Spotify began testing a new content format on Tuesday: narrated long-form magazine articles, slotted in alongside audiobooks rather than podcasts.
The launch announced from the company’s newsroom on Tuesday morning, includes more than 650 English-language pieces from a roster that runs through Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, Vibe, GQ, WIRED, Vanity Fair and Pitchfork.
The Articles, as Spotify is calling them, are each under two hours long and produced in-house by the company’s Spotify Audiobooks team. Premium users in the 22 markets where audiobooks are available can listen as part of their monthly audiobook allowance.
Free users can buy individual pieces for $1.99. The product is positioned, in Spotify’s framing, as a gateway between podcasts and full-length books, on the same logic the company has used to defend its audiobook bet: shorter listens reduce the friction that puts new readers off committing to a 12-hour novel.
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The strategic interest here is the timing. Spotify spent the back half of the 2010s acquiring narrative-journalism podcast studios at scale, including Gimlet Media for around $230m and The Ringer for $200m.
Both have since been substantially restructured, with repeated rounds of layoffs at The Ringer and Spotify Studios across 2024 and 2025 as the company pulled back from expensive narrative documentary work in favour of cheaper conversational and video podcasts.
Today’s Articles launch is, in effect, Spotify re-entering the journalism business through the audiobook door rather than the podcast one, this time as a licensor of finished magazine work rather than as a producer of original reporting.
The licensing economics also look different. Magazine articles are cheaper to acquire than commissioned narrative podcasts, narration costs are lower than studio production, and the supply pool is enormous. T
he model also lets Spotify avoid the editorial and trust-and-safety overhead that has dogged its podcast business. Publications are doing the editing; Spotify is doing the narration and the distribution.
The launch sits inside an unusually busy stretch for the audiobook division. Spotify hit roughly 700,000 audiobook titles across the 22 markets where the product is live, up from 150,000 since launch, with listening hours growing 60% year-on-year.
The Bookshop.org partnership for selling physical books in the US and UK launched in April; Audiobook Charts arrived in February; Page Match, which lets a reader scan a printed page to jump to the corresponding audiobook timestamp, now works in more than 30 languages. Audiobooks+, the €10-per-month add-on, is nearing $100m in annualised revenue.
What remains untested is whether magazine readers actually want to listen to articles rather than read them. Audible has offered a narrated New York Times product for years; The Economist, FT and others have invested heavily in app-native narration; none has produced a clear monetisation breakout.
The 650-piece test is small enough that Spotify can scale it back quickly if engagement disappoints, large enough to signal intent to the magazine industry that Spotify is open for licensing.
The publishers participating in the launch did not separately disclose financial terms. Spotify, in keeping with its general approach to product trials, is calling this one a test rather than a launch. The pricing, the markets and the title roster are all explicitly subject to change.
I’ve driven a lot of EVs lately, and many of them seem obsessed with feeling futuristic at all costs. Some are great tech showcases, but not all of them are particularly easy to live with day to day.
The 2026 Polestar 3 Dual Motor Performance is different because it doesn’t lean into that over-the-top EV personality. It feels like a proper luxury SUV first, and an electric vehicle second.
With 680 horsepower on tap, it’s seriously quick when you want it to be. But the real story is how normal it feels when you’re just going about daily driving.
Pros
Cons
Feels more like a normal luxury SUV than a typical EV
Strong performance
Excellent interior quality
Firm ride
Smaller cargo space than rivals
Expensive options that put the price up quickly
A luxury SUV first, an EV second
It behaves more like a traditional premium SUV than a futuristic EV
The first thing you notice about the 2026 Polestar 3 is how little it tries to act like a typical EV. It doesn’t lean on gimmicks or exaggerated futuristic styling cues.
Instead, it feels like a well-sorted luxury SUV that just happens to be electric. That approach instantly separates it from much of the competition.
The steering feels natural, and the ride is controlled without feeling overly soft or disconnected. It avoids the detached “floating tech pod” sensation that some EVs still struggle with.
Even in Performance trim, it never feels dramatic for the sake of it. Everything is tuned around calmness and everyday usability.
This EV SUV surprised me—it’s packed with space and comfort, even if the drive itself is a bit mellow.
