Technology

Whether you're a Windows convert new to macOS or are curious about life on the “other side,” here are the key file system differences between the PC and the Mac that you need to know to seamlessly transfer files and data between the two systems.

If you need another reason to reconsider using an AI chatbot as your therapist, take it from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

In a recent appearance on This Past Weekend with Theo Von, Altman admitted to the comedian that the AI industry hasn’t yet solved the issue of user privacy when it comes to sensitive conversations. Unlike a licensed professional, an AI doesn’t offer doctor-patient confidentiality, and legally, your most personal chats aren’t protected.

SEE ALSO: How many people use ChatGPT? Hint: OpenAI sees more than 1 billion prompts per day.

"People talk about the most personal shit in their lives to ChatGPT," Altman said. "Young people especially use it as a therapist, a life coach, asking about relationship problems and what to do."

But there’s a major difference: "Right now, if you talk to a therapist or a lawyer or a doctor about those problems, there’s legal privilege for it... We haven’t figured that out yet for when you talk to ChatGPT."

Without confidentiality protections, anything said in an AI therapy session could be accessed or even subpoenaed in court. The AI industry currently operates in a legal gray area, as the Trump administration continues to navigate the clash between federal and state authority over AI regulation.

While a few federal laws targeting deepfakes exist, how user data from AI chats can be used still depends heavily on state laws. This patchwork of regulations creates uncertainty — especially around privacy — which could hinder broader user adoption. Adding to the concern, AI models already rely heavily on online data for training and, in some cases, are now being asked to produce user chat data in legal proceedings.

In the case of ChatGPT specifically, OpenAI is currently required to retain records of all user conversations — even those users have deleted — due to its ongoing legal battle with The New York Times. The company is challenging the court’s ruling and is actively seeking to have it overturned.

"No one had to think about that even a year ago," Altman said, calling the situation "very screwed up."

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

Back in the day, messing up in a game didn't just set you back—it completely ended your run. While many modern games are difficult, they’re rarely punishing. This can completely kill the stakes, and it's why I want real punishment to make a comeback.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

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

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

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

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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 Mini crossword answers, hints for July 26, 2025 Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Skateboard

• Green: How a horse moves

• Blue: Track stars

• Purple: Rookie shot callers

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Parts of a Skateboard

• Green: Gaits of a Horse

• Blue: First Names of U.S Track and Field Stars

• Purple: First-year NFL Head Coaches

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

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

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #306 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Parts of a Skateboard - GDECK, GRIP TAPE, TRUCK, WHEELS

• Gaits of a Horse - CANTER, GALLOP, TROT, WALK

• First Names of U.S Track and Field Stars - GABBY, NOAH, SHA'CARRI, SYDNEY

• First-year NFL Head Coaches - COEN, GLENN, MOORE, SCHOTTENHEIMER

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

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

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

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

Are you avoiding Linux because you've heard NVIDIA support is a nightmare? Or do you want to buy a new NVIDIA GPU for your current Linux PC and are wondering about potential issues? Well, here are five distros with native NVIDIA graphics support that should work perfectly from day one.

Compared to most other forms of entertainment, video games haven't been around for long. Despite this, almost every gaming genre has dramatically changed since its inception, which makes it easy to forget where they all began.

NBA superstar LeBron James has become one of the first major celebrities to push back against the unauthorized use of his likeness in AI-generated content. James' legal team recently issued a cease-and-desist letter to FlickUp, the company behind the AI image-generation tool Interlink AI.

According to a report from 404 Media, FlickUp disclosed the legal action to members of its Discord community in late June. The Interlink AI tool, hosted on the server, allowed users to create AI-generated videos of high-profile NBA players, including James, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokić, and others. While many of the videos were harmless, some crossed the line into disturbing territory, like a prominent image of the Los Angeles Laker embracing his pregnant belly.

SEE ALSO: AI actors and deepfakes aren't coming to YouTube ads. They're already here.

One of the most widely viewed videos created with Interlink AI depicted an AI-generated Sean "Diddy" Combs sexually assaulting Curry in a prison setting, while James appears standing passively in the background. That video alone reportedly amassed over 6.2 million views on Instagram.

404 Media confirmed with FlickUp founder Jason Stacks that James' legal team was behind the cease-and-desist letter. Within 30 minutes of receiving it, Stacks said he decided to "remove all realistic people from Interlink AI’s software." Stacks also posted a video addressing the situation, captioned simply: "I’m so f**ked."

LeBron James is among a growing list of celebrities whose likenesses have been used without consent in disturbing AI-generated content. Pop star Taylor Swift has been repeatedly targeted with deepfake pornography, while Scarlett Johansson and Steve Harvey have both publicly condemned the misuse of their images and voiced support for legislation to curb it. However, James stands out as one of the first to take formal legal action against a company enabling this type of content through its AI tools.

Several bills are currently making their way through Congress to address the rise of nonconsensual AI-generated content. The recently passed Take It Down Act criminalizes the publication or threat to publish intimate imagery without consent, including deepfakes and AI-generated pornography. Two additional proposals — the NO FAKES Act of 2025 and the Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act of 2025 — have also been introduced.

The NO FAKES Act focuses on preventing unauthorized AI replication of a person’s voice, while the latter seeks to safeguard original works and enforce transparency around AI-generated media.

Honda is giving its best-selling SUV a rugged twist for 2026, and it’s more than just a styling update. With the Trailsport trim, this SUV gains real off-road upgrades, like all-terrain tires, improved ground clearance, and revised suspension tuning.

Do you ever wish you had a way to message people long-distance without the need for cell networks or a Wi-Fi connection, or even satellites? You're going to want to hear about a tiny, cheap radio I bought and connected to my smartphone.

Are you still installing apps on your NAS from your manufacturer’s app store? It’s time to stop. I only trust Docker for installing apps on my NAS, instead of using a native app store. Why? Well, there are several reasons, and almost all of it centers around security.

There isn’t much I love more than a good crime thriller, and these days, they’re all over the place. With their gritty narratives and intense character performances, we can’t get enough of them. They’re fascinating little mysteries, and when they’re based on or inspired by actual events, they’re even better.

Another week in the Android world is behind us, and this one was just as eventful as any other. One of the sneakily great features in Google Messages is getting better, we're seeing even more of the Pixel 10 in leaks, Home Assistant is getting a nice update, and more!

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Saturday, July 26, 2025:

AcrossDe bugs?

• The answer is Insects.

Make funnier, as jokes

• The answer is Punch up.

"Life is like a box of chocolates," for example

• The answer is Analogy.

Dot on a domino

• The answer is Pip.

In an upbeat mood

• The answer is Chipper.

Important topic in sex education

• The answer is Consent.

Leaves the Union

• The answer is Secedes.

DownHoppy order at a happy hour

• The answer is IPA.

Convent member

• The answer is Nun.

Tech company with a bright yellow color scheme and ghost logo

• The answer is Snap Inc.

Sun block?

