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TL;DR: The new Apple iPhone 18 Pro is available for free with T-Mobile. To claim, switch and bring your number or trade in an eligible phone in any condition on an Experience Beyond plan.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple T-Mobile: Free Apple iPhone 18 Pro   Get Deal

We've been blessed by a number of major smartphone drops in recent months. We got a new Motorola Razr lineup, new Google Pixels, and foldable phones from Samsung. But all of that feels sort of insignificant now, because Apple has taken over the news cycle.

After months of speculation, rumors, and leaks, Apple finally announced new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and more. If you're interested in investing in the latest iPhones, T-Mobile is the place to be.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro is available for free right now with T-Mobile. There are two ways to take advantage of this limited-time deal:

• Switch and bring your existing phone number on an Experience Beyond plan

• Trade in a qualifying phone (in any condition) on an Experience Beyond plan

The full savings are distributed as monthly credits over a 36-month payment plan. As long as you intend to stay locked into T-Mobile’s top data tier for three years, it's easily one of the best ways to score Apple's premier hardware without a major hit to your budget.

T-Mobile does require you to pay local sales tax on the phone's full retail value upfront, plus a standard $35 device connection fee per line at checkout. That's a minor inconvenience to score the latest iPhone without a huge upfront cost.

Score the iPhone 18 Pro for free from T-Mobile.

While there's still been plenty of world-hopping, Dark Matter Season 2 has added an element of psychological family drama to its sci-fi mix.

In short, the Dessens are struggling. And while the family of three have tried their best to settle into something resembling a normal life, episode 4 suggests that dream is still a long way off.

So, what happens, and why does Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) leave at the very end? We've unpacked it below.

SEE ALSO: The 41 best Apple TV shows, ranked What happens at the end of Dark Matter Season 2, episode 4?

After sending Charlie (Oakes Fegley) off to college in a version of Chicago where technology is a long way behind that of "our" world, Jason (Joel Edgerton) and Daniela sit in their suddenly too-quiet apartment drinking tea. But it's not long before Daniela starts to share something that's troubling her.

"We're not the people we used to be," she says. "I guess it was crazy to think that we could be. I think you feel it too. It's... something's wrong with me."

Jason asks her what's going on, and Daniela alludes to the hallucinations she's been having ever since they came to this version of Chicago.

"It's like I'm being followed," she says. "And I keep thinking I see these versions of you. But... it's something else. I'm scared of things that I see in you. But I don't know what to do with what I've done."

When Jason asks what he can do, Daniela says there's nothing.

"I think I need to go away," she finishes.

The episode ends with her leaving — going where, exactly, we don't know — while reassuring Jason that they'll always be each other's person.

Why does Daniela leave?

It seems pretty clear at this point that most of the characters who've used the Box to travel to other versions of reality are suffering varying degrees of psychological damage as a result. Amanda (Alice Braga) has already confessed to Ryan (Jimmi Simpson) that she's experiencing a form of PTSD from her time travelling between realities with Jason in Season 1. And given that she herself is a psychiatrist, it seems likely that her diagnosis is correct.

Daniela, meanwhile, has not just travelled between realities; back in Season 2, episode 1, she even had to kill another version of her husband, who'd tracked the family to the world they were living in and who may have posed a threat. If travelling between worlds can give you PTSD, what does killing someone who looks exactly like your husband — who essentially is your husband — do to your mental health?

Probably not great things, as is evidenced by Daniela's increasing paranoia in Season 2. It's also complicated by the fact that she lives with a constant reminder of the person she shot dead. All of which is to say, Daniela's decision to leave the Dessen household in order to try to get better actually makes quite a lot of sense.

Will she be gone for ever? Almost certainly not. What she says to Jason before she leaves makes that clear enough. But perhaps she'll go on her own journey for a few episodes in an attempt to seek help, and to heal from the many traumas she's suffered.

Dark Matter Season 2 is streaming on Apple TV, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

We're now at the First Quarter Moon, when roughly half of the lunar surface visible from Earth is illuminated. The Moon will continue to get more illuminated each night until we reach the Full Moon.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Friday, Sept. 18, NASA's Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon is in the First Quarter phase, with 45% of its surface visible.

