IT General

SAVE $142: The new 55-inch Hisense E6 Series QLED 4K Fire TV is on sale on Amazon for just $287.99 (normally $429.99) as of Sept. 10. At 33% off, it's never been cheaper.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 55-inch E6 Series QLED 4K Fire TV $287.99 at Amazon
$429.99 Save $142 Get Deal

We're creeping up on Black Friday season, the absolute best time to find a great deal on a TV. But if your current set isn't doing justice to Thursday night football games, you probably don't want to wait that long to upgrade.

Here's a solid option that'll work for most casual TV watchers: As of Sept. 10, Amazon has the new 55-inch Hisense E6 Series QLED 4K Fire TV on sale for just $287.99. That's 33% off its usual sticker price of $429.99 and its first discount since launching in August, according to the Amazon price-tracking site CamelCamelCamel.

At the time of writing, Amazon was also offering free deluxe delivery and unpacking (a $29.99 value).

For reference, we only saw two 55-inch TVs dip under $300 during Amazon's Prime Day sale in July — another good time for finding TV deals — and only one of them was a QLED. Leah Stodart, our in-house TV expert, recommends these kinds of sets "for people whose TV usage happens mostly in the daytime, especially watching sports," since they're brighter and "better at handling glare" than traditional LED TVs.

SEE ALSO: What's the best time of year to buy a TV? Yes, there's an answer.

The 55-inch QLED TV that was on sale for Prime Day also lacked the AI Light Sensor that Hisense's E6 Series model brings to the table. This automatically adjusts the TV's brightness based on its surroundings.

While not unexpected given its budget price point, the E6 Series' very basic 60Hz refresh rate is a bit of a ding on its spec sheet. For this reason, I don't recommend it for gamers (even though its Game Mode Plus feature promises to reduce input lag). Stick to streaming instead.

Conveniently, there's a built-in Fire TV interface that gives you easy access to all of your go-to streaming apps — no need to tack on a separate media player. It also comes with an Alexa-enabled voice remote for hands-free control. Pick up the Hisense 55-inch E6 Series for just $287.99 now and enjoy the rest of football season in style.

TL;DR: The Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro is packed with thousands of retro and 3D games, 4K support, dual operating systems, and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity — all for $89.97 (reg. $159.99) with free shipping.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kinhank Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator $89.97
$159.99 Save $70.02 Get Deal

Summer may be fading, but that doesn’t mean your entertainment has to. If you’re looking for a way to spice up your evenings as the days get shorter, the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator & Streaming Console is a smart option — especially at just $89.97 (down from the list price of $159.99) with free shipping.

This compact powerhouse comes pre-loaded with thousands of games across 60+ emulators, meaning you can jump straight into classics like Street Fighter II, Pac-Man, or Sonic the Hedgehog — or load up more modern titles with its Android 9.0 system. With dual operating systems (EmuELEC 4.5 for retro and Android 9.0 for apps), it’s not just a nostalgia trip; it’s a full-blown entertainment hub.

SEE ALSO: Save $150 on the Samsung Odyssey G50D gaming monitor at Amazon

And yes, it looks great doing it. Thanks to a Mali-G31 GPU and 4K UHD output, gameplay is sharp, smooth, and ready for any screen in your house. Want to stream Netflix or YouTube after your game session? Switch over to Android mode, kick back, and stream away.

Multiplayer support makes it easy to hand controllers to your friends or family, while dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 keep everything connected and seamless. Plus, it’s plug-and-play, so setup is about as quick as choosing which retro classic to boot up first.

You get retro gaming, 3D game support, streaming apps, and thousands of titles without hunting down dusty old cartridges. And right now, you get it for nearly half off. Not a bad way to transition from summer nights to fall weekends.

Pick up the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro (with two controllers and a remote) while it’s still on sale for $89.97 (list price of $159.99) with free shipping.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

If you’ve been using Windows for quite some time now, then you must have heard about God Mode. Don’t worry if you haven’t heard about it before, as I will share everything about Windows God Mode and how it completely changed the way I use my Windows PC.

