Samsung Display, separate from Samsung Electronics, showcased a creaseless panel on a foldable phone (spotted by Android Central) during the phone-focused conference. While the two are technically their own entities, the electronics division sources its display panels from Samsung Display.

The crease has slowly been disappearing across the foldable phones market for the last couple of years. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 features a markedly smaller fold than the Fold 5 and competitor Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Oppo's remarkably thin Find N5 is even shallower, though not quite fully eliminated.

What Samsung devices could feature this display?

Assuming the panel is actually ready for production, we could see it on the Z Fold 7, which is most likely to launch in July during Samsung's Summer Unpacked event.

That said, while Samsung Display and Electronics are regular partners, they do operate on their own timelines meaning the creaseless display may not have been made in time for the Fold 7, so we might see used on next year's Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Either way, the panel Samsung Display showed during the conference does hint at potential changes for Samsung's future foldables.

The future of foldable displays

From what we can tell, the creaseless panel appears larger than that of the Z Fold 6, decently sizable at 7.6-inches when unfolded.

This suggests that the phone itself will be larger, which would include a larger exterior display. Recent renderings of the Z Fold 7 hint at this which would feature a more standard phone dimensions with a 6.5-inch cover display and 8-inch interior.

Additionally, the shown display appears to have a hole punch design for the selfie-camera which hints at an improved camera. An under display camera is easier to hide when using the full screen. So this change may be a matter of taste when it comes to whether or not its an improvement.

We'll know more this summer whether or not Samsung is ready to introduce the new panel this year or wait until 2026. Either way, it'll be a welcome upgrade.

More from Tom's Guide

• Samsung confirms full One UI 7 release is happening in April — here’s what you need to know
• I tried astrophotography on my Galaxy S25 Ultra and I’m not impressed — here’s why
• Samsung TVs hit with annoying privacy pop-ups — here's how to stop them

Need some assistance with NYT Strands today? Today's theme — "Love is in the apps" — is pretty obvious, but might prove tricky if you're unfamiliar with the aforementioned apps.

Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #368, as well as the answers, should it come to that. We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #368, so read on if you need a little help.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #368.

Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints

The official theme for NYT Strands #368 is... "Love is in the apps".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Tinder, Hinge, etc.".

If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:

• PROM
• LIFE
• MAGES
• HOST
• FILER
• FEET
• STEAD

Still struggling? The spangram will give you a hint about the connection word. Today, it starts with O and ends with G.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's ONLINEDATING.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #368?

Drumroll, please...

• SWIPE
• PROFILE
• LIKE
• MATCH
• CHAT
• MEETUP
• GHOST

...and the spangram was STRANDS.

Strands #368

“Love is in the apps”

🔵🔵🔵🔵

🔵🟡🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. Even as someone who hasn't used a dating app for over a decade, today's puzzle was pretty straightforward. It was only a question of whether I was looking for the names of apps ("Bumble", "Tinder", "Hinge", etc.) or the actions taken on them.

It was the latter, as I discovered when I connected SWIPE along the top of the grid. I then found PROFILE below it and SWIPE on the opposite side. MATCH was in the bottom-right corner, with CHAT in the bottom left.

This was enough for me to see the spangram clearly: ONLINEDATING, spelt out very neatly in a zigzag across the middle of the board.

Two answers were left to find. MEETUP was in the top right corner, which just left GHOST below the end of the spangram to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? You can find the full article on yesterday's Strands answers for game #366 right here.

Some companies, such as Acer, have already confirmed price hikes, whereas the CEOs of retailers like Best Buy and Target are warning consumers that more expensive prices are likely in the future.

How much prices will increase and for how long is still unknown. But one thing is certain — if you want to avoid any price increases your best bet is to make any major purchases now. While I typically advise waiting for a retail holiday before buying new tech, there's no time like the present. So below I've gathered the 25 best tech deals you can get right now. These are deals on devices the Tom's Guide staff has tested and recommends based on their performance or overall value.

Quick Links

• iPhone 16: free w/ new line + unlimited @ Verizon
• Galaxy S25: up to $500 off w/ trade-in @ Samsung
• iPhone 16 Pro Max: $5/month w/ trade-in + unlimited @ AT&T
• 10.9" iPad (A14 Bionic): was $349 now $269 @ Amazon
• LG 70" 4K TV: was $648 now $498 @ Walmart
• Mac mini (M4): was $599 now $529 @ Amazon
• Asus VivoBook S 15 Copilot+ PC: was $899 now $599 @ Best Buy
• Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge Copilot+ PC: was $899 now $799 @ Best Buy
• Asus VivoBook S 14 Copilot+ PC: was $1,199 now $799 @ Walmart
• XPS 13 Copilot+ PC: was $1,199 now $999 @ Dell

Laptops

Smartphones

Tablets

Macs

TVs

Gaming

Initially, the model would be available to everyone on the same day, but the deployment will now occur gradually over several days to manage server load effectively.

As OpenAI's most advanced model to date, emphasizing enhanced emotional intelligence and natural conversational abilities, Altman has described ChatGPT-4.5 as "the first model that feels like talking to a thoughtful person."

Why the ChatGPT-4.5 delay?

Altman explained that releasing to all users at once would necessitate low-rate limits, hindering the user experience. By staggering the rollout, OpenAI aims to give users the full user experience of engaging in extended, meaningful conversations without significant restrictions.

The model has a high capacity to provide insightful advice and respond adeptly to social cues. However, because of the model's substantial size and the associated costs of training and operation, OpenAI has experienced a few unexpected challenges, including GPU shortages that have impacted the rollout schedule.

Potential new payment model

In addition to the adjusted release plan, Altman proposed on X a significant change to the ChatGPT Plus subscription model.

Currently, subscribers pay a fixed monthly fee of $20 for unlimited access. The proposed system would allocate a set number of credits each month, which users could spend across various OpenAI products, such as Deep Research, ChatGPT o1, Sora, and ChatGPT-4.5.

Altman is proposing that if users exhaust their credits, they would have the option to purchase additional ones. While the credit-based approach aims to provide flexibility and align usage with individual needs, it also could become pricey for high-usage users.

The proposed payment structure was received with mixed reactions. Some users appreciate the flexibility it offers, allowing them to tailor their usage to specific products. However, others are expressing concern that it may discourage experimentation and limit spontaneous interactions with the AI models.

ChatGPT-4.5: Looking ahead

OpenAI's approach to these developments reflects a commitment to balancing technological advancement with user accessibility and satisfaction.

As AI models become more sophisticated and resource-intensive, considerations around deployment strategies, pricing structures and emphasizing tiered rollouts are crucial to ensure sustainable and fair access for all users.

But it sounds like the proposed pricing changes could cause at least some backlash.

Stay tuned for our hands-on impressions of ChatGPT-4.5 as it rolls out.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google launches 'AI Mode' for search — here's how to try it now
• Project Astra — everything you need to know about Google's next-gen smart glasses and new AI assistant
• 5 mind-blowing prompts to get the most out of Claude

A botnet of infected off-brand Android devices, the BadBox malware usually comes pre-loaded on TV streaming boxes, smart TVs, tablets, digital projectors, or smartphones. In this case, threat actors also operated hundreds of versions of popular apps to serve as an alternative backdoor delivery system. Fortunately, HUMAN's researchers were able to identify and then have 24 malicious “evil twin” apps spreading this malware removed from the Google Play Store.

In total, they were able to disrupt the botnet on over 500,000 Android devices, effectively sink holing communications to the malicious domains used by the hackers behind this campaign. The researchers have taken over thousands of these BadBox 2.0 domains to prevent the infected devices from communicating with the command-and-control (C2) servers set up by these cybercriminals which also allows them to monitor the connections and gather data about the botnet.

What is BadBox 2.0?

A malware-based botnet, BadBox 2.0 uses lower-cost, off-brand Android devices to commit malicious acts including fraud. The original BadBox malware infected 74,000 devices and was disrupted or made dormant in October 2023.

This new version, BadBox 2.0, has infected more than 1 million devices according to HUMAN. The majority of the infections appear to be focused on Brazil (37.6%), followed by the U.S. (18.2%), Mexico (6.3%) and Argentina (5.3%).

The infected devices which consist of Android TV streaming boxes, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and digital projectors among other things, often arrive with malware pre-loaded directly from the manufacturer. Or they are infected and added to the botnet via malicious “evil twin” apps or firmware downloads. HUMAN pointed out in a blog post that “the infected devices are Android Open Source Project devices, not Android TV OS devices or Play Protect certified Android devices.”

Once installed, the BadBox malware turns the infected devices into residential proxies. They then routinely connect to attacker-controlled C2 servers to receive new commands and to send back stolen data like passwords. These commands may be used to launch credential stuffing attacks, create fake accounts, fake ad impressions, or to redirect users to low-quality domains for a fraudulent traffic distribution operation.

How to stay safe from BadBox 2.0

Google has already removed the malicious apps discovered by HUMAN's researchers from the Play Store and added a Play Protect enforcement rule to warn users as well as to block the installation of apps associated with BadBox 2.0 on any certified Android devices.

However, because the search giant cannot disinfect non-Play Protect Android devices, BadBox cannot be entirely eliminated. A list of devices that are known to be affected by the current version of BadBox can be found at the very bottom of Human's report linked above. If you have a device on that list, it's unlikely that you will be able to update it with clean firmware. Your most secure option is to disconnect that device from the internet, or better still, replace it with a certified device from a reputable brand.

"If a device isn't Play Protect certified, Google doesn't have a record of security and compatibility test results." a Google spokesperson explained in a statement to BleepingComputer. "Play Protect certified Android devices undergo extensive testing to ensure quality and user safety. Users should ensure Google Play Protect, Android’s malware protection that is one by default on devices with Google Play Services, is enabled.”

Consumers who want to stay safe should avoid buying AOSP-based Android devices like off-brand TV boxes that lack official Google Play Services support. Additionally, always make sure to keep your firmware up to date and install the latest security patches as soon as they become available on whichever of the best streaming devices you're currently using.

You also want to avoid sideloading apps and stick to only using ones from the Google Play Store and other official app stores. Likewise, Android TV devices can have their remote access features disabled when not in use, which takes them offline. This can provide an extra layer of security to protect your devices and your data if they've unknowingly become part of a botnet

It might also be worth investing in one of the best Wi-Fi routers or the best mesh Wi-Fi systems with security software built-in. While the best antivirus software can keep your PC safe from malware, network-wide security solutions like Netgear's Armor or TP-Link's HomeShield protect all of the devices connected to your home network from viruses and other threats. If you want our recommendation for best Android TV box, we still really like the Nvidia Shield even if it is now several years old at this point.

More from Tom's Guide

• Millions of Android TVs hijacked in massive botnet — how to see if yours is at risk
• Google March Android Security Update fixes two high severity vulnerabilities — update now
• I compared Norton vs McAfee’s antivirus software to see which one is best

Nintendo Switch 2 could be a huge hit

Writing for the Japanese GameIndustry.biz site, Toyo Securities analyst Hideki Yasuda stated that he believes the Switch 2 will sell 6 million consoles during its first quarter — likely the end of 2025 into 2026, assuming a July launch.

As Yasuda writes (machine translated), this would be an "incredible number" that would "completely shatter the widespread industry superstition that game consoles must be released during the year-end sales season."

The analyst claimed that Nintendo does not want to face a shortage like the Switch did during its launch or the struggle Sony had getting PS5s onto shelves during its initial run, despite selling nearly 4.5 million consoles during that time frame.

He believes Nintendo will "flood the market" with Switch 2 consoles.

For comparison, the original Switch sold 2.74 million consoles in its first quarter after a March 2017 release and 1.97 million the following quarter.

The hype train for the Nintendo Switch 2 has been off the rails for a bit now, but to put up 6 million in the first three months during a summer release would be impressive, especially as we imagine many people (and parents) will wait for the holiday season to nab a new console.

Now, the question is whether or not the Switch 2 will have the games to justify it.

Nintendo has promised more Switch 2 details during a Nintendo Direct on April 2, including technical specs. Hopefully, that will include the price, which we expect to land anywhere between $350 and $400 at launch.

Mar10 Day Nintendo deals

While the forthcoming Nintendo Switch 2 looms large, the company isn't dropping the original Switch.

As part of the celebration of Mar10 Day, Nintendo is releasing a number of deals, sweepstakes and a new Switch OLED bundle that comes with the delightful Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

The bundle includes a digital copy of the game and a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership, all for $349.99, a nearly $70 savings.

Starting on March 9, Nintendo is also offering discounts on several Mario games at stores, including Best Buy, GameStop, Target and Walmart. Included Mario titles are Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Super Mario RPG, Princess Peach: Showtime!, and Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD for $39.99 each. Mario vs Donkey Kong will also be available for $29.99.

Nintendo is also running a sweepstake to win a Super Nintendo World trip at Universal Orlando. Lastly, the very silly Nintendo Alarmo will be available at retailers starting March 9.

It's a good reminder that the Switch is still an excellent console that has sold nearly 150 million units. However, it isn't Nintendo's best-selling console, as that distinction goes to the DS, which sold 154 million during its life.

More from Tom's Guide

• Nintendo Switch 2's rumored phone attachment could lead to dual-screen gaming — what you need to know
• A foldable Nintendo Switch? This OLED handheld concept is everything I’ve been dreaming of
• 5 biggest new games launching in March 2025 for PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PC

Here's how to watch 'Deli Boys' from anywhere with a VPN.

And by "way forward" we mean the A-to-Z of drug dealing including murder, disposal of bodies, managing relationships with other crime gangs and why the two repo babies don't need to strip down to their underwear when they are packing their own supply of cocaine for distribution.

Pitch ambitious but hapless FBI Agent Mercer (Alexandra Ruddy) battling sexism as well as criminal overlords and you have all the ingredients for an occasionally bloody, but very funny new series about the other side of the immigrant experience in 21st century America.

Read on to see the ways you can watch "Deli Boys" online on streaming platforms the world over.

How to watch 'Deli Boys' online in the U.S.

"Deli Boys" is available to stream in full on Hulu from Thursday, March 6 in the U.S. Plans start from $7.99/month, and new users can get their first 30 days absolutely free.

You can subscribe to Hulu on its own or, for even better value, you can opt for the Disney Plus bundle. The package gets you access to the entire Hulu and Disney Plus catalogs from only $9.99/month. Or you can add live sport with ESPN Plus for only five bucks more.

And for anybody in the market for a full on cable replacement, all Hulu shows are included in the provider's Hulu + Live TV package. Prices start from $76.99/month, giving you access to more than 70 premium channels, together with content from Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+.

Abroad at the moment? Don't panic. Americans who want to use their usual domestic streaming platform to watch "Deli Boys" can do so with a VPN. We recommend NordVPN.

Watch 'Deli Boys' from anywhere in the world

If "Deli Boys" isn't streaming where you're currently located, that doesn't mean you have to miss the show while you're away from home. With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you are.

We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN you can get right now is NordVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. You can try it risk-free for 30 days if you take advantage of NordVPN's no-quibble money-back guarantee.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the U.K. and want to view a U.S. service, you'd select a U.S. server from the location list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to your streaming service app — Hulu, for example — and watch "Deli Boys" online from wherever you are in the world.

Watch 'Deli Boys' around the world

"Deli Boys" will stream on Disney Plus in territories outside the U.S. with the same release date: Thursday, March 6.

The Disney Plus price starts from CA$7.99/£7.99/AU$13.99/month.

Watch the 'Deli Boys' trailer

'Deli Boys' – Episode guide

• Season 01 Episode 01: “Pilot” – After their Baba’s sudden death, brothers Raj and Mir realize their family’s deli empire is actually a criminal front. Their survival depends on Lucky Auntie, who does something totally messed up, but also kind of awesome.
• S01 E02: “Deadly Boys” – Raj and Mir set out to find half-dead Hamza in the Forgotten Bottom, but they are idiots and nepo babies. Meanwhile, Lucky fights chauvinist Ahmad for Dark DarCo’s throne, and Agent Mercer struggles to crack the FBI boys’ club.
• S01 E03: “Delhi Boys” – As Lucky, Mir and Ahmed work to revive a struggling operation, Ahmed’s racism surfaces and Drexel’s business program gets a bad rap. Raj learns professionalism from the “Murderwalla” while Mercer picks up an unexpected ally.
• S01 E04: “Delicate Boys” – A Philly gangster gives the crew 24 hours to unload coke and pay up, but demands a hostage. Lucky screams disturbing things at Raj after he scares off the cocaine mixer, while Bushra holds Mir’s nuts to the fire.
• S01 E05: “Jersey Boys” – It’s Chickie Lasagna’s epic “Big Game” party and the Pennsylvania “Football Birds” are playing. But the gang is too busy trying to expand their turf and discovering that Chickie’s daughter Gigi is a hot psycho. Mercer witnesses a beatdown.
• S01 E06: “Lucky Boys” – Hamza’s British cousins hop across the pond for a lark, drive on the wrong side of the road and kidnap Lucky at GMT for a wee Brexit with tea and crumpets, Stonehenge and a Jack Russell terrier. The boys follow Raj’s third eye.
• S01 E07: “Delivery Boys” – The boys learn the value of work-life balance. Raj and his shaman/ lover smoke a fat rosin donut enroute to deliver drugs to his fiancé/ business partner at West Philly Pakora Palace.
• S01 E08: “Sweaty Boys” – Mercer and Simpson close in on the sticky, chewy center of the Dar crime ring. Raj rides a scooter. Mir channels his inner tech bro. Lucky pulls a fast one. Ahmad finally gets to pull down the pull-down gate outside the ABC Deli.
• S01 E09: “Shaado Boys” – TBA
• S01 E10: “Confetti Boys”– TBA

'Deli Boys' – Cast

• Asif Ali as Mir Dar
• Saagar Shaikh as Raj Dar
• Alfie Fuller as Prairie
• Poorna Jagannathan as Lucky
• Brian George as Ahmad
• Kevin Corrigan as Chickie Lozano
• Alexandra Ruddy as Agent Mercer
• Tim Baltz as Director Simpson
• Zainne Saleh as Bushra
• Sakina Jaffrey as Seema
• Amita Rao as Nandika
• Anish Jethmalani as Patika
• Minita Gandhi as Latika
• Iqbal Theba as Baba
• Geoffrey Arend as Ralph
• Azhar Usman as Feraz
• Tan France as Zubair

More from Tom's Guide

• How to watch 'House of the Dragon' season 2 online and from anywhere
• Hulu top 15 — here are the 5 movies and shows worth watching
• How to watch No Other Land online

However, we also know that the new episodes — which will premiere on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13 — won't tell the entire story from "Part II," with the events from the sequel game instead being stretched to the series' third season as well.

That leaves plenty of room for fresh material as we follow characters like Joel (Pedro Pascal), Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and newcomer Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) while they navigate their way through a brutal zombie apocalypse. And some of that added material will reportedly come from the video game's bonus features, including deleted scenes and lost levels.

(As fans might remember, season 1 added plenty of never-before-seen material, including an entire standalone episode devoted to Bill and Frank's final days.)

Back in November 2023, Neil Druckmann, the co-creator of both "The Last of Us" games and the HBO adaptation, told Entertainment Weekly, "As a tease, I will say there is at least one element from a cut level that is planned [for] the show. I say that with the caveat that we haven’t started filming the show yet and all things are subject to change based on what we ultimately feel will be best for the show."

Druckmann doubled down on the show's incorporation of deleted material, some of which was presented for the first time in the remastered edition of "The Last of Us Part II" game, telling Entertainment Weekly in a February 2025 interview that the cut scene used is “pretty brutal, but I'm very excited for people to see it.”

The second season will also flesh out characters who never actually appeared onscreen in the video game.

“There is a pretty prominent character that is talked a lot about in the game, similar to what we did with Frank [Murray Bartlett] in season 1, that is in this season,” Druckmann told the outlet. “There’s a very, very cool casting that I hope we can talk about soon.”

We also know that comedy legend Catherine O'Hara ("Schitt's Creek", "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice") will be flexing her dramatic muscles in a role we haven't seen in the game, seemingly as a therapeutic figure for Joel.

We'll see how those deleted materials and expanded characters from the video game affect Joel, Ellie and the rest when "The Last of Us" season 2 premieres on HBO and Max next month. Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all things "TLOU" related, from plot points to character details to new teaser trailers.

More on Tom's Guide

• How will 'The Last of Us' shifting the timeline from the game affect season 2?
• Why 'The Last of Us' star Kaitlyn Dever wasn't worried about not looking like the game version of Abby
• 9 shows and movies to watch while you wait for The Last of Us season 2

The sharp 4K resolution on the 32-inch OLED display allows you to see the most minute details in whatever game you’re playing. The fast 240Hz refresh rate—along with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility—delivers a smooth experience in both narrative-driven and competitive games alike. The ultra-low 0.03ms response time also ensures no perceptible input lag.

If not for the tasty RGB lighting on its all-white back, the Omen Transcend 32 could almost be mistaken for a non-gaming monitor. Thanks to its elegant and minimalist design, this device won’t look out of place in your home office or gaming den. The relatively small footprint also means it doesn’t take up too much space on your desk.

