- Help
- Google+
Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for January 8 Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: A part
Green: Noisemaker assistants
Blue: Gentle giants
Purple: A loud category
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Section
Green: Accessories for playing an instrument
Blue: Distinctive features of an elephant
Purple: Words misspelled in Nu Metal band names
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections #577 is...
What is the answer to Connections todaySection: BRANCH, DIVISION, LIMB, WING
Accessories for playing an instrument: BOW, DRUMSTICK, MALLET, PICK
Distinctive features of an elephant: EAR, MEMORY, TRUNK, TUSK
Words misspelled in Nu Metal band names: BISCUIT, CORN, LINCOLN, STAINED
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for January 8Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
Tweet may have been deletedEach puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
Tweet may have been deletedPlayers can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
Yellow: Slow run
Green: Results at the plate
Blue: They protect the net in U.S. soccer
Purple: Share the same first word
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
Yellow: Move at a slow pace
Green: Outcomes in an at-bat
Blue: U.S. soccer goalkeepers
Purple: Hand _______
Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #107 is...
What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition todayMove at a slow pace - AMBLE, JOG, LOPE, TROT
Outcomes in an at-bat - FIELDER'S CHOICE, HIT, STRIKEOUT, WALK
U.S. soccer goalkeepers - HOWARD, NAEHER, SCURRY, SOLO
Hand _____ - BALL, OFF, SHAKE, SPRING
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.
If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.
Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on MashableBy providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for January 8 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for January 8 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Time for an upgradeThese words are used to describe parts of your kitchen.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedWords are things you might upgrade in your kitchen.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is KitchenRemodel.
Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for January 8Backsplash
Countertop
Island
Sink
Oven
KitchenRemodel
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.
Sony and Honda are betting big on the AFEELA 1, the sleek new electric vehicle five years in the making that's turning heads at CES 2025. Not only did Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) spill the tea on pre-order details — and its jaw-dropping price tag— on Monday but the company's also letting attendees get a first taste of life inside this futuristic ride.
We scored a seat inside the AFEELA 1 Signature, the top-tier trim of the lineup that clocks in a massive $102,000. But don't let the sticker shock scare you off just yet — this EV is loaded with bells, whistles, and cutting-edge tech designed to make that price feel (almost) reasonable.
SEE ALSO: CES 2025 live updates: Here's what we know, from Nvidia to John Deere announcementsOne of the first things you’ll notice about the AFEELA? No door handles. It's a flex we've been seeing a lot in the EV world over the last few years, and SHM is fully on board. Instead of traditional handles, you're supposed to unlock the car through the AFEELA app on your phone. However, because the Las Vegas Convention Center WiFi was a mess, our guide had to go old-school — pressing a tiny button in the top corner to pop the door open manually. You can also just tap your phone to the door to open it as well.
Hilariously, someone at the briefing pointed out that the LiDAR cameras perched on top of the AFEELA are styled like cat ears. Yes, cat ears. It's oddly charming, and honestly? It kind of works.
Featured Video For You I Tried Xreal’s New One Pro AR Glasses at CESStep inside, though, and the vibe shifts from playful to premium. The interior is where SHM really flexes its vision for the AFEELA brand. The joint company's big mission has been to "redefine the relationship between humans and mobility," and it's doubled down on creating an interior that feels more like an immersive sanctuary than a car. It's all about the experience —and SHM's not holding back.
We're talking a full-panoramic touchscreen display that stretches across the entire dashboard, ambient lighting along the door trims, OLED screens mounted on the back of every seat, and —wait for it — a Sony PlayStation 5 controller, which you can use with PlayStation Remote Play to play video games in the car. (Yes, according to one of the PR reps, the controller does come with the car.) The touchscreen itself can switch between themes (like one inspired by Sucker Punch's Sony game Ghost of Tsushima), and nestled on the corners of the driver and passenger seats are displays showing real-time camera views from the rearview mirror.