TL;DR: Get a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac for just $59.97 (reg. $219), but only through Sept. 14.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $59.97
$219 Save $159.03 Get Deal

If you’re a Mac user juggling work, home projects, or running a business, this one’s worth your attention. Right now, you can grab a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac for just $59.97 (reg. $219). Pay once, and you’ll have the full suite — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and OneNote — forever. But heads up: this price is only good through Sept. 14.

Think about it. That means no more annoying monthly fees or yearly renewals. Once you install Office 2021 on your Mac, you’re set for life. You’ll have the tools you need to draft proposals, crunch numbers, build polished presentations, keep up with email, and collaborate with Teams — all without worrying about subscription reminders hitting your inbox.

SEE ALSO: Need a laptop on a tablet budget? This Chromebook is on sale for under $100.

Office 2021 also brings modern upgrades to the apps you already know. Excel offers improved data analysis features, PowerPoint has advanced presentation tools, and Outlook comes with better search and management features. It’s designed to keep your workflow sharp and your productivity high, whether you’re running a business solo or working with a team.

Think of it this way: a lifetime license to Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac retails for $219, and you’re locking it in today for way less. No monthly charges, no looming renewal notices—just the tools you already rely on, updated and ready to go.

It’s the perfect time to future-proof your workflow in one quick move.

Get a lifetime license to MS Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac for just $59.97 (reg. $219) when you order through Sept. 14.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Yes, in A Useful Ghost, there's a make-out scene between a man and a vacuum cleaner. Several actually. And none in the way you'd imagine. (Unless... were you immediately imagining nipple play?)

Admittedly, the image of a man cradling a vacuum in the movie's trailer is what put it toward the top of my must-sees out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. I value cinema that shows me something I've never seen before. And I assure you, this wild Thai comedy has a lot of things you've never seen before.

On the surface, it's the tale — well, tales — of ghosts who have possessed vacuum cleaners to reconnect to the people they've left behind. But incredibly, writer/director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke builds within this undeniably silly premise interwoven stories of love, yearning, and political rebellion.

Incredibly, he does all that in a way that makes just talking about this movie feel like recounting a fever dream. It's little wonder the film won the Critics' Week Grand Prix out of the Cannes Film Festival and has been chosen by Thailand as its submission to the Academy Awards for the international feature film category. It's a marvel.

A Useful Ghost is a rapturous Russian doll of a story.

Boonbunchachoke births one story from another from another. His film begins with a self-proclaimed "Academic Ladyboy" (Wisarut Homhuan), who buys a new vacuum to bust the dust coming in from a withering stone monument outside a humble apartment. Dust and vacuums will become a recurring element of each subsequent story, representing the persistent affliction of a paved-over past and the societal pressure to sweep it away instead of confronting it.

Buying a vacuum becomes a life-changing affair, because this ladyboy's new device is haunted — or so says the hot repairman named Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjud), who comes to fix it. With a smoldering gaze, he tells a tale of two other haunted vacuums. The first is of a vengeful spirit who afflicted a family-owned vacuum factory. The second is of that factory owner's son March (Wisarut Himmarat), who was so lost in grief over the death of his wife Nat (Davika Hoorne) that she was compelled to return — as a vacuum, painted as red as her dyed hair.

Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon), the factory owner, wasn't fond of Nat while she was alive. She's even less a fan now that Nat's a vacuum, sucking on March's nipples with her bristle attachment. A monk visiting the haunted factory notes that ghosts return because they remember and are remembered. Essentially, as a ghost is forgotten by the living, they fade into nothingness. So, Suman decides to electroshock the memories of Nat right out of March's head.

However, before Nat is fully faded, Suman's family learns that Nat has a unique skill for entering the dreams of the living. There, she can better understand the haunting ghosts of Thailand. And once this "useful ghost" has identified them, these unuseful ghosts can be extinguished by electroshocking their loved ones into forgetting them.

Listening to this story, the Academic Ladyboy is repulsed by Nat's willingness to turn on her own to maintain what she has. From there, Boonbunchachoke digs deeper into political allegory through a plotline involving a politician who wishes Nat to eradicate the ghosts of those killed in a political massacre. And just like that, this silly story has a powerful message that's achingly timely.

Kink and queerness come into play in A Useful Ghost.

