Arcane season 2 may be a long way away, but there's been plenty for the League of Legends (LoL) animated series to celebrate in recent times. The show's first season swept the board at the 2022 Annie Awards, picking up nine gongs on the night. Arcane's first outing also nabbed itself a Golden Reel prize at this year's ceremony, too, meaning that the huge Netflix hit rightly earned plenty of plaudits.
Its success won't come as a surprise to fans of the show. The Netflix series still has a 100% fresh critical rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , as well as a 96% rating among the general population four months after its initial release. In a bid to strengthen their ties with Arcane's animation studio – Fortiche – Riot Games recently acquired a non-controlling stake in the company, too. It seems, then, that Arcane is only going to get better from here on out.
With its predecessor landing multiple awards, Arcane season 2 will have a tough job on its hands if it hopes to replicate (or surpass) season 1's unparalleled success. It's got to do so, of course: Arcane season 2 is likely to arrive before early 2023, and we're only too happy to wait if it means it's as good (at the very least) as the show's first season. You can check out our chat with the cast and crew about season 1 if you want more details on its development before season 2 arrives.
While we wait, what we do know about Arcane season 2? Below, you'll find more information on everything surrounding Arcane's second season ahead of its launch on Netflix, including its possible release date, story threads, returning characters, and more. Major spoilers follow for Arcane season 1 .
Arcane season 2 release date: what we know
There’s no official release date for Arcane season 2 yet. We know it’s on the way, though, after the show’s return was announced following the season 1 finale:
The above teaser doesn’t give anything away, apart from revealing that season 2 is in production and that three season 1 characters will return (more on this later). Still, we’re delighted that Arcane is getting a second outing. It certainly deserves one.
But when will it return to Netflix? Right now, that’s hard to say as we don’t know how far along season 2 is. But don’t expect it to arrive in 2022, according to Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent, who tweeted that the next entry in the series won’t be ready for next year:
Expect Arcane season 2 to drop sometime in 2023, then. Given that Fortiche Productions recently posted a job advert for new FX3D artists for season 2 (thanks for the heads up, Reddit !), development on season 2 is still in the early stages, too.
Don't expect Riot Games' recent acquisition of a non-controlling stake in Fortiche to move things along at a quicker pace either. While the move will allow the two companies to work closer "during the early ideation and storyboard development of Arcane and has been a key partner throughout the development of the show", they'll still need to take their time to ensure every inch of season 2's production is as good as it can be.
We’re happy to wait, though: the show evidently needs lots of care and attention to make it as good as it is, and rushing it will only make for a poor follow-up. Hopefully, season 2 will be with us in early 2023 but, even if it isn’t, we’d happily wait until December 31, 2023 for the season 2 premiere.
Arcane season 2 plot: what's the story about?
Major spoilers follow for Arcane season 1.
If you’ve watched Arcane’s first season, you’ll know that some characters may not be back for its next batch of episodes. That’s because, during the season 1 finale, Jinx fired an arcane crystal rocket at Piltover’s council chamber with many main and supporting characters trapped inside. Those present in the chamber when the rocket exploded included Jayce, Mel, Viktor, Cassandra, Hoskel, Bolbok, Shoola and Salo.
And we don’t expect all of those individuals to survive. If we had to guess, we’d say Mel and Cassandra, at the very least, will have perished or been severely injured. That would give Jayce and Caitlyn a major incentive to pursue Jinx, as Mel and Cassandra are Jayce’s partner and Caitlyn’s mother, respectively.
So we suspect that Arcane season 2 will see Jayce walk back on his promise to give Zaun its independence from Piltover, especially now that Jinx (a Zaun citizen) carried out a terrorist attack on the latter’s council.
Caitlyn, too, could be out for revenge if her mother was hurt or killed, which would put her at odds with Vi, whom Caitlyn had become close with. The latter is Jinx’s sister, after all, so Vi will likely be caught in a difficult situation: help Caitlyn and Jayce to bring her sister to justice, or try to ‘save’ Jinx from herself, which would put her in opposition with Caitlyn and Jayce.
That isn't the only thing that may drive a wedge between Caitlyn and Vi, either. Responding to a fan on Twitter about whether Caitlyn knows that it was Vi and her gang who blew up Jayce's lab at the start of season 2, Arcane writer Amanda Overton revealed that wasn't the case. Could Caitlyn learn the truth in the show's second season? It's highly possible, and we suspect she'll be mad if she does.