Though you get an overall excellent image, HDR brightness is relatively dim, which is an issue I’ve had with other 32-inch OLED gaming monitors I’ve tested. While you can see everything clearly enough, don’t expect eye-scorching levels of brightness.

While the HP Omen Transcend 32 doesn’t have impressive HDR, its other qualities help make it one of the best gaming monitors out there. If you’re looking for a dependable gaming monitor that will work in most setups, consider this one.

Read my full review to learn more.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The HP Omen Transcend 32 is a 4K gaming monitor featuring an OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time and a minimalist design.
• Who is it for? For anyone looking for a monitor that’s great for gaming or creative projects.
• What does it cost? The HP Omen Transcend 32 costs $1,299 on HP’s website.
• What do we like? Its smooth performance, phenomenal OLED display, and gorgeous design.
• What don’t we like? HDR brightness isn’t all that bright.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: Specs

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: The ups

The HP Omen Transcend 32 has it all, including a stunning 32-inch 4K OLED display, fast performance, elegant design and reliable compatibility with gaming consoles and PCs.

Graceful design

Like the HP Omen Transcend 14 laptop, the Omen Transcend 32 is a gaming device that doesn’t look the part. Sure, it sports RGB lighting on the back, but that’s the only thing suggesting it’s for gaming. Thanks to this design choice, the Transcend 32 keeps your focus on the games you’re playing—and ensures the monitor can easily fit into most work or gaming setups.

There’s a nice contrast between the monitor’s white chassis and black monitor stand. The latter’s flat square shape doesn’t take up much space, allowing you to situate your keyboard in a comfortable position. There’s a relatively large cooling vent along the monitor’s top, which HP says keeps the monitor cool and helps its longevity.

Port selection is one of this monitor’s strongest aspects. On the lower back, you’ll find two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, three USB-A ports, a headphone jack and three USB-C ports. With so many ports, you can easily keep your gaming rig, gaming console, or even a laptop connected to this monitor all at once.

Other little touches include a retractable headphone rest on the monitor’s top left side and a loop on the monitor stand for cable management. All of these features make for a beautiful and functional monitor.

Gorgeous OLED display

The 32-inch 4K OLED display is a sight to behold. While there are bigger monitors, 32 inches hits the sweet spot of display size and overall image quality. Not only is it perfect for gaming, but it’s also built for creatives and makes for a reliable work monitor.

I lost myself in the worlds of Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077 with the monitor’s native gaming display setting enabled. These games feature a variety of colorful landscapes, which come to life vividly thanks to the oversaturated color reproduction. Small details, such as the scales on a demon’s hide or the chrome on a car’s hood, look magnificent.

Our lab tests corroborate what my eyes experienced. In the Game Native mode, the panel achieved 187.6% of the sRGB color gamut and 132.9% of the more demanding DCI-P3 color space, which is decidedly oversaturated. This is especially true in comparison to the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B’s comparable display mode. If you like super-vivid hues, the Omen Transcend 32 won’t disappoint.

HP's monitor features a total of 13 display modes, with half dedicated to game genres like FPS and RTS. Others, such as Adobe RGB, Professional sRGB, and other creative-focused display modes, make up the latter half. Each mode differs slightly from one another, depending on their function. Regardless, you might appreciate the slew of available display modes.

Smooth performance

Whether it’s a frenetic first-person shooter like Doom Eternal or a blistering fast racer like Dirt 5, games run wonderfully thanks to the Omen Transcend 32’s buttery smooth 240Hz refresh rate and fast 0.03ms response time. Compatibility with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync also ensures smooth performance.

For testing, I connected the Omen Transcend 32 to the HP Omen 35L gaming PC. That mid-tower packs an AMD Ryzen 7 8700G CPU, an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This powerful gaming PC is a perfect fit for this monitor, and not just because it’s also an HP device.

Thanks to the monitor’s high refresh rate, I could enjoy playing Doom Eternal at over 130 frames per second without a single hint of screen tearing or choppiness. I also didn’t experience any perceptible input lag.

Clean UI

The HP Omen Transcend 32 has a clean and simple user interface that’s easy to navigate. It’s where you’ll find the aforementioned display modes and a slew of settings to adjust lighting, enable/disable AMD FreeSync, and more. There are many options to choose from, which can be somewhat overwhelming but not overly so.

The ODS (On Screen Display) joystick behind the monitor’s right-hand side is easy to reach and simple to use. It’s a bit more rigid than similar OSDs on other monitors but I like that it takes a little effort to move up and down or left and right.

Decent speaker quality

Many of the gaming monitors I’ve reviewed either lack speakers or have poor speaker quality. While I can’t say the HP Omen Transcend 32 has exceptional speakers, the overall sound isn’t bad if you don’t want to use a pair of the best headphones.

When playing games, I could clearly hear even the most subtle sounds. Bass isn’t the greatest, but lows aren’t completely absent, either. The speakers maintain consistently good sound even if you turn them up all the way.

Again, the Omen Transcend 32 won’t win any audio awards, but its speakers are pretty good for a gaming monitor.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: The downs

The HP Omen Transcend 32 is a nearly perfect gaming monitor. Unfortunately, it has a flaw that plagues other OLED gaming monitors.

Dim HDR

While the Omen Transcend 32 delivers sharp images and vivid colors, it doesn’t get very bright in either SDR or HDR modes.

As you can see in the table above, the Omen Transcend 32 can’t quite hit 250 nits of brightness. In fact, out of all available display modes, the Game Native values listed above are the brightest. But as I said, this is a problem other OLED gaming monitors like the LG UltraGear 32 also have.

This monitor’s brightness is sufficient to let you clearly see everything happening on the screen. However, I would have liked the brightness to be a tad higher.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: Verdict

The HP Omen Transcend 32 might not have features that set it apart from similar devices, but it’s got everything you’d want from a modern gaming monitor.

Even if its HDR brightness isn’t the best, it still delivers stunning picture quality that makes games look fantastic. The smooth gaming performance and refined design also make this one of my favorite gaming monitors yet.

If the Omen Transcend 32 is out of your price range and you can live without OLED, the $449 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A is a great 4K gaming monitor to consider. Want something bigger and more immersive? Then, the $689 45-inch LG UltraGear 45GR75DC ultrawide curved gaming monitor is right for you.

But if you liked what I had to say about the HP Omen Transcend 32, then I urge you to pick it up. Trust me, it’ll make your gaming experience all the more enjoyable.

In addition to the new MacBook Air M4, Apple also refreshed its Mac Studio. The Mac Studio M4 Max starts from $1,999 and the Mac Studio M3 Ultra from $3,999. Designed for professionals, Mac Studio pre-orders are live with a release date of March 12.

The release of new MacBooks could cause retailers to launch a new wave of discounts on Apple's M3-based MacBook Airs. Make sure to follow our MacBook deals coverage as retailers discount the current-gen laptops to make room for the newer ones. (Also check out our Apple "Something in the Air" live blog for more announcements this week).

How to Pre-Order MacBook Air M4

How to Pre-Order Mac Studio

Apple's most powerful Mac got a revamp this morning. The new Mac Studio comes with the option of an M4 Max or M3 Ultra chipset. Apple says the Mac Studio M4 Max is up to 3.5x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Max and up to 6.1x faster than the previous Intel-based 27-inch iMac. Pricing starts at $1,999 and both models will be available on March 12.

Discovered by Macrumors, the latest tvOS update features a ChatKit framework, an interesting discovery since neither the Apple TV streaming box nor the HomePod features a Messages app.

This framework apparently includes reactions and notifications for "tapback reactions aded to iMessages." Examples would be things like you reacting to a message with an emoji or "[name] disliked this."

Currently, the Apple TV box and HomePod speakers run the tVOS platform. Apple's much rumored smart home hub that is supposed to launch this year is also reportedly going to run on tvOS.

What is the Apple smart home hub

Apple is expected to release a third-generation HomePod at some point this year, though rumors point to a device that will look wildly different from the HomePod you're used to seeing.

It could feature a touchscreen, similar to the Amazon Echo Hub and the Google Pixel Tablet. This display would enable it to support video calls, photos, music controls and listening and smart home management.

The display should be iPad-esque and could come on a robotic arm. It might also feature sensors for detecting people in front of the display or sensing the temperature.

We've heard disparate rumors that Apple's new hub will launch either this Spring or later in the fall. It's also unclear if it will get a full launch like the iPhone or iPads or an online only launch like the new M4 MacBook Air.

More from Tom's Guide

• MacBook Air M4 live updates — the new MacBook is official
• iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro: 5 biggest expected upgrades
• Apple announces Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra — here's what's new

The retailer is currently hosting an epic sale with up to 50% off everything from base layers and hiking essentials to parkas and rain pants. Some of our favorite brands — including The North Face, Patagonia and Arc'teryx — are seeing the deepest discounts.

With apparel and accessory deals starting at just $11, you won't have any trouble finding everything you need for your upcoming excursions as we close out winter and head into spring. Keep scrolling to check out my 27 favorite items from REI's sale.

Quick Links

• shop all REI deals
• Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube: was $20 now $11
• Dakine Summit Socks (Women's): was $29 now $14
• REI Merino Wool Hiking Crew Socks: was $21 now $16
• Hydro Flask All Around Travel Tumbler: was $39 now $27
• Cotopaxi Sombra Long-Sleeve Sun Shirt (Men's): was $65 now $31
• The North Face DotKnit Thermal ¼-Zip (Women's): was $90 now $67
• Marmot PreCip Eco Rain Jacket (Men's): was $120 now $89
• Patagonia Classic Retro-X Vest (Men's): was $159 now $95
• Arc'teryx Gamma Pants (Men's): was $200 now $160
• Helly Hansen Bellissimo Insulated Jacket (Women's): was $450 now $299
• Arc'teryx Cerium Insulated Hoody (Women's): was $400 now $320

REI Accessory Deals

REI Men's Apparel Deals

REI Women's Apparel Deals

Back in 2023, reports surfaced that Google planned to include a contextual assistant with the 2024 release of the Google Pixel 9. Dubbed Pixie, that feature was supposed to take data from other Google Services to learn more about who was using the phone in order to provide more personalized assistance. Ultimately, though, the Pixel 9 phones arrived last fall without any such feature.

Jump ahead to now, as Android Authority reports that a version of Pixie could arrive with the Pixel 10. That's based on a source from within Google who also claims the official name will change to "Pixel Sense." Like Pixie, though, this feature will reportedly offer a personalized experience based on how you use your device.

If this sounds familiar, it's similar to what Samsung currently offers to Galaxy S25 users with the Personal Data Engine included on its latest flagships. That feature follows user behavior, with the idea of learning enough about uses and interests to offer personalized recommendations and suggestions through features like Now Brief.

Pixel Sense seems like it's Google's effort to keep pace — and even exceed — what Samsung offers.

Pixel Sense: Rumored features

According to the Android Authority report, Pixel Sense will be able to use data from several different built-in apps including:

• Calendar
• Chrome
• Docs
• Files
• Gmail
• Keep Notes
• Maps
• Phone
• Photos
• Recorder
• Screen shots
• Wallet
• YouTube Music
• YouTube

There's also mention of a new app called Aurelius in the report, but there's no indication of what it is or what it does.

In addition, Pixel Sense will reportedly be able to process media files like texts, images, AI generated content and associated metadata. It also appears that the Pixel Sense app can be used to organize and search through screenshots, similar to the Pixel Screenshot feature.

The report also gives us some idea of how the assistant will work and what it can do for users. For instance, Pixel Sense will apparently offer personal predictive suggestions based on data collected. It will also learn how you use your phone to help you complete tasks and routines faster. Finally, the feature should be able to adapt to your interests by learning what is important to you and evolves with you.

All this data collection might concern some, though the report notes that Pixel Sense would be an on-device feature. In other words, no one other than you can see the information gathered, not even Google. This would also indicate that Pixel Sense could rely on Gemini Nano to function.

As it stands there's still a lot that we don't know about Pixel Sense, or even the Pixel 10. However, the device is expected to launch later this year, so hopefully we won't have to wait long to see what the official word is.

More from Tom's Guide

• Google Pixel 9a needs to be more like the Nothing Phone 3a — here’s how
• Samsung Galaxy S25 Now Bar vs. iPhone 16 Pro Dynamic Island — here’s the winner
• Pixel Studio can finally generate people — and that's not the only change for Pixel phones

Evergreen discounts on some of the best mattresses at Helix mean there’s always a mattress sale ongoing, so you'll never have to pay MSRP. But is the Helix Twilight worth the investment at any price? Keep reading for my thoughts...

Helix Twilight Mattress: Brief overview

The Helix Twilight shares many characteristics with the best firm mattresses on the market, but it’s aimed at side sleepers. I'm currently testing the Helix Twilight — you can read my initial thoughts on the Helix Twilight mattress — and rate its firmness at 8 out of 10 (firm).

Made up of five layers of foam and coils, the Helix Twilight somehow manages to be very firm whilst still providing a level of cushioning for the shoulders and hips that's characteristic of the best mattresses for side sleepers.

Average and heavier weight side sleepers will really enjoy this bed, but as a lightweight side sleeping tester, I find the mattress a little too firm the more I sleep on it.

Bizarrely, considering its firmness, the Helix Twilight isn’t a great choice for back and stomach sleepers. Since it is softer around the hips, I found the mattress a little lacking in lumbar support as I didn’t feel my spine was properly aligned when lying on my back.

Motion isolation on the Helix Twilight is excellent and edge support along the sides is very good, but there’s no reinforcement along the top and bottom, which sag noticeably more.

We were also impressed with the temperature regulation, with my husband, who is a hot sleeper, staying cool and comfortable throughout the night. (There's an option to upgrade to a GlacioTex cooling cover if you're so inclined.)

Regular sales keep the Helix Midnight within a mid-range to upper-mid-range price bracket. We normally see 20% to 25% off, but we have spotted a rare 30% discount during major sales events, too.

Helix Twilight Mattress: Prices and deals

Evergreen Helix mattress sales mean you’ll never pay MSRP for the Helix Twilight, with the standard discount being 20%. We do see this rise to 25% fairly regularly, especially around major sales events, although we have seen the discount rise as high as 30% occasionally. You’ll normally get two free pillows with purchase.

Expect to pay $745.60 for a twin mattress with the standard 20% discount (MSRP $932) and $1,065.60 for a queen (MSRP $1,332). At major sales events, our exclusive code TOMS27 will take 27% off, reducing a twin to $680.36.

The Helix Twilight comes with a 100-night sleep trial and free shipping. Even better, Helix recently extended its warranty so that you’ll now get a limited lifetime warranty instead of the 10 years offered previously. There’s also the option to upgrade to White Glove Delivery and removal of your old mattress, with prices varying according to your ZIP code.

The Helix Twilight is, as you'd expect from a premium mattress, incredibly well made and well designed, with a build quality that we would expect to be highly durable. If it's the right fit for your body type and sleeping style, it's certainly worth investing in - just make sure you know when it's the best time to buy a mattress to ensure you maximise your savings.

• Twin: MSRP $932 (on sale for $680.36)
• Twin XL: MSRP $1061.33 (on sale for $774.77)
• Full: MSRP $1,248 (on sale for $911.04)
• Queen / Short Queen: MSRP $1,332 (on sale for $972.36)
• King / Cal King / RV King: MSRP $1,732 (on sale for $1,264.36)

Helix Twilight Mattress: Customer, forum and expert opinions

Our experience with the Helix Twilight is obviously only the view of a select group of reviewers, so it's vital to see how the mattress is seen by other users and reviewers. Other reputable review sites agreed broadly with our findings, with most feeling the mattress is best suited to average and heavier weight side sleepers.

Helix Twilight Mattress: Design, comfort, support

The Helix Twilight is a hybrid mattress featuring a combination of coils and foams. It's quite a simple design, starting with a breathable knit cover; however, there is the option to upgrade to a GlacioTex cooling cover if you’re a very hot sleeper.

GlacioTex is used in some of the best cooling mattresses and does an exceptional job of keeping both mattress and sleeper cool and comfortable — but it's quite a slippery material. Up next is a layer of high-density copper gel memory foam that’s designed to offer pressure relief. (Copper is also known for its ability to help regulate temperature, as well as its antimicrobial properties.)

Under this is a layer of Helix Responsive Foam, for support followed by another layer of responsive foam and another layer of individually wrapped coils that help to isolate motion and keep you supported. A layer of thick high-density foam finishes off the mattress' design. It's a similar design to the DreamCloud mattress, although I feel this is more suited to back and stomach sleepers.

Comfort-wise, the Helix Twilight rates at 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale, but is still best suited to dedicated side sleepers.Average and heavyweight side sleepers will get plenty of comfort along with excellent spinal alignment and support.

However, I'm a lightweight sleeper and over the testing period, I began to feel a little pressure building up on my right hip. Lighter side sleepers will probably get on better with the Helix Midnight, which has a medium to medium firm feel. Learn more about it in our Helix Midnight Mattress review.

Surprisingly, given its firmer feel, we didn’t think that the Helix Twilight was suited for back and stomach sleepers.

Because it’s designed to offer a little ‘flex’ at the hips and shoulders, we felt that lumbar support was a little lacking in these sleeping positions. I'm a combo sleeper and found the mattress aggravated my neck pain when lying on my back.

Support across the mattress is excellent, with the firmer feel meaning there's excellent motion isolation - this is a good mattress for couples who share a bed with a restless partner.

The coil layer is reinforced on the lengthways sides, which means you'll get excellent edge support to spread out across the whole bed. However, I was disappointed to find the edges aren't reinforced at the head and foot of the mattress - this is not a stable surface to sit on at the end of the bed.

If you want edge support round the entire mattress, you'll need to upgrade to the Helix Twilight Luxe.

Surprisingly, given its firmer feel, we didn’t think that the Helix Twilight was suited for back and stomach sleepers. Because it’s designed to offer a little ‘flex’ at the hips and shoulders, we felt that lumbar support was a little lacking in these sleeping positions.

I'm a combination sleeper and found the mattress aggravated my neck pain when lying on my back.

Motion isolation for the Helix Twilight is excellent so it's a good mattress for couples who share a bed with a restless partner. Temperature regulation is also impressive, even with the standard cover.

Edge support is a little disappointing though – the reinforced sides are comfortable to sit on and allow sleepers to use the full width of the mattress, but you can’t sit on the ends of the bed without feeling as if you might slide off.

Helix Twilight Mattress: Our verdict

If you only sleep on your side and prefer a firmer mattress, the Helix Twilight could be a perfect fit. It's best suited to average and heavier weight side sleepers, who will find their spines kept aligned, pressure points cushioned and aches and pains eased.

Excellent motion isolation makes the Twilight a great choice for those sharing with a restless partner and temperature regulation is good as well, with the option to upgrade to a cooling cover if you're a really hot sleeper.

However, back and stomach sleepers are unlikely to find this bed comfortable, meaning it is designed to fit a more niche market.

Buy the Helix Twilight Mattress if…

✅ You’re an average or heavier weight side sleeper: If you’re of these builds and enjoy a firmer feel while sleeping on your side, the Helix Twilight could well be your dream mattress — and you’ll still get plenty of cushioning at your pressure points.

✅ You share your bed with a restless partner: The Helix Twilight scores high marks for motion isolation and you’re unlikely to feel any movement from a restless partner.

✅ You sleep hot: It’s not a dedicated cooling mattress but we were highly impressed with the cooling capabilities of the Helix Twilight. Plus, there's the option to upgrade to a GlacioTex cooling cover for extra relief.

Don’t buy the Helix Twilight Mattress if…

❌ You’re a lightweight sleeper: The Helix Twilight is too firm for lightweight side sleepers and won’t offer enough cushioning around the hips.

❌ You’re a combination sleeper: Unless you’re a dedicated side sleeper, we wouldn’t recommend the Helix Twilight as it just doesn’t have quite enough lumbar support to keep the spine aligned in other sleeping positions.

❌ You want all-round edge support: The Twilight might have good edge support lengthways but it’s pretty dismal at the top and bottom, with a large amount of sinkage that makes it comfortable to sit on in these spots.

It feels a little harsh that one of my biggest criticisms of Split Fiction is that it’s not It Takes Two. Developer Hazelight’s 2021 co-op title came from nowhere to become one of my favorite games of that year. And while the follow-up Split Fiction meets the same quality bar, it faces the hurdle of increased expectations. Unfortunately, doesn’t quite vault over it.

This isn’t to say it’s not still an essential title for anybody looking for a game they can play with a loved one. In the underserved cooperative video games market, Split Fiction is one of the best options around, only challenged by its predecessor. The core setup, which sees you cross science-fiction and fantasy worlds, is ripe for inventive gameplay, and let me assure you now, Hazelight has lost none of the creative spark on display in It Takes Two.

