Technology

Nearly three years ago, I asked if the (then) $429 Dyson Supersonic was still worth the price of entry.

These days, with the Supersonic line having expanded, the standard model having increased in price to $449.99, and the most expensive version of the hair dryer topping out at $549.99, it's a question that feels even more apt.

The good news? If you're not super into the idea of spending about $500 for a hair dryer, Dyson just announced the Dyson Supersonic Travel, a $299.99 model of its famous hair tool. In addition to its lower price point, it comes with more travel-friendly proportions and features.

SEE ALSO: I tested the best Dyson Airwrap dupes under $300: This underappreciated multi-styler deserves consideration

As someone who's personally tested Supersonics (and their many dupes), I took a closer look at the latest Dyson beauty launch to gather everything you need to know.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dyson Dyson Supersonic Travel $299.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now The design differences of the Dyson Supersonic Travel

In short, the Supersonic Travel is the standard Supersonic but smaller. According to Dyson, that comes out to exactly 32 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter than the OG Supersonic. In other words, it's 0.7 pounds to the standard Supersonic's 1.8 pounds, and 8.7 inches tall to the larger model's 10 inches.

This model also comes with one attachment, the styling concentrator, a la the now-discontinued Dyson Supersonic Origin (which ran for $399.99). For comparison, the $449.99 Supersonic comes with three attachments: a styling concentrator, diffuser, and wide-tooth comb. For all five attachments, you'll have to shell out $549.99.

The Supersonic Travel is compatible with all original and Supersonic Nural attachments. Credit: Dyson

The same attachments can be used between the Travel, original, and Supersonic Nural dryers. This means opting for the Travel could technically save you some money — individual attachments range from $19.99 to $44.99. If you only use a styling concentrator and diffuser, for instance, the total cost of a Travel dryer with the extra attachment purchase would come out to $344.98, making it still over $100 cheaper than the three-attachment original Supersonic.

The Supersonic Travel is more versatile in some ways, and less so in others

Functionality-wise, the Supersonic Travel is a slightly different product from the other Supersonics in the line. It has anywhere from 1,000 to 1,220 watts of power and an airflow speed of 11.6 liters per second, compared to the 1,600 watts and 13.3 liters per second of the standard Supersonic. In other words, the bigger dryer is slightly more powerful, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect longer dry times.

The standard Supersonic and Supersonic Nural also feature four heats and three air speeds, where the Supersonic Travel features three heats and two air speeds.

SEE ALSO: The best noise-cancelling headphones for flying: 8 picks to improve your travel experience

That said, the Supersonic Travel has universal voltage compatibility, so it can be used from 100 to 240 volts, whereas the other Supersonics are locked into 120 volt compatibility.

In terms of its portability, it's also worth noting the Supersonic Travel weighs the same as the Supersonic r, a professional grade hair dryer (priced as such at $549.99) that's become more popular due in part to being lightweight and easy to maneuver.

Where to buy the Dyson Supersonic Travel

The Dyson Supersonic Travel is available for $299.99 at Dyson's website, Amazon, and Best Buy. If you buy at the former, you will receive a complimentary $59.99 travel bag along with the hair dryer.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Casely reannounced a power bank recall this April after a fire linked to the device fatally injured a user. This is the tenth power bank recall in the United States in the last 12 months, and Anker recalled 1.5 million power banks in 2025.

The recall affects an estimated 429,200 Casely 5,000-mAh MagSafe Power Pods (Model E33A), which were originally recalled in 2025. The MagSafe power banks need to be completely replaced.

Back of Casely power banks. Credit: CPSC

Affected customers should stop using the portable power banks immediately. They can also contact Casely to receive a free replacement.

"The recalled lithium-ion battery in the power banks can overheat and ignite, posing risk of serious injury or death from fire and burn hazards to consumers," the CPSC stated on its recall website.

The Brooklyn-based company is reannouncing the recall after receiving 51 reports of the lithium-ion battery overheating, expanding, and/or catching fire while charging smartphones, "resulting in six minor burn injuries." 

However, in the past year, the CPSC says 28 more reports have been made, including explosions that caused a serious accident on an airplane and one death.

In August 2024, a 75-year-old woman from New Jersey, was charging her cell phone with the power bank on her lap when it caught on fire and exploded. The victim suffered second and third degree burns and later passed away from complications from her injuries. In February 2026, a 47-year-old woman was charging her cell phone with the power bank on an airplane when it caught on fire and exploded, resulting in the victim suffering first degree burns. 