• The answer is Eclipse.

Like many ingredients in a Cobb salad

• The answer is Chopped.

Pull sharply

• The answer is Tug.

One with a secret identity

• The answer is Spy.

Syringe amts.

• The answer is CCs.

Garden tool with a long handle

• The answer is Hoe.

Opposite of WSW

• The answer is Ene.

Certain football linemen: Abbr.

• The answer is RTs.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

Whether you're nostalgic for a bygone era or want to experience a period of gaming that's older than you are, playing retro games on modern hardware is easier than ever. Best of all, there's a platform to suit every taste, budget, and form factor.

There was a time when phones had buttons for more than just volume. It might be ancient history now, but navigating an Android phone used to be a very different experience. The journey from physical clicks to fluid swipes has been a long one—let's take a look back.

The Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro with Sound by JBL is a great way to add atmosphere to any room. With a variety of eye-catching light modes, a powerful speaker, and an array of preset white noise options, it's great for both a peaceful night of sleep and an energetic dance party.

Apple's big new design language is almost here, and it's coming to all of Apple's major operating systems in the fall with the official launch of iOS 26. Liquid Glass is what Apple calls its newest design philosophy, and it promises to bring major changes to how all of its operating systems look and feel. That includes iOS, its most important operating system.

Indeed, Liquid Glass does bring somewhat of a major change to iOS 26, or what we would have called iOS 18 (Apple is switching iOS numbers to years, and iOS 26 will release in the fall). I've been using the developer beta of iOS 26 for some weeks now, but now that the public iOS 26 beta is open, I can finally share my thoughts.

The short version? Liquid Glass may not bring quite as big of a shift to iOS as Apple might have you believe, but that’s probably not a bad thing. And while I'm focusing on Liquid Glass, there are a ton more iOS 26 features to check out.

As always, remember that the iOS 26 beta is... a beta. So, back up your phone before making the switch. And as Apple says in its Beta Program FAQ, "Beta software may contain errors or inaccuracies and may not function as well as commercially released software. We encourage you to submit feedback when you encounter these issues.

The basics of Liquid Glass on iOS 26

The idea of Apple Liquid Glass is simple. Instead of a flat, minimalistic approach to software design, Apple is embracing layers. Software interface elements have always been stacked on top of each other, whether you could see that or not. With Liquid Glass, those layers come into focus. You can see what's behind things like buttons and controls, thanks to glass-like elements that are designed to look like real glass. These transparent touches also bend and refract light.

To be clear, this isn't necessarily a totally new approach for Apple. The company has always played with transparency a little — but with Liquid Glass, transparency is more involved than ever.

Credit: Christian de Looper / Apple

So, where do these glass-like elements show up? Well, pretty much everywhere.  Most of Apple's stock apps have had controls at the bottom of the screen. For example, in the Music app, you'll get controls for searching, accessing your library, and controlling currently playing media. In the News app, you get controls for today's news, sports news, and a search tool. With Liquid Glass, all of these controls are condensed into a pill-like shape that minimizes as you scroll to maximize what you can see on the screen.

The glass approach means that whether the controls are in full focus or minimized, what's behind them kind of bends and refracts like it would if real glass was placed on top of the screen. It's a cool, futuristic effect, and it certainly looks pretty natural in my initial testing.

There are other places that Liquid Glass shows up too. Perhaps the best example is the Control Center, which now shows your home screen behind all of the controls when you swipe down. This is true on all of Apple’s operating systems — though of course, the controls are different on iOS than they are on MacOS (and now MacOS Tahoe).

Credit: Christian de Looper / Apple

When the iOS 26 developer betas first started rolling out, not everyone liked the Liquid Glass-ified Control Center. There were issues with being able to see controls on the screen, depending on what was behind them. Apple fixed a lot of those issues ahead of the public iOS 26 beta, and it's now easier to see what's on the screen. Still, there are other places where I found some display issues. An example are app and app folder labels — if you have a particularly bright and busy wallpaper, these labels can get a little hard to read.

Fortunately, a big theme with iOS 26 is personalization, so if you want to reduce the transparency even more than Apple already has, you can do so in the Accessibility section of the Settings app.

Honestly, I quite like the visual aspect of Liquid Glass. I like the idea of returning to a more skeuomorphic design approach, and that doesn't necessarily mean that Apple should make the Notes app look like a notepad. It can instead mean that objects on the screen look like some kind of physical object, whether it be glass or something else. And Apple has done a good job at making Liquid Glass feel smooth and futuristic for this beta. It really does translate pretty well when you're scrolling.

A streamlined interface

The new aesthetic is about more than transparency. The approach is based around showing as much on the screen as you possibly can, and sometimes that means taking away controls, or at least streamlining them when they're not being used.

Credit: Christian de Looper / Apple

As you're scrolling, many of the controls in apps like News, Messages, and Music minimize into one icon that you can tap. I almost never have to actually tap on these icons, so I really don't mind that they're now tucked away.

I felt the streamlining went too far in other places. In the Camera app, for example, when you first open the app, you'll now only have two options: photo or video. In reality, there are other options that you can swipe through, they’re just hidden by default.  It is true that most users probably don't swipe between all these different modes anyway, and simply having photo and video modes makes things a lot simpler. But if you do use those extra modes, you'll have to remember that they're still available to you, and without any visual cues, you might forget.

Credit: Christian de Looper / Apple

I'm also hoping Apple keeps tweaking the appearance of the Messages app. Instead of a header with your contact’s profile picture and name, the back button, and the FaceTime button, there are floating bubbles at the top of the screen. Depending on what’s behind those floating bubbles, you’ll either see straight through to the messages behind, or the interface will kind of fade so that you can see the controls.

This might be a me problem, but as a journalist, I take a lot of screenshots. Apple, if you're listening, I don't like the extra clicks it takes to save a screenshot.

Credit: Christian de Looper / Apple You can customize Liquid Glass

If you ever feel like there's too much glass in your Liquid Glass, you can change that. In addition to reducing the transparency, you can also customize app icons. And while the ultra-clear look got a lot of attention after WWDC, you don't have to use Liquid Glass icons, and they're not enabled by default. I think that's a smart approach. Change is scary, and this makes it easier on users who aren't ready for the ultra clear, full Liquid Glass experience.

Credit: Christian de Looper / Apple

I think Liquid Glass is an interesting design evolution for Apple, and as mentioned, I like the idea of Apple moving towards software design that looks like real-life physical objects again. For now, you have to go into the Accessibility menu to tweak the visuals to your liking, but I expect Apple will iron out a lot of issues before the official iOS 26 launch. That's the whole point of a beta, after all.

If you're interested in trying Liquid Glass for yourself on iOS, macOS Tahoe, iPadOS, tvOS, or watchOS, you can sign up for the Apple Beta program.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 is a story of something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. The blue part is easy — my review sample, provided by Samsung, is the Blue Shadow colorway. The highlight of the phone is definitely the "something new." Samsung massively updated its pocket-sized foldable phone with a huge cover screen. At 4.1 inches, it's the largest external display on a flip-style phone to date.

