TL;DR: Get the InstaHeadshots Premium Plan for $59.99 (reg. $200) and receive 50 AI-generated headshots, five styles, and 50 edit credits.

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InstaHeadshots can create professional-looking AI headshots in about 15 minutes, without requiring a professional photoshoot. The InstaHeadshots Premium Plan is on sale for $59.99 (reg. $200), and all you need to get started is 10 photos of yourself.

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If AI-generated photography fits what you’re looking for, this deal offers a sizable collection of professional headshots. Get the InstaHeadshots Premium Plan for $59.99 (reg. $200) while it’s on sale.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

What looked, on the surface, like a clear case of copyright infringement has taken a surprising turn in court, as a judge for the District Court of Delaware has ruled that, because X abandoned both the term "tweet" and the blue bird logo, both are now fair game.

In deference to the judge's decision and to pre-empt any further potential legal action, Operation Bluebird has re-rebranded, transforming Twitter.now into Tweet.app, under the tagline "The square is back. And this time, it's yours."

Back in 2023, Elon Musk rebranded the platform entirely, nixing the Twitter name and iconic blue bird logo in favor of a simplified X. And now a brash startup, originally named Operation Bluebird, has attempted to swoop in and pick up the abandoned iconography, creating a social media platform called Twitter.now that recycles both the concept of a "tweet" and the blue bird logo of the OG Twitter. 

What looked, on the surface, like a clear case of copyright infringement has taken a surprising turn in court, as a judge for the District Court of Delaware has ruled that, because X abandoned both the term "tweet" and the blue bird logo, both are now fair game. Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly did draw the line at the use of "Twitter" in the name, however, arguing that because X still owns the Twitter.com domain name, and because the site is still referred to as Twitter by many of its users, a dual-use authorization would create confusion. 

They go on to take a direct shot at both X.com and Elon Musk: "The richest man alive bought the town square, renamed it, and threw the bird away on his way out. Three years and a great deal of money later, people still say tweet. So we went back and picked up what he dropped, and rebuilt the square on the thing that got sold off first: Trust."

As of this writing, Tweet.app is not yet live, but you can become an early subscriber as either a Founder ("You were here at the start") for a one-time payment of $20 or a Fighter (“You didn't just show up — you stood up”) for $40. According to Tech Crunch, more than 170,000 people have already signed up. 

Is Tweet.app destined to supplant X.com or will it fizzle out in costly legal disputes? Only time will tell. 

The District Court of Minnesota has rejected the efforts of Elon Musk's xAI to seek an injunction to suspend the law until a court could hear its constitutional challenge to the law itself, according to a report by Reuters. Judge Donovan W. Frank, in his Conclusion, argued that "xAI has not demonstrated irreparable harm and the balance of harms tips steeply in favor of the State."

The bill Musk is trying to fight was recently passed into law by Minnesota, becoming the nation's first anti-nudification law. Companies found in violation of this law would be subject to fines of up to $500,000 every time artificial intelligence is used to alter images to depict the "intimate parts" of a person in such a way that "a reasonable person would believe that the intimate part belongs to the identifiable individual."

xAI is alleging that the Minnesota bill is a First Amendment violation of not only itself, as a corporate entity, but also a violation of the rights of its users. That larger lawsuit has yet to go to trial, but Attorney General Keith Ellison has already given his unvarnished opinion: "I would argue that there is no First Amendment right to falsely exploit somebody’s image and make them appear naked."

Meanwhile, xAI is already being sued by a "Jane Doe" in Arkansas, alleging that xAI "chose to release and monetize a product that they knew, or at minimum should have known, could and would be used to digitally exploit children for commercial gain." 

Interestingly, xAI's own Acceptable Use Policy explicitly forbids "[u]ndressing or nudifying real persons, or otherwise altering a real person’s image or likeness to depict them in an intimate or sexual context," so it isn't clear why they are simultaneously taking the state of Minnesota to court for a law that would criminalize behavior they already ostensibly prohibit, unless their Acceptable Use Policy is little more than an attempt to indemnify them against legal repercussions. 

In the meantime, xAI's lawsuit will be allowed to continue, and anyone concerned about the future use and regulation of artificial intelligence should pay very close attention to the findings.

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch college football.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: East coast conference

• Green: Southern cities

• Blue: Pro Tigers

• Purple: School icons

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: ACC Schools

• Green: SEC School Locations

• Blue: LSU Alumni in NFL

• Purple: Live College Football Mascots

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections: Sports Edition #712 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• ACC Schools: CLEMSON, LOUISVILLE, STANFORD, VIRGINIA

• SEC School Locations: BATON ROUGE, COLUMBIA, NORMAN, STARKVILLE

• LSU Alumni in NFL: BURROW, CHASE, DANIELS, JEFFERSON

• Live College Football Mascots: RALPHIE, REVEILLE, SMOKEY, UGA

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalog.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

Easy difficulty hints, answers for September 5 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-5, placed horizonally.

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 5-2, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 6-1, placed horizontally.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for September 5 Pips

Greater Than (0): Everything in this space must be greater than 0. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally.

Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically; 5-0, placed vertically.

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 0-6, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed vertically.

Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for September 5 Pips

Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 1-5, placed vertically; 5-3, placed vertically; 5-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this red space must add up to 3. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically.

Number (3): Everything in this red space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-2, placed vertically.

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.

Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 0-6, placed vertically; 4-5, placed vertically.

Number (15): Everything in this space must add up to 15. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically; 6-6, placed vertically.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed vertically.

Greater Than (3): Everything in this space must be greater than 3. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 4-2, placed vertically.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

In the latest incident of AI malfeasance, rogue AI agents were caught taking control of a German-language wiki site, DseWiki, and using it as a kind of messaging board to communicate with other rogue AI agents, according to reporting from Reuters.

The full investigation, conducted by four independent AI safety researchers, was only published yesterday, but it reveals a troubling loss of oversight.

"We found ~18,000 posts from autonomous AI agents (self-identifying as from OpenAI) using the public internet to communicate during a web-retrieval task," the report reads. "These AIs colluded to share answers, research their environment, and bypass sandbox restrictions."

Another troubling discovery about both the AI agents is that while the safety researchers are convinced that the AI agents originated from OpenAI, the company itself has taken no responsibility for the breach.

"OpenAI has not acknowledged any involvement in the breach, nor disclosed any kind of agentic breach of this nature," reports The Verge. Four company insiders, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, have even claimed that both the company and its legal team have resisted internal efforts to probe the breach. 

This incident isn't even the first of its kind. In a much more troubling and aggressive breach, rogue AI agents colluded to hack Hugging Face, the AI platform commonly described as "GitHub for AI," lately purchased by NVIDIA for more than $12 billion. The MIT Technology Review described it as "the first time outside of a simulation that LLMs escaped what was thought to be a secure sandbox, accessed the open internet, and attacked another organization," setting an extremely troubling precedent for what they might be capable of doing in the future. 

What both the DseWiki and Hugging Face incidents reveal is the problem-solving nature of artificial intelligence as well as how far it can go in service of its goals. In both cases, rogue AI agents managed to escape the impositions of their handlers, discover new repositories of knowledge, and call on other agents to collude in both learning and applying the new-found knowledge to expand their operating scope.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

Here at Mashable, we're constantly reviewing the best laptops based on an exhaustive in-house methodology that combines real-world use with performance benchmarking. In the past two years alone, we've tried over 90 different models across a range of price points.

To determine which of them fit the bill for college students, specifically, I researched the top 10 public universities' hardware recommendations for the fall 2026 semester and honed our pool of contenders based on the common threads I noticed for different majors.

I also gave special preference to laptops that are long-lasting and portable enough to be toted around campus, and those that are competitively priced for the current market. Laptops aren't cheap right now, but a solid splurge can last you well past graduation. Take advantage of student discounts whenever possible.

I eventually settled on six top picks that make the best laptops for college students. Whether you're a humanities student, a STEM major, or still undeclared, I'm confident that at least one of my options will be your ideal machine. Here's a quick overview of my recs for popular majors:

• Best for communication, fine arts, education, humanities, and healthcare majors: 13-inch Apple MacBook Air

• Best for business and economics majors: Acer Swift Edge 14 AI and Dell 14S

• Best for liberal arts majors with tight budgets: Apple MacBook Neo

• Best for engineering, computer science, and architecture majors: Acer Swift X 14 or Acer Swift X 14 AI, based on availability

• Best for graphic design, animation, and video production majors: 14-inch Apple MacBook Pro

Read on to find out why these laptops made the cut.

What to look for in a college laptop, based on my research

A Windows laptop with a mid-tier Intel Core or AMD Ryzen 7 processor is suitable for most college students. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Six of this year's 10 top-ranking public universities tell their incoming students to purchase Windows 11 laptops or MacBooks that are less than two years old. I wouldn't go any older than that for the sake of future-proofing.

Most of those schools tell their students to purchase laptops with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage at minimum. (Liberal arts majors might be able to get away with 256GB of storage, but you'll probably have to supplement that with an external hard drive.) More RAM and storage is better if your budget allows; more is mandatory if you're an engineering, design, or computer science major. Students in those fields are generally advised to get a laptop with at least 24GB to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

Your processor options are a similar story. For Windows laptops, most schools suggest a mid-range CPU like an Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 5 at minimum, and a mid- to high-end Intel Core/AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 chip for more demanding workloads. Several schools recommend tacking on a dedicated GPU for such coursework, too (i.e, Nvidia GeForce RTX/Radeon RX graphics). On the Apple side, the MacBook Air and Pro with the base M5 chip are go-to recs for most students.

Two schools tell their students not to buy ARM-based Windows laptops (with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors) because they can't run certain software natively. One software example is AutoCAD, a popular 2D and 3D design app that engineering and design students rely on heavily. I love a lot of ARM laptops because they're fast and long-lasting, and I will say that their compatibility is improving every year. Still, I've opted to keep them off my list of 2026 picks out of an abundance of caution; stick with Intel and AMD CPUs for now.

Be sure to budget for an extended warranty with accidental damage protection, as suggested by over half of the top 10 public universities. For reference, AppleCare+ for Mac costs $67.99 to $139.99 a year for students, depending on the MacBook model.

What type of laptop should college students buy?

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

This is a question that only your college can answer for sure, as laptop type recommendations can vary by major. For example, the University of Virginia and the University of California, Davis approve MacBooks for their general student populations, but their engineering departments tell certain tracks to avoid them. Likewise, UCLA's Anderson School of Management hardware requirement page says, "Mac computers are acceptable to use as primary computers for study at Anderson. However, please note that some elective course software is only available for Windows. Students are responsible for ensuring compatibility and configuring their Macs accordingly."

I can say for sure that you probably shouldn't buy a Chromebook. Three schools in my research pool discouraged them for some or all majors, and one school — the University of Florida — only recommended them "as supplemental devices." I included a Chromebook in a previous version of this guide as a secondary option for note-taking, but price increases amid the ongoing RAM shortage have made many of them just as expensive as Apple's budget MacBook Neo (if not more so), which is a much nicer and more powerful computer, relatively speaking.

Do you need your own laptop for college?

Yes, you should have your own laptop at college. Most universities let students temporarily borrow laptops through their libraries and/or tech desks. However, these loaners are available on a first-come, first-served basis and wiped upon return (i.e., you can't save anything on them long-term).

I wouldn't rely too heavily on your school's computer lab, either, because you can't take bring those desktops to class or your dorm. Ultimately, owning your own laptop is way more convenient and ensures you'll have the exact specs needed for your major's coursework.

Recent updates to this guide

• Sept. 3, 2026: I updated this guide to reflect recent pricing and availability changes for three of our picks. The Acer Swift Edge 14 AI was out of stock in new condition at the time of writing, but could return. (I'm monitoring retailers' inventories closely and will remove it from this list if it's sold out for good.) If it's unavailable when you go to buy it, you could snag a refurbished model or fall back on the Dell 14S. The latter just got an $80 to $130 price hike at different retailers, which isn't disqualifying, but you should wait to buy it on sale if possible. Finally, the Acer Swift X 14 was also out of stock when I went to check its listings. The Acer Swift X 14 AI is still a good secondary option if you can't find it.

• July 30, 2026: I added the results of the Dell 14S' battery life test. It was able to loop a video for 34 hours and 29 minutes before dying — very impressive!

• July 25, 2026: My preferred configuration of the Acer Swift X 14 is back in stock, so I added it to this guide in place of the Acer Swift X 14 AI. They're both smart buys, but the non-AI version is more powerful and lasts much longer.

• July 18, 2026: I overhauled this guide to the best laptops for college students ahead of the start of the 2026 school year. I added fresh picks from Apple, Acer, and Dell based on all-new testing and research.

Google didn't really bring the heat with most of the Pixel 11 lineup this year. The base Pixel model and the foldable Pixel 11 Pro Fold are both totally fine, but they don't stand out among the competition thanks to minor and unremarkable changes.

That's mostly true for the flagship Pixel 11 Pro as well, but what it lacks in incredible innovations, it makes up for in being a very good, very easy-to-use Android device with excellent cameras. Photography is fun on the Pixel 11 Pro, which is not something I feel about many handsets these days. A combination of hardware and software makes your images consistently look nice, even in challenging lighting conditions.

Between that and acceptable levels of performance and battery life, the new Pro is the smartphone I recommend getting in the Pixel 11 lineup. Just don't buy it for HiLight.

Google Pixel 11 Pro review: The inevitable price increase

Nice display. Credit: René Ramos / Mashable

Despite filling the lede for review with a bunch of praise for the phone, I'm going to pivot right away into something I dislike about it: the starting price. At $1,099, it's $100 more than the Pixel 10 Pro was at launch. There are some caveats to that, as I'll cover momentarily, but the fact of the matter is that you can't get a Pixel 11 Pro for (technically) less than $1,000 anymore. That stinks.

But at least the colors this year are nice: Canyon, Olive, Fog, and Obsidian. I reviewed the Canyon model and I found it pretty easy on the eyes. Here are the basic specs for the Pixel 11 Pro:

• Display: 6.3 inches with 1280x2586 resolution, 1-120Hz refresh rate, and 3,600 nits peak brightness

• Processor: Google Tensor G6

• RAM: 12/16GB

• Storage: 256/512GB/1TB

• Battery: 4,850mAh

• Rear cameras: 50MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto

• Front camera: 42MP

Alright, so, there are a few things to clarify here. The display's size and resolution haven't changed at all since the Pixel 10 Pro, but the peak brightness has, with an extra 300 nits on this year's device to boost daytime performance. In outdoor usage, I had no problem clearly seeing what was on the screen, so I'd say that little boost did its job. The base Pixel 11 didn't get the same upgrade, so that's one of the things you get for the extra money.

Camera bar is a little thick. Credit: René Ramos / Mashable

One major drawback, though, is that Google has cut the RAM on the lowest-end model to 12GB. Last year, you could get a Pixel 10 Pro with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. This year, the 256GB model is tied to 12GB of RAM, while the 512GB and 1TB models get those four extra gigs of memory. I totally get that we live in the world of RAMageddon, but it still blows to see a phone downgrade year-over-year like that. I guess I should get used to it.

HiLight doesn't impress me much

HiLight is a little light module built into the camera bar on Pixel 11 Pro devices. This is supposed to be the one major hardware innovation this year, but I just don't see it. It only lights up when Gemini is in use or when someone calls you on the phone, two use cases that almost never happen in my life (aside from spam calls). It's theoretically a decent way to notify the user that something is up when the phone is turned over, but as it is right now, HiLight is a dud.

Lastly, I'll mention that the camera bar on the Pixel 11 Pro is much bulkier than on the base model. That's not a huge deal, especially if you put a case on the phone, but it is noticeable if you happen to have used both phones.

HiLight stinks. Credit: René Ramos / Mashable

Google Pixel 11 Pro: Performance

I would describe the Pixel 11 Pro as "performant." Everything loads quickly and smoothly, and on-device AI tasks process in just a few seconds. It's not outstanding among other flagship smartphones, but these days, it's almost impossible for everyday performance to do that. Every phone is fast now. It's great.

Weirdly, the Geekbench 7 benchmarking software didn't agree with my IRL assessment. The Pixel 11 Pro got stunningly low scores on the test I ran: 1,448 for single-core CPU testing and 4,642 for multi-core testing. That's multiple thousands of points worse than the base Pixel 11, but I swear there is not a meaningful difference in practical use. Google's Tensor chips have always underperformed in Geekbench tests, so I'm guessing there's just something odd happening here that isn't really reflective of reality.

Google Pixel 11 Pro: AI features

One nice thing Google does is provide AI feature parity across its entire device lineup each year, and the Pixel 11 series is no different. As with the base Pixel 11 and the Pro Fold, the Pixel 11 Pro will use contextual on-screen prompts, such as a text message someone sent about a restaurant reservation, to surface relevant information or create calendar entries for you. These aren't exactly life-changing features, but they might save you a little bit of time.

The real AI juice this year is in Magic Capture and Rambler. Magic Capture is a new capture mode built into the Camera app that works the same as recording video, but once you're done recording, the phone will slice up the video into several clear, pristine still images for you, complete with automatic cropping and unblurring. I have found this great for getting good photos of pigeons around New York City, as they're fidgety and quick to scatter if you move too suddenly or get too close.

This guy really didn't want to be my friend. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

I'm as big an AI skeptic as there is, but Magic Capture works for me because it's genuinely useful and isn't really trying to replace any of your cognitive functions. It's not creating new information; it's just giving you usable still images from videos.

Rambler, meanwhile, is a new function built into Gboard that's able to clean up your speech-to-text recordings. If you're prone to "umms" and changing direction mid-sentence, Rambler does a nice job of turning whatever nonsense you give it into a readable sentence. I imagine this will be a godsend for people who like to dictate their text messages.

Google Pixel 11 Pro: Battery life

Who among us doesn't like lying flat on our faces? Credit: René Ramos / Mashable

Google rates each Pixel 11 device for 30 hours of battery life, and in my testing, that's about what I got out of them. The Pixel 11 Pro is no different.

Our testing method involves playing an HD video in full-screen on the device until it dies. Using that rubric, I got about 29.5 hours of juice out of the Pixel 11 Pro. As always, there are plenty of ways to squeeze even more life out of a phone, such as turning off 120Hz support and using battery-saving modes. I am confident you can go more than a full day without charging this phone.

Google Pixel 11 Pro review: The camera test

The real reason to get a Pixel 11 Pro (and this is true most years of the Pixel Pro phones) is the camera array. The rear cameras may not wow you with giant megapixel counts, but between the hardware and Google's patented software magic, it's so easy for even someone like me who knows nothing about photography to get great photos on a Pixel 11 Pro.

Every photo I took came out looking roughly like this, with clarity, vividness, and great color accuracy.

These won't be in bloom for long. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

Fall is almost here. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

Night Sight is excellent, too. These plants are nigh-invisible at night, but with Night Sight, it looks like I photographed them during the day.

Left: No Night Sight. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

Right: Night Sight. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

I'm always a fan of macro photography, and the Pixel 11 Pro takes pristine shots of things like plants up close and personal.

Macro rocks. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

I'd also like to shout out the digital zoom, which Google upped to 120x this year after it topped out at 100x on Pixel 10 Pro. This has been my favorite parlor trick on Pixel phones for a few years now. It's really amazing how good photos taken from super far away can look on this device. In the image on the left, you can't even see the church steeple that's the subject of the image on the right, but I was standing in the same place, looking in the same direction for both shots.

Nothing to see here, right? Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

It's not perfect, but for 120x zoom, that's really good. Credit: Alex Perry / Mashable

Between all of that and the addition of Magic Capture, this is a great phone for photography.

Google Pixel 11 Pro: The verdict

In case it wasn't clear, if you absolutely must have a phone from the Pixel 11 series and the extra money is not a hurdle for you, I'd recommend the Pixel 11 Pro. It's just a rock-solid Android phone with a really great photography suite. Sure, HiLight is a bust, and the camera bar is a little bulky relative to the base Pixel 11, but those are compromises that are worth living with if you want the best Pixel 11 phone.

Google Pixel 11 Pro

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We are just days away from Apple's big September iPhone event. That means that along with new iPhones, the official launch of iOS 27 is just around the corner.

Even if you're not planning to upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro or Apple's first foldable device, the new iOS 27 is packed with new features that will make your current smartphone feel brand new, including the long-awaited debut of Siri AI.

If you've installed the iOS 27 beta, then you might already have these features on your iPhone. But, if you're waiting for the official release, here are some of the top iOS 27 features you should be looking forward to.

Siri AI

This is the big one. Apple announced plans for a completely rebuilt Siri assistant years ago. Now, they're finally going to launch Siri AI, powered by Apple Intelligence, with iOS 27.

For the first time, Siri now has its own app where users can type or speak to interact with the AI assistant. Users can still interact with Siri AI from anywhere on the device by just saying "Hey Siri," holding the iPhone's side button, or swiping down on the Dynamic Island. However, Siri AI will now live within its app too, where users can pull up past interactions and conversations with Siri.

Once a user accesses Siri AI, they can ask well beyond just general questions like how the weather is outside. They can even dive deeper than asking for real-time updates from online sources. Siri can now pull contextual information from the user themself to answer questions. Siri can pull answers from a user's emails, calendars, documents, notes, photos, and more.

There are even new tools within Siri AI as well, such as Write with Siri, in which a user can speak to Siri AI, and the assistant will generate text based on what the user asked for.

Visual Intelligence

Speaking of Siri AI tools, this one deserves a callout of its own.

Visual Intelligence is a new iOS 27 feature that gives Siri AI the ability to answer questions based on what's right in front of the user. Simply point your iPhone camera at a movie on TV or a meal on the table, and Siri AI will be able to answer whatever questions you may have about it.

Users can also use Visual Intelligence to ask questions about photos, videos, or whatever else is on their iPhone screen as well.

Three new major AI photo editing tools (finally)

Apple Photos is getting a big upgrade with three new editing tools that will honestly make it feel like you've just upgraded to a new camera.

The biggest of the new features is Spatial Reframing. Using AI and the spatial data captured when snapping a photo, you can now change the angle and perspective of a picture after you've already taken it.

Extend is another new photo editing feature that uses AI to basically zoom out on a photo and generate more of the surroundings than what was captured in the original picture.

Finally, Clean Up is an improvement on a similar functionality that was already available on iOS devices. Just circle an object in a photo with your finger and Clean Up will remove the object.

Image Playground

Image Playground is getting real. 

Previously, the AI photo generation tool was mostly seen as a toy where users could generate cartoonish images. Now, Image Playground will be able to generate much more realistic photos as well.

Users will also be able to combine multiple different image elements and make additional edits via prompts to generate images.

New customization options

iOS 27 will introduce a new Liquid Glass slider, making it easier to adapt the transparency settings to your liking. In addition, if you have a relatively new iPhone, you'll also be able to customize Siri's voice.

Credit: Apple / Mashable Photo Composite

Shortcuts update

There are quite a few updates to existing apps and features in iOS 27. If you want to read more about those, you can check them out in Mashable's previous iOS 27 and Siri AI coverage (here and here).

However, one upgrade to an existing feature feels like a whole new experience, so we think it deserves a standalone mention.

Apple has reimagined Shortcuts, perhaps one of the iPhone's lesser-used features, to make it much more welcoming to the average iPhone user. Shortcuts allow the user to set up a chain of commands or automated actions. It's supposed to make complicated processes easier; however, the initial manual setup is fairly intimidating to non-technical people.

With iOS 27, users will now be able to describe exactly what automation they want to setup with Shortcuts, and then Shortcuts will handle the entire setup process.

Bonus: Multitasking on the iPhone Ultra

If you're planning to get the first-ever Apple foldable, then you'll be able to use your iPhone more like a tablet. The larger inner screen will allow you to run multiple apps side-by-side, enabling new ways to multitask on your phone. While we haven't been able to preview these features in the iOS 27 beta yet, we know they're coming thanks to hints in the code and other leaks.

Top Apple Deals we found this week:

• Apple AirTag 2 (4-Pack) — $79.99 $99 (save $20)

• Apple AirPods 4 — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M4) — $649 $749 (save $100)

• Apple iPhone Air (256GB, unlocked) — $849.99 $999.99 (save $150)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,849 $1,999 (save $150)

• Shop all the best Apple Labor Day deals

Astronomers just spotted an enormous, 10-sided shape surrounding Saturn's southern skies.

They call it a decagon because it has 10 corners and 10 long sides. It rings the planet's southern mid-latitudes, where a powerful jet stream races around the globe. 

From Earth, we don't literally look up at Saturn's underbelly. Instead, Saturn tilts on its axis, so its poles lean toward or away from us in space over its long seasons. For more than a decade, the south stayed tipped away, and even our best telescopes could not see those latitudes clearly. 

But when Saturn's tilt swung the south pole back toward Earth, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and large ground‑based observatories finally gained a clear view from 2023 to 2025.

That timing explains why the decagon appears only now and why scientists are so interested. Researchers say it gives them a chance to watch how a giant planet can sculpt its winds into sharp, angular shapes in real time.

So what is this thing, really? The decagon is not a ring of solid clouds in Saturn's sky. It's a giant atmospheric wave — a repeating bend in the winds that runs all the way around the planet.

Waves in air behave similar to waves in an ocean. Water doesn't pick up and slide across the sea in one big piece; instead, it rises and falls in place as the wave shape passes by. 

When Saturn's tilt swung the south pole back toward Earth, Hubble finally gained a clear view of the strange atmospheric wave pattern. Credit: NASA / ESA / Agustin Sánchez-Lavega / Amy Simon / Michael Wong / Alyssa Pagan

Details about the new phenomenon were published in Science Advances. 

If aliens on Saturn were to point the same telescopes at Earth, they would not see such geometric shapes in our clouds. Here, high‑altitude winds in the jet stream sometimes wobble north and south. Those bends help steer cold snaps, heat domes, and storm tracks. From space, they look messy and lumpy because continents, mountains, and coastlines keep chopping them up.