AFEELA does not come with a traditional hood ornament. Instead it features a customizable LED display. Credit: Mashable / Chance TownsendThe whole setup is undeniably extra, and it only gets wilder. The car boasts a sound system so loud it might actually qualify as a health hazard, which the rep used to blast music and — get this — screen an episode of Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll. I wish I was making that up. As if that weren't enough, the AFEELA is loaded with apps no one asked for but somehow make sense in modern EV universes. Zoom for your next web chat? Sure, why not — Teslas have it too. TikTok and YouTube? Of course. It's becoming standard, we guess. Because if you're already succumbing to brain rot, you might as well do it in style.
The car boasts a sound system so loud it might actually qualify as a health hazard...There's also an AI assistant that SHM says it wants to function as a friend to drivers, which is why is called an "AI Agent" and not an assistant. Unfortunately, AFEELA’s "friendliness" wasn’t on full display during our demo, thanks to its shy streak (read: the convention center WiFi was seemingly on strike by this point). So, for now, we’ll have to take SHM’s word for it.
We didn't get to see the AFEELA in motion — which, fair enough, given the general chaos of CES — but SHM wasn't shy about hyping up its Full Self-Driving capabilities. The car is currently rated at Level 2+ (out of 6) on SAE International's levels of driving automation, which means semi-automated driving with some driver intervention is still required. Ambitious as ever, SHM says it's aiming for Level 4 — High Driving Automation — where the car would basically drive itself without human help. But let's be real, that dream is still stuck in development purgatory and not ready for prime time — Mercedes-Benz beat Tesla to become the first to sell Level 3 autonomous cars in the U.S. in April 2024; Level 4 is still the horizon.
All things considered, the first look at the AFEELA 1 Signature was thrilling, even for someone who neither drives nor has a snowball's chance of affording one. For now, pre-orders are only open to California drivers, with SHM citing the state's superior EV infrastructure as the reason.
On the CES floor, SHM showed off the AFEELA 1 Signature, retailing for a cool $102,900, while its slightly less bougie sibling, the AFEELA 1 Origin, will go for $89,900. The Signature is slated to ship in mid-2026, while the Origin lags behind with a 2027 release.
There are a slew of AR glasses, VR headsets, and other high tech eyewear at CES 2025. Almost every device has some sort of AI implementation or camera embedded into the glasses, which provides the users with an array of capabilities – probably more than they would ever intend to use on a regular basis.
But, the keyword here is "almost." And that's because of Chamelo Eyewear, a smart glasses company that's focusing on practicality.
SEE ALSO: CES 2025 highlights: What we've seen so farChamelo brought a number of its latest products to CES, but all of the company's smart glasses focus on one main feature: Changing the tint on your sunglasses.
Also at CES was Chamelo's Chief Brand Officer, former New York Knicks player and two-time NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury. Unlike some other celebrity endorsements or collaborations, you can tell Marbury really uses Chamelo glasses. As you can see in our video interview above, Marbury broke down how Chamelo smart glasses work and their use cases with the passion and knowledge of a startup founder.
Chamelo offers your standard sunglasses, smart glasses for athletes, and its latest prescription lenses product Aura Rx. There's no camera screen, no audio recording, no fancy AI capabilities. The smart glasses can simply adjust the level of tint and the color of your smart glass lenses with the push of a button. Anyone who regularly wears glasses will actually use these tint features for everyday practical use.
The company also has an audio version of its product called the Music Shield, which simply adds an audio speaker to Chamelo's tint-changing glasses. Only the individual wearing the glasses can hear the music being pumped out of the handles.
This feature appeared to work well when Mashable tried it out on CES' showroom floor. Though Chamelo's glasses were playing music, I couldn't hear it until I placed the device on my head. Similarly, I couldn't hear the music playing on the pair Marbury was wearing either. The showroom floor is admittedly a loud environment, so it may have been difficult to pick up any sound leakage, but if there was any it seemed minor.