"Something borrowed" comes in the form of the Exynos processor that lives inside the phone. Past versions of Galaxy Z Flips in international markets have been powered by Exynos silicon in the past, but U.S. phones have typically had Snapdragon hardware from Qualcomm, which we strongly prefer. The "borrowed label" is my hope that Samsung will go back to Snapdragon hardware in the future — more on that later.

Finally, "Something old" — one of my biggest frustrations with the phone, which is a little bit better this year (but honestly not that much better than the Galaxy Z Flip6). It has to do with the way apps appear on the external display (what Samsung calls the Cover Screen) and Samsung's refusal to treat that beautiful canvas like a proper screen. It's a little maddening, though it didn't stop me from having fun with the phone.

Shortly after Samsung unveiled the Z Flip 7 (and its incredibly thin older sibling, the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 7) this July, I hit the road to sunny (and devastatingly hot) St. Louis, home of the Gateway Arch, Six Flags, and Meremec caverns. Over the course of five days, I put this "AI Flip Phone" through the ringer for my Galaxy Z Flip 7 review.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (256GB, Unlocked) $1,099.99 at Amazon
Get Deal The Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the Flex you think it is

Before I dive into the hardware, I need to discuss the highlight. Samsung — finally — responded to market pressure in the U.S. (and abroad) by bringing a large Cover Screen display to its flip phone, and thank goodness. The previous two generations also had larger screens, but they had odd notches in them to accommodate the camera modules, while everyone else was just cutting the display around the cameras.

One of the first things you should do when you get this phone is enable apps to run on this display. The problem is, it takes 13 steps to do it, and unless you're a geek (which, admittedly, if you're reading this review, you might be), most people won't bother. That's fair, but you'll be going into this fight with one hand tied behind your back.

The Z Flip 7 has a larger external display with ultra-thin bezels. Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The 4.1-inch AMOLED screen is large, gorgeous, and should absolutely be used to the fullest. Like the main display, it has 2,600 nits of peak brightness and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Not all apps can handle the Cover Screen (confusingly, Samsung also refers to this screen as the Flex display and/or FlexWindow), but many of them will. The good news: once you do those 13 steps, you're done fiddling with settings. You can simply add the apps that you want. The bad news: Samsung doesn't really want you to do it at all. You might be wondering what I mean by that.

A hobbled experience

If Samsung wanted you to run apps on your home screen, it wouldn't require you to go into the Labs section of your settings and install a separate app from the Galaxy store to do it. It wouldn't force you to use the Samsung keyboard on the Flex display, with its lack of voice typing, regardless of which keyboard is your default keyboard (Gboard FTW). Plus, if I had to see "open your phone to continue" one more time, I was ready to throw the phone out the window while riding in a car through central Illinois.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

Everything from adding apps to the launcher to setting up widgets, to reordering widgets, all has to be done with the phone open, for some reason. It makes me sad.

Once you work around those picadillos and get down to business, the cover screen itself is lovely. Most apps work well on there, including Gemini and Gemini Live, which is a fun way to work with Google's AI. The display also goes right up to the edge of the phone.

The rest of the hardware

Samsung built a really solid phone here, and it's great to use. The casing is armor aluminum, and the hinge has been redesigned this year, slimming down the phone just a bit. The hardware is more squared off than Motorola's Razr, which can make one-handed opening a little harder. But it's tight and functional. When you close the phone, you will do so with one of the most satisfying "Thwaps" you've ever heard. Speaking of which, it makes hanging up on people way more satisfying than it already was. 

While using the phone, you won't notice the hinge on the main display. Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The buttons on the side of the phone aren't raised by much, which can make it hard to locate them without looking. I often missed the fingerprint sensor in the power button because I had trouble finding it. But the rest of the hardware is absolutely solid. The 6.9-inch AMOLED main screen is also larger than previous generations at 6.9 inches. The screen has the same teardrop shape closing that minimizes the crease, which you can see but won't care about.

The phone is powered by a 4,300 mAh battery that's just 100 mAh smaller than its larger sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. As such, it can easily last all day, especially if you perform most tasks on the cover screen. I noticed the phone tended to run hot, but only when I was already outside baking in a water park or at the St. Louis Zoo, so I suspect the weather was just as likely at fault as the phone itself.

The software on the inside

Having talked about the software on the cover screen, the software when open is… basically the same as any other Samsung phone. OneUI 8.0 is built onto Android 16, making these phones the first to ship with Android's latest operating system. That's no surprise — Google and Samsung have been joined at the hip for a while now. OneUI 7 was a divisive operating system because a lot of Samsung users liked how their phones worked before it rolled out (my wife among them).

Personally, I loved OneUI 7.0 because it brought back the vertical scrolling app drawer and the Pill, which apes Apple's Dynamic Island in a lot of great ways. OneUI 8 adds all those benefits and takes things a step further, bringing 90:10 multitasking to the phones. What that means is you can run two apps, one on top and one underneath, but you can move the separator so you only see 10 percent of one of the apps. Tap that 10 percent and the app pops up to become the 90 percent, and vice versa. It works better on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, but it's also quite nice on the Flip 7. 

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

When you half-fold the Flip, you activate Flex Mode, which lets you make the most of the foldable design. In Flex Mode, the app lives in the top half of the screen, and the bottom half becomes a sort of control panel in supported apps. In YouTube, for example, the bottom half gets a play bar and play controls, which is pretty neat.

I also love that Dex is available on the Flip7. Samsung Dex basically turns your phone into a CPU when you connect a monitor, mouse, and keyboard to it. It gives you a windows interface similar to Windows. I spent some time with Dex on my trip to St Louis, but most of the time I'm using Dex is on long-haul flights, getting some work done with a set of Xreal One glasses. Now that is a rollicking good time and I'm happy Samsung's smaller foldable has that capability.

We have to talk about the AI Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The Flip 7 has a lot of the same AI tricks as other Samsung phones, including camera tricks and AI photo editing, such as moving subjects around or using generative AI to fill in the background. Two notable improvements include Gemini on the Flex screen, including Gemini Live. That's a nice bonus. Gemini Live also works with the external camera (when the phone is open, to be clear) to become multimodal. At the St. Louis Zoo, I could point the camera at an animal and ask what I was looking at, and in every case, it was correct, which was surprising, to be perfectly honest.

What was a little annoying was how chatty Gemini Live would get. "That's an Asian Elephant! You can tell by the size of the ears. Would you like to know more about the Asian elephant? Do you have any questions about it? Please for the love of all things holy talk to me!" That's not an exact quote, but you get the point.

The other AI features, like Samsung's Now bar, also appear on the Flex screen, even if the Now Brief is still less than good. It still returns news stories that aren't relevant to me. It kept me up to date with the weather even as I traveled, so that was nice, but I still don't have much use for it.