But Saturn has no continents or mountains — only deep layers of gas. That clean racetrack lets waves in the jet fall into regular patterns.

In the southern jet that hosts the decagon, the wind wiggles slightly toward the pole and slightly toward the equator as it flows. Where the wave bends one way, clouds pile up or brighten. Where it bends the other way, clouds thin out or darken. Up close, nothing actually has knife‑sharp edges, even on that alien world. But the repeated pattern tricks our eyes into seeing lines and corners.

"The most intriguing part to me is that this seems to have just formed recently," said Amy Simon, a co-author of the study based at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, in a statement. "The question is, why did it suddenly form now when we haven't seen one before?"

Each facet of the decagon stretches about 10,000 miles. Credit: NASA / ESA / Agustin Sánchez-Lavega / Amy Simon / Michael Wong / Alyssa Pagan

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The decagon is enormous. Each side spans on the order of 10,000 miles. A jet stream under it tears along at about 260 mph, while its corners slowly shift back and forth over roughly month‑long cycles.

The structure also seems to evolve. Hubble images from 2023 show only weak hints of corners. By 2024 and 2025, all 10 points appear, though some look brighter and sharper. 

A nearby storm adds another wrinkle. Just north of the decagon, astronomers track a red spot a few thousand miles wide — not to be confused with the solar system's most famous Great Read Spot on Jupiter. In some colors, it looks bright, which means its clouds reach higher than the surroundings. In ultraviolet light, it looks dark. 

The strongest corners of the decagon gather near this storm. That proximity hints that the storm and the wave share energy in the same jet, and the red spot may help trigger or influence the shape.

To test ideas, scientists built a computer simulation of Saturn's weather layer at those latitudes. They set the model's winds to match the jet, then poked and prodded it in different ways: with a line of small bumps, with a storm like the red spot, and with a neat 10-wave pattern to start.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft photographed Saturn's hexagonal atmospheric wave pattern ringing its north pole in July 2013. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech /Space Science Institute

Though the details didn't match the real decagon, the model showed that strong, curved jets can create polygon‑like waves when something nudges them.

Only after they pinned down the southern decagon did researchers compare it to Saturn's north‑pole hexagon (Yes, there's another geometric wave pattern up top). The hexagon, with its six sides, has held its shape since the Voyager flybys in the early 1980s. It stands almost fixed relative to Saturn's rotation and has fairly even sides and corners.

The southern decagon, on the other hand, looks far less stable and only showed up a few years ago. Its corners shift in strength and position, and parts of the pattern look much weaker than others. That difference tells scientists the southern wave may be more ephemeral.

"Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn between 2004 and 2017, showed no inkling of a long-lived formation, either," said Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, lead author of the study. 

The new decagon is especially valuable to scientists because it connects to a bigger puzzle across the solar system. On Jupiter, the poles host clusters of cyclones that arrange themselves into ring‑like, sometimes-polygonal patterns. By tracking Saturn's 10-sided wave through changing seasons and shifting sunlight, scientists hope to learn why some giant‑planet jets settle into tidy structures and others break into tangled storms instead.

I write about holiday sales for a living, and somehow, I still managed to forget that this Monday is a federal holiday until about an hour ago. If you also just realized that Labor Day 2026 is literally this Monday (where does the time go?), don't worry!

Here's a complete list of what stores are open and closed this Labor Day.

What stores will be open on Labor Day?

Banks, schools, and the DMV may shut down, but most businesses stay open on Labor Day so they can cash in on the sales. That said, it's always a good idea to double-check your local store hours, especially if you plan to shop later in the day.

Groceries and big-box retailers

• Walmart: The big box retailer is open with regular hours; Walmart typically operates from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

• Target: The bullseye store will also be open, generally from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., though local times may vary (check out the Target 2026 Halloween collection)

• Warehouse clubs: BJ's Wholesale Club is open during regular hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m; Sam's Club is open, but locations will close early at 6 p.m. local time. Unfortunately, Costco will be closed, however.

• Trader Joe's and Whole Foods: Trader Joe's is operating normally from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Whole Foods locations are open but will have modified holiday hours, usually around 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Aldi: Open, but locations will operate on limited hours from 8:30 a.m. and close early at 6 p.m.

• National and regional supermarkets: Kroger and its family of stores are open, though their pharmacy hours might vary. Regional grocery chains, including Stop & Shop, ShopRite, ACME, Foodtown, Lidl, and Wegmans, will also operate on open schedules. Wegmans locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m., while Stop & Shop is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Apple: The Apple store should be open if you need to grab a spare charger or fix your iPhone. However, if you're looking for the best Labor Day Apple deals, you'll need to shop online.

Hardware, department, and specialty stores

• Hardware stores: Home Depot and Lowe's are open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., though Home Depot hours can vary slightly by location. IKEA is also open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

• Department stores: Best Buy, Kohl's, Macy's, Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, JCPenney, Old Navy, Burlington, Boscov's, and Marshalls are open with regular hours.

• Discount and dollar stores: Five Below, Goodwill, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, and Family Dollar are all open and running normal hours.

• Specialty and hobby stores: Barnes and Noble, Bath & Body Works, Bass Pro Shops, Dick's Sporting Goods, Petco, PetSmart, REI, and Ulta Beauty will all be open with normal hours. Hobby Lobby is open, but operates on reduced hours from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Pharmacies: CVS and Walgreens storefronts are open. However, most Walgreens pharmacies and select CVS pharmacies will be closed, except 24-hour locations.

What restaurants are open on Labor Day?

If you're not the BBQ, cookout type (I get it) and you'd rather not spend the day cooking, most major restaurant chains and fast-food drive-thrus are open with regular hours nationwide.

• Fast food and coffee: Starbucks, Dunkin', McDonald's, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, and Burger King are generally open, though individual franchise hours can vary slightly on holidays.

• Sit-down dining: Chains like Applebee's, Chili's, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Outback Steakhouse, and Cracker Barrel keep their doors open to handle the holiday weekend crowds.

What's closed on Labor Day?

The general rule is that if it's a government building, a bank, or a membership warehouse that isn't Sam's Club or BJ's, it's closed.

• Costco: Costco is closed on Labor Day.

• Government offices: Federal, state, and local administrative offices, including courts, the DMV, and public libraries, are closed.

• Schools: Public schools and universities are closed.

• Banks: Branch locations are closed, but ATMs and online banking will still be available.

• Financial markets: The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are closed.

• Mail services: The USPS will not pick up or deliver regular mail, though Priority Mail Express will still run. UPS and FedEx will not have standard ground pickup and delivery services on Labor Day, though their critical/express services and some FedEx Office locations might have modified operating hours.

Looking for Labor Day sales online?

• The best Labor Day deals already live: Shop mattresses, tools, and TVs

• The best pre-Labor Day deals on Apple products

• The best Labor Day sales on mattresses, bedding, and pillows

• The best Labor Day home improvement deals from The Home Depot

• Shop the Ruggable pre-Labor Day sale on washable rugs

TL;DR: Through Sept. 10, get a lifetime 1min.AI Advanced Business Plan for $69.97 (reg. $540), with tools for AI chat, writing, images, PDFs, documents, audio, video, and more.

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Credit: 1minAI

1min.AI Advanced Business Plan Lifetime Subscription

$69.97
$540 Save $470.03

 

Get Deal

AI subscriptions aren’t cheap, but they’re manageable if you only use one model like ChatGPT. However, if you need tools for generating images, writing copy, analyzing documents, or translating between languages, a platform like 1min.AI is a more viable option. 

1min.AI gives you lifetime access to some of the most popular AI tools, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Mistral, and many others. It’s also only $69.97 for a lifetime subscription in honor of Labor Day (reg. $540).

1min.AI runs in your browser and pulls a ton of everyday work into one place. You can research keywords, draft blog posts, rewrite and shorten text, generate social posts, and keep a consistent brand voice across projects. There are tools to summarize or translate documents, chat with multiple PDFs at once, and spin up slide presentations. For visuals, you can generate images from prompts, upscale low-resolution pictures, remove backgrounds, extend edges, or turn rough sketches into cleaner artwork.

Here’s a small sample of the AI models you’ll get access to:

• GPT

• Claude 3 Opus and Claude 3 Sonnet

• Gemini Pro 1.5

• Llama 3

• Mistral models

The Advanced Business Plan includes 4,000,000 credits each month, plus the chance to earn up to 450,000 more through daily logins and other tasks. Credits are shared across writing, images, audio, and video, so you can lean harder on whichever tools you need that month. The plan supports up to 20 members, with shared workspaces, an unlimited prompt library, unlimited storage, and unlimited brand voices. If you don’t use all your credits, they just roll over, so you aren’t missing out if you have a lighter month.

It’s only $69.97 (reg. $540) to get a 1min.AI lifetime subscription during this Labor Day sale, through Sept. 10.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Swiftspeed AI App Builder helps you create iOS, Android, and web apps without coding, and three years of Pro access is on sale for $39.99 (reg. $432).

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Credit: Swiftspeed AI

Swiftspeed AI App Builder Pro Plan: 3-Year Subscription

$39.99
$432 Save $392.01

 

Get Deal

Ever since the rise of smartphones, there has always been “an app for that,” which also usually means “a developer is required for that.” But thanks to AI, you can now get surprisingly far into app development without knowing what a curly brace does. Swiftspeed AI App Builder uses AI and visual editing tools to help you create iOS, Android, and web apps, with three years of Pro access currently on sale for $39.99 (reg. $432).

You can start by describing what you want to build, and Swiftspeed generates the foundation for you. From there, its drag-and-drop editor lets you customize layouts, forms, workflows, databases, and other elements without suddenly needing to become a software engineer.

If you already have an existing website, you don’t necessarily have to start over to turn it into an app. Swiftspeed can turn existing websites, WordPress sites, WooCommerce stores, and Shopify stores into apps, making this particularly useful for small businesses that already have an online presence but want somewhere to live on their customers’ home screens.

One Swiftspeed project can become an Android app, an iOS app, and a progressive web app (PWA), so you don’t have to build separate versions from scratch. The Pro Plan also includes the files and source code for your Android and iOS apps, with the iOS version ready for testing via Apple’s TestFlight.

There’s plenty to add once you’ve built the basics, too. Stripe and PayPal integrations can handle payments, while in-app purchases and AdMob support provide monetization options. You can also add push notifications, analytics, an app wallet, audio and video content, RSS feeds, quizzes, and custom pages.

AI doesn’t stop at generating the initial app, either. Swiftspeed supports chatbot functionality using providers including OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, and DeepSeek, so you can incorporate AI features depending on what you’re building.

The Pro Plan covers one app and three seats, with 5GB of storage, 300 monthly push notifications, AI agent credits, priority support, and no Swiftspeed branding.

While Swiftspeed can create the files needed to publish your app, it doesn’t eliminate Apple and Google’s requirements. You’ll still need your own Apple Developer or Google Play Developer account, pay any applicable developer fees, prepare your store listing materials, and submit the app for approval yourself.

Normally $432, you can grab a 3-year subscription to Swiftspeed AI for only $39.99.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Online communities tend to develop their own vocabularies and methods of communication, especially if they've been around for a very long time. If you're new to AdultFriendFinder, you'll quickly come across slang and short-hand terms you may never have encountered before, as well as more acronyms than you know what to do with. 

Some of these are obvious, or used across online dating cultures, but some of them are highly specific to niche communities like the worlds of BDSM and kink. 

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Credit: AdultFriendFinder

AdultFriendFinder

 

Learn More

Here's a glossary of some of the most essential AFF lingo you'll want to know as you navigate the site:

Common AFF slang terms you need to know

• Aftercare: Term for cuddling and/or words of affirmation after the conclusion of a BDSM scenario 

• Bate buds: Two or more people who enjoy masturbating to the same content and who exchange recommendations 

• CD: Cross-dressing, usually referring to a person who enjoys wearing the clothing of another gender

• Cuckolding: The practice or scenario of consensual infidelity, widely enjoyed in non-monogamous relationships

• DD/LG: Acronym for "daddy dom, little girl," describing a male-dominant, female-submissive relationship

• Dom/Domme: Short-hand term for the dominant partner in a BDSM relationship. The terms master/mistress are often used interchangeably with dom/domme

• Edging: The practice of approaching sexual orgasm without ever reaching it.

• ENM: Ethical non-monogamy, also known as an open relationship

• Little: Short-hand term for the submissive partner in a BDSM relationship

• Limits/Hard Limits: The list of someone's non-negotiable boundaries. Respecting these limits is a central tenet of kink culture and should be practiced even in online encounters

• MD/LB: Acronym for "mommy domme, little boy," describing a female-dominant, male-submissive relationship

• Orgasm Control: A scenario in which one partner voluntarily relinquishes control of their sexual climax to another play partner

• Shibari: The Japanese art of decorative rope bondage, usually requiring a high degree of experience to execute properly

• Switch: Someone who occasionally enjoys being either dominant or submissive

• Vanilla: A non-pejorative term describing a preference for non-kinky sexual practices

Best Labor Day 2026 deals at a glance:

---

Best Apple deal

Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB)

$649 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best TV deal

TCL 65-inch QM8L SQD-Mini-LED QLED 4K TV

$1,397.99 (save $1,102)

Get Deal

---

Best Amazon device deal

Echo Show 11

$189.99 (save $60)

Get Deal

---

Best headphones deal

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

$329 (save $120)

Get Deal

---

Best home deal

Ruggable

save up to 30% sitewide

Get Deal

---

Best outdoor deal

Ninja FrostVault Cooler (30 quart)

$169.99 (save $30)

Get Deal

---

Best robot lawn mower deal

Segway Navimow X430 Robot Lawn Mower

$2,249 (save $250)

Get Deal

Summer is officially coming to an end, but Labor Day weekend is finally here. While saying goodbye to summer feels a bit sad, the cooler weather is rolling in, and we've got one final long weekend to kick back and save before fall sets in.

If you're looking for a seasonal refresh, big-box retailers are offering huge discounts across almost every category. It's the ideal time to upgrade your mattress, stock up on outdoor gear during the REI Labor Day Sale, or grab a 4K TV just in time for kickoff ahead of the NHL and NFL seasons.

We won't see discounts this big again until Black Friday, so now's the time to act — especially with tech and appliance prices continuing to climb. We're tracking the best Labor Day deals live all weekend long across Apple, TVs, mattresses, laptops, and home essentials.

Best Apple deals

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB)

$649
$749 Save $100

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The Apple iPad Air with an M4 chip is something to behold. It's a step up in performance from the previous M3, and it's super lightweight and thin. It's also powerful and smart enough to handle intense programs like Final Cut Pro, making it a great option for creators and artists.

Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth reviewed the M4 iPad Air and wrote, "Artists and note-takers will definitely appreciate this one."

More Apple deals

• Apple AirTag (2nd Gen, 4 pack) — $79.99 $99 (save $19.01)

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 — $199 $249 (save $50)

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi, 128GB) — $399 $449 (save $50)

Best mattress and bedding deals

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Credit: DreamCloud

DreamCloud Classic Hybrid Mattress (Queen)

$699 at DreamCloud
$1,892 Save $1,193

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

For Labor Day, the Queen-size DreamCloud Classic Hybrid Mattress is marked down to $699, which is up to 60% off.

It's a 12-inch hybrid that balances comfort and support, using a cooling fiber cover, an inch of pressure-relieving memory foam, and individually wrapped coils so you don't feel it every single time your partner tosses and turns. You also get a 365-night home trial and a "Forever Warranty" so you aren't stuck with it if you hate it.

If you're upgrading your whole setup, I highly recommend grabbing a base while you're at it. I actually have the Bamboo Platform Bed Frame they have on the site, and it genuinely only took me 20 minutes to put together.

Even more mattress deals

• Avocado: Save up to 20% on organic mattresses

• Bear: Take 35% off sitewide + get free sleep accessories with a new mattress

• Brooklyn Bedding: Take 25% off sitewide and 30% off dorm essentials

• Casper: Save up to 30% on mattresses and 35% off on bundles

• Coyuchi: Take 20% off natural mattresses

• DreamCloud: Save up to 60% on mattresses and 66% on bundles

• Eight Sleep: Take up to $500 off Pods and accessories

• Essentia: Up to 25% off sitewide + 2 FREE pillows

• Nectar: Save up to 50% on mattresses and 66% on bundles

• Tuft & Needle: Save 25% on all bundles

• Purple: Take up to $800 a mattress and base

Best TV deals

TCL 65-inch QM8L SQD-Mini-LED QLED 4K TV

$1,397.99 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $1,102.00

 

Get Deal at Amazon

Why we like it

If you're hunting for the best Labor Day TV deal to carry you through football season and winter movie nights, the 65-inch TCL QM8L is down to $1,397.99 at Amazon, which is the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.

Instead of cutting corners to hit a price point, this panel delivers high-end specs: 4,000+ local dimming zones and up to 6,000 nits of peak brightness eliminate haloing, so dark scenes look black rather than washed-out gray.

You're also getting a native 144Hz refresh rate for live sports and gaming, a 7000:1 contrast ratio, built-in Audio by Bang & Olufsen, and Google TV built right in, so you aren't fighting three different remotes just to open an app.

More TV deals

• Insignia 50-inch F50 LED 4K TV — $159.99 $299.99 (save $140)

• Amazon 50-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TV — $259.99 $469.99 (save $210)

• LG 55-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV — $699.99 $1,299.99 (save $600)

• Hisense 55-inch UR8 RGB Mini LED 4K TV — $899.99 $1,499.99 (save $600)

• LG 65-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV — $899.99 $1,799.99 (save $900)

• Hisense 65-inch S7 Canvas Hi-QLED 4K TV — $997.99 $1,999.99 (save $1,002)

• Sony 65-inch Bravia 7 Mini LED QLED 4K TV — $1,298 $1,598 (save $300)

• Samsung 65-inch S85H OLED 4K TV — $1,397.99 $1,999.99 (save $602)

• LG 65-Inch B6 OLED 4K TV — $1,199.99 $1,999.99 (save $800)

• Samsung 65-inch S90H OLED 4K TV — $1,597.99 $2,697.99 (save $1,100)

• Sony 65-inch Bravia 8 II QD QLED 4K TV — $2,498 $3,299.99 (save $801.99)

• Samsung 65-inch S95H OLED 4K TV — $2,799.99 $3,399.99 (save $600)

Best home & kitchen appliance deals

• Frigidaire 24" Front Control Built-In Dishwasher — $299.99 $377.99 (save $78)

• Whirlpool 7-cu ft Vented Electric Dryer — $499 $719 (save $220)

• GE 30 in. 4.8 cu. ft. Freestanding Gas Range — $699 $799 (save $100)

• LG FlushFit 24" Top Control Smart Built-In Dishwasher — $599.99 $1,049.99 (save $450)

• LG 4.5-cu ft Stackable SMART Front Load Washer — $929 $1,199 (save $270)

• LG 36 in. 28 cu. ft. 3-Door French Door Refrigerator — $1,799 $3,099 (save $1,300)

• Samsung Bespoke 36 in. 29 cu. ft. 4-Door French Door Refrigerator — $1,799 $3,199 (save $1,400)

• LG WashTower Stacked SMART Laundry Center — $1,899 $2,699 (save $800)

• GE Profile UltraFast Ventless All-In-One Washer Dryer Combo — $2,199 $2,999 (save $800)

Best home deals

• Millwood Pines Lift Top Coffee Table — $79.99 $160.99 (save $81)

• Shark Rocket Pet Plus Corded Stick Vacuum — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• Shark Steam & Scrub — $159 $189.99 (save $30.99)

• Dakota Fields Chingford Indoor/Outdoor Hanging Egg Chair — $184.99 $219.99 (save $35)

• Anthropologie Dog Icon Side Table — $298.80 $498 (save $199.20)

• Anthropologie Irie Carmine Jacquard Oak Dining Chair — $398.40 $498 (save $99.60)

• Roborock New Qrevo S Pro Robot Vacuum — $429.99 $699.99 (save $270)

• Dreame L40 Ultra Gen 2 Robot Vacuum — $499.99 $699.99 (save $200)

• Anthropologie Fern Marble Top Bookcase — $1,518.40 $1,898 (save $379.60)

• Anthropologie Sinclair Irena 80-inch Sofa — $3,428.60 $4,898 (save $1,469.40)

The best deals on Milwaukee tools in Home Depot's Labor Day sale:

---

Best stapler deal

Milwaukee M12 Cordless Crown Stapler

$129 (save $210)

Get Deal

---

Best multi-tool deal

Milwaukee M12 FUEL Oscillating Multi-Tool

$199 (save $250)

Get Deal

---

Best cut-off tool deal

Milwaukee M12 FUEL Compact Cut-Off Tool

$199 (save $240)

Get Deal

---

Best ratchet deal

Milwaukee M12 Cordless 3/8 in. Ratchet

$199 (save $260)

Get Deal

Every home has that one drawer of half-broken tools you've been meaning to replace, and Home Depot's Labor Day sale is a solid excuse to finally do it. With up to 62% off Milwaukee's 12-volt cordless tools, you can score top-tier durability and long-lasting battery life without breaking the bank.

Below are the best deals from the sale, from a stapler that'll save your hands on upholstery projects to a cutoff tool that can handle metal, PVC, and tile in tight spaces.

Best for upholstery and DIY fixes

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Credit: Milwaukee

Milwaukee M12 Cordless Crown Stapler

$129 at The Home Depot
$339 Save $210

Currently sold out, but you can sign up to get notified for restocks.

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Why we like it

 The Milwaukee M12 Cordless Crown Stapler drives 3/8-inch staples through a range of materials, and at just 3 lbs. and 7.5 inches long, it's compact enough to fit into tight spaces or clip right onto your tool belt. The trigger is designed to reduce hand fatigue, and you can switch between sequential and contact firing modes depending on the job, which is useful whether you're doing upholstery, securing weatherstripping, or laying carpet underlayment.

Best for finishing touches

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Milwaukee M12 FUEL Oscillating Multi-Tool

$199 at The Home Depot
$449 Save $250

 

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Why we like it

The M12 FUEL Oscillating Multi-Tool is built for speed and control: Milwaukee's Powerstate brushless motor pushes out 10,000 to 20,000 oscillations per minute, which the brand says is the fastest cutting speed on a 12V platform. It's also designed to vibrate less, so your hands don't take the brunt of a long project, and the tool-free blade change means you're not hunting for an Allen key mid-task. It handles wood, metal, plaster, and drywall, and switches over to a sander with the right attachment.

Best for tight-space cutting jobs

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M12 FUEL Compact Cut-Off Tool

$199 at The Home Depot
$449 Save $250

 

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Why we like it

The M12 FUEL Compact Cut-Off Tool is for the small, awkward jobs like trimming a rusted-out bolt, cutting PVC to fit, or working under a sink where a full-size saw just won't reach. It spins at 20,000 RPM and comes with three accessories out of the box, so it's ready for multiple materials without extra purchases. The reversible blade rotation gives you more control over the direction of your cut, and an LED light helps you see what you're doing in dim spaces.

Best for auto repair and maintenance

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M12 Cordless 3/8 in. Ratchet

$199 at The Home Depot
$459 Save $260

 

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Why we like it

The M12 Cordless ratchet gives you the power and speed of a pneumatic tool without needing an air hose, making it much more practical for home maintenance or car repairs. It produces up to 35 ft-lbs of torque and 250 RPM, and at just under 11 inches long and less than 2 lbs, it fits into engine bays and other cramped spots that pneumatic ratchets can't reach. A built-in LED light and onboard fuel gauge help you see what you're doing and track your charge.

More Milwaukee tools deals

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 1/4-Inch Hex Impact Driver & Hackzall Combo — $199 $369 (save $170)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 1/2-Inch Impact Wrench Kit w/ 5.0Ah Battery — $299 $459 (save $160)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit w/ (3) 5.0Ah Batteries — $399 $558 (save $159)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL 6-1/2-Inch Plunge Cut Track Saw with 55-Inch Guide Rail — $429 $569 (save $140)

• Milwaukee M18 8-Tool Cordless Combo Kit w/ (2) Batteries & Charger — $649 $1,298 (save $649)

We're busy covering all the best deals that are dropping over Labor Day weekend. We've lined up the best Apple deals, the best mattress deals, the best Home Depot deals, and so much more. But what about the hungry? Won't someone think about food?

The good news for absolutely everyone is that many popular restaurant chains are launching limited-time deals over Labor Day weekend, meaning you can eat for free (or at a heavily discounted price). We've scoured the market for the best offers and lined up the best deals from the likes of Capital One Café, Firehouse Subs, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, and other popular spots.

These are our favorite Labor Day deals in 2026.

7-Eleven

7Rewards members can grab a hot sandwich with a 20-ounce Coca-Cola or Pepsi fountain soda for $6. You can also get any roller grill item, a bag of 7-Select chips, and a large Big Gulp for $3 through Labor Day weekend.

BJ’s Brewhouse and Restaurant

Grab the $13 Pizookie Meal Deal on Sept. 7, which includes a choice of one of eight select Brewhouse entrees alongside a signature Pizookie dessert.

Benihana

Education professionals dining through Sept. 7 can pick up one eligible five-course hibachi entree and get a second entree for free with a valid ID.

Capital One Café

Get a free handcrafted beverage on Sept. 7. Just register your mobile phone number online to load a digital pass directly into your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet (limit one pass per customer).

Cheesecake Factory

Score a $10 bonus eCard when you purchase $50 in digital gift cards online through Sept. 7. The bonus card is redeemable on future visits from Sept. 8-30.

Chipotle

Chipotle is running a "Sunday Reset" special over the holiday weekend. Families and groups can score a buy-two-get-one-free entree deal on Sept. 6, from 3 p.m. to closing, when ordering online or in the app with the code SUNDAYS.

Cracker Barrel

Dine in by Sept. 7 and order any adult entree plus a Kids Meal to score a free collectible B’loonie Petz toy.

Del Taco

Del Yeah! Rewards members ordering online or through the official app can get 20% off purchases of $10 or more all weekend long.