Regardless, expect the brewing war between Piltover and Zaun to take center stage in Arcane season 2. Tensions were already simmering between the two nations throughout the show’s first season, and we wouldn’t be surprised if a full-blown conflict begins as a result of Jinx’s attack on Piltover’s council.
As for other story threads that Arcane season 2 will need to deal with, we’re expecting to see Heimerdinger and Ekko continue to work together to help the undercity. With the former voted off Piltover’s council in season 1 episode 7, he bumped into an injured Ekko on the streets of Zaun in episode 8. The pair bond over their shared love of technology and, after Heimerdinger helps Ekko to return home, the duo decide to collaborate and try to ease Zaun’s suffering.
We’ll also need to see whether Viktor will completely lose himself completely to his Hextech research. He’s already inadvertently murdered his childhood friend Sky as a result of his Hexcore studies, and it appears that he’ll walk a darker path in season 2. If we know anything about LoL lore, there’s every chance that we could see Viktor use Hextech to cybernetically enhance his body further and become the LoL champion that diehard LoL fans know him to be.
Arcane season 2 cast: who is returning?
Again, there’s no confirmation on this front. But, based on the teaser above, we’re confident that a trio of female characters will be back for Arcane’s sequel:
As the above tweet’s video suggests, Vi, Jinx and Caitlyn will all be back for Arcane season 2. We hear the trio’s voices at various points in the teaser and, given that all three watched on during that explosive season 1 finale, rather than being present in the room, we know that they’re safe from harm and should return for season 2.
So who else may return? That’ll depend on who survives the Piltover council chamber attack. As we said earlier, we think that Mel and/or Cassandra could be casualties of Jinx’s strike, while any of the other council members may die or be injured, too. We would expect Jayce to survive, though. He has a bigger role to play, in our view, and he’ll no doubt want to bring Jinx to justice for her crimes.
Additionally, Ekko and Heimerdinger should be back for season 2. The duo weren’t part of the council chamber attack, so they should return and we’ll see how their character arcs progress in Arcane’s second season. Viktor, too, should return, even though he was in the council chamber at the time of Jinx's attack.
There are likely to be new faces introduced in season 2 as well. There were plenty of deaths in Arcane’s first outing – Silco, Vander and Marcus to name three – so there’s a need for new supporting characters. We have no idea who might show up, but there are lots of LoL heroes and villains that Riot, Netflix and Fortiche Productions can pull from the game franchise’s universe and use for the animated series.
Arcane season 2 trailer: is there one?
No, and it’ll be a while before we see one. Once one is released, we’ll update this section.
Arcane season 2: does it deserve another outing?
Yes, clearly. The show holds a 100% ‘fresh’ rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes among critics, while it also has a 96% ‘fresh’ rating based on audience reviews, too.
Given its critical acclaim and popularity, Arcane season 2 was a formality. That may not have been the case ahead of release but, as soon as Netflix saw how well it was performing, it was only a matter of time before the company renewed it for a second outing.
There’s plenty of story left to tell, character arcs to tie up, and new individuals and champions to introduce, so Arcane will never be out of ideas from plot or character development perspectives. We’re also big fans of Fortiche’s visuals for the animated series, too, so we’d be happy to see many more instalments in the TV show.
The Nextbase iQ is a Google Nest-style dash cam with clever AI smarts
If you’ve been looking for a cloud-connected dash cam that combines 4K recording with Google Nest-style security features, the Nextbase iQ could be your next big car upgrade.
The iQ will be a triple-camera setup that can record both inside and outside your vehicle. The view in front will be recorded in 4K, while the rear and cabin views will be in 1440p. But this all-seeing eye’s special sauce will be its new AI-powered features, including ‘Spatial Awareness’ (for recording incidents when you’re away from the car) and ‘Roadwatch AI’, which will be able to monitor the speed and trajectories of other vehicles.
The only downside? The Nextbase iQ won’t be available until Autumn 2022, which for those in the southern hemisphere means somewhere between September and the end of November. That’s quite a long wait for the dash cam, but Nextbase thinks the iQ is going to be worth the wait.
The Nextbase 622GW currently tops the charts in our guide to the best dash cams, but the iQ is going to bring a host of new features that aren’t available on that flagship model. Alongside those AI-powered features, the iQ will also offer real-time cloud uploads (via both Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity) and a new dedicated app for real-time alerts and checking your vehicle’s video feed from afar.