Unfortunately, it also falls into the same pitfalls as its predecessor. Almost every moment you’re playing Split Fiction is a delight, but the minutes where you're watching cutscenes unfold, well, those aren’t quite so special. Let me explain in my full Split Fiction review.

Split Fiction: The Basics

• What is it? Split Fiction is a third-person co-op action-adventure where you play as either Mio or Zoe, two unpublished authors trapped in a machine that brings their writing to life. To escape, you'll need to platform, solve puzzles and collaborate with your co-op partner.
• Who is it for? As a co-op-only experience, Split Fiction is designed from the ground up for two players. It's great for any gamers crafting a diverse experience that never asks you to do the same thing twice.
• What's the price? Split Fiction costs $49 on all platforms. Plus, you only need to buy one copy to play online with a friend.
• What other games has the developer made? Split Fiction comes from Hazelight, the studio behind similar co-op games It Takes Two and A Way Out.
• What games is this similar to? In almost all ways, Split Fiction is reminiscent of Hazelight's previous game, It Takes Two. This is no bad thing. It Takes Two won Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2021.

Bringing stories to life

Split Fiction’s setup sees you and a co-op partner take on the roles of Zoe and Mio (yes, that’s Mio, not Mia as I incorrectly called her for the first couple of levels). These two women are unpublished authors — Zoe specializes in fantasy, while Mio is focused on sci-fi. The two are invited to test a new machine by a shady tech conglomerate called Rader Publishing.

The machine lets them step into their own storybook creations, but, unsurprisingly, things go awry. Zoe and Mio end up trapped in the machine, forced to track down glitches in hopes of finding an exit. Even more unsurprisingly, it soon turns out that the tech tycoon who created the machine has nefarious plans and is actually using his invention to steal stories.

The thinly veiled comment on the way corporate greed seeks to exploit the creativity of artists isn’t subtle, and to be blunt, Zoe and Mio appear to be such amateurish authors that I’m not entirely sure their stories are worth stealing. Mio’s sci-fi tales include a yarn about cyber ninjas on a quest for vengeance in a dystopian future city, while Zoe’s creates a fantasy world inhabited by noble dragons. Neither is exactly reinventing the conventions of the genre here.

Zoe and Mio are serviceable but generic heroes. Neither is offensive, but their arcs are dull and simplistic (Mio starts off cynically abrasive, and Zoe endlessly optimistic). Every time Split Fiction would pause the gameplay action to dish out another morsel of the story or to present a lengthy dialogue exchange between its protagonists, my co-op partner and I would groan.

Getting to the good stuff

I’m aware at this point in my review, I’ve said very little positive about Split Fiction. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was set to be a scathing write-up, but nothing could be further from the truth. I still thoroughly recommend Split Fiction because once you start playing, the cliche story and predictable character arcs melt into the background and can be easily forgotten.

This is typically the point where I’d explain what genre of video game Split Fiction falls into, but the problem is that it leaps across so many that it’s darn difficult to nail down. One moment, you and your partner are running across rooftops in a cyberpunk megalopolis; the next, you’re riding on the backs of large dragons and solving puzzles with your unique abilities.

Those examples are just the very start, you’ll also race through the skies on gliders, fend off foes in a top-down dungeon-crawler-style segment, and get access to a pair of dual-pistols for some shooter sequences. There’s even a dance-off with a monkey king. I could probably fill this whole review by just listing all the different gameplay styles included in Split Fiction.

If pressed for an answer, I’d say the most common gameplay type is platforming. Mio and Zoe must run, dash and jump at some point in almost every level. These segments can get a little mundane, especially as the platforming isn’t as tight as in something like Astro Bot. The platform is also a little bland because it usually happens divorced from your co-op partners.

Split Fiction shines brightest in the numerous sections that require working in tandem to progress. Most puzzles have simple enough solutions, but completing them demands coordination and communication. Throughout the game’s 10-12 hour main campaign, it was always very satisfying working together with my chosen partner to progress to the next level.

Worth being sidetracked

As noted, Split Fiction’s main path sees you hopping between Mio’s sci-fi creations and Zoe’s fantasy tales. This blend works well and helps give the game an even stronger sense of variety. There aren’t too many games where you fight a boss with a pink neon laser sword and then immediately become a shapeshifter in a magical forest full of helpful critters.

Split Fiction is definitely a game where you’ll want to stop and smell the roses, or more specifically, stop to complete every single “Side Story” you discover. The competitive mini-games from It Takes Two are gone, and in their place are optional levels found across the mandatory campaign, and these present you with the game’s most creative segments.

The biggest laugh in my entire playthrough came when my partner and I stepped into a Side Story that saw us transformed into farmyard pigs — and just to make things even more bonkers, my pig’s special ability was magical rainbow farts. This level gets increasingly surreal in its back half when you lead your piggy protagonists into a meat grinder and then must flop around on a picnic table as sausages. Literally throwing yourself onto the BBQ.

As is always the case with Split Fiction, the above is just one example of the numerously creative situations on offer. Others see you step into Zoe’s notebook for a hand-drawn adventure, while another is framed as a short story written by a 5-year-old Mio and involves playing as a tooth in a sugary candy world. The list goes on and on. Many of Split Fiction’s best sections are found within these entirely optional levels, so I implore you not to skip a single one. Almost all are worthwhile.

Some experience necessary

As with It Takes Two before it (and A Way Out before that), Split Fiction is a mandatory co-op experience. To repeat, there is no single-player option. You either play this game with another player, or you do not play it at all.

It’s also important to note that due to the need for cooperation, I strongly recommend you play with someone you know rather than plucking a stranger from an online forum. Split Fiction demands near-constant communication and can’t be silently fumbled through.

For those curious about the game’s difficulty level, I’d say it’s fairly slight. There are a few moderately challenging sections, particularly bosses, but no more than, for example, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. However, there’s essentially zero punishment for death. So long as your partner is still alive, you’ll respawn after a few seconds. Checkpoints are also very frequent.

Nevertheless, I recommend playing with somebody with at least some familiarity with video games. Because of the precise nature of some of the timings required to complete puzzle and platforming sections, you’ll need your partner to be comfortable with gaming basics.

Split Fiction review: Verdict

Hazelight has once again created one of the finest co-op games ever made. Split Fiction never loses steam because it refuses to have you doing the same thing for too long. You will be surprised, delighted and charmed by its quirky ideas and ever-changing gameplay mechanics. One moment, you’re racing hoverbikes; the next, you’re an acid-spitting dragon.

Like its predecessor, the cheesy story saps momentum a little too often, but the uninspired narrative is extremely easy to overlook once you’re back in control of your chosen protagonist and can race to see what gameplay surprise awaits around the next corner.

Below, we'll explain how to watch Crufts 2025 live streams from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.

Rivaling Best in Show for top billing is The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award, which this year celebrates five finalists.

Sharwood has donated blood more than 40 times; police dog Baloo was so seriously injured that she had to have a leg amputated and now provides mental health support to officers; Louis walked over 3,000 miles of English coastline in memory of his grieving owner's wife Lisa; abandoned puppy Tilly is now a therapy dog; Rosa has brought joy to the life of an eight-year-old carer to her severely autistic brother.

You can cast your vote on the Crufts website.

Another highlight of Crufts is the crossbreed competition, Scruffts. 24 dogs qualified for the semi-finals by winning regional heats, and the winner will be crowned on Saturday.

Ready for some puppy love? Here's how to watch Crufts 2025 online and on TV – including free streaming options.

Watch Crufts 2025 for FREE in the UK

In the UK, Crufts 2025 will air across Channel 4 and More4, both of which are available to live stream via the Channel 4 streaming service. All are free to use with a valid TV license.

Coverage runs from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Traveling abroad? Use a VPN to unblock Channel 4 and watch Crufts 2025 for FREE online, as if you were back home in the UK.

How to watch Crufts 2025 online from anywhere with a VPN

Just because Channel 4 isn't available everywhere doesn't mean you have to miss Crufts 2025 if you find yourself in a country where the show isn't being televised.

With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream Crufts from wherever you are. We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN is NordVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the US and want to view a UK service, you'd select UK from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to Channel 4 and stream Crufts 2025 online.

How to watch Crufts 2025 around the world

Crufts doesn't have any international broadcast partners, but rolling coverage of all four days of the event are being live streamed for FREE on YouTube.

Day 1 coverage begins at 3:10am ET / 7:10pm AEDT; Day 2 at 3:25am / 7:35pm AEDT; Day 3 at 3:10am ET / 7:10pm AEDT; Day 4 at 3:30am ET / 7:30pm AEDT.

YouTube is, of course, completely free to watch and compatible with pretty much any internet-connected device out there.

If you are visiting a country where YouTube is not accessible, don't forget you can use a VPN to access YouTube from anywhere.

Crufts schedule 2025

Thursday, March 6
9:00am — Agility
9:30am — Have a go at Agility
10am — Bloodhounds
10:15am — Rally
10:45am — Have a go at Rally
11:15am — Showing and Ringcraft
11:45am — Obedience
12:15pm — Have a go at Obedience
12:45pm — Bloodhounds
1:00pm — Working Trials
1:30pm — Have a go at Working Trials
2:00pm — Showing and Ringcraft
2:30pm — Gundogs
3:15pm — Have a go at Gundogs
4:00pm — Heelwork to Music
4:30pm — Have a go at Heelwork to Music

Friday, March 7
8:30am — Joe Cartledge Memorial International Junior Handling competition
10:20am — Agility - Crufts Medium ABC & Intermediate/Large Novice ABC Final (Jumping)
11:00am — Agility - Crufts Singles Heat - S/M/I/L - Jumping
11:55am — Freestyle Heelwork to Music competition
1:30pm — Agility - Crufts Singles Heat - S/M/I/L - Agility
2:25pm — Agility – Crufts Medium ABC and Intermediate/Large Novice ABC Final (Agility)
3:10pm— Flyball – Team – The Last 16
3:50pm — Freestyle Heelwork to Music Competition Winner
3:55pm — West Midlands Police Dog Display
4:20pm — Break
5:05pm — Agility – Crufts Singles Final: Small, Medium, Intermediate and Large (Agility)
5:50pm — Vulnerable Breeds Competition Final
6:15pm — Joe Cartledge Memorial International Junior Handling competition Final Judging
6:35pm — Group Judging (Utility) and Presentation
7:25pm — Group Judging (Toy) and Presentation

Saturday, March 8
8:15am Crufts – International Invitation – Large (Jumping)
9:00am — Scruffts semi-final
10:00am — Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Display
10:30am — Hoopers display
11:00am — Southern Golden Retriever Display Team
11:20am — West Midlands Police Display
11:50am — Heelwork to Music – Freestyle International Competition
1:40p— Agility – International Invitation – Large (Agility)
2:20pm — Young Kennel Club – Agility Dog of the Year Finals
3:40pm— Flyball – YKC Flyball finals followed by Team quarter finals
4:25pm — Break
4:50pm — Show Opening and Parade
5:00pm — Agility – International Invitation – Large – Agility Finals
5:40p.m. — Scruffts final
6:05pm — Heelwork to Music – Freestyle International Winner
6:10pm — Obedience Champion (Bitch) and Reserve (Bitch) Display
6:25pm — Gundog display
6:45pm — Gamekeepers competition final
7:00pm — Group Judging (Gundog) and Presentation

Sunday, March 9
8:35am — Agility – Championships – Small/Medium (Jumping)
9:40am — Rescue Dog Agility
10:10am — Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Display
10:40am — Heelwork to Music Winner
10:45am — Dog Activities Display
11:15am — Southern Golden Retriever Display Team
11:35am — Break
12:00pm — Agility Championships – Small/Medium (Agility)
1:05pm — Medical Detection Dogs display
1:35pm — Arena cleared
3:00pm — Arena open for Best in Show ticket holders
4:15pm — Samantha Oxborough, classical singer
4:30pm — Flyball – Semi-Finals and Final
4:50pm — Samantha Oxborough
5:00pm — Agility – Championship – Small/Medium - Agility Final
5:40pm — The Kennel Club Hero Dog Award
5:50pm — Young Kennel Club Stakes Final and Presentation
6:00pm — Group Judging (Working) and Presentation
6:50pm — Group Judging (Pastoral) and Presentation (preceded by presentation of BIS 2024 painting)
7:50pm — Samantha Oxborough, classical singer
8:00pm — West Midlands Police Dog Display
8:20pm — Presentation of the Police Dog Team Operational and Humanitarian Action of the Year Award
8:27pm — Samantha Oxborough – Classical singer
8:30pm — Best in Show and Presentation

(All times GMT)

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• How to watch Premier League live streams
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• How to watch 'Temptation Island' Spain

But with so many great TV shows available, it can be a bit of a struggle to figure out what to watch. Luckily, Hulu has a top 15 shows and movies collection that shows you what’s trending on the platform.

After reviewing this week's popular shows, "Paradise" is my top pick from Hulu's current top 10 shows. This political thriller just wrapped up its first season with a season finale that has me ready to crown it the best show of the year so far.

But that's not the only drama you'll find in the Hulu top 10. If you want to watch the Oscars 2025 broadcast, you can. It's the top show trending on Hulu right now.

So without further ado, here are the three shows worth watching right now in Hulu’s top 10 shows. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our guide to Hulu's top movies.

This is based on the Hulu top 15 movies and shows as of Wednesday, March 5.

BEST SHOWS IN THE HULU TOP 10

'The Oscars'

If you tried to watch the Oscars on Hulu Sunday night, you might have had issues. Hulu had a pair of major Oscars outages that left viewers needing to follow our Oscars live blog to see who won the show's last few awards.

But now, you can rewatch the entire broadcast and see what you missed. Once you're done, set a reminder for March 17 so you can stream 'Anora' on Hulu, which took home five awards on the film industry's biggest night.

Watch on Hulu

'Paradise'

"Paradise" is officially my best show of the year so far. This political thriller has been excellent from start to finish, and the season finale was a well-executed wrap-up that simultaneously propelled us into season 2.

If you haven't seen Hulu's hit political thriller, it stars Sterling K. Brown as Secret Service Special Agent Xavier Collins. He's one of the Secret Service agents assigned to protect U.S. President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) and his world is shattered by the assassination of President Bradford in his luxurious home.

While that's a shocking moment, it maybe doesn't even make the list of the top 5 shocking moments of the show's first season. At the end of the first episode, the story takes a far more shocking turn into a darker conspiracy and throughout the next seven episodes, you learn of a tale far more devastating than you would have expected.

Watch on Hulu

'The Rookie'

"The Rookie" has been a stalwart for ABC over its seven seasons. This crime drama stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, a 45-year-old newly divorced man from Pennsylvania.

At the beginning of the show, John is recovering from a broken marriage and a lack of inspiration in his life. But after he helps police officers stop a local bank robbery, he decides to move to Los Angeles and pursue a new calling as a police officer.

Picking L.A. may feel random, but it's not: The LAPD is actually one of the only police departments in the country that will let a 45-year-old become a rookie officer.

Flash forward to season 7 and John is no longer the oldest rookie in the LAPD. Instead, he's the one training the rookies. Season 7 is on a short break this week, so catch up on the first eight episodes now.

Watch on Hulu

HULU TOP 15 SHOWS AND MOVIES RIGHT NOW

1. "The Oscars"
2. "Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke"
3. "Paradise"
4. "The Kardashians"
5. "The Bachelor"
6. "General Hospital"
7. "American Idol"
8. "A Real Pain"
9. "The Rookie"
10. "ABC 20/20"
11. "Family Guy"
12. "Ratatouille"
13. "Dead Money"
14. "Abbott Elementary"
15. "The Fox Hollow Murders: Playground of a Serial Killer"

More from Tom's Guide

• Where to stream ‘Anora’ — how to watch the Oscar winner right now
• Help improve Tom's Guide — your chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card
• New on Hulu in March 2025 — all the new shows and movies to watch

New research suggests that it isn't a lack of sleep that's making us all so tired — it's a mismatch in our circadian rhythms.

Comparing the sleep habits of people in industrial and non-industrial societies, the analysis found that even though non-industrial societies sleep less, improved circadian function means they don't spend all day tired.

Your circadian rhythms are essential to a healthy sleep-wake cycle, and in modern society, there's plenty to disrupt the natural tempo. Here's what that might mean for your sleep (and what you can do about it...)

Key takeaways of the research

• Industrial societies sleep longer than non-industrial societies
• Despite increased sleep time, people still report fatigue
• Researchers theorize this is due to circadian disruption

Let's start with the good news. Research from February 2025 comparing sleep in industrial and non-industrial societies has learnt that in the industrial world, we're sleeping longer and enjoying better sleep efficiency (that's the time in bed spent actually asleep.)

Now the bad news: we're still really, really tired. The CDC found roughly 13.5% of adults are exhausted most days and sleep deprivation can affect both our mental and physical wellbeing.

What gives? Researchers propose that if it's not lack of sleep causing fatigue, the answer might lie in our circadian rhythms.

While those in non-industrial societies sleep less, they display a better circadian function. In the industrialized world — where we're surrounding by artificial lights and air conditioning — our circadian function is diminished. Our body clock isn't aligned with our behavior.

Termed the "circadian mismatch hypothesis", researchers suggest that those in non-industrialized societies are able to remain active and alert on less sleep because they're following their circadian rhythms.

And in the industrial world, poor circadian function means even after a solid eight hours, we're still exhausted.

4 ways to support your circadian rhythm

If you feel tired after a full night's sleep, you might need to get your circadian rhythms back on track. Here are some steps to take...

1. Get plenty of sunlight, especially in the morning

Light exposure is essential to regulating circadian rhythms. Sunlight in the morning indicates it's time to get up, while dark evenings remind you to go to bed.

One major difference between industrialized and non-industrialized society is the prevalence of artificial lighting. Those of us who work in an office will know how inescapable overhead lighting can be and these bright lights can be confusing for your circadian rhythms.

To counteract this, try to get outside as much as possible during the day, allowing your body clock to experience natural light. As another plus, fresh air can help fight fatigue.

2. Turn off the lights (and the heating)

People in industrial societies typically have access to light and warmth on demand. This cozy setting can benefit your rest (there's a reason why we're sleeping longer) but on the flip side, technological interventions can play havoc with your circadian rhythms.

In non-industrial society, warmth and light exposure is largely dependent on the weather, keeping your body clock in tune with external rhythms.

While we're not suggesting you sit in the dark and cold (we've had fire far longer than LED lights), consider adjusting your internal setting to better match the outdoors. Low lighting in the evening and a cooler bedroom temperature have both been linked to better sleep.

3. Try segmented sleep

There's evidence to suggest our ancestors enjoyed a segmented or biphasic sleep pattern. Essentially, sleeping in two shifts with a notable wake up period in the middle.

Waking up in the night is normal — few of us actually sleep through. However, the modern approach is to simply roll over, close your eyes, and keep your fingers crossed you drop off quickly.

But it might be better to follow in our forebear's footsteps and treat these late night wake-ups as an opportunity to socialize. Or, if your partner doesn't appreciate being nudged awake at three in the morning, a chance to reflect, ruminate and relax.

4. Listen to your body

Changing your habits to suit a non-industrialized society while living in an industrialized world isn't an easy task. However, one of the best ways to offset your circadian mismatch is to actually listen to your body.

When do you naturally start to feel sleepy? And when do you wake up without your alarm clock? Understanding your sleep chronotype can help you create a sleep schedule that's kind to your circadian rhythms, while still in keeping with the requirements of day to day life.

The last few years IdentityForce has led the pack with the best assortment of identity protections for the best price, but the world has changed and IdentityForce has remained basically the same while its competitors have innovated and added valuable protection features.

It continues to provide thorough ID protection, financial monitoring and a good level of insurance and services, but its combination of VPN and browser extensions can’t compete with the best. Ironically, that includes the likes of Bitdefender Ultimate Plus, which uses IdentityForce’s ID protection services but goes the extra online mile with malware protection, a secure password manager and other security-related goodies. 

Our IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit review will help you decide if this is still the best identity theft protection service for you or if you’re better off going with Bitdefender Ultimate Plus or another service instead.

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Costs and what’s covered

Owned and operated by TransUnion, IdentityForce continues its admirably simple two-plan lineup. It is like a breath of fresh air compared to the choices that Norton LifeLock has but doesn’t allow you to customize protection and levels of insurance and credit monitoring. 

The IdentityForce UltraSecure plan costs $18 a month or $180 a year for an individual or $25 a month or $250 a year for a family that includes an unlimited number of children under 18 years old. The protection comes with $1 million in identity theft insurance to cover lost funds, documents and to pay for missed work time. The Family plan protects kids with ChildWatch, which checks children’s social media accounts and also includes credit and account activity monitoring. On the downside, there’s no credit monitoring, while the base plans from competitors generally have at least one bureau’s scores.

If you want credit scores, the UltraSecure+Credit plan includes them and was the version I reviewed. It costs $24 a month or $240 a year for an individual or $35 a month or $360 a year for a family; again, they’re generous with an unlimited number of children under 18 years old. The top plan has the same $1 million of ID theft insurance but adds credit scores and quarterly credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. This is augmented with a credit score tracker, well-designed credit simulators and utilities, like a password manager, but no malware protection. 