In the opening line of Boonbunchachoke's film, he identifies the audience conduit as a LGBTQ+ person, the Academic Ladyboy, defined chiefly by his queerness and his intellectual curiosity. Later, when March's mother is being dressed down by her in-laws over her parenting, they scold her for raising her eldest gay and her second son to make out with a vacuum. This paired with a sprinkling of love scenes between March and vacuum Nat and several gay sex scenes suggests a throughline between these loves, deemed outside the norm of an older, conservative, and ruthless faction.

Queerness itself is celebrated in A Useful Ghost. The Academic Ladyboy is a compassionate listener to Krong's winding tale. Their connection is instant, sizzling, and satisfyingly resolved. Another subplot explores how homophobia in Thailand creates heartache and ghosts with unfinished business. Meanwhile, March's gay brother — though sneered at by his aunts and uncles — is shown only as joyful and loving with his husband and their son, though they discuss moving abroad to Australia.

Nat and March are straight, but once she's embodied in a vacuum, they no longer fall within the acceptable heterocentric norms of his family and a band of monks, who swarm her and call her a "thick cunt" while they attempt to banish her. In this way, Nat becomes subjected to hatred over who she loves because of the body she inhabits. And while this analogy might sound obvious, it plays out subtly because Boonbunchachoke's story is so surprising and strange, you may be focusing more on what the fuck is happening next while you watch, only to reflect on what it all means later. And I can't stop thinking about A Useful Ghost. Its outrageous jokes, earnest romance, and gnarly twists are unforgettable.

This film's collision of queerness, comedy, and politics should draw Boonbunchachoke comparisons to John Waters or Pedro Almodóvar. But the finale, which turns sharper and deliciously menacing, feels more in line with the political satires of Bong Joon Ho. With A Useful Ghost, Boonbunchachoke delivers a a delirious vision, a hilarious and thought-provoking comedy that demands to be seen and adored. It's just phenomenal.

A Useful Ghost was reviewed out of 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.

Microsoft Edge feels like a billboard more than a browser, which is why I've never used it as my default. Recently, though, I installed Windows on a laptop that was too old to run even a regular browser, so I ended up spending some time with Edge. Turns out, it can be a solid browser with a few tweaks.

Conservative political leader Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah college on Sept. 9, as reported by President Donald Trump and the New York Times.

Kirk was an outspoken MAGA media figure and the leader of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth activist organization. Kirk rose to social media prominence in 2012 at just 18, and in the years since, he transformed Turning Point USA into an influential conservative political operation. Kirk traveled the country hosting caustic debates where he could express his strong right-wing stances as an opponent of abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and gun control.

As gruesome videos of the shooting spread online, President Donald Trump, politicians from across the political spectrum, fans, and critics alike shared messages of thoughts and prayers. On his Truth Social social networking site, the President wrote, "We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!"

Soon after, the President announced that Kirk had been killed. "The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social, adding, “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us."

Mashable is choosing not to share videos of the shooting, which shows Kirk speaking to a large crowd at a Utah Valley University event. The video shows Kirk responding to a question about mass shootings while sitting underneath a Turning Point USA tent emblazoned with the messages "Prove Me Wrong" and “The American Comeback.” As he speaks, his head suddenly rocks back, and he suffers a grievous neck wound as the crowd panics and runs from the scene.

The New York Times reported that a shooter fired a single shot from a building some 200 yards from Kirk. The Times initially reported that a suspect had been taken into custody at the scene, but later wrote that police have since determined that the individual was not the shooter. NBC News reported that no suspects are in custody at this time, citing a Utah Valley University spokesperson.

Social media users shared videos of an older white man being taken into custody; however, misleading video clips often go viral in the aftermath of a tragedy, and internet sleuths have a history of misidentifying suspects in the aftermath of a shooting.

Major political and public figures shared messages of shock, horror, and sympathy following the shooting.

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Charlie Kirk belonged to a political party whose members routinely send Christmas card pics of their entire families, adults and children, bearing rifles and handguns – and who widely wear AR-15 lapel pins. Facts.

— Dr. Jack Brown (@drjackbrown.bsky.social) September 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

UPDATE: Sep. 11, 2025, 11:45 a.m. EDT This story has been updated to provide additional context about Kirk's political beliefs.

A Mars rock sample collected last summer shows chemical fingerprints that might be traces of past microbe activity, though non-biological explanations are still possible, according to NASA.