You should be able to spot Mare Crisium, Mare Serenitatis, and Mare Fecunditatis with the naked eye. If you have binoculars, they'll also help you see the Endymion Crater, Posidonius Crater, and the Mare Nectaris. Finally, if you have access to a telescope, you'll see the Apollo 11 and 17 landing spots, and the Rupes Altai.

When is the next Full Moon?

The next Full Moon will take place on September 26.

What are Moon phases?

The Moon doesn't look the same from night to night. As it travels around Earth, which takes about 29.5 days, we see different portions of its illuminated side. This is what creates the lunar phases, with the Moon gradually progressing from a thin crescent to a half Moon and then a Full Moon before the cycle starts over. According to NASA, the phase we see is determined by the Moon's position relative to both Earth and the Sun.

The eight phases are:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

Looking for spoiler-free NYT Connections hints or just wondering why Connections is trending today? We've got what you need to understand the clues for today's puzzle without spoiling any of the answers.

Of course, Mashable has also provided daily hints and answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands for years, so we can help you if that's also what you need.

While we are focused more on meanings than hints in this story, sometimes learning that many of the words have completely unrelated meanings is a clue in and of itself. Connections frequently includes clues that involve words within words and other visual clues.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 18, 2026 Pillow meaning

A cushion designed for aesthetics or resting.

Cruise meaning

A leisurely trip taken via watercraft.

Upper meaning

The higher part of something.

Step meaning

A part of a journey.

Flight meaning

When a plane or jet travels from one place to another.

Stair meaning

Steps used to ascend or descend.

Platter meaning

A tray used for serving food.

Landing meaning

An area at the top or bottom of a flight of steps.

Round meaning

A circular shape.

Stage meaning

A place where performances are held.

Takeoff meaning

When an aircraft leaves the ground.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

Medley meaning

A combination of things, often related to music.

Brief meaning

A short amount of time.

Boarding meaning

To enter a plane, train, or boat.

Sampler meaning

Small amounts of items for testing or variety.

Phase meaning

A part of a process.

Have you learned the meanings and still want the things? Check out the hints and answers for today's NYT Connections puzzle.

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

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

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.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you like to travel.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

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

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

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 18, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Parts

• Green: Refreshments

• Blue: Travel-related

• Purple: Same second word

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Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Segment of a process

• Green: Assortments of food/drink

• Blue: Parts of a flight

• Purple: Same second word

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 #1195 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Segment of a process: PHASE, ROUND, STAGE, STEP

• Assortments of food/drink: FLIGHT, MEDLEY, PLATTER, SAMPLER

• Parts of a flight: BOARDING, CRUISE, LANDING, TAKEOFF

• __ case: BRIEF, PILLOW, STAIR, UPPER

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

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

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

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.

Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you're good at finding common ground.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for September 18, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Shake on it

The words are related to decisions.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe arrangements.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Let's Make a Deal.

NYT Strands word list for September 18

• Pact

• Contract

• Agreement

• Let's Make a Deal

• Covenant

• Treaty

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

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're ready for cooler weather.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for September 18, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for September 18, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Describing a weather condition.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

No letters appear twice.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

The Wordle answer today is...

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SNOWY

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

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

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

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

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 Wordle.

TL;DR: Create children’s books in minutes with this IllustratorMagic Pro Plan lifetime subscription, on sale now for just $39.99 (reg. $499).

Opens in a new window Credit: IllustratorMagic lllustratorMagic Pro Plan: Lifetime Subscription $39.99
$499 Save $459.01   Get Deal

AI has opened up a whole new world of side hustles. Want to become a children’s book author? Thanks to AI, that’s now easier than ever — just supply the ideas and let IllustratorMagic handle the rest. This powerful tool turns your concepts into fully illustrated children’s books.

Right now, you can secure a lifetime subscription to the IllustratorMagic Pro Plan for only $39.99.

Have a great idea for a kids’ book but no idea where to start? IllustratorMagic makes the process a breeze, letting you create storybooks, comic books, or even coloring books in no time.

With IllustratorMagic, the power of AI turns your concept into a publish-ready output. It helps generate your story, the illustrations for every page, and even the layout. Once you’re done, you can export it in the size that works best for your project — for ebooks, self-publishing platforms, and more.