The top plan offers a TransUnion credit Freeze button which can lock your credit instantly. 

Unlike others, IdentityForce doesn’t discount the first year of service, but there is a 30-day free trial. On the other hand, the billing starts immediately but you can request a refund. IdentityForce secured a coveted A+ with the Better Business Bureau showing a good relationship with its customers.  

UltraSecure+Credit review: How we tested

Along with the other identity protection services, late in the summer of 2022, I signed up for IdentityForce Ultra Secure+Credit and paid for it with my credit card; later, Tom’s Guide reimbursed me. I checked in several times a week with a variety of computers and canceled the service after three months of intensive use.

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit review: Credit scores, reports and monitoring

While the IdentityForce UltraSecure plan lacks any credit monitoring or reporting, the IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit service makes up for it. There are instant scores and access to your VantageScore 3.0 composite score. It’s not as popular with lenders compared to the FICO scores they actually use to write loans and mortgages. Still, it should be fine for most looking to see their chances of getting a loan. There’s also a month-by-month tracker to see trends in scores over time. 

The Ultimate+Credit plan also comes with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion quarterly reports. A step down from the competition’s monthly reports, it’s better than those that lack access to the reports or those that send them out annually.  

After registering my accounts, IdentityForce monitored them for bizarre activity, like large sums being moved. The service keeps an eye on medical ID numbers as well as action at payday loan companies. It can let you know if someone has applied for an address change, but it lacks the ability to warn of a title change.

IdentityForce is one of the easiest services to start a credit freeze, makes it easy to opt out of junk-mail lists and rates the hazard of breaches that might have involved your data. The service’s BreachIQ is also used by Bitdefender’s Ultimate Security Plus plan and helps show where your information has ended up. At the moment, it’s advisory only although some IdentityForce employer benefit plans have the power and staff to remedy the situation. IdentityForce is trying to add this to its list of features this year. 

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Insurance and services

IdentityForce has up to $1 million of identity-theft insurance, half the $2 million that Bitdefender provides with its IdentityForce-based Ultimate Security Plus plan. IdentityForce provides lawyers, investigators, accountants and more to figure out what happened and get you your life back. It is backed by an AIG insurance policy.

The coverage pays for anything from replacing your documents (like a driver’s license and passport) to making up for lost work. It has a maximum of five weeks of coverage at $2,000 a week. If you need to travel to another city to amend or rectify records, IdentityForce will reimburse you for the cost of the travel.

Its lost wallet protection is middling. It can help cancel your credit and debit cards to limit the damage, but between the issuing organizations and IdentityForce, you should be fully covered against any loss. 

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Notifications and alerts

With a slew of potential alerts that can be sent by text, email or as a notification on the web page or mobile app, UltraSecure+Credit can warn of potential ID dangers. These include your Social Security number or email address showing up in the wrong places online as well as a court action or even a bankruptcy proceeding. 

Happily, the bank and investment account protection can be adjusted to set a minimum dollar amount for withdrawal so that the alerts aren’t overwhelming. 

On top of an alert if someone opens a credit card or takes out a loan in your name, IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit can let you know if a registered sex offender moves within a preset distance from your home. 

Other alerts can be triggered by actions at payday loan firms or public record changes. If your personal information, such as a Social Security number or an address, show up in court records, bankruptcy proceedings and property-title changes, you’ll get a notification. 

Over the three-month test period, I received two alerts, one for a sex offender moving into my neighborhood.

To make sure it isn’t the source of a personal information breach, your data is encrypted on IdentityForce’s servers. All use of the web page or app is done using a secure HTTPS connection and the service has two-factor authentication.

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Setup

After going to the IdentityForce website, I went to “Sign Up Today” and picked the Ultra Secure+Credit plan. I clicked “Start Protection” and then entered my date of birth, name and email address for the account. Finally, I picked the plan and paid for it with a credit card; IdentityForce doesn’t use PayPal.

The installation sequence took me to the Dashboard page, where I added my phone number, address and clicked to accept IdentityForce’s terms of use. I created a password and answered three challenge questions, followed by signing up for two-factor authentication.

At this point, everything was set up, well, almost. I still needed to authenticate myself by typing my Social Security number twice and answering questions about past employers, loan payments and where my Social Security number was issued. At 10 minutes and 30 seconds, I was done, and the credit scores appeared on-screen. It might not be record time, but it was a relief compared to some of the competition.

I wasn’t really done though because I needed to spend another minute to load the IdentityForce app on my phone. I used the app as well as my phone’s browser. 

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Interface and utilities

IdentityForce combines a web-based interface for notebooks and desktops with an app for phones and tablets. There are iOS and Android versions that have a similar look and feel. This provides the flexibility to use the service at home, the office or anyplace in between. All transactions and storage use encryption.

The browser takes it all in but requires zooming out to 33% to see nearly everything on an HD screen. At 50% it was easy to read and didn’t require too much scrolling. In addition to the current credit scores up top, the Dashboard has IdentityForce’s Credit Score Tracker that looks at the composite VantageScore 3’s changes over time. 

In addition to instant access links on the right for an identity crisis and help with a lost or stolen wallet, the UltraSecure+Credit plan provides access to the four major categories up top in the Services box. While Identity keeps an eye on your social media (although not LinkedIn), there’s a place to add new credit or debit cards, up to 10. The Credit section is where I was able to see my scores and a look at my credit history. A bonus is the credit simulator to see if borrowing more money or paying off my outstanding balances was a better approach. There’s also a place to initiate a credit freeze.

If you click on the Calculators at the top, you’ll be rewarded with simulators and apps for helping you achieve your financial goals. In addition to helping decide if the time is right for a mortgage refinance, there are sections for leasing versus buying a car and comparing credit card offers. They are the same as those offered by Bitdefender.

Along the left is a menu for access to the major components of the IdentityForce service. The choices include Identity Vault, Alerts, Credit, Transactions, Resources and Support. Any newcomer to identity protection or credit scores should go to the Resources section link on the left. It has interesting educational articles on threats, how credit works and how to avoid scams, although the most recent item was six weeks old. There are several 15-minute webinars and an excellent glossary at the bottom.

At first, I had problems with the IdentityForce app. It loaded fine but I wasn’t able to log into my account. After contacting tech support several times, it started working, but there’s a backup: using the phone browser worked just as well. 

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Cancellation

One of the easiest ID protection services to cancel, unfortunately it needed to be done on the phone with no online option. Still, it took all of two minutes to talk to the tech support person and end the relationship. Happily, they didn’t try to entice me to stay with the plan at a discount. I got an email confirmation in less than five minutes.

IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit review: Verdict

With a good balance of credit monitoring and identity protection and insurance, the Identity Force UltraSecure+Credit plan is a reasonably complete way to keep your identity secure. A favorite of ours over the years, we think that the Bitdefender Ultimate Security Plus is a better deal. It has the same underpinnings, costs the same and adds a password manager, VPN and some of the best malware protection available anywhere. It’s only available in annual plans, however. If you like to live month-to-month, IdentityForce is for you.

Fast forward about two hours and I was left underwhelmed but optimistic.

The next chapter of the "Daredevil" story isn't without promise. Even better, the show genuinely got better as it went on, and the last scene of episode 2 was my favorite of the show so far.

But it has a major problem that frankly, the whole MCU suffers from.

Is this 'Daredevil: Born Again' or 'Daredevil' season 4?

In general, Marvel has a problem that it cannot shake, especially in more recent shows and movies. You feel like you need to have watched everything to understand anything that's going on.

Having to do homework to watch a show is annoying in general. But the MCU canon includes 35 films and 496 episodes of television — just seeing those numbers is exhausting.

Especially when not everything Marvel has produced has been worth watching. I cover this stuff for a living and even I haven't watched several of the films and shows due to quality concerns.

So with that problem in mind, Marvel had a choice to make with "Daredevil: Born Again." It could either make this a new show that people could watch whether they've seen all the MCU shows and movies, or they could make it a continuation of the beloved Netflix MCU show "Daredevil."

Annoyingly, Marvel decided to split the difference.

At first, it doesn't work. The show opens by introducing Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Karen Page (Deborah Anne Woll) and Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson).

Except it doesn't introduce any of them. It sort of just assumes you know them, though eventually, it does finally do some exposition work to explain who these people actually are.

But as the show goes on, it steers away from being "Daredevil" season 4 and into becoming its own show. It does this in a big way right out the gate, by (spoiler alert [skip to the next paragraph if you don't want to be spoiled]) killing Foggy and sending Karen to San Francisco.

From that moment on, we're left with a Daredevil who refuses to be Daredevil. When Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin, a man Matt knows to be evil, returns to become mayor of New York City, it forces Matt to reassess if he should stick to his choice to leave the vigilante life behind.

'Daredevil: Born Again' improves in episode 2

By the end of the second episode, we're finally left with a show that can stand on its own. This is the story of a man wracked by grief who must choose whether he wants to stick to his pledge to let the system work or to return to a life of vigilantism in the hopes it helps people when the system cannot.

At the core of this conflict are two characters: Mayor Wilson Fisk and Hector Ayala, who is secretly the vigilante White Tiger.

Mayor Fisk, on the one hand, represents a possible new path forward for the city. But that path is led by a man that Matt views as a monster, so he has to decide if he can trust the system if the system is led by someone so flawed.

Hector, on the other hand, is a stand-in for what can happen if Matt returns to a path of vigilantism and becomes Daredevil again. He also shows Matt what happens when Matt isn't Daredevil, leaving a vacuum in the city that other people feel obligated to fill, for good reasons and bad.

This all starts towards the end of the first episode and then really starts taking off in the second episode. After episode 1, I was concerned I wouldn't want to continue, but after episode 2, I felt I wanted to see how Matt/Daredevil's inner conflict plays out.

I also felt the action took a significant step forward in the second episode. This isn't a high-octane show — it's a brooding drama with violent outbursts mixed within. But in the first episode, the CGI/fight choreography of Matt as Daredevil looked bad.

The second episode ends with a fight that's much better though. Some crooked cops Matt has been tailing to find a key witness for a case decide to beat up Matt, and he resists fighting back until one puts a gun to his head.

At that point, Matt has no choice but to fight back, and he absolutely annihilates the crooked cops. The combat looks infinitely better in this scene and it ended the two-part premiere on a high note that left me excited for more.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'Daredevil: Born Again' Disney Plus release schedule — here's the one weird twist you need to know
• Help improve Tom's Guide — your chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card
• 'Andor' season 2: Everything we know so far

The Siena Memory Foam Mattress impressed us with its firm surface, excellent motion isolation, and sturdy edges. It earned a spot in our best mattresses of 2025 guide as our top budget choice.

We haven’t tested the Siena Premier Hybrid yet, but it features the same types of foam and adds a layer of individually wrapped coils for more breathability and support.

Evergreen mattress sales at Siena mean you can always snag a bargain, but should the affordable Siena Premier Hybrid be your pick? Let’s take a look under the covers…

Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress: Overview

Like its all-foam counterpart, the Siena Memory Foam Mattress, the Siena Premier Hybrid has a 5-layer construction. However, the Premier Hybrid features a bed of 7" wrapped coils plus one fewer inch of gel memory foam.

Based on our experience with the Siena Memory Foam, we believe the Siena Premier Hybrid will be a firm mattress best suited to stomach sleepers and some back sleepers.

The coils will add a little more bounce to the surface than you’ll get from an all-foam version, so we expect some average and heavier weight back sleepers to also enjoy the mattress.

However, it’s likely to be too firm for side sleepers, with not enough cushioning at the pressure points of the shoulders and hips. (That was an issue with the all-foam Siena Mattress.)

The Siena Premier Hybrid is a cheap mattress that's always marked down from the MSRP. A queen retails for $1,016, but it's available for $424 (and sometimes even less than that) during ongoing sales.

Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress: Price & Trial

• An evergreen discount takes a queen size down to under $500
• You’ll also get a 180-night sleep trial and 10-year warranty
• Shipping is free, as are returns

Evergreen Siena mattress sales mean you’ll never pay full MSRP for the Siena Premier Hybrid, with a queen size currently reduced to $424. It appears that this discount is slightly variable, as we’ve previously seen the mattress reduced to $499, so this is a particularly generous discount.

Here are the 'official' prices for the Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress, and how much you can expect to pay:

• Twin MSRP: $836 (on sale for $254)
• Twin XL MSRP: $855 (on sale for $339)
• Full MSRP $931: (on sale for $382)
• Queen MSRP: $1,016 (on sale for $424)
• King MSRP: $1,199 (on sale for $509)
• California King MSRP: $1,199 (on sale for $509)
• Split King MSRP: $1,709 (on sale for $678)

Extras wise, you’ll get a 180-night sleep trial — which is supremely generous for a hybrid at this price point — along with a 10-year warranty. Shipping is free to your door, and you’ll also get free returns.

Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress: Design & Materials

• A 10” mattress with five layers
• Hybrid design with memory foam, polyfoam, and coils
• Reinforced coils around the perimeter for edge support

The Siena Premier Hybrid is made up of coils and foams. Starting at the top you’ll find a soft, breathable polyester cover that helps to wick away moisture.

Underneath this is a 1” layer of gel-infused memory foam to further aid with cooling. This layer is also designed to contour to your body shape and provide pressure relief.

Underneath this is a 2” layer of support foam to cushion the body and provide correct spinal alignment. This sits on a bed of 7” individually wrapped wire coils. Like the best hybrid mattresses, the springs along the perimeter of the Siena Premier Hybrid are reinforced for edge support.

The mattress is finished off with a shift-resistant lower cover that keeps all the layers together and prevents the mattress from slipping about on the bed base. There are side handles to make the mattress easier to move or rotate.

Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress: Comfort & Support

• Siena rates it a 7 out of 10 firmness — some say it's firmer than that
• The coils should add support for larger sleepers
• Reinforced perimeter coils should yield strong edge support

We haven’t yet tested the Siena Premier Hybrid, but the mattress shares many materials and characteristics with its all-foam counterpart. Siena rates the mattress at 7 out of 10, but many customer reviews suggest the mattress is firmer, as is the case with the Siena Memory Foam.

Bearing this in mind, we think the Siena Premier Hybrid will be particularly suited to stomach sleepers who need a firmer surface to keep their hips elevated and spines aligned.

The addition of the coil layer adds a little bounce, but it could also make the mattress more supportive for average to heavier weight sleepers than the all-foam Siena mattress.

Lightweight back sleepers and most side sleepers are likely to find the Siena Premier Hybrid too firm, with not enough cushioning around the pressure points of the shoulders and hips.

Side sleepers on a budget should check out the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress, which delivers plenty of pressure relief along those sensitive joints.

Edge support on the Siena Premier Hybrid is aided by a reinforced perimeter on all four sides in the coil layer, meaning you should be able to spread out as well as sit comfortably on the mattress.

The Siena Memory Foam Mattress had impressively sturdy edges, but we believe the coils will give the Siena Premier Hybrid the advantage in this area.

We’d expect the temperature regulation to be good, as well, thanks to a breathable cover, gel-infused memory foam, and well-spaced coils.

The firmer foams should provide good motion isolation, but the coil layer will provide a little bounce, which means that those sharing with a very restless sleeper might notice some movement.

Should you buy the Siena Premier Hybrid Mattress?

Buy the Siena Premier Hybrid if…

✅ You sleep on your stomach: Like the best mattresses for stomach sleepers, the Siena Premier Hybrid’s dense foam and layer of coils should offer plenty of support to keep the hips lifted and spine aligned.

✅ You’re on a tight budget: There aren’t many hybrid mattresses this cheap that still offer good quality and a comfortable night’s sleep. The Siena is an absolute bargain.

✅ You want good edge support: The reinforced edges on the coil layer of the Siena will allow you to sit on the bed comfortably, as well as sprawl out when you sleep.

Don’t buy the Siena Premier Hybrid if…

❌ You’re a lightweight sleeper: The Siena Premier Hybrid could be too hard for lightweight sleepers and not offer enough cushioning around the hips and shoulders.

❌ You favor your side at night: The best mattresses for side sleepers offer a keen balance of support and pressure relief. We don't expect the Siena Premier Hybrid to offer much cushioning, especially since it has less contouring foam than the all-foam version of the mattress.

❌ You want a bed you sink into: The firmer foams on the Siena mean that you’ll lie on top of the mattress rather than sinking into it. The addition of springs will only add to that lifted feel.

With the latest upgrade to Gemini 2.0, AI Overviews are now more effective at handling advanced math, coding, and multimodal queries (e.g., those involving text, images, and voice).

The improved system provides faster, higher-quality responses and displays AI-generated summaries more consistently for relevant searches.

In addition to performance improvements, AI Overviews are expanding to a wider audience. Previously, users needed to be signed in to access them, but Google is now making AI Overviews available without requiring a login.

AI Overviews – what’s new

For power users looking for even deeper AI integration in search, Google is launching AI Mode, an opt-in experiment from Google Labs. This feature leverages a custom version of Gemini 2.0 to provide advanced reasoning, deeper exploration, and multimodal support for complex queries.

Unlike standard AI Overviews, AI Mode can:

• Answer highly detailed, multi-step questions that typically require multiple searches
• Compare multiple options (e.g., “What’s the difference in sleep tracking between a smart ring, smartwatch, and tracking mat?”)
• Offer conversational follow-ups, allowing users to refine their search and get better-targeted results
• Use multimodal input, meaning users can search with text, voice, or images
• Tap into Google’s real-time information systems, including the Knowledge Graph, shopping data, and up-to-the-minute sources

Google says AI Mode will generate AI-powered responses and provide links to explore additional perspectives across the web.

An emphasis on accuracy

Despite these advancements, Google acknowledges that AI Mode is still in its early stages and may occasionally produce inaccurate or biased results. To counteract this, the company is implementing safeguards, including:

• Fact-checking with corroborated web sources to prevent AI hallucinations
• Higher standards for YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) topics, ensuring financial, medical, and safety-related information comes from reputable sources
• Strict safety filters, incorporating tools like SafeSearch to block harmful or explicit content

How to try AI Mode

As part of its experimental phase, Google will initially roll out AI Mode exclusively to Google One AI Premium subscribers before expanding it further based on user feedback.

AI Mode will be available as an opt-in for those eager to try Google’s most advanced AI search experience. Users can access it in several ways:

• Through Google Search – After entering a query, select the “AI Mode” tab
• Directly at google.com/aimode – A dedicated page for AI-powered searches
• Via the Google app – Tap the AI Mode icon below the search bar

The future of AI in search

With these updates, Google pushes AI search capabilities further while staying competitive against rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the AI race.

While still experimental, Google plans to improve AI Mode with additional visual responses, better formatting, and expanded functionality based on user feedback.

For now, AI Mode represents cutting-edge improvements to AI-assisted search — offering deeper insights, more interactivity, and a glimpse into the future of how we find and engage with information online.

More from Tom's Guide

• Project Astra — everything you need to know about Google's next-gen smart glasses and new AI assistant
• Forget ChatGPT — Google Gemini can now see the world with live video and screen-sharing
• I have ChatGPT Plus — but here's 7 reasons why I use DeepSeek instead

Read on and we'll show you how to watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament 2025 without cable and from anywhere with a VPN.

UCLA may have risen to No.1 in the polls for the first time in history when they got the better of national champions South Carolina in November, but they weren't the best team in their conference. They were pummelled by USC in last weekend's winner-takes-all season finale, as JuJu Watkins put on yet another inspirational display.

The 19-year-old sophomore is unplayable, and she tends to save her very best for the biggest occasions. There's an expectation for Lauren Betts to just be UCLA's answer to Watkins, but Cori Close knows a team-wide effort is their only hope for neutralizing her.

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Maryland Terrapins round out the top four seeds, each of whom has a double-bye to the quarter-finals. The Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans and Illinois Fighting Illini are the best of the rest.

Here's everything you need to know to watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament live streams.

Watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament from anywhere

Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the basketball on your subscriptions?

You can still watch your usual Big Ten women's basketball tournament live stream thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are.

So it's ideal for hoops fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:

Watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament live streams in the U.S.

The Big Ten women's basketball tournament is split between Peacock (Round 1), Big Ten Network (Round 2, quarter-finals, semi-finals) and CBS (final) in the U.S..

A Peacock subscription starts at $7.99 per month, though you can pay $13.99 per month to get rid of some ads.

Big Ten Network and CBS, meanwhile, are both available through an OTT cable TV alternative, such as Fubo.

Can you watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament 2025 in the U.K.?

The Big Ten women's basketball tournament appears to have slipped through the cracks in the UK.

If you're on holiday in the UK from the US, one of the best VPN services will help tap into your home coverage of the tournament. We recommend NordVPN.

Can you watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament 2025 in Canada?

Bad news, Canadians — it doesn't look like any channels are airing the 2025 Big Ten women's basketball tournament.