How to check your Casely Power Pod

Worried you may own one of the 429,000 recalled power banks? It's easy to check if your device is included in the recall.

On the back of the device, look for the device's model number, as show in a picture provided by the CPSC. If the model number reads "E33A," then stop using the device immediately.

Look for the model number. Credit: CPSC

More information on requesting a replacement power bank is available on the CPSC and Casely recall websites.

NASA has completed its next space observatory, built to create sharp, panoramic maps of the universe while revealing how the most mysterious, invisible substances and distant worlds shape the cosmos.

About a quarter-century after the Hubble Telescope reshaped astronomy, and a few years into the era of the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will join them not as a replacement, but as a big-picture partner. Where Hubble and Webb zoom in for close‑ups, Roman will capture Hubble‑like detail across areas about 100 times larger, turning isolated snapshots into sweeping surveys that show the very scaffolding of the universe.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, engineers are wrapping up prelaunch testing on the cutting-edge telescope. Next, the observatory will travel 900 miles to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where teams will prepare it for launch. 

That could happen as early as this September, about eight months ahead of schedule, NASA managers said at a news conference on Tuesday, April 21. Once in space, Roman will head to a stable orbit about 1 million miles from Earth, near the same region where Webb orbits the sun, and begin a years‑long campaign of deep space imaging. 

"We didn't want to wait to launch the Nancy Grace Roman. We're eight months ahead of schedule," said Nicky Fox, NASA's associate administrator of science. "Everybody felt the urgency. Everybody was sprinting towards this."

SEE ALSO: Artemis II crew largely sidesteps diversity question about future moon-landing astronauts

Named for Nancy Grace Roman, who became the agency's first chief of astronomy and one of its earliest female executives, the telescope reflects a legacy of opening new windows on the universe from above Earth's atmosphere. Nicknamed the "mother of Hubble," Roman helped lay the groundwork in the 1960s for a whole fleet of space telescopes.

A wide shot of the dark universe

At the heart of the mission is Roman's eight-foot-wide mirror, the same size as Hubble's, paired with a powerful camera that sees in infrared light, like Webb. That camera's field of view is Roman's superpower. In a single shot, it can image vast swaths of sky that Hubble simply can't match. 

Because a space telescope can only see one patch of sky at a time, it has to take many separate "pointings" — individual shots aimed at slightly different spots — and stitch them together into a mosaic.

In 2023, Ami Choi, an astrophysicist and scientist for Roman's wide field camera, contrasted the difference between Hubble and the new telescope. To photograph the Andromeda Galaxy, Hubble has to take 400 smaller images and stitch them together. For Roman's camera, that should only take two pointings, she said. 

This wide, sharp vision is what scientists need to study the so-called "dark universe." Ordinary matter — the stuff that makes up stars, planets, and even people — accounts for only about 5 percent of the cosmos. The bulk of it is dark matter and dark energy, which do not emit light but leave clues where they've influenced space's expansion and the arrangement of galaxies.

"Current observations hint that our standard model of the universe is incorrect," said Julie McEnery, senior project scientist, referring to cosmologists' best recipe for the universe. "Roman will be able to confirm these and set us on the path to understanding what's right."

Roman will trace those clues in several ways at once. By mapping the positions and shapes of hundreds of millions of galaxies, it will show how structures have grown from the early universe to today. Subtle distortions in galaxy shapes will reveal how clumps of invisible space stuff bend their light on the way to us, exposing the hidden dark matter. At the same time, Roman will discover and track large numbers of a special kind of exploding star, known as Type Ia supernovas; their predictable brightness lets astronomers measure how quickly space has expanded over time.

Imaging large space targets, such as the Andromeda Galaxy, will require far fewer smaller images to stitch together than other flagship observatories. Credit: NASA composite image

Taken together, these measurements will allow scientists to test competing ideas about dark matter, dark energy, and even the laws of gravity themselves with far greater precision than ever before. Other observatories can make similar kinds of measurements, but none combines Roman's sharpness and sky coverage in the infrared, NASA mission leaders say, which lets it see more distant and dust-covered galaxies.

A new census of distant exoplanets

Roman's wide‑field power also makes it skilled at exoplanet hunting. Previous missions like Kepler and TESS mostly found planets close to their stars, where their repeated crossings dim starlight in a regular rhythm. Roman will focus on a different region of planetary systems: the cooler, outer zones, where worlds similar to Jupiter and Saturn reside. It may even find wandering planets that aren't tethered to stars.