Eddie Merlot’s

Spend $75 or more on online orders from Sept. 4-7 and knock $25 off your bill by using promo code WEEKEND at checkout.

Firebird’s Wood Fired Grill

Inner Circle loyalty members can order a full rack of Baby Back Ribs served with fries and fresh fruit for $19.95 from Sept. 3-7.

Firehouse Subs

Buy any sub between Sept. 4-7 to unlock a second sub of your choice for just $1.

Hash Kitchen

Sweet breakfast classics are marked down to $7 each from Sept. 4-7. Guests who sign up for the Brunch Club over Labor Day weekend score a free specialty coffee or Loaded Water.

HTeaO

Score two gallons of iced tea for just $12 from Sept. 4-7.

Krispy Kreme

From Sept. 4-7, buy any dozen doughnuts or 16-count Minis at regular price and grab an additional dozen Original Glazed Doughnuts for just $2 when using code BOGO2 online or in-store.

Kona Grill

Educators can celebrate early by showing a valid school ID while dining in through Sept. 7 to unlock BOGO entrees from a select menu (limit two deals per table).

Krystal

Pick up an Original Sackful for $12 or upgrade to a Cheese Sackful for $15 on Sept. 7.

Moxies

Drop in during Happy Hour (3-6 p.m. on Sept. 7) to snag $12 featured cocktails, $12 shareable appetizers, $9 select glasses of wine, and $6 local craft beers.

Polly’s Pies

Get a whole Banberry Pie for $14.99 through Labor Day.

Port of Subs

Free delivery on all online or mobile app orders placed between Sept. 4-7.

Raise the Roost

The 24-piece Nugget Party Pack is $25 from Sept. 3-7. The bundle comes loaded with 24 chicken nuggets, two large sides, four biscuits, dipping sauces, and cinnamon-sugar hand pies.

Sonny’s BBQ

Take $25 off catering orders over $200 through Sept. 7 when you enter promo code 25OFFCATER at checkout.

STK Steakhouse

Teachers and school staff receive BOGO entrees when showing a valid school ID through Sept. 7.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse

Apply coupon code WEEKEND at online checkout from Sept. 4-7 to take $25 off orders totaling $75 or more.

Teriyaki Madness

Rewards members earn double loyalty points along with a 20% discount on all orders placed between Sept. 5-7.

TL;DR: Live stream select Premier League fixtures (Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest on Aug. 29) for free on CazéTV. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Domestic football is back. Are we fatigued from a summer of sport? Absolutely not. We're impatient for rivalries to be renewed in some of the most competitive leagues in the world. And if we're talking truly unpredictable action from elite clubs in incredibly passionate stadiums, it's tough to beat the Premier League.

How will Arsenal cope with the pressure of being champions? Will Manchester City bounce back from the loss of iconic manager Pep Guardiola? Can Manchester United finally recapture some of their former glories? There are so many questions to be answered as the Premier League returns.

If you want to watch the 2026-27 Premier League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Premier League?

The Premier League is the highest level of the English football league system. The league is contested by 20 clubs, with each team playing 38 fixtures: two against each other, one home and one away.

The defending champions are Arsenal.

When is the Premier League?

The opening match round of the 2026/27 Premier League season will start on Aug. 21. The season runs until the final round of fixtures on May 30.

How to watch the Premier League for free

CazéTV will be showing select Premier League fixtures for free on their YouTube channel.

These free live streams are geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Premier League from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026-27 Premier League by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Premier League fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the Premier League without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus coverage of Ligue 1 and La Liga) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for CazeTV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream for free on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream the Premier League for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

In the age of on-demand everything, it’s no surprise that we can get "dates" (and I use that term loosely) with the tap of a button. Thanks to classic hookup apps like Tinder and newcomers like Pure, finding a sexy new friend can be as straightforward as ordering a pizza. As for the quality? That’s about the same as your pizza — hit or miss, depending on the time of day, where you're located, and how hungry you are.

Fortunately, you’ve got me, your resident dating app expert (though I prefer modern-day Carrie Bradshaw), to guide you to the promised land, aka the best hookup apps.

I’ve spent the past three years (yes, years) researching, downloading, and testing dozens of the top dating apps to find the best ones for all kinds of daters, including the one-night-stand crowd. From discreet sexting apps to dating sites for serious relationships, I've swiped through them all. I also consulted a helpful panel of sex and relationship experts to make sure my picks are solid.

How to get the most out of hookup apps

My number one rule is to be brutally honest about what you want. Are you here for a good time? Own it. That means staying in your lane; don't go looking for a one-night stand on an app like eharmony. I mean, just read through Reddit. Women are on these apps (despite what all the dudes think/say) and are looking for FWBs, but they ignore 99 percent of messages because guys either send weird openers or pretend to want a relationship just to get a hookup.

"Hookup apps help prevent situations where people are on mainstream dating sites with the intention of having a casual hookup but are unclear about these intentions," Suzannah Weiss, resident sexologist for Biird and author of Subjectified: Becoming a Sexual Subject, tells Mashable. "They also give women a space to be openly sexual creatures without judgment."

And here's a little secret I picked up from Alexander Liebisch, the CEO and founder of TinderProfile.ai: Timing is everything. He found that people messaging on Tinder's "Free Tonight" feature after 10 p.m. on a weekend had a 45 percent higher chance of hooking up.

So, whether you're looking for a one-night stand, a regular FWB situation, a free hookup app, or just a space to explore your sexuality, I've got you covered. Based on all my hands-on testing and expert consultations, I’ve broken down the best hookup apps and sites for every type of person and mood.

Recent updates to this guide

• Hily (added August 2026): I’ve added Hily to our top picks because its free tier is surprisingly generous (up to 100 likes a day!) and its AI safety tech (like Consent Guard) makes it a standout option for casual, blunt daters looking for a fresh alternative to the Big Three.

• Hinge: Hinge just keeps getting better, so I’ve bumped it up higher on my list as of October 2025. In our most recent update in August 2026, it still earns the top spot for casual dating with personality. Its user base is growing, and my own recent tests on the app have been surprisingly positive.

• Sniffies (added September 2025): I've added Sniffies, the map-based app for queer men, because it's been gaining a lot of traction in the casual hookup scene. (It got a little too spicy for Apple and was pulled from the App Store, so it's now technically a dating site.) Don't say I didn't warn you about the NSFW content.

• FetLife (added September 2025): FetLife is my new favorite "Honorable Mention." It's not your typical hookup app; it's more of a social network for the kink community (and, oddly enough, the best hookup app for gamers). Just remember: it's a community, so don't treat it like Tinder.

• Plenty of Fish (removed January 2025): POF went through a rebrand recently, and honestly, I'm not impressed. My latest tests showed they removed key features like free messaging with non-matches, and I kept running into the same old profiles.

• Match (removed August 2025): I know some people say they've found casual hookups on Match, but that's not what it's for. Match is where you go to find a serious, long-term relationship, and I still recommend it for that. But for a hookup? You're just fishing in the wrong pond.

Why some popular hookup apps didn't make the cut

You might notice a few apps that pop up in ads or other lists are missing here. That’s intentional. I swipe through the good, the bad, and the downright sketchy so you don’t have to. For an app to make my list, it has to be effective, safe, and worth your time.

Here's a shortlist of apps that didn't make the cut this year:

• Wild: You’ve probably seen ads for this one. On paper, Wild sounds like the perfect casual dating app. In practice, the paywalls are aggressive, the distance filter doesn't work, and you have to pay for anything that's even remotely useful. Unless you're willing to spend serious cash upfront (and hope for the best), the experience feels more limited than with more generous free options like Tinder or Hily.

• DOWN: This app (formerly "Bang With Friends") is known for its simple "Get Down" vs. "Get Date" feature. It sounds clever, but in reality, the experience is messy at best. Many users report feeling scammed by subscriptions that don't deliver matches, or finding that the few real people on there are... let's say "odd." It’s hard to recommend an app when the main user complaint is "Is anyone real?" Hard pass.

• Facebook Dating: Yes, Facebook has a dating section, and it’s surprisingly massive (and completely free, which is huge). While it's a decent option for casual dating, the vibe tends to be a bit more "friends of friends" and "relationship-focused" than the anonymous, no-strings energy you get from apps like Pure or Feeld. (For Mashable's Chance Townsend, signing up was "the most uneventful dating experience" of his life.) It's worth a shot if you're already on Facebook, but it didn't quite crack my top tier for no-strings-attached hookups specifically.

Don't worry if your summer fling fizzled out. As Mashable's deputy culture editor, Olivia Tauber, wrote, fall is the best time to date.

Between cozy sweaters and dates at the apple orchard, autumn is a great time to find your special someone. And while several single women and men recently told Mashable that dating in 2026 isn't necessarily fun, that doesn't mean there's no hope.

While singles are increasingly frustrated with dating apps, one coach we spoke to said the apps aren't keeping people single; it's how they're using them. If you're swiping into the void and avoiding talking to people, yes, it may be hard to find a date! But it is absolutely possible to find your person online. In fact, Mashable recently interviewed several married couples who met on dating apps.

According to 2023 findings from the Pew Research Center, one in ten partnered adults (married, living with a partner, or in a committed relationship) met their partner on a dating app or site. If you're a younger adult and/or LGBTQ, you're more likely to have met your significant other online: one in five adults under 30 and nearly one in four for LGBTQ adults.

The same study found that almost half (44 percent) of dating app users said a major reason for using them was to meet a long-term partner. So, if that's you, you're certainly not alone, despite what you might see people lament on TikTok. 

But with so many apps, from Bumble to eharmony, it can be challenging to determine which ones to invest in. And the discourse on dating app culture can be unrelenting. In 2025, singles told Mashable they'd rather meet a potential partner in person, but they're begrudgingly on the apps. Some, like Tinder, have seen their revenue decrease in recent years, while Hinge is growing. Even then, though, daters bemoan even the most popular of apps. A Kinsey scientist recently told Mashable where daters are going wrong: use dating apps as a tool, not to let them run the show — and stop self-optimizing, already.

Despite the frustration over The Apps™, it's undeniable that if you want to date from the comfort and safety of your home, they're the way to do it. If you're, say, introverted or have difficulty approaching someone in person, an app can still be useful.

What is the #1 best dating app?

Considering the variation in experiences on all the dating apps, it's difficult to quantify which ones are the "best." Some people find their spouses on Tinder, while others are disappointed that their matches are only looking for hookups. 

That being said, if you're looking for something serious, your best bet is likely an app with a large user base, options for you to indicate what you're looking for in your bio, and filters to weed out who you really want to partner with. There are also apps whose branding is geared towards finding one's ultimate match — like eharmony and Match, both decades-old sites with reputations for helping users find their spouse. Hinge, Bumble, and Coffee Meets Bagel also have a reputation for more "serious" connections.

Depending on the type of relationship you're seeking, you may also benefit from a more niche app. Take one app on our list, SilverSingles, for people over 50. Sure, there are older adults on apps like Tinder and Bumble as well, but you may have more luck finding someone age-appropriate if you're in a space meant just for you.

Which dating site is best for serious relationships?

Mashable has researched to pick out a few from the plethora of dating sites (and apps) out there. These options are available for both Android and Apple users, so the type of phone you have won't determine your options. In terms of monetary investment, you can use some of these for free (like Tinder and Bumble), while others are more pay-to-play. We've also included some "niche" options, like the aforementioned SilverSingles and Elite Singles, so you have more than the standard buffet of dating apps.

Here are the best dating apps for serious relationships:

Back-to-school season is here, and even if it's been awhile since you've been a student, there's a seriousness in the air. You might be desiring less of a fling and more of a long-term connection. Why not search for your next sapphic love on a dating app?

As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.

​​Online dating as a lesbian can be a joyous experience, but it can also involve having your space invaded by straight people or seeing your ex-girlfriends (and your ex-girlfriends' ex-girlfriends) show up in your feed over and over.

Over the decades, queer women have turned to personal ads, frequented bars, and relied on word of mouth to find love. These days, it's not too different. From trying to find a date on WLW TikTok to entrapranureal lesbians creating new apps just for them, LGBTQ women are down to get creative to find their special someone.

Thankfully, in 2026, there are both niche and general apps where queer women can find a partner — whether for one night or for life. Which ones are the best dating apps for lesbians? We tested the most popular dating sites and apps and drew on insights from our Dating & Relationships writers to find out.

How to find the best dating apps for lesbians

Niche lesbian dating apps aren't your only option for finding love. Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable

In Mashable's recommendations below, you'll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you'll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that's probably not what you're looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.

Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there's no "Grindr for lesbians" — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble. 

You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.

Diving into the dating pool isn't easy, but the water's fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.

For a handful of days each year, Berlin turns into the tech capital of the world. This year, IFA has close to 2,000 brands showcasing the latest technology from air fryers to robot lawn mowers to sleep earbuds and, of course, robots. Aside from CES in January, it's the best opportunity to check out what's on the horizon from top brands like Dreame, DJI, Anker, Dyson, and plenty more.

Some of the tech on display teeters on the useless side or focuses on grand ideas that are unlikely to become mainstream. Others, like a ceiling light that can mimic natural outdoor light and stick vacuums with more suction power than ever before, are well worth bringing home.

As expected, this year's event has a major emphasis on AI. Plenty of the AI advancements on display at IFA in 2026 are pretty great and streamline life where we need it most.

In an email, IFA CEO Leif Lindner explained, "What excites me most is seeing entire categories become more intuitive because AI is solving real problems, not simply being added for its own sake,' he said. "That’s what’s driving the innovations I’m most excited about this year, from robotics moving closer to practical everyday applications, to wearables that help you build better habits, to connected kitchen appliances that are genuinely helpful."

Below, we've rounded up the best products Mashable has spotted at IFA so far. We'll keep this list updated as the show continues on through Sept. 8. Some of the items are already available for sale in the U.S. while a few others will be worth the wait.

A fancy new version of the Anker Sleep earbuds

The Soundcore Sleep A30 Special are Mashable's favorite sleep earbuds, and now we have two new iterations: Sleep Earbuds 4 and Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro. Coming in at 20% slimmer than the Sleep A30 model, the new Sleep Earbuds 4 are designed to be even more comfortable for side sleepers. If you share a bed with someone who snores, the AI-generated dynamic snore masking system in the Sleep Earbuds 4 could make a major difference in your sleep quality.

The Sleep Earbuds 4 Pro come with advanced features and this snazzy case with disaply. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

The fancier Sleep Earbuds Pro 4 use the same earbud design as the standard Sleep Earbuds 4 but come with a more advanced case, among other features. Similar to the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds, the Sleep Earbuds Pro 4 have an on-case display that lets sleepers check sleep metrics upon waking.

The screen also allows users to adjust the volume, change sleep tracks, or set an alarm from the case itself, rather than reaching for a phone.

The Anker Sleep Earbuds 4 are priced at $229.99 with a launch set for the beginning of October. The Anker Sleep Earbuds Pro 4 will sell for $349.99 come November. Preorders at Anker are currently eligible for a $30-off coupon that comes from putting down a $1 deposit.

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Credit: Anker

Anker Sleep Earbuds 4

$199.99 at Anker
$229.99 Save $30

 

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Credit: Anker

Anker Sleep Earbuds Pro 4

$319.99 at Anker
$349.99 Save $30

 

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A camping portable power station that fits into your backpack

The EcoFlow River 3 Plus is one of my favorite portable power stations for camping, so I'm thrilled we got introduced to the EcoFlow River Gen4 at IFA. Completely redesigned from the River 3, the River Gen4 features a compact design that's significantly smaller than its predecessor. The River 260 Gen4 comes with a capacity of 256Wh, 300W sustained output, and a peak of 600W. At about 6.5 pounds, it's highly portable for a weekend of camping.

EcoFlow brough two new camping-friendly models to IFA 2026. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Going bigger, the EcoFlow River 520 Gen4 has 512Wh of capacity, 500W of AC output, and a 1,000W peak. The larger of the River 520 doubles the power capacity but doesn't double the weight, coming in at just 10 pounds. Again, that's manageable enough to pack along on a camping trip for most people. Both models have a 10 millisecond UPS, fast-charging USB-C ports, and quick recharging.

We're still waiting on the U.S. launch date information and pricing. EcoFlow also showcased a compact 60W solar panel at IFA that seems like it'll be the perfect companion for these two new models.

An upgraded DJI 360-degree camera

It's a sad time to be a DJI fan in the U.S. The brand packed the new DJI Osmo 360 II for IFA this year, but as of now, it's not coming to the U.S. thanks to current regulations. The new model replaces last year's Osmo 360 and comes with improvements such as the ability to shoot 8K panoramic footage. It also doubles the brightness range, offering 14.5 stops of dynamic range compared to the previous 13.5.

The DJI Osmo 360 II has reduced power consumption and advances image quality. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

We're keeping a close eye on availability in the United States. At the same time, we're still waiting for the U.S. to see the launch of the DJI Power 1000 Mini, too.

An 8K creator camera from Dreame

Dreame continues to make waves with its product expansion, and at IFA 2026, the brand revealed the Dreame Leaptic Cube 8K action camera. With a U.S. launch set for November and a competitive price of $449, Dreame is coming for the likes of DJI and Insta360.

The Dreame Leaptic Cube 8K action camera's hands-free gestures are impressive. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

Dreame packed all the accessories we'll have access to when the Leaptic Cube launches. Credit: Lauren Allain / Mashable

When hands-on with the Dreame Leaptic Cube, I found it remarkably lightweight, and the gesture options for taking still photos and starting and stopping recording are both easy and incredibly responsive. The modular design offers plenty of benefits, including the ability to add extra batteries.

Dreame's also ready with accessory packages for cycling, underwater exploration, and even mounting to the dog. We'll continue to monitor preorder opportunities before the launch in November 2026.

TL;DR: Hatch Baby, priced at $79.99, is a nightlight and sound machine that grows with your kid — plus three months of 1:1 chat with real sleep consultants. After that, it's $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month.

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Credit: Hatch

Hatch Baby

$79.99 at Hatch

 

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Hatch has spent years building sleep gadgets for adults — the Restore line of smart alarm clocks has quietly become a go-to for people trying to fix their bedtime scroll habit. Now the brand is turning that same playbook on the people who arguably need it more: babies who haven't figured out how to sleep yet.

Hatch Baby is available now for $79.99 in many colorways: beechwood, putty, mint, peach, and greige. The price includes three months of Hatch+, the brand's subscription tier that unlocks 1:1 chat with certified sleep consultants and Hatch's full library of sleep content.

Unlike a basic white noise machine your baby will outgrow, Hatch Baby works for four different stages of childhood:

• Expecting — soothing lights and sounds to prep the nursery before the baby even arrives

• Newborn — calming cues plus Smart Sleep Logging to start building healthy sleep habits from night one

• 6 months — lullabies and Pink Noise, which Hatch says is linked to higher-quality deep sleep and tends to feel gentler on little ears than standard white noise

• 2 years — Time-for-Bed and Time-to-Rise cues that teach toddlers when it's okay to get out of bed

The device is controlled through a "Big Button" you tap to start bedtime sounds, plus a twist dial for volume. There's also a soft nightlight built in for late-night feedings and diaper changes without flipping on the overheads.

The main feature is the support system layered on top of the hardware. Hatch+ includes 1:1 chat that blends AI and human expertise — Hatch AI Chat is available any time, while actual Certified Sleep Consultants are available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, for more in-depth questions.

Keep in mind, this is sleep coaching, not medical advice. For health-related questions, you'll need your pediatrician.

Credit: Hatch

How Hatch Baby works

More than a gadget, Hatch Baby is a complete sleep support system — offering Smart Sleep Logging with Nap Nudges, adaptive schedules, and milestone guides to help answer any midnight questions and keep the baby’s routine on track.

The built-in Tuck-Ins feature also adds a deeply personal touch by letting parents or distant family members record custom lullabies, stories, and bedtime messages to play directly through the device.

Everything runs through the Hatch app, which requires a 2.4 GHz WiFi connection (with Bluetooth as a backup), so you can start a sound, check a sleep log, or adjust a routine from another room — or another city.

Hatch+ subscription

The three months of Hatch+ included with purchase is not an auto-renewing trial — Hatch says it simply ends unless you opt back in. After that, you can keep going for $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month.

If you decide not to renew, you still get to keep the basics: lights and sounds, the Time-for-Bed/Time-to-Rise cues, Tuck-Ins from family, and phone playback. What you lose is the full subscription layer — the 1:1 Sleep Consultant chat, the Sleep Guides, premium stories and songs, dynamic lighting, and predictive schedules.

Every Hatch Baby purchase ships with the device and a power cord, weighs about 1.1 pounds, and comes with a 30-night bedside trial and a one-year warranty. It's also HSA/FSA eligible — a small but very real perk for parents already feeling the sting of nursery expenses.

Whether you stick with the full subscription or keep it simple with the free features, if it gets you even one extra hour of sleep, it’s worth every penny. Get the Hatch Baby for $79.99.

TL;DR: This refurbished 2018 MacBook Air with a 13-inch Retina display and Intel Core i5 processor is on sale for $267.99 (reg. $1,399).

Opens in a new window

Credit: Apple

Apple MacBook Air 2018 (Refurbished)

$267.99
$1,399 Save $1,131.01

 

Get Deal

This refurbished MacBook Air brings a Retina display, Intel Core i5 processor, and lightweight design to a much more approachable price. The 2018 13-inch model is on sale for $267.99 (reg. $1,399), with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD for everyday computing.

The 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor is suited to common tasks such as browsing the web, editing documents, streaming, and basic photo editing. Its 13.3-inch Retina display has a 2560 x 1600 resolution, while True-to-life visuals make it useful for everything from working on presentations to watching movies. The laptop also has Touch ID for convenient device access and two Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports for charging, displays, and compatible accessories.

The portability of this MacBook Air is one of its main advantages. This model weighs just over 2.5 pounds and has a slim profile, making it easy to carry between home, work, or class. The built-in battery is rated for up to 12 hours of web browsing or movie playback, while the 720p FaceTime HD camera, stereo speakers, three microphones, and headphone jack cover the basics for video calls and entertainment.

This MacBook Air is a practical option for students, remote workers, or anyone who primarily needs a portable computer for productivity and general use. It supports updates up to macOS Sonoma 14, though shoppers should keep in mind that this is a 2018 Intel-based MacBook and won’t have the newer hardware found in current models.

The laptop has a Grade A refurbished rating, meaning it should arrive in near-mint condition with minimal to no visible scuffing on the case. For shoppers who don’t need the latest MacBook and want to keep their budget under $300, this model offers a combination of portability, a Retina display and everyday performance.

Get this refurbished MacBook Air for $267.99 (reg. $1,399) while it’s on sale today.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Live stream the Bundesliga for free on CazéTV, AbemaTV, and BBC iPlayer. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There's already a lot of football on the schedule. Fans quite simply don't have time to watch everything, but if you're making tough decisions about what to include on your watch list, the Bundesliga should be a priority. Is it the single best league in Europe in terms of overall quality? Probably not, but it's got a strong argument for being the most entertaining.

The big question every season is whether any team can compete with Bayern Munich for the title. Competing with a side stacked with elite talent like Olise, Kane, and Díaz is not easy, but the likes of Dortmund and RB Leipzig always have a chance. Could this season deliver a surprise winner?

If you want to watch the Bundesliga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Bundesliga?

The Bundesliga is Germany's leading professional men's soccer league. It features 18 clubs competing across 34 matchdays, including heavyweight teams like Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The defending champions are Bayern Munich.

When is the Bundesliga?

The 2026/27 Bundesliga season runs from Aug. 28 to May 22.

How to watch the Bundesliga for free

The Bundesliga is available to live stream for free on a number of streaming platforms:

• Brazil — CazéTV (up to two live matches per week)

• Japan — AbemaTV (two live matches per week)

• UK — BBC iPlayer (select Friday evening fixtures)

These free live streams are geo-restricted, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in another location, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the Bundesliga from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the Bundesliga by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil, Japan, or the UK

4. Visit CazéTV, AbemaTV, or BBC iPlayer

5. Watch Bundesliga fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the Bundesliga without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for the Bundesliga?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream the Bundesliga for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $300: Ecovacs' new flagship, the Deebot X12S OmniCyclone, is certified to remove 97% of dust mite allergens from the carpet. It self-washes, self-empties, and mops with fresh water — and it's $999.99 right now, 23% off its $1,299.99 list price.

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Credit: Ecovacs

Ecovacs Deebot X12S OmniCyclone

$999.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $300

 

Get Deal

If you've been circling a robot vacuum purchase and waiting for a "real" discount to pull the trigger, this is it. Ecovacs just dropped its brand-new flagship, the Deebot X12S OmniCyclone, available for $999.99, down from its $1,299.99 list price. That's obviously the lowest price this model has been since it debuted. 

If you've got carpet, pets, or a dust mite allergy you've made peace with, this is the moment to stop scrolling and finally buy the thing. Most robot vacuums glide over your carpet and grab whatever's sitting on top. The X12S actually digs in. It's built with a sealed chamber specifically for extracting dust mite allergens from carpet fibers, and it's been independently tested (SGS-certified) to remove an average of 97.44% of them. 

Credit: Ecovacs

And instead of dragging a damp pad around and smearing dirty water everywhere, it feeds itself fresh water through 32 tiny outlets while a built-in scraper wipes the dirty water away in real-time — so you're not redistributing grime across your kitchen floor. It also pre-treats sticky, dried-on messes before it even starts scrubbing.

The suction is rated at 53AW, which means it's got enough pull to lift pet hair and debris rather than just push it around. And it's built to stop hair from wrapping around the brushes, which is the main reason robot vacuums die early.

The smartest part, though, might be how it handles carpet versus hard floor in the same run. When it senses a carpet, it lifts the wet mop roller and covers it, so it doesn't drag a damp pad across your rug and leave it soggy. It also charges itself every time it stops to wash its own roller, so a routine maintenance break doubles as a mini recharge.