TSN+, however, has comprehensive of the women's SEC and ACC basketball tournaments. The streaming service lets you get access to all TSN has to offer on an $8/month or $80/year subscription basis.

If you're away from home and struggling to tap into your subscriptions, you could use a VPN to help you access a Big Ten women's basketball tournament stream from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN.

Can you watch Big Ten women's basketball tournament 2025 in Australia?

It's a similar story in Australia, where the Big Ten women's basketball tournament hasn't found a broadcaster.

If you're on holiday Down Under from the US, you could use one of the best VPN services to enable you to tap into your home coverage of the competition. We recommend NordVPN.

Big Ten women's basketball tournament schedule 2025

ROUND 1
Wednesday, March 5
3:30pm — #12 Washington vs #13 Minnesota (Peacock)
Followed by #10 Nebraska vs #15 Rutgers (Peacock)
Followed by #11 Iowa vs #14 Wisconsin (Peacock)

ROUND 2
Thursday, March 6
12pm — #8 Oregon vs #9 Indiana (BTN)
Followed by #5 Michigan vs Washington/Minnesota (BTN)
6:30pm — #7 Illinois vs Nebraska/Rutgers (BTN)
Followed by #6 Michigan State vs Iowa/Wisconsin (BTN)

QUARTER-FINALS
Friday, March 7
12pm — #1 USC vs G4 Winner (BTN)
Followed by #4 Maryland vs G5 Winner (BTN)
6:30pm — #2 UCLA vs G6 Winner (BTN)
Followed by #3 Ohio State vs G7 Winner (BTN)

SEMI-FINALS
Saturday, March 8
3pm — G8 Winner vs G9 Winner (BTN)
5:30pm — G10 Winner vs G11 Winner (BTN

FINAL
Sunday, March 9
4:30pm — Big Ten women's basketball tournament final (CBS)

(All times ET)

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Right now, we're seeing huge discounts on some of the best running shoes we've tested. Some of our favorite deals come courtesy of top brands like Hoka, Brooks, Asics, Salomon and more. Plus, with deals starting at just $49, there's a pair to fit just about every budget.

So don't wait — check out these sneaker deals that will have you bidding farewell to your old, run down pair.

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If you're looking to boost your existing bed's overall comfort while keeping costs down, investing in one of the best mattress toppers of the year is a great place to start.

The Premium Memory Foam and ErgoAlign Mattress Toppers bring Helix's signature comfort and support — the features that land two of the brand's luxury mattresses in our best mattress of the year guide — to your existing mattress.

The Premium Memory Foam Mattress comes in two firmness levels to suit your sleep style and needs. Meanwhile the ErgoAlign Mattress Topper features three targeted support zones to ease back pain along with a mix of cooling technology.

In terms of price, these Helix toppers are on the more expensive end of the mattress topper spectrum, but they are discounted in this month's Helix mattress sale.

You can currently save 25% on all Helix mattress toppers, this brings a queen size of both the Premium Memory Foam and the ErgoAlign to $374.07 (was $498.75). Plus you'll get free shipping, a 1-year warranty and 100-night trial.

Helix ErgoAlign and Helix Premium Memory Foam Mattress Topper with GlacioTex: Prices

The Premium Memory Foam and ErgoAlign Mattress Toppers are the same price and each come in 6 sizes. Here's a breakdown of the MSRPs for both mattress toppers:

• Twin: $373.75
• TwinXL: $373.75
• Full: $436.25
• Queen: $498.75
• King: $561.25
• Cal king: $561.25

Although these are premium mattress toppers with premium price tags, investing in a mattress topper is an affordable way of upgrading your bed. Plus, you can grab a decent discount if you shop now.

Thanks to a site-wide 25% off Helix sale, every size of these mattress toppers is $425 or under. This knocks a queen size from $498.75 to $374.07. For reference, the average price of cooling mattress toppers is around $375 for a queen, so the Helix sale price is reasonable.

All four GlacioTex Helix mattress toppers, including the Premium Memory Foam, ErgoAlign, Dual Comfort and Premium mattress topper, are the same price. So, deciding which one to buy will depend on the specific features you need for better sleep.

Helix ErgoAlign and Helix Premium Memory Foam Mattress Topper with GlacioTex: Features

The Premium Memory Foam Mattress Topper comes in two firmness options. There's the luxury plush feel offering sink-in comfort to those who crave extra pressure relief. The 3" of premium foam contour your hips and shoulders, taking pressure off your joints. We recommend this to lighter weight side sleepers.

Then there's the luxury firm fell for sleepers who need enhanced support and spinal alignment. Providing targeted lower back support thanks to high density, responsive foam, this topper maintains a firmer, more stable feel, turning your mattress into a suitable mattress for back pain.

The Premium Memory Foam Mattress features a GlacioTex cooling cover. This makes the mattress surface cool-to-touch, bringing relief to those who run hot at night. There's also secure straps to prevent movement.

Those who require enhanced lumbar support are in safe hands with the ErgoAlign Mattress Topper, thanks to the three support zones. There's ultra-dense foam in the mid-section for optimal spinal alignment and cradling contouring foam beneath the shoulders.

The ErgoAlign Mattress Topper is built with copper gel memory foam, offering contouring and cooling relief. When used in the best cooling mattresses, copper conducts heat away from the body and repels bacteria to keep your sleep surface cool and clean.

This cooling foam is coupled with the GlacioTex cover, which also features high conductivity fibers to pull heat away from the body, making this a good mattress topper for hot sleepers.

• Waterproof and cooling delivering a comfortable sleep
• A good all-rounder for premium protections against all common allergens
• Poor fit is a disadvantage

Sijo is renowned for crafting quality sheets, comforters, mattress pads and a range of cooling mattress protectors. The SiJo AiryWeight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector is made from Eucalyptus-derived Tencel Lyocell fiber, making it cool to the touch.

As well as being naturally cooling, it's hypoallergenic, breathable and waterproof, thanks to the double TPU backing.

While the waterproof layer in most mattress protectors can feel plastic and slippery, the Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus delivers a cool, comfortable and noiseless sleep all night long, placing it in line with some of our best mattress protectors on the market today.

In order to test the functionality of Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus mattress protector and to see if it lives up to its claims of being cooling, comfortable and waterproof, we slept on it, conducted a series of spill, wash and dry tests.

The mattress protector remained consistently cool and waterproof after every wash and dry cycle. The coffee we spilled never seeped onto our mattress, nor could we notice the stain on the mattress protector after washing.

However, the protector didn't fit the mattress well. It required constant readjusting and felt as though it was slowly sliding off during the night.

In addition to our in-house testing, we also analyzed the customer ratings on other common retailer websites like Amazon and Nordstorm to get an overall sense of what users think.

The Sijo Airyweight Mattress Protector comes in 6 sizes and does not include a crib option. At full MSRP, a twin protector is priced at $60 while a queen retails at $80.

We awarded the Sijo Mattress Protector an overall score of 4.6 out of 5 based on how it performed against our main parameters like noise, breathability, waterproofing and ease of fit.

The Sijo Mattress Protector includes a 60-day free return as part of its benefits, and doesn't come with a warranty period or sleep trial.

However, this shouldn't stop you from considering this cooling mattress protector as it makes up for it with its performance and design. Read on to find out more about our experience testing the Sijo Mattress Protector.

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector Review: Design and Materials

• Cooling Eucalyptus Tencel Lyocell fiber
• Sustainable OEKO-TEX and FSC certified fabric
• Did not fit the tester’s mattress easily

The Sijo Airyweight mattress protector is made from Tencel Lyocell fibers derived from the pulp of FSC and PEFC-certified eucalyptus wood, making it both sustainable and naturally cooling.

It’s designed to reduce overheating, wick away moisture and be cool-to touch— an ideal choice for hot sleepers and year-round use. The brand claims that it’s 100% waterproof with the advanced TPU backing on all sides.

Plus, it's hypoallergenic, which means its naturally resistant to common allergens like dust mites, pollen and pet dander.

The fitted sheet design with pockets as deep as 16” allows you to pop these on mattresses up to 20” thick (which is less than our Coop Home Goods Ultra-tech Waterproof mattress protector), so you can enjoy a comfortable sleep all night even if you’re prone to shift and change positions.

With a unique wriggly pattern, the mattress protector is also crinkle resistant and noiseless compared to others which either remain stiff or feel like a thin plastic surface beneath your regular bed sheets.

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector Review: Price & trial

• Prices start from $60, with a queen costing $80
• Expensive compared to other affordable options
• No warranty included

A Sijo AiryWeight is available to buy in six different sizes, with prices ranging from $60 for a twin to $100 for a cal king.

While it’s cheaper than our top mattress protector in the guide— the Purple (which goes up to $158 for a cal king), it is tough to stand up against other more affordable waterproof options like the SafeRest Premium (starting at $37.99) with a user score of 4.6 out 5 (ratings over 279,670).

It's important to note that it doesn't come with a sleep trial or warranty period, but there is a 60-day window period for you to return your mattress protector if you purchased it directly from the brand. Shipping costs too are extra with $9.95 charged for products under $100.

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector: Performance

We reviewed a queen size Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus waterproof mattress protector, testing it for over a week and then washed it a few times as per the Sijo Mattress Protector care guidelines to check if it stays waterproof. Here’s what we found throughout our testing period…

Shipping

Our Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector arrived within 5-8 business days as mentioned on their website. It came in a white transparent zip-up storage case with the Sijo seal and tagline.

While the case was not recyclable like the cardboard box, the brand had specifically mentioned on it that it’s designed to be reusable making it a great way to store anything from bedding or toiletries.

Test score: 5 out of 5

Noise

Most waterproof mattress protectors come with a layer of PU backing and can therefore crease or crinkle during sleep which can be noisy and distracting.

The Sijo mattress protector comes with advanced double TPU backing which lives up to the brand’s claim of being absolutely noiseless.

Our lead tester (prone to tossing and turning in sleep) who tried lying on it in different positions (side, back and stomach) and rigorously moving about during the testing period found that it remained quiet all night giving us a sound comfortable sleep.

Test score: 5 out of 5

Ease of fit

The mattress protector was fairly lightweight and easy to unpack, but fitting it on our queen size bed was a struggle for one tester.

The elastic kept popping off from one side while trying to fix the other end even though the brands claims that it's designed to fit mattresses up to 20" thick.

This also meant that it barely held on in one of corners and the skirt fabric didn't reach all the way down the mattress which leaves out space for dust mites or allergens to get into your bed. However, once it finally fit, it was secured in place and did not move at all during the testing period.

Test score: 3 out of 5

Slipperiness

Once secured in place, the Sijo Mattress Protector never moved. You wouldn't find the PU backing slipping or creasing like in other waterproof mattress protectors. It never felt like we were sleeping on two layers at all even while we changed positions or moved around in bed.

Test score: 5 out of 5

Breathability

The eucalyptus derived Tencel Lyocell fabric is cool-to-touch and remained so after the many spill tests and washes. Our lead tester who used to wake up due to overheating prior to testing Sijo mattress protector had a cool comfortable sleep all night long during the days she slept on it.

If you're someone who is prone to overheating or gets uncomfortable due to nightsweats, the Sijo mattress protector made from naturally breathable and moisture-wicking Tencel Lyocell will be an ideal choice.

Test score: 5 out of 5

Waterproofing

The Sijo mattress protector may have lost points for the lack of ease in putting it on our bed (and this may have been rectified by sizing up), but when it comes to its core function of remaining waterproof, it performed very well.

The double TPU backing for the Sijo mattress protector works wonders as per our test results.

We spilled some coffee and water on the Sijo mattress protector and washed it several times, as we know continuous washing can wear out the waterproof layer.

During our spill tests, we placed a paper towel and a yellow sponge pad under our spill-zones, and both remained bone dry and without any stains. We did notice that the moisture spread across the top fabric rather quickly but nothing stained or seeped through the waterproof layer.

We washed the mattress protector on a cold gentle cycle using a mild detergent as per the brand's instructions and air dried it keeping a de-humidifier on.

Water dripped a bit as we took it out the machine as the droplets slid off waterproof layer. After washing, we found that the coffee stain completely disappeared without even leaving the slightest trace behind.

Test score: 5 out of 5

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector Review: User Reviews

• Average online rating for the mattress protector is 4.5 out of 5
• Most customers loved that its cooling and waterproof
• Poor fit is a common complaint among users

For our user review research we looked at customer feedback for the Sijo Mattress Protector in the brand's website as well as on other online retailer websites such as Amazon and Nordstorm where the product is available to buy.

The overall customer rating is 4.5 with mostly positive reviews for its cooling and waterproof qualities. Some users pointed out how it did a good job in terms of saving the mattress from liquid spills in the children's room and delivered a quiet cooling protection aligning with our independent review.

While it is considered to be on the expensive side, reviewers comment that the quality and performance of the product makes it a great purchase.

Like our tester pointed out, certain users complained about its poor fit, with the elastic bands either being too loose (on beds that 10" deep) or too tight that it didn't fit their mattresses at all.

We also noticed that few groups of customers also felt that it wasn't cooling enough for the price. The average customer online rating is as follows:

• Sijo user rating: 4.8/5 stars (87 reviews)
• Amazon user rating: 4.2/5 stars (69 reviews)
• Nordstorm user rating: 4.6/5 stars (66 reviews)

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector Review: Cleaning and care

• Machine washable
• Can be tumble dried on low
• Can be iron on low temperature

If you think cleaning and maintaining a waterproof mattress protector is tricky, this one from Sijo proves it's not. You can simply pop it into the washing machine on a cold gentle cycle and tumble dry it on low. Alternatively, line dry it when the weather is good.

Make sure to avoid fabric softeners, bleach or harsh detergents which can cause pilling (we did not spot any during our wash cycles.)

While the brand says that your can iron your Sijo mattress protector on low temperature, you cannot dry-clean it. We also recommend spot-cleaning your mattress protector to take the stains off before you wash it in the machine.

Overloading your washing machine and folding up your mattress protector before it completely dries are common bedding washing mistakes which can affect its performance and even cause skin irritations due to an unclean sleeping surface.

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector Review: Should you buy it?

If what you need is a mattress protector which is waterproof, cooling and quiet for comfortable sleep, the Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus is a good pick available in six sizes starting from twin to Cal king.

Our only gripe was the poor fit, which makes it difficult for one person alone to add it on to a mattress (even though your bed is within the 20" depth mentioned by the brand.) While it is soft, naturally breathable and cooling, the lack of a warranty in comparison to more affordable options in the market, could also be a deterrent.

Buy it if

✅ You want good waterproof protection: We put the mattress protector to multiple spill tests, retesting after each wash and dry cycle. No coffee or water reached our mattress with our sponge pad and paper towel being dry and free of any stains.

✅ You want a quiet cooling mattress protector: We found the Sijo mattress protector to be cooling enough for sound sleep all night and never felt the waterproof layer moving or being noisy during our testing period.

✅ You like well-packaged bedding products: The Sijo mattress protector comes in an elegant transparent plastic case which is designed to be reusable.

Do not buy if...

❌ You want a mattress protector with a warranty: The Sijo mattress protector only includes a 60-day return window and unfortunately does not come with a warranty.

❌ You want a mattress protector which easily fits your bed: If your priority is to keep away dust mites and bugs of your mattress, it is better to invest in a full zippered encasement which gives 360° protection. Explore the alternatives listed below in this case.

❌ You need a crib size mattress protector: Sijo mattress protector do not offer any crib size options. It is only available in the standard adult bed sizes from twin to Cal king.

Sijo Airyweight Eucalyptus Mattress Protector Review: Alternatives

And while the cartel drama didn't quite reach the box office heights of those other titles, it became a bit of a sleeper hit with audiences thanks to its moody atmosphere, adrenaline-pumping action sequences and top-notch acting performances.

So it's not a total surprise that all these years later, "Sicario" has found its way onto Netflix’s top 10 list this past week, coming in at No. 8 after more recent titles like "Venom: The Last Dance", "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" and "Sonic the Hedgehog 2".

"Sicario" is happily finding a new audience on the streaming service but unlike those other high-ranking movies, this is no clear-cut story of good guys versus bad guys — instead, moral murkiness abounds, leaving the film's viewers just as questioning as its characters.

Now that the Villeneuve-directed drama is in the top 10, is it something worth streaming on Netflix? Here’s everything you need to know about "Sicario" and whether it should be added to your watchlist.

What is 'Sicario' about?

After rising through the ranks of her male-dominated profession, idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer (played by Blunt) is enlisted by a mysterious CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to bring down the leader of a powerful and dangerous Mexican drug cartel.

Led by the secretive Alejandro Gillick (a standout Benicio Del Toro) — a Mexican ex-prosecutor turned CIA-trained assassin — and with Blunt's Kate acting as the audience proxy as we delve deeper into the brutal and corrupt cartel world, the government task force heads down to the "lawless" stretch of land between the United States and Mexico, where Kate horrifyingly realizes that the law is broken on both sides of the border and that nothing is ever quite what it seems.

Why should you watch 'Sicario' on Netflix?

Tensely paced, tragic and full of moral quandaries, "Sicario" quickly became a favorite of both film critics as well as awards bodies.

The gripping thriller was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for three Academy Awards, with particular praise for its original score by Jóhann Jóhannsson, sound editing by Alan Robert Murray and stunning cinematography by the great Roger Deakins.

Del Toro was BAFTA-nominated for his spine-chilling acting in the film, while Blunt received a Critics' Choice Award nod for her own brazen work. And beyond those main characters, the "Sicario" ensemble is packed with some real-deal acting heavyweights like Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya, theater great Victor Garber and Emmy-winning "The Bear" star Jon Bernthal.

There was also, deservedly, plenty of love showered on the film's memorable lead performances. On Rotten Tomatoes, where the film has a stellar approval rating of 92%, the site's critical consensus reads: "Led by outstanding work from Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro, 'Sicario' is a taut, tightly wound thriller with much more on its mind than attention-getting set pieces."

In the mood for something else? Check out our guide on all of the movies and TV shows coming to Netflix this March.

Stream "Sicario" on Netflix now.

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• Netflix just dropped first trailer for new action thriller — and it looks like a must-watch
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But after yesterday's (March 4) season finale, I can definitely say it's also one of the best shows this year. In fact, it's currently my pick for the best show of the year so far.

If you haven't watched it yet, don't worry — I won't go spoiler-heavy (but there are some spoilers ahead). If you want the whole show spoiled for you, check out our explainer on the "Paradise" season finale and who killed President Bradford.

Explaining what makes this political thriller so great doesn't require spoiling that ending. So let's dive into why "Paradise" is my best show of the year so far.

'Paradise' builds a world you want to explore

Spoilers for "Paradise" beyond this point

If for some reason you haven't watched the show at all, "Paradise" is set in a seemingly idyllic town. Our protagonist is Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), a secret service agent on President Cal Bradford's (James Marsden) security detail.

But right away, things go awry. Xavier discovers that the President has been killed in his bedroom. Then we discover that this seemingly idyllic town ... is actually in a massive undergrown bunker.

The rest of the season is then devoted to two plotlines: solving Bradford's murder and revealing to us what caused the remnants of humanity to be living in a massive underground bunker.

Here's what makes the show so good — it does exactly that.

Even though, as the season goes on, we get new mysteries layered on top of the old ones, "Paradise" does resolve its plotlines. By the end of the finale, we discover who murdered Bradford and why. We also learn what combination of events has caused the apocalypse.

There's basically only one unresolved question at the end of season 1, and it's intentionally unsolved to serve as the impetus for season 2. More importantly, by the end of the show, you feel like the questions were properly answered, without straining credulity for the most part.

That's a difficult task that even great shows struggle with. "Severance" season 2, for example, has struggled to answer its existing questions but keeps adding new mysteries. Recent episodes have thankfully started to change that, but it's why the season has at times felt unwieldy.

But "Paradise" doesn't struggle with that at all, and it keeps you wanting to come back for more. As the layers of the show's mysteries become exposed you find yourself unable to do anything but press on.

Stream 'Paradise' season 1 on Hulu now

Hopefully, if you've made it this far you've either already seen "Paradise" season 1 or have been convinced to start watching.

If you're in the latter camp, you can stream all eight episodes on Hulu in the U.S. or on Disney Plus everywhere else.

I definitely recommend giving yourself some time to do it though. At least two sittings. Episode 7, "The Day" hits you like an emotional nuclear bomb and you probably won't be ready to watch the finale before first taking a break.

Stream "Paradise" season 1 on Hulu and Disney Plus

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DeepMind is an AI research lab and a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.

Project Astra leverages advanced multimodal AI technologies, which allow it to process both voice and visual inputs, giving users a more intuitive AI assistant.

This research prototype is part of Google’s broader vision to create AI systems that can adapt to various environments and contexts to enhance user interactions in everyday life.