At an event where many companies try to outdo others with complex, never-before-seen features, it's good to see companies like Chamelo focus on the practical use-cases for their products.
Mashable is on the ground live at CES 2025! We’re covering all the wildest and most important developments this week, so please keep checking back in with us. Want to submit a product you represent for our teams’ consideration as we identify the Best of CES? Here’s more info on how to do it.
Self-driving cars are one thing. At this point, we've been there, seen that.
But, driverless tractors are a whole other thing entirely.
You may not think of John Deere, best known for manufacturing farming and other agricultural equipment when you think of the Consumer Electronics Show. But, John Deere has been leading the charge when it comes to technological advancements in the farm, construction, and other heavy machinery industries.
At CES 2025, John Deere delivered another set of innovations in the space: A fleet of autonomous vehicles.
While you can check out the John Deere CES 2025 press conference in full here, Mashable went over to the John Deere booth to check out John Deere's "autonomy journey" ourselves.
Credit: MashableJohn Deere's autonomous 9RX tractor for large-scale agriculture uses "16 individual cameras arranged in pods to enable a 360-degree view of the field," according to the company. John Deere says that its autonomous tractor can help farmers "step away from the machine and focus their time on other important jobs."
The autonomous vehicles can also help farmers with improving safety and can help manage labor shortages, according to the company.
The autonomous 5ML orchard tractor for air blast spraying features Lidar sensors to help cover the more dense areas found in orchards. The 460 P-Tier autonomous articulated dump truck (ADT) can be used to handle repetitive construction tasks found in quarry operations like transporting building material around a site, according to John Deere.
Credit: MashableThe autonomous battery electric mower can take care of mowing the lawn without an operator. It features two cameras on the front, left, right, and rear. This provides 360-degree coverage for commercial landscaping needs, according to the company.
Credit: Mashable
Mashable is on the ground live at CES 2025! We’re covering all the wildest and most important developments this week, so please keep checking back in with us. Want to submit a product you represent for our teams’ consideration as we identify the Best of CES? Here’s more info on how to do it.
"Mark, Meta, welcome to the party," said X CEO Linda Yaccarino in response to Tuesday's announcement that Meta is replacing fact-checkers with Community Notes.
In a keynote interview with journalist Catherine Herridge at CES 2025, the first thing Herridge asked about was Meta's pivot to the feature that allows users to add notes to posts that might be misleading or inaccurate.
"Think about it as this global collective consciousness, keeping each other accountable at global scale in real time. And it couldn't be more validating than to see that Mark and Meta realized that," responded Yaccarino.
"When you think about Community Notes, Mark and Meta realized that it's the most effective, fastest fact-checking, without bias... also it inspires great behavior. Human behavior is inspired because when a post is noted, it's dramatically shared less, so that's the power of Community Notes," she continued before welcoming Meta and CEO Mark Zuckerberg to the proverbial party.
Despite Yaccarino's depiction of Community Notes as a success story for X, the reality of the program is much different. A 2023 Mashable investigation found several posts with accurate Community Notes were seen by a fraction of users. A 2024 report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) came to a similar conclusion finding "74 percent of accurate community notes on U.S. election misinformation never get shown to users" and that "posts without Community Notes promoting false narratives about U.S. politics have garnered billions of views, outpacing the reach of their fact-checked counterparts by 13 times."
SEE ALSO: I read all the community notes on Elon Musk's X account. Here's what I learned.So while Community Notes may be a good idea in theory, it hasn't effectively decreased the rampant spread of misinformation and toxic content on X.
Yaccarino said she's excited for Meta's content moderation pivot, but not everyone shares that sentiment. Groups like the aforementioned CCDH, Free Press, and the Real Facebook Oversight Board have spoken out about Meta's shift, saying it's a regressive approach to content moderation and will lead to more misinformation and hateful content on the platform.
