Matthew S. Smith

Former Senior Editor, Reviews

Matthew S. Smith is the former Lead Editor, Reviews at Digital Trends. He previously guided the Products Team, which dives deep into evaluating laptops, smartphones, televisions, headphones, and much more. In addition to more than 10 years of experience in tech journalism, Matt has appeared in hundreds of videos (both live and recorded) and has interviewed executives from numerous companies including AMD, IBM, and Intel.

Bosch Kiox and SmartphoneHub hands-on: The sleek displays e-bikes deserve

We went hands-on with the Bosch Kiox and SmartphoneHub onboard cycling computers at CES 2020. They provide modern electric bikes with the high-end displays they deserve and offer a wide variety of useful information. You'll want Kiox or SmartphoneHub on your e-bike.

News         July 12, 2023

Garmin’s Instinct Esports Edition can livestream your pulse

Garmin's new Instinct Esports Edition uses unique software to make biometric data, including heart rate and stress levels, visible in livestreams.

Gaming         April 25, 2023

DT Debates: Does Fall Guys’ second season go far enough?

Fall Guys' second season, the first seasonal update since the game launched, has hit. Does it go far enough to keep the game fresh, or is it a tepid addition?

News         April 25, 2023

Nvidia CEO apologizes for RTX 3000-series card shortages at fall GTC 2020 keynote

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang again apologized for the shortage of Ampere-based RTX 3000 series cards at GTC 2020, but didn't offer a timeline for new stock.

News         April 25, 2023

Indie game devs are taking a gamble on Google’s Stadia, and it’s paying off

Google's Stadia cloud gaming service had a bumpy launch, but that hasn't dampened the spirits of indie developers porting indie games to the platform.

News         April 25, 2023

Apple Arcade teeters on irrelevance as it desperately seeks ‘engagement’

Apple seeks to up Arcade's engagement, but its search for revenue might force the subscription to abandon its mission.

Features         April 25, 2023

Death Stranding’s PC port is great. That’s good news for Horizon Zero Dawn fans

The PC port of Death Stranding won’t leave you disappointed. It offers smooth gameplay even on modest hardware, and Nvidia’s DLSS 2.0 gives a performance boost.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

What will PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X games look like at launch?

The next-gen consoles, Sony's PlayStation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X, double their predecessors speed. What does that mean for next-gen game graphics?

News         April 25, 2023

The Unreal Engine 5 demo is gorgeous, but you won’t care as much as you think

Epic's spectacular Unreal Engine 5 demo is a great piece of hype, but it sets unrealistic expectations. Gameplay, not graphics, is the reason most gamers play.

News         April 25, 2023

Minecraft RTX ray-tracing beta preview: The win Nvidia needs

Minecraft's RTX ray-tracing beta is landing on PC after months of teasers. It's a game-changing update that might push you to buy an Nvidia RTX video card.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

I used cloud gaming exclusively for a month. Here’s what happened

Cloud gaming is here, but is it ready to replace your game console? I tried cloud gaming for a month to find out. The answer will surprise you.

Features         April 25, 2023

Nvidia GeForce Now cloud gaming is $5 a month with ray tracing and 1,000+ games

Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud gaming service is finally coming out of beta. It debuts with a competitive $4.99 paid tier, a free tier with session lengths of up to one hour, and support for over 1,000 games. You can sign up and gain access to GeForce Now immediately.

News         April 25, 2023

Leaked Xbox Series X photo shows ports, suggests less focus on home theater

A leaked photo of an Xbox Series X prototype unit gives us a clear glimpse at the unit's ports. Unlike earlier leaks, which turned out to be unofficial renders, this Xbox Series X leak is up close and brightly lit. The details are obvious and give us our best look at an Xbox Series X prototype yet.

News         April 25, 2023

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 hands-on review: A gaming laptop with its own light show

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 is a laptop you need to pay attention to, and not just because it has 1,215 LEDs embedded in its lid. This laptop packs the latest hardware from AMD and Nvidia into a 14-inch chassis that's only 3.5 pounds. Our Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 hands-on review dives into the details.

News         April 25, 2023

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus hands-on review: E-ink note-taking right on the lid

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus is a 13.3-inch laptop with a 10.8-inch e-ink display on its lid. The display can show you notifications or be used to take notes while the laptop is closed. It's a good idea, but the execution needs work. Learn more in our Lenovo ThinkBook Plus hands-on review.

News         April 25, 2023

The Xbox Series X is the wrong console for a climate crisis

Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Series X console will require a lot of power. But there may be a troubling consequence: An increase in gaming’s contribution to climate change. A significant increase in power draw from next-gen console hardware could increase gaming’s carbon footprint when exactly the opposite is needed.

Features         April 25, 2023

Gamers in the U.S. create as much carbon dioxide as 5 million cars, study says

A new study puts the spotlight on gaming's power consumption, and it's not good news. It finds that gaming energy use in the United States puts out carbon dioxide equal to 5 million cars, more than all freezers nationwide.