• Project Astra is a research prototype by Google DeepMind, aiming to create a universal AI assistant that understands and interacts with the world using advanced multimodal AI.
• As of March 2025, it’s still in development with no public release date or cost, but some features are rolling out in Gemini Live later this month for subscribers.
• It’s accessible on Android phones and prototype glasses, with glasses in testing by a small group; a waitlist is open for potential testers.
• Key features include natural voice and visual interaction, memory of past conversations, integration with Google services, and new live video/screen sharing in Gemini Live, including Android devices.
• From what we've seen, it seems likely that Project Astra will evolve into broader Google product integration.

Key points

Project Astra accessibility

As of March 2025, Project Astra remains in the research prototype phase and has not been released to the general public. There is no announced release date or cost for the full Project Astra experience. However, recent developments including some of its capabilities are being integrated into Google’s existing products.

At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2025, Google announced that Project Astra-powered features, such as live video and screen sharing, will roll out in Gemini Live later this month.

These features are currently available to Gemini Advanced subscribers and those with a Google One AI Premium plan on Android devices, marking a significant step toward expanding accessibility to a broader audience.

This integration suggests that while the Project Astra system is still under development, its technology is already rolling out in an effort to give users accces to enhanced AI offerings.

There is currently no public release date for Project Astra as it is currently in ongoing research status, but we can expect future announcements as testing progresses.

Supported devices

Project Astra is designed to be accessible through multiple devices, primarily Android devices and prototype glasses.

The Android device accessibility allows users to interact with the assistant by speaking or using the phone’s camera to show what they see, enabling real-time conversations.

The prototype glasses, will offer users an immersive experience by allowing Project Astra to see the world as the user does, enhancing contextual understanding. However, the prototype glasses are not yet available to the public.

As of December 2024, a small group of testers began trying Project Astra on prototype glasses, with plans to expand this testing. These glasses are part of Google’s long-term vision for augmented reality (AR) and multimodal AI, but they are not yet available for purchase.

Google has opened a waitlist for potential testers, where individuals can share details to join.

Project Astra key features

Project Astra’s key features are designed to provide a natural and context-aware assistance experience. These include:

• Natural interaction: Users can interact with Project Astra through voice commands or by showing visual inputs, such as pointing the phone camera at objects. This multimodal approach enables free-flowing, real-time conversations, making interactions feel intuitive and seamless
• Memory: Project Astra can remember key details from past conversations, refining its responses based on context. It maintains up to 10 minutes of in-session memory and can recall previous interactions, enhancing personalization. For example, it can remember a user’s marathon training regime or dietary preferences, as demonstrated in tester feedback
• Tool integration: The assistant integrates with Google services such as Search, Maps, and Lens to inform its answers, providing comprehensive assistance for everyday tasks. This integration allows it to pull real-time information, such as identifying locations or providing directions, enhancing its utility
• Live video and screen sharing: Users can share their screen with Gemini Live to ask questions about what’s displayed or use a live video feed for real-time assistance.

Project Astra outlook

Project Astra’s outlook indicates a transition from a research prototype to broader integration within Google’s ecosystem.

While it is still in the testing phase with a limited number of private testers, the recent rollout of features in Gemini Live suggests that its technology is being adopted to enhance existing AI products. This integration is expected to expand, potentially making Project Astra’s capabilities available to a wider audience in the coming years.

The prototype glasses, represent an exciting frontier for AR and AI, with potential applications in areas like language translation, location memory, and real-time object recognition. However, specific product release dates for these glasses have not been announced, and they remain a technology demonstration at this stage.

Given Google’s aggressive roadmap for AI in 2025, as seen in recent updates, it seems likely that Project Astra will play a significant role in redefining how we interact with technology.

Final thoughts

Project Astra embodies Google’s vision for the future of AI assistants, focusing on natural, context-aware interactions and seamless integration into daily life.

As it transitions from a research prototype to integrated features in products like Gemini Live, it holds the potential to redefine how we interact with technology.

With ongoing testing, Project Astra is poised for significant developments in 2025 and beyond.

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That company is called Skyworth, a Chinese TV manufacturer that recently inked a deal with world-famous electronics maker Philips for US branding rights.

Today, that partnership bears its first fruits with the Philips 65" Class 974 Series OLED, or simply the Philips OLED Roku TV for short.

The TV is already available on Sam's Club website for $1,299 and, despite it only becoming public knowledge today, there's already eight highly positive reviews for it.

The Philips name without all the Philips features

If you know much about TVs, a Philips-branded OLED might bring to mind glowing backlights — a feature the company calls Ambilight. While technology will certainly be included in the latest Philips OLED TVs in Europe (which itself is sold and marketed by a company called TP Vision), the US version won't have them.

Instead, we'll have to settle for a fairly basic 120Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium support, alongside Dolby Vision IQ HDR. These are great-to-have specs, for sure, but they pale in comparison to the Philips OLEDs with the latest four-stack OLED panel technology that you'll find in the flagship Philips OLED950.

On the plus side, the US Philips OLED uses Roku TV, which I find to be one of the most egalitarian and user-friendly of all smart TV platforms.

The Philips OLED Roku TV is also only $1,299 for a 65-inch OLED. Compared to the LG C4 OLED that sells for $1,496 on Amazon, it's a fairly good deal.

Philips Roku OLED alternatives

Despite some snags in the specs and the deliberate obfuscation of the manufacturer, the Philips Roku OLED is a solid value proposition. It's only the second Roku OLED to ever hit the US market (Sharp, which itself is majority owned by Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn was the first back in the final months of 2023).

Still, if you're a bit put-off by all the caveats, there are some good alternatives out there.

Roku itself has three series of TVs for sale, the most recent of which being the Roku Pro Series that came out in 2024. My personal favorite, the Roku Plus Series, is a bit older but it's one of the best TVs under $500.

Outside of Roku itself, there aren't a ton of TVs left out there that use the Roku smart platform. Hisense still has a few models rumbling about out there as does Walmart's Onn. brand, but those aren't high up on our recommendation lists.

If you want an OLED, however, choices are plentiful: The Samsung S90D OLED offers great value for $1,199 as long as you don't mind putting up with its Tizen smart platform, and the aforementioned LG C4 OLED has a lower-cost sibling called the LG B4 OLED that can be had for as little as $599 when it's on sale.

We'll be keeping an eye on the Philips Roku OLED with the hopes of getting it in for testing sometime in the near future, but if you need one of the best OLED TVs sooner rather than later, we can help you find it.

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The best part is the price.

Starting at $999, the MacBook Air M4 is $100 less than the previous model. So what do you get for your money?

Here's everything you need to know about the MacBook Air M4, which has a real shot at topping our best laptop list.

MacBook Air M4 price and release date

The MacBook Air M4 is available to pre-order now, and the release date is March 12.

Apple's new MacBook Air M4 starts at $999 with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That's $100 less than the MacBook Air M3.

Meanwhile, the 15-inch MacBook Air starts at $1,199, which also represents a $100 price cut.

This price drop is very welcome but also very strange given all of the concern around tariffs and price hikes. But I'll take it.

Note that the MacBook Air M3 and MacBook Air M2 are being discontinued.

MacBook Air M4 design and colors

Alas, the MacBook Air M4's design is the same as the M3 model, but this is still a very sleek and lightweight laptop.

The standout difference is that there's now a Sky Blue color option, which joins Silver, Starlight and Midnight.

I got a chance to see the new MacBook Air M4 up close, and the Sky Blue color really pops without being too in-your-face. And I like how the color shifts depending on how the light hits the chassis.

Otherwise, you get the same super light 2.7-pound design for the 13-inch model and a profile that's under 0.5 inches thick.

MacBook Air M4 chip

The M4 chip came to the MacBook Pro M4, but now you can get similar power in a thinner and lighter design.

Apple's M4 chip features a 10-core CPU, up to a 10-core GPU and support for up to 32GB of unified memory.

Apple says that the MacBook Air M4 is up to two times faster than the MacBook Air M1.

I got a chance to see a few demos of the MacBook Air M4 in action, and it was silky smooth when using Pixelmator Pro to remove backgrounds from headshots and applying new ones.

And with Apple Intelligence on board, you can pull off some pretty neat tricks, This includes removing photo-bombers from your pics with the Clean Up tool, automatically format data into a table or create images on the fly with Image Playground and add them to your presentation.

To drive the point home the MacBook Air M4 is powerful enough to game on. To demonstrate, Apple showed us the Wuthering Waves game in action. The gameplay was quite fluid during a boss battle, and the graphics looked superb.

New 12MP camera with Center Stage

The MacBook Air M4 upgrades the camera from a 1080p shooter to 12MP with Center Stage support.

So not only should you look sharper during video calls, the camera can follow you around as you move and crop in in order to keep you centered in the frame.

Plus, with the Desk View feature built in, you can show your face and what's on your desk at the same time during video calls.

Dual-monitor support (even when open)

For you multitaskers out there, the MacBook Air M4 supports dual external monitors at the same time, even when you have the lid of the laptop open.

This is a welcome upgrade that has trickled down from the MacBook Pro M4.

macOS 15.4

Starting next month the macOS 15.4 update will be available for the MacBook Air M4 with a very handy upgrade.

Apple says that you'll be able to set up this MacBook easily just by bringing your iPhone close to the laptop. You'll just sign in with your Apple account to get access to your files, photos, messages and more.

What's missing?

For me, the biggest bummer is that the MacBook Air doesn't support a nano texture display option. I found this to be a game changer on the MacBook Pro, as it nearly eliminates glare, especially when you're working outside in direct sunlight.

So the bad news is that if you want this feature, you're going to have to pay at least $1,749 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 with this option.

Another perk that would be nice for Apple to add is Face ID for logging. It's Touch ID only on this machine.

Outlook

Apple didn't really need to do much to keep the MacBook Air M4 in the lead among the best laptops.

You get a faster new chip, sharper camera and snazzy new color option — all for $100 less than the previous model. And you're still getting up to 18 hours of battery life.

However, I wish Apple would make the nano-texture display option available on the Air. It's a Pro-only affair.

Stay tuned for our MacBook Air M4 full review.

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Announced at MWC 2025, Intel Arrow Lake-equipped PCs are shipping in late March, which include Intel Core Ultra 200U, 200H, 200HX and 200S CPUs. Along with this, Intel Core Ultra 200V series-powered systems with the Intel vPro (the company's business platform) are available now.

Intel named 2025 a "pivotal year for PC refresh" in the announcement, comparing the latest chips to 11th Gen processors. It states that compared to an Intel Core i7-1185G7 CPU, a Core Ultra 7 265H processor offers 2.84x higher multicore performance (in Cinebench 2024 tests), 1.39x faster performance (in Procyon office productivity tests) and up to 1.97x faster video editing performance.

Interestingly, Intel claims this chip is up to 15% faster than its rivals, including the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360. This includes benchmarks in Cinebench and Geekbench 6.3. It also beats the Snapdragon X Elite, according to Intel's tests.

These new AI PCs will also offer up Wi-Fi 7, up to Thunderbolt 5 connectivity and Bluetooth 5.4. Expect new computers from Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and more, with over 150 designs set to arrive.

“2025 is a pivotal year for PC refresh, and with Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors, we’re delivering the most advanced commercial systems to date,” said David Feng, vice president of the Client Computing Group and general manager of Client Segments at Intel.

Feng continues: “Our AI PC processors cater to every form factor — from thin-and-light productivity devices to high-performance workstations — all backed by Intel vPro, which sets the industry standard in business computing with unmatched manageability and security.”

Also arriving is Intel vPro Fleet Services for businesses, aiming to simplify IT operations. This SaaS (software-as-a-service) solution "offers businesses faster recovery from disruptions and reduces the steps required for activation from 24 to six – without the need for owned server infrastructure or added cost to end customers."

So, how do Intel's new Core Ultra chips compare to last year's 100 series? Let's get into the comparisons.

Intel Core Ultra 200 vs 100 series

While Intel didn't provide specific specs, we have an idea of how well the Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors perform compared to previous Core Ultra 100 Series chips, including its 200U and 200H CPUs.

According to Intel, the Core Ultra 265U offers up to 1.13x improvements over the Core Ultra 7 165U in Geekbench benchmarks. But there are all-round performance gains in multiple areas.

When it comes to the 200H series, we're seeing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265H deliver up to 1.29x improvements over the Core Ultra 7 165H processor in Geekbench, which is great news for productivity.

We got the specs below for the Intel Core Ultra 200H series chips, and we know the 265H comes with 16 cores and threads, along with max speeds topping out at 5.4 GHz. Along with the rest of the lineup, these chips look to deliver brilliant performance over their predecessors.

Of course, we'll get to know these processors once we get our hands on Intel Core Ultra Series 2-equipped PCs, and it won't be long until we get to test them out. That said, we already have an idea about how powerful some of Intel's chips will be.

As spotted on PassMark, the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX CPU became the best-performing laptop processor in a recent benchmark, even beating the AMD Fire Range Ryzen 9000HX CPUs, including the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D and Ryzen 9 7945HX chips.

If accurate, we're hoping to see laptops across business, gaming and productivity see a big boost over previous Intel Core Ultra chips (with some laptops like the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H offering underwhelming performance).

With Nvidia RTX 50-series gaming laptops also arriving with Intel's new CPUs, there's a lot to look forward to in the land of PCs this year.

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The first is the Mac Studio with M4 Max, which is designed for video editors, developers, photographers and other creative pros.

And for serious professionals and power users there's the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra, which pushes the limits of performance with the most powerful chip ever in a Mac — complete with a 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU.

I got a chance to see both of these computers in action, and they both have the potential to make our list of the best mini PCs.

Here's what you need to know about these compact beasts.

Mac Studio M4 Max

The Mac Studio with M4 Max starts at $1,999 and has a release date of March 12. It's available for pre-order now.

The M4 Max chip features a 16-core CPU, up to a 40-core GPU and a Neural Engine that is over 3x faster than the M1 Max.

This system starts with 36GB of unified memory and goes up to 128GB.

Overall, Apple says the Mac Studio M4 Max is up to 3.5x faster than Mac Studio with M1 Max and up to 6.1x faster than the previous Intel-based 27-inch iMac.

In terms of graphics, you get Apple's most advanced architecture, which includes dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading and a second-gen ray-tracing engine.

Thunderbolt 5, AI boost

Another big upgrade is Thunderbolt 5. It delivers transfer speeds up to 120 Gb/s. That's 3x faster than the previous generation.

The benefit of all this is that the Mac Studio now enables faster external storage, expansion and more powerful hub solutions.

When it comes to AI, Apple says the Mac Studio can run large language models with over 600 billion parameters, depending on the amount of unified memory.

Seeing the Mac Studio M4 Max in action

All of these specs sound impressive, but what do they mean for users?

I got a chance to see an impressive demo using the Autodesk Frame visual effects software.

The Mac Studio with M4 Max easily manipulated all sorts of effects in Node video and seamlessly blended both digital elements and real-world footage.

In one scene, the Mac Studio M4 Max could quickly add 5K buildings to the background of a nighttime sky. The editor could easily add smoke to the scene and even control the size of the smoke.

Mac Studio with M3 Ultra

I know it might seem weird to have an M3 Ultra chip be faster than an M4 Max, but trust me when I say the specs and demo back that up.

Apple says that the M3 Ultra delivers nearly 2x faster performance than the M4 Max and up to 2.5x the performance of the M1 Ultra.

The chip combines two 3-nanometer dies using Apple's UltraFusion packaging for a total of 184 billion transistors.

You get up to a 32-core CPU with 24 performance cores. That's the most CPU cores ever in a Mac.

In addition, the M3 Ultra packs up to an 80-core GPU and 32-core Neural Engine. The unified memory bandwidth is a sky-high 800GB/s.

This system starts with 96GB of unified memory, and you can go all the way up to 512GB. That's not storage, it's memory!

The storage goes up to 16TB.

This system starts at $3,999 with 96GB of unified memory and goes on sale on March 12.

Mac Studio M3 Ultra in action

I witnessed how powerful the M3 Ultra chip is in a couple of demos. The first involved creating graphics in a game using Cinema 4D.

By leveraging LLM Studio, the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra could help the user create a Python script for some ficus plants.

From there, you copy and paste the code into Cinema 4D, and it renders in seconds what could have taken hours.

In another demo, I got my first look in person at Cyperpunk 2077, which is coming to the Mac this year.

With all the settings turned on high and the frame rate locked to 60 fps, the Mac Studio with M4 Max delivered gorgeous-looking graphics and super smooth gameplay.

As the player walked into a nighttime scene, everything from a lighted walkway to booth vendors in the distance looked super realistic.

Don't worry. Cyberpunk 2077 is coming to all Macs running the M4 chip.

Outlook

The Mac Studio with M4 Max has the potential to be one of the best mini PCs ever made. The combination of the M4 Max chip and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity could raise the bar for the category.

And we hope to test the Mac Studio with M3 Ultra to see just how powerful this chip is. Even if it's overkill for users like me.

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Now that it’s streaming on PVOD services like Amazon and Apple TV, it’s a fitting time to talk about why this movie was such a surprise for me. I’m a huge horror fan so I typically have high expectations when watching movies in the genre, but “Heart Eyes” managed to exceed them and has easily earned a spot on my favorite movies of 2025 list.

If you didn’t join the hype when “Heart Eyes” was released in theaters back in February, now’s the time to watch it on streaming. Here’s why this unexpectedly fun rom-com slasher is worth the watch.

What is ‘Heart Eyes’ about?

For years, the elusive serial killer known as “Heart Eyes” has terrorized couples every Valentine’s Day, leaving a trail of brutal murders across the country. This year, the killer arrives in Seattle, claiming new victims and sparking fear throughout the city about who will be next.

Meanwhile, Ally (Olivia Holt), a pitch designer recovering from a recent breakup, lands in hot water at work when her latest ad campaign about doomed lovers is deemed insensitive given the ongoing murders. Her boss forces her to collaborate with famed designer Jay Simmons (Mason Gooding), a charming yet mysterious figure she previously encountered at a coffee shop.

Their partnership is tense at first, but they decide to meet up professionally for dinner and create a new campaign. Unbeknownst to them, the killer is watching, believing they are a couple. As the pair grow closer, they find themselves caught up in the deadly game of Heart Eyes.

‘Heart Eyes’ is a fun piece of entertainment

I think most horror fans would agree that slashers tend to follow the same formula. It usually works, but over the years, the sub-genre has started to feel a little stale especially when you compare modern slashers to classics like “Friday the 13th” and “Halloween.”

That was exactly my mindset going into “Heart Eyes.” But by the time the credits rolled, I was pleasantly surprised and left thinking that the slasher genre could definitely take a few notes from it.

Now, I’m not saying “Heart Eyes” is some masterpiece that belongs at the top of your must-watch list. But it absolutely deserves a spot on your radar for a night when you’re in the mood for something tense, funny, and a little different. The movie works because it embraces what it is, which is solid popcorn entertainment. It never takes itself too seriously, and that’s what makes its fusion of romance, humor, and horror so refreshingly fun.

There’s a lot to love about this rom-com slasher, especially the killer’s design. I’m sure that a mask with glowing heart eyes will be a popular Halloween costume this year. But beyond the villain, the incredibly gory (yet creative) kills, and the intense chase sequences, it’s the romance that makes this movie so much fun to watch.

Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding have insanely good chemistry as Ally and Jay. They start off as enemies, constantly clashing as they try to create a new advertising campaign to prevent Ally from being fired. As the bickering and banter unfold, you can feel their feelings starting to develop. It’s a familiar setup for a romance flick, but the twist here is that they’re bonding over the shared trauma of being chased by a serial killer on Valentine’s Day. Quite the unique premise.

At times, I did wish there were a few more tension-building moments to really reinforce the horror, rather than leaning so much into the humor. But despite that, it was still a blast. Holt and Gooding truly carry the movie.

You need to stream ‘Heart Eyes’

When “Heart Eyes” hit theaters on Valentine’s Day, it probably wasn’t for every couple. Its mix of romance and slasher horror might have put some people off.

But now that it’s streaming on PVOD, it’s the perfect time to give it a shot if you’re feeling curious. What seemed like a typical rom-com slasher at first turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year so far.

With plenty of dark humor, brutal kills, and genuine chemistry between its leads, “Heart Eyes” delivers a wildly entertaining ride that horror and romance fans alike can enjoy. It’s self-aware without being obnoxious meaning it can balance its genre mash-up with genuine thrills and laughs.

This is one twisted love story worth experiencing at least once. However, if you’re not convinced to stream “Heart Eyes,” see the top new movies to stream this week on Netflix, Prime Video, Max and more.

Buy/rent "Heart Eyes" on Amazon or Apple TV now.

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My favorite deal in the sale is the excellent The Last of Us Part I for $29 (was $69). That's the lowest price ever for a stunning ground-up remake of one of the best games ever made (in my opinion). Now's an especially fitting time to play ahead of The Last of Us season 2 premiering in April.

There are almost 2,500 individual deals in this sale, so to save you scrolling through more than 100 listing pages, I'm picking out my top picks down below. Plus, I've also rounded up some great deals at Amazon and Best Buy for any gamers who would prefer to have a physical disc over a download.