Battery life and performance

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 comes with an Exynos 2500 processor built on a 3nm process, similar to flagship processors from Qualcomm and Mediatek. This is Samsung's homegrown silicon. What's odd this year is that all Flip 7s will be sporting the Exynos processor. In the past, Z Flip phones sold overseas had Exynos while the U.S. versions had Snapdragon processors. Because of this, we know that Snapdragon usually outperforms Exynos. This year, we can't make that comparison, but it's fair to say history is not on Samsung's side.

Geekbench is a benchmark tool you can use to get an idea of how a processor performs. Geekbench returns scores of 2,354/7,340 single/multi-core scores on the Flip 7. For context, the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 returns a 2,430/8,823 score, so it doesn't exactly blow it out of the water. Day to day, the only real stutters I noted were in the camera software occasionally, and sometimes when running multiple windows in Dex. They were minor hiccups, but still noteworthy.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

As for battery life, despite spending all day, most days out and about, away from Wi-Fi and in hot temperatures besides, the phone never died before bedtime. I wouldn't call this a multi-day phone, but it's very not bad, and you'll get a lot more mileage out of it if you use the cover screen as often as possible.

Cameras are as good as your lighting

There are three cameras on this phone, but you'll only really ever need to use two of them.

• 50MP main camera with 2x zoom

• 10MP main screen camera

• 12MP ultra-wide camera

To be honest, I didn't find much use for the 10MP selfie camera.

One of the key benefits to using a flip-style foldable phone is the ability to turn the Cover Screen into a preview window for taking selfies. The hinge is very rigid, so you can even use the phone as its own tripod and use gesture controls to take photos and videos. I took a bunch of fun selfies at the St. Louis Arch, Meremec caverns, and all points in between using that flex hinge, and I got some great shots. You can also hold the camera half open at a 90-degree angle for a camcorder grip if you're nostalgic (a feature you'll also find in the Motorola Razr Ultra). 

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

The results you get will be highly dependent on your lighting conditions. For example, at Six Flags during the day, my shots were brilliant. Meremec Caverns and the St. Louis aquarium were both a bit hit or miss. I would recommend that if you're in low-light conditions, take a lot of shots (to increase your odds of getting a good one) and make sure your subjects are as still as possible. Photos of stalactites are going to be very good. Photos of the people standing in front of them, not so much.

The camera software offers shots of up to 10x, but you will never want to go that high. In my experience, the 4x zoom is usable; at 10x you lose all depth and texture. The shots might be OK for social media, but in general, you'll want to avoid those. As often as not, they're not good.

Left: Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable Right: Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable Left: Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable Right: Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

I also saw a surprising amount of grain in a lot of my lower-light shots. Samsung is usually pretty good at cleaning those things up in low light, but even some of the daytime shots, particularly ultrawide and macroshots, ended up grainy in darker areas.

Shooting video is much the same, though less forgiving. Low-light video is not terrible with the main camera, but don't move or walk while shooting. The judder gets pretty bad when you start walking. Good shots are possible in the dark, but that's more the exception than the rule.

Credit: Adam Doud / Mashable

Overall, this is a pretty good camera setup that does very well in the day, and even when the sun is starting to go down. Find yourself in a cave — as one does — and your results will fall into the range of "mixed bag" down to "dumpster fire."

So, is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 worth it?

Flip phones are really fun. I love using them, especially when taking selfies with the main camera. You can do that with the Fold 7, but holding that phone open is awkward. Holding a tiny little pocket square in your hand is so much easier and a much better experience. For $1,099, I think you will like this phone, too. Plus, it's cheaper than its primary competition, the Motorola Razr Ultra, which has a comparable camera and a higher price tag.

There are some corners cut here. The Exynos processor is not bad (Motorola's flagship foldable has a Snapdragon processor), but not the best you can buy. I can't hate on Samsung's cover screen software too much because it's a curated experience that Samsung wants you to have, and it really only makes me sad because I'm a nerd. The cameras are very good for this category, though it wouldn't hurt Samsung to take some notes from overseas competitors.

So, should you buy the Z Flip 7? Again, if you're a fan of the form factor, this is the most compelling foldable on offer here in the United States. If you're already looking at something like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, this one folds in half for only $100 more. I like what Samsung has finally done here, catching up to its contemporaries and restarting a competition war in which the consumer will ultimately win.

Where to buy the Galaxy Z Flip 7

You can buy the Z Flip 7 at Samsung, Amazon, and Best Buy (or just about any place that sells phones) for $1,099.99. The base version only comes with 256GB of storage, but if you pick up this phone at Amazon, you can get a $200 gift card at no extra cost, which is hard to argue with.

At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung also debuted a mid-range version of the F Flip 7, following Motorola's lead. The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE offers most of the same features for $899.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (256GB, Unlocked) + $200 Amazon Gift Card $1,099.99 at Amazon
$1,299.99 Save $200 Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (256GB, Unlocked) $1,099.99 at Samsung
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It’s been a long eight years.

Since the Nintendo Switch launched in early 2017, we’ve collectively experienced the worst pandemic in a century. Presidents have come, gone, and come back again. In our personal lives, we've all experienced a tremendous amount of growth and change, whether we realize it or not. And through it all, we had the Switch, arguably the best Nintendo console ever made, and one of the best game consoles of all time. 

So, how do you follow that up? It turns out the answer is “make it again, but better.” The Nintendo Switch 2 launched on June 5, and it's already my new favorite Nintendo console, purely from a hardware perspective. The new console/handheld hybrid is a souped-up sequel with added horsepower to make games look and perform better than ever. But that’s only part of what makes it great. 

Put simply, the Switch 2 is full of so many thoughtful little considerations that I’ve frequently found myself amazed at how often it just works. For much of its recent history, Nintendo hardware has been an active impediment to enjoying Nintendo software because basic things like “playing video games on the internet with your friends” were often maddeningly arcane. That’s not the case anymore…for the most part.

While there are definitely quirks with the setup process, the new virtual game cards, and the $450 price tag (not counting games and peripherals), I’m confident these problems will soften in time. I believe that eight years from now, we’ll probably talk about the Switch 2 the same way we talk about its predecessor.

Update: I've decided to come back and update this review after spending almost two months with the console. The short version: while there are a couple of problems that have reared their heads since my original review, I'm still loving the Switch 2. Crucially, the Switch 2 has also become easier to find in stock online.

Nintendo Switch 2 review: The basics Birdo is the coolest. Credit: Nintendo

To start, I want to get something out of the way: I will not be analyzing the Switch 2’s lineup of launch games in this hands-on review. The way I feel about the launch titles now will be irrelevant in a month or two. I will say that Mario Kart World is a ton of fun, but if that’s not enough for you, you can wait a bit to get a Switch 2. That is all I will say on the matter.

