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If you've been looking for an Intel-powered NAS with multiple NVMe drive slots, then TerraMaster's brand-new F4-425 Pro NAS is definitely worth considering. With dual 5GbE networking ports, an easy-to-disassemble design, user-upgradable RAM, and more, this NAS could be the perfect choice for your next media server build.

Fable and Mythos are back, baby.

Anthropic has announced it will restore access to its most powerful models, Claude Fable 5, and Claude Mythos 5, to users worldwide on Wednesday July 1.

The decision comes after the U.S. government lifted the worldwide export ban on the models, as it deemed them too powerful to be used by foreign nationals.

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"We’ve received notice that the Department of Commerce has lifted export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5. We'll begin restoring access tomorrow (...) We’re grateful to our users for their patience, and to everyone who worked with us on redeploying the models," the company said in a tweet.

In a blog post published late on Tuesday, the company said Fable 5 will be available for users globally on the Claude Platform, Claude.ai, Claude Code, and Claude Cowork. For Pro, Max, Team, and select Enterprise team, Fable 5 will be included for up to 50 percent of weekly usage limits through July 7; after that, it will be available via usage credits. Fable 5 will not be immediately available on AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Foundry, but Anthropic says that's coming "as quickly as possible."

SEE ALSO: Anthropic to provide California government with AI tools

Mythos 5, which is exceptionally good at finding security vulnerabilities, was never widely available, with Anthropic giving access only to select companies and organizations. Those, too, were cut off after Trump's administration intervened. Anthropic restored access to Mythos 5 following the government's approval on June 26. The company says it's coordinating with the government to expand access to more partners, both domestic and international, through its Glasswing program.

In its post, Anthropic once again provided a timeline of events which led to the government ban. It all started with a vulnerability, found by Amazon researchers, which enabled users to bypass Fable 5 safeguards, prompting the U.S. government to ban the models altogether. Anthropic says this vulnerability could not have been used to provide Mythos-level hacking techniques, but it's now fixed with a new safeguard that blocks any dangerous requests.

"The new classifier also comes at the cost of flagging benign requests more often during routine coding and debugging tasks. As with all our safeguards, we’ll continue to refine this to better distinguish genuine misuse from legitimate requests and reduce false positives," said the blog post.

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

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

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

How to play Pips

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 1, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for July 1, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 1 Pips

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically; 1-1, placed vertically.

Less Than (5): Everything in this space must be less than 5. The answer is 1-1, placed vertically.

Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. The answer is 4-5, placed vertically.

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

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 0-5, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 1 Pips

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

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

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 5-4, placed vertically; 4-2, placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-5, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-6, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 1-6, placed horizontally; 1-3, placed horizontally.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 1-6, placed horizontally; 6-6, placed vertically.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 1 Pips

Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 3-4, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed horizontally.

Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 5-6, placed vertically; 3-6, placed vertically.

Greater Than (9): Everything in this space must be greater than 9. The answer is 3-6, placed vertically; 6-0, placed vertically.

Greater Than (9): Everything in this space must be greater than 9. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 6-0, placed vertically; 2-0, placed horizontally.

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

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-0, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 2-5, placed horizontally; 3-2, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically; 6-1, placed horizontally.

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Foreshadow.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

AUGUR

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To delete.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for Juy 1, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

ERASE

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

A long, pointy weapon.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 1 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 30, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

SPEAR

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Lotion.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

CREAM

Final Hurdle hint

Unsectured.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

LOOSE

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

It should come as no surprise, but modern Australian households have long evolved past the point of a ”family computer”. That relic of a bygone millennial era – the family’s sole access point to riding the information superhighway. Back when people used to say things like “surfing the web” and for that matter, the phrase “riding the information superhighway”. Today, your typical Australian family manages an entire ecosystem of connected infrastructure: smartphones, remote work laptops, school-issued tablets, gaming consoles, and an expanding list of smart home IoT (Internet of Things) devices. This can make creating watertight digital security for an entire household tricky. As these multi-device ecosystems scale, they introduce a wider attack surface for external threats while complicating internal privacy management.