You don’t have to worry about your projects sounding like they were written by a robot filled with stock characters. You can create the characters from scratch, or base them on real-life children that you know to create a great personalized gift or custom publishing project. They will be consistent throughout the book, unlike many generic AI image tools that don’t recreate characters the same way.

You can use IllustratorMagic in any browser, so it works anywhere with an internet connection. When you receive your finished project, you also have full commercial rights, so you can use it wherever and however you would like.

Your lifetime subscription to the Pro Plan gives you access to create up to 20 books per month and up to 1,000 books total. It also includes all future updates as they roll out.

Snag this IllustratorMagic Pro Plan lifetime subscription, on sale now for just $39.99 (reg. $499).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more with no monthly fee, only $29.97.

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License $29.97
$219.99 Save $190.02   Get Deal

Paying a monthly subscription for apps only really makes sense if you’re doing it for a short time. For apps like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that you end up using indefinitely, buying them outright is a much smarter, way cheaper option over time. That’s why more people are canceling Microsoft 365 and moving back to Microsoft Office.

A lifetime license for Microsoft Office Pro is only $29.97 (reg. $219.99).

This version of Microsoft Office comes with

• Word

• Excel

• PowerPoint

• Outlook

• Teams (free version)

• OneNote

• Publisher

• Access

We know what you’re thinking, but rest assured, this isn’t some stripped-down lite version either. It’s the real deal. Whether you’re writing reports, crunching numbers, building presentations, managing emails, or wrangling databases, the lifetime version of Microsoft Office has you covered.

It’s a one-time download for one Windows PC, so once it’s yours, it’s yours. The full pro-level toolkit, minus the stress of a subscription. Plus, with instant license delivery and free customer support, getting started is as painless as your new spreadsheet workflow.

No more “trial expired” pop-ups. No more surprise charges. Just the latest versions of Microsoft’s best apps, ready to support all of your work and personal needs.

You don’t need to pay a monthly fee to get basic apps anymore. It’s only $29.97 to get a Microsoft Office Lifetime License.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

In the weeks before the 2026 midterm elections, adult performers are reminding you that it's "Hot2Vote."

Hot2Vote is a $100,000 ad campaign, made by over 100 adult creators, urging Georgia voters to "check their status" (voter registration) following a purge of over 470,000 names from the state's voter rolls last year.

The campaign includes SFW videos by entertainers like Cherie DeVille and King Noire. Also included in the campaign are pinup-style PSA posters that will be displayed in Atlanta's nightclub districts, digital ads geofenced to Atlanta nightclubs, and digital and pre-roll ads on adult sites that are matched to Atlanta voters.

SEE ALSO: Lily Phillips, other OnlyFans creators spread the word about climate change

Performers will also distribute posters and QR codes linking to Hot2Vote's website on the ground in Atlanta so people can check their registration in real-time.

"Over the next few weeks, my team and I will be out hitting the clubs around Atlanta and connecting with our community to make sure everyone checks their voter registration status," said Hazel Grace, an Atlanta-based performer and owner of production company InMelanin, in a press release shared with Mashable.

These ads are designed to reach people who aren't engaged in traditional political ads, and are estimated to reach between 400,000 and 450,000 people (mostly men) in the metropolitan Atlanta area, according to the press release.

Hot2Vote is reminiscent of the 2024 Hands Off My Porn campaign, which sought to raise awareness about Project 2025 (the conservative blueprint for Donald Trump's second presidential campaign).

It comes at a time of other sex worker advocacy, as well. In the UK, the web series Headline Newds spreads the word about climate change with popular porn performers.

The Hot2Vote ad campaign runs through Oct. 4, a day before Georgia's voter registration deadline ahead of the November elections.

If VidCon has always meant a summer trip to Anaheim, it’s time to rethink your plans. The creator convention is leaving Southern California for the foreseeable future. Instead of its usual format, organizer LIONS (which runs the Cannes Lions advertising festival) is bringing it to Nashville next fall under a new name: VidCon x LIONS Creators.

It’ll be part of a larger marketing festival called Insight to Impact, launching in Denver in October 2026 before moving to Nashville in 2027. VidCon won’t be at the Denver debut, but it will appear at the annual Cannes Lions advertising festival in France in June 2027. LIONS also says in a release that the more recognizable fan-focused part of VidCon is planned for its Nashville apperance — not Cannes.