The Perseverance rover found the rock in July 2024. The drilled sample, nicknamed Sapphire Canyon, is now the strongest clue scientists have that life once existed on ancient Mars, according to the U.S. space agency. 

NASA held a news conference Wednesday to announce that the rover's findings have since passed peer review in the journal Nature, a key step in the scientific process to ensure the evidence is solid. Associate administrator Nicky Fox emphasized that the sample does not contain life itself but a fossilized remnant that suggests life had possibly been there. 

"It's kind of the equivalent of seeing … leftovers from a meal, and maybe that meal has been excreted by a microbe," she said. 

But whether this possible sign of life will ever be confirmed remains to be seen. Right now the sample is still on Mars, and it's unclear whether a NASA mission will ever bring it back to Earth for further analysis, crucial for getting to the point of certainty. In January, before President Donald Trump took office, NASA officials said they were working on two potential new approaches for Mars Sample Return that could cut costs. The decision for how to proceed would ultimately fall on the Trump administration, whose budget request calls for cancellation of this mission. 

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, who Trump tapped to lead the agency two months ago, seemed disconcerted by the series of questions from reporters focusing on the mission and its funding rather than the research, which was announced last year. 

"We got some of the brightest people at NASA with us," Duffy said during the event. "I was hoping your questions were going to be more on this exciting news that we have today."

SEE ALSO: NASA's Mars rovers had a gangbusters summer of rocks The sample, taken from a site called Cheyava Falls,  is one of 27 rock cores the rover has collected since landing on the Red Planet in February 2021. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

The sample, taken from a rock called Cheyava Falls, is one of 27 rock cores the rover has collected in tubes since landing on the Red Planet in February 2021. The Martian location where it was found was in Neretva Vallis, home to a bygone river that once emptied water into Jezero Crater, the region Perseverance has been exploring. 

The rock is a reddish, clay-rich mudstone, with speckles and leopard spots that hint at chemical reactions similar to those that some microbes use for energy here on Earth. It contains organic carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, and iron-rich minerals that could have supported tiny life forms billions of years ago. Though these minerals can also form without living things, the local conditions make a non-biological explanation seem less likely. 

"When we see features like this in sediment on Earth, minerals are often the byproduct of microbial metabolisms that are consuming organic matter and making these minerals as a result of those reactions," said Joel Hurowitz, lead author of the Nature paper. "But there are non-biological ways to make these features that we cannot completely rule out."

For example, an alternate way to make an iron-sulfide mineral known as greigite, detected in the sample, could be to heat the rock, said Hurowitz, a planetary scientist at Stony Brook University — essentially cooking those ingredients to create a new mineral phase.

Perseverance scientists say they've exhausted what they can learn about the sample with the car-sized rover's instruments. Back home, researchers could better inspect the material. Advanced tools could search for complex organic molecules, DNA, cell structures, and more. 

Without the sample in hand, scientists will continue to pore over the rover's data by testing surrogate ingredients in laboratories, especially to see if they can create similar results in non-biological ways.

Mars Sample Return has been in limbo since a review found it would cost upward of $11 billion and take nearly two decades to achieve. NASA engaged the greater aerospace industry for input on how to wrangle in spending and development last year. Several companies suggested a variety of ideas, which Mashable reported, including repurposing Artemis moon landers and rethinking the last leg of the journey. 

The mission is not off the table, said the acting administrator, who is also the U.S. transportation secretary, and the agency will continue to explore cost-saving options to make it feasible. 

"If we don't have the resources for the right missions, or the right people, I will go to the president, I'll go to the Congress, I'll ask for more money," he said. "I feel pretty confident that with the money that we've been given in the president's budget, we can accomplish our mission."

President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill was passed in July, and part of that bill was the new "no tax on tips" law that would allow workers to earn tips and not have to declare them on taxes. The U.S. Treasury released a list of professions that were eligible for this law last week. Somewhat surprisingly, content creators of various types made the list. 

The list mostly includes the stuff you would expect, including bartenders, wait staff, food servers, gambling employees like dealers, dancers (yep, those types), ushers, lobby attendants, bellhops, and entertainers. 

Tucked into the list is “Digital Content Creators,” which the Treasury defines as people who "produce and publish on digital platforms original entertainment or personality-driven content, such as live streams, short-form videos, or podcasts."