Anyway, in case you’ve been living an ascetic off-the-grid existence for the last six months, the Switch 2 is a lot like the Switch 1. It’s a handheld game console with detachable controllers that can be placed into a dock, which then outputs the image to a television. It’s mostly compatible with Switch 1 games, and a decent number of them are actually better on Switch 2 thanks to paid upgrade packs, free patches, or, most surprisingly, the fact that the hardware inside the Switch 2 makes games better by itself, in some cases. 

In other words, if you’ve been a Switch devotee for the past several years, you can pick up right where you left off without even buying any new games. That’s rad, but it’s also just following the precedent set by the PS5 and Xbox Series X five years ago, so I don’t want to give Nintendo too much praise for this. This is the bare minimum we should expect from new gaming consoles.

Before I get into discussing each granular part of Switch 2, I’d like to say it feels great in the hands. I personally like that it’s bigger than the first Switch, which eventually started to feel a bit like a child’s toy after I got used to the Steam Deck. Nintendo made the vital decision to maintain the exact same level of thinness as the first Switch, so while it has a larger surface area, it’s not anywhere near as bulky as handheld gaming PC alternatives. At 1.18 pounds, it’s noticeably heavier than the first Switch, but I wouldn’t call it burdensome to hold at all. It just feels more substantial, which I like.

The display looks good, but not OLED good The display will be disappointing to some, but it's not terrible by any means. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

For some, the Switch never plugged into a TV at all. For others (like myself), it never left the dock. I largely fell out of love with handheld gaming as a teenager, as that was around the time TVs started to get really big and swanky. It didn’t help that I lived in a place with no public transit at the time, either. There just wasn’t much room for it in my life anymore. The Switch 2 display is changing that equation for me.

• 1080p resolution

• 120Hz refresh rate

• HDR support

• LCD panel

• 7.9 inches

For comparison's sake, this display is about an inch bigger than the first Switch’s LCD display, which also had no HDR support, topped out at 720p, and didn’t go beyond 60Hz. 

You may have noticed I didn’t say “OLED.” This is likely going to be one of the first sources of disappointment for people, especially those with a Switch OLED or Steam Deck OLED. While the Switch 2’s LCD is good, it definitely lacks the wider color range and more defined whites and blacks that an OLED offers. Games simply don’t look as vibrant as they could on the Switch 2’s display, especially if you frequently go between playing on a nice TV and playing in handheld mode. 

Brightness, too, is just OK. To be clear, the positives outweigh the negatives here; it’s still a better display in terms of resolution and refresh rate than any Steam Deck model. Having a 120Hz panel is especially vital because it enables developers to include 40Hz performance modes in their games, which is a way to compromise between visual fidelity and smoothness in more demanding AAA blockbuster titles. Switch 2 games such as Cyberpunk 2077 make especially good use of this feature in handheld play.

Still, I wouldn’t blame anyone who wanted to wait for the inevitable OLED model in a year or two. Especially because, now that the system is out in the wild and in the hands of millions, lots of people have noted that the console's display simply isn't bright enough to offer a real HDR experience like it is supposed to.

The controllers are a big upgrade Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Just like the Switch 1, there are multiple control options with Switch 2. 

The new Joy-Con 2 controllers attach and detach from the display using magnets, rather than a sliding rail mechanism, which is infinitely more satisfying. It’s also more secure thanks to a clever release lever you have to pull to detach each Joy-Con. The previous console’s Joy-Cons had a distinct little wiggle to them, even when attached, but the new ones feel locked in. 

As I said in my day one Switch 2 review, attaching and detaching the new magnetic Joy-Con 2 controllers feels so good the first time you do it. Trust me.

The Switch 2 Joy Cons are also bigger, which is nice for people like me who have adult-sized hands. Admittedly, in handheld play, I still get a bit uncomfortable during long sessions. You don’t get much of a grip on either side by default, so I specifically felt my right hand cramp up to a small extent while playing in bed. I’ve heard other people complain about how the Joy-Cons feel when placed into the little grip accessory that turns them into more of a regular game controller, though I actually find that more comfortable than using them in handheld mode.

The new Pro Controller is great. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

Minor cramping issues aside (I was able to alleviate a good deal of it by just adjusting my bodily position), the buttons are more satisfying to press, and the new analog sticks are notably more responsive. They’re very smooth in a way that’s hard to articulate without just telling you to try them. We will have to wait and see if stick drift becomes an issue over time. 

Like a lot of people, I have always preferred the Pro Controller, and the new Switch 2 Pro Controller is…basically the same as the first one. That’s not a bad thing! It’s a little more dense and heavy, presumably due to improved internal mechanisms, but that’s fine. Buttons and analog sticks feel great across the board on the Pro Controller, and it brings back gyro controls for games that benefit from those, so you aren’t missing out on anything by using it. I highly recommend picking one of these up, if you can.

Well, with one caveat: The new Pro Controller is apparently a disaster for self-repair aficionados. The repair experts at iFixit said as much in a scathing teardown video made a few weeks after launch; the short version is that it's an $85 controller that's almost guaranteed to break after enough use, and the best recourse at that point will just be to buy another one because you can't easily repair it yourself.

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller $84 at Amazon
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Going back to my earlier point about how much of the Switch 2 “just works,” this can first be seen with controllers. You can actually pair your Switch 1 Joy-Cons or Pro Controllers with a Switch 2. According to Reddit, you can even use a Switch 1 Joy-Con and a Switch 2 Joy-Con together as a pair. You don’t really have to jump through any weird hoops to make any of this happen, either. I went to a friend’s place for a Mario Kart night, and using a Switch 1 Pro Controller worked seamlessly. It’s great that your old accessories aren’t immediately useless on the new console.

The dock The dock isn't a looker, but it doesn't need to be. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

There isn’t a ton to say about the Switch 2’s dock because, like before, it’s meant to sit underneath or next to a TV, where ideally you’ll barely ever think about it. It’s more bulky than its predecessor thanks to some additional processing power and more fans inside of it, but it’s still smaller than your average game console by a wide margin.

Unlike the original Switch dock (and like the Switch OLED dock), there’s an included Ethernet port now. Hell yes. I wired it up to my router right away and would have liked to have kept it that way forever. Unfortunately, just a few weeks after launch, my Switch 2's Ethernet port mysteriously stopped working. This has happened to some other people online, so it's not just a fluke on my end.

The software

From a system-level software standpoint, the Switch 2 is a lot like the Switch 1. The main menu looks more or less identical, save for some new icons on the bottom row. There are still only two themes, a light one and a dark one. Aside from a couple of amusing little sound effects here and there, it’s very sterile and lacks the pizzazz of previous Nintendo console operating systems. 

There’s definitely a part of me that resents this. The UI is quick and snappy, yes, but it’s possible to marry efficiency of use with fun aesthetics. Even some fun themes would help a lot, but alas, they aren’t here. 