This is why at PCMag, we recommend trying to consolidate your household’s digital security into a single suite as much as possible. Look for trusted security suites that offer specialised family plans. Something with parental controls, preferably a VPN, room to grow as new devices are added, and a tiered account system that allows administrator privileges. You want your entire family to have access to essential services such as antivirus, password managers, identity theft protection and encrypted backup. But you also need to be conscious of the dangers of a single access point holding the “keys to the kingdom” when it comes to your entire family's personal information. Having a single administrator avoids needing to leave passwords just laying around the house, and a high device-count limit means you don’t pay for countless different individual subscriptions for everyone.

Managing the multidevice household ecosystem

On top of your standard personal devices, as more and more smart home technology integrates into local networks, securing the whole home requires more than just antivirus on your laptop. In a modern home, every single device connected to your Wi-Fi is a door. Bitdefender handles this by providing high-volume licensing via their Family Plans — covering up to 15 or 25 devices under a single subscription, depending on the selected tier. Dedicated local clients provide automated threat detection across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android systems, preventing a compromise on a single mobile device from pivoting laterally across the home Wi-Fi network.

Maintaining individual digital spaces

A common point of contention in shared household security plans is data overlap. When multiple family members share a single account configuration, personal data boundaries can become blurred. For this, we need security software that treats household members as distinct digital entities. Rather than forcing the family to share a single administrative profile or master password, each member should receive their own isolated digital space.

As an example, Bitdefender Family Plans generally handle this well. With a structural isolation ensures that a teenager's personal logs, search queries, and credentials remain private, utilising unique vaults within the Password Manager and separate Anti-Tracker configurations. Concurrently, parents can secure sensitive work emails, financial profiles, and banking credentials using the isolated, sandboxed Safepay browser environment without exposing administrative keys to the rest of the household.

Content and screen time management

The modern internet can be a hostile environment for a child, filled with social media pressures, cyberbullying, explicit content, and algorithmically optimised apps designed to maximise screen time. No parent has the time or the energy to hover over their child’s shoulder every minute they are using a screen. It ruins the relationship and is practically impossible when kids need devices for schoolwork. Instead, modern digital parenting requires a shift toward automation—setting healthy, invisible boundaries that run passively in the background.

For example, Bitdefender integrates a Parental Control module directly into its central management console, Bitdefender Central, allowing parents to configure distinct rulesets customised to each child's age group. The objective is to create a safe digital playground. You want a system that automatically filters out explicit web categories, enforces a hard bedtime by pausing internet access, and flags suspicious links or phishing scams before a child can click them, all while giving them the freedom to explore the web safely within those borders.

Finding the right solution

When you look at this massive list of requirements—protecting smart TVs, isolating work from play, giving teens their privacy, and keeping children safe—doing it manually on a device-by-device basis is a recipe for burnout. This is exactly where a centralised system like what is found within the Bitdefender Family Plans comes into play.

Rather than buying individual antivirus licenses or trying to configure separate parental control apps, Bitdefender’s Family Plans (available across Total Security, Premium Security, and Ultimate Security tiers) scale up drastically, offering high-volume licensing that covers up to 15 or 25 devices under a single subscription. This allows you to protect the main computers, every family member's phone, the school tablets, and importantly, use Network Threat Prevention to stop threats trying to exploit unsecured smart home IoT hardware at the traffic level. A Bitdefender Ultimate Security Family plan gives your entire household access to:

• Parental Controls

• Scam Protection Pro

• Unlimited VPN traffic

• Encrypted Password Manager

• Continuous Dark Web Monitoring

• Security Advice from Bitdefender Experts

• Licencing for up to 25 devices (Windows, macOS, Android and iOS)

Ultimately, securing a modern home in the digital age is about building a resilient infrastructure that silently handles the heavy lifting of network security and content filtering in the background, giving everyone in the household the freedom to navigate the digital world safely. As a PCMag Editors’ Choice, we can safely recommend Bitdefender to solve many of these key issues facing larger households. But for more information, check out our entire guide to the Best Security Suites in 2026.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love a good drink.

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.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 1, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Found on a map

• Green: Famous films

• Blue: Drink up!

• Purple: Nations

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

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Things named after places

• Green: Best Picture winners/nominees

• Blue: Places in cocktail names

• Purple: Starting with countries

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 #1116 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Things named after places: CHAMPAGNE, CHINA, COLOGNE, LIMERICK

• Best Picture winners/nominees: CASABLANCA, CHICAGO, FARGO, MUNICH

• Places in cocktail names: CUBA, LONG ISLAND, MOSCOW, SINGAPORE

• Starting with countries: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, GUINEA-BISSAU, INDIANAPOLIS, NIGERIA

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 July 1, 2026

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

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

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

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you have a hunch.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 1, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Not a red herring

The words are related to pointers.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe tips.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Telltale sign.