A driving position that feels more focused than expected
Lower, tighter, and more engaging than a large SUV has any right to be
Credit: Adam Gray | How-To Geek
You sit lower in the Polestar 3 than you might expect for a large SUV. That gives it a slightly cocooned driving position that feels more focused than most rivals.
At first, it almost feels like you’re in something smaller and more sports-oriented. That illusion works especially well in everyday driving.
But the reality check comes when you push harder. The weight shows up under braking and reminds you what this really is.
Most functions are handled through a large central touchscreen running Google’s system. It looks excellent, but it takes time to get used to.
Core controls like drive settings and climate adjustments aren’t instantly accessible. It keeps the cabin visually clean but less immediate in use.
There are also quirks like relocated rear window switches and unlabeled steering wheel buttons. They don’t ruin the experience, but they do take time to learn.
BMW has just revealed its all-new 2026 iX3, a sleek electric SUV designed to rival Tesla with cutting-edge tech, bold design, and impressive range.
A surprisingly roomy and practical luxury SUV
Family-friendly space despite the coupe-like profile
Credit: Adam Gray | How-To Geek
Rear seat space is one of the Polestar 3’s strongest points. The five-seat layout allows generous legroom throughout.
Even taller passengers won’t struggle for space in the back. Headroom is slightly limited by the sloping roofline, but it doesn’t feel restrictive.
Cargo space is average for the class, with a shallow load floor and raised cargo area. You also get underfloor storage plus a small frunk for charging cables and small items.
Polestar has removed most physical controls in favor of a screen-first interior. That keeps the design clean but increases the learning curve.
The 14.5-inch display looks sharp and responds quickly, but key functions often take more steps than expected. Even simple adjustments aren’t always immediate.
It reinforces the modern EV feel, but it also highlights the tradeoff. This is where the “normal SUV feel” starts to give way to full EV complexity.
Hyundai’s flagship three-row EV gets a darker Black Ink makeover and the kind of upscale feel you’d normally expect from far pricier SUVs.
What’s new for 2026
A technical overhaul that fixes early shortcomings
Credit: Adam Gray | How-To Geek
The Polestar 3 had a difficult start to life, with delays and early software issues affecting its rollout. This update feels like the version it should have launched as.
The biggest change is the switch to an 800-volt electrical architecture. That brings much faster charging speeds and shorter stops on compatible fast chargers.
All versions also get new batteries and updated in-house motors. The lineup has been simplified into three clearer variants based on powertrain.
The Dual Motor Performance model now produces 680 horsepower. Despite that, it still feels more like a relaxed luxury SUV than a performance machine most of the time.
You should avoid these cars new, but used examples are a bargain.
Pricing and what you actually get for the money
Expensive, but it feels properly equipped before options get involved
Credit: Adam Gray | How-To Geek
The 2026 Polestar 3 starts at £71,540 ($91,000), rising to £79,540 ($101,000) for the Dual Motor and £87,040 ($111,000) for the Performance. That puts it firmly against the BMW iX and Mercedes EQE SUV rather than mainstream electric SUVs.
Standard equipment is strong across the range, with 20-inch alloy wheels, a 14.5-inch portrait touchscreen, a Bowers & Wilkins sound system, and a full suite of driver assistance tech. It feels well-equipped even before options enter the conversation.
Move up to the Dual Motor and you get dual-chamber air suspension and subtle Swedish gold detailing. The Performance model adds significant power, revised chassis tuning, gold Brembo brake calipers, and gold seatbelts.
Where costs rise is options. Paint starts at £1,000 ($1,270), while Bridge of Weir leather upholstery costs around £3,900 ($4,950).
Even so, it feels more complete out of the box than many rivals in this segment. The base price is high, but it doesn’t feel stripped back or artificially entry-level.
Subaru’s new three-row EV packs 420 horspower, real off-road chops, and enough space for the whole family—without feeling boring.
How-To Geek’s take
An EV that finally behaves like a normal car first
Credit: Adam Gray | How-To Geek
The updated Polestar 3 doesn’t try to reinvent what an electric SUV should be. Instead, it focuses on feeling familiar, calm, and easy to live with.
It still has compromises, including a firm ride and heavy touchscreen reliance. But it avoids the overly futuristic feel that turns some drivers away from EVs entirely.
That’s what makes it work. It feels like an electric SUV for people who don’t usually like electric SUVs, and it commits to that idea from start to finish.
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