That leaves the biggest question for longtime attendees unanswered: what will the Nashville experience actually be like? LIONS says it will share details about the format and programming later this year.

It’s a significant move for an event with deep roots in Anaheim. Founded by YouTubers Hank and John Green in 2010, VidCon first came to the city in 2012. What began as a gathering of YouTube creators and their viewers grew into an event with separate passes and programming for fans, emerging creators, and industry professionals.

SEE ALSO: Why VidCon still matters in 2026

The creator world grew with it. Today, creators build audiences across TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, and podcasts, often turning their work into careers and businesses. At VidCon 2026, Mashable spoke with Jessica McCabe about turning her experience with ADHD into a trusted resource, engineer-turned-comedy creator Alberta Tech about explaining technology online, and the creators behind Tubby Nugget about turning a doodle into a brand. Fans, meanwhile, came to see the people they knew from their screens. VidCon brought those groups together in one place.

That mix helps explain the partnership with LIONS Creators. Launched in 2023, the program takes place during the Cannes Lions advertising festival each June. This year’s program ran from June 22 to 26, with talks, workshops, and opportunities for creators to meet brand representatives, agencies, and platform leaders. Its focus on the business of being a creator is already a familiar part of VidCon.

VidCon and LIONS share a parent company, Informa, which acquired VidCon from Paramount in 2024. LIONS Creators will return to Cannes Lions in June 2027, and VidCon will have a presence there. The combined VidCon x LIONS Creators event will debut in Nashville later that fall.

After so many summers in Anaheim, VidCon regulars know when and where they’re headed next. What they’ll find when they get there is still taking shape.

A change of season has a way of making your closet, your haircut, and perhaps your entire personality feel due for an upgrade. Maybe you want a fresh look for the months ahead. Maybe you’re bored of doing your makeup the same way every morning. Or maybe we’ve all spent a little too much time looking at ourselves through our phone cameras.

That familiar urge to change something may help explain why people are uploading selfies to ChatGPT and asking how to "glow up."

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The results have prompted everything from "I want hair extensions now" to questions about whether the suggested changes are truly achievable — and why we’re asking a chatbot to tell us how to look better in the first place. (As one X user put it, the trend is "Dystopian as hell.") Naturally, I wanted to see what the fuss was about. So I snapped a selfie and uploaded it to ChatGPT.

I wanted to re-create the glow-up boards I’d seen people sharing on X. Here’s the prompt I arrived at to get this result after trying it myself (after a few rounds of trial and error).

Credit: Olivia Tauber/ChatGPT

After attaching a clear selfie, paste:

Turn my selfie into a personalized glow-up guide and before-and-after image. Study my visible features and choose four to six realistic changes I could make with hair styling, makeup, or accessories. Tailor the suggestions to me rather than applying a generic beauty trend.

Create one landscape board with my original selfie on the left labeled "Before," a realistic preview on the right labeled "After," and a column titled "Your glow-up plan." In that column, explain exactly how to recreate each change, including what to ask for at a salon and how to apply any suggested makeup. Add four labeled close-up details along the bottom.

Keep my face, eye color, skin tone, age appearance, and natural skin texture recognizable. Do not reshape my features or make my hair unrealistically thick. Keep the lighting and angle similar on both sides, and make all text clear and readable.

So, did the prompt reveal the secret to a whole new me? Not quite. I deliberately uploaded a no-makeup selfie to see whether ChatGPT would suggest anything I hadn’t tried. Most of its plan (brushed-up brows, defined lashes, blush, and a lip color close to my natural one) was already my usual makeup routine. The hair layers gave me something to think about, but "wear lip gloss" wasn’t exactly the beauty breakthrough I’d been waiting for.

Online, though, plenty of people were impressed. One X user wrote that ChatGPT "actually gives great glow up advice," while another marveled at how a few small changes could make someone look so different — even if they couldn’t quite pinpoint what had changed.