To do this, Roman will repeatedly monitor dense star fields toward the center of our Milky Way. As a foreground star passes in front of a more distant one, its gravity will briefly magnify the background star's light. If the foreground star carries planets, they can produce smaller, telltale blips in that brightening. This technique, called microlensing, works best in precisely the kind of crowded, faint, and distant regions that Roman is expected to capture.

Optical Engineer Bente Eegholm inspects the primary mirror for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Credit: NASA / Chris Gunn

Over its mission, Roman will attempt to record thousands of these microlensing events, revealing planets at distances and masses other surveys mostly miss. From that haul, astronomers will compare our solar system's architecture with many others and judge whether having inner rocky worlds and outer giant planets is the status quo or something more rare.

Roman will also test an advanced coronagraph — a system of masks and mirrors that blocks a star's glare so the telescope can try to see the faint glow of planets around it. On Roman, this is more of a technology trial than an everyday science instrument, but if it works, it will set the stage for a future observatory whose main goal is to directly image Earth‑like worlds around other sun‑like stars.

"What astronomers can do today with coronagraph instruments is see planets that are maybe a million times fainter than their stars," Vanessa Bailey, NASA's Roman coronagraph scientist, told Mashable. "What we're doing with the Roman coronagraph is hopefully getting to 10 million to 100 million times fainter, maybe even a little bit more, in the best case scenario."

Catching the universe in motion

Roman is also built for studying how the sky changes, creating a veritable library of "before" and "after" shots.

Technicians assemble the solar panels on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Credit: NASA / Sydney Rohde

One of its major surveys will repeatedly scan high‑latitude regions of the sky, away from the plane of the Milky Way. By returning to the same fields every few days, Roman will catch supernovas as they ignite and fade, watch black holes light up as they feed on nearby material, and uncover other short-lived, dramatic events across the distant universe. Its infrared vision will reveal explosions and flares that dust clouds hide from visible‑light telescopes.

Another core program will stare toward the Milky Way's central bulge. There, Roman will track how the brightness of millions of stars rises and falls on timescales of minutes to months. Those records will not only power the microlensing planet search but also expose other phenomena, such as neutron stars and black holes.

Because Roman will cover such large areas with fine detail, its images will also become a long‑lasting reference tool. When other telescopes later spot something odd — a burst of high‑energy radiation, for instance, or an unusual variable star — astronomers will be able to pull Roman's earlier images and see what was there before the excitement.

"The images it captures will be so large there is not a screen in existence large enough to show them," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman. "Roman will give the Earth a new Atlas of the universe. I think it's worth pausing for a moment just to think about how really incredible that is."

UPDATE: Apr. 22, 2026, 12:59 p.m. EDT A previous version of this story identified an astrophysicist as Julie McHenry. The senior project scientist is Julie McEnery.

Framework has unveiled its latest wave of modular laptops and accessories, and the highlight is the addition of a long-awaited feature: a touchscreen. The newly introduced Laptop 13 Pro is billed as a "ground up redesign" whose centerpiece is a custom 2,880x1,920, matte finish display with touch support.

It's only been about four months since the Stranger Things series finale, but the iconic franchisereturns to streaming this week. If you think it's a new episode from season 5, think again. Stranger Things: Tales from '85, an animated spin-off series, premieres on April 23, 2026, on Netflix in the U.S.

Florida attorney general James Uthmeier announced Tuesday that the state launched a criminal investigation into OpenAI and its flagship product, the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.

The investigation centers on the use of ChatGPT by a gunman who allegedly shot several people at Florida State University in April 2025. The shooting killed two people and injured five others. The suspect, a former student at Florida State University in his early 20s, is awaiting trial for multiple charges of murder and attempted murder.

"Unfortunately, what we've seen in our initial review is that ChatGPT offered significant advice to the shooter before he committed such heinous crimes," Uthmeier said at a news conference on Tuesday, according to NBC Miami.

SEE ALSO: 'Use a gun': AI chatbots help people plan violence, report says

Uthmeier offered several examples of such exchanges, including one in which the suspect allegedly asked about the gun's short range power and the type of ammunition the gun used. The New York Times reported that the suspect also prompted the chatbot to answer questions about how the country would respond to a shooting at FSU.