I don’t want to paper over the “quick and snappy” part, though, especially as it relates to the new eShop. Nintendo’s digital storefronts have been nightmarishly sluggish to use for basically as long as they’ve existed, across various DS consoles, the Wii, the Wii U, and the first Switch. The new eShop isn’t flashy (or even very different at all) in appearance, but my God, does it work so much better than before. You can get in, purchase a game, and get out in less than a minute. Praise be.

The social features: GameChat is a godsend

Revisiting the theme of Switch 2’s thoughtfulness and elegance, let’s talk about its online features.

Yes, I can imagine you’re a little shocked to see the words “thoughtfulness” and “elegance” anywhere near “online features” as they relate to a Nintendo console. But nothing surprised me more about the Switch 2 than GameChat. This is a voice and video chat feature you can activate by pressing the “C” button, the only new button on every Switch 2 controller. Doing so prompts you to either start a room or join an existing one being hosted by one of your friends, and up to 12 people can be in a GameChat room at once.

Of course, this is similar to what has been on offer on Xbox and PlayStation consoles for nearly two decades. Nintendo didn’t reinvent the wheel here. What it did do, however, is create a voice chat service that moves beyond pure utility and into the realm of actively being enjoyable to use. Nintendo achieved this by placing a big priority on open-room microphone use, and everything that makes GameChat great starts from there.

There’s a mic built into the Switch 2 itself that is simply remarkable at picking up human voices and filtering out everything else. It feels like magic, especially considering a docked Switch’s microphone is usually closer to your TV speaker. I tested GameChat while sitting next to a loud window air conditioner unit, and the people on the other end swear they couldn't hear it. Likewise, I’ve never heard anything other than their voices, either.

This also opens up more possibilities for group play, as several people can physically be in a room together and talk into the same microphone. That’s the kind of thing that headset-centric voice chat can't do. 

The new headphone jack on the Switch 2 console. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

That said, you can also plug a headset into your Pro Controller’s new headphone jack, too. One of the most “oh my god I can’t believe that worked” moments for me was when I connected the official wireless PlayStation headset to my Switch 2, and it worked natively, with the console even correctly labeling it as a PlayStation headset. I wasn’t shocked that the audio would output to the headset (you can also do that on a Switch 1, funnily enough), but the fact that the microphone worked without any fuss whatsoever felt miraculous to me.

And if you're a parent who's worried about young children playing GameChat, check out the new parental controls for the Switch 2.

GameChat makes social livestreaming possible Credit: Nintendo

Unbelievably, there’s way more to GameChat than merely talking to people. Up to four people in one GameChat session can actually stream their gameplay feed to everyone else, and those feeds are arranged horizontally in a row along the bottom of the screen. You can blow up someone’s feed to full-screen to watch them play or turn off any individual user’s feed if it’s distracting to you.

Yes, of course, the feed is very choppy, running at what I estimate to be about 10 frames per second. However, the picture is clear enough to see what’s going on, at least. You don’t want to stare at one of these streams for very long, but it’s actually pretty handy (and more importantly, fun) to be able to see what your friends are doing. It even works across games. Over the weekend, my friend sold me on an indie game called Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo using game streaming, while I simultaneously showed them Vectorman for the Sega Genesis. We wound up spending about half an hour chatting about whatever while occasionally checking in on each other’s feeds, and it felt like I was in a Nintendo commercial.

GameChat offers webcam support The webcam is pretty plain to look at. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

For my Switch 2 review, I tested out webcam support using the official Nintendo camera. Don’t worry if you don’t want to spend $54.99 on that, though, because it sounds like basically any old USB-C camera will work. By default, the camera will try to cut out your face/body from the background of your little GameChat window, though it had a hard time doing that cleanly in my limited testing. To be honest, I don’t see myself using this very much, but it’s nice that it’s there, especially for folks who use online gaming as a way to spend time with loved ones whose faces they don’t get to see that often. 

Opens in a new window Credit: Ninten Nintendo Switch 2 Camera $54.99 at Target
Shop Now SEE ALSO: The best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories include an irresistible Piranha Plant webcam

Beyond that, GameChat has a fairly incredible speech-to-text window that's astoundingly fast and accurate. It even labels individual speakers! My favorite part is that it doesn’t censor curse words, either. Amusingly, it also properly capitalizes many brand names, even those from competing game publishers like “The Last of Us” and “Sega Dreamcast.” 

And that still isn’t everything! There’s a new feature called GameShare that you can use to, well, share a game digitally with friends who are in a GameChat session with you. I tested this out with a rather fun futuristic racing game called Fast Fusion. All I had to do was create a room, send an invite to my friend, and they were almost instantly playing with me. Remarkably, they didn’t have to download anything beforehand. I’m guessing this is using some newfangled streaming tech because my friend noted that their feed was a little blurry. That said, the frame rate was apparently smooth and the game was perfectly responsive. It should be noted that it’s up to developers to support GameShare, and you can’t just do it with any game. However, I can at least confirm that it works amazingly well where it’s supported.

I don’t want to say something I can’t take back like “Nintendo has finally figured out the internet,” but…maybe Nintendo has finally figured out the internet? I will say this: I love GameChat.

The hidden costs and headaches 95 whole dollars for a pair of these. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

I’ve been effusively praising the Switch 2 for most of this review, but because this is still a Nintendo console at the end of the day, there are a handful of very irritating things about it. 

Most unexpected of all is pricing. I maintain that $450 for the console, while not inexpensive, is reasonable given its technical specs. It’s the accessories and other accoutrements that get out of control, partially due to President Trump’s tariff policies, according to Nintendo.

The camera is $54.99. A pair of new Joy-Cons is $94.99. A Pro Controller is $84.99. And Mario Kart World, the console’s lone flagship launch title, is $79.99, which really stings, even if someone was going to do that eventually. There are plenty of reasons why video game prices have gotten so high, but all the context in the world doesn’t matter when that charge hits your bank account.

Switch 2’s internal storage capacity of 256GB is also problematic because the only way to expand the storage is to buy a microSD Express card. That’s a relatively new kind of external storage that most regular people probably don’t know about and isn’t always super clearly labeled when you go to buy a microSD card. For context, microSD Express has substantially faster data read speeds than the regular microSD card you used in your Switch 1, which I feel the need to emphasize will not work in your Switch 2.

Opens in a new window Credit: SanDisk SanDisk microSD Express Card, 256GB $71.99 at Amazon
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If Nintendo allowed the use of normal microSD cards, the Switch 2 would be a less capable machine. Unfortunately, given that we’re probably at least a year or two away from microSD Express cards being more affordable, we’re in this awkward period where the Switch 2 is future-proofed, but not necessarily present-proofed. It doesn’t help that a few launch games, namely Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman approach 60GB install sizes.

Speaking of digital game installs, Nintendo has introduced a new “virtual game card” system for tying digital purchases to a user’s account. If you download a game from the store, it gets “loaded” onto your console, where it will live exclusively until you delete it, load it onto a different Switch console, or virtually loan it to a friend for up to two weeks. Just so I’m being perfectly clear: If you loan a virtual game card to someone, you can’t play that game you bought until it’s returned to you. 