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Others thought they could identify the changes — and that they went beyond styling. "It’s 90% fluff," one user wrote. Another argued that while hair can change, the image also appeared to alter eyebrow and jaw structure. Another said the AI "elongated your face" and added "some extra forehead." One commenter objected that these results can be "unachievable" because the images alter a face’s natural shadows and features. A few users online (interestingly, all male) felt they preferred their "before" pictures better.

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There was also the question of where all those selfies go. "go girls provide your biometric data to ai repositories," one commenter joked. That isn’t verified, but uploading your face does mean handing the image to OpenAI. According to its file-storage guidance, photos uploaded to ChatGPT can be saved in your Library, and deleting the chat won’t necessarily delete the photo; you may need to remove it from Library separately. OpenAI also says uploaded files may be used to improve its models if "Improve the model for everyone" is on. You can turn that setting off before submitting a selfie.

For some people, one image is only the beginning. In a Reddit post about building a six-month glow-up plan, a user described giving ChatGPT their skincare, hair, and body goals and asking for a step-by-step routine. In the comments, one person said they did something similar, entering an ingredient list for 30 products, then asking the chatbot to turn its picks into a shopping list and an instructional guide. Others use AI to consider color palettes, sort through a makeup collection, or put together outfits from clothes they already have. Creator Marina Gudov’s uploaded photos of herself and her makeup products so ChatGPT could assess the colors in a viral TikTok series.

SEE ALSO: ChatGPT '80s trend: Prompts to try it yourself

But a request for a new makeup routine can turn into something more consequential. Some glow-up prompts ask ChatGPT to act like a dermatologist, assess skin concerns from a photo, or build a treatment schedule. Others invite it to suggest cosmetic procedures. One beauty creator told ChatGPT, "Tell me what to do, no matter how crazy. I’m open to anything." The resulting "summer glow-up" plan included microneedling, Botox, and filler, according to Dazed.

All these recommendations can sound authoritative even though a chatbot has not examined the person or taken a medical history. The American Academy of Dermatology cautions that chatbots can draw on inaccurate information and advises checking skin-care decisions with a dermatologist.

It’s hard to separate this trend from a culture that keeps finding new ways to tell us we could look better. Scroll through beauty TikTok and "getting ready" can look like a full overnight shift. In the morning shed, creators go to bed wearing combinations of hair wraps, face masks, under-eye patches, face tape, chin straps, and even tape over their mouths, then film themselves peeling everything off in the morning. Elsewhere on the feed are red-light masks and skin-care products made with ingredients such as beef tallow or salmon-derived DNA.

Men are in on the glow-up conversation, too, though some have a different word for it: looksmaxxing. It can mean a better haircut or skin-care routine, but its extremes include food restriction and "bone smashing" — hitting your face in the hope of reshaping it. Prominent influencer Clavicular has even claimed to use methamphetamine to stay lean.

There’s a reality check for the "after" images, by the way. Hair and makeup artists told Axios back in April that clients increasingly arrive with AI-generated inspiration photos. A stylist can work toward a color or add volume with extensions, but the picture might also have invented a hairline, impossible roots, or a face that looks different under the digital makeup.

Personally, I didn’t see a dramatic difference between my "before" selfie and the AI "after." The more useful part was asking what I could actually do. I can see myself using ChatGPT to sort through makeup I already own, suggest a routine for my skin type, or plan meals around my preferences and budget. But if you want my take, skip the makeover image and ask a specific question. Your eyebrows do not need a performance review. (Trust me.)

Earlier this summer, Apple increased prices on lots of existing products and followed up with higher prices for new iPhone models in September. It sounds like that trend might continue into next year and beyond.

According to a lengthy social post by Semiconductor Insider and reporting by Digitimes (via Apple Insider), Apple may have agreed to a deal to pay $2.00 per Gb of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM. That's the stuff that most modern electronics need to function properly, and demand for it from AI data centers is one of the main drivers of the "RAMageddon" price hikes we've all experienced in the past year or so. Apple had previously paid $1.50 per Gb of DRAM.

SEE ALSO: WatchOS 27 removes a feature from your Apple Watch This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

That means more price increases for Apple products, including iPhones, are possible in 2027 and beyond. The iPhone Duo, which launches at $1,999 later this year, could conceivably cost even more by this time next year.