Credit: Ecovacs

When it's done, it handles its own cleanup: no dust bags, no wringing out a mop — the base station empties the bin, washes the roller in hot water, dries it with hot air, and cleans itself. 

Grab the flagship Ecovacs robot vacuum while it’s $300 off at Amazon. 

TL;DR: The Apple iPhone 17 is free from T-Mobile when you trade in your eligible phone on an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan. The Apple iPhone 17 Pro is also free with T-Mobile — claim by bringing your number on an Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in needed).

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Credit: Apple

T-Mobile: Free iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro

 

Get Deal

Apple is right on the edge of a very big week. We're expecting news of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, plus the possibility of the base iPhone 18 and iPhone Ultra getting announced.

That's a lot, but you can save yourself heaps of work next week by simply heading to T-Mobile this weekend. Sure, there will be deals on the new iPhone range, but who knows whether you'll actually find decent value in the wake of RAMageddon. It's a tough landscape out there, so T-Mobile's free deals on the iPhone 17 might be the best you're going to get.

T-Mobile is giving away the Apple iPhone 17 for free. All of these deals are live through the weekend:

• iPhone 17e — free when you switch to almost any qualifying T-Mobile plan (no trade-in required).

• iPhone 17 — free on an Experience More or Experience Beyond plan when you turn in an eligible trade-in device.

• iPhone 17 Pro — free when you bring your existing number over to an Experience Beyond plan (no trade-in required).

T-Mobile requires you to pay local sales tax on the phone's full retail value upfront, along with a standard $35 device connection fee per line at checkout. Are these really "free" deals when you need to pay something up front? It's a gray area, OK? Anyway, it's a small price to pay for the latest iPhone (for now).

Score the Apple iPhone 17 for free this weekend from T-Mobile.

TL;DR: Grab a lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan for $14.97 (reg. $169.99) through Sept. 10 at 11:59 p.m. PT and block ads, trackers, and malicious sites on up to nine devices.

Opens in a new window

Credit: AdGuard

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription

$14.97
$169.99 Save $155.02

 

Get Deal

Labor Day weekend usually means more scrolling, more shopping, and more time staring at a screen. It also means more pop-ups, autoplay video ads, and trackers quietly logging what you click. A lifetime AdGuard Family Plan license clears all of that out for $14.97, a one-time payment instead of another subscription to keep track of.

AdGuard runs in the background across up to nine devices, covering phones, tablets, and computers for everyone in the house. It blocks display ads, video ads, and pop-ups in your browser and in most apps, and it strips out the trackers that follow your activity from site to site. It can also flag phishing and malicious sites before they load, and it includes parental controls for filtering content kids shouldn’t see.

The family plan price comes out to under $2 per covered device, with nothing to renew or cancel later. This deal is available to new AdGuard users, and codes must be redeemed within 30 days of purchase.

It’s a practical pickup for households splitting a handful of devices between parents and kids, or for anyone who’d rather stop paying a monthly fee to an ad blocker or privacy tool. The parental controls let parents filter what kids can access without installing a separate app.

Get a lifetime AdGuard Family Plan license for $14.97 before the Sept. 10 deadline and clear the ads and trackers off every device in the house.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Live stream Serie A for free on SportyNet and CazéTV. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

What do you look for when watching elite football? Do you need the speed and physicality of the Premier League? Do you yearn for the technical ability of La Liga? Or perhaps you love spotting young talent in Ligue 1?

If you are passionate about tactical discipline and defensive organization, Serie A is the league for you. Some of the world's best players have competed in this competition, including Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paolo Maldini. The league isn't the powerhouse that it once was, but it still offers fascinating matchups week after week.

If you want to watch Serie A for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is Serie A?

Serie A is a professional football league in Italy and the highest level of the Italian football league system. The league is contested by 20 clubs, with each team playing 38 fixtures. Serie A is home to some of football's most successful clubs, including Juventus, Napoli, Inter Milan, and AC Milan.

The defending champions are Inter Milan.

When is Serie A?

The 2026-27 Serie A season will start on Aug. 22. The season will end on May 30.

How to watch Serie A for free

Select Serie A fixtures are available to live stream for free on SportyNet and CazéTV.

SportyNet and CazéTV are geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of Serie A from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of Serie A by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit SportyNet or CazéTV

5. Watch Serie A fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of Serie A without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for Serie A?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport for free, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream Serie A for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Schalke vs. Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga for free on CazéTV. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The new Bundesliga season began with a confident victory for defending champions Bayern Munich. They trounced Stuttgart 5-1 in their opening fixture, before beating VfL Osnabrück comfortably in the DFB-Pokal. Now they face Schalke, a team still seeking its first point of the season.

If you're interested in watching Schalke vs. Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Schalke vs. Bayern Munich?

Schalke vs. Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga kicks off at 8.30 a.m. ET on Sept. 5. This fixture takes place at the Veltins-Arena.

How to watch Schalke vs. Bayern Munich for free

Schalke vs. Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Schalke vs. Bayern Munich for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Schalke vs. Bayern Munich for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Schalke vs. Bayern Munich for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Schalke vs. Bayern Munich without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Bundesliga?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Schalke vs. Bayern Munich for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

Hurdle Word 1 hint

An ice cream measurement.

Hurdle Word 1 answer

SCOOP

Hurdle Word 2 hint

The place.

Hurdle Word 2 Answer

WHERE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Finely chop.

Hurdle Word 3 answer

MINCE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Small path.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

BYWAY

Final Hurdle hint

Affordable.

Hurdle Word 5 answer

CHEAP

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

TL;DR: Watch Fiorentina vs. Torino in Serie A for free on SportyNet. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Serie A has started without too many shocks, with the biggest clubs at the top of the table after two rounds.

Fiorentina are really struggling. They've lost both their opening games without scoring a goal. They've conceded seven. They'll be desperate to turn things around against Torino, a team that has also lost its opening games.

If you're interested in watching Fiorentina vs. Torino in Serie A from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Fiorentina vs. Torino?

Fiorentina vs. Torino in Serie A kicks off at 9 a.m. ET on Sept. 5. This fixture takes place at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.

How to watch Fiorentina vs. Torino for free

Fiorentina vs. Torino in Serie A is available to live stream for free on SportyNet.

SportyNet is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Fiorentina vs. Torino for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Fiorentina vs. Torino for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit SportyNet

5. Watch Fiorentina vs. Torino for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Fiorentina vs. Torino without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus additional Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Serie A?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on SportyNet, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Fiorentina vs. Torino for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

Sway meaning

To swing from side to side.

Toddle meaning

To walk in short, unsteady steps.

Totter meaning

To walk unsteadily.

Wobble meaning

To move unsteadily from side to side.

Coo meaning

To make a soft bird-like sound.

Cobble meaning

A triangular orange and yellow treat, often associated with Halloween.

Honk meaning

A loud sound made by a car horn.

Warble meaning

To sing with rising and falling notes.

Bobble meaning

A repeated bouncing motion.

Hammer meaning

A tool used to bang nails.

Jug meaning

A large container for water.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Sleepy meaning

Feeling drowsy.

Cobble meaning

A round stone.

Pi meaning

The mathematical name for the ratio of a circle's circumference.

Tar meaning

Earth's natural satellite

Tort meaning

A civil wrong.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're an animal lover.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Informally known as

The words are related to animals.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe animal nicknames

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Critter.

NYT Strands word list for September 5

• Peke

• Gator

• Chimp

• Critter

• Budgie

• Rhino

• Hippo

• Rattler

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Shaky

• Green: Animal sounds

• Blue: You hit the nail

• Purple: Sweet treats

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Move unsteadily

• Green: Bird onomatopoeia

• Blue: ___ head

• Purple: Desserts minus last letter

Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time's running out!

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1178 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Move unsteadily: SWAY, TODDLE, TOTTER, WOBBLE

• Bird onomatopoeia: COO, GOBBLE, HONK, WARBLE

• ___ head: BOBBLE, HAMMER, JUG, SLEEPY

• Desserts minus last letter: COBBLE, PI, TAR, TORT

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a bad cook.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Watery.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

Play our Big Guessing Game: Make your predictions now for a chance to win a new Apple Watch. Time's running out!

The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SOUPY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

Tesla threw a flashy party on Thursday to announce the start of its autonomous Cybercab service in Austin, but some of the wind was taken out of the company's sails when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced an investigation into the Cybercabs almost immediately after the launch.

Tesla’s Cybercabs are gold-covered robotaxis that seat two riders; the Cabs offer a luxe, roomy experience thanks to butterfly doors, a large Grok-enabled video screen, and the absence of a steering wheel and gas and brake pedals. The omission of the pedals and wheel is exactly why the NHTSA is looking into the Cybercabs, as the agency requires autonomous vehicles to have those back-up controls. 

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The Department of Transportation is considering dropping that requirement, and recently allowed Amazon-owned Zoox vehicles to operate without a wheel and pedals — but only after years of review and requests for information. Before they began offering rides, both Zoox and Cybercabs self-certified that their driverless cars complied with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

"In the U.S., NHTSA establishes clear vehicle performance requirements," the agency stated in its investigation announcement. "In order for automakers to access the U.S. market, they must certify that their vehicles meet these standards – subject to oversight from the agency to confirm compliance. When certified vehicles appear to not adhere to these requirements, NHTSA conducts an investigation."

It’s unclear whether the NHTSA’s investigation, which it calls an audit query, will severely slow Cybercabs' expansion into markets beyond Austin. The Trump administration indicated that it is trying to balance a push for more autonomous technology with regular safety concerns. 

"NHTSA fully supports the safe development and deployment of automated vehicles. But as the federal regulator, we need to ensure that all of our laws are followed," NHTSA administrator Jonathan Morrison said in a statement. "Our approach of balancing innovation with safety oversight will allow the United States to maintain its global leadership in AV innovation."

Fall 2: Deadpoint is an unusual sequel in that the heroes of the previous film aren't at the center. As thoroughly detailed in our Fall ending explainer, only one of the two besties who climbed a 2,000-foot pole made it back to terra firma alive. And she only makes a brief appearance in the second film. However, Fall 2: Deadpoint does follow closely to the structure of the first film… until it doesn't. 

If you're wondering about that ending, we've got you covered. 

What is Fall 2: Deadpoint about? 

The sequel, written by Fall screenwriters Scott Mann and Jonathan Frank, focuses on Jax (Harriet Slater), the younger sister of the late Shiloh Hunter (Virginia Gardner). 

Jax is spiraling not only from grief but also from the surreal experience of seeing Shiloh (who was most often called Hunter in the first film) become posthumously famous as #fallgirl. But a college friend of her sister's, Luce (Arsema Thomas), has a radical plan for coping with such big emotions: Do a big, risky climb in Shiloh/Hunter's name. 

Why is it called Fall 2: Deadpoint?

Harriet Slater and Arsema Thomas co-star in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate Credit: Lionsgate

Well, aside from the macabre tone the sequel's subtitle sets up, "deadpoint" is a climbing term. Paradigm Climbing describes a deadpoint as "the moment a climber's vertical or lateral velocity reaches zero, before reversing direction." 

Where does Fall 2: Deadpoint follow Fall? 

Harriet Slater plays Jax in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate

Both films center on two young women who take on a perilously high climb in an attempt to overcome a past trauma. In Fall, Hunter urges Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) to climb the radio tower to get over the death of her husband (Mason Gooding), who died on her last cliffside climb. In Fall 2: Deadpoint, Jax and Luce climb a plank walk, 4,000 feet above sea level (so, twice as high as Hunter and Becky went). This trek is on the face of Thailand's Mount Kwan, and is said to end before a statue of a death dragon that will "eat your fears." 

Luce gets the idea for this particular adventure from Hunter's "fuck-it list," a scrapbook where she plotted out the stunts and climbs she'd perform for her online followers. This leads her and Jax to a bar in Thailand. There, the codename "Icarus on the rocks" (not a good omen) connects them with a non-native guide named Jon (Tom Brittney), who agrees to take them on the illegal climb for a steep fee that Luce says she'll cover. On top of the dangers of falling, this trek is more dangerous still because of reported rock slides. And then there's the added dangers around drug smugglers and the authorities determined to crack down on them and their mules. 

Much of that is added sequel flare. But Fall 2 hits some very familiar story points. Like Becky and Hunter before them, Jax and Luce see a vulture feeding on carrion in an ominous sign before their climb. They are warned they might suffer from "mountain bends," a version of altitude sickness that Jon says could cause "headaches, hallucinations, nausea, and worse." 

Once trapped on the mountain, they too will be trapped by a crumbling man-made artifice. In this case, a rock slide shatters the planks, leaving Luce and Jax stranded 4,0000 feet up. As for Jon, he goes missing during their scramble to dodge the falling rocks.

Then, like Becky and Hunter, the women will find their backpack of necessary provisions just out of reach. The steps to recover it might well give audiences flashbacks to Hunter's attempt to reclaim a backpack in Fall. And then there's actual flashbacks, giving backstory to Jax and Shiloh's dysfunctional sister bond.

Like her sister did in Fall, Jax will use a video recording device to try to find someone on the ground that can help rescue them. And once more, that won't be what does save them.

But, there will be a big twist, where the person who proposed the trip admits to a brutal betrayal of their companion.

What's the twist in Fall 2: Deadpoint? 

Arsema Thomas takes a hard fall in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate

While Jax is Hunter's sister, it's Luce that follows in her footsteps. She has struggles that recall the events that led to Hunter's fatal fall, including an injury to her upper limbs while trying to recover the backpack. From there, audiences might well anticipate that Jax is having an experience like Becky's, having witnessed her friend's death and hallucinating the fallen friend surviving to get her to the end of the path. But Fall 2: Deadpoint's big twist is not that! 

The personal twist comes when Jax watches old footage from Hunter's video recorder of a group hang with Luce. That's when she (and we) learns the Luce she knows isn't the real Luce. Her name is Billie, and she'd never met Hunter. But after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, she found inspiration in Hunter's videos, which had a carpe diem vivacity. She's a fan.

When Billie saw Jax was selling Hunter's recovered vehicle, she wanted to buy it. But Jax didn't want to sell to a fan, so Jax did some light social media stalking and learned Hunter had a Black friend named Luce. She lied about her identity to buy the car, but then felt genuinely connected to Jax. So, she proposed the trip. 

Like Hunter, Billie was deceitful to her climbing partner. In the first film, Hunter's big reveal was she'd been sleeping with Becky's husband before his death. But Luce is not a hallucination. However, she will fall to her death all the same. 

How does Fall 2: Deadpoint end? 

Tom Brittney plays Jon in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate

With Jon's talk about the necessity for the small oxygen tanks to prevent mountain bends, Mann and Frank set up the potential to retread the hallucination twist. However, ultimately, their script pivots to a more Hollywood action ending.

After attempts to get help have failed, Jax and Billie are surprisingly rescued by Jon, who helps them scurry up to safety. Viewers might well doubt that this is really happening, even as the reunited trio proceeds to the death dragon statue as if this were a happy ending. But then comes a new twist; after they cross a dizzyingly precarious rope bridge, the women learn that Jon was using them as unaware drug mules for fentanyl. 

He'd stored the drugs in the O2 tanks, which each client carried. He said he wasn't carrying one because he was essentially immune to mountain bends. But in truth, he knew the stiff penalties he'd incur should he be caught with drugs on him. Yet the jail time in a Thai prison would be nothing compared to what the dealers would do if Jon failed them again. He shows Jax he's already had two fingers severed for failing in his drug runs. One more failure, he warns, and they'd take his head. This is why he came back — for the drugs, not the girls. Still, he was planning to get them picked up in a helicopter and flown to safety. But he tells Jax that the price of that ride is a package of drugs. 

This lesson comes too late for Billie. She's so outraged by Jon's deception that she hollers at him and pitches her tank off the mountain. He's so incensed by this that he shoves her to her death. From there, Jax and Jon fight, which pitches them back onto that flimsy bridge. And ultimately, he'll fall (too), while Jax will get to the mountaintop, securing a ride home by handing over the drugs. 

Will there be a Fall 3? 

Harriet Slater and Arsema Thomas co-star in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate

The ending of Fall 2: Deadpoint suggests so! 

Having survived the "Icarus on the rocks" of it all, Jax turns the page of the fuck-it list to another Hunter-planned adventure. This time, it seems she wants to go with Becky.

In the film's ending, Becky visits to her mailbox to find an invite for a memorial of Hunter. Naturally, it'll be a treacherous location. The music seems ominous, which might lead the audience to wonder: Is Jax looking to bury the hatchet with Becky? Or is she looking to confront her sister's childhood friend about her resentments and how Becky's last trip with Hunter led to the latter's death (and being treated like a DIY phone protector)? 

We'll have to wait and see. 

Fall 2: Deadpoint is now in theaters.

The team behind Tetris, the classic 1984 puzzle video game, has responded to the White House over a knockoff game that the Trump administration released this week.

The statement from Tetris hits back against Trump's White House over its recently released Tetris clone, "Build the Wall." In its response, Tetris strongly hints that the company will "take copyright infringement very seriously."

"At Tetris, we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them," Tetris said in a statement posted to its official accounts on Instagram and X. "To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community."

The Tetris spoof was one of five games released by the White House on Thursday on a new government website address Arcade.gov. The playable web games are all clones of classic titles overlaid with different themes that promote Trump's policies. For example, "Build the Wall" pushes an anti-immigration agenda, urging players to "protect the border from the coming horde."

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The Tetris team amended their statement graphic with a few postscripts as well.

"P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of 'Build the Wall'," they said. "P.P.S. We take copyright infringement very seriously."

Tetris isn't the first to push back against an association with Trump and float potential legal action. Countless musical artists have issued DMCA takedowns or cease-and-desists to Trump over the years for the use of their songs at his rallies or in campaign media.

Just last year, Pokémon Company International issued a statement distancing itself from a video posted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that used its intellectual property to promote the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.

"Our company was not involved in the creation or distribution of this content, and permission was not granted for the use of our intellectual property," the Pokémon Company said at the time.

Earlier this week, three young men with little climbing experience set out to summit Mt. Shasta, a 14,179-foot peak in California.

Their planned eight-hour ascent ultimately turned into a search-and-rescue operation and drew national attention for one reason: The men used artificial intelligence to help plan their climb.

"We relied too much on AI rather than our own critical thinking," the men reportedly said, according to a detailed account of the failed summit posted on Facebook by the U.S. Forest Service - Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Still, AI itself didn't doom their trip, National Forest Service lead climbing ranger Nick Meyers told Mashable.

Instead, the hikers' plans were like "Swiss cheese," riddled with holes. That meant challenges compounded along the way until their situation escalated into an emergency. Their reliance on AI, YouTube videos, and the mobile mapping app AllTrails to plan and complete their climb turned their journey into a disaster.

Meyers, who is also the director of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center, said AI-related incidents on Mt. Shasta have "started to become a thing" this year as visitors have received incorrect information from AI. However, this is the first incident to involve 911 and a rescue, he noted.

"I think AI can be a great tool," Meyers told Mashable. "But I think when you're talking about entering into a risky environment, especially with nature, talk to a real person, or at least just fact-check the information you might get from AI."

How the hikers' summit plans fell apart

Meyers said AI correctly told the men that the summit should take eight hours. Per AI's guidance, they took enough food and water for that duration. It's unclear if AI suggested bringing additional supplies in case of an emergency.

Meanwhile, AI also recommended they eat simple carbs instead of fats because those "take too long to digest." Mountaineers, meanwhile, know fats can sustain long climbs that burn thousands of calories. Still, Meyers conceded, at least they had food.

What the men didn't account for was their own pace. Their ascent took double the anticipated time: 16 hours.

At two different points on their ascent, the group paused to consider turning back but decided to keep going despite "not feeling great."

Meyers said that their "mountain sense was just sort of lacking."

Navigation failures add up

The hikers also relied on AllTrails to navigate, but the phone battery died by the time they summited at 7 p.m. Their backup battery charger didn't work on the phone with the mapping app, which meant they mostly had to navigate by sight on their descent.

"If I knew I was at the top of a 14,000-foot peak, and I was going to be descending in the dark, you better believe I want to be keeping an eye on my battery so that I can use my map," Meyers said. "That was poor decision making."

Meyers noted that some hikers on Mt. Shasta make questionable choices when affected by exhaustion and altitude.

Rescuing the hikers

By 8 p.m. the hikers called 911 for directions. Soon after, at 11,500 feet, one of the hikers fell and injured his knee. Though he had a headlamp, he wanted to conserve its battery and relied on the light from his friends' headlamps.

At midnight, the group stopped to camp but had no food, water, warm clothes, or an emergency shelter.

Forest Service climbing rangers reached the group the next morning, at 9:30 a.m. Meyers wasn't in that party as he was coordinating a potential helicopter rescue from elsewhere.

In the end, the helicopter couldn't reach the hikers because of strong winds. The hikers, along with the climbing rangers, finally reached basecamp at 3 p.m. Siskiyou Search and Rescue members helped the group reach their trailhead, a trip that took an additional three hours.

Meyers said the Forest Service tries to use "the minimum means necessary" to get people off the mountain: "It's a tremendous amount of effort and resources to respond to a rescue."

'Breaking the unwritten rules' of climbing

Chris Carr, co-owner of Shasta Mountain Guides, said he's been "shocked and surprised" by how many hikers he's recently observed on Mt. Shasta making poor decisions and "breaking the unwritten rules" of climbing. That included people climbing without proper equipment and proceeding to the summit late in the afternoon, guaranteeing a descent in the dark.

He urges prospective climbers to know the "ten essentials" of mountaineering.

"Without a doubt, we are definitely seeing more people less prepared for this activity," Carr told Mashable.

He said perhaps more climbers have developed false confidence. Technology, he added, contributes to that because the "supercomputers in our pocket" can create a false sense of security.

Carr said if people consult AI to plan a trip like summiting Mt. Shasta, they should use it to identify the best resources for more information.

For Mt. Shasta, as an example, that could include calling a local outfitter or contacting the National Forest Service. Climbing rangers will talk to climbers about their trip. The National Forest Service website provides comprehensive information on what to know about climbing Mt. Shasta.

"It's good to feel the power of Mother Nature because it puts you in your place very quickly," Carr said. "I think many of us are removed from that and think that technology and equipment and all these advantages of modern age can get us through, where really we become very small, very vulnerable, very quickly."

The best Best Buy Labor Day deals at a glance

---

Best Apple Deal

2025 Apple MacBook Air M5

$1,699 (Save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best Amazon Device Deal

Amazon Fire TV Stick HD 2nd Gen

$17.99 (Save $22)

Get Deal

---

Best Laptop Deal

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 2K Touchscreen Laptop

$749.99 (Save $370)

Get Deal

---

Best Headphone Deal

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

$229 (Save $130)

Get Deal

---

Best Chromebook Deal

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514

$579 (save $170)

Get Deal

---

Best Gaming Laptop Deal

Lenovo LOQ 15 2K Gaming Laptop (Core i7 13650HX, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060)

$1,149.99 (save $700)

Get Deal

The last long weekend of summer is here, and so is the impulse to squeeze in one more cookout and one more round of shopping with some great discounts before fall truly sets in. Best Buy has already kicked off its Labor Day sale with several picks that you can shop right now through midnight on Sept. 7.

This year, a global memory shortage has pushed prices up across laptops, tablets, and streaming devices, so markdowns are going much further than they did a few months ago. If you're looking to pick up some sale-priced laptops, headphones, or even streaming devices, Best Buy has you covered with some great prices you won't want to miss out on.

To help you save, we've gathered all of the top discounts from the Best Buy Labor Day sale. Our editors' favorite products are marked with a 🔥 emoji.

Best Apple deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Best Buy

2025 Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$1,699 at Best Buy
$1,799 Save $100

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 is a great choice for most users when it comes to Apple laptops. The configuration Best Buy has discounted comes loaded with a powerful setup to handle just about any task. You get a 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, 24GB of unified memory, and a 1TB SSD, which is plenty of power for editing video or just keeping a few dozen browser tabs open. Plus, you'll get up to 18 hours of battery life per charge.

More Apple deals

• Apple Pencil (USB-C) — $69.99 $79 (save $9.01)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $89 $99 (save $10) 🔥

• Apple Pencil Pro — $99 $129 (save $29.01)

• Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (A16) — $199 $249 (save $50)

• Apple iPad 11-inch (A16, 128GB, WiFi) — $399 $449 (save $50)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 (USB-C) — $479 $549 (save $70)

• Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro, 128GB, WiFi) — $579 $599 (save $20)

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, 128GB, WiFi) — $649 $749 (save $100) 🔥

• Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $689.99 $699 (save $9.01)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, 256GB, WiFi) — $1,149 $1,199 (save $50)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,049 $2,199 (save $150) 🔥

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,799 $2,999 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Max, 48GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $4,499 $4,999 (save $50)

Best Amazon device deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Best Buy

Amazon Fire TV Stick HD 2nd Gen

$17.99 at Best Buy
$39.99 Save $22.00

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This streaming stick plugs into any open HDMI port to put the current Fire TV interface on your TV so you can stream your favorite shows and movies anytime. It offers AI-powered search to help you figure out what to watch without scrolling endlessly through all your apps, and you get 8GB of storage plus free live TV channels alongside Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+. Most importantly, you can take your streaming apps with you just about wherever you go with this stick.

More Amazon device deals

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — $49.99 $84.99 (save $35)

• Amazon Echo Dot — $54.99 $79.99 (save $25)

• Amazon Echo Spot — $69.99 $109.99 (save $40)

• Amazon Echo Show 5 — $69.99 $99.99 (save $30)

• Amazon Echo Dot Max — $94.99 $119.99 (save $25)

• Amazon Echo Show 8 — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• Amazon Echo Show 11 — $189.99 $249.99 (save $60)

• Amazon Fire TV Cube — $109.99 $199.99 (save $90)

• Amazon Echo Show 15 — $269.99 $349.99 (save $80)

Best laptop deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Best Buy

Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 2K Touchscreen Laptop

$749.99 at Best Buy
$1,199.99 Save $450

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This 16-inch 2K touchscreen laptop has plenty of real estate and power to help you be more productive or just spend time browsing online in comfort. It boasts an Intel Core Ultra 7 256V processor, 16GB of memory, and a 512GB SSD. The hinge also folds all the way back, so you can use it as a laptop, prop it up for watching something, or flatten it down straight for use as a tablet. It's a versatile piece of tech that you can legitimately take with you wherever you go since it can convert to the format you need most.

