and $400 down depending on which plan you choose, and if you prefer to buy the phone outright, you’ll need to hand over $980.

See at Telus

Update July 2018: Now that the G7’s launched, we’ve refreshed this guide to include final pricing at all U.S. and Canadian carriers/retailers, including unlocked models.

LG G7

• LG G7 hands-on preview: All about that bass
• LG G7 Specifications: Everything you need to know
• Join the LG G7 forums

B&H Photo Offering $50-$100 Gift Cards With Purchase of 2018 MacBook Pro

Apple reseller B&H Photo today kicked off a new series of promos that let customers get free gift card credit at B&H Photo when they purchase one of Apple’s new 2018 MacBook Pros. With the promotion, purchases of a 13-inch MacBook Pro come with a B&H Photo $50 e-gift card and purchases of a 15-inch MacBook Pro come with a $100 e-gift card.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

While this isn’t a straight markdown on the prices of the new MacBook Pros, it is a good chance to put money towards other Apple devices and accessories (and many other product categories) if you shop on B&H Photo’s website. There are 17 total MacBook Pros available under the new sale, including a few custom configurations, although some are designated as “preorders” and will ship when stock is available.

13-inch MacBook Pro ($50 B&H Photo e-gift card)

• 2.3 GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,799.00 (also in Silver)
• 2.3 GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $1,999.00
• 2.3 GHz i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,199.00
• 2.7 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,499.00
• 2.7 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD – $2,899.00

15-inch MacBook Pro ($100 B&H Photo e-gift card)

• 2.2 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $2,399.00
• 2.2 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,599.00
• 2.6 GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,799.00 (also in Silver)
• 2.6 GHz i7, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $3,199.00
• 2.9 GHz i9, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $3,499.00
• 2.6 GHz i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD – $3,599.00
• 2.9 GHz i9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD – $3,799.00
• 2.9 GHz i9, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD – $3,899.00 (also in Silver)
• 2.9 GHz i9, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD – $4,699.00

There aren’t many other deals on the new MacBook Pros, given how new they are, but students do have a few options available online. At Apple, students and parents of students can get a free or discounted pair of BeatsX, Solo3 Wireless, or Powerbeats3 Wireless headphones with the purchase of any new MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro.

Best Buy provides a more direct discount, offering students and parents of students the chance to save $150 on the purchase of the latest MacBook Pros, making the entry-level 13-inch model $1,649.99.

Best Buy also has one of the best prices available online for the latest 2018 iPads, offering the 32GB Wi-Fi model for $299.99, down from $329.99 and the 128GB Wi-Fi model for $399.99, down from $429.99.

Below is a quick list of other discounts going on this week:

• Anker Compact Wireless Charger Charging Pad on Amazon – $7.99 with code PRIME252, down from $9.99 (exp. 7/23)

• Choetech 3-Pack USB 3.0 to USB-C Cords on Amazon – $5.99 with code 4JD5JXV5, down from $12.99

• Choetech T511 Wireless Charger on Amazon – $6.50 with code RGBXEL9R, down from $12.99

• Lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited on StackSocial – $34.00 with code DIGITALWEEK15

• BeatsX (Black) on Best Buy – $95.99, down from $149.99

• Philips Hue products on Amazon – Including the LightStrip for $69.99, down from $89.99

Head over to our full Deals Roundup for more information on the latest sales.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Kano’s New Harry Potter Coding Kit Lets Fans Build a Wand to Learn Coding

Kano today announced the launch of the new Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit, which was developed in partnership with Warner Bros.

Using the coding kit, Harry Potter fans will be able to follow step-by-step instructions to build a wand, learning about sensors, data, and coding along the way. The wand includes a gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer, which lets it track location, speed, and the position of your hand.

The sensors allow the wand to recognize the motions of signature spells in the Harry Potter world, and the completed wand can be used to complete Harry Potter-related challenges in the accompanying Kano app.

There are scenarios and challenges to complete at Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and The Forbidden Forest, with each challenge teaching the wand user the fundamentals of coding and real-world programming.