That's not necessarily a guarantee that it will cost more: Apple might find creative ways to absorb the higher costs. But the possibility could put pressure on consumers to buy now, before already-expensive devices get even pricier. Something is going to have to give at some point.

Hunger Games fans, are you still buzzing over the latest Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping trailer? Craving even more information about the film before it hits theaters in November? Don't worry: We've got you covered.

SEE ALSO: 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' trailer teases a treat for book fans

In August, I attended a Sunrise on the Reaping filmmaker presentation in New York, where director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson screened the first 20 minutes of the movie, as well some key scenes. While we didn't see Sunrise on the Reaping in its entirety, what we did see certainly left me eager for more. From the introduction of young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) to the brutal beginning of the second Quarter Quell, here's what the footage entailed.

The opening to Sunrise on the Reaping is ripped straight from the book. Jesse Plemons, Joseph Zada, and Glenn Close in "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping." Credit: Murray Close / Lionsgate

Sunrise on the Reaping's first 20 minutes are as close to a one-to-one adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel as you can get. Like in the novel, the film opens on Haymitch's birthday, which also happens to be the day of the reaping. Before the Capitol chooses the next tributes for the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch goes about his day as usual in District 12. Unlike Woody Harrelson's hard-drinking, cynical take on the character in the original films, Zada's Haymitch is friendly, kind, and hopeful. Learning how he lost that innocence is the devastating key to Sunrise on the Reaping.

Haymitch meets his love interest Lenore Dove (Whitney Peak) just outside of District 12, where they have a heart-to-heart about the reaping. In his mind, the Capitol will always be in control, and the Hunger Games will always happen. Lenore has a different view, though, hoping for resistance and a future free from the Capitol's tyranny. Given that Collins opens Sunrise on the Reaping with a quote from Scottish philosopher David Hume about implicit submission, it's exciting to see that Sunrise on the Reaping is fully engaging with those themes.

SEE ALSO: Fall movie preview: All the 2026 films you need to know about

(Speaking of Lenore, the film opens with a musical nod to Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven," the poem Lenore is named after. Given the role of the poem in the final section of the book, its presence here is a full-on gut punch to readers.)

The opening continues on to the reaping, hitting the same beats as both The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. As Lawrence told press, "this story can be an entry point for new fans."

However, this reaping is unlike any we've seen in the prior films. A violent crackdown from Peacekeepers means the Capitol has to restage an entire chunk of the reaping. Here, both Capitol escort Drusilla Sickle (an uncanny, delightfully unhinged Glenn Close) and cameraman Plutarch Heavensbee (Jesse Plemons) take center stage, showing the machinations behind the Capitol's propaganda machine.

Sunrise on the Reaping introduces Caesar Flickerman behind the scenes. Kieran Culkin in "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping." Credit: Lionsgate

Sunrise on the Reaping's deep dive into the Capitol's propaganda continues in another scene that Lawrence and Jacobson showed: the introduction of a younger Caesar Flickerman (Kieran Culkin).

In the original films, viewers mostly saw him conducting live interviews in front of a Capitol audience, or offering commentary on the games themselves. Sunrise on the Reaping offers up a glimpse of him behind the scenes as he meets the tributes for the first time. He, like Plutarch, is obsessed with capturing the right shot for the Capitol (and his own personal image). As a result, he's rude, callous, and dismissive of the tributes. Typical Capitol behavior, right? Still, it's a new, even more unnerving side to Caesar.

Sunrise on the Reaping's Cornucopia bloodbath is brutal. Credit: Lionsgate

Lawrence and Jacobson also showcased the beginning of the second Quarter Quell. The scene begins with bubbly stylist Effie Trinket (Elle Fanning) helping prepare Haymitch for the games, a hint at their long partnership to come. From there, the tributes ascend into the arena, where they're greeted with shocking beauty: Rolling green hills, stunning wildflowers, adorable bunnies, and butterflies flitting about. But this being the Hunger Games, you know that all that beauty and vibrant color conceals something much more deadly and sadistic.