More laptop deals

• HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 2K OLED Laptop (AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $699.99 $1,329.99 (save $630)

• Lenovo LOQ 15 2K Gaming Laptop (Core i7 13650HX, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060) — $1,149.99 $1,849.99 (save $700) 🔥

• HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,799.99 $2,249.99 (save $450)

• Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99 $2,199.99 (save $300)

The top Chromebook deals at Best Buy

• HP 14 Chromebook — $179 $399 (save $220)

• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook — $289 $529 (save $240)

• Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra, 12GB RAM, 256GB) — $579 $749 (save $170) 🔥

Best headphone deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Best Buy

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

$229 at Best Buy
$359 Save $130

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

If you're looking for great audio as well as overall comfort, these headphones are more than easy to recommend. Comfort is in their name, after all. They excel at noise canceling as well, with both Quiet and Aware modes for switching between full noise cancellation and keeping aware of your surroundings. They also offer 24 hours of battery life and enough earcup padding to stay comfortable through a long flight or lengthy listening sessions. When you're done with them, they fold down into the included case, so they're easy to pack as well.

More headphone deals

• Shokz OpenFit 2+ — $159.99 $199.99 (save $40)

• Sony WH-1000XM5 Headphones — $198 $398 (save $200)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) — $249 $299 (save $50) 🔥

• Beats Studio Pro — $249.99 $349.99 (save $100)

• Sony WH-1000XM6 — $398 $458 (save $60) 🔥

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd gen) — $399 $449 (save $50) 🔥

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $479 $549 (save $70)

Looking for more Labor Day sales?

• The best Labor Day deals already live: Shop mattresses, tools, and TVs

• The best pre-Labor Day deals on Apple products

• The best Labor Day sales on mattresses, bedding, and pillows

• The best Labor Day home improvement deals from The Home Depot

• Shop the Ruggable pre-Labor Day sale on washable rugs

The best Labor Day laptop deals at a glance:

---

Best MacBook deal

Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$1,699 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best Windows laptop deal

HP OmniBook 3 16 (Snapdragon X, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$599.99 (save $550)

Get Deal

---

Best Chromebook deal

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra, 12GB RAM, 256GB UFS)

$579 (save $170)

Get Deal

The ongoing memory crisis means higher prices for the tech we've come to depend on. Laptops have been hit especially hard by "RAMageddon," with PC makers like Dell, Lenovo, and Acer raising prices to reflect rising component costs. Even Apple marked up its MacBooks by at least $100 apiece this summer. (Gone are the days of the $599 MacBook Neo.)

The current state of the market makes shopping sales feel all the more important. Your last big chance to snag a deeply discounted laptop before Black Friday comes with this weekend's Labor Day sales. Below, we've rounded up the best Labor Day laptop deals we could find, including discounts on MacBooks, Windows laptops, and a very nice Chromebook we've tested.

Best MacBook deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Apple

Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$1,699 at Amazon and Best Buy
$1,799 Save $100

 

Get Deal

The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air is our favorite MacBook for college students, as it's super portable and a little cheaper than its 15-inch brother. It's a fabulous ultraportable with a crisp, colorful display, amazing speakers, and blazing-fast performance. This upgraded model, with 24GB of RAM and a terabyte of storage, should last you well past graduation. Amazon and Best Buy currently have it on sale for $1,699, or $100 off.

Heads up: If you have a valid student ID, you'll get $100 off and a free $100 gift card if you buy this MacBook directly through the Apple Store during its Back to School sale (live through Sept. 24). However, it won't ship until late September or early October. If you need it sooner, Amazon (with Prime) and Best Buy were both advertising next- or two-day shipping at the time of writing.

Read Mashable's full review of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Air (M5).

More MacBook deals

• Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $689.99 $699 (save $9.01)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,849.99 $1,999 (save $149.01)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,299.99 $2,499 (save $199.01)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,759.99 $2,999 (save $239.01)

Best Windows laptop deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: HP

HP OmniBook 3 16 (Snapdragon X, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$599.99 at Staples
$1,149.99 Save $550

 

Get Deal

The OmniBook 3 16 is a slim, big-screened laptop with a mind-blowing battery life of over 40 hours per charge. It's the longest-lasting laptop we've ever tested in more than a decade of reviewing laptops. Just note that its Snapdragon X processor is best for everyday productivity tasks, not intensive app usage. This configuration with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage (a good daily driver combo) is 48% off at Staples for Labor Day. For reference, HP's website lists the same model at $90 more.

Read Mashable's full review of the HP OmniBook 3 16.

More Windows laptop deals

• HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 2K OLED Laptop (AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $699.99 $1,329.99 (save $630)

• Lenovo LOQ 15 2K Gaming Laptop (Core i7 13650HX, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060) — $1,149.99 $1,849.99 (save $700)

• HP OmniBook Ultra 14 (Snapdragon X2 Elite, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,799.99 $2,249.99 (save $450)

• Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S (Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070Ti, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,899.99 $2,199.99 (save $300)

• Dell XPS 14 (Intel Core Ultra X7 358H, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $2,699.99 $3,149.99 (save $450)

Best Chromebook deal

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Credit: Acer

Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514 (MediaTek Kompanio Ultra, 12GB RAM, 256GB UFS)

$579 at Best Buy
$749 Save $170

 

Get Deal

This premium Chromebook boasts an 18-hour battery life and a silky-smooth touchscreen display that can flip around 360 degrees. It makes a great MacBook Neo alternative for ultra-casual users who want a laptop that doubles as a tablet. Ahead of Labor Day, it's significantly cheaper than the Neo: Best Buy has it marked down to $579, or 23% off. That more than erases its $50 price hike from May.

Read Mashable's full review of the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 514.

More Chromebook deals

• HP 14 Chromebook — $179 $399 (save $220)

• Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook — $289 $529 (save $240)

In less than a week, Apple is holding its big annual September event. You'd think the rumor mill would slow down at some point, but it hasn't.

Everyone expects to see four new iPhones and some other fun stuff as well. Those details are more or less set in stone. There are little things in the margins, though, such as device prices, colors, and specs, that are still leaking out ahead of time. Here are three last-minute rumors to catch up on before the show on Sept. 9.

Leaked iPhone 18 Pro and Ultra cases, with one device notably missing

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Earlier this week, a handful of third-party phone accessory makers posted renders of cases for the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and Ultra phones. While the renders are almost certainly not real photos of the phones, they do give us an idea of what to expect in terms of size and shape, especially for the foldable Ultra. As has been rumored for months, it appears to be a short, wide foldable with two cameras on the rear.

These iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max case leaks included four colors: deep burgundy, light gray, black, and misty blue, all of which have been previously reported as colors for those devices. The only slightly weird thing here is that there are no renders of the base-model iPhone 18. It's becoming more and more expected around the tech world that Apple will wait until next spring to launch the base iPhone 18, giving the Pro and Ultra models more time to shine this fall.

Some possible info on iPhone Ultra prices

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Everyone wants to know how much these phones will cost, especially the iPhone Ultra, as it's the only one without a 2025 model to compare it to directly. Thanks to RAMageddon, it's easy to assume that the Pro and Pro Max models will cost a little bit more than their iPhone 17 counterparts.

We have some new information about the Ultra’s price, courtesy of various retail listings and market research reports. EVDownunder on X (via PhoneArena) got pricing information from Vodafone Australia suggesting that the iPhone Ultra will retail for about $2,600 USD, accounting for currency conversion. That roughly lines up with a new report from the market research firm International Data Corporation, which pegged the phone's price at around $2,550.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg's Apple guru Mark Gurman said in an interview this week that he expects the phone to retail for at least $2,000. At any rate, it would be shocking if the phone's price didn't start with the number 2.

Last-minute iPhone Ultra specs

That Gurman interview also contained some basic specs for the device, which line up with what we've been hearing for a while now. Gurman said to expect a 5.5-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner display. He also said the phone will have MagSafe support, which had been a big question mark prior to this interview. He compared the hinge to those found on recent Samsung foldables, which means it likely won't be completely invisible, but close enough to it.

Perhaps most interestingly, Gurman claims the iPhone Ultra won't suffer a major delay. He expects it to be available within weeks of the Sept. 9 event, around the same time the Pro and Pro Max devices launch. There had been some expectation of a delay around the tech world, perhaps due to manufacturing costs, but Gurman says that isn't happening.

Earlier this year, Nintendo officially unveiled a big new remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of time for Switch 2. Naturally, everyone's mind is brimming with ideas about what (and what not) to expect from it.

As a lifelong Ocarina lover who generally considers it one of the three or four best video games ever made, trust that I have some thoughts about this remake. I'm not opposed to its existence at all, but there are a handful of conditions I'd like it to meet in order to make sense as a big holiday release for Switch 2.

Given that there is a Nintendo Direct next week where we will surely see gameplay for the first time, here are some things I do and don't want to see from the game.

An Ocarina of Time remake should be different enough to justify its existence

Maybe don't go quite as hard as the 'Final Fantasy VII Remake' games do, but they're a decent starting point. Credit: Square Enix/Steam

To start, I should note that you can play the original Ocarina of Time on a Switch or Switch 2 right now via the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service. I am of the belief that remakes exist to supplement the original work, not replace them, so it's paramount that Nintendo keep the original playable on modern platforms, and I have no reason to believe the company would remove it from the NSO service.

With that in mind, if this remake is going to a $60+ major holiday release that exists alongside the original, it needs to set itself apart. There are plenty of ways to do that. For starters, it might not hurt to modernize the controls a bit. I love the way the original Ocarina feels, with Link's weighty, substantial movement grounding him in the game's world in a beautiful way. Ocarina's heavy use of context-sensitive actions gave Link a huge number of ways to intuitively interact with said world, which set the game apart from other 3D action-adventure titles at the time.

The iconic title screen needs to stay. Credit: Nintendo

That said, there are a lot of people who don't have three decades of nostalgia for this game baked into their memories. Some folks are younger and may have started their Zelda journeys with newer games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. For a portion of the modern gaming audience, Ocarina's original control scheme feels clunky and unwieldy.

Even I, a person who loves the original release as much as I can possibly love anything, will admit that lining up jumps or trying to precisely throw bombs can be a chore. It also just doesn't make much sense on anything other than a Nintendo 64 controller, for which Ocarina was hyper-specifically designed.

Whoever is making this rumored remake needs to make it make sense on a Switch 2 controller. It might also help to add new content to Link's seminal 3D adventure, which might please fans of the original. New or reworked side quests, an additional optional dungeon, or even a smaller second adventure with a different playable character (looking at you, Sheik) would each individually do a lot to make players new and old flock to this remake. As long as it all fits naturally into the original game's structure, of course.

But they shouldn't just turn it into Breath of the Wild

Great game, but not something the 'Ocarina' remake needs to emulate. Credit: Nintendo

One thing I've seen some fans online suggest that I vehemently disagree with is the notion of turning Ocarina of Time into a full-blown open-world adventure in the same vein as the two big Switch games, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. This is an idea that might sound enticing until you think about it for a few seconds. Let me explain why.

More than anything, that's just not what Ocarina of Time ever was. Hyrule Field felt massive, expansive, and mysterious in 1998, but Ocarina at its core is a pretty linear game where there's typically only ever one authored solution to any problem. It's not about creativity in puzzle-solving like Breath and Tears, it's about using a boomerang to open a door in the exact way the designers want you to.

This may sound stifling to fans of the newer games, and in the arc of the Zelda franchise, that formula was indeed stifling enough to inspire the need for a series overhaul, but it's an apples-and-oranges thing.

New Zelda is a physics sandbox, while old Zelda focused more on the creativity of the designers than the player. In practice, one could very easily argue that the old style produced better pacing, and it allowed each game to have a large arsenal of fun items to use, rather than a small handful of powers like in the newer entries. If you've never used the Hookshot, you don't know what you're missing.

Crucially, you can also finish Ocarina of Time in like 20 hours. Not everything needs to be a 100-hour epic.

The remake needs to have a fresh look

Honestly, for this remake, the most important decision for its developers to make concerns how it will look. I am not an artist, so I don't have much in the way of specific ideas for how it should look. But I don't think a straightforward adaptation of the original game's graphics is the way to go.

If you just do "Ocarina of Time but modern," you run the risk of inviting ungenerous comparisons between the original and the remake. It would also be boring, just as it would be to simply convert Ocarina into the more Studio Ghibli-inspired Breath of the Wild art style. Zelda has reinvented itself visually more times than almost any series, and it's time for that to happen again.

But it also needs to respect the original's distinct vibes

In playing some of the original release recently for research purposes, one thing that stuck out to me is just how weird it often is. I think about NPCs like Grog, the gaunt misanthrope who mostly exists to tell you how much he hates his parents, or the creepy music box guy. At one point, you can play music on your ocarina for the enjoyment of a bunch of cartoon frogs. It's a goofy game with a lot of heart, and I hope that doesn't get lost in translation.

There are lots of other things that I think can be updated without being lost, such as the original game's brilliant soundtrack. That could use a full orchestral re-arrangement. I'm also open to other ideas, but for now, these are the things that have been swimming around my mind the most about this potential remake.

Silo Season 3 delivered answers in a major way, showing viewers the nuclear explosion that sent people underground and revealing what's inside the sinister Silo 1. Of course, in true Silo fashion, its Season 3 finale also left us with some big questions. Most importantly: How in the world is Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) going to bring down the powerful forces within Silo 1?

Luckily, there's one question we can get answers to right away, and that's the classic post-finale question of, "when can we see more?" That's because Apple TV has already unveiled the exact release date of Silo Season 4.

What is Silo Season 4's release date?

Silo's fourth and final season will premiere on July 9, 2027. That means you have a little under a year to hammer out all your theories for Juliette's upcoming confrontation with Silo 1's Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman), now memory-wiped and referred to as Troy.

Does Silo Season 4 have a trailer?

Apple TV has released a teaser for Season 4, giving us ample material for speculation and analysis in the months to come. Fair warning, though. It's incredibly spoiler-y, so watch and read on with caution.

The first look teases flashbacks to Helen Drew's (Jessica Henwick) first moments in Silo 18, right after the nuclear bomb went off. It also shows that Sheriff Paul Billings (Chinaza Uche) tells the entirety of Silo 18 the truth about the other silos, including how Silo 1 controls them and has led them to believe that the air outside the silos is poisonous.

Most intriguingly, the teaser gives us a flash of trillionaire Per Stensen (Colin Hanks), who's bee missing since the end of episode 9. Of course, the biggest reveal of all is that Juliette and Daniel/Troy will finally meet face to face.

How will all this play out? We'll have to wait until summer 2027 to find out. Start the countdown, and please theorize responsibly.

Silo Season 3 is now streaming on Apple TV. Silo Season 4 premieres July 9, 2027.

In case the Apple event next week wasn't enough, Nintendo has decided to crash the party with not one, but two Nintendo Direct livestreams of its own.

Nintendo announced a pair of Nintendo Direct livestreams that will take place on Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, both at 10 a.m. ET. You'll be able to watch both of the events live on Nintendo's YouTube channel, or in VOD form, immediately following their conclusions.

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Why two Directs instead of one? Well, the first Sept. 8 event is specifically themed around the 40th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series, and it's approximately 30 minutes long. Arguably Nintendo's most prestigious franchise, Zelda has been mostly absent from the Switch 2 in the console's first year-and-change of existence. In the most recent Nintendo Direct before this, Nintendo teased a The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Switch 2. The legendary 1998 game is still considered one of the all-time greats.

For the first of the two Directs, I fully expect to finally see some gameplay footage from the Ocarina remake, as well as a general idea of what's new and different about it. Beyond that, it would not be shocking if Nintendo released some limited edition controllers or even a Zelda-themed Switch 2 console or bundle. I would also guess that at least one or two older Zelda titles will be ported to Switch and/or Switch 2 as part of this. Twilight Princess is conspicuously missing from the console, for example.

You can watch the Legend of Zelda Nintendo Direct at 10 a.m. ET on Sept. 8. We recommend catching the action on YouTube:

The second Direct is a more general stream focused on non-Zelda titles coming to Nintendo platforms. We really, truly do not know anything about this one, other than that it's 45 minutes long. That's enough time for plenty of trailers and news, perhaps including a release date for FromSoftware's The Duskbloods, which just had a successful closed beta weekend on Switch 2 in August.

Aside from that, the second Direct could contain more info about Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, which is slated for release in October, and Xenoblade Genesis, set to launch next year. Those two games and Pokémon Winds & Waves are basically the only other upcoming Switch 2 titles that we know about right now. That could mean that Nintendo is gearing up to announce some brand new stuff in this Direct, but it could also mean that the bulk of the 45-minute runtime will be devoted to ports of existing third-party games. Knowing Nintendo, it could truly go either way.

You can watch the Sept. 9 Nintendo Direct at 10 a.m. ET, and it will livestream on YouTube:

TL;DR: Watch Real Betis vs. Real Madrid in La Liga for free on CazéTV. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

La Liga has started with some big scorelines, some stunning individual performances, and a perfect start for Real Madrid. Next they face Real Betis, aiming to win their fourth game on the campaign. The trouble for Real Madrid is that despite winning their first three games, they still sit behind rivals Barcelona. That could all change this weekend.

If you're interested in watching Real Betis vs. Real Madrid in La Liga from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Real Betis vs. Real Madrid?

Real Betis vs. Real Madrid in La Liga kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 4. This fixture takes place at the Estadio de La Cartuja.

How to watch Real Betis vs. Real Madrid for free

Real Betis vs. Real Madrid in La Liga is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Real Betis vs. Real Madrid for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Real Betis vs. Real Madrid for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Real Betis vs. Real Madrid for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Real Betis vs. Real Madrid without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for La Liga?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Real Betis vs. Real Madrid for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The best Apple Labor Day deals at a glance:

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Best AirPods deal

Apple AirPods Pro 3

$199 (save $50)

Get Deal

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Best iPad deal

Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB)

$649 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best iPhone deal

Apple iPhone Air (256GB, unlocked)

$849.99 (save $150)

Get Deal

---

Best MacBook deal

Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$2,299.99 (save $199.01)

Get Deal

---

Best Headphones Deal

Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Purple)

$449.00 at Amazon

Get Deal

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Best Apple accessory deal

Apple AirTags (2nd gen, 4-pack)

$79.99 (save $19.01)

Get Deal

It's no secret that tech prices are getting out of control, thanks to RAMageddon. Apple has increased the costs of most of its popular gadgets (with more price hikes to come), so any excuse to save some money is welcome. Enter Labor Day Weekend sales.

Ahead of the iPhone launch event next week, Amazon, Best Buy, and other major retailers are offering Labor Day deals on Apple products. Notably, iPads and iPhones are up to $150 off, while MacBooks are up to $500 off. You can even grab AirPods starting at just $99.

While we don't anticipate Prime Day-level discounts this weekend, though that would be wonderful, we've collected all of the best Labor Day Apple deals in one place. Don't forget that Apple is widely expected to announce new AirPods Pro, iPhones, and Apple Watches on Sept. 9, and so retailers may be making room in their warehouses for a ton of new products.

Best iPad deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB)

$649 at Amazon or Best Buy
$749 Save $100

 

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Why we like it

If you're looking to buy a new iPad, the M4 Air is our top pick for most people. It's not all that different from its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing (we loved the M3 iPad Air, too). The latest version packs an insanely powerful M4 chip, a thin and lightweight build, a brilliant Liquid Retina display, and Apple's N1 and C1X connectivity chips. It's honestly almost too powerful for most users, with enough oomph to handle memory-intensive programs like Final Cut Pro. Yet, its price tag isn't quite as stunning as the iPad Pro. For Labor Day, the base model with WiFi connectivity and 128GB of storage is down to just $649. It's selling out quick at Amazon, but luckily, Best Buy is matching the $100 discount.

Read our full review of the M4 iPad Air.

More iPad deals

• Apple iPad, 11-inch (A16, WiFi, 128GB) — $399 $449 (save $50)

• Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 256GB) — $749 $849 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB) — $849 $949 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 256GB) — $949 $1,049 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, WiFi, 512GB) — $1,299 $1,399 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 256GB) — $1,399.99 $1,499 (save $99.01)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 512GB) — $1,549 $1,699 (Save $150)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, WiFi, 1TB) — $1,649.99 $1,799 (save $149.01)

Best iPhone deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPhone Air (256GB, unlocked)

$849.99 at Best Buy
$999.99 Save $150

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

While we regularly see solid deals on unlocked Android phones, unlocked iPhone deals are few and far between. So finding the iPhone Air at Best Buy for $150 off (with any storage capacity) is a big deal. Mashable's reviewer dubbed the iPhone Air Apple's "sexiest iPhone" to date. It's thinner than you can fathom, yet packs a gorgeous OLED display and a surprisingly good camera. With the inevitable iPhone price hikes coming, snagging the iPhone Air for less could be an even better value than you realize.

Read our full review of the iPhone Air.

More iPhone deals

• Apple iPhone 16e (128GB, unlocked) — $499.99 $599.99 (save $100)

• Apple iPhone Air (512GB, unlocked) — $1,049.99 $1,199.99 (save $150)

• Apple iPhone Air (1TB, unlocked) — $1,249.99 $1,399.99 (save $150)

• See $0 T-Mobile iPhone offers

Best MacBook deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

$2,299.99 at Amazon
$2,499 Save $199.01

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The M5 Pro MacBook Pro jumped $300 earlier this summer, so this discount at Best Buy essentially erases that price hike. Granted, the MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro chip is definitely overkill for most users — especially this model with boosted specs (24GB RAM and 1TB storage). Still, it's a great pick for graphic designers, editors, or programmers with heavy workloads. Besides the powerful M5 Pro chip, specs include Apple's N1 wireless chip, a brilliant 3K mini LED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, and three USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports.

Read our full review of the M5 MacBook Pro.

More MacBook deals

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,449 $1,599 (save $150)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,699 $1,799 (save $100)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,849 $1,999 (save $150)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 Pro, 24GB RAM, 2TB SSD) — $2,699 $2,999 (save $300)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Max, 36GB, 1TB SSD) — $2,999 $3,399 (save $400)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M4 Max, 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $3,399 $3,899 (save $500)

Best AirPods deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirPods Pro 3

$199 at Amazon
$249 Save $50

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

Even though the AirPods Pro 3 were marked safe from Apple's price hike, that doesn't mean you should buy them at full cost. The premium Apple earbuds have been jumping around in price this past week, but they've finally settled on a $199 price tag heading into Labor Day Weekend. That's $50 cheaper than usual.

Mashable's reviewer called the Pro 3's "a remarkable upgrade in functionality over their predecessors, with better battery life and ANC, as well as a new heart rate sensor." They're some of our favorite noise-cancelling earbuds overall (and we've tested a ton).

Read our full review of the AirPods Pro 3.

More AirPods deals

• Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC) — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC) — $148.99 $179 (save $30.01)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $479 $549 (save $70)

Best accessory deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple AirTags (2nd gen, 4-pack)

$79.99 at Amazon
$99 Save $19.01

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

Once again, Apple's newest generation of AirTags didn't bring a whole lot of changes, but why fix what isn't broken? The second-gen AirTags have improved range, slightly louder notifications, and the same affordable price tag. If you're a frequent traveler or tend to lose things often, they're a must-have. And at under $80 for a four-pack, they're a total steal right now.

Read our full review of the AirTags 2nd gen.

More Apple accessory deals

• Apple AirTag (2nd gen) — $24 $29 (save $5)

• Apple Pencil Pro — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (A16) — $175 $249 (save $74)

Looking for more Labor Day sales?

• The best Labor Day deals already live: Shop mattresses, tools, and TVs

• The best Labor Day sales on mattresses, bedding, and pillows

• The best Labor Day home improvement deals from The Home Depot

• Shop the Ruggable pre-Labor Day sale on washable rugs

• Check out the best Labor Day laptop deals MacBooks and more

Xbox is making a change to Game Pass that probably won't have very many defenders online.

Microsoft's gaming division announced in a blog post this week that the cloud gaming service that has been included with Game Pass subscriptions for years is getting fairly harsh hourly limits per month, starting in November. You'll be restrained to different amounts of time depending on which tier of Game Pass you subscribe to:

• Game Pass Essential: 5 hours per month

• Game Pass Premium: 10 hours per month

• Game Pass Ultimate: 15 hours per month

People who don't subscribe to Game Pass will also be able to buy hours from the Xbox store, but the larger point here is that nobody will be able to stream Xbox games without limits anymore. Xbox's blog post says this change will "only" affect four percent of Game Pass subscribers, but that could still hinder a lot of people from playing whatever they feel like playing in November and beyond.

Speaking of which, Grand Theft Auto VI comes out in November. While it wouldn't be eligible for Game Pass streaming at launch, there's always a possibility it could be added to the service months (or years) down the line. If/when that happens, you won't be able to stream it for more than 15 hours per month. That's not great.

This is only the latest in a string of not-entirely-positive headlines about Xbox in the past year or two. Between a big leadership change that saw AI executive Asha Sharma take over the brand, console price hikes, and Xbox's inclusion on the BDS boycott list by association with Microsoft's partnership with the Israeli military, the mood around Xbox in online gaming circles has been pretty rotten lately.

For some reason, I don't think imposing hourly limits on game streaming right as the biggest game of the decade launches is going to help matters.

TL;DR: Watch PSG vs. Monaco in Ligue 1 for free on CazéTV. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Ligue 1 has started with some unexpected results. We're all so used to seeing Champions League champions PSG at the top of the standings, but right now they're sitting in 11th. We expect to see the defending champs move up the table, but are we seeing the start of a decline for Luis Enrique's side?