NYT Strands word list for July 1

• Hint

• Indication

• Clue

• Telltale Sign

• Intimation

• Evidence

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.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're unsure.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 1, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 1, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To hesitate.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

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

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter D.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

DEMUR

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

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

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

Love Island USA may still be predominately a show about dating. But as Season 8 has unfolded, viewers have cared less about romantic pairings than usual. According to online chatter, they're invested in something that has long been controversial in the show: friendships.

We're not talking about a huge shift in the dynamic. Peacock's reality series, which airs every night except Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET, still has all the usual ingredients: bombshells, recouplings, public votes, and the kind of villa drama that turns one conversation into a full internet investigation.

And season 8's Casa Amor episode, where couples get the chance to cheat mid-season, did still revolve around couples drama. Cast member KC returned from Casa Amor with Tierra, a.k.a. “Titi” — leaving his previous partner Aniya single. Aniya broke down in front of the group, telling KC she had picked him every time, and he had not picked her back. KC's response was filled with attitude.

But the part of the confrontation fans remembered? How fellow islander Melanie stayed by Aniya’s side as she cried.

Melanie helped Aniya away from the fire pit, and tried to pull her out of the spiral. Melanie reminded Aniya that KC did not fit in the life she wanted.

Finally, Melanie told Aniya that even if they did not find love in the villa, they had found each other.

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Fans pointed to other heartwarming displays of female friendship. After the heart rate challenge, the women got a rare night and morning to themselves, and viewers noticed how much softer the villa felt without the men taking center stage.

Specific fan favorite moments: the women cooking grilled cheese together, practicing dances, and hyping each other up with confidence-boosting speeches.

And after the June 30 episode, in which Trinity and Bryce became boyfriend and girlfriend, the internet couldn't help but fall in love with how the other Girls reacted when Trinity shared the good news.

Melt!

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These are the moments that stick, even after getting dumped. Former cast member Beatriz — booted off the island June 12 — has said that despite her earlier drama with Melanie (a scene that contained Melanie's iconic walking away line, "give me 10"), she saw the conflict as part of a real friendship.

“Friends go through their own little discussions or quarrels," Beatriz told Variety. "But at the end of day, we squash it."

She also added that viewers miss plenty of off-screen conversations and deeper connections because the show is edited down to one hour. Despite appearances, Trinity and Kayda were her closest friends in the villa, Beatriz explained. She was more sad about leaving them than leaving the show itself.

In short, female friendships feel like this season's more reliable love stories. Indeed, there's not much contest — given KC brushing off Aniya’s hurt via another hurtful reference to the "good family" he's been extra interested in (Aniya's father is former NBA player Donnell Harvey), Corbin describing the Girls team in the Casa “college Girls” while the Girls back in the villa are "high school," and Sincere continuing to test Melanie’s patience.

What about the bromance?

It isn't just the Girls that are getting friendly. Season 8 has also had a bromance, one that social media adores.

After the Paradise Cove twist in episode 2 put Kayda, Zach, and Bryce in a separate hut for 24 hours, fans started paying just as much attention to Zach and Bryce as they did to the intended love triangle.

Viewers have compiled weeks worth of edits of the two — noting that the real chemistry in Paradise Cove might not have been between Kayda and either man, but between the Boys themselves.

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Their connection has since developed into one of the villa's most talked about storylines—whether romantic or platonic.

"Friendship Island" is not a new term. It has been a part of Love Island USA fandom since Season 6, when JaNa was saved from elimination by her friends despite not having one of the villa’s strongest romantic connections at the time. "This isn’t 'Friendship Island,' this is 'Love Island,'" fellow islander Aaron insisted at the time.

Since then, fans have used "Friendship Island” as both criticism and compliment. Sometimes the phrase is used the way Aaron used it, to argue that Islanders are playing it too safe because they do not want to step on their friends’ toes.

Sometimes, however, it is used to celebrate the friendships that make the show work even when the couples do not. And this season, friendship seems to be the highlight of each episode.