There's a dedicated menu for virtual game cards and it looks like this. Credit: Screenshot: Nintendo

For childless people like me, this is an arcane nuisance that’s easy enough to overlook. For anyone who lives in a multi-Switch household (and there are a lot of those), this could be a logistical nightmare for competitive siblings. I shudder to think about the inevitable fights over who gets to have the Mario Kart virtual game card for the next two weeks. Godspeed, parents.

The last (and to be honest, least) of these problems regards the initial setup process for Switch 2. Most of it is standard stuff: connect to WiFi, log into your account, set the time zone, etc. On top of that, you’ll also be given the opportunity to transfer data from a Switch 1 to your new Switch 2, which, again, is normal and fine. What’s not normal and fine is that apparently you only get one shot to do this, so if you say no out of expediency, that’s it. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokémon: Scarlet and Violet players need to take note of this because those are two of the only major Switch 1 games that don’t allow for the use of cloud saves. If you don’t transfer your save data from a Switch 1, you will have to start over. I really hope Nintendo fixes this and allows for post-setup data transfers soon.

The Switch 2 battery life

Oh yeah, the Switch 2 is a handheld console, so battery life is worth examining. Nintendo rates the console's battery life at two to 6.5 hours. In all my testing, I haven’t been able to get more than three or so hours out of a full charge. We knew ahead of time that it would have a worse battery life than Switch 1, so this isn’t some huge rug-pull or anything. 

Your mileage may vary depending on the games you play. An old Switch 1 game that doesn’t make use of any advanced Switch 2 hardware features will probably get more juice out of a full charge than Cyberpunk 2077, which just annihilates the battery in an almost impressive fashion. It definitely sucks for a product to have a worse battery life than its predecessor, but in fairness, it’s not very different from any other modern gaming handheld. They’ve all sacrificed longevity for power.

The verdict: I can't stop playing my Switch 2 The whole shebang. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

I’m going to keep this short because I just spent more than 3,500 words explaining my thoughts: The Nintendo Switch 2 is great. This is a fabulous console/handheld hybrid with hugely improved system software, much beefier horsepower for playing games, and a more premium form factor that doesn’t succumb to the same bulk as its handheld PC counterparts. 

Sure, the Switch 2 isn’t without some hangups. Pricing will continue to be a topic of conversation. I’m also nervous about future price hikes, in light of Xbox recently doing that in the middle of a console generation. The virtual game card system also feels like it will create more problems than it solves, and Switch 2 owners are going to have to get stingy with storage space until microSD Express cards become cheaper.

But all of that is lessened in my mind because I know Nintendo’s first-party games for the new Switch console will largely be excellent, and its capacity for third-party support is greatly expanded. Switch 2’s online social features could also be legitimately game-changing for Nintendo, a company that is finally willing to acknowledge that not everyone can or wants to play multiplayer games locally.

At any rate, I think the next seven or eight years of Nintendo will be just fine.

Nintendo Switch 2 $449.99 at Best Buy
Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Nintendo Nintendo Switch 2 + Mario Kart World Bundle $499 at Walmart
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Updated on July 26: Our original Nintendo Switch 2 review was published on June 13. We've since updated the review after spending more time with the console.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (Gen 10) has arrived, and man, it’s a stunner. My daily driver laptop is the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (Gen 7), so I already guessed I’d love a lot about this laptop. What I wasn’t expecting was to be absolutely flabbergasted by this laptop’s jaw-dropping battery life, despite boasting many of the same great features as its predecessor.

The Yoga 9i Aura Edition’s most striking features include a bright, colorful OLED display, an incredibly responsive, springy keyboard, and its beautiful, sleek cosmic blue chassis that stands out in a world full of gray and black laptops. It does have a slightly less powerful processor than its Gen 9 predecessor, but it still performs just as well and delivers over three times the battery life.

The days of Windows laptops offering laughable battery life as MacBooks reign supreme might be over. Yes, this laptop does have a few downsides, but when its battery lasts nearly 24 hours, who’s complaining about a couple of minor faults?

SEE ALSO: Best Windows laptops for 2025: Our top pick lasts longer than the M4 MacBook Pros Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition price and specs  This is a premium laptop. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition comes with a relatively high price tag, but in exchange, you get a laptop with premium features, excellent battery life, and well-rounded performance. Our review unit costs $1,749 and comes with the following specs: 

• Intel Core Ultra 7 258V CPU

• Integrated Intel Arc graphics

• 32GB of RAM

• 1TB of SSD storage

• 14-inch, 2880 x 1800-pixel, 120Hz, OLED display

The 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage that come with the configuration above allow for seamless tab-hoarding, multitasking, and file organizing. However, you can drop the price to a little under $1,500 via Lenovo’s website, where this laptop starts with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage and frequently gets discounted.

It’s a sleek and portable fingerprint magnet

Lenovo’s Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is a travel-friendly laptop with convertible convenience. At just 2.9 pounds and 12.4 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches, it’s barely noticeable in a backpack, and the easy form factor flip between traditional laptop and tablet can’t be beat when you’re on the move.

The all-aluminum chassis is cool to the touch and pleasant to look at, but it does attract fingerprints easily, and this isn’t something the Yoga 9i used to do. I dragged my fingers across my Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Gen 7 daily driver, and my fingerprints disappeared almost instantly. Repeating this on this Gen 10 Yoga 9i results in streaky fingerprints that stay until they’re wiped away.

SEE ALSO: Laptop specs explained: A jargon-free guide to what's inside your computer

Our review unit is in the cosmic blue colorway, but there’s also a luna gray color option available, which is the colorway I chose for my Gen 7 daily driver. This difference in colorways could explain the difference in noticeable fingerprint smudges.

Other than it being prone to collecting unwanted fingerprints, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is a well-constructed, attractive laptop. The top lid sticks out slightly where the webcam is, making it easier to open the laptop, and the mirrored edges on the bottom are a unique design element. Perhaps most importantly, the hinges are sturdy (without being too strong) when flipping between laptop, tent, and tablet modes.

A gorgeous display that’s surprisingly efficient It's a smooth transition between laptop, tent, and tablet modes. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition features a 14-inch, 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED touch display with a smooth refresh rate of 120Hz, and it’s perhaps my favorite thing about this laptop.

This laptop’s OLED panel helps colors appear immensely vibrant without being oversaturated and blacks appear rich and deep. Then, 2.8K resolution is a step above the 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution found on many laptops, yet not as battery-draining as 4K. You can opt for a 4K display with this laptop instead, but you’ll have to downgrade to 60Hz as well.

With 500 nits max brightness (1,100 nits HDR), the display was sufficiently bright, even at only 50 percent brightness in the middle of the day. The display is glossy, so it’s quite reflective, but I didn’t run into any annoying issues while using it, even in direct sunlight.