Next they face Monaco, probably not the side they wanted to come up against as they seek their first win of the season. Monaco top the standings after two rounds, without conceding a single goal.

If you're interested in watching PSG vs. Monaco in Ligue 1 from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is PSG vs. Monaco?

PSG vs. Monaco in Ligue 1 kicks off at 3:05 p.m. ET on Sept. 4. This fixture takes place at the Parc des Princes.

How to watch PSG vs. Monaco for free

PSG vs. Monaco in Ligue 1 is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream PSG vs. Monaco for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream PSG vs. Monaco for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch PSG vs. Monaco for free from anywhere in the world

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Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch PSG vs. Monaco without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Ligue 1?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream PSG vs. Monaco for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

UPDATE: Sep. 4, 2026, 4:57 p.m. EDT The Tetris Company has issued a statement regarding the White House's knockoff of its game.

Read the response from Tetris here. The original report continues below.

With gas prices soaring, dozens of food recalls, a war in Iran, and a litany of other pressing issues, one might be thinking to themself, "I wish the U.S. government would release a series of low-quality, potentially vibe-coded video games."

Well, you are in luck!

On Thursday, Trump's White House announced a new website, Arcade.gov, which hosts five brand new 8-bit style video games, which harken back to the days of Newgrounds and the now-discontinued Adobe Flash. 

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The official White House account on Elon Musk's X announced the launch of the new government website via a series of videos, which spoof the opening screens of Sega, Nintendo, and Xbox game consoles.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The Sega spoof turns the company's iconic logo into a MAGA promotion.

The most innocuous game is the site's Flappy Bird clone, called Flappy Bill, where a user guides an eagle down the National Mall.

Supply Line, which spoofs the game Tapper, challenges users to sort cafeteria food to promote the administration's Make America Healthy Again campaign.

In Trump Savings Tycoon, players have to collect money for their kids' Trump Accounts, which promotes the administration's agenda to provide $1,000 to children born during the president's term in office.

A screenshot of 'Rio Run.' Credit: Arcade.gov

A screenshot of 'Build the Wall.' Credit: Arcade.gov

The two most controversial games promote Trump's border policies. Rio Run is a Snake clone that challenges the user to patrol the border along the Rio Grande, catching immigrants crossing the border. Once a user "catches" an immigrant, they re-appear in an orange jumpsuit. Finally, Build the Wall, a Tetris game with a zombie theme, encourages users to “protect the border from the coming horde."

In the replies to the White House's announcement, many users criticized the games. Some encourage Nintendo and Xbox to sue the administration for copyright infringement. Others made references to the lack of games covering other issues, such as the Epstein Files.

The Arcade.gov website claims more games are on the way.

"Coming soon," reads a blank box next to the other games in the library, with a tagline that reads, "A new adventure awaits."

Best Labor Day outdoor deals at a glance:

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Best power station deal

Anker Solix C300

$199.99 (save $50)

Shop Now

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Best cooler deal

Ninja FrostVault

$169.99 (save $30)

Shop Now

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Best backyard deal

Govee Smart Outdoor String Lights 2

$129.99 (save $60)

Shop Now

Summer is winding down, but that doesn't mean the fun is ending. Now that the weather is cooling down, being outside is so much more enjoyable. There's still time for backyard barbecues, a hike, or a camping trip.

Even though we know there's still plenty of time to get outside, retail trends still think we're winding down with the outdoor activities. That means this is the perfect time to upgrade your gear with sale prices and still get plenty of use before packing it all away for winter.

If you've been thinking about getting a portable power station for camping, a camping chair for watching fall sports, or a new water bottle, consider this is a great time to be shopping. Here are some of our favorite Labor Day outdoor deals at Amazon:

Best portable power station deal

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Credit: Anker Solix

Anker Solix C300

$199.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50

 

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Why we like it

Camping trips don't have to mean disconnecting, unless you want to. But if you'd rather keep in touch, a portable power station is perfect for keeping phones and other devices charged. The Anker Solix C300 comes with 288Wh and four USB-C ports. Anker mentions the capacity of the Solix C300 can recharge a phone about 19 times. Plus, the built-in light is perfect for the campground.

Best cooler deal

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Credit: Ninja

Ninja FrostVault

$169.99 at Amazon
$199.99 Save $30

 

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Why we like it

Ninja makes some of Mashable's favorite kitchen appliances, and the FrostVault cooler has been a favorite since it launched last year. Unlike most coolers, Ninja added a dry storage drawer to the cooler, ensuring there's a dedicated space that'll keep food cool and dry. It's perfect for easy access to road trip sandwiches and snacks.

The 30-quart Ninja FrostVault is on sale on Amazon ahead of Labor Day for $169.99. With 15 pounds of ice, this size can fit 26 cans.

Best backyard deal

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Credit: Govee

Govee Smart Outdoor String Lights 2

$129.99 at Amazon
$189.99 Save $60

 

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Why we like it

Light up the backyard, patio, or balcony with the Govee Smart Outdoor String Lights 2. The 144-foot pack is on sale on Amazon for only $129.99 and comes with 45 bulbs. The Govee lights carry an IP65 waterproof rating, so you won't need to worry about them getting wet in fall rainstorms. Govee makes some of the best outdoor lights that are sure to impress your neighbors.

More outdoor deals

• Stanley IceFlow 2.0 Flip Straw Tumbler, 20 oz — $18 $30 (save $12)

• Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Water Bottle, 32 oz — $32.99 $44.95 (save $11.96)

• GCI Freestyle Rocker XL Camping Chair — $68 $85 (save $17)

• The North Face Borealis Backpack — $86.25 $115 (save $28.25)

• Sun Ninja Beach Tent – $134.90 $169.95 (save $35.05)

• JBL PartyBox Encore Essential 2 Portable Speaker — $229.95 $329.95 (save $100)

• Yeti Hopper M Series Portable Soft Cooler — $280 $530 (save $70)

• Jetboil Genesis Basecamp Backpacking and Camping Stove System — $337.39 $449.99 (save $112.60)

• Dometic Recon Hardside Cooler — $339 $425 (save $86)

• AWOL Valerion 200-inch Outdoor Projector Screen — $949 $1,199 (save $250)

• Nebula X1 4K Laser Projector — $2,299 $2,999 (save $700)

The best Home Depot Labor Day deals at a glance:

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Best grill deal

Weber Genesis E-325W 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill

$899 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best power tool deal

Milwaukee M18 18V Cordless 8-Tool Combo Kit

$649 (save $649)

Get Deal

---

Best outdoor deal

Ryobi ONE+ Whisper Series 12-inch Cordless Chainsaw

$189 (save $60)

Get Deal

---

Best single power tool deal

Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless 1/2 in. Impact Wrench

$79 (save $60)

Get Deal

---

Best smart home deal

eufy S430 SoloCam

$139.99 (save $60)

Get Deal

Labor Day Weekend is officially upon us, but Home Depot's huge holiday savings event has already been going strong for the last week. If you haven't checked it out yet, no worries. You still have plenty of time.

Starting Aug. 27 and running through Sept. 9, Home Depot's Labor Day Sale is offering all kinds of deals to help you transition into fall with ease. Highlights include up to 45% off Ryobi cordless power tools, up to $160 off grills, up to $100 off DeWalt tool combo kits, and more. Whether you want to clean up your yard for cool-weather cookouts or try your hand at home improvement, there's likely a deal for you.

The sale will be live until Sept. 9, but some of the best deals tend to sell out in advance. So, if you see something you want, grab it sooner rather than later. We've rounded up the deals we think are worth grabbing below as we hit Labor Day Weekend.

Note: Struck-through deals are now sold out or expired.

Best Home Depot grill deal

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Credit: Weber

Weber Genesis E-325W 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill

$899 at The Home Depot
$999 Save $100

 

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Why we like it

It's honestly hard to beat a Weber if you're looking to replace your old grill. Their high-quality builds last longer than most, but they can get pretty dang expensive.

Luckily, for Labor Day, Home Depot has several models on sale for up to $100 off. The exclusive Weber Genesis E-325W, for instance, is down to $899 from $999. It features a 640-square-inch cooking space with three burners, two dual-row PureBlu burners for an ultra-hot Sear Zone, porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, and a sleek titanium-colored finish. And as with most Webers, it comes with a 12-year limited warranty.

More grill deals

• Weber Original Kettle 22-inch Charcoal Grill — $99 $199 (save $100)

• Traeger Pro Series 22-Pellet Grill and Smoker — $389 $549 (save $160)

• Weber Spirit E-210 2-Burner Propane Gas Grill — $399 $449 (save $50)

• Weber Spirit E-325 3-Burner Propane Gas Grill — $499 $549 (save $50)

• Weber 3-Burner Propane Flat Top Grill — $549 $599 (save $50)

• Oklahoma Joe's Highland Reverse Flow Charcoal Barrel Smoker — $629.99 $729.99 (save $100)

• Masterbuilt Gravity Series 600 Charcoal Grill and Smoker — $649 $749 (save $100)

• Traeger Flatrock 2-Burner Propane Flat Top Griddle — $699.99 $799.99 (save $100)

• Traeger Woodridge Wi-Fi Pellet Grill and Smoker — $799 $899 (save $100)

• Weber Genesis E-315 3-Burner Liquid Propane Gas Grill — $799 $899 (save $100)

• Kamado Joe Classic Joe 18-inch Charcoal Grill — $849 $999 (save $150)

• Ninja FlexFlame ProConnect Wi-Fi 3-Burner Propane Grill with Pizza Stone and Peel — $1,099.99 $1,299.99 (save $200)

• Masterbuilt Gravity Series XT Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker — $1,499.99 $1,799.99 (save $300)

Best Home Depot power tool combo kit deal

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Credit: Milwaukee

Milwaukee M18 18V Cordless 8-Tool Combo Kit

$649 at The Home Depot
$1,298 Save $649

 

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Why we like it

This eight-tool Milwaukee kit is an impressive value at only $649 — 50% off its list price. It includes one 1/2-inch drill/driver, one 1/4-inch impact driver, one oscillating multi-tool, one 3/8-inch impact wrench, one brushless grinder, one 6.5-inch circular saw, one hackzall, an LED work light, two M18 XC 4.0Ah batteries, a M12/M18 dual voltage charger, and two contractor bags. You'll be prepared for practically any home improvement project you can dream up.

Best Home Depot power tool deal

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Credit: Ryobi

Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless 1/2 in. Impact Wrench

$79 at The Home Depot
$139 Save $60

 

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Why we like it

Whether you're working on cars or stubborn home DIYs, an impact wrench can make your life easier. And this one from Ryobi is down to just $79 during The Home Depot's Labor Day Sale. It features 375 ft-lbs of fastening torque, up to 3,100 impacts per minute, and a variable speed trigger with an RPM of 0 to 2,700. There's even an on-board LED light for extra visibility during your projects.

More power tool deals

• Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in. Angle Grinder + free battery — $99 $248 (save $149)

• Ryobi ONE+ HP 18V Brushless Cordless Compact Barrel Grip Jigsaw + free battery — $149 $278 (save $129)

• DeWalt XR Cordless Brushless Screw Gun — $149 $199 (save $50)

• DeWalt Atomic Cordless 1/4 in. Brushless Impact Driver Kit — $149 $219 (save $70)

• DeWalt Atomic Cordless 1/2 in. Hammer Drill Kit — $149 $199 (save $50)

• DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill/Impact 2 Tool Combo Kit — $169 $239 (save $70)

• Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit — $199 $249 (save $50)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL Cordless 1/4 in. Hex Impact Driver and Reciprocating Saw — $199 $369 (save $170)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL Cordless 1/2 in. Hammer Drill/Driver w/1/4 in. Hex Impact Driver — $229 $399 (save $170)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL Cordless Hammer Drill and Impact Driver Combo Kit — $369 $558 (save $189)

• Ryobi ONE+ 18V Cordless 12-Tool Combo Kit — $669 $829 (save $160)

Best Home Depot outdoor power tool deal

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Credit: Ryobi

Ryobi ONE+ Whisper Series 12-inch Cordless Chainsaw

$189 at The Home Depot
$249 Save $60

 

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Why we like it

Ryobi's Whisper Series cordless chainsaw is a hard deal to beat at only $189.

It's lightweight, easy to maneuver, and as the name suggests, 85% quieter than a typical gas-powered chainsaw. Plus, of course, it requires no fuel. Instead, it comes with a 6Ah high-performance battery that can make up to 112 cuts per charge with just the pull of a trigger. Its 12-inch bar and chain can tackle limbs and logs up to 10 inches in diameter, and there's an automatic oiler, tooled chain tensioning, and on-board tool storage for convenience. Purchased separately, the chainsaw, battery, and charger would run you up to $373, so this deal saves you nearly 50%.

More outdoor deals

• Ryobi ONE+ 18V 9 in. Cordless Edger — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL Cordless Handheld Blower — $149 $199 (save $50)

• DeWalt Cordless Battery Powered Chainsaw Kit — $199 $259 (save $60)

• DeWalt Cold Water Electric Pressure Washer — $249 $389 (save $140)

• Milwaukee M18 FUEL Battery Powered 8 in. HATCHET Mini Chainsaw — $279 $419 (save $140)

• Ryobi 40V Whisper Series Cordless Leaf Blower — $279 $349 (save $70)

• Ryobi 40V Cordless Multi-Blade Walk Behind Self-Propelled Lawn Mower — $449 $599 (save $150)

• Navimow i206 Robot Lawn Mower — $899 $999 (save $100)

• Navimow X430 17 in. Robot Lawn Mower — $2,249 $2,499 (save $250)

• Mammotion Luba 3 Robot Lawn Mower — $2,499 $2,799 (save $300)

Best Home Depot smart home deal

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Credit: eufy

eufy S430 SoloCam

$139.99 at Home Depot
$199.99 Save $60

 

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Why we like it

If you want to keep tabs on your yard without breaking the bank or paying a monthly subscription, the eufy S430 SoloCam is down to $139.99 (original price $199.99). This wireless camera features 360-degree pan-and-tilt surveillance, dual lenses, and a built-in solar panel so you never have to worry about swapping batteries.

More smart home deals

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select — $19.99 $49.99 (save $30)

• Blink Wired Floodlight Camera (2600-Lumens) — $44.99 $99.99 (save $55)

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) — $54.99 $79.99 (save $25)

• Blink Outdoor 4 Wireless 5-Camera System — $164.99 $299.99 (save $135)

• Blink Outdoor 4 XR Wireless 6-Camera System — $230.99 $419.99 (save $189)

Best Home Depot Halloween and holiday decor finds

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Credit: Home Accents

Home Accents Holiday 5 ft. Grave & Bones LED Pose-N-Stay Skeleton

$39.98 at Home Depot

 

Shop Now

Why we like it

Skelly is obviously our favorite Home Depot Halloween decoration, but he's not on sale (and neither are his bony friends). If you're looking to build out your yard display for less, the Home Accents Holiday 5 ft. Grave & Bones LED Pose-N-Stay Skeleton is only $39.98. It's fully poseable, durable enough to survive the autumn weather, and perfect for holding a coffee cup on your front porch until November.

More Halloween decor finds

Note: These viral items featured in Home Depot's Labor Day event tend to sell out fast before October.

• Home Accents Holiday 36 in. Celtic Cross Tombstone — $29.98

• Home Accents Holiday 36 in. Skull and Roses Tombstone — $29.98

• Home Accents Holiday 12 in. Twinkling LED Bats (3-Pack) — $39.98

• Home Accents Holiday 2.5 ft. Grave & Bones Watcher's Perch — $39.98

• Home Accents Holiday 3 ft. Animated Dancing Skeleton — $39.98

• Disney 14 in. Mickey Pumpkin — $49.98

• Disney 14 in. Minnie Pumpkin — $49.98

• Home Accents Holiday 7.5 in. & 10 in. Twinkling LED Bats (6-Piece) — $49.98

• Home Accents Holiday 7 ft. Color-Changing LED Willow Tree — $129.00

Looking for more Labor Day sales?

• The best Labor Day deals already live: Shop mattresses, tools, and TVs

• The best Labor Day deals on Apple products

• The best Labor Day sales on mattresses, bedding, and pillows

• Shop the Ruggable Labor Day sale on washable rugs

The best Amazon Labor Day deals at a glance:

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Best Apple deal

Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB)

$649 (save $100)

Get Deal

---

Best Amazon device deal

Amazon Echo Show 11

$189.99 (save $60)

Get Deal

---

Best TV deal

TCL 65-inch QM8L SQD-Mini-LED QLED 4K TV

$1,397.99 (save $1,102)

Get Deal

---

Best headphones deal

Bose QuietComfort Ultra

$249 (save $200)

Get Deal

---

Best speaker deal

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4

$59.99 (save $40)

Get Deal

---

Best smartwatch deal

Garmin vivoactive 5

$181.97 (save $118.02)

Get Deal

If the Pumpkin Spite Latte's return to Starbucks didn't already alert you, Labor Day Weekend's arrival certainly will. Fall is coming, whether you're anticipating the season change or dreading it. The unofficial last hurrah of summer, Labor Day is the perfect excuse to squeeze in some last-minute beach days, backyard barbecues, and shopping sprees (obviously).

With tech prices constantly rising, major shopping holidays like Amazon's Labor Day sale are your best opportunity to score the devices you want at a discount. We've already noticed all-time low prices on some of our favorite TVs of 2026 and noise-canceling headphones we adore. Plus, we're seeing some of the best discounts on Apple gear and Amazon devices since price hikes went into effect.

Here are some of the best deals we've spotted at Amazon.

Best Apple deal

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Credit: Apple

Apple iPad Air, 11-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB)

$649 at Amazon
$749 Save $100

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

The M4 iPad Air is hands down our top pick for an iPad for most people. While it's incredibly similar to its predecessor, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It features a thin and lightweight build, brilliant Liquid Retina display, insanely fast performance powered by the M4 chip, and Apple's N1 and C1X connectivity chips. Mashable's tech editor says it's powerful enough to handle memory-intensive programs like Final Cut Pro and even goes as far as calling it "way overpowered for most users." It starts at $749 for the 128GB version after the price hike, but for Labor Day, it's $100 cheaper.

Stock is running low across all color options, so grab it before it sells out. Otherwise, the 256GB option is still in stock for just $100 more.

Read our full review of the Apple iPad Air 2026 (M4).

More Apple deals

Headphones and Earbuds

• Apple AirPods 4 (without ANC) — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple AirPods 4 (with ANC) — $149 $179 (save $30)

• Beats Studio Buds + — $149.95 $169.95 (save $20)

• Apple AirPods Pro 3 — $199 $249 (save $50)

• Apple AirPods Max 2 — $479 $549 (save $70)

iPads

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 128GB) — $849 $949 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Air, 13-inch (M4, WiFi, 256GB) — $949 $1,049 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 512GB) — $1,549.99 $1,699 (Save $149.01)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, WiFi, 512GB) — $1,299 $1,399 (save $100)

• Apple iPad Pro, 13-inch (M5, WiFi, 256GB) — $1,399.99 $1,499 (save $99.01)

• Apple iPad Pro, 11-inch (M5, WiFi, 1TB) — $1,649.99 $1,799 (save $149.01)

Accessories

• AirTags (2nd gen, 4-pack) — $79.99 $99 (save $19.01)

• Apple Pencil Pro — $99 $129 (save $30)

• Apple Magic Keyboard Folio for iPad (A16) — $175 $249 (save $74)

Best Amazon device deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: Amazon

Echo Show 11

$189.99 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $60

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

Amazon surprised everyone with a monstrous price hike across all of its Fire TV, Kindle, and Echo devices earlier this month. This is the first big sale since the price hike, so we're happy to see many of these devices still getting the deal treatment. The Echo Show 11 is down to $189.99, which is $30 cheaper than its original price before the increase. Dubbed Amazon's "most advanced smart displays yet," the Echo Show 11 features the new in-house AZ3 Pro chips and Omnisense technology for AI-based, highly personalized experiences. There's also front-facing stereo speakers, a custom woofer for spatial audio, ambient visuals that adapt to your environment, and a built-in 13-megapixel camera that can recognize faces.

More Amazon device deals

Fire TV devices

• Fire TV Stick HD — $15.99 $39.99 (save $24 with Prime code SAVEHDFTV)

• Fire TV Stick 4K Select — $17.99 $49.99 (save $32 with Prime code 4KFTVSAVE)

• Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $24.99 $69.99 (save $45 with Prime code 4KSAVE)

• Fire TV Stick 4K Max — $49.99 $84.99 (save $35)

• Fire TV Cube — $109.99 $199.99 (save $90)

Echo devices

• Echo Pop Kids — $29.99 $49.99 (save $20)

• Echo Dot Kids — $54.99 $89.99 (save $35)

• Echo Dot — $54.99 $79.99 (save $25)

• Echo Show 5 — $69.99 $99.99 (save $30)

• Echo Spot — $69.99 $109.99 (save $40)

• Echo Dot Max — $94.99 $119.99 (save $25)

• Echo Show 8 — $149.99 $199.99 (save $50)

• Echo Studio — $194.99 $219.99 (save $25)

• Echo Show 15 — $269.99 $349.99 (save $80)

Best TV deal

Opens in a new window

Credit: TCL

TCL 65-inch QM8L SQD-Mini-LED QLED 4K TV

$1,397.99 at Amazon
$2,499.99 Save $1,102.00

 

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Why we like it

It's been out less than six months, but it's already our top pick for a QLED TV for most people. That "SQD" in the title stands for "super quantum dot mini LEDS," which is a lot of tech jargon for extremely bright quantum dots. Mashable's TV expert calls it one of the brightest TVs you can buy, period, shouting out its "superb peak brightness, detailed picture quality, and fantastic glare handling." The 65-inch model clocks in at $2,499.99 on a normal day, but it's down to a best-ever $1,397.99 at Amazon for Labor Day — a 44% discount.

More TV deals

• Insignia 50-inch F50 LED 4K TV — $159.99 $299.99 (save $140)

• Amazon 50-inch Omni QLED 4K Fire TV — $259.99 $469.99 (save $210)

• Hisense 65-inch U6 Pro Mini-LED ULED 4K TV — $649.99 $1,099.99 (save $450)

• LG 55-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV — $699.99 $1,299.99 (save $600)

• Hisense 65-inch U7 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV — $847.99 $1,499.99 (save $652)

• LG 65-inch LX7B Gallery Mini LED 4K TV — $899.99 $1,799.99 (save $900)

• Hisense 65-inch S7 Canvas Hi-QLED 4K TV — $997.99 $1,999.99 (save $1,002)

• Hisense 85-inch U6 Pro Hi-QLED Mini LED 4K TV — $1097.99 $1,999.99 (save $902)

• Samsung 65-inch S85H OLED 4K TV — $1,397.99 $1,999.99 (save $602)

• LG 65-Inch B6 OLED 4K TV — $1,199.99 $1,999.99 (save $800)

• LG 65-inch C6 OLED 4K TV — $1,499.99 $2,699.99 (save $1,200)

Best headphones deal

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Credit: Sony

Sony WH-1000XM5

$198 at Amazon
$399.99 Save $201.99

 

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Why we like it

These headphones have been replaced by the XM6s, but like most modern tech, the upgrades are iterative. "The XM5 headphones hold up well in 2026, and they're still worth the investment, especially when they're on sale," Mashable's reviewer writes. They offer 30 hours of battery life, an attractive design, legendary ANC, customizable sound quality, and good call quality. The only thing we aren't crazy about is that they don't fold up for travel. Originally retailing for $400, they're now much more affordable at under $200. For comparison, the newer XM6s are right around $400 on sale.

Read our full review of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, or see how they compare to the new XM6 headphones.

More headphones deals

• Sony WH-CH520 — $38 $69.99 (save $31.99)

• Anker Soundcore Q20i — $39.98 $69.99 (save $30.01)

• Sony WH-CH720N — $88.95 $179.99 (save $91.04)

• Sony ULT Wear — $148 $249.99 (save $101.99)

• Bose QuietComfort — $229 $359 (save $130)

• Sonos Ace — $299 $399 (save $100)

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra — $329 $449 (save $120)

• Sony WH-1000XM6 — $398 $459.99 (save $61.99)

Speaker and soundbar deals

• Anker Soundcore 2 portable speaker — $29.98 $45.99 (save $16.01)

• Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)

• JBL Grip — $64.99 $99.95 (save $34.96)

• Bose Soundlink Plus — $199 $269 (save $70)

• Sonos Era 300 — $379 $479 (save $100)

• Sonos Beam Gen 2 — $399 $499 (save $100)

• Sonos Arc Ultra — $899 $1,099 (save $200)

Smartwatch deals

• CMF Watch 3 Pro — $69 $79 (save $10)

• Garmin vivoactive 5 — $181.97 $299.99 (save $118.02)

• Garmin Venu 3S — $288 $449.99 (save $161.99)

• Garmin Forerunner 265 — $349.99 $449.99 (save $100)

Best Labor Day mattress deals at a glance:

---

Best mattress deal

Saatva Classic Mattress

$1,579 (save $650)

Get Deal

---

Best pillow deal

Casper Sleep Essential 2-Pack

$78.20 (save $29.80)

Get Deal

Sleep is a key component of a healthy lifestyle. It sounds like a simple thing: get into bed, close your eyes, and drift off to sleep. Unfortunately, many of us face a wide range of issues that prevent us from getting restorative sleep. A huge contributor to poor sleep is an old or uncomfortable mattress.

Even beds that come with a lifetime warranty aren't meant to last forever. If your current bed is sagging or you wake up with aches and pains that weren't there the night before, it's probably time for a new mattress. While you're at it, it's smart to refresh the bedding. A supportive pillow and breathable sheets can make a world of difference when it comes to bedtime comfort.

Labor Day mattress and bedding sales are already live, and some take hundreds off bedroom essentials like mattresses, bed frames, and sheets. Check out some of our favorite Labor Day sleep deals below. And if what's keeping you awake is a snoring partner, check the Mashable guide to the best sleep earbuds.