Best PlayStation Store deals

• PS5 and PS4 games: deals from $2 @ PlayStation Store
• Hotline Miami 2 - Wrong Number: was $14 now $2
• The Witcher 3 - Wild Hunt: was $39 now $7
• Hades: was $24 now $9
• Planet Coaster: was $49 now $12
• Jurassic World Evolution 2: was $59 now $14
• Subnautica - Below Zero: was $29 now $17
• Death Stranding Director's Cut: was $49 now $19
• Lords of the Fallen: was $69 now $21
• Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered: was $49 now $24
• The Last of Us Part I: was $69 now $29
• Horizon Forbidden West: was $49 now $29
• Persona 3 Reload: was $69 now $34
• LEGO Horizon Adventures: was $59 now $39

Best PS5 game deals right now

• PS5 game deals from $9 @ Amazon
• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: was $45 now $19 @ Best Buy
• Persona 3 Reload: was $59 now $24 @ Amazon
• Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart: was $69 now $39 @ Amazon

Rather than ordering customized blinds for different window sizes, the SwitchBot Roller Shade can be altered at home by adjusting the retractable curtain box, which fits widths from 22.8 to 72.8 inches. And if you fancy a change of vibe, you can even swap the fabrics for a different aesthetic or change the functionality to a blackout or thermal blind, or one with UV protection.

What’s more, it integrates with smart home platforms via Matter and is controlled via the SwitchBot app — operating with commands via a remote or a wired controller.

The SwitchBot Roller Shade is available from $199 (£169) at SwitchBot.

How does it work?

If you’re in any doubt about fitting the SwitchBot Roller Blind, there is a 10-minute video on SwitchBot’s website and YouTube that takes you through each stage with clear instructions, from measuring up, to adjusting the curtain box and cutting the fabric, to the final mounting.

All change

But despite the advantage of being able to fit this smart blind yourself, eliminating awkward gaps that an off-the-shelf blind would cause, we think the best feature is the ability to swap fabrics.

Whether you want to change the look to suit a room's updated decor, or you simply want to change the vibe, you don't need to ditch the complete blind for a new look.

Power options

The Roller Blind is powered by battery, with SmartBot claiming that it will last up to eight months when fully charged. However, as an added extra, users can install the optional solar panel to power the roller shade eliminating the need for a battery, with prices starting from $229 (£199) for the bundle. We like the idea of combining solar energy with smart home automation.

It's also a quiet performer and runs on a DC motor, generating a noise level of 30dB in quiet mode and 35dB in standard mode, compared to other retrofitted roller shades generating 48dB. So, if you’re closing the blinds on a sleeping child, it will cause minimal disruption.

Smart integration

The Roller Shade can be integrated with major smart home platforms, such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, giving you ease of control wherever you are. However, you will need the SwitchBot Hub 2 $69 (£79). And, for more precise adjustments, settings can be personalized to meet your own needs.

Plus, the Roller Shade system supports up to eight blinds at once, making it ideal for automating large spaces.

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According to a post on the Samsung news room, the official One UI 7 update will start in April. Unfortunately, we're not given a more specific date, however, it seems likely to be later in the month.

This would follow the trend of other One UI releases like One UI 6, which launched on October 30 and One UI 5, which rolled out on October 24.

Samsung also mentions that Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 users in India, Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. will have access to the One UI 7 beta starting this week. Don't fret if you have an older model though, as Samsung is planning to roll out access to devices like the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy Tab S10 series later this month.

If you want to try out the beta yourself, you'll need to sign up via Samsung Members.

The Galaxy S25 series launched with all models offering One UI 7 and there's little doubt that the update will breathe new life into older Galaxy devices.

For instance, Samsung has fully redesigned the home screen, camera layout and introduced the stylish Now Bar. It isn't just aesthetic changes either, as One UI 7 also includes features like Writing Assist and multi-lingual call transcripts.

One UI 7 includes several quality of life improvements as well. For instance, it was recently reported that the latest version gives users much more control over when their screen dims while on low power.

The update also adds stricter security via Knox Matrix, which promises multi-layered, intelligent threat monitoring between connected Samsung devices.

We're fairly certain the One UI 7 update will improve some of the best Samsung phones. We would also always recommend updating as soon as you can to make sure you are getting the most up-to-date security.

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The company persisted with 16GB iPhones right up until 2016 with the release of the 32GB iPhone 7, before introducing 64GB as a minimum the following year with the iPhone 8. Eight years on, that era has thankfully also come to an end for iPhones and iPads.

It all happened in the space of a few weeks. First, the 128GB iPhone 16e replaced the 64GB iPhone SE 2022 as Apple’s entry-level iPhone. Then, just yesterday, the standard iPad was refreshed with an A16 chip and a minimum of 128GB storage.

It’s been a long time coming, and will come as a relief to anyone who has ever spent time juggling apps to free up space. As the owner of a 64GB iPad mini 5, used for covering events as my note-taking companion, I know this pain all too well. Frankly, even my 128GB iPhone 14 Pro is feeling the strain a little, and I’m likely to look for a 512GB model when upgrade time rolls around.

Interestingly, this is the second minimum-spec upgrade Apple has rolled out in recent months.

Since October, all of the company’s new Macs have had at least 16GB RAM, which is another change that fans have been crying out for.

I suspect that the root cause of both upgrades might be related.

All thanks to Apple Intelligence?

It would be naïve to think Apple was doing this out of a new-found commitment to offering more value.

While it’s possible that the company has accepted that we live in a world where laptops need at least 16GB RAM and all devices need at least 128GB of storage space, I suspect it may be down to the introduction of Apple Intelligence.

We know that Apple upped the RAM in its iPhone 16 handsets to 8GB to cope with the demands of the company’s new AI, so it seems likely that Macs got their 16GB upgrade for the same reason.

Equally, we know that Apple Intelligence is a bit of a space hog, and it’s getting more greedy with each iteration. What started off claiming 4GB of precious storage now eats up 7GB.

If Apple’s new AI-compatible devices started with 64GB of storage, that would be 11% gone on Apple Intelligence alone. This would make users less inclined to use it, sensibly preferring to claim the storage back instead.

Like my colleague Tom Pritchard, I’m definitely a consumer AI skeptic, not only finding results underwhelming but fretting about the gradual numbing of human creativity and chatbots’ not-especially hidden environmental costs.

Still, if Apple Intelligence has accelerated the end of under-specced Macs, iPads and iPhones, then for once I’m pleased it exists.

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This release comes over a year after the device was first introduced exclusively to professional hair stylists during AW24 Fashion Week in February 2024.

The new Supersonic r represents a significant redesign from Dyson's original 2016 hair dryer that helped establish the home care innovator as a serious player in the premium hair care and styling market.

Most notably, the dryer features an unconventional r-shape (hence the name) that addresses weight distribution issues some users experienced with the original Supersonic.

This ergonomic redesign addresses previous accessibility issues, allowing users to reach tricky spots around the head more easily.

Its unusual shape has already drawn comparisons to garden hoses rather than conventional styling tools, though the company insists this unconventional form improves styling control.

The revolutionary r-shape in action

Dyson describes the Supersonic r as 30% smaller, 20% lighter and more manoeuvrable than its predecessors, such as the original Supersonic and the Nural model.

The dryer features the brand's Hyperdymium motor and integrates sensors that detect which attachment is connected and adjust settings accordingly. Which delivers faster drying while leaving hair smoother, with less frizz and more shine.

And as an added plus, the hair dryer comes with various accessories like combs and diffusers — similar to those that come with the Airwrap— all available when the Supersonic r launches on April 2nd in the U.K.

Since its first styling tool debuted in 2016, Dyson has established itself as a leader in the hair care and styling market.

The release of the Supersonic r professional hair dryer marks yet another chapter in Dyson's journey from household appliances to hair care.

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Following previous hits like “Fool Me Once” and “Missing You” (which debuted at the beginning of 2025), the streaming service has just released the Polish thriller, “Just One Look.”

Based on Coben’s 2004 novel, this new six-part series has plenty of suspense and twists, even in the first couple of episodes. It also includes some head-spinning mysteries that have made the author’s works a staple of Netflix’s thriller lineup.

And having watched some of it myself, I can confidently say it has the right mix of ingredients to crack the top 10.

“Just One Look” follows Greta (Maria Dębska), a woman whose life is upended when she finds an unfamiliar photograph, one that suggests her husband isn’t who he claims to be. When he mysteriously disappears soon after, Greta must uncover his hidden past and secrets to learn the truth.

Now that this new thriller is streaming on Netflix you’re probably wondering whether it’s worth watching.

Here’s everything to know about “Just One Look” and why it should be your next binge-watch on the streamer.

What is ‘Just One Look’ about?

“Just One Look” centers around Greta, a talented jewelry designer, devoted wife, and loving mother of two. Though she appears to have the perfect life, she’s haunted by a tragic event from 15 years ago that involves Poland’s deadliest mass casualty incident — a fire at the Old Steelworks concert that killed 28 people.

Greta was the sole survivor, but her memories of the days before and after the disaster are completely erased.

While on vacation with her husband, Jacek (Cezary Lukaszewicz), and their children, Greta experiences a disturbing dream that brings back unsettling fragments of her past. After returning home, she develops their vacation photos, only to find an unfamiliar old photograph of Jacek surrounded by strangers, with a red X drawn over one face.

When she confronts him, he denies knowing anything about it but soon vanishes without explanation. Determined to uncover the truth, Greta goes on a dangerous journey to reclaim her lost memories and learn more about her husband.

Should you stream ‘Just One Look’ on Netflix?

Like most of Harlan Coben’s adaptations, “Just One Look” is pretty addictive and you’ll probably have a hard time stopping once you hit play.

True to his signature style, the series drops you right into the middle of a gripping mystery, with conspiracies and secrets popping up within the first 20 minutes. It’s the kind of show that makes you believe you have everything figured out, until it makes another shocking reveal.

While it may not be the slickest thriller on Netflix, it’s undeniably binge-worthy especially if you enjoy piecing together clues throughout its runtime. Maria Dębska delivers a solid performance as Greta, instantly drawing you into her character’s desperation and determination. She elevates the show from the very first episode and so it’s easy to invest in her journey.

One of the very first things that stood out to me in the opening episodes was the eerie background score. It’s unsettling in the best way, heightening the suspense and pulling you deeper into this tightly woven thriller. That’s exactly what makes Coben’s stories so bingeable.

At the time of writing, “Just One Look” doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes score but reviews are currently going live. Archi Sengupta from LeisureByte said: “Just One Look on Netflix is extremely enjoyable and entertaining. Its twists and turns are fantastic and it presents the story in such a fantastic way that you won’t be able to stop watching. All in all — a great Coben adaptation.”

Meanwhile, Heaven of Horror’s Karina Adelgaard stated “it’s classic Harlan Coben, so if you’ve enjoyed previous series based on his books, you’ll enjoy this one as well.”

With just six episodes, “Just One Look” is a fast-paced, twist-filled ride that’s perfect for a weekend binge. If you’re craving a mystery with shocking twists and well-developed characters, this Polish adaptation is well worth your time. For more streaming recommendations, see what else is new on Netflix in March 2025.

Stream "Just One Look" on Netflix now.

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• This overlooked legal thriller just crashed the Netflix top 10
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For a limited time, Dell is offering major discounts on their monitors, and laptops. One of my favorite deals is the Dell XPS 14, which is currently $300 off its original price. You can also splurge on the Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop for $3,399 — it's still pricey, but that's $600 in savings for a stellar gaming machine.

Below I've rounded up 9 of the best Dell sales you can shop right now. (For more ways to save, check out today's best Dell coupons).

Quick Links

• shop the entire Dell sale
• Dell 32" Curved Monitor: was $329 now $229
• Alienware 25" Gaming Monitor: was $349 now $279
• Dell Inspiron 15 i3: was $379 now $279
• Dell Inspiron 14 Plus: was $999 now $799
• Dell XPS 13: was $1,199 now $999
• Dell G16 Gaming Laptop: was $1,499 now $1,099
• Dell XPS 14: was $1,499 now $1,199
• Alienware m18 R2: was $2,299 now $1,999
• Alienware x16 R2 Gaming Laptop: was $3,999 now $3,399

Dell

Alienware

Stop me if you’ve heard this one…

Anyone familiar with the action flick “Speed” will feel a sense of déjà vu right now. In that movie, Keanu Reeves plays a cop trying to prevent a catastrophe when an L.A. bus is rigged to explode should it drop below 50 miles per hour.

I don’t think it’s too preposterous to suggest the writers of this new Netflix thriller movie may have watched "Speed" before penning this film.

This new high-speed offering is directed by Shinji Higuchi, co-director of 2016’s “Shin Godzilla,” and Netflix has just released the first trailer which you can watch below. Based on this very short teaser, it looks to be a wild ride packing plenty of adrenaline and maybe even an unexpected twist or two.

'Bullet Train Explosion' on Netflix — here’s what we know

The trailer offers a pretty good insight into the movie’s core setup. Arguably it offers a little too much insight, some viewers are accusing the teaser of spoiling a major plot point as it directly hints towards the train's final fate.

At the same time as this first look, Netflix has also released an official logline, which gives an idea of the main plot:

“A tense phone call came into the Shinkansen General Operation Control Center. The caller claims that a bomb has been planted on the Hayabusa No. 60 bound for Tokyo and that the bomb will explode as soon as the speed of the Shinkansen train drops below 100 km/h. The caller demands 100 billion yen in ransom money to disarm the bomb. The last-minute battle unfolds as the crew, passengers, and railroad workers strive to prevent the explosion within the limited time available."

It’s also been confirmed the movie was filmed with “special cooperation” from the East Japan Railway Company, which allowed the production crew to use real bullet trains and railway facilities. This should give the movie a greater sense of authenticity.

Tsuyoshi Kusanagi will play the conductor at the center of the chaos who must attempt to calm passengers and also work with the authorities to defuse the bomb before the train reaches Tokyo. The cast for “Bullet Train Explosion” also includes Kanata Hosoda, Non, Machiko Ono, Jun Kaname, Hana Toyoshim and Takumi Saitoh.

While “Speed” is an obvious point of comparison, the Japanese movie is actually a remake, not of the Keanu Reeves action flick but of “The Bullet Train.” This 1975 action-thriller was distributed by the legendary Toei Company and served as partial inspiration for “Speed.” So, in a roundabout way, “Bullet Train Explosion” and “Speed” are (very loosely) linked.

If the movie’s first trailer has caught your attention, the good news is that you won’t have to wait long to stream it. “Bullet Train Explosion” is set to debut on Netflix on April 23. 2025. And in the meantime, here’s a guide to the best movies in the current Netflix top 10.

More from Tom's Guide

• 5 top new movies to stream this week
• This overlooked legal thriller just crashed the Netflix top 10
• 5 best sci-fi shows to stream on Netflix right now

With the iPad Pro not expected to get a new version until the M5 chipset launches, buyers eager for a new Apple tablet right away have a simple choice to make: iPad Air M3 or iPad Pro M4?

We’ve outlined the key differences between the two below, so you can make an informed decision.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Specs

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Price

This category is really straightforward. The iPad Air M3 is significantly cheaper than the iPad Pro M4.

The 11-inch iPad Air M3 starts at $599, while the 13-inch version costs $799. Both can be upgraded with cellular connectivity and up to 1TB of storage, meaning prices can rise to up to $1,249 for the smaller version and $1,449 for the larger model.

Those prices spiral quickly, but not as fast as they do with the iPad Pro M4. The 11-inch model starts at $999, with the 13-inch version beginning at $1,299. Extra costs can take things even higher, not only with the same cellular data option as before, but with up to 2TB of total storage, and a nano-texture glass option for models of 1TB or over.

The upshot of this is that you can pay up to $2,299 for the 11-inch version, or $2,599 for the larger model.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Design and display

In terms of look, there’s not a great deal of difference between the two tablets at a glance, which is hardly surprising when the two share the same screen size. Both are sleek-looking tablets with extremely thin bezels and a front-facing camera placed on the wider edge, for easier use in landscape mode.

That said, the iPad Pro is thinner: it’s 0.21 inches thick for the 11-inch version and 0.2 inches thick for the 13-inch model, compared to 0.24 inches for both iPad Airs. It’s also lighter, weighing either 0.98 or 1.28 pounds, compared to the iPad Air’s 1.01 and 1.36 pounds.

Although the two share screen sizes and look, the underlying panel technology is very different. While the 2024 iPad Pro was the first Apple tablet to adopt OLED screen technology, the iPad Air persists with an LCD Liquid Retina panel.

The upshot of this is that the Pro model will offer better picture quality with unbeatable contrast thanks to perfect blacks and brighter brights. On top of that, while the Pro models adopt 120Hz ProMotion displays for smoother animations, the new Airs are still stuck at 60Hz, which is a big drawback.

There’s one other important design detail that will become apparent as you use it; While the iPad Pro now uses FaceID for unlocking, the iPad Air persists with TouchID via a fingerprint reader built into the power button.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Performance

Despite early predictions that the iPad Air might match the iPad Pro with the use of the latest M4 chipset, Apple has decided to merely reduce the gap rather than eliminate it completely.

The M2 chipset has been upgraded to M3 which should give it a decent boost — Apple says it will be 2x faster than the M1 iPad Air and 3.5 faster than the model with the A14 Bionic — but will still leave it lagging behind the Pro models.

While it’s not a perfect point of reference, our complete set of M-series MacBook benchmarks should give you a rough idea of what to expect in terms of performance. In single-core testing, MacBook Pros scored 2,589 when powered by M2, 3,138 for M3 and 3,807 for M4. The difference is greater in multi-core testing: 9,630 for M2, 12,018 for M3 and 15,114 for M4.

In day-to-day use, the difference may not be all that noticeable — especially as both iPads support Apple Intelligence — but if you want peak performance and comparative futureproofing, the iPad Pro is the way to go.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Camera

This is probably the least important category of all, as few people use tablets for photography.

Nonetheless, there isn’t much between the two. Both have two 12MP cameras, one on the front and one on the back. The former has a f/2.0 aperture, while the latter has a f/1.8 one.

The only real difference is that the iPad Pro version has a TrueDepth camera, which means it supports FaceID. iPad Air users will stick with TouchID via the fingerprint sensor on the power button.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Battery life

It looks like the iPad Pro will have the edge here, once again. The iPad Air has a 28.93 or 36.59wH cell, compared to the iPad Pro’s 31.29 or 38.99wH battery capacity.

How that will manifest itself in terms of hours and minutes away from the charger will have to wait for our full testing, but the iPad Air has its work cut out. In our tests, the 2024 iPad Pro went a massive 13 hours and 13 minutes, comfortably beating the M2 iPad Air’s ten hours and 39 minutes.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: Verdict

In a result that should surprise nobody, the tablet with a starting price of $999 comfortably beats the one that’s just $599.

But the question is whether the differences really add up to $400 worth of value, and many would argue not. M4 power and FaceID is certainly nice, but other than the 120Hz OLED screen, most of the advantages the iPad Pro has won’t leave Air owners feeling too jealous.

In short, if you want the best, most future proof and sleekest-looking Apple tablet around, feel free to splurge on the M4 iPad Pro. But most users will be just fine with the brand-new M3 iPad Air.

More from Tom's Guide

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Controversial billionaire Elon Musk is part of the so-called 'sleepless elite,' a cohort of high achievers who survive (and apparently thrive) on 4-6 hours of sleep.

But that doesn't mean the rest of us should aspire to getting by on minimal sleep in high stress environments. Sleep deprivation has both long and short term consequences, including impaired cognitive function and a heightened risk of poor cardiac health.

Ultimately, good sleep comes down to ensuring you have the right bedroom set up (cool, quiet and dark,) a consistent sleep schedule and a calming nighttime routine.

But that doesn’t work for everyone, so it’s understandable if you’re turning to the superstars for some pointers. But it shouldn’t be Musk.

Here, we break down Elon Musk’s sleep habits and explain why they’re probably not a recipe for high productivity and success. Instead, we’ll offer some of our top tips to achieve better sleep.

Elon Musk’s three worst sleep habits

1. Only getting 6 hours of sleep

"I’ve tried [to sleep] less, but... even though I’m awake more hours, I get less done," Elon Musk claimed in an interview with CNBC, explaining that "the brain pain level is bad if I get less than six hours."

While everyone is different and will require a different amount of sleep a night based on factors like their age, gender and health, it’s generally recommended that we aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

Less than this, and you may start to experience symptoms of sleep deprivation like irritability, fatigue and memory loss.

So is 6 hours of sleep really enough? Not for most people. Studies have shown sleeping for 6 hours or less may lead to obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression and more.

2. Going to bed after 1am

Recent analysis of Musk’s tweets have identified his ‘off time’ is between 3am and 10am and he admitted on the The Joe Rogan Experience podcast that he tends to work until 1-2am.

Everyone has varying chronotypes that mean they either naturally feel sleepy early in the evening or much later into the evening, the two most common being early birds and night owls.

If you’re getting 7 hours of sleep, then going to bed later shouldn’t matter, right? Wrong.