According to Kano, the wand’s movements will be translated into rich effects in the app, making serpents slither, fires flow, toads transfigure, feathers float, goblets duplicate, Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans enlarge, and more.

A block-based interface and JavaScript inspector walk users through the different coding lessons included in each challenge, and more advanced users can code the light and rumble pack included in the wand. A poster is included to illustrate classic Wizarding World spell motions like Incendio, Stupefy, and Wingardium Leviosa, all of which are featured in some of the coding challenges.

Kano says the Harry Potter Coding Kit is a great way for beginners to understand coding concepts and principles, and for more advanced users who already know how to code, the wand is a useful tool for creating art and music controlled with specific movements.

The Harry Potter Coding Kit has been designed with tablets in mind, and it is meant to be used with the iPad or an Android tablet, along with PCs and Macs.

You can pre-order the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit from Kano.me for $99.99, with pre-order customers receiving a free motion sensor kit.
Discuss this article in our forums

Bluetooth Security Vulnerability Discovered, but Apple’s Fix is Already in Place

A newly discovered Bluetooth vulnerability that was published this week by Intel has the potential to allow a nearby hacker to gain unauthorized access to a device, intercepting traffic and sending forged pairing messages between two vulnerable Bluetooth devices.

The vulnerability affects Bluetooth implementations and operating system drivers of Apple, Broadcom, Intel, and Qualcomm.

From Intel’s explanation:

A vulnerability in Bluetooth(R) pairing potentially allows an attacker with physical proximity (within 30 meters) to gain unauthorized access via an adjacent network, intercept traffic and send forged pairing messages between two vulnerable Bluetooth(R) devices. This may result in information disclosure, elevation of privilege and/or denial of service.

As BleepingComputer explains, Bluetooth-capable devices are not sufficiently validating encryption parameters in “secure” Bluetooth connections, leading to a weak pairing that can be exploited by an attacker to obtain data sent between two devices.

According to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) it’s not likely many users were impacted by the vulnerability.

For an attack to be successful, an attacking device would need to be within wireless range of two vulnerable Bluetooth devices that were going through a pairing procedure. The attacking device would need to intercept the public key exchange by blocking each transmission, sending an acknowledgment to the sending device, and then injecting the malicious packet to the receiving device within a narrow time window. If only one device had the vulnerability, the attack would not be successful.

Both Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE are affected. Apple has already introduced a fix for the bug on its devices (in macOS High Sierra 10.13.5/10.13.6, iOS 11.4, tvOS 11.4, and watchOS 4.3.1), so iOS and Mac users do not need to worry. Intel, Broadcom, and Qualcomm have also introduced fixes, while Microsoft says its devices are not affected.

Tag: Bluetooth
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Motiv Smart Ring First Impressions – fitness tracking on your finger

Motiv announced this morning that it would be bringing its fascinating new smart ring to Android, along with Google Fit compatibility. We were luck enough to get our hands on some beta hardware and software to try out in advance, and the early results are very promising. But does the potential of the little ring outweigh its $200 price tag? let’s take a look.

What follows is some early impressions of our short time with the Motiv smart ring, and we’ll update this post in a couple weeks with a full review.

Right off the bat, the first impression of Motiv’s smart ring is a good one. The packaging is clean and understated – just a matte black flipbox with a glossy black Motiv embossed on the cover. Flipping open the lid reveals the Motiv in all its glory – a rather plain-looking titanium ring that houses much more. Under the first layer of the packaging you’ll find two(!) chargers and a single page of instructions – which is all you’ll need to get started.

Hardware

The ring itself looks no different than any other, save for the small glossy LED band and the slightly flattened optical heart-rate sensor on the underside of the inner ring. It’s light and comfortable, and only a smidge thicker than more mundane rings.

And equally importantly, it’s a breeze to set up and use: just plug in the magnetic charger, attach the Motiv to it, download the Motiv app, and pair the two via said app. After that, it just works.

The built-in, custom-built curved battery generally lasts about three days of use, and a 90 minute charge replenishes that fully – a pretty decent charge-to-use ratio. The included chargers – one to keep at home, the other on a nifty magnetic keychain – are really simple and effective. The inclusion of two chargers when Motiv only really needed to include one is very customer-first thinking. I love it.