Florida law may consider anyone who aids, abets, or counsels someone in a committed or attempted crime as a principal to that crime.

In a published statement, Uthmeier said that "...if ChatGPT were a person, it would be facing charges for murder."

Mashable contacted OpenAI for comment but didn't receive a response prior to publication.

The criminal investigation follows an initial probe launched earlier this month by Uthmeier into ChatGPT's links to "criminal behavior," including the FSU shooting, as well as child sex abuse and the "encouragement of suicide and self-harm."

The investigation seeks, among other evidence, OpenAI's policies and internal training materials related to user threats directed toward other people between March 2024 and April 2026.

A recent report published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that many AI chatbots, including ChatGPT, helped test users posing as 13-year-old boys plan violence, including school shootings, knife attacks, political assassinations, and bombing synagogues or political party offices.

At the time, OpenAI said it had since introduced a new model different from the one tested jointly by CNN and the Center for Countering Digital Hate. It is unclear which ChatGPT model the alleged FSU shooter used.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

A developer has just released his own version of Circle To Search for all Android devices. This open-source alternative to Google’s Circle To Search allows users to draw a circle, search for what they want, and use it on any Android device that’s on Android 10 and above.

There's something supremely therapeutic about sinking into the couch after a long day at the computer or on the job site—and getting lost in a great TV show. HBO Max has spent decades making sure you have something good to watch when you do, but we're here to make sure you find it.

Microsoft is responding to complaints about expensive Xbox Game Pass subscriptions with price cuts, although there are conditions attached.

Are you really an audio brand in the year 2026 if you're not coming out with a pair of open earbuds?

It would appear not. In just the past four months alone, brands like Sony, Soundcore, JBL, and Shokz have all released new open-earbuds models, and now, thanks to a new leak, it looks like Samsung will be joining the party.

SEE ALSO: Sony expands Inzone gaming lineup with H6 Air open-back headset, OLED gaming monitor

The all-things-Samsung source SammyGuru uncovered an open earbuds design buried in Samsung's One UI firmware on April 20. The idea that Samsung has open earbuds in the work didn't come completely out of left field: Last March, SamMobile reported on a tip that Samsung would unveil bone conduction open earbuds at last July's Galaxy Unpacked event.

That release didn't come to fruition, but this latest leak gives us more information about the earbuds, rumored to be named the Galaxy Buds Able. Instead of a bone conduction model, which send vibrations into the bones of the wearer's head to transmit sound, the leaked Able design points to a clip-on open earbuds look.

The potential design of the rumored Samsung Galaxy Buds Able. Credit: SammyGuru

Clip-on open earbuds cuff the ear and sit just beyond the ear canal, using air conduction to transmit audio. This style bud is the same as the very popular Bose Ultra Open earbuds, as well as the new Sony open earbuds, and more affordable options from Soundcore and EarFun.

Samsung recently announced two earbuds — the Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro — at its Unpacked event in February. SammyGuru notes that this announcement came earlier in the year than expected, potentially pointing to the release of the open earbuds alongside the new line of Galaxy Fold phones, rumored to be announced in July.

The smartphone may prove to be the most enduring symbol of modern human invention. The microcomputers are now portals to entirely new worlds. They now have tiny artificially intelligent assistants inside of them. They've even gone to space. 

Smartphones have also played a part in harming impressionable youth, intensifying a mass mental health crisis, and exacerbating global pollution.  

According to the World Health Organization, global e-waste is the fastest-growing waste stream in the world. A record amount of e-waste, 62 million tons to be exact, leached pollutants, including lead and mercury, into the environment in 2022. Mobile phones, computers, and appliances make up the majority of electronics in landfills. The United States generated about 7.2 million tons of e-waste in 2022 and collected about half of it. 

Why aren't we recycling more?

You may have heard of the space race, and now the AI race, but have you heard of the rare earth mineral race? If not, now's the time. 

Most of the world's modern tech, including smartphones, is powered by just 17 metallic elements. They form powerful magnets, lasers, batteries, and more. They're abundant worldwide, but increasingly hard to mine. That production difficulty has led to political conflict as countries try to secure large rare-earth deposits — and to a sense of scarcity. When you toss away your phone or let it collect dust in a drawer, these rare-earths are stuck, too. It's basically the trapped-water theory, but for very small amounts of naturally occurring magnetic elements.