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The women are still competing within the structure of a dating show; navigating jealousy, rejection, and public judgment isn't easy. The scenes that resonate most with audiences are when islanders are honest about the difficulty of the show. They remind each other, and us, that Love Island (like life) isn't always about finding the right partner.

It could actually be about the friends we make along the way.

The best TVs of 2026 so far at a glance Best RGB TV so far Samsung R95H Micro RGB 4K TV starting at $3,199.99 Shop Now Best OLED TV of 2026 so far Samsung S95H OLED 4K TV starting at $2,499.99 Shop Now Brightest TV of 2026 so far TCL X11L SQD Mini LED QLED 4K TV starting at $3,999.99 Shop Now Best budget TV of 2026 so far Hisense U6 Pro Mini LED 4K Fire TV $529.99 at Amazon Shop Now Best art TV of 2026 so far LG Gallery TV with Frame Mini LED QNED 4K TV starting at $1,299.99 Shop Now

I've been tracking TV deals and new releases at Mashable for years. My friends and family have watched me scramble to compare the new models during CES in January, and then scramble to see which of those models got a big discount during Prime Day or Black Friday. And I always hear some iteration of this question: "How much can TVs possibly change over the years?"

That's a valid question most of the time. If you're not a serious gamer or someone who tests TV specs for a living, the difference between an OLED TV model from the current year vs. the same model from the year prior probably isn't all that riveting. But I promise you, the best TVs of 2026 so far are quite literally built different.

2026 is the year of the RGB TV. What is that?

The conversation about the best TV for whatever situation has been a dichotomous battle between QLED and OLED forever. As a refresher, QLED TVs typically get brighter but sometimes struggle with black levels and blooming. OLED TVs rule the world of contrast and picture quality in dark rooms, but aren't as vibrant in bright rooms. RGB is kind of the best of both worlds, and it was easily the biggest TV trend at CES 2026.

RGB doesn't automatically knock OLED and QLED to second and third place. The big TV brands that dropped an RGB TV or two, like Samsung, LG, and Hisense, also unveiled new OLED or QLED models that are still highly competitive, depending on your typical streaming or gaming situation.

Halfway through the year, let's stop to organize all of the new models before even more come out. Whether you're watching the World Cup or a marathon of the best movies of 2026, these are the best TVs of 2026 so far that will truly do them justice.

Samsung R95H Credit: Samsung

The Samsung R95H is the best RGB TV of 2026 so far. No, this isn't the 115-inch Samsung RGB TV that costs $30,000. Samsung extended its Micro RGB technology into a much more palatable size and price range.

It seems like anyone who has seen the Samsung R95H in person can agree on one thing: The color palette is so vivid and so realistic, it almost feels... unreal. The R95H covers between 95 and 100 percent of the BT.2020 color spectrum, reproducing more than 2,000 Pantone-validated colors. Samsung uses artificial intelligence to adjust shades scene by scene and manages to deliver very precise contrast with virtually no blooming.

Compared to the cheaper R85H RGB line from Samsung, the R95H dishes out a clearer, more responsive picture with a native refresh rate of 165Hz and support for Samsung's newest HDR format, HDR10+ advanced. The R95H adds to the premium experience with features like the Wireless One Connect Box and Samsung's phenomenal glare-free coating, plus an art TV-esque No Gap Wall Mount.

The Samsung R95H only comes in four sizes. Here's the price breakdown:

• Samsung 65-inch R95H — $3,199.99

• Samsung 75-inch R95H — $4,499.99

• Samsung 85-inch R95H — $6,499.99

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung R95H Micro RGB 4K TV starting at $3,199.99 Shop Now

Need something smaller than 65 inches? Sony does get credit for extending its True RGB technology to some smaller sizes. You can grab the 2026 Sony Bravia 7 II in 55 inches, or 50 inches later this summer.

Samsung S95H Credit: Samsung

The Samsung S95H is the best OLED TV of 2026 so far. Though a single letter differentiates the S95H's title from the R95H, the S95H OLED serves a much different purpose. Due to its pixel-by-pixel dimming, OLED still provides the most elite contrast out of any type of TV backlighting.