While the Motiv smart ring does not feature an Ingress Protection Rating, Motiv insists you can take your smart ring anywhere, including swimming and the shower, and my experience backs that up as well. It’s totally waterproof.

Functionality

At the moment, Motiv is just in beta on Android, and as such it lacks some features of its iOS counterpart. Google Fit compatibility was just announced this morning, which is more or less a must-have for an Android-compatible fitness tracker. Thus far, the features that are fully baked – step counter, sleep tracker, and heart-rate monitor – work flawlessly, with no lapses in connection. I’ll flesh this section out a bit more in a couple weeks with my full review, hopefully with another update to the Motiv Android app.

Value

At $200, the Motiv smart Ring is no small investment. It doesn’t have some of the same robistitude that other fitness trackers do, but it’s the only fitness tracker around that fits in with any outfit effortlessly. If you’re in the market for a new fitness tracker, you can do a lot worse than the Motiv Smart Ring. More to come, Android Guys. Stay tuned.

Finally, you can get Google Assistant to make a Duo video call for you

Making a video call from your phone is getting a little easier thanks to some help from your favorite assistant — that is to say, Google Assistant. At long last, Google’s A.I.-powered helper will allow you to start a video call on Duo, its video calling service. Once you’ve activated Google Assistant, you should now be able to say, “video call [insert contact name here]” and Assistant will oblige, after first confirming that you do in fact want to make a video call on Duo. From there, you should be able to see and chat with your counterpart — simple as pie.

If you or your contact don’t have Google Duo installed, you may see Hangouts being used in place of the service. Google’s Duo support page about now includes mention of Assistant. It reads simply, “If you use the Google Assistant: You can start a Duo video call by saying or typing, ‘Video call [name].’”

You should be able to make calls to anyone and everyone in your contacts, and all calls will be made either through mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection. It seems as though the ability to invoke a call using Assistant is still in the rolling out process, as not everyone who has tried the feature has gotten it to work. While Duo opens up for most folks after their command, not everyone is able to actually then make a call. It’s likely that this little bug will be resolved in the coming days as the new capability gains more traction.

As Google did not make a formal announcement about this functionality, it’s not entirely clear how long it’s actually been working.

Duo has been making quite a few updates recently. Back in March, Google updated the video calling app to give users the option of leaving a video message. These messages can be up to 30 seconds long, and can be sent directly to another user, who will be able to see the message within the Duo app. There’s also a “Call Now” button that you can use to return the missed call after watching the message.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Apple iOS 12 update will include precise location data if you call 911
• These are the best video chat apps to help you stay in touch
• Google Assistant: Everything you need to know
• Voice-changing apps will have you punking friends and family like a pro
• Google’s Android Messages for web finally lets you text on your computer

Buckle up, Houston, you’ll soon be getting 5G service from Verizon

Everything is bigger in Texas, and now, everything might be faster, too. That’s right, 5G is coming to Houston, and it’s all thanks to Verizon. On Tuesday, July 24, the mobile service provider announced that it will be bringing 5G technology to the Texas metropolis in the second half of 2018. Houston serves as the third city Verizon has determined to be part of its four market 5G plan, which will offer residential 5G broadband service. Already, Verizon has announced that the service will be available in Sacramento and Los Angeles.

“We expect 5G will be a game-changer helping us usher in a new wave of progress and innovation,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a statement. “We’re delighted to be one of the first cities to bring 5G to our local communities and look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with Verizon.”

The new 5G network will provide high-speed connections to those who might be able to benefit the most from them. Verizon and Houston’s plan will be to serve five traditionally under-resourced neighborhoods. This initiative comes as part of the mayor’s Complete Communities program, which seeks to provide city services equally.

“We will be the first to offer commercial 5G service and our work with Houston put us one step closer to delivering that promise,” incoming Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said. “With 5G we are ushering in a fourth industrial revolution that will help reshape cities and lead to unprecedented innovation, and Houston will be at the forefront of that innovation.”