SEE ALSO: How content creators are redefining Hollywood's power structure

Comedians, singers, musicians, and DJs are also included. These types of performers are often seen on streaming platforms like Twitch, so this law covers them both. 

There are some caveats to the law. The tax deduction is capped at $25,000 per year, which popular streamers will likely surpass. In addition, the law says that tips can’t be written off if they are received “in the course of certain specified trades or businesses — including the fields of health, performing arts, and athletics.” 

Regardless, it will likely change how streamers and content creators make money to ensure they get as close to that $25,000 cap as possible. Tipping, often referred to as "donations," has been a main revenue driver for content creators, particularly streamers on Twitch and other platforms. Per a study conducted in 2024, 19 percent of large influencers reported receiving tips from their audience across all platforms. That number is likely much higher on streaming platforms on Twitch. 

Since the law incentivizes receiving tips, it’s not a giant leap to assume that this will change how the content creator industry seeks revenue outside of the standard stuff like advertising. As The Hollywood Reporter deftly put it, don’t be surprised if content creators start asking people to like, subscribe, and tip.

About a year ago, I read a comment on Reddit suggesting that instead of dealing with fan curves and sudden noise jumps, you could just run your CPU cooler at a constant speed. Naturally, I had to try this out. Almost a year later, I still run my CPU cooler at a steady RPM.

Bluesky is rolling out age verification in the states of South Dakota and Wyoming for users to access features like messaging and adult content. This is in response to new laws passed in both states that require platforms hosting "harmful" content to verify the ages of their users.

Ford’s SUVs have built a reputation for combining everyday usability with strong performance, but reliability is often the deciding factor for many buyers. In 2025, Ford’s lineup spans everything from compact crossovers to full-size family haulers, making it one of the most diverse offerings in the segment. With so many choices, knowing which models stand out for long-term dependability is crucial.

Apple’s brand new slim iPhone is official in the form of the iPhone Air. Pretty much every detail was leaked prior to the big event, including the name. One thing that wasn’t really spoken about, however, was 5G performance.

The iPhone 17 Pro is here — and so are a bunch of fake iPhone 17 Pro videos.

Apple announced the new iPhone 17 Pro (and Pro Max) at its event on Tuesday. You can preorder the new phones starting Friday, Sept. 12, and shipping begins on Sept. 19. But, of course, some folks have already gotten their hands on the phones for demos — like MrBeast, apparently, who was at the event for some reason.

But other creators are also sharing fake videos of the iPhone 17 Pro, which show them demoing features that don't actually exist. One viral video on Instagram Reels, with 1.5 million likes and 130 million views, depicts the Cosmic Orange phone with a rotating camera array that reveals a hidden selfie screen. Search for the iPhone 17 on Instagram, and fake videos like this fill the top results for Reels posts.

Based on the comments, most users can tell the videos are fake.

"yeah it’s going to take them 10 more years for this feature," one person commented.

"It would have been more realistic if you held the other phone in your left hand. It looks like you have two right hands," another person wrote under the video.

The video with the swiveling camera array comes from VFX artist Roman Bykov (@bykovfx), who has shared other viral videos of the iPhone 17 Pro. One of the creator's videos shows an iPhone that can change colors with a tap on the case. (Sadly, the iPhone 17 Pro doesn't come in green or red.) Another shows the flagship phone with a second display on the back, which can be used for scrolling through messages.

Sadly, iPhone does not make an iPhone with a heat-sensitive, color-changing body. Credit: Screenshot courtesy of Instagram / Roman Bykov

The new iPhone 17 Pro does have an impressive selfie camera. It has up to 18MP, compared to the 12MP on previous models, and can automatically flip orientation depending on what it sees in the photo. That means you don't have to flip your whole phone to get a selfie with a wide group. The back-facing camera also has triple 48MP fusion cameras and an ultrawide lens.

The viral videos of the iPhone 17 Pro are clearly altered, but they could still fool unsuspecting viewers.

There are plenty of ways to tell if a video isn't quite right. If it's a video you suspect is using AI, check out our handy guide for identifying AI-generated videos. If you suspect a video is using a factory fake or dummy iPhone model, look at the camera bumps — that's usually a good giveaway for phony Apple products. Finally, always make sure you're viewing videos from a reputable source, not a visual effects artist.