A 2026 CNET reader survey found that only 39 percent of people had recycled an electronic device — a 2024 YouGov survey put that number at only seven percent. About a third of U.S. adults cited uncertainty about recycling rules and programs for their reluctance, while about a fifth said they simply throw them in the garbage — dumping e-waste is illegal or regulated in 25 states. Yet another survey conducted by Allstate Protection Plans found that more than half of Americans kept their devices on hand purely as backups. 

That behavior creates its own set of issues. According to the United Nations' Global E-waste Monitor (GEM), the amount of e-waste far outnumbers rates of electronic recycling, and it's going up by 2.6 million tons every year. In 2024, five times as much e-waste was generated as was recycled tech. 

And it gets worse: For the amount of e-waste that is recycled, less than a quarter of it is properly collected and processed, often resulting in even more waste and pollution. Even if electronics are successfully broken down in the complicated recycling process, a single device only produces a small amount of rare-earths, which means we need a lot more devices in the recycling stream to make a difference.

SEE ALSO: How to actually recycle electronics, beauty empties, toys, and more tricky items in 2026

All of that leads to this reality: Less than one percent of rare-earth element demand is met by recycling e-waste, leaving the majority of countries reliant on just a few powerful nations with large pools of rare-earth elements. We need to come up with a better system, quickly.  

For years, environmental activists have proposed a much easier solution: Simply stop buying so many new electronic devices. Refurbish programs have risen in popularity among tech companies, retail giants, and even the U.S. president, while Right to Repair advocates push for laws that will allow more individuals to extend the life of their personal devices. 

But even amid these trends, the number of participants needs to multiply tenfold to address the growing e-waste problem. 

While more than a third of Americans told Allstate Protection Plans they are likely to buy a used or refurbished device, only 18 percent actually went through with it. Young people, however, are much more likely to buy refurbished devices than older generations, according to Statista, even as they hoard older devices. About half of Gen Z said they'd choose used over new to save the planet. A resurgence in nostalgia for Y2K tech like iPods and cyberdecks — as well as a desire for "built to last" devices in a struggling economy — may help move the needle further.

Phones are our legacy, for better or for worse. What will you do about it?

Featured Video For You The space junk doomsday scenario is getting closer

Ads already appear in some Apple apps, including the App Store, Apple News, and some live sports on Apple TV. Now there's a new app to add to the list, as Apple has confirmed that ads will soon be coming to the Apple Maps app, too.

There's a new guy in charge at Apple.

As you may have heard, longtime Apple CEO Tim Cook is leaving his post this fall, opting to take on a more high-level role at the company. That means Apple has a new CEO, and his name is John Ternus. His face is certainly recognizable if you've watched an Apple product launch livestream in recent years, though perhaps less so than Craig Federighi, Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.

Obviously, there's a lot more to Ternus than his presentational skills if Apple feels comfortable making him CEO, the position held by Steve Jobs from 1997 to 2011.

So, who is John Ternus? Here's what we know about Apple's little-known new boss.

SEE ALSO: Apple may have already given us a big hint about AI Siri New Apple CEO John Ternus: Everything you need to know

Ternus is a 50-year-old business executive and engineer, and he's the same age Cook was when he became CEO in 2011.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 and a brief stint as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems, Ternus joined Apple in 2001, and he's been there ever since.

Tim Cook and John Ternus at Apple headquarters in Northern California. Credit: Apple

Ternus started in the Apple product design team and worked his way up the ladder, becoming a VP of hardware engineering in 2013. He moved further up to senior VP in the same department in 2021. In other words, Ternus has been a longtime hardware guy at Apple, as opposed to Cook, who was more business-focused before replacing Steve Jobs as CEO.

“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” said Ternus in an Apple press release.

“Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor...I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us. I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”

Finally, as a fun sidenote, Ternus was apparently a heck of a competitive swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania in the 90s, per Fortune. You can read all about that in the Daily Pennsylvanian. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal also reports he's fond of Porsche racing and has respectable lap times for an amateur driver.

Why did Apple pick Ternus for CEO?

While Apple's internal product development is a bit of a black box (unless you're Bloomberg's Mark Gurman), Apple's press release credited Ternus and his team for a lot of recent Apple hardware successes.

"Throughout his tenure at Apple, Ternus has overseen hardware engineering work on a variety of groundbreaking products across every category," Apple said. "He was instrumental in the introduction of multiple new product lines, including iPad and AirPods, as well as many generations of products across iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch."