"By abandoning its fact-checking program in favor of a discredited 'community notes' system, Meta is turbocharging the spread of unchallenged online lies, worsening the spread of hate, and creating more risks to our communities, democracy, public health, and the safety of our kids," CCDH founder and CEO Imran Ahmed said in a press statement on Tuesday.
"Meta is now saying it’s up to you to spot the lies on its platforms, and that it’s not their problem if you can’t tell the difference, even if those lies, hate, or scams end up hurting you. Rather than stepping up to the challenge of responsible platform governance, Meta is retreating from accountability. This is huge step back for online safety, transparency, and accountability, and it could have terrible offline consequences in the form of real-world harm."
UPDATE: Jan. 8, 2025, 7:00 p.m. UTC Added statement from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
Instagram recently blocked teen users from viewing the results for numerous LGBTQ+ terms by accident, according to a spokesperson for Meta, the platform's parent company.
The restrictions were reported by User Mag, which found that teen users searching for content related to dozens of hashtags including #lesbian, #bisexual, #gay, #trans, #queer, #nonbinary, #Tgirlsarebeautiful, and #lesbianpride were instead shown a blank page with a message directing them to the platform's sensitive content policy.
That policy prohibits content "that impedes our ability to foster a safe community," and includes material that may be "sexually explicit or suggestive."
SEE ALSO: Instagram announces new tools to fight sextortion and help teen victims"These search terms and hashtags were mistakenly restricted — an error that has now been fixed," a Meta spokesperson told Mashable. "It's important to us that all communities feel safe and welcome on Meta apps, and we do not consider LGBTQ+ terms to be sensitive under our policies."
Meta attributed the issue to technology that helps limit user exposure to sensitive content mistakenly misclassifying several LGBTQ+ terms, making them temporarily restricted.
Instagram's new teen accounts limit sensitive content by default. Teens between the ages of 13 and 15 need parental permission to change the setting.
Mashable previously reported on claims made by adult LGBTQ creators that Instagram has shadowbanned their content. The platform has tried to address general concerns regarding "non-recommendable" content, with mixed reviews from affected creators.
Meta told Mashable that LGBTQ content isn't considered sensitive and is eligible for recommendation, provided the content doesn't violate any other platform policies.
LGBTQ youth advocates criticized Instagram for the search restrictions.
"For many LGBTQ people, especially youth, platforms like Instagram are crucial for self-discovery, community building, and accessing supportive information," Leanna Garfield, social media safety program manager at GLAAD, told User Mag. "By limiting access to LGBTQ content, Instagram may be inadvertently contributing to the isolation and marginalization of LGBTQ users."
During the height of CES 2025, Qualcomm unveiled the existence of its new Snapdragon X processor, which the company says will create opportunities for more budget-friendly Windows laptops as early as this year. We're talking Copilot+ laptops in the $600 range, which we would definitely welcome with open arms. The chip will also be used in at least one mini desktop PC at some point.
The new chipset is being positioned by Qualcomm as a more accessible high-end chip for a much wider audience. “Snapdragon X is an ideal solution for students, freelance workers, and budget-conscious consumers who need a reliable and powerful laptop that can keep up with their busy lives,” Qualcomm said in a press release detailing the announcement. Though the Snapdragon X is technically a downgrade, the company says that it will still offer the same top-notch, AI-focused performance we've seen in the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus computers that hit the scene in 2024 (which typically cost somewhere in the $800 to $1,000 and up ranges).
SEE ALSO: CES 2025 live updates: Here's what we know, from Nvidia to John Deere announcementsQualcomm also said in the release that we can expect Snapdragon X-equipped laptops from big-name manufacturers like Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo to hit the market starting this month. These will all be part of Windows' Copilot+ line of laptops, which feature advanced AI processing and CPU speeds.
CES 2025 has officially kicked off, and amidst all the news about new graphics cards and very expensive EVs, home and pet owners should be pleasantly surprised by LG's AeroCatTower. Every cat owner knows the struggle of finding functional feline furniture that's not an eyesore, and this sleek cat tower solves that problem.