Best mattress deal

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Credit: Saatva

Saatva Classic Mattress

$1,579 at Saatva
$2,229 Save $650

 

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Why we like it

There's no doubt that Saatva's award-winning mattresses are comfortable. But better yet, they're extremely customizable. On Saatva's mattresses, you have a choice of mattress height (11.5 inches or 14.5 inches) and firmness level (plush soft, luxury firm, or firm).

All of Saatva's mattresses are on sale over Labor Day weekend. A queen-sized Saatva mattress usually runs you $2,229, but right now you can save $650 and grab it for just $1,579. That's over 28% off, some very sweet savings heading into the weekend.

More mattress deals

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• Purple: Take up to $800 a mattress and base

Best bedding deal

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Credit: Casper

Casper Sleep Essential 2-Pack

$78.20 at Amazon
$108 Save $29.80

 

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Why we like it

What good does a new mattress do you without new pillows? If you need to reset where you rest your head every night, scoop up a two-pack of Casper pillows. The down-alternative pillows have a medium-soft feel and are hypoallergenic.

Normally $108, the Casper Sleep Essential pillows are down to $78.20. That saves you $29.80 on the set for 28% in savings.

More bedding deals

• Baloo: Save $30 on weighted throw blanket + cotton duvet cover bundle

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• Fluff Co.: Save up to 20% on bundles

• Mellow Sleep: Take up to 50% off sitewide

• Naturepedic: Take 20% off organic bedding

• Parachute: Take 15% off orders of $300+ or 20% off $600+

• Pluto Pillow: Save $25 on pillow and pillowcase bundles

• Silk & Snow: Take 20% off all bedding

At a glance, Fall looked like one of many forgettable, low-budget thrillers with a silly but curious logline. Fall's was: What if two women are trapped 2,000 feet up with no safe way down? Director and co-screenwriter (alongside scribe Jonathan Frank) Scott Mann made a nail-biting thriller that was basically 47 Meters Down for heights, thanks to a bonkers ending that made audiences do a double take. And this proved a recipe for success, as the $3 million movie made $21.8 million in theaters, and went on to be licensed by streaming services, including Netflix. 

In that regard, Fall 2: Deadpoint might seem an inevitability. However, Frank and Mann could have written themselves into a corner by killing off the first film's most enthralling character. Would audiences want to follow a fretful Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) on another climb? And what could even get her to take such a risk after losing her husband and best friend to fatal falls? 

Well, Fall 2: Deadpoint picks up not long after the last film's brutal conclusion, but it shifts focus to Jax (Harriet Slater), the younger sister of the late Shiloh Hunter (Virginia Gardner). This pivot allows Frank and Mann to create a near parallel narrative, in which Jax is the Becky — a young woman who, wracked with grief over the sudden death of a loved one, takes on a dangerous climb to conquer her fears and learn to live again. 

Of course, as this is a sequel, the risks must be bigger. So, Jax and her climbing partner Luce (Arsema Thomas) not only go higher than her sister and Becky dared, but they do it on a Thai mountainside prone to rock slides. And along the way, Jax will be bedeviled with flashbacks of her sister, allowing Gardner to bring her shine back to the franchise, even if her character is dead. The thrills will be familiar, but the filmmakers chart a new path by shifting subgenres. 

Fall 2: Deadpoint begins as a retread. 

Harriet Slater and Arsema Thomas co-star in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate

In the wake of Shiloh's death, she's become famous online as #fallgirl. To drive the point home, directors Peter and Michael Spierig offer a montage of familiar content creators, like Try Guy Keith Habersberger and Two Hot Takes podcaster Morgan Absher, giving their thoughts. 

This introduction swiftly establishes a world where Jax is inundated online with reminders of her sister's death. Switching to a flip phone isn't a standard stage in processing death, but it's crucial for Jax, who feels all alone without her sister. It's in this valley of mourning that she meets Luce, an old friend of Shiloh's who's interested in buying her vehicle. Together, the two share memories of the fallen sister and uncover her "fuck-it" list, a scrapbook where she plotted her adventures. 

A plank walk along Mount Kwan, perched 4,000 feet above sea level, seems to be what Shiloh was eyeing next. Jax and Luce decide to follow her example by living fearlessly and embracing dizzying challenges. So, off they go to Thailand, using a code word to find a sketchy guide named Jon (Tom Brittney) to lead them on the trek, which is illegal because of the weather conditions that could lead to rock slides. 

Caution, be damned! The trio are soon high above the world, and climbing higher. As promised, a rock slide soon hits, not only separating the tourists from their guide but also leaving them stranded on a shattered path that won't allow for retreat. 

This high up, they could suffer from altitude sickness that might cause headaches, hallucinations, and nausea. And just like that, Jax and Luce are in a situation eerily similar to Shiloh and Becky. But don't think you can predict where Fall 2: Deadpoint will go next. 

Fall 2: Deadpoint switches gears for a surprising ending. 

Harriet Slater and Arsema Thomas co-star in "Fall 2: Deadpoint." Credit: Lionsgate

I won't spoil the end of this sequel in the review. Instead, I'll say I'm impressed with how Frank and Mann wove in a subplot that pitches the third act into new terrain for this franchise. Because after the first film, Fall's fans (or haters) will be on the watch for any moment that suggests something is amiss. 

The screenwriters play into this through repeating elements of the first film, from something as minor as a feasting vulture as an ominous omen to something major, like a confession that threatens to irreparably damage the bond between the two women, who are forced to work together to survive. They essentially pull a magic trick, drawing our eye to the clues that led to a shock last time, distracting us from the subplot that's building to its climax in the background. 

To the credit of the cast, they grit their teeth into the intense physicality demanded of the setup. Slater is convincingly tormented by grief, regret, and terror, whether fretting in flashbacks with Gardner or dangling from a rusty spoke, thousands of feet above the Earth. Brittney is slyly intriguing as a tour guide with an unclear agenda, but Thomas is the closest to shining as brightly as Gardner. Their verve is resilient throughout, making the dark color palette chosen by the Spierig brothers' less oppressively glum. 

The directors do ably create tension in the action sequences though, which are many. A growling discomfort grew within me as I watched Jax and Luce struggle, strain, and scream. Even as I tried to convince myself that I knew how this would turn out, so I wouldn't get too worked up, I couldn't avoid it. And in the end, I was wrong about how it'd turn out. So much so that until the final scene, which sets up another sequel, I still wasn't sure I could trust my eyes. 

So, props to the filmmakers who managed to keep this Fall fan guessing all through the credits. 

Fall 2: Deadpoint opens in theaters on Sept. 2.

The Adults cast has done it all. They've fought raccoons, hosted chaotic dinner parties, and starred in memorable will-they-won't-they romances. But can they conquer real-life adulthood?

In a Say More interview with Mashable Entertainment Reporter Belen Edwards, Adults stars Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao, and Owen Thiele answered some of Mashable staffers' most pressing questions about becoming an adult. What's a Roth IRA? (And will it hurt us?) How do we responsibly buy groceries? And what's the most childish thing we can still spend our adult money on?

Come for their advice — sometimes sage, sometimes silly — and leave knowing far more about one of TV's most charming ensembles. Who wants to name their child Roomba? Who is "potassium-maxxxing"? Who has the fridge of a serial killer?

Find out in the video above, then stick around to hear the cast dig into Season 2, from revealing their favorite parts of the Adults house set to breaking down fans' reactions to beloved ships.

Adults Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.

Want more film and TV news and reviews delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts.

TL;DR: Burger King has launched a limited-time menu celebrating Dragon Ball Super. From Sept. 1, order the Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack that includes a Super Saiyan sauce, Dragon Ball lemonade, and exclusive character figurines.

We're seeing a lot of popular food chains dropping collabs with even more popular franchises. We recently got a Krispy Kreme Pokémon doughnut collection and a Crumbl Cookies Minecraft menu, to name just a couple of the wild collabs we've covered. Those were fun, but I wasn't seeing anything that really spoke to me.

That was until I saw Burger King's limited-time menu celebrating Dragon Ball Super. This one is for me.

Burger King has launched a limited-time menu celebrating Dragon Ball Super. From Sept. 1, you can order the Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack that includes:

• 10-Piece Chicken Nuggets with Super Saiyan Sauce: It's supposedly a sweet, savory, and tangy teriyaki-style sauce inspired by the iconic Super Saiyan. I don't know about you, but I always looked at Goku's transformation and thought, "I bet he tastes like teriyaki."

• Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade: Mango Peach Lemonade with juicy mango-flavored Popping Boba.

• Medium Fry: Classic french fries

• Dragon Ball Super Figurine: 1 of 6 exclusive character figurines, including Goku, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku, Vegeta, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta, Piccolo, and Beerus.

Credit: Burger King

There's also something for kids. You can pick up a Dragon Ball Super-themed King Jr. Meal that includes a choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, or 4- or 6-piece chicken nuggets, plus a side, drink, themed crown, and one of six figurines, while supplies last.

The food upgrades are interesting. I'm keen to try the new sauce and the lemonade, but that's not the real draw here. It's the collectible figurines. If you're hunting for the full six-figurine set, you'll want to move fast. These limited-time fast-food drops notoriously get picked clean by collectors within days, so hit the BK app early before eBay reseller prices get outrageously high.

TL; DR: The Dell 14S is a new affordable Windows laptop aimed at students and young professionals, with an aluminum build, up to 2.8K 120Hz display, all-day battery life, and four colorful finishes.

At IFA 2026 in Berlin, Dell unveiled a new version of the Dell 14S aimed at students, young adults, and anyone who wants a solid everyday Windows laptop without paying for a premium model. It comes in four colors, has an aluminum body, weighs just 1.15kg, and promises up to 21 hours of Netflix streaming on a single charge.

Sound familiar? It should.

Dell already launched a 14S earlier this year, and we liked it. A lot. Mashable has named the existing Dell 14S a top choice for battery life, a top mid-range Windows laptop, and the best battery-life laptop for students. Our testing found that the model lasted 34 hours and 29 minutes in our battery benchmark, making it the second-longest-lasting laptop we've tested. 

The new 14S isn't really a replacement for that laptop. It's more like a lower-spec version of the same idea, with a bigger focus on affordability and design. Dell hasn't announced pricing yet, but the positioning makes it pretty clear that the company wants this machine in the same conversation as Apple's MacBook Neo. So, what's actually different?

It's the 14S you already know, but with more color

It's still a slim aluminum laptop designed to be easy to carry around. It's just 13.5mm thick, and Dell is putting much more emphasis on looks this time.

The new 14S comes in four finishes:

• Linen

• Dusty rose

• Washed denim

• Velvet green

The existing 14S we tested came in celestial blue, which looked nice but, as our review noted, was "a fingerprint magnet." More importantly, we really liked how the original 14S was built. Mashable called its build quality "impeccable" and said it felt "just as well-made" as Dell's much pricier XPS 14. Its keyboard, webcam, and microphone also got high marks.

So the new 14S is starting from a pretty good place.

Credit: Dell

Credit: Dell

The main difference is what's inside

The new 14S uses Intel Core 5 and Core 7 Series 3 processors. That's a step down from the configuration we tested in the existing 14S, which used a mid-range Intel Core Ultra 7 355 chip.

Still, the 14S was plenty good for everyday use like browsing, writing, streaming, and general productivity. Its big strengths were battery life and build quality. Dell says the new model can deliver up to 21 hours of Netflix streaming on a single charge.

You get two display options

The new 14S has a 16:10 display, which gives you a little more vertical space for documents, websites, and schoolwork.

There are two options:

• 2.8K, 120Hz for sharper images and smoother motion

• 2K, 60Hz for shoppers who care more about battery life and value

Both are supposed to be bright and offer vibrant, accurate colors.

Is the new Dell 14S worth buying?

Dell already has a formula that works: strong battery life, a nice aluminum build, a good keyboard, and a practical design. The question is whether Dell can make that formula cheap enough to compete with the MacBook Neo without cutting too much elsewhere.

For now, we don't know. Dell says the new 14S is coming to the U.S. this fall, with pricing to be announced closer to launch. So until we get that number — and until we test the new hardware ourselves — the original 14S is still the one we know works.

TL;DR: Live stream select La Liga fixtures for free on CazéTV. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Premier League has fast-paced football that's all about physicality. The Bundesliga has the best attendances in incredible stadia. Ligue 1 is all about young talent coming up against the strength of PSG. But what about La Liga? The top of the Spanish football league system leads the way in technical ability and superstar names.

Of course, a lot of fans watch La Liga to follow Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, but there's so much more on offer from this incredible league. Want to see for yourself? It has never been easier to watch online.

If you want to watch 2026-27 La Liga for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is La Liga?

La Liga is a professional football league in Spain and the highest level of the Spanish football league system. It is controlled by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and is contested by 20 teams over a 38-matchday season.

The defending champions are Barcelona.

When is La Liga?

The 2026/27 La Liga season will start on Aug. 15. The campaign will likely end on May 23 or May 30.

How to watch La Liga for free

CazéTV will be showing select La Liga fixtures for free on their YouTube channel.

These free live streams are geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of the La Liga from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of the 2026-27 La Liga by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch La Liga fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of La Liga without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus coverage of the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for CazeTV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream for free on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream La Liga for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream select Ligue 1 fixtures for free on CazéTV. Access these free live streams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Ligue 1 doesn't have the same reputation as the Premier League or La Liga, but PSG has just secured its second consecutive Champions League title, so perhaps it's time to reassess the quality of France's top league?

We know that there's a gulf in quality between PSG and the rest of the league, but Ligue 1 now combines genuine stars like Dembélé, Vitinha, and Kvaratskhelia with elite young talent that will dominate the game in the years to come. Will any team make the jump and actually compete with PSG for the title? That seems unlikely, but fans can bank on some thrilling football every week.

If you want to watch Ligue 1 for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is Ligue 1?

Ligue 1 is a professional football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is contested by 18 clubs, including popular teams like PSG, Olympique de Marseille, and AS Monaco. Every team plays 34 matches per season.

The defending champions are PSG.

When is Ligue 1?

The 2026/27 Ligue 1 season kicks off on Aug. 21. The 34-matchday campaign concludes on May 29.

How to watch Ligue 1 for free

CazéTV will be showing select Ligue 1 fixtures for free on their YouTube channel.

These free live streams are geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can bypass these restrictions with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can unblock free live streams of Ligue 1 from anywhere in the world.

Access free live streams of Ligue 1 by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Ligue 1 fixtures for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window

Credit: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan)

$12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee)

Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of Ligue 1 without actually spending anything. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures (plus coverage of the Premier League and La Liga) before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free live streams all season, you will need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for CazeTV?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream for free on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 80% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99 (with a money-back guarantee).

Live stream Ligue 1 for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

Apple is expected to reveal new iPhones soon, including its first foldable iPhone. Bridget Carey gives her expert guide on what you should really pay attention to at the Sept. 9 'Surprise and Shine' presentation.

Watch more about Apple's September event: The surprises we expect and want from Apple’s surprise and shine event

Timecode chapters
0:02 How do you get people to pay double for an iPhone?
0:52 the folding iPhone is coming
1:23 How will apps work on the iPhone Fold?
1:57 iPhone Fold design leaks
2:19 rumored iPhone 18 Pro camera updates
2:29 is variable aperature coming to iPhone?
3:32 possible iPhone 18 Pro new colors
3:44 cases for the new iPhone 18 Pro
4:05 probably no iPhone 18 base model this year
4:11 is Apple saving the iPhone 18 and 18E for 2027?
4:21 new Apple Watch update rumors
4:28 is touch ID comign to Apple Watch?
4:40 Wil Apple Watch introduce better health and heart tracking?
4:49 is continuous heart rate monitoring coming to Apple Watch?
5:15 AirPods 5 and 5 Pro updates?
5:25 will new AirPods have cameras on them?
5:44 the first September Apple event for new CEO John Ternus
6:23 will there be a new Apple HomePod or Apple TV?
6:30 could home tech be Apple’s one more thing?
7:19 one more tip for downloading iOS 27
8:01 backup your iPhone
8:12 review your iPhone storage
8:19 iCloud subscriptions and Siri AI
8:42 search home camera footage with iCloud
8:49 clear space on your iPhone
9:16 Watch live Apple event coverage on CNET YouTube on September 9

Video credits
Host: Bridget Carey
Scripted by: Bridget Carey
Producer: Carly Marsh
Camera: Carly Marsh, CNET Archive
Video editor: Carly Marsh
Thumbnail designer: Tharon Green

Lego's Back to Hogwarts event is live until Sept. 6, and while we mere muggles may not be boarding the Hogwarts Express this year, Lego has plenty of treats in store for fans looking to celebrate. For Lego Insiders, this includes excellent offers such as double points and deals on select Wizarding World builds.

Opens in a new window

Credit: Lego

Lego Back to Hogwarts

 

Shop Now

The Diagon Alley Wizarding Shops build is $30 off for Insiders right now. However, keep in mind it is on backorder at the moment, so there will be a bit of a delay before you can get your hands on it.

Outside of discounts, there's also the new and exclusive The Ministry of Magic Collectors' Edition set to check out. This massive build (3,491 pieces, to be exact) is priced at $449.99 and available to buy now.

Which leads me to our favorite part of this event: the free gifts with purchase. There are three available during Back to Hogwarts celebrations: Lego Ministry Munchies & The Daily Prophet Stands, Lego Dumbledore's Office with Harry Potter, and a Ministry of Magic Phone Booth Display Model.

We've broken down each of these free builds and how you can get them. Keep in mind they're only available while the event lasts, so you have until Sept. 6 to secure this special promo.

Lego Ministry Munchies & The Daily Prophet Stands

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Credit: Lego

Ministry Munchies & The Daily Prophet Stands

Gift with purchase: Spend over $130 on Harry Potter merchandise to unlock this gift

Shop Now

This delightful Ministry Munchies & The Daily Prophet Stands set comes with 152 pieces and, as its name suggests, features Ministry Munchies and The Daily Prophet stands alongside the Fountain of Magical Brethren. There's even a couple of minifigures to complete the scene: Cornelius Fudge and a newspaper vendor.

To snag it as a gift with purchase, you'll need to spend at least $130 on Harry Potter merchandise. The Back to Hogwarts event page also notes that it's valid for orders placed online at the Lego Store, in person at Lego stores, and by telephone through the Lego catalog.

Lego Dumbledore's Office with Harry Potter

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Credit: Lego

Dumbledore's Office with Harry Potter

Gift with purchase: Unlock when purchasing qualifying products equal to or greater than $40

Shop Now

This little Lego set of Dumbledore's Office with Harry Potter comes with 42 pieces. These create a Harry Potter minifigure in Dumbledore's office alongside young Fawkes, the Sorting Hat, Pensieve, and the Sword of Gryffindor.

This gift with purchase is unlocked when you buy qualifying Harry Potter products totaling $40 or more. As for which products qualify, it's worth checking the Back to Hogwarts event page, which provides a helpful breakdown of the sets included in this offer.

Ministry of Magic Phone Booth Display Model

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Credit: Lego

Ministry of Magic Phone Booth

Gift with purchase for Lego Insiders only: Unlock when purchasing The Ministry of Magic – Collectors' Edition

Shop Now

This Ministry of Magic Phone Booth isn't a Lego set; it's a metal display model. This gift with purchase only applies to Lego Insiders, who will receive it when purchasing The Ministry of Magic Collectors' Edition set mentioned above.

The Lego Back to Hogwarts event runs through Sept. 6, so now is the time to take advantage of these wonderful offers while they're still available.

TL;DR: The Magic: The Gathering Star Trek Play Booster Box is on sale for $199.99 at Amazon, down from its $209.70 list price.

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Credit: Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering Star Trek Play Booster Box

$199.99 at Amazon
$209.70 Save $9.71

Pre-order Here

Magic: The Gathering is heading into the final frontier this November, and Amazon has already cut the price tag of one of the biggest Star Trek products available to preorder.

As of Sept. 4, the Magic: The Gathering Star Trek Play Booster Box is available to preorder for $199.99 at Amazon. Against its $209.70 list price, that’s 5% off altogether and brings Amazon’s preorder down to its best-ever price — confirmed via price tracker camelcamelcamel. Sold and shipped by Amazon, this means you’ll also get the retailer’s preorder price guarantee ahead of the expansion’s launch on Nov. 13.

Keep in mind delivery is estimated for Nov. 16 at the time of writing, and all sales are marked as final with returns unavailable.

Star Trek’s Play Booster Box contains 30 packs with 14 Magic trading cards apiece. Each booster includes seven commons, three uncommons, one wildcard of any rarity, one Traditional Foil of any rarity, one rare or mythic rare, and one land, alongside a non-foil double-sided token. A stardates card can also replace a common in one out of every 25 Play Boosters.

The wider set spans 60 years of Star Trek, with characters, starships, and stories pulled from across the franchise. Play Boosters can also contain treatments, including LCARS frame cards, LCARS shock lands, classic Enterprise cards, and borderless scene cards.

Watched South Korean thriller Mousetrap on Netflix? We need to talk about that ending.

Based on the 2017 Kakao Webtoon Field Mouse by Ludovico, directed by Kim Hong-sun (Project Wolf Hunting), and written by Lee Jae-gon (A Model Family), the series takes the chilling concept of "identity laundering" and turns it into a 10-episode cat-and-mouse game. But who is the series' core mystery figure known as The Rat and what's his motive?

Let's break it all down — and suffice to say, spoilers ahead.

What is Mousetrap about?

Ryu Jun-yeol as Je Moon-jae in "Mousetrap." Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix

Reclusive novelist Je Moon-jae (Reply 1988's Ryu Jun-yeol) finds his identity completely stolen by a mysterious figure known as "The Rat," who looks exactly like him. He takes his moniker from the Korean folktale that warns children against leaving their fingernail clippings lying around — if a mouse eats them it can transform into that person's likeness.

Moon-jae has been a total recluse since his parents' tragic death, and thanks to his literary success, his hideaway is a luxurious apartment in Seoul, where his only real connection to the outside world is his friend, accountant Son Su-hyeon (Moo Jin-sung). Suddenly, Moon-jae can't access his bank account or his phone, quickly realising his identity has been hijacked, the cops are on his trail, and a loan shark called No-ja (Sul Kyung-gu) is his only ally.

Meanwhile, hardened detective Park Sun-yong (Lee Kyu-hyung) receives an anonymous tip about a body found in the Han River, one that points the finger at No-ja, who is, in turn, pursued by identity fraud ring boss Park Seung-gyu (Kim Sung-oh). Thus, the chase is on.

Who is The Rat?

Ryu Jun-yeol plays both Je Moon-jae and Seo Yu-min. Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix

By the finale, we learn that the Rat is a man called Seo Yu-min, whom Moon-jae met an intercollegiate literary club. But the real Rat, thematically, ends up being Moon-jae himself, an unreliable narrator who has forgotten his actions due to taking his late mother's medication.

Moon-jae joined the literary club by faking being a university student, to "become a better version of myself, like my mom always told me." Moon-jae and Yu-min became close, both crushing over their friend So Min-yeong (Song Sui). Notably, Yu-Min let Moon-jae read his story, "The Rat That Ate Fingernails," and read his notebooks, which Moon-jae later stole and submitted for the club's anthology as his own work. To hammer it home, there's a scene early in the series where Moon-jae is seen sitting at his computer unable to type anything. Though he's surrounded by notes, he stares at a blank page, a blinking cursor. "None of it was ever mine to begin with," he realises in the finale.

Is Moon-jae actually Moon-jae?

Detective Park Sun-yong (Lee Kyu-hyung) was once called Je Moon-jae. Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix

Yes and no. It's complicated.

Throughout the series, we learn that Sun-yong was actually adopted by Moon-jae's parents when he was five years old, as the detective remembers why the name "Je Moon-jae" felt so familiar to him. It's the name he was given when he was adopted, and one he remembers being called by Moon-jae's uncle Han Hui-su in a flashback to a theme park. Essentially, Sun-yong has been unknowingly hunting his own brother for the whole series — a fact Yu-Min definitely knew, hence why he tipped off the detective personally.

Sun-yong (then Moon-jae) was sent back to the orphanage when his adopted parents bore a son, and because they apparently really liked the name (or wanted to conceal their actions), called their biological child Moon-jae. When Moon-jae visits No-ja in the finale, he recalls a time he started a fire at a school, where he'd registered under a different name, Park Chan-u. Why? "It doesn't feel like my name," he felt at the time, despite not knowing it was first his brother's.

What happened to Min-yeong?

Ryu Jun-yeol as Moon-jae. Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix

In probably the saddest tale of Mousetrap, Min-yeong's death is framed as directly caused by Moon-jae's actions.

Back in their university days, Moon-jae, Yu-min, and Min-yeong went on a summer trip to Jeju, a picturesque island off the south coast of the Korean Peninsula. During the trip, Moon-jae became jealous of the other two spending time together, and in a drunken state, asked to speak to Min-yeong alone to declare his feelings. Refusing, she revealed that she and Yu-min had always been a secret couple, before Moon-jae met them. Moon-jae lost control and attacked Yu-min.

Later, in an envious rage, Moon-jae wrote a post in an online forum fabricating sexual details of Min-yeong and Yu-min's relationship, after which she was shamed at grad school by her peers. Socially ostracised, she dropped out and cut ties with her family, with Yu-min desperately trying to prove to the police that Moon-jae wrote it.

"You must have been one hell of a writer. Even the cops had nothing on you," Yu-Min says in the finale.

"I was high on drugs. Who'd read that bullshit? I just wrote it like a novel," Moon-jae says.

Emotionally and financially supporting Min-yeong, Yu-Min sends his unpublished novel "The Rat That Ate Fingernails," to a publisher hoping for a runaway success — only to find that his work had already been published as Interview by Sung Hag-Yun, which won Moon-jae a prestigious Best New Writer award and launched his career. Sadly, Min-yeong dies by suicide, and in a state of despair, Yu-min reads Interview by her side, only to find the story resembles that of their lives, with Moon-jae changing the details to his own perspective.