This means the iQ will offer similar functionality to a home security camera like the Google Nest Cam , along with the real-time video analysis that can warn you of nearby threats and capture footage that could prove useful in the event of an accident.
Other features will include voice control, GPS tracking and a ‘Vehicle Aware’ system that will apparently warn you of dangers from other cars or pedestrians in front of your vehicle. These join existing features that we’ve seen in previous Nextbase dash cams, like the subscription-based ‘Emergency SOS’ feature for automatically alerting the emergency services with your location after an accident.
There’s no price for the Nextbase iQ yet, but given the range of features we can expect it to cost more than the Nextbase 622GW (£249 / $319.99 / AU$549.99) when it arrives in the third quarter of 2022.
Analysis: AI camera tech meets the humble dash cam
With many modern cars from the likes of BMW, Tesla and Citreon now including built-in dash cameras, Nextbase is clearly keen to take the tech in its third-party options to the next level – and that’s what it appears to have done with the iQ.
This has been possible thanks to what Nextbase is calling a new AI-capable chipset, which should allow the iQ to receive updates via the cloud. The downside of this new chip, though, is that we’ll have to wait a while to see whether the iQ lives up to its claims. Hopefully that Autumn 2022 release date won’t get pushed back further by the global chip shortage.
Still, on paper, the iQ certainly sounds like a compelling combination of a Google Next-style security camera for your car and a smart assistant for capturing accident-based videos. We’ve previously been impressed by the quality of Nextbase’s low-light video quality, which can help you pick out number plates in challenging weather, and that’s again been promised on the iQ.
But it’s the iQ’s apparent ability to automatically anticipate incidents, whether you’re in the vehicle or away from it, that sounds like a particularly useful upgrade compared to simpler dash cams. Combine that with voice-activated recording and a ‘live view’ mode for tuning into its cameras and you have a potentially compelling accessory, particularly for older vehicles that may lack in-car smarts.
Whether or not these features all work as well as Nextbase claims is something we look forward to discovering when the iQ lands later this year.
10 best upcoming phones of 2022: the handsets we're excited to see
2021 was a good year for phones, but 2022 could be even better. Already we've seen the Samsung Galaxy S22 range for example, complete with a radically different Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra , and Apple has launched a new phone in the form of the affordable iPhone SE (2022) , while looking ahead there's talk of a massive overhaul for the iPhone 14 Pro , loads of new foldable phones , and dependable flagships.
So there's a lot on the horizon, and some of it is coming very soon, with many of 2022's biggest phones expected in the first few months of the year.
Below, we've highlighted the most interesting options that we’re expecting to see throughout 2022 - both those coming soon and those later in the year. These are phones that in most cases are likely to be great, and at the very least should be interesting, unusual, or innovative.
iPhone 14 range
It's an obvious pick but the iPhone 14 and its siblings are the most highly anticipated phones of 2022, so we can't not include them here.
That hype is justified too, as it's rumored that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will have totally new designs , with no notch and a punch-hole camera instead (or possibly two camera cut-outs ).
We've also heard that there might be a new model in the form of the iPhone 14 Max - a basic iPhone with a big 6.7-inch screen, which could land instead of an iPhone 14 mini.
Leaks also point to big camera upgrades, with 48MP sensors possibly on the cards (up from 12MP on current models), and these being iPhones they're sure to have an enormous amount of power.
Expect lots more leaks to roll in ahead of the launch of the iPhone 14 range, likely in September.
OnePlus 10 Pro
The OnePlus 10 Pro has actually already been announced, but at the time of writing it's not available yet, so we're still counting this as an upcoming phone.
The OnePlus 10 Pro has a 6.7-inch 1440 x 3216 AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 5,000mAh battery, and a triple-lens camera, with a 48MP main one, a 50MP ultra-wide, and an 8MP telephoto (with 3.3x optical zoom).
It remains to be seen how well all of this will come together in practice, but we’re eager to find out. Expect to see the OnePlus 10 Pro in US and UK stores by the end of March.
Google Pixel 7
We don't know much about the Google Pixel 7 yet, but we're confident it's on the way - though it probably won't launch until October 2022.
After Google’s massive overhaul to the Pixel 6 range, we might not see such big changes this time, but the Pixel 6 reinvigorated the lineup and made us excited about it again. So even if the Google Pixel 7 is just a more polished version of that, we'll take it.