According to this study, a bedtime after 1am can have a negative impact on your mental health and result in less REM sleep, leading to reduced brain function.

3. Sleeping in the office

There are new rumours circulating that Elon Musk has been sleeping on the floor of his government department, which isn’t surprising considering he did the same at Tesla and X.

There’s also word that he’s moved sofa beds and sleep pods into the DOGE offices.

Talking about sleeping on the Tesla Factory floor in a video that surfaced recently, Musk claims “since the team could see me sleeping on the floor during shift change, they knew I was there, and that made a huge difference, they gave it their all.”

But mixing work and your sleep environment can have a damaging impact on your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

In fact, good sleep hygiene practice means only using your bedroom for sleep. By working in your bedroom, you break the association of your bed and room with relaxation and calm, making it more difficult for the brain to switch off at night.

Our tips for better sleep and productivity that actually work

Keep a consistent sleep schedule

A consistent sleep schedule works wonders for your internal body clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. This is the system that regulates your hormone levels and therefore energy levels.

By going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, you help your body understand when it needs to be active and when it needs to rest. This is controlled by the release of melatonin (the sleepy hormone) and cortisol (the hormone that wakes you in the morning.)

Keeping your schedule the same even during the weekend will help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep throughout the night and feel more energized in the mornings.

Create a calming nighttime routine

After working a stressful day, you can’t expect to switch off immediately when you want to sleep. Instead, you need to help transition your brain and body to sleep mode with a calming nighttime routine.

Humans are creatures of habit, and repeating certain routines will signal to your body that it’s time to start winding down.

Start by avoiding screens half an hour to an hour before bed, and opt for calming activities that reduce stress, like reading.

Part of your nighttime routine could be quickly tidying your bedroom, as a clean, clutter free environment will help you relax and switch off for the night.

Practise good sleep hygiene

Good sleep hygiene is the pillar of a good night’s sleep. It refers to the habits you have during the day and evening that can have a positive or negative effect on your sleep.

For example, good sleep hygiene would be eating three balanced meals throughout the day, while poor sleep hygiene would be eating sugary snacks before bed.

Assess your own lifestyle to find out if anything you regularly do might be harming your sleep. This could include your work habits, diet, activity levels and more.

The compact device plugs into your TV's HDMI port and lets you access streaming services, app, and content. The newer Google TV Streamer (4K) is more of a set-top box, ditching the traditional dongle design. It also features a 22% faster processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage, so it's definitely an upgrade.

In this guide we'll explain how to properly set up both types of streaming device, so you'll be watching all your favorite shows in no time.

What is a Google TV device?

Google TV devices are a brilliant way of getting smart TV services for a lower cost, giving you streaming, personalised recommendations, enhanced search and a whole lot more.

A Google TV device, such as Chromecast (dongle), is a streaming gadget that connects to your TV via HDMI, allowing you to access your favorite content from apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+. It essentially transforms any standard TV into a smart entertainment system.

In addition to streaming, Google TV devices can function as smart home controllers, letting you manage compatible devices like lights, thermostats, and security cameras directly from your TV.

The latest version, Google TV Streamer 4K, takes things a step further by acting as both a streaming box and a smart home hub, for all-in-one entertainment.

How to set up a Google TV device

Now you've learned how to set up and stream using your Google TV device, why not check out some of our other articles? To unlock your Google Nest's potential, take a look at the 7 tips to get the most out of Google Assistant.

And for those building a smart home, make sure to read how to connect smart bulbs and all 133 of the Alexa smart light colors.

According to Srava this was done to try and protect users from spam. The app has now improved its spam detection and prevention systems, making it possible to allow users to post external links once again.

With Strava acting as a social network as well as one of the best workout apps, links are a key feature. Events can link to their sign-up and results pages, users can post links to their charity fundraising pages, and sports clubs can link to their own sites.

Strava "sorry" for frustration

Strava’s decision to block links came out of the blue last September and left many users unhappy. In the post announcing the reversal of that change, Strava has also apologized to users and promised greater transparency in the future.

“We recognize that disabling and removing links last September was disruptive to our community. This was never the intention. The decision was necessary to protect users from a wave of harmful spam attacks that included links to fraudulent and misleading content.

“To prevent this type of harmful content from being posted on Strava, we moved fast and didn’t clearly communicate why. We’re sorry for the frustration this caused, and moving forward, we’re committed to greater transparency.”

Where can you post links on Strava?

There are still some parts of the app where you can't post externals links, but the main areas where users connect have been opened up. Users can post links in the following areas:

• Athlete profile
• Club descriptions
• Event descriptions
• Activity descriptions

In addition to this if you are the admin of a verified club you can also add links to club posts.

It’s worth noting that any links that were deleted when Strava installed the new policy last October will not be restored, but users can post new links in the above areas.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to log in and set up a Strava account
• I don’t want a new running watch, I want the streets to be safe for female runners
• Strava's new Family Plan membership will launch this year — what does it include and is it worth it?

Compared to its predecessor, the Amazfit T-Rex 2, the new model boasts an upgraded stainless steel bezel for increased durability, support for offline maps with turn-by-turn directions, a more comprehensive set of training tools, better battery and a display that's easier to view in daylight.

I just got my hands on the Amazfit T-Rex 3 and am genuinely impressed with the design and features for the money. Read on for my first impressions of this beastly smartwatch, including thoughts on its wearability, wellness tools, battery life and its overall outlook.

Amazfit T-Rex 3 hands-on: Price and availability

The Amazfit Active 2 debuted in September 2024 with a launch price of $279. Available for purchase through Amazfit directly or via major retailers like Amazon, you can often find it on sale for $20 to $50 off.

There are three styles: Onyx (black case and strap), Lava (black case, orange strap), and Haze Grey (silver case, grey strap). The device shown in this review is the Lava variant.

Amazfit T-Rex 3: Specs compared to the competition

Amazfit T-Rex 3 hands-on: Design and wearability

Setting up the Amazfit T-Rex 3 took a matter of minutes, though I already had the most recent version of the Zepp app downloaded to my phone. The T-Rex 3 arrived with 70% battery, which meant I was able to pop it on my wrist and start rocking it right away.

This is a large wearable. It's wider and thicker than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and roughly the same height. It's also heavier than the Ultra as well as the Garmin Fenix 8.

Despite this, I was surprised by the T-Rex 3's wearability. On my 6.5-inch wrist, it doesn't look that enormous and despite the extra thickness, it doesn't appear to sit any higher than the Ultra 2.

The T-Rex 3 ships with a high-quality silicone strap that's soft, comfortable and flexible. The strap closes via a metal pin and buckle; two silicone loops secure any extra real estate in place.

Rather than standard spring bars, Amazfit chose to attach the T-Rex 3 strap using a screw system that requires a unique three-pronged screwdriver bit. The tool is included with the watch. Just don't lose it. For users wishing to use their own strap, Amazfit also includes two plastic converter pieces that you affix using the same screw system as the strap. Once installed, the T-Rex 3 accepts any standard 22mm strap.

The user interface combines a responsive touchscreen with four physical buttons that have excellent tactile response and knurling for grip. The case is made out of impact-resistance plastic while the bezel, which extends above the Gorilla Glass screen for protection, is made out of stainless steel.

While the T-Rex 2 sported a 1.39-inch AMOLED screen with 1,000 nits of max brightness, the T-Rex 3 ups the ante with a 1.5-inch AMOLED screen that maxes out at an impressive 2,000 nits. That's not quite as high as the Apple Watch Ultra 2's 3,000 nit screen brightness but it is on par with the Google Pixel Watch 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, which are also two of the best smartwatch models you can buy.

As should be the case for any smartwatch aimed at outdoor adventure enthusiasts, water resistance is a respectable 100 meters, which is enough for the vast majority of water-based sports minus deep sea diving. Additionally, it's rated to operate in extreme temps from -22 degrees to 156 degrees Fahrenheit.

Amazfit T-Rex 3 hands-on: Health sensors and tracking modes

The T-Rex 3 features Amazfit's latest and greatest health sensor array which can keep tabs on heart rate, heart rhythm, blood oxygen saturation, body temperature and more. Like most of Amazfit's newest wearables, the T-Rex offers comprehensive sleep-tracking tools — though its size makes it a bear to wear to bed — along with loads of training features.

Similar to Garmin, users are provided with post-workout data analysis of their VO max, training load and training effect, along with recovery time suggestions.

This is the first T-Rex model to offer users a daily readiness score and insights into heart rate variability, an important metric for monitoring cardiovascular and nervous system health. It also features a new strength training mode where users can build customized workout routines.

Speaking of workouts, the T-Rex 3 supports more than 170 workout types including tons of nuanced outdoor sports like hunting, fishing, skateboarding, rock climbing, sky diving, freediving, hyrox race mode, ultramarathon mode and many more.

In addition to multi-band GPS, there's also an onboard barometric altimeter for monitoring changes in elevation as well as a standard gyroscope and accelerometer for keeping tabs on body movement.

For hikers and adventurers, the T-Rex 3 supports downloading and saving detailed contour maps for offline navigational use with turn-by-turn directions. Other handy features for outdoor enthusiasts include weather reports, storm warnings, tidal charts, altitude reminders (for when you're ascending/descending quickly) and more. Plus, for winter sports enthusiasts, the latest T-Rex automatically recognizes a huge range of ski resorts worldwide.

Amazfit T-Rex 3 hands-on: AI and smart features

The T-Rex 3 plays nicely with Android and iOS devices but smart features are much more limited than what you'll find on the latest Wear OS and watchOS devices. Still, there are a couple of handy tools present, including a voice-activated AI assistant that's powered by OpenAI (which I have yet to test).

The watch also supports mirrored smartphone notifications with speech-to-text message replies. Beyond that, though, you won't find much more by way of traditional smartwatch features. There's not even NFC for mobile payments.

Amazfit T-Rex 3 hands-on: Battery life and charging

Amazfit advertises the T-Rex 3 as a battery-life beast. Indeed that seems to be the case.

Though I've only spent roughly 36 hours with the smartwatch, just 4% of the battery has drained. While I didn't track any workouts, I did spend a lot of time poking around the watch's features and performing a major software update all without considering a trip to the charger.

However, more testing is needed to confirm Amazfit's lofty battery life claims, including up to 27 days of usage in standard smartwatch mode and 42 hours of usage with maximum GPS tracking enabled.

That said, even if the T-Rex lasts for half that amount of time, I'd be impressed. While brands like Garmin and Polar make devices with similarly impressive longevity, there aren't any full-feature rugged smartwatches that even come close. The Apple Watch Ultra 2, for instance, gets just 70 hours per charge (and that's in low-power mode) and 12 hours when using GPS tracking; the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra is a similar story.

Annoyingly, the T-Rex 3 ships with only a small magnetic charging puck, so, you'll need to provide your own USB-C cable and wall outlet brick. Even more frustrating is the fact that said puck is nearly identical to the one that ships with the also-newish Amazfit Active 2 but just different enough that they're incompatible. Why, Amazfit, why? At least Garmin keeps its silly proprietary charging cable consistent between product lines.

Amazfit T-Rex 3 hands-on: Outlook

Between Garmin, Polar and Coros, there's no shortage of tough-built, long-lasting outdoor-oriented smartwatches with impressive training and navigational tools. However, models with these features from the above brands tend to cost a rather pretty penny.

For example, the nearest Garmin competitor to the Amazfit T-Rex 3 is the Fenix 8 which is priced at roughly three times as much as the often discounted sub-$300 Amazfit. Meanwhile, the also similar Polar Grit X2 Pro is more than double the cost.

The question is, can the T-Rex 3 match the reliability and durability of the competition? I intend to find out through thorough testing in the water, the dirt and the snow. Stay tuned!

Shown off at MWC 2025, I got to check out the RedMagic Gaming Laptop 3D, which delivers a glasses-free 3D effect in PC games thanks to eye-tracking cameras that make it appear like details are popping out from the display.

Placed right above the display, two cameras track eye movement to adjust what's seen on screen, ensuring you get a proper 3D experience. It took some time to get used to, especially when I was looking at the display from an angle. But once it clicked, I got seamless 3D visuals.

With its 4K resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio, the 3D laptop's display offered up great detail and vibrant colors from what I could see. I got to check out some Tomb Raider gameplay, and seeing particle effects like raindrops jump out was a welcome perk.

How will it work in other PC games? Well, no other games were shown during my brief look, but it's sure to work great in other PC titles that support Nvidia 3D Vision or the like (there aren't too many of them, but there are mods also available, according to Steam).

Plus, seeing as it's a gaming laptop, it also comes with gamer-ready specs — even though it's a tad behind the times.

The RedMagic 3D gaming laptop comes with a 14th Gen Intel Core i9 14900HX CPU, an RTX 4070 GPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 1TB SSD. While RTX 50-series gaming laptops are now out and about, it's worth noting the laptop launched in China back in November 2024.

While there are no current plans for a global launch, RedMagic still has other gaming laptops to offer, including its RedMagic Titan 16 Pro with up to an RTX 4070 that launched in 2024.

3D laptops aren't anything new, with Acer announcing its glasses-free 3D laptop last year and Lenovo recently showing off its 3D laptop concept, but it's exciting to see a gaming-focused 3D laptop. Moreover, seeing RedMagic expand into laptops instead of its usual gaming phones is a welcome sight.

More gaming laptops from RedMagic?

RedMagic only recently entered the gaming laptop space, with its Titan 16 Pro dropping in August last year. Now that it's come out with a 3D laptop made for gamers, it's clear we'll likely see even more from the gaming brand down the line.

With it's current laptops offering up to an RTX 4070, it appears RedMagic is catering to more budget-to-midrange gaming laptops. If this is the case, I wouldn't be surprised if we see refreshes to its lineup in 2025, with RedMagic possibly offering up to RTX 5070 laptops.

Considering the price of the Titan 16 Pro (starting at $1,699 for an RTX 4060) RedMagic would do well to keep budget in mind if it decides to deliver, say, an RTX 5070 model.

While international markets may not see the 3D gaming laptop anytime soon, it shows that RedMagic is at least stepping deeper into its gaming laptops venture, and I'm excited to see what it has in store next. In the meantime, check out the RTX 50-series laptops on our wishlist.

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• I just tried this camera phone that uses magnets to attach lenses at MWC 2025 — and it could be a game changer
• MWC 2025 Day 2 — here’s the top 5 new gadgets you need to see
• I just saw a solar-powered phone at MWC 2025 — and I love the idea

It's not the first fan from Shark, but it's certainly the first one to act and look like this. The six models in the FlexBreeze family all appear how you'd expect a fan to look with a large head and fixed base - whether floor standing or table. This is where the TurboBlade stands out. The ultra-quiet bladeless tower has oscillating multi-directional blades that can spread cool air across your home and also doesn't look like a fan at all.

The Shark TurboBlade Fan is now available to buy for $249.99 from SharkHome.com, though only available in the Coal model for now - with Dove White labelled as 'coming soon.'

Double the coverage

The Shark TurboBlade is packed with features that make it a unique offering from the household appliances brand. And with such a busy cooling category market, it's important to stand out from the pack.

A premium thin design full of cutomization

The Shark TurboBlade Fan is an incredibly discreet cooling product - not only in sound, but in the way it looks. The multi-directional blades pivot, twist and oscillate around the adjustable telescoping pole to provide coverage across your home. A fantastic innovation that means you can use the fan in both a horizontal and vertical orientation, to suit your every need.

Ten different speeds

The other fans in Shark's extensive range all have five different speeds, but the TurboBlade has ten. Depending on your cooling preference, that's a lot of choice. And there's even specific modes like Sleep that'll mute chimes and lights on the unit, as well as optimizing speed to make sure you get the best sleep. Then there's BreezeBoost for a powerful airflow in a burst mode and Natural Breeze Mode which randomizes airflow as if to emulate the great outdoors.

Optimal sleep

Alongside Sleep Mode, the TurboBlade also has an AirBlanket mode - geared towards sleeping. For this, the fan delivers ultra-quiet cooling power in the horizontal alignment to make sure you're getting widespread and consistent coverage.

Easy to clean

A fear when inviting new household appliances into your home is that there's just one more thing that you'll need to clean. Fortunately, the TurboBlade's wipe-clean Dust Defense makes this task a whole lot easier - and will make your ProBlade last a lot longer, too.

Powerful but discreet

Whilst its been slated as the most powerful bladeless fan, the TurboBlade will not overwhelm with noise or presence. And that's even when oscillating for 360-degree coverage between vertical Tower Mode and horizontal widespread Air Blanket Mode. With dual blades and twistable vents, it'll still remain at a discreet level of noise, especially when utilizing the multiple sleep modes - just some of the 10 different ones on offer.

And while the TurboBlade's design is also incredibly sleek and subtle, Shark still somehow make room to store your remote - with a magnetic backing. In part due to its just under 45cm height with a 31.5cm width. Plus, the telescoping pole can also be adjusted on height preference. To achieve high-speed and still be ultra-quiet is quite an impressive skill and one that Shark claim is incredibly possible with their new innovation. We'll reserve judgment until we get our hands on a model for a full review, but we're certainly excited at the limitlessly cooling prospect.

More from Tom's Guide

• Beat the heat without AC — 7 pro tips for cooling with fans
• The best cooling mattress 2025: cool beds to beat the heat all year round
• 9 essential tips to stay cool during a heatwave

Google look like it's getting rid of the camera bar on the Pixel 9a.

If you need reminding, the camera bar debuted with the Pixel 6 and has been a mainstay of Google phones ever since. An actual physical bar that spans the length of the phone and separates the upper third from the rest of the device's back panel, it's the home of the rear cameras on Google's handsets.

Why the Pixel's camera bar matters

It's safe to say the camera bar on Google phones is not universally loved, though it's held in high regard by the person who's opinion means the most to me — myself. I think the camera bar helps Google phones stand out in a sea of sameness, giving the Pixels an identity that other phones simply don't have.

Plus, there's a practical reason to embrace the bar. Because it stretches from one edge of the phone to the other, it keeps the Pixel from wobbling when you set down the phone scree side-up. Other devices lay more unsteadily on flat services thanks to camera arrays that jut out from just one area of the phone.

Well, the camera bar may appeal to me, but if you go by Pixel 9a renders, it doesn't capture the imagination of an even more influential group — whoever it is that decides what Google's phones get to look like. Based on leaked renders, that decision apparently means no bar for the Pixel 9a, just a pill-shaped oval housing the rear camera lenses in one corner.

I should have seen this coming, really. Recent Pixel releases have been making gradual changes to the bar, with last fall's Pixel 9 introducing a camera array that no longer stretched across the length of the phone but ended with rounded-off corners. It now seems inevitable that the horizontal bar is destined to shrink into nothing.

Not just Google

Google's likely Pixel 9a move comes at a time where it seems like phone makers all received an industry-wide memo ordering them to make their phones look less distinct, particularly when it came to lower-cost models. Just this past weekend, for example, Samsung unveiled a new look for its Galaxy A series models coming out in 2025. And while I need to see the phones in person to make a fair judgment, the initial images don't inspire a lot of hope.

I was a big fan of how past Galaxy A phones adapted a Samsung-wide design language by lining up the rear cameras vertically and letting them descend down the the phone with no camera array to constrain them. Instead, the cameras just rose out of the backs of Samsung's old phones every so slightly. It's a really stylish touch that makes the Galaxy A phones look like they cost a lot more than they do.

I don't think the same can be said of the new design being introduced with the Galaxy A56 as well as the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A26. The lenses are still vertical but now they're confined to an oval array. From the look, either device could be any other phone just as easily as they could be a Galaxy model.

Follow the Nothing Phone 3a's lede

Maybe the similar looks that midrange phones are adopting hits particularly hard for me right now, as I've just finished working on my Nothing Phone 3a review. And say what you will will about the glyphs and swirls and other flourishes adorning the back of both the 3a and its more expensive Nothing Phone 3a Pro counterpart, you would not conclude that the phones look boring. I'm not sure I even like the Nothing Phone 3a's look, but at least it's something different.

There's a practical element to the design of the latest Nothing Phones, too. The glyphs light up letting you know about notifications, highlighting alerts and even serving as a way of counting down a timer you set. Because of that, the exterior of the Nothing Phone 3a devices offer more than just a pretty face, but a functional one, too.

I'm not arguing that design is the only thing — or even the first thing — to look at when considering a phone. The Nothing Phone 3a earns my recommendation for its long battery life, colorful screen and a camera setup that's far more sophisticated than a $379 phone has any right to offer. When the Pixel 9a comes along, I'm sure if will have plenty to offer, too, that makes me overlook the lack of a camera bar.

But design is still important. And having a stylish device that appeals to you aesthetically adds an exclamation point to how you might otherwise feel about that phone's features. It's an important factor worth remembering, especially at a time when phone makers seem to be losing sight of it.

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• Best Android phones
• 7 ways Google Pixel 9a could blow away the iPhone 16e
• OnePlus Open 2 could have been the best foldable of the year — so why is it not happening?