Whether I was catching up on Bridgerton, organizing my weekly tasks in Trello, or streaming lo-fi music on YouTube while working, the colors popped off the screen and made my overall laptop experience better and brighter.

Although I didn’t use the touchscreen a lot to prevent greasy fingerprints from dirtying the display, it was smooth and responsive when I tested it to navigate Spotify and browse the web. You can either use your fingertip or the included Lenovo Yoga Pen with the display.

This thin design only accommodates a few ports

For most people, the minimal ports available on the Yoga 9i will suffice. However, if you’re looking for an HDMI port, an SD card reader, or more than one USB-A port, you’ll be out of luck.

On the left side, you’ll find: 

• USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port 

• Two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports

And on the right: 

• Headset jack

• USB-C 4 Gen 2 port

While I’m not enamored with this laptop’s lack of port variety, I do love that there’s a USB-C port on each side because it makes charging more convenient.

The left side includes a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port and two USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable The right side includes a headset jack and a USB-C 4 Gen 2 port. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Plus, many modern wired peripherals now use USB-C cables or come with an adapter, or you can connect wireless peripherals via Bluetooth without needing to bother with a cable at all. If you absolutely need any of the ports the Yoga 9i is missing, you can always invest in a USB-C hub that has what you’re looking for.

An unexpected downgrade in sound quality

Usually, Lenovo’s Yoga 9i 2-in-1 lineup receives a boatload of praise when it comes to sound quality, but I can’t say the same for this Gen 10 model.

The previous Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Gen 9 model had excellent speakers, and the Yoga Book 9i has the best audio setup I’ve ever experienced in a laptop. Unfortunately, Lenovo ditches Bowers & Wilkins sound in this Gen 10 laptop, and I can tell.

The sound quality is lacking in the new generation of Yoga 9i. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

Playing Machine Gun Kelly’s new summer smash “Cliché” on this Yoga 9i Gen 10 laptop and then on my daily driver Yoga 9i Gen 7, which has a Bowers & Wilkins soundbar, I can hear the missing atmosphere in the song. MGK’s slightly gravelly vocals, the lightly plucked strings, and the snare drum come through beautifully, but that full-bodied, subtle bass that rounds out a song is absent in this set of speakers.

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (Gen 10) still has better audio than most laptops I’ve tested, but if you’re seeking powerful bass like past editions with Bowers & Wilkins soundbars have had, you’ll be disappointed.

An incredibly satisfying keyboard and a silky trackpad

This laptop features an island-style, chiclet keyboard, and I adored typing on it. The keys are well-spaced, pleasantly bouncy, and responsive. It almost feels like I’m typing on a minimalist mechanical keyboard, like the Logitech Mechanical MX Mini with tactile switches, because of the slight travel and noticeable actuation.

There’s no 10-key number pad on this compact laptop, but you will find a full number row and function key row at the top. The fingerprint sensor is discreetly nestled into the bottom right corner, and there are helpful mode-switching buttons above it.

This keyboard is pleasntly bouncy and the touchpad is a dream. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

As with every Yoga 9i 2-in-1 I’ve reviewed, the buttonless, glass touchpad is a dream. It’s large and responsive, and my finger glides across like a warm knife through butter. Clicking with the trackpad is also nice, despite there being no haptics. 

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition benchmarks and performance

The Lenovo Yoga 9i performed beautifully during testing, with minimal fan noise and only slight heat buildup. 

To pressure the laptop, I simultaneously opened the Clock app and ran the stopwatch, pulled up Spotify and played music, and loaded 20 Google Chrome tabs, one of which was a live YouTube stream. The result? Seamless performance, with zero lag when loading a new page and no stuttering when typing in Google Docs.

I only noticed the fans kick on when the laptop was plugged in. Otherwise, it does a great job of regulating heat without fans when tackling daily tasks. The hottest spot on this Yoga 9i Gen 10 is on the chassis above the center of the keyboard.

This is a big improvement over its Yoga 9i Gen 9 predecessor, which got quite noisy and hot under pressure with typical productivity tasks. However, this Gen 10 model delivered a lower Geekbench 6 score than the Gen 9 model.

The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition features an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and notched a score of 10,765 on the Geekbench 6 performance test. The Yoga 9i Gen 9 before it is equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, which earned a score of 12,345 on the same benchmark.

A Geekbench 6 score like that tells me that the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition won’t be landing a spot as one of the best laptops for video editing or the best gaming laptops anytime soon. But if you only plan to use your laptop for browsing the web, watching content, listening to music, and working with low-intensity apps and programs, your experience will be smooth.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition battery life

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition may just earn a spot as one of the best laptops for battery life, and that genuinely surprises me.

In our battery test, which involves looping a 1080p version of Tears of Steel at 50 percent brightness, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition held out for a staggering 23 hours and 34 minutes. Compared to its Gen 9 predecessor, this laptop more than tripled its battery life. 

Our Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Gen 9 review unit wasn’t equipped with any Aura Edition features like this laptop, and it had half the RAM (16GB), but it shares the same 14-inch, 2.8K OLED display that the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (Gen 10) does. And yet, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Gen 9 only lasted 7 hours and 21 minutes in the same video rundown test.

Historically, one of the biggest trade-offs for stellar premium features in the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 was battery life. With this new Gen 10 configuration, that’s no longer the case.

A disappointingly average webcam

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition features a 5-megapixel camera with infrared and a privacy shutter, just like its Gen 9 predecessor. However, compared to the webcam quality on the Yoga 9i Gen 9, this Gen 10 laptop’s webcam is a bit disappointing.

I expected more from this webcam. Credit: Sarah Chaney / Mashable

Granted, it’s still sharper and more accurate compared to most laptop webcams, but the picture it produces isn’t nearly as detailed or colorful as that of its predecessor. Considering Lenovo has upped its webcam game in recent years with out-of-this-world picture quality on the Yoga Book 9i, I expected more from the Yoga 9i Gen 10’s webcam.

Is the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition worth it?

The Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (Gen 10) features a stunning 2.8K OLED display with rich blacks and vivid colors, a responsive keyboard that I didn’t want to stop typing on, and the best battery life I’ve ever seen from the Yoga lineup. Plus, it delivered admirable performance, tackling my typical daily workload with ease.

I’d say the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition is definitely worth it for those looking for a sleek, well-rounded everyday laptop with the flexibility to switch to tent mode and tablet mode. It offers solid performance, nearly 24-hour battery life, great future-proof specs, and devoted attention to the little details that make using the laptop a more enjoyable experience overall. 

For me, this laptop’s minor negatives of minimal ports and a fingerprint-attracting colorway are quickly overshadowed by all of the positives it has to offer. At $1,749, this Yoga 9i 2-in-1 configuration is pricey, but it’s worth it if you want a premium, convertible Windows laptop to handle simple productivity tasks. If you’re not attached to Windows OS, you might want to consider Apple’s MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 as well.

Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition (Intel Core Ultra 7 258V, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) $1,749.99 at Best Buy
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