The S95H's contrast ratio is as close to infinite as you could ask for. The black levels are deep and the shadows are sharp to the point of feeling lifelike. Naturally, this is a great option for cinephiles watching in dark rooms. In lit rooms, the S95H's peak brightness of up to 2,500 nits fares better than the vast majority of other OLEDs. (PCMag's Will Greenwald calls it "OLED's new benchmark breakthrough.")

When it was released in April, I referred to the S95H as a "curiously Frame Pro-like OLED TV." I mean, it checks off several art TV boxes: an anti-glare screen, a floating wall mount that lies flush with the wall, an artsy bezel that's silver instead of black... oh, and it's the first Samsung OLED to feature the Samsung Art Store.

The Samsung S95H comes in four sizes. Here's the price breakdown:

• Samsung 55-inch S95H — $2,499.99

• Samsung 65-inch S95H — $3,399.99

• Samsung 77-inch S95H — $4,499.99

• Samsung 83-inch S95H — $6,499.99

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung S95H OLED 4K TV starting at $2,499.99 Shop Now TCL X11L Credit: TCL

The TCL X11L Google TV is the brightest TV of 2026 so far. Released in January, TCL didn't take the RGB route that most of its competitors did. Instead, TCL's new SQD (Super Quantum Dot) backlight absolutely beams at up to 10,000 nits of peak brightness. That unprecedented number is fueled by thousands and thousands of acute local dimming zones: 11,520 zones in the smallest 75-inch model or up to 20,000 in the 100-inch model.

Such a high zone count allows for extremely precise darkening around bright objects, cushioning against haloing. If you don't mess around when it comes to HDR, the TCL X11L would be a supreme choice for a heavy-duty home theater. The X11L would also fare well in rooms where the TV will be competing with lots of windows and direct sunlight.

The X11L's size range is limited to just three options. Here's the price breakdown:

• TCL 75-inch X11L — $4,999.99 ($3,999.99 on sale)

• TCL 85-inch X11L — $7,999.99 ($5,999.99 on sale)

• TCL 98-inch X11L — $9,999.99

If you need something smaller than 75 inches, TCL also dropped two more budget-friendly SQD TV tiers: The QM7L and QM8L.

Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL X11L SQD Mini LED QLED 4K TV starting at $3,999.99 Shop Now Hisense U6 Pro Credit: Hisense

The mini LED Hisense U6 Pro Fire TV is the best budget TV of 2026 so far. It was released in March, wedged comfortably between the entry-level Hisense U6 and the higher-tier Hisense U7.

The U6 Pro has quite a robust full-array local dimming setup for the price: the 65-inch model features 240 dimming zones and reaches 1,200 nits at peak brightness. Early reviewers note its vibrancy and deep black levels (for being a non-OLED TV, that is). Further adding to the U6 Pro's visibility in the daylight or in a lit room at night, the screen is coated with an anti-glare finish to minimize reflections and preserve shadows — a nice touch not often seen on the affordable end of the spectrum.

Its native 144Hz refresh rate, VRR, AMD FreeSync Premium, and two HDMI 2.1 ports make it an unbeatable choice for gaming or watching sports.

The U6 Pro also gets points for its size range. Here's the price breakdown:

• Hisense 55-inch U6 Pro — $849.99 ($597.99 on sale)

• Hisense 65-inch U6 Pro — $1,099.99 ($749.99 on sale)

• Hisense 75-inch U6 Pro — $1,399.99 ($848.99 on sale)

• Hisense 85-inch U6 Pro — $1,999.99 ($1,197.99 on sale)

• Hisense 100-inch U6 Pro — $3,499.99 ($2,297.99 on sale)

Hisense U6 Pro Mini LED QLED 4K TV $529.99 at Amazon
$849.99 Save $320 starting at $849.99 Shop Now at Amazon LG Gallery TV with Frame

The LG Gallery TV with Frame is the best art TV of 2026 so far. As a matte mini LED TV with interchangeable frames, this is the most direct competitor to The Frame or The Frame Pro that LG has ever released. If you're a fan of LG's Magic Remote, you finally have a true artsy non-OLED option that won't risk burn-in if left on all day.

Granted, the LG Gallery TV makes up most of the big art TV news of the year thus far. In the spring, Samsung made negligible updates to The Frame Pro, and Hisense added a 50-inch model to the CanvasTV lineup. We know that the TCL A400 Pro, a long-awaited update to the original NXTVISION TV, exists — it just hasn't been released in the U.S. yet.