News         April 25, 2023

Is Microsoft’s 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 a gaming laptop in disguise?

Microsoft's Surface Laptop 3 15-inch has an AMD Ryzen processor and AMD Vega graphics. Does that mean it's a gaming laptop in disguise? We answer that question by taking a look at the hardware specifications to determine how the Surface Laptop 3 will perform in modern games.

Features         April 25, 2023

Don’t get your hopes up. Here are 5 ways that Google Stadia could fail

Google's Stadia wants to revolutionize gaming, but achieving that goal won't be easy. There's numerous obstacles, any of which could cancel Stadia's plans for cloud gaming dominance. Here's 5 problems Stadia must avoid.

News         April 25, 2023

Minecraft Earth hands-on preview: The next big AR craze Is coming

Minecraft Earth is a new mobile augmented reality game from Microsoft that has Pokémon Go dead in its sites. The cute monster collect-them-all started the genre, but Minecraft Earth is about to prove what augmented reality can really do.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

Everything you need to know about Minecraft Earth

Minecraft Earth is the new augmented reality mobile game that uses the Minecraft engine. We've rounded up everything you need to know including the release date, features, price, phone compatibility, and more.

Guides         April 25, 2023

Microsoft Surface Hub 2S hands-on review

Slim, light, and intuitive, the new Microsoft Surface Hub 2S wants to change the way you collaborate at work. That’s a lofty goal, but as our Surface Hub 2S hands-on review details, it’s one this device seems well equipped to achieve. Just don’t hope to buy one for your home.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

AMD’s Radeon VII delivers top-tier performance the old-fashioned way. Raw power

AMD's Radeon VII is its second-generation Vega video card, and strong competition for Nvidia's RTX 2080. Though it doesn't have ray tracing, the Radeon VII tries to achieve excellent performance the old-fashioned way. Raw power. Can the Radeon VII beat Nvidia's RTX 2080?

Reviews         April 25, 2023

‘Battlefield V’ ray tracing tested: Can a patch save RTX?

‘Battlefield V’ is the first game to use Nvidia’s ray tracing support, now available with the RTX 2080 and 2080 Ti graphics cards. The feature can, in an ideal scenario, make the game look better, but the performance hit may not be worth it. Our in-depth ‘Battlefield V’ DXR ray tracing tests measure the quality gained and performance lost.

Features         April 25, 2023

Here’s everything Sony revealed at its E3 2018 press conference

Sony came to E3 2018 with a focus on four heavy-hitting titles, three of which had yet to debut gameplay. The conference delivered on the promise to dig deep into each of the titles, including The Last of Us: Part II. In the end, though, Sony left PlayStation fans with as many questions as answers.

News         April 25, 2023

To put a quantum computer on your desk, Intel has a plan unlike any other

Quantum computers, once they become common, will complete difficult tasks thousands of times more quickly than current PCs. That could obviously threaten a classic chipmaker like Intel, but it plans to use its knowledge of silicon production to build quantum chips more quickly than its peers.

Features         April 25, 2023

Facebook’s very, very sorry, and it has absolutely no intention to change

Facebook’s F8 developer conference saw the company and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, discuss new features like Dating and Clear History. While lip service was given to issues like data security and privacy, few good solutions were offered. That should be no surprise given Facebook’s history with Cambridge Analytica, and many others.

Features         April 25, 2023

Inside the Intel lab that put a legit gaming desktop in the palm of your hand

Meta description: Intel’s Next Unit of Computing, or NUC, has worked hard to miniaturize desktops over the last six years. Now, with the help of AMD’s Vega, its taking pint-sized performance to the next level. We took an inside look at the lab where it all happened.

Best Ofs         April 25, 2023

Dell XPS 13 9370 review

The redesigned Dell XPS 13 doesn’t reinvent the laptop’s winning formula but does offer much-needed tweaks including the latest Intel hardware and a thinner, lighter body.

Reviews         April 25, 2023

Best computing product of 2017

2017 is the year of the 2-in-1, but the device that started it all is still in the lead. Here's the best computing product of 2017.

Best Ofs         April 25, 2023

CES proves 2017 is the year the PC platform will solve its oldest problems

This year's show felt like a big one for PC enthusiasts, but not because of new tech. Most the trends focus on ways to solve old problems.

News         April 25, 2023

Apple’s new MacBook Pro doesn’t outrun competitors, but the Touch Bar is special

Apple’s new MacBook Pros bring an innovative Touch Bar that the world has never seen before, but high prices, so-so specs and a persistent reluctance to embrace touchscreens may hold the Mac back.

Features         April 25, 2023

Nintendo’s Switch is small, but it can slug it out with PS4 and Xbox One

While exact hardware specifications for the Nintendo Switch haven’t been released, we know enough to say how it’ll stack up against the Xbox One and PS4.

Features         April 25, 2023