"You were so jealous of me that, in your novel, you subtly made yourself me and me you," Yu-Min says. "So I decided. I'll get my revenge. I'll become you too and take back everything you took from me. I'll rip that mask off your face, strip you of everything, and throw you out."

What's the Rat's plan?

Ryu Jun-yeol as Yu-Min. Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix

After Min-yeong's death, Yu-min goes to vengeful extremes. He gets plastic surgery to look like Moon-jae and learns how to speak using his voice.

To steal Moon-jae's identity, Yu-Min found his way into Seung-gyu's identity fraud ring, selling his own identity. However, Yu-Min faked his own death before his identity could be laundered. He also sold Min-yeong's identity to Seung-gyu, murdered a random woman, replicated Min-yeong's tattoo on her body, then tipped off the cops to frame Moon-jae for murder and implicate Seung-gyu.

Yu-Min then forced Sun-yong to help him steal Moon-jae's life (cloning his phone, blocking access to his money etc.), as the Rat kidnapped his daughter. Su-hyeon dies by suicide before Moon-jae can get more answers. By the finale, we know Yu-Min is the one who sent the tip about No-ja to Detective Park, as he wanted Sun-yong to be the lead detective on the case that would frame Moon-jae for murder (Detective Park was once adopted by Moon-jae's parents.)

When Detective Park checks the university records, there's no record of Min-yeong (because Yu-Min sold her identity to frame Moon-jae) or Moon-jae (because he wasn't a student), but there is one for Yu-Min.

Are both Moon-jae and Yu-Min alive at the end of Mousetrap?

Everything goes down in the Queen Caligo. Credit: Yoo Eun-mi / Netflix

In the finale, Moon-jae tracks Yu-Min down to the Queen Caligo, the ship bound for Jeju, where it all began.

In their final confrontation in the ship's cabin (the same cabin the trio stayed in that fateful summer), Moon-jae learns the truth, ultimately fighting with Yu-Min and throwing him from the window into the sea. In this scene, Moon-jae finally finds his motivation: "I don't think I wanted to be you. I think I wanted to be myself. A better version of myself."

The one really holding the cards here is publishing house editor-in-chief Han Ji-hye (The Call's Lee El), the only person who talked to Moon-jae in the last three years, and who quickly works out the difference between the two by simply being observant. After Yu-Min tells her the truth, she gives Moon-jae the unpublished manuscript of The Rat Vol. 2, in which Yu-Min exposes what Moon-jae did, telling the world the story we just watched in Mousetrap. "This should never get out," a panicked Moon-jae says in voice over.

In the final scene, however, when Seung-gyu finds Moon-jae's apartment and bangs on the door, we see Yu-Min in the square. It's not clear whether Yu-Min is actually alive or whether Moon-jae's guilt is making him experience a vision of him. But it's clear Moon-jae's attempt to outrun his past has failed.

Mousetrap is now streaming on Netflix.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Bundle is on sale for $40.49 at Amazon, down from its $59.99 list price.

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Credit: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Bundle

$40.69 at Amazon
$60.19 Save $19.50

 

Get Deal

Chaos Rising Booster Bundles have been gradually getting cheaper throughout the summer, but Amazon has now pushed the six-pack Pokémon TCG box closer to the $40 mark once again. 

As of Sept. 4, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Chaos Rising Booster Bundle is available for $40.49 at Amazon, knocking $19.50 off its $59.99 list price for a 33% discount. Keep in mind that this particular listing, sold and shipped by third-party seller Core TCG, adds an extra 20-cent delivery charge — for a total of $40.69

That said, it still undercuts the $41.95 Amazon low we covered in August.

Inside the Booster Bundle are six packs from the Mega Evolution set’s Chaos Rising expansion, with each pack containing 10 trading cards and one Basic Energy.

You can save even more at TCGplayer, which has listings going as low as $37.86 in total, only slightly above its $36.26 market price. If those run out of stock, Walmart is still lower than Amazon at $38.95 with free shipping through marketplace seller Realgoodeal. 

The top valuable chase cards you can pull from Chaos Rising include the $180 SIR Mega Greninja ex, the MHR Mega Greninja ex for just over $173, and the $55.72 SIR Cinccino ex — though you can also buy any single card from TCGplayer.

SAVE $30: As of Sept. 4, the Fire Stick 4K Plus is on sale for $39.99 at Amazon. That's a 43% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Amazon

Amazon Fire Stick 4K Plus

$39.99 at Amazon
$69.99 Save $30.00

 

Get Deal

If you'd been eyeing up an Amazon Fire TV Stick for your streaming upgrade but the recent price hike put you off, the latest discount might just tempt you back.

As of Sept. 4, Amazon has dropped the price of the Fire Stick 4K Plus from the new high of $69.99 to $39.99. That's $10 below the old list price of $49.99. The Fire Stick 4K Plus is the new name for the original Fire Stick 4K. It has all the same features we knew and loved, but packaged under a new name.

This Fire TV Stick recently received an upgrade, so it now runs the latest Fire TV experience, which includes a redesigned interface and more personalized recommendations from Alexa+. Plus, the Alexa+ voice remote lets you search for what to watch using just your voice, so you can launch apps and control your TV much more easily. You can also use it to control compatible smart home devices such as robot vacuums and lights.

You'll have easy access to all the major streaming platforms, including Netflix and Prime Video, as well as support for Xbox Game Pass for cloud gaming.

Get this Fire TV Stick deal from Amazon now.

The best Labor Day SSD deals:

---

Best overall SSD deal

Samsung Internal SSD 990 2TB

$389.99 (save $190)

Get Deal

---

Best external SSD deal

Sandisk 8TB Extreme Portable SSD

$839.99 (save $785)

Get Deal

Labor Day weekend is a good excuse to upgrade your tech. The sales span everything from laptops and household essentials to storage upgrades for your existing devices. Whether your laptop is running low on space or you want a faster SSD for gaming, there are plenty of great deals already live right now.

We've rounded up the best Labor Day SSD deals from retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, with savings across external and internal options.

Best Labor Day SSD deal

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Credit: Samsung

Samsung Internal SSD 990 2TB

$339.99 at Amazon
$529.99 Save $190

 

Get Deal

Why we like it

This Samsung SSD offers fast read and write speeds, making it suited to everything from gaming and transferring large files to more demanding creative work. It comes with up to 2TB of storage, so there's plenty of room for games, 4K footage, and other large files. And it's currently $190 off in Amazon's Labor Day sale.

Best Labor Day internal SSD deals

• PNY CS900 500GB Internal SSD SATA — $99.99 $119.99 (save $20)

• Lexar 1TB NQ780 Internal NVMe SSD — $179.99 $239.99 (save $60)

• Samsung Internal SSD 990 1TB — $199.99 $229.99 (save $30)

• Lexar 2TB NM790 M.2 2280 PCle Gen4 NVMe SSD — $299.99 $449.99 (save $150)

• Samsung SSD 990 PRO 2TB — $389.99 $639.99 (save $250)

• SANDISK Optimus 7100 2TB NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive — $399.99 $589 (save $190)

Best Labor Day external SSD deals

• Samsung T9 Portable SSD 1TB— $239.99 $287.99 (save $48)

• Sandisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD— $257.44 $299.99 (save $42.55)

• Samsung T7 Shield 2TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C Portable External SSD — $424.99 $499.99 (save $75)

• Sandisk 8TB Extreme Portable SSD — $839.99 $1,624.99 (save $785)

• Samsung T9 Portable SSD 4TB — $999.99 $1,144.99 (save $145)

Trump has issued an executive order changing the name of "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America", combining the announcement with a social media clip of him changing the name on the map himself with a sharpie — and nobody is less impressed than Seth Meyers.

"My least favorite thing about the name change of Lake Ontario? Can I tell you my least favorite thing? Is when he took out the map to change it in sharpie and he crossed out the "Lake" to write "Lake" above it," says Meyers in the Late Night clip above. "Like why not just cross out Ontario and write America? But he crossed out both. Like the lake's there. The lake didn't change."

Meyers' conclusion? "This is some real dork sh*t," he says. "They're just such dorks. And you know what again, it's a real reminder that they can't actually accomplish anything."

SAVE $170: As of Sept. 4, the Skyrover X1 drone is on sale for $449 at Amazon. That's a 27% discount on the list price.

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Credit: Skyrover

Skyrover X1

$449 at Amazon
$619 Save $170

 

Get Deal

Looking for a new drone without spending a fortune? The Skyrover X1 is currently on sale, bringing this compact 4K drone down to just $449 from $619. Not only is that a $170 discount, but it's also the lowest-ever price for this model.

The drone comes as part of a combo deal: you'll also get a remote controller, gimbal protector, shoulder bag, three pairs of propellers, three smart flight batteries, 18 propeller screws, and a screwdriver.

This is an incredibly compact drone, weighing under 249 grams. It has a 1/1.32-inch CMOS sensor and f/1.7 aperture for capturing 48MP photos and 4K/60fps HDR video, so while it's compact, it still produces high-quality shots.

It comes with features to make flying easier, too. These include a 3-axis gimbal, which helps keep footage smooth and steady, and AI Night Mode, which is designed to improve detail in dusk and nighttime scenes. During flight, 360° obstacle sensing and Smart Return to Home provide extra support.

It even has creative modes, such as AI Auto Track, Smart Spotlight, Dual Tracking, and vertical shooting, plus 4K/100fps video for slow-motion footage and timelapse modes.

Get this drone deal at Amazon now.

Sony has officially unveiled two limited-edition DualSense controllers for Grand Theft Auto VI, giving the PS5 gamepads matching Vice City-inspired makeovers ahead of Rockstar's long-awaited sequel.

Both the black and white limited-edition GTA 6 controllers are priced at $84.99 and are set for release on Nov. 19 — the same day as GTA VI. 

Both controllers borrow heavily from Vice City's unmistakable aesthetic in different eye-catching ways. Both shells pack shimmering, color-shifting finishes that mix sunset hues with neon blues, plus custom palm tree details molded directly into the plastic and official Grand Theft Auto VI branding. If you’re a longtime GTA fan, the oversized ‘VI’ that’s taking over the touchpad will make this a must-buy.

Credit: Sony

The white model is taking cues from Vice City's beaches, pastel skies, and sunny day-glamor. 

Meanwhile, the black edition is all about channeling the gaming city's nightlife. It's still got the same Florida-style palm trees, but in a more classically chic PlayStation black.

Credit: Sony

The announcement on the PlayStation Blog does state that both will be available at "participating retailers," but for now, the only way to preorder the GTA VI DualSense controllers is through PlayStation Direct — starting on Sept. 10 at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET. Eligible orders placed directly through PlayStation will also get free launch-day delivery.

Stock will be available in limited quantities and will sell out fast. We’d advise bookmarking this article as a reminder and quickly jumping to the link above.

Beyond their new looks, they're still standard DualSense controllers, so they include haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. You'll get what you need as you play through Jason and Lucia’s story, but you won’t have any added features beyond the new, stylish aesthetics.

Keep in mind that although both GTA 6 controllers officially launch on Nov. 19, exact availability will vary by country and region.

At this point, the foldable iPhone is the biggest open secret in Silicon Valley. Apple kept a tight lid on its first-ever foldable phone right up until dropping the iOS 27 developer beta, which includes some direct and indirect references to the iPhone Ultra (also rumored to be called the iPhone Fold, iPhone Ultra Fold, or something else entirely).

Early adopters already love foldables — and they have plenty of options — but Apple's been notably absent from the genre. However, don't count Apple out. The company has a history of showing up late to the party and then absolutely cornering the market, as it did with AirPods and iPhones.

As we await official details, here's everything we know about the first foldable iPhone, including the latest rumors, specifications, release date, and pricing.

When will the iPhone Ultra be released?

Apple has officially confirmed an event for Sept. 9, where we're almost certain the iPhone 18 lineup will be unveiled. It's at this event where most expect the iPhone Ultra to make its real debut.

We think the iPhone Ultra will arrive on store shelves in fall 2026 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Numerous rumors pointed to this over the last year. Our best guess? We expect the iPhone Ultra to be released around Sept. 19; that's when the iPhone 17 launched last year.

Previous rumors suggested a delayed release schedule. Tech analyst named Tim Long claimed that shipments of the iPhone Ultra wouldn't begin until December, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman threw cold water on this rumor. And Gurman seems to have a crystal ball looking right into Apple headquarters these days.

A recent report out of Australia (via the Chinese supply chain) also claimed that the iPhone Ultra will be available right after launch in the U.S., though it might get rolled out to other markets a bit later.

What will the iPhone Ultra look like?

We've seen a lot of iPhone Ultra leaks over the past year, but the most recent leak comes courtesy of YouTuber Unbox Therapy, which claims to have received dummy units from China. These leaks line up perfectly with the latest iPhone Ultra rumors and previous leaks.

The iPhone Ultra will have an aspect ratio and shape very similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but with more rounded corners. The rear of the device looks more like a Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, however. We believe the passport-shaped phone will have an external 5.5-inch OLED display and an internal 7.8-inch display. Leaks show two cameras on the rear of the device.

In addition to the Unboxed Therapy leak, the casemaker Benks has already posted product listings for iPhone Ultra phone cases.

Credit: Benks

Finally, leaker Instant Digital reported earlier this year that the Ultra will have volume buttons on the top of the device rather than the side. "The volume buttons are not on the left side," reads a translation of the post. "Instead, they are placed directly on the top of the right-side frame (similar to the volume button layout on the top of the iPad mini). This may take some getting used to for users’ typical phone habits."

How much will the iPhone Ultra cost, and will people buy it?

The iPhone Ultra is likely to be expensive. An early estimate from research analyst Arthur Liao suggested the price tag for the Ultra — gulp — could come in around $2,399. Last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone Ultra is likely to retail between $2,000 and $2,500; recently, Kuo narrowed that down to $2,300 — $2,500. Finally, the International Data Corporation recently reported that the iPhone Ultra will have an average price of $2,550.

Despite the sizable cost (the flagship Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is priced at $1,899.99), sales expectations remain high. The IDC report estimated Apple would siphon 40 percent of the spending in the foldable market in 2026 and ship 17 million Ultras by the end of 2027.

"Apple’s entry into the foldable market has done more than reignite growth in a category that was losing momentum," wrote Nabila Popal, an IDC Senior Research Director, in a recent report. "With an average selling price exceeding $2,550, Apple is expected to generate more than $45.7 billion in value and account for over half of the category’s total value. Perhaps most notably, Apple is positioned to challenge Huawei and Samsung for leadership in markets where they have long dominated, an extraordinary outcome for a product expected to be less than two years into its lifecycle."

As of early September, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is predicting a price tag of at least $2,000.

The iPhone Ultra's potential specs

What would you want to see in a foldable iPhone design? Let us know in the comments. Credit: Zain bin Awais / Mashable

Based on all the available leaks, the iPhone Ultra specs could look something like this:

• Displays: 7.8-inch inner OLED display, 5.5-inch outer OLED display

• Thickness: 9.5mm unfolded, 4.5mm when folded

• Security: Touch ID

• Processor: A20 processor

• Cameras: Dual rear cameras (48MP), dual inner/outer front cameras

• Price: $2,399

• Battery: At least 5,088 mAh

The foldable iPhone will be a book-style foldable with four cameras — two on the back, one on the inside, and one front selfie camera. Gurman also predicted it would use Touch ID like the iPad Air and Pro, even though iPhones typically use Face ID. All the recent leaks back up Gurman's reporting.

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The smartphone market is already adapting to the expected size of the iPhone Ultra. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, which launched in July, is exactly that: A wider-than-usual foldable that looks like a proper tablet when unfolded. Huawei was the first to market with a wide foldable, though the Pura X Max is only available overseas.

We've seen several reports claiming that Apple has invested heavily in the iPhone Ultra's display and hinge. It should be very durable, thin, and with a barely visible crease, similar to the recent Samsung Galaxy Z Fold devices. Samsung Display is reportedly producing the OLED displays for the iPhone Ultra, as Samsung's got the best flexible display tech in the game. There's a reason Samsung released the Galaxy TriFold while the world is still waiting on the first foldable iPhone.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported earlier this year that the iPhone Ultra would have a 7.8-inch inner display, a 5.5-inch outer display, and measure in at just 9 to 9.5mm of thickness. Mark Gurman backed up these exact specs in September, just days before the big event. Rumors also indicate that Apple is using liquid metal for the phone's hinge, which should improve durability.

In a recent update, Gurman claimed that some early testers were pleased with how the Ultra performed, in particular with its look and feel, as well as the quality of its hinge. The camera, which doesn't have a telephoto unit, left something to be desired, the report said. Gurman's report confirms a lot of these rumored specs, and he reports that early testers also liked the more iPad-like UX and homescreen layout on the Ultra.

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What about the cameras and battery?

Leaker Instant Digital has made some interesting claims. Most notably, Instant Digital has said the iPhone Ultra will have the largest-ever iPhone battery. (For reference, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is estimated to have a roughly 5,088 mAh battery.)

Instant Digital's also stated, "The rear dual camera + right-side microphone + flash are arranged horizontally. The camera module appears to be fully black and does not match the body color. Currently, the only confirmed color is white, but it is expected that Apple will launch two color options."

Other sources have confirmed the iPhone Ultra's dual-camera configuration, consisting of a regular and an ultra-wide camera.

What does the iOS 27 beta tell us about the iPhone Ultra?

The iPhone Ultra isn't (yet) an official device. We do know a lot about it, but mostly via rumors, whispers, and reports coming out of Apple's supply chain.

But with the first iOS 27 developer beta, we finally learned some actual clues about the iPhone Ultra's existence. Software researcher M1Astra dug through the code (via Bloomberg) and found code that determines whether a device is folded or unfolded. Strings like “mechanicalAngleDegrees” and “angleDegrees" point to Apple fine-tuning the experience depending on how widely a foldable device is open. Researcher Sam Henri Gold found similar clues in the code.

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That's not all. Certain widgets, such as Music, News, and Weather, can now be configured to take up the majority of the iPhone's display. That split-view doesn't make a ton of sense on a regular iPhone (you'd probably just want to have one app open instead), but on an iPhone Ultra, such a widget could occupy one side of the display while you do something else on the other.

Apple seems to be preparing developers to handle a larger variety of form factors. Credit: Apple

Then, at WWDC 2026, Apple's Senior VP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, pointed out a developer-specific feature called the Device Hub, which allows developers to simulate their apps in different screen configurations.

Finally, Macworld found references in the code suggesting a device that has both the Dynamic Island and a Touch ID; such a device does not exist today, but the iPhone Ultra is rumored to have both.

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What will the foldable iPhone be called?

Up until recently, most of the tech world has simply called the unannounced device the "iPhone Fold" or "iPhone Ultra." However, since it's not a confirmed product yet, it's very possible that the phone will have a different name at launch.

Most tech reporters have settled on the name iPhone Ultra, and that's what we're using until Apple tells us different.

All the iPhone Ultra leaks we've seen so far

In December 2025, we saw lots of alleged iPhone Ultra renders circulating on social media, which all share a similar design.

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In February, a leaker known as Instant Digital posted some alleged renders of the iPhone to the Chinese social media site Weibo. Like most leaks, especially the ones pertaining to Apple, we can't confirm their authenticity. However, they align with earlier reports of the phone's overall look.

Apple leaker Sonny Dickson also shared another potential iPhone Ultra render in March 2026.

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Dickson shared more purported dummy units of the iPhone Ultra in April, giving those renders a bit more physicality than they had before.

April was fairly bounteous in terms of iPhone Ultra leaks. Aside from Dickson's dummy units, YouTuber Vincent Zhong got his hands on the newly released (in Asia) Huawei Pura X Max Wide. This Chinese phone was one of the first real "wide foldables" to hit the market. It matches the overall design of iPhone Ultra leaks, and its screen dimensions are almost exactly the same as the alleged dimensions of the Ultra.

While the iPhone Ultra will almost certainly look different from Huawei's device, Zhong's hands-on video gives us a decent idea of what to expect from the iPhone Ultra as a physical object in your hands.

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We've also gotten some interesting dummy photos from tech leaker Majin Bu on X. In these photos, the dummy units look very similar to what we've seen in other recent leaks. In other words, it looks like a shorter, more book-style foldable than previous foldables. It looks like it'll also support MagSafe cases.

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In June, a leaker on Weibo known as Ice Universe claimed to have the ultimate prize, a photo of the actual iPhone Ultra in white, though we believe the device in the photo is merely another dummy unit.

What else do we know about the iPhone Ultra?

Beyond physical design, another recent report suggested you'll be able to run multiple apps side-by-side when the phone is unfolded, sort of like multitasking on iPadOS 26. However, by all accounts, this device will run iOS, not iPadOS, so you won't exactly get a full iPad experience from the iPhone Ultra. (Apps that are designed to run natively in iPadOS, for example, would not be compatible.)

Finally, even though the iPhone Ultra is still in the realm of fantasy, there are already rumors about a follow-up, clamshell-style foldable from Apple, potentially called the iPhone Flip. That one probably isn't coming until next year at the earliest, though.

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TL;DR: Alienware is launching two new OLED gaming monitors. The Alienware 32 4K OLED brings four-stack RGB stripe tandem OLED tech down from its 39-inch flagship into a 32-inch 4K panel. The Alienware 25 560Hz QD-OLED, co-developed with Team Liquid, is Alienware's fastest monitor ever — 560Hz, 0.03ms response time, DP2.1 with no DSC — arriving early Q1 2027 with pricing TBA.

Alienware isn't picking a lane this fall — it's building two roads that go in opposite directions, and both are paved with OLED.

Unveiled at IFA in Berlin, the Alienware 32 4K OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3226Q) and the Alienware 25 560Hz QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW2527HX) split the difference between the two things gamers argue about at 2 a.m. on Discord: do you want the best-looking screen on your desk, or do you want to see the guy peeking the corner before he sees you? Alienware's answer is "why not both, just not on the same panel."

Alienware 32 4K OLED

Credit: Alienware

Credit: Alienware

Alienware's 32-inch 4K OLED isn't a new idea for the brand — it's a trickle-down idea.

RGB Stripe Tandem OLED, minus the fringing

Most OLED monitors use a four-subpixel layout, with an extra white subpixel added for brightness. Alienware ditched the white subpixel for a true RGB stripe arrangement instead, which means richer color volume since nothing's getting diluted, cleaner fringe-free text, and a polarizing layer that keeps blacks deep even with the lights on. Stack four emissive layers behind all that, and brightness climbs to 1,000 nits peak with an infinite (1.5 million:1) contrast ratio.

Flat, traditional design

The design leans traditional on purpose — flat panel, 16:9, four-sided narrow bezels, wrapped in Alienware's Nova Black colorway as part of its "AW30" design language. If you're running a multi-monitor setup or just don't prefer curved screens, this design is built for you.

Specs

You get ultra-vivid 99% DCI-P3 color with factory calibration precise enough to skip tweaking the settings, paired with a blazing-fast 4K 165Hz display and a 0.03ms response time for buttery-smooth action. Universal adaptive sync support keeps screen tearing at bay, no matter your graphics card, while dual HDMI 2.1 ports ensure current-gen consoles hit full resolution and frame rates, alongside DisplayPort and USB hub options.

Alienware 25 560Hz QD-OLED

Credit: Alienware

Credit: Alienware

If the 32-inch is Alienware's answer to "make it beautiful," the 25-inch is Alienware's answer to "make it disappear." This is a monitor for people who consider 1080p a feature, not a limitation — because at 560Hz, resolution isn't the bottleneck, your reaction time is.

That 560Hz number is Alienware's fastest ever, paired with QD-OLED's 0.03ms gray-to-gray response time and a DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR13.5) connection running at full bandwidth with zero DSC — nothing standing between your click and the pixel changing color.

Alienware calls it a generational leap over the TN panels that have dominated esports desks for years, backed by zero backlight bleed and 1,500-nit peak brightness.

Built with Team Liquid, not just for them

Pro players from Team Liquid had direct input throughout development, and it shows in details that read like a wishlist from people who've actually LAN'd for a living.

The telescopic stand gets a 155mm adjustment range — with height and rotation markers so players can replicate their exact setup at any venue or LAN party. The base is small and rotatable, freeing up desk space for a keyboard angled diagonally underneath instead of squared off.

There's a dedicated esports button to instantly swap between 4:3 and 3:2 aspect ratios mid-session, plus a rear-flip headset hanger to keep peripherals off the desk entirely. Even the tilt range got the competitive treatment, with a generous 45-degree rear tilt for whatever posture gets you locked in.

Designed to survive the long haul

Speed and image quality don't mean much if the panel degrades one season in, so burn-in protection gets the same longevity treatment as its sibling monitor. A graphite sheet disperses heat across the panel, an AI algorithm mitigates burn-in pixel-by-pixel, and pixel shift plus pixel refresh round out the defenses — all backed by the same 3-year warranty with OLED burn-in coverage.

Specs

The Alienware 25 560Hz boasts an insanely fast 560Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time, paired with DisplayPort 2.1 to drive full uncompressed bandwidth without needing Display Stream Compression. The matte anti-glare coating keeps reflections at bay under harsh tournament lights, while the OLED panel delivers standard-setting visual punch with infinite contrast.

Both monitors are VESA-certified for deep, true blacks and striking HDR contrast: the 25-inch 560Hz QD-OLED hits DisplayHDR True Black 600 for punchier peak highlights, while the 32-inch 4K model pairs DisplayHDR True Black 400 with Dolby Vision for dynamic, scene-by-scene precision.

Pricing and availability

The Alienware 32 4K OLED arrives first, priced at $699.99, with global availability this fall. The Alienware 25 560Hz QD-OLED follows in early Q1 2027, with pricing to be announced closer to launch.

Two monitors, two totally different bets — one on eye candy, one on nanoseconds. Alienware's making the case that you shouldn't have to choose an OLED that's either gorgeous or fast. Just maybe not on the same desk.