It's a bummer that LG only offers the Gallery TV in two sizes as of June, but at least they're practical. Here's the price breakdown:

• LG 55-inch Gallery TV with Frame — $1,299.99

• LG 65-inch Gallery TV with Frame — $1,799.99

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG Gallery TV with Frame Mini LED QNED 4K TV starting at $1,299.99 Shop Now

Sherlock Holmes' sharp, fearless sister Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is all grown up and headed for sunnier European shores, as Enola Holmes 3 throws an international case on her desk and a wedding date on her calendar. 

Based on Nancy Springer's The Enola Holmes Mysteries and adapted by Jack Thorne, the Netflix films have seen the British detective solve the case of the missing mum and the case of the missing sister. Now, with Adolescence director Philip Barantini on a much more upbeat project, Enola Holmes 3 sees her off to Malta. And Enola's got a lot on her plate: She's conflicted about tying the knot, and her famous brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) has been kidnapped, leaving behind only cryptic notebooks for Enola to decipher.

SEE ALSO: 'Enola Holmes 2' includes a real historical event. Here's what happened.

With another playful performance from Brown and her accomplished co-stars, and a Victorian narrative that surprisingly acknowledges Britain's bloody colonial legacy, Enola Holmes 3 files another satisfyingly twisty case for the franchise. And this time, we finally get to hang out properly with Dr. John Watson (Himesh Patel).

Enola Holmes 3 sends Victorian London's heroes to sunnier shores. Louis Partridge and Himesh Patel in "Enola Holmes 3." Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

Leaving the perilous alleyways of Victorian England behind, Enola Holmes 3 sends our young sleuth to sun-drenched Malta, where another adventure awaits: marriage. Despite Sherlock's grumblings about losing that all-important Holmes name to an aristocrat, she's engaged to her dear Lord Ernest Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge). However, Enola's increasingly cold feet lead to something much more chilling: missing family members and a sinister plot.

But while Sherlock's sister may be in a completely new setting, the elements of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work have followed her to Malta — as have the charming Enola Holmes-style collage animations and sketches. Though it's not set on Baker Street, watching Enola teaming up with Watson or in hand-to-hand combat with Moriarty is a pure Sherlockian delight, with the young heroine really getting to step into her brother's shoes this time around — with hand-drawn CSI effects highlighting clues and forensic detail.

Sharon Duncan-Brewster is truly chilling in her unnerving interpretation of the villainous Moriarty. Henry Cavill ruffles his debonair version of the famous detective. And Helena Bonham Carter seems to have a ball as Enola's vigilante mother, Eudoria. Thankfully, we get much more time with Patel as the Watson, as the actor brings charm, elegance, and care to Sherlock's future companion — and watching Enola and Watson bitch about Sherlock's worst habits is long overdue.

Millie Bobby Brown's Enola remains on the case. Millie Bobby Brown in "Enola Homes 3." Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

As the titular heroine, Brown has plenty to balance. While bringing that Holmes-style energy, wit, and curiosity to her investigative side, the star also embraces Enola's struggle with societal expectations, of choosing her now-established career as a Holmes or her marriage as the future Lady Tewkesbury. Enola's Fleabag-style fourth-wall breaking remains an engaging tool for Brown to lean on, though it does have a cheesy "you're probably wondering how I got here" effect at times. Nonetheless, she also kicks ass with impressive stunt sequences, jumping across balconies in burning buildings, firing guns from speeding carriages, and doling out some brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Brown also makes a sweet pair with Partridge, as the film crafts an adorable grown-up romance for the detective and the viscount. And Brown and Cavill's now worn-in relationship as the Detectives Holmes feels authentic, as Enola relies on her brother's teachings to track him down.

Barantini and editor Tommy Boulding weave Enola's memories from the first two films into her present, providing a handy recap of character bonds. But there's still plenty to reveal, secrets which lead Enola Holmes 3 into delicate territory.

Enola Holmes 3 acknowledges British colonialism within its twisty mystery. Henry Cavill in "Enola Holmes 3." Credit: John Wilson / Netflix

It's not the first thing you'd expect in a teen adventure movie, but as an adaptation of Victorian literature, Enola Holmes 3 acknowledges the painful legacy of British colonialism in theme and narrative.