The iPhone 17 range was announced yesterday, and it's a pretty different lineup to anything we've seen before. And Apple really wants you to buy it. So much so that it has not only discontinued the iPhone 16 Pro range, but it has also nerfed the regular iPhone 16 phones, too.

Apple held its "Awe Dropping" event on Tuesday, announcing the iPhone 17, new Apple watches, and more.

But it seems the internet is...less than awed by how things went. For starters, folks don't seem to be thrilled about the design of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. In fact, the whole event seems to have made people nostalgic for old Apple events, so much so that they're posting clips of Steve Jobs hosting past keynotes.

With his iconic blue jeans, white sneakers, and black turtleneck, Jobs introduced truly world-changing products live on stage.

Here's a clip of Jobs creatively unveiling the MacBook Air, for instance, which has racked up 13,000 likes.

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In contrast, yesterday's Apple event was entirely pre-recorded and mostly focused on iterative improvements to existing products. Compare Jobs' style with the somewhat understated unveiling of the iPhone Air on Tuesday.

Alternate Timeline: Steve Jobs with the MacBook Air at Macworld 2008, but now it's iPhone Air.

[image or embed]

— Computer Clan (@computerclan.com) September 9, 2025 at 3:25 PM This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Or here's a clip posted a few days ago of Jobs showing off the iPod Nano.

20 years ago today, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPod nano.

[image or embed]

— Basic Apple Guy (@basicappleguy.com) September 7, 2025 at 11:28 AM

There were also lots of posts about how disappointed Jobs would be with the most recent event.

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Of course, nostalgia makes everything seem better in retrospect. Humans have been lamenting the good ol' days since the invention of language. But it probably does speak to the state of how folks feel about Apple that they're posting nostalgic clips of Steve Jobs instead of geeking out over the iPhone 17.

I have long not been a Google guy, but I still considered Pixel phones to be devices I could easily recommend to others. Google's approach to AI has changed that. I no longer feel comfortable using or recommending these phones.

Apple announced the latest Apple Watches on Tuesday. Leading up to the event, rumors were swirling that the Series 11 and Ultra 3 Apple Watches were going to make their debut alongside the iPhone 17, and we can now officially confirm that to be true. The Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 are available for preorder now, and will ship on Sept. 19.

The Apple Watch Series 11 will now feature the Liquid Glass display. Credit: Apple

The last round of Apple Watches to drop came September 2024, at Apple's "It's Glowtime" event, where the Series 10 made its debut. This year, Apple kicked off its Apple Watch presentation, showcasing the life-saving capabilities of the Apple Watch before revealing the new models.

Where to preorder the new Apple Watches Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Best Buy Pre-Order Here Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Best Buy Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Apple Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Amazon Pre-Order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Best Buy Pre-Order Here

The Series 11 is the thinnest and most comfortable model with an ionized glass watch face, making it more scratch-resistant. Plus, it's 5G compatible for more coverage. As expected, it comes with watchOS 26, which features the Liquid Glass display.

New features coming to the Series 11 Apple Watch are focused on health, including blood pressure monitoring to alert users to hypertension. They're also improving sleep data, providing a sleep score, a similar data point found in wellness trackers like Oura and Whoop.

Most importantly, Apple is improving the battery life on the Apple Watch to support the new features, bringing it up to 24 hours from 18.

The Apple Watch SE 3, remains the most affordable smart watch from the brand. Credit: Apple

Also debuting this year is the Apple Watch SE 3, with the S10 chip. While it's a more affordable model, it now supports gestures and an always-on display. Its health features are expanding with sleep apnea detection and temperature sensing. Plus, you can now play music from the SE.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is geared toward the outdoor athlete. Credit: Apple

Apple Watch Ultra 3 is also coming with an increased screen size without upgrading the case size — now the largest watch face on an Apple Watch. It's doubling down on its satellite capabilities for athletes going off the grid, supported by its 42-hour battery life.

The Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $399, while the SE 3 starts at $249, and the Ultra 3 at $799. All models are available now for preorder and will ship on Sept. 19.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 11 $399 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch SE 3 $249 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 3 $799 at Apple
Pre-order Here

For more Live Apple Event coverage, follow Mashable's live blog and get real-time updates on the iPhone 17, Apple Watch Series 11, and AirPods Pro 3 launch.