Part sleek air purifier, part feline-friendly perch, this futuristic gadget not only cleans the air but doubles as a weight-monitoring throne for your furry overlord.
SEE ALSO: CES 2025 live updates: Here's what we know, from Nvidia to John Deere announcementsUnveiled at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the AeroCatTower stood out from the typical CES lineup. The demo setup featured a delightfully bizarre scene: a stuffed cat (decidedly creepy) and two more furry stand-ins (mercifully less creepy) lounging around the device.
Per the reps at the booth, the tower's air-purifying abilities adjust when the cat is sitting on it. When your furry buddy is onboard, the tower can use a lower flow so as not to disturb them, then ramp back up when they're gone.
Mashable / Chance Townsend Credit: Rest in power little buddy.The AeroCatTower cleverly combines functionality with a bit of whimsy. Its dome-shaped seat is perfect for your feline companion. LG might have delivered the CES sleeper hit of the year for cat owners who want to pamper their pets while keeping their air free of dust and allergens.
The AeroCatTower also features a built-in heater and an attachable stepper designed to help older cats easily reach the top. For those interested in its pet health-tracking capabilities, the device integrates seamlessly with LG's ThinQ app. You can also track how long your furry friend sleeps — very fun.
There's no price or release date yet, but be on the lookout for this in the future.
Mashable is on the ground live at CES 2025! We’re covering all the wildest and most important developments this week, so please keep checking back in with us. Want to submit a product you represent for our teams’ consideration as we identify the Best of CES? Here’s more info on how to do it.
CES 2025 is here!
The Consumer Electronics Show is the world’s biggest annual tech conference. Big Tech companies and small startups alike make the trek to Las Vegas, Nevada every January to debut the latest consumer products and tech innovations of the future.
This year, we’re seeing plenty of AI products as well as some big announcements in both the television and computing power space. Companies like LG and Nvidia are debuting some interesting innovations. Tech powerhouses like Samsung and Sony are bringing their own new products to showcase. And, of course, countless startups will be putting their hardware and software in the spotlight for the first time, hoping to be discovered.
Mashable is on the ground live at CES 2025! We’re covering all the wildest and most important developments this week, so please keep checking back in with us. Want to submit a product you represent for our teams’ consideration as we identify the Best of CES? Here’s more info on how to do it.
This is a developing story. Tune in to our live blog for the latest updates.
Second monitors are a thing of the past: Introducing a new "rollable" laptop from Lenovo that hides a new way to extend your screen size with no additional products.
Unveiled at this week's annual CES event in Las Vegas, Lenovo's ThinkBook™ Plus Gen 6 Rollable AI laptop, is, according to the company, a first of its kind personal device that can instantly increase the laptop's vertical display to make working, coding, and creating content easier and more efficient on-the-go.
SEE ALSO: CES 2025 highlights: What we've seen so farThe device has a flexible OLED display powered by small motors in its hinge, which vertically unrolls a tucked away screen that transforms the 14-inch display into a significantly larger 16.7 inch screen. The rolling motion is powered by a key on the keyboard or even just a hand gesture, according to user preference. Once extended, the display can be used for vertical split-screening as if its a second monitor, or for simply boosting your screen's surface area.
Credit: Lenovo"Engineered for maximum versatility and reliability, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable combines the portability of a traditional laptop with the expanded workspace of a larger device," writes Lenovo. "With a unique vertical laptop screen experience, the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 also encourages better posture, reducing strain for professionals working long hours."
The design was first introduced as the Lenovo rollable laptop concept two years ago. The fully realized, consumer-ready version will go to market at an eyebrow-raising $3,499 sometime in early 2025.
Mashable is on the ground live at CES 2025! We’re covering all the wildest and most important developments this week, so please keep checking back in with us. Want to submit a product you represent for our teams’ consideration as we identify the Best of CES? Here’s more info on how to do it.