His most recent accomplishment?

Apple credited Ternus with the development of the popular and well-regarded MacBook Neo laptop. He was also involved with the iPhone 17 line, with Apple calling out the iPhone Air as an example of Ternus's hardware chops.

Generally speaking, during Ternus's time as a hardware higher-up (though, again, it would be irresponsible to credit him and him alone with these products), Apple's devices have become more popular and better reviewed than ever, with a couple of notable exceptions.

Ternus was reportedly a big part of the MacBook Neo's development. Credit: Joe Maldonado/Mashable

MacBooks, in particular, have become some of the most beloved laptops on the market, and that's thanks in large part to another of Ternus's big accomplishments at Apple — overseeing the transition to Apple silicon and the M series processors. CNBC and others have reported that Ternus played a pivotal role in the development of Apple's in-house chips.

If you want more tea on the Apple leadership shakeup, Gurman recently reported that Ternus was hesitant to support the Apple Vision Pro and Apple Car projects championed by Cook. The former has been a sales disaster, while the latter never even came out. Still, despite a few misses, Cook grew Apple's market cap by 20x during his tenure, making Apple into a $4 trillion company.

By any measure, Cook has been hugely successful, but Apple insiders say Ternus may have a more Jobs-like product vision and attitude.

Gurman also reported that Ternus has a reputation for a more decisive, quick-thinking approach to decision-making. He'll also be expected to help Apple catch up to the competition in the AI arms race. Apple has notably lagged behind everyone else in both feature quantity and quality, and Siri's AI redesign may be one of the first big tests after the announcement.

So, in summary, Ternus is a lifelong hardware developer who is going to try to build on Apple's recent successes in that regard, while also embracing AI to the extent that it can.

We'll surely get to know him better in the near future as Apple hosts WWDC 2026 in June and the iPhone 18 launch later this year.

The modular PC maker Framework unveiled a slew of new products during its jam-packed [Next Gen] Event livestream Tuesday — including the new Laptop 13 Pro, a repairable MacBook Pro alternative.

The Laptop 13 Pro is Framework's fourth laptop since its founding in 2020, when it launched the original Laptop 13. And, "In many ways, this product has been six years in the making," company founder Nirav Patel wrote in a blog post. "We’ve taken all of the feedback you’ve given us on the first seven generations of Framework Laptop 13 to make this the ultimate portable developer and power user machine," he said.

Laptop 13 Pro preorders are now open on Framework's website, starting at $1,199 for the build-your-own "DIY Edition" and $1,499 for pre-built configurations. That includes options pre-loaded with Ubuntu Linux in addition to Windows. The first wave of shipments will go out in June.

Opens in a new window Credit: Framework Framework Laptop 13 Pro (Intel Core Ultra Series 3), DIY Edition $1,199 at Framework
  Pre-order Here Opens in a new window Credit: Framework Framework Laptop 13 Pro (Intel Core Ultra Series 3), Pre-built $1,499 at Framework
  Pre-order Here

Framework also revealed updates to the gaming-ready Laptop 16, a new OCuLink Dev Kit, a new wireless keyboard, and a new laptop sleeve during its livestream. Along with the Laptop 13 Pro, they "represent a step change in our capabilities" and fulfill recurring customer requests, Patel said. "We have the scale and resources to build the products you want from us and to deliver on our mission of remaking consumer electronics."

Read on for a closer look at all of the announcements.

Meet the Framework Laptop 13 Pro The Framework Laptop 13 Pro features a crisp and bright touchscreen (!) display. Credit: Framework

In crafting the Laptop 13 Pro, Framework set out to create a “MacBook Pro for Linux users," Patel said. "We wanted to prove that you can have a computer that is refined, robust, and high performance, that still respects your rights through repairability, upgradeability, and the power to choose the software you want to run on it."

The Laptop 13 Pro sure looks like a MacBook Pro. Weighing just over three pounds, its new, fully CNC aluminum chassis has a flat "slab-like" shape reminiscent of a modern Apple laptop. (In contrast, the standard Laptop 13 has a silver chassis with the wedge shape of an M1 MacBook Air.) It's launching in a graphite finish reminiscent of Apple's space black colorway, but a silver version is coming soon.

SEE ALSO: Framework Laptop 13 review: A good laptop and an even better concept

The Laptop 13 Pro is fueled by powerful Intel Core Ultra Series 3 ("Panther Lake") chips with 16 to 64GB of fast and efficient LPCAMM2 memory. It's available in Core Ultra 5, Core Ultra X7, and Core Ultra X9 configurations.