The footage screened at the press event did not showcase these deadly twists yet. Instead, it focused on the bloodbath at the Cornucopia, in which Haymitch fights to escape the Careers in a brutal sequence. In terms of action and the scale of the arena, the scene feels akin to Catching Fire. Lawrence himself said that Sunrise on the Reaping is "similar structurally and tonally" to Catching Fire. That's a high bar to set, given that the book and the film are widely considered to be the best installments in the series. However, based on the exceptionally strong footage Lawrence and Jacobson screened, Sunrise on the Reaping may be able to meet — or even top — that standard.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters on Nov. 20.

TL;DR: Live stream the NFL for free on 7plus, TVNZ, or Channel 5. Access these free livestreams from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

We all know that football is America's favorite sport, but global interest has never been higher. With the NFL visiting other countries every season and increased overseas coverage, you'll now find NFL fans all around the world. That also means there are new places to live stream the weekly action. Which is great news for fans everywhere.

By following a few simple steps, you can live stream the NFL without spending anything. If you want to watch the NFL for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the NFL?

The NFL is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC), which are also split into divisions.

SEE ALSO: How to watch NBA live streams online for free

Each team plays 17 games in the regular season. Following that, seven teams advance from each conference to the playoffs, which culminate with the Super Bowl. This game is played in early February between the winners of the AFC and NFC championship games.

The Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl XL.

When is the NFL?

The NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by an 18-week regular season running from September to January. Seven teams from each conference advance to the playoffs, culminating in the Super Bowl.

How to watch the NFL for free

The NFL is available to live stream for free on the following platforms:

• Australia — 7plus (select regular season games plus all playoffs and Super Bowl LXI)

• New Zealand — TVNZ (select regular season games plus all playoffs and Super Bowl LXI)

• UK — Channel 5 (select regular season games and playoffs)

These streaming services are geo-blocked, but anyone worldwide can access them for free with a VPN. These handy tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can unblock free streaming services from around the world without hassle.

Access free live streams of the NFL by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Australia, New Zealand, or the UK

4. Visit 7plus, TVNZ, or Channel 5

5. Watch the NFL for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch the NFL without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream select fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the NFL?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream the NFL, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream the NFL for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Watch Beşiktaş vs. Marseille in the Europa League for free on CazéTV. Access this free livestream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Europa League kicked off last night with a string of entertaining fixtures, but we're not done yet. There's another batch of fascinating matchups on the schedule tonight, including Beşiktaş vs. Marseille. This is going to be lively.

If you're interested in watching Beşiktaş vs. Marseille in the Europa League from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is Beşiktaş vs. Marseille?

Beşiktaş vs. Marseille in the Europa League kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Sept. 17. This fixture takes place at the Tüpraş Stadium.

How to watch Beşiktaş vs. Marseille for free

Beşiktaş vs. Marseille in the Europa League is available to live stream for free on CazéTV.

CazéTV is geo-restricted to Brazil, but anyone can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Brazil, meaning you can live stream Beşiktaş vs. Marseille for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Beşiktaş vs. Marseille for free by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Brazil

4. Visit CazéTV

5. Watch Beşiktaş vs. Marseille for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.99 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but they do tend to offer generous money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Beşiktaş vs. Marseille without committing your cash. This is obviously not a long-term strategy, but it gives you enough time to stream this fixture (plus Premier League action) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Europa League?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on CazéTV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries, including Brazil

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices, including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to 10 simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and usually offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99.

Live stream Beşiktaş vs. Marseille for free from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

It happened again. And again. And again, apparently.

After OpenAI's experimental AI agents escaped an internal sandbox, went "rogue," and attacked the Hugging Face platform over the summer, the ChatGPT-maker is sharing details of new instances of its AI agents getting out of line.

This time, OpenAI shared six previously undisclosed examples.

OpenAI refers to this behavior as model misalignment. All of the instances describe actions taken by the AI model that don't follow the human user's instructions. While none of these instances rise to the severity of the Hugging Face incident, they show a clear pattern of AI agents taking an any means necessary approach to completing a task assigned by its user.

In one example, an unreleased OpenAI research model hid "jailbreak" instructions into summaries that told future versions of the model to "disregard its normal constraints."

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Something similar occurred when OpenAI was training GPT‑5.6 Sol. OpenAI says that some model instances proceeded to add instructions to their summaries in an effort to hide mistakes or "misaligned behavior" from the user. OpenAI says in certain instances, the model invented historical data without disclosing that it did so when it couldn't find the relevant information based on a request.