All the new Apple products you can preorder at Amazon: Now available Apple AirPods Pro 3 $249 Pre-Order Here Now available Apple Watch Series 11 Starting at $399 Pre-Order Here Now available Apple Watch Ultra 3 Starting at $799 Pre-Order Here Now available Apple Watch SE 3 Starting at $249 Pre-Order Here

Apple's big September event went off without a hitch. The company unveiled a handful of expected but welcomed new products, including a new iPhone lineup, next-generation AirPods Pro, and a round of Apple Watch upgrades. While most products won't start shipping until Sept. 19, you can be sure to secure the goods by preordering in advance.

While the base iPhone 17, ultra-thin iPhone Air, and ugly iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max (sorry) aren't up for preorder until Friday, Sept. 12, you can lock in your order for the other new Apple products at Amazon as of Sept. 10. We've rounded up the details for you below.

AirPods Pro 3

A much-needed upgrade, the new Apple AirPods Pro 3 feature better noise cancellation (twice as effective as the second-generation earbuds), better battery life (eight hours with ANC, 10 hours in transparency mode), and new foam-infused tips that are allegedly more comfortable and fit more snugly in your ears. They also brought the heart rate monitoring tech from the Powerbeats Pro 2 (our favorite earbuds for working out) and Fitness app compatibility to the Pro 3s, and introduced a live translation feature. The most surprising aspect, however, is the price tag. In a world where everything is getting more expensive, the AirPods Pro 3 retail for the same price as the previous generation: $249.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple AirPods Pro 3 $249 at Amazon
Pre-order Here Apple Watch Series 11

The Apple Watch Series 11 is more of a minor upgrade, bringing improvements to battery life, hardware, and connectivity. It sports an S11 chip and a tougher design with durable glass that's twice as resistant to scratches. It's now 5G-capable for quicker connectivity and can last a full day per charge (which still could be better). The biggest standout is a hypertension tool designed to flag chronic high blood pressure (though it shouldn't replace a doctor). It starts at $399, just like the Series 10.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 11 From $399 Pre-order Here Apple Watch Ultra 3

The premium, heavy-duty Apple Watch Ultra 3 features a bigger, brighter, and easier-to-read display, 5G and satellite connectivity, and the longest battery life of any Apple Watch at 42 hours. It comes in new black and natural titanium finishes for a stealthier or sleeker look. Of course, as the top-of-the-line model, it'll cost you. The Ultra 3 starts at $799.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Ultra 3 From $799 Pre-order Here Apple Watch SE 3

Apple's most affordable smartwatch also got an upgrade. The Apple Watch SE 3 now features faster charging, gesture support, on-device Siri, temperature sensing, and expanded health tracking. It's certainly more capable than its predecessors, but still pretty basic in terms of features compared to the Series 11 and Ultra 3. Of course, that's because it's designed to be a budget-friendly introductory device that starts at just $249.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch SE 3 From $249 Pre-order Here

Google came for the wired it girls at its Made by Google showcase last month. The tech giant played a sponsored episode of Kareem Rahma's SubwayTakes talk show during the event, in which Rahma and his fellow comedian Amber Singletary ripped on wired earbuds for looking "sloppy," "dumb," and "not cool."

"The only thing they [wired earbuds] do is get tangled," Rahma said, speaking into a corded mic, to which Singletary replied, also into a corded mic, "Yeah, they get tangled and now you look stupid."

Someone in SubwayTakes' Instagram comments section said it best: "Wow this is the easiest disagree ever." I firmly believe that wired earphones are actually good and worth using in 2025, at least when it comes to Apple's iconic EarPods.

I recently replaced my $249 AirPods Pro with a pair of those $19 wired guys, and they're probably the last pair of Apple earbuds I'll ever buy (or rebuy). Even the new AirPods Pro 3 don't tempt me.

Apple EarPods (USB-C) $15.99 at Amazon
$19 Save $3.01 Shop Now I wanted to love the Pros, I really did

Admittedly, I desperately wanted to like the AirPods Pro. I purchased Apple's original in-ear, noise-canceling wireless earbuds back in 2020, wanting a pair to wear during flights and workouts. I'd read the write-ups lauding their clear audio, great ANC, and comfortable in-ear fit. (They're "[probably] the most comfortable in-ear buds I've ever worn," Mashable's reviewer said at the time.) 