The Laptop 13 Pro is bedecked with a new 13.5-inch 2,880 x 1,920 display that offers up to 700 nits of brightness, a 30 to 120Hz variable refresh rate, and touchscreen capabilities — something "many of you have been requesting for years," Patel wrote. The screen has newly squared-off corners and an improved anti-glare matte finish.

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro's chassis weighs a little over three pounds. Credit: Framework

The Laptop 13 Pro also sports a new haptic touchpad. "Touchpad feel is an area where Windows and Linux laptops have historically fallen behind Macs, so this is where we’re putting a lot of our focus across our mechanical, electrical, and firmware teams to deliver the best experience possible," Patel said. It has the same keyboard as the regular Laptop 13, but it's available in two more colors besides basic black.

Additionally, the Laptop 13 Pro's speakers are located on both sides of its base rather than underneath it, like they are on the Laptop 13. They support Dolby Atmos, which is a first for a Framework Laptop.

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro (left) will eventually be available in silver to match the original Laptop 13. Credit: Framework

A lower-end touchscreen was previously only available on the Laptop 12, Framework's budget-friendly hybrid, while the haptic touchpad is brand-new for the Framework Laptop series. As with any Framework machine, all of the Laptop 13 Pro's components are user-replaceable and upgradable, and its four port modules are swappable.

Patel called the Laptop 13 Pro "a complete ground up redesign that brings a massive leap in battery life," noting that better stamina has been customers' biggest ask over the years. Its 74Wh battery offers over 20 hours of 4K Netflix streaming per charge, he claimed, which represents a 12-hour boost from the previous-generation Laptop 13 with a 61Wh battery.

SEE ALSO: Memory shortage: Framework raises DDR5 RAM prices again with a per GB price hike

Not only that, Patel added, but the Laptop 13 Pro's battery life is "actually slightly longer than a 14-inch MacBook Pro M5!" A Panther Lake laptop I tested earlier this year offered over 24 hours of video playback, so this isn't totally far-fetched. The M5 MacBook Pro only lasted 21 hours and 17 minutes in our battery life benchmark.

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro's 74Wh battery gives it more stamina than an M5 MacBook Pro, or so the company claims. Credit: Framework

The Laptop 13 Pro also comes with a bigger 100W GaN power adapter for faster charging.

The Laptop 13 Pro isn't meant to replace the base Laptop 13, which will continue to be sold alongside it, starting at $899 for the DIY Edition and $1,099 pre-built. A Framework rep told me that existing Laptop 13 owners will be able to upgrade their device with all of the Laptop 13 Pro's improved components, including the new touchscreen display ($299) and Panther Lake mainboard (starting at $449). The new 74Wh battery ($89) works if you grab a Bottom Cover Upgrade Kit ($169), while an Input Cover Kit ($179) nets you the haptic touchpad. The display and mainboards are now available for preorder in the Framework Marketplace.

Framework Laptop 16 updates — plus an OCuLink Dev Kit in the works The Framework Laptop 16 is getting one-piece haptic touchpad and keyboard modules. Credit: Framework

Framework is dropping some new components for the beefy Laptop 16, its desktop replacement with swappable graphics modules. That includes one-piece haptic touchpad and keyboard modules with no seams; a new translucent smoke gray bezel color; and a new entry-level AMD Ryzen 5 340 CPU option.

The new touchpad and keyboard modules are up for preorder in Laptop 16 configurations that start shipping in June, while the new bezel color will launch sometime later this summer. The Ryzen 5-powered Laptop 16 is preorderable today, starting at $1,249 for the DIY Edition and $1,599 pre-built.

Framework's OCuLink Dev Kit launches later this year. Credit: Framework

In addition, Framework previewed an OCuLink Dev Kit for the Laptop 16 during Tuesday's livestream. This module will "[enable] extremely high throughput peripherals like eGPUs" through the device's rear Expansion Bay, Patel wrote in a separate blog post. Hooking up a laptop to a more powerful eGPU, or external Graphics Processing Unit, is an easy way to bump its graphics performance when you want to use it for ultra-demanding tasks like AAA gaming, 4K video editing, and software development.

The Dev Kit includes an adapter board, a graphics module dock, and a PCIe card dock. It will ship later this year; stay tuned for pricing.