Set within the late 1880s in the Victorian era, the Enola Holmes series has already successfully dabbled in real events, with the Matchgirls Strike fuelling the narrative of Enola Holmes 2. In the third film, the reach of Empire is no abstract concept and instead a present reality, with the Anglo-Afghan Wars factoring into the storyline, and the film's Malta setting as a Crown Colony proving loaded territory for the characters.

The Malta we watch Enola in — as she trawls through crime scenes and chases leads through a carnival — is one of beauty, but also British sovereignty. Maltese characters are openly deemed second-class citizens, and Enola becomes enlightened, especially when she teams up with Mikiel Mizzi (a great Joe Azzopardi) of the real Partito Anti-Riformista, who resist the Crown. This does hinge on virtue-signalling for the heroine, but it's an acknowledgment by the franchise of the realities of the romanticised period.

Exactly how far characters would go "for queen and country" becomes an underlying consideration. Watson reflects on his father's role during British Raj, and Enola realises her wealthy British privilege. However, Enola Holmes 3 is not a history lesson, merely a reflection of the context it's set within.

As the third chapter in this mystery history trilogy, Enola Homes 3 gives our young detective a high stakes case to crack, a sweet, enduring love story, and real-world context to consider.

Enola Holmes 3 is streaming on Netflix July 1.

TL;DR: Luminar Neo is part photo editing app, part quick AI editor, and it’s only $79.99 for life.

Opens in a new window Credit: Luminar Neo The Award-Winning Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle $79.99
$332 Save $252.01   Get Deal

Good photo editing software usually means a monthly subscription that never stops, even in the months you barely shoot. Luminar Neo works differently. It’s a full photo editor for Windows and Mac, the kind you’d use to retouch portraits, fix landscapes, or clean up a busy shot, except it leans on AI to do the slow parts for you. You pay one time instead of every month, and right now this bundle pairs the editor with a course and a stack of add-ons for $79.99 (reg. $332).

What can you do with Luminar Neo?

The AI tools are the reason people switch to Luminar Neo. SkyAI detects the sky in your photo and replaces it in a couple of clicks, so a washed-out gray afternoon becomes a sunset without any masking. RelightAI separates the foreground and background so you can brighten a face without blowing out everything behind it. The Erase tool removes a stray tourist or a power line and fills the gap automatically, and SkinAI smooths and retouches a portrait without making anyone look plastic. If you don’t know where to start, the built-in AI Assistant reads the image and recommends edits based on the objects and colors it finds.

You’ll also be getting a landscape editing course with 20 lessons and nearly three hours of video, plus 35 practice photos to edit along with. On top of that are eight creative packs: Wanderfilm and Fujinon Says presets for film color, Blue Mood and Minimal Nature LUTs for grading, and four sky and overlay sets.

Right now, it’s only $79.99 to get the full Luminar Neo Lifetime Bundle, but it won’t stay that way.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Full-size trucks have come a long way from being work-only tools. Back then, the cab was sparse by design, with a long bench seat that ran from door to door. AM and FM radio stations were the main sources of infotainment, most of which were country if you grew up in the Midwest. The dashboard was a collection of analog gauges and a few knobs. You did not need to consult a YouTube video to turn up the heat or reset the trip odometer.

June was a pretty solid month on Disney+ and Hulu, and boy, did it go out with a bang. Hulu served up its last course of The Bear, while Disney+ lit up the month with James Cameron's $1.5 billion blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash. With June almost in the rear-view mirror, it's time to clear up some space on your watch list for what Disney+ and Hulu have in store for U.S. subscribers in July.

Travel-worthy camera deals at a glance: Best Insta360 deal Insta360 X4 Air Travel Bundle $416.49 at Amazon (save $73.50) Get Deal Best GoPro deal GoPro MAX2 $299 at Amazon (save $200.99) Get Deal

We're just a few days away from July which means it's time for summer travel. From a (warm) trip to Europe, a road trip through national parks, or a weekend away at an Airbnb, it's time to think about how you'll capture the highlights of summer vacations.

Prime Day ended last week, but deals on travel-worthy cameras are still going strong. These compact cameras come packed with features that make them ideal for carrying on a day of adventure, leaving your phone's battery topped up.

SEE ALSO: The 4 best power stations for camping keep you both online and off-grid

If you could use a travel-worthy camera before departure, check out these deals at Amazon.