Early leaks point to a successor to the Google Tensor chipset , unsurprisingly, and to the Pixel 7 having similar cameras to the Pixel 6. There's also a suggestion that we might only see one model in 2022, so perhaps there won't be a Google Pixel 7 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
The Galaxy S23 isn't the only Samsung phone that we're highly anticipating; the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is also expected, and it could be the best foldable phone not just from Samsung but from any company.
This probably won't land until August or September, but when it does it might have a lighter and more dust and water-resistant design than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 , coupled with a bigger battery, and an improved under-display camera .
In fact, one source reckons the Galaxy Z Fold 4 might have two significantly upgraded under-display cameras, with Samsung possibly offering the same snappers here as on the Samsung Galaxy S22. It's also likely to have a slot for the S Pen stylus going by leaks.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
The Sony Xperia 1 III is the best phone Sony has launched in quite a while, and it's left us excited for the Sony Xperia 1 IV , which is likely to be unveiled in early 2022 - possibly in April.
So far we haven't heard much about it, but one source suggests it will use the same 50MP main camera as the Google Pixel 6, while elsewhere we've heard that Sony might use a home-made sensor for the front-facing camera.
Whatever the case, we'd expect good things from the camera, as that's often an area Sony focuses on. That, and the screen, which based on past form is likely to have at least a 4K resolution. Though if you were hoping for a new design, you might be out of luck .
Huawei P50 range
The Huawei P50 range has actually already been announced, but it's initially only available in China, so we're still waiting for a global launch.
It could be worth the wait though, as the top model - the Huawei P50 Pro - has a 6.6-inch 1228 x 2700 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 888 chipset, up to 12GB of RAM, and a quad-lens camera, with a 50MP main sensor, a 64MP telephoto one (with 3.5x optical and 200x digital zoom), a 13MP ultra-wide, and a 40MP monochrome camera.
It also has a 4,360mAh battery with 66W fast charging, but due to the ongoing Huawei ban it runs the company's new HarmonyOS 2 rather than Android, and is also stuck without 5G.
The standard Huawei P50 is a similar phone in a lot of ways, but with a slightly smaller screen, a 90Hz refresh rate, a 4,100mAh battery, and a different camera arrangement, consisting of a 50MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, and 12MP telephoto camera, with 5x optical zoom.
Google Pixel Fold
The Google Pixel Fold is a phone that we've been hearing about for years, and more recently we've heard that it might land in late 2022 .
From what we've heard so far, the Google Pixel Fold might have a 7.6-inch foldable OLED screen and the same Tensor chipset as the Pixel 6 range. We'd take all of this with a pinch of salt for now, but this could end up being one of the few non-Samsung foldable phones that's worth getting excited about.
Xiaomi 12 Ultra
The Xiaomi 12 has already landed, but the range might not stop with that and the Xiaomi 12 Pro, as there's talk of a Xiaomi 12 Ultra as well.
This is still the stuff of rumors so far, but reportedly it could have an enormous rear camera bump , rippling with lenses. That's on top of specs that will otherwise be at least as high-end as the rest of the range, meaning a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, a 120Hz refresh rate screen, and 12GB of RAM at a minimum.
Somehow, Xiaomi might also have an even higher end phone planned, with whispers of a Xiaomi 12 Ultra Enhanced . All we can say about that so far is that you should probably start saving if you hope to buy it.
Nokia 10
We’ve been waiting for the Nokia 10 for a long time, so much so that it’s gone through a few names since it started being rumored – originally it was thought to be launching as the Nokia 9.1, but as time went on that changed to Nokia 9.2, 9.3, and then Nokia 10. We've even now heard that it could land as the Nokia X60, given the brand's new naming scheme for its phones.
It's also unclear when this phone will actually land, with numerous rumored release timings having been and gone with no sign of it.
But it could be worth waiting for, as rumors point to an in-screen selfie camera , a sapphire glass display, a penta-lens camera , a 108MP or 200MP main sensor, a 6,000mAh battery, a 144Hz refresh rate for the screen, and a top-end Snapdragon chipset. So this could be a very premium phone - if it ever arrives.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 probably won't be as exciting or high-end as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, but what it likely will be is a whole lot more affordable - and leaks suggest that it could be by far Samsung's most popular foldable phone yet as a result.
Current rumors point to the Galaxy Z Flip 4 being very similar to the Z Flip 3, with a 6.7-inch main screen and a 1.9-inch cover display, though elsewhere we've heard that the cover display might grow slightly, and the phone might also gain a third rear camera and a bigger battery.
Expect this phone to launch in or around August.