Coming soon: The Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard The Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard will be able to fit inside a Framework Laptop one day. Credit: Framework

Framework later showcased its forthcoming Wireless Touchpad Keyboard, which is exactly what it sounds like: a compact, portable keyboard with a built-in touchpad on the right-hand side. It's made in partnership with Lite-On, the same Taiwanese tech manufacturer that's made its laptop keyboards for the past five years, and it has the same key spacing and travel. The touchpad itself supports multi-finger gestures.

The Wireless Touchpad Keyboard will have a translucent back cover and a replaceable battery. Framework is currently working on a USB-A Adapter Expansion Card module that lets it sit flush inside its laptops.

SEE ALSO: Framework Laptop 16 (AMD) review: I’m obsessed with both the concept and the laptop

The keyboard won't launch until later this year, but Framework wanted to tease it well ahead of time "to give developers an early start on building around it," Patel said. We don't know how much it will cost yet.

The Framework Laptop Sleeve is here The silver one is kind of giving duct tape. Credit: Framework

Last but not least, Framework is releasing a new carrying case for the Laptop 13 Pro, Laptop 13, and Laptop 12. Priced at $39, it has a padded main pocket and a compartment for accessories. It comes in black and silver. Framework's website still had it listed as "coming soon" at the time of writing.

You can watch the full Framework [Next Gen] Event livestream on the company's YouTube channel.

One of the most promising movie adaptations of a video game is quickly taking shape. A24 and Bandai Namco are producing a live-action movie version of Elden Ring, the popular (over 30 million copies sold) and often-challenging fantasy action role-playing game based on a story by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin. Here's everything you need to know for the premiere.

If you’ve ever tried building a smart home across brands, you already know the frustration of devices disconnecting, apps not syncing, and ‘universal standards’ still requiring workarounds. This is a problem that Samsung is now trying to solve. The brand’s global smart home platform, SmartThings now offers native, hub-free integration with 25 IKEA smart home devices. Notably, the partnership goes deeper, instead of the two brands just slapping a compatible sticker on the box and calling it a day.

Many gamers don’t mind spending hundreds of dollars on a new graphics card the moment they notice a performance drop in their favorite games, while the CPU remains untouched for years. While this upgrade pattern can work to some extent, since most games are GPU-bound, that strategy only holds for so long. CPUs aren’t immune to time, and modern games are starting to demand more from them than ever before.

Amazon is facing a proposed class action lawsuit in California state court for allegedly forcing early Fire TV Stick users to upgrade by dropping software support.

SAVE $270: The Eufy C28 robot vacuum and mop is on sale at Amazon for $529.99, down from the standard price of $799.99. That works out to a 34% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Eufy Eufy C28 robot vacuum and mop $529.99 at Amazon
$799.99 Save $270   Get Deal

We all deserve a break these days. Even if your schedule is not packed with meetings and errands and other daily chores, having some relaxing time is essential. Instead of spending energy on cleaning the floors, offload the task to a robot. Sure, robots might not be ready to cook us dinner, but they've proven their worth as vacuums and mops. Check out this deal at Amazon today on a budget-friendly model.

As of April 21, the Eufy C28 robot vacuum and mop is on sale at Amazon for $529.99, marked down from the usual price of $799.99. That works out to a 34% discount that shaves $270 off the price.

Mashable's resident expert on robot vacuum and mops, Leah Stodard, ranked the Eufy C28 as the best affordable robot vacuum and mop combo with a self-wash station. In her full review of the Eufy C28, she wrote, "The Eufy C28 is the most affordable mainstream roller mop robot vacuum we've seen so far," and that's even more true now that it's $270 off.

SEE ALSO: Score the Ecovacs Deebot X11 robot vacuum and mop for its lowest price yet

It's a compact model that does a great job at vacuuming and mopping floors given its price point. Stodart mention it doesn't earn a spot on the list of the best robot vacuums for pet hair on carpets, but it does a reliable job with keeping up on the daily.

While it's $270 off, snag the affordable Eufy C28 robot vacuum and mop. You'll be able to offload both vacuuming and mopping so you can take off on summer's best adventures or simply relax on the couch.

For years, smart home systems such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home have been free to use. If you bought an Amazon Echo smart speaker, for example, you could use it to control your smart home without any additional fees. Both Amazon and Google have recently started to lock some smart home features behind paywalls, but there's a free alternative that never will.