Best Insta360 deal Opens in a new window Credit: Insta360 Insta360 X4 Air Travel Bundle $416.49 at Amazon
$489.99 Save $73.50   Get Deal Why we like it

If you're looking for a frustration-free travel camera, the Insta360 X4 Air is an excellent choice. And the travel bundle adds to the convenience. For starters, the camera itself weighs only 165 grams, and it records in 8K with a 360-degree view. The travel bundle adds in an invisible selfie stick for extra easy filming.

Best GoPro deal Opens in a new window Credit: GoPro GoPro Max 2 $299 at Amazon
$499.99 Save $200.99   Get Deal Why we like it

On sale for only $299, the GoPro MAX2 is ready to come along on vacation. It's capable of filming a 360-degree view in 8K resolution. From the app, you'll be able to edit footage to find the best angle. Plus, selfie mode automatically does the technical work of capturing a 180-degree view. If you travels will take you near water, the GoPro MAX2 has a durable design and it's waterproof up to 5 meters.

More travel camera deals at Amazon

• DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Essential Combo — $288 $339 (save $51)

• Insta360 X4 Air Starter Bundle — $324.99 $439.99 (save $115)

• DJI Osmo 360 Essential Combo — $389.35 $479 (save $89.65)

In an era where automakers constantly chase new technology, smaller engines, and electrified powertrains, longevity often comes from something much simpler: sticking with what already works. Proven mechanical components and gradual improvements can sometimes be more valuable than the latest innovations, especially for buyers who plan to keep their cars for the long haul.

If you're an HBO Max subscriber in the U.S., your queue is probably already busy as we wrap up June and leap over into July. House of the Dragon is lighting things up with season 3, finally making good on all those chess moves with the sizzling dragon warfare everyone wanted. And Larry David is off butchering American history for laughs just in time for the country's 250th birthday. HBO Max is great at the headliners, but it's the in-between nights that get you—the ones where you scroll forever before landing on a rerun.

There are millions of apps on the Google Play Store, both paid and free, and sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. You know who makes some pretty great apps? Google. I'm not talking about Gmail or Chrome, but apps made by Google that'll earn you money or transform how you manage files on your phone.

Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5 on Tuesday, confirming months of speculation about an upgrade to its mid-tier AI model.

According to the company's official announcement, the new model is designed to be its "most agentic Sonnet model yet." Meaning it is capable of planning, using tools like browsers and terminals, and operating autonomously — all at a level previously reserved for larger, pricier systems.

SEE ALSO: Claude Mythos 5 is back, but only for a select group of US institutions

Anthropic says Sonnet 5 is a substantial improvement on its predecessor, Sonnet 4.6, across reasoning, coding, and knowledge-work benchmarks, and performs close to the company's flagship Opus 4.8 model while costing significantly less to run.

And in an industry increasingly plagued by sticker shock over the price tokens, Sonnet offers a brief respite. The model launches with introductory pricing of $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens through August 31, after which the standard pricing of $3 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens takes effect.

On safety, Anthropic reports Sonnet 5 shows lower rates of hallucination, sycophancy, and other undesirable behaviors than its predecessor, along with improved resistance to prompt-injection attacks. The company noted the model's cybersecurity capabilities remain well below those of its Opus-class and Mythos-class systems, and Sonnet 5 has launched with cyber safeguards enabled by default as a precaution.

Notably absent from Anthropic's announcement: specific figures on those improvements in hallucination rates. The company offers only a general claim of "lower rates" compared to Sonnet 4.6, rather than benchmark data.

The release also made no mention of the model's energy consumption or environmental footprint, a real problem for the AI industry as models grow more capable and computationally intensive.

SEE ALSO: AI data centers could be wrecking the environment faster than we thought

Sonnet 5 is now available across all Claude plans, including Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise tiers, as well as via Claude Code and the Claude Platform via the API under the model name claude-sonnet-5.

The release follows weeks of anticipation in the tech press. As we reported in February, reports have been circulating for some time that Anthropic was preparing a Sonnet update positioned to rival Opus-tier performance at a steep discount — a forecast that tracks with Tuesday's official rollout.

Luxury SUVs have become obsessed with being everything at once. Bigger screens, sharper handling, endless drive modes, and ever-more complicated tech seem to matter more than simply making the cabin a relaxing place to spend time.