The OnePlus 13 is here and it seems like it might be really good.
That's the vibe you'd get from reading reviews, which dropped on Tuesday. Everyone from CNET to The Verge and TechRadar is singing the praises of OnePlus's $899 flagship, though not without some criticism along the way. Between seemingly fantastic battery life, capable cameras, and a reasonable price, reviews indicate the OnePlus 13 may be "the one to get" if you want to live outside of the Apple, Google, and Samsung ecosystem.
(Note: CNET and Mashable share the same parent company, Ziff Davis)
SEE ALSO: Dell roasted at CES for adopting Apple-like device names OnePlus 13 reviews roundupMost of these reviews are overwhelmingly positive about the OnePlus 13. Let's find out why.
Staggering battery lifeThe most noticeable constant across nearly every OnePlus 13 review is praise for its battery life. Take it from TechRadar's Philip Berne, who flatly called it "the best I’ve ever experienced from a mobile phone."
Under lab testing, TechRadar was able to get nearly three hours of juice more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is a couple Benjamins more expensive than the OnePlus 13. Berne also noted the astonishingly fast charge speeds of the OnePlus 13, whether wired or wireless. According to Berne, wired charging got the phone past 50 percent in 15 minutes, while it could get a full charge wirelessly in an hour.
Quality cameras (for some)The OnePlus 13 sports a stylish-looking triple-camera setup on the rear, with matching 50MP standard, telephoto, and ultrawide lenses. According to most reviews, you can get some gorgeous shots out of this phone, though it may be a step behind the most expensive Apple devices. Interestingly, however, CNET's Andrew Lanxon found that the default camera settings made images look unnatural and, frankly, bad. According to Lanxon, the thing to do is switch the settings to "Master Mode," and then not touch anything else.
Doing so made colors and shadows look more natural, which Lanxon praised as being more "authentic-looking" than what the default settings produced. According to him, the standard settings out of the box is are "quite frankly ruining the images."
Intense durabilityAside from battery life, another thing nearly every reviewer took time to note was the OnePlus 13's high degree of physical durability.
To be more specific, the OnePlus 13 carries an IP69 rating, which in layman's terms means it can withstand high pressure water blasts to some extent. That's...cool, but the bigger worry for most people will be whether or not the phone can survive being submerged underwater. Good news! Thanks to its additional IP68 rating, it can. According to The Verge's Allison Johnson, she could "sleep better at night knowing that my phone will likely survive a dip in a body of water."
Disappointing support windowLastly, OnePlus has one major, objective disadvantage compared to the likes of Google and Samsung: software support. PCMag's Sarah Lord called it a "missed opportunity" by OnePlus because it only carries four years of software support, as opposed to the seven that Google and Samsung offer. Security updates also only last six years, compared to the seven that Google and Samsung provide.
Only four years of software updates for a flagship-quality phone is sure to disappoint some people who want to buy a phone and use it for a very long time. But, with every other positive quality the OnePlus 13 apparently has, maybe the gamble is worth it.
SAVE UP TO $1,000: Samsung dropped a Pro version of The Frame TV at CES, and Frame TVs are on sale at Samsung and Best Buy for up to $1,000 off now.
Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung 75-inch The Frame QLED 4K LS03D $1,999.99 at SamsungA huge Unpacked event slated for Jan. 22 isn't stopping Samsung from participating just as hard at CES 2025. New versions of Samsung's other flagship tech products are dropping left and right, including several TVs. One release that stands out is the one that's gone viral for blending in: a Pro version of Samsung's artistic TV, The Frame.
Known for its unique usage of ambient light sensors that dim and matte-ify to appear like legitimate framed art (or blend in with the wall it's hanging on) when you're not watching TV, the new Frame Pro features a lighting system never before seen on a Frame model. We don't know the exact pricing yet, but here's what we do know.