As an added bonus, I managed to find them on sale for nearly $100 off. The stars seemed to be aligning.

Anyone in the market for a pair of gently used first-generation AirPods Pro? Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Eager to try Apple's best earbuds and still riding the high of scoring a good deal, I took my AirPods Pro on a long walk as their maiden voyage. I remember them not feeling the most snug, but it was winter, so I was wearing a tight beanie that kept them in my ears. Back home, I took their Ear Tip Fit Test and swapped their silicone ear tips for a different set — they came with three — convincing myself that they fit much better afterward (mistake No. 1). Their instability was surely just user error.

SEE ALSO: Apple AirPods Pro 3 are officially here, bringing improved battery life and heart rate monitoring

Several more walks transpired before I finally accepted the fact that my AirPods Pro actually didn't fit well at all, no matter which ear tip I used. We were incompatible. Naturally, this only registered after their return period ended (mistake No. 2).

I kept using my AirPods Pro while it was still cold enough to wear a beanie outside. But once summer came, they took up permanent residence in a dusty corner of a desk drawer. Apple doesn't accept AirPods for trade-ins, only recycling, leaving me out of luck unless I wanted to resell them — and I figured no one would buy buds that a stranger had dunked in their waxy meatus.

The AirPods Pro's in-ear design just doesn't work for me. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

I've been wearing over-ear headphones in the years since, but still yearned for a more portable option. 

In late August, I unearthed a pair of EarPods in an old backpack — the ones with the 3.5mm audio jack that Apple used to include with every iPhone (up until the iPhone 12). They have round, plastic earphones that sit on the edge of your ear canal, not inside it, a design that worked well for me back when I did most of my listening on an iPod nano. I figured they were worth another shot.

While EarPods aren't free anymore, Apple sells them for just $19 with three connection options: the OG 3.5mm plug, Lightning, and USB-C. I bought a pair of the USB-C version to go with my iPhone 15 Pro and MacBook Pro — on sale for $18.50, no less. They're just as comfy as I remember and sound perfectly fine for my casual music- and podcast-listening purposes, so they come with me almost everywhere.

You simply can't argue with $19

For me, the EarPods' perfect fit trumps a need for other fancy features. I can't enjoy the AirPods Pro's ANC or spatial audio when they're constantly falling out of my ears. But that's not the only reason they've become my earbuds of choice.

I <3 wires. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

While the "inconvenience" of the corded design is often treated like an indisputable truth, I'd argue that it's mostly subjective. You might hate a wire because it can get caught on your arms or knotted in a pocket. Science says the latter is basically inevitable, so I'll concede this point.

Still, the wire has its merits. It prevents my EarPods from getting separated, makes it so that I never get low-battery anxiety, and averts audio latency and Bluetooth pairing issues — all while letting people know that they shouldn't talk to me. The range! I'm cool with the EarPods' occasional Tangela cosplay, all things considered.

SEE ALSO: Don't break the bank: The best budget earbuds, tested by our audio experts

Moreover, there's something so liberating about not having to be precious with my earbuds. (For reference, replacing one lost AirPods Pro earbud costs $89, or more than four times as much.) From a cost per value standpoint, EarPods are easily the best product Apple sells for under $20 — the other contenders being the infamous Polishing Cloth, an extension cable, and a few adapters. It's not even a contest.

This is mostly why I haven't tried the $129 AirPods 4 yet, which have a similar but more oval plastic "open-ear" design that seems like it might work for me. It's also why I'm not chomping at the bit to upgrade to the new AirPods Pro 3 even though their reworked design involves two extra ear tip sizes. I've learned that I can get by with wired earbuds that cost thirteen times less — and I'm not going to have a panic attack if they break or wander off.

The EarPods are one of my on-the-go essentials. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Ask yourself: Have you avoided using EarPods because cords are truly incompatible with your day-to-day life, or just because you feel a compulsion to buy the latest tech? Join me on the wired side. The sound quality is good enough, the cover charge is cheap, and the haters are low-key still using other corded devices.

Apple EarPods (USB-C) $15.99 at Amazon
$19 Save $3.01 Shop Now