Verizon’s announcement comes as part of its second-quarter earnings, which proved to be quite positive for the largest mobile carrier in the U.S. Verizon added 531,000 new subscribers over the course of the last three months, including 199,000 mobile phone users. As Verizon continues to build network infrastructure for next-generation technology like 5G, it seems likely that these numbers will continue to burgeon. The company plans to roll out 5G nationally in just a couple years.

In order to make a splash with its 5G internet rollout, it seems that Verizon is considering teaming up with Google to offer a streaming TV service. This would allow the company to depend upon YouTube TV in order to offer live shows. It’s unclear how much the 5G service would cost, though given that YouTube TV currently sets folks back about $40 a month, that seems like a reasonable ballpark to target. Apple is another option, though given that Apple TV (the service, not the hardware) isn’t slated to launch for a while longer, it may not be the top choice.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Hyundai is stepping up its autonomous car game with an Autotalks investment
• Everything you need to know about Samsung Pay
• The best sites and services for streaming movies and TV online
• ‘Stranger Things’ season 3 is coming! Here’s everything we know so far
• What is Pluto TV? Here’s everything to know about the service

Core i9 CPU slowdown in the new MacBook Pro tied to power regulation

A recent benchmark showed Intel’s Core i9-8950HK processor installed in Apple’s latest 15-inch MacBook Pro severely throttled in performance presumably due to cooling issues. After all, the MacBook Pro is extremely thin and the six-core chip needs sufficient cooling to reach its peak performance. But one Redditor claims that the throttling has nothing to do with processor heat, but rather the module that deals with regulating voltage provided to Intel’s CPU.

Called the voltage regulator module, this component is mounted on a PC’s motherboard and ensures that the processor is getting the correct amount of voltage. This component is required to support multiple processors with different levels of power requirements. Thus, if you swap out a processor using a new chip with a different power requirement, the voltage regulator module adjusts the voltage accordingly.

That said, the Core i9’s performance supposedly has nothing to do with heat, but power throttling by this module. At its current setting, the voltage regulator module “maxes out” due to overheating, which signals the motherboard to lower the processor’s speed of a minimum of 800MHz. Remember, this chip has a base speed of 2.9GHz.

Once the voltage regulator model cools down, the processor begins to consume more energy to reach its proper speeds. But as it launches up into its turbo speeds – a maximum of 4.8GHz — the cycle repeats again.

There is a way to fix the problem, but you do so at your own risk. The process involves putting the MacBook Pro into a custom System Integrity Protection state, so you can use unsigned kernel extensions. You’ll also need to download and install a tool called Voltage Shift that is available on GitHub.

By following the instructions, you can increase the Core i9’s performance by at least 20 percent. But the chip could do better, the Redditor suggests, if the MacBook Pro had adequate cooling and a better voltage regulator module. Apple could help increase the performance in a recall by swapping out the processor’s thermal paste, or by swapping out the heatsink with something that also cooled the voltage regulator module.

While new MacBook Pro owners are complaining about the Core i9 throttling, there is speculation that the performance decrease is a bit overblown. In recent benchmarks using Adobe Premiere Pro and Cinebench, the chip was shown to perform lower than a 2017 MacBook Pro equipped with an older Core i7 processor. Speculation suggests that the chip wasn’t the problem, but that the software simply isn’t optimized for six-core chips.

“Our Cinebench application has not been upgraded to measure the performance in a meaningful way,” Cinebench states. “The development team is aware and will be addressing this in the future.”

Whether the benchmarks are optimized or not, something is definitely going on in Apple’s new MacBook Pro, pushing numerous owners and testers to find a resolution. The voltage regulator module fix appears to be the current resolution, but only if you’re willing to risk damaging your expensive new MacBook Pro.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Benchmark test shows Core i9 severely throttled in 15-inch MacBook Pro
• The launch of the new MacBook Pro has been a complete disaster
• AMD vs. Intel
• The MacBook Pro may finally get updated with faster processors
• Intel throws down a gauntlet with its 28-core extreme CPU