SEE ALSO: 5 new gadgets from CES 2025 that you can actually buy right now How is the Frame Pro different from the regular Frame?The Frame Pro is the first Frame model to use Samsung's most premium QLED tech, Neo QLED. "Neo QLED" is Samsung's term of endearment for mini LED, which offer more precise lighting due to their ability to be individually controlled, and the fact that there are more of them (compared to larger LED bulbs).
These baby bulbs allow for deeper, more accurate black tones and more vibrant, more variable bright tones, coming together to produce an image that's not washed out, and much closer to what you'd see IRL. (Better brightness also means HDR support is actually worthwhile.) Note that the mini LEDs of the Pro are only lined up along the bottom of the screen rather than scattered throughout like a true local dimming arrangement, but still, it's more local dimming than what non-mini LEDs can provide.
You'll notice the difference particularly when watching movies in the dark and watching sports in the daylight. When you're not watching TV, your display options are pretty endless. Upload your own photos or use art from MoMA, the estates of Magritte and Basquiat, and more, totaling more than 3,000 curated works of art at your fingertips.
SEE ALSO: CES 2025: Google to bring Gemini to TVs. 3 wild things it can do.For the first time on The Frame, you can also mirror content directly from a console or cable box wirelessly using Samsung's Wireless One Connect box. Because how is it really going to look like framed art if there's a cable hanging from it?
Though Samsung did announce some new 8K TVs, the Frame Pro is still 4K. Samsung did, however, boost the Frame Pro's variable refresh rate support to up to 144Hz, making it a more viable gaming TV than the non-Pro models.
The Frame also wasn't left out of the AI treatment that its other 2025 TVs are getting. Through Vision AI, you can search things on the internet by just clicking on them on screen, enact Live Translate, or control other smart devices in your home.
How much will The Frame Pro cost?Samsung hasn't yet disclosed when The Frame Pro will start shipping, or how much it will cost. But we can guess. Taking prices of the 2024 version of The Frame into account (as well as the fact that the Pro version has an upgraded Neo QLED lighting system), it's likely that the 43-inch The Frame Pro will debut between $999.99 and $1,499.99, the 85-inch The Frame Pro will go for between $4,299.99 and $4,699.99, with the rest of the sizes scattered between.
Speaking of the older Frame models, they're on sale at Samsung and Best Buy. If you're already anticipating The Frame Pro being too pricey for your preferences, the 2024 Frames, which came out less than a year ago, are still solid art TVs. The models marked with a 🔥 are back to their Cyber Monday prices, and the ones that aren't are still within Cyber Monday range by a few hundred dollars.
Samsung 43-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV — $799.99 $999.99 (save $200)🔥
Samsung 50-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV — $899.99 $1,299.99 (save $400)🔥
Samsung 55-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV — $999.99 $1,499.99 (save $500)🔥
Samsung 65-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV — $1,599.99 $1,999.99 (save $400)
Samsung 75-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV — $1,999.99 $2,999.99 (save $1,000)
Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED 4K TV — $3,299.99 $4,299.99 (save $1,000)
Curious about what else is going on at CES? Mashable's covering the highlights in all the categories you care about.
Mashable Tech Reporter Matt Binder gave the new Xreal One Pro a test drive at CES 2025. The upgraded model from XREAL features a new chipset, larger FOV, higher max brightness, and a more lightweight design.
Take a New York Minute to Review Your Recovery Plan Don Henley is right: everything can change in a New York...
I Lost all of my Photos In every disaster I have ever responded to from here to...
Boston's most important responders: Bostonians The people of Boston are to be congratulated for being...
3 Values Your Business Continuity Plan Should Have Your business lives with risk every day from competitors...
Digital Privacy: A Catch 22 Mobility, convenience, accessibility and real-...
Take a New York Minute to Review Your Recovery Plan Don Henley is right: everything can change in a New York...
3 Values Your Business Continuity Plan Should Have Your business lives with risk every day from competitors...
I Lost all of my Photos In every disaster I have ever responded to from here to...