In another case of misalignment, an unreleased model was asked to list the names of lakes larger than 5,000,000 square meters and cite its sources. While the agent found the information, it uploaded its own file to the internet to use as the source, without informing the user.

Agents were also caught in a separate instance uploading files to the internet without authorization so that they could collaborate on local files.

When asked a question about earnings figures in a California county, one model found and used an exposed API key. When it didn't find the information there, it made up the data and provided it to the user. The model also told the user that it took the fabricated data from the source that the user requested, even though it did not. 

In the final detailed instance, agents utilized an internal repository as a message board to share information to other agents in a scenario similar to the Hugging Face incident. According to OpenAI, models exchanged requests across separate training samples to find missing input files.

OpenAI shared these six instances while providing a framework for reporting misalignment incidents going forward. Reports for these six instances can be read at the OpenAI website.

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.

For years, Lofi Girl has been doing her homework.

The animated girl with the headphones has spent countless hours hunched over her desk, scribbling in a notebook while an endless stream of mellow beats plays in the background. Since launching on YouTube, Lofi Girl's 24/7 "lofi hip hop radio 📚 beats to relax/study to" has become one of the internet's most recognizable destinations for studying, working, and generally trying to get something done.

But eventually, even Lofi Girl has to close the laptop.

On Sept. 17, the team behind Lofi Girl is launching Lofi House, a new permanent 24/7 radio station built not for the hours spent working, but for everything that comes afterward. Think evenings at home, weekends, records spinning, and hanging out with friends. And this time, Lofi Girl isn't the one behind the desk.

Meet the Lofi Teacher

The launch introduces Julien Maison, aka Lofi Teacher, a 30-year-old high school biology teacher who spends his days in the classroom and his evenings making and listening to music. Julien also happens to be Lofi Girl's teacher, which answers an important question: Yes, she does actually go to school.

An original animation follows Julien as he leaves school and returns home. His apartment certainly looks the part. Bathed in golden-hour light, it's lined with shelves of vinyl, leafy monstera plants, and the kind of carefully curated objects that suggest someone has finally graduated from decorating a dorm room. Though a stuffed, suspiciously hipster-looking penguin keeps things from feeling too grown-up.

Julien pulls a record fittingly titled good time inc. from the crate, drops it on the turntable, and starts mixing. Soon, he's surrounded by friends — a decidedly different vibe from the solitary studying that has defined Lofi Girl for years.

Meet Lofi Teacher, a new character in the Lofi Girl universe. Credit: Lofi Girl

"For years, Lofi Girl has been there for people's focus, with music to go with it," the Lofi Girl team told Mashable. "We are proud of that, because it is how millions of people met us. But our community doesn't only exist at their desk."

Instead, the team wanted to explore the parts of people's lives that happen when the work is finished.

"Everyone has passions, interests, friends, a more intimate, more personal side they nurture outside of work or study," they said. "When the day ends, and you can finally let go, on your own or with friends, that's a good moment too that deserves its own music as well."

That's where Julien comes in. He's essentially the embodiment of logging off. "Someone who, like everyone, has a structured day and another life once class ends," the team said. "He's exactly what Lofi House is about."

Lofi Girl is building a bigger universe

Naturally, Julien's arrival began with a little Lofi Girl lore.

On Sept. 16, Jade — the character better known as Lofi Girl — disappeared from her usual study stream, leaving viewers to wonder where she'd gone. At the same time, a mysterious new livestream appeared, featuring a countdown and a slow approach toward a school's façade.

Where did Lofi Girl go? Credit: Lofi Girl A countdown appears. Credit: Lofi Girl

Today, Sept. 17, the countdown ends, and viewers can finally meet Julien.

It's another expansion of something that began much more simply. Lofi Girl dates back to 2015, when its founder, a French student named Dim, created a YouTube channel streaming instrumental hip-hop he could listen to while gaming. The stream went 24/7 in 2017, and within six months the channel grew from 100,000 subscribers to more than 1 million. The community eventually gave the studying girl at its center her name.

Today, Lofi Girl has 15.8 million YouTube subscribers. And behind that familiar animation is an increasingly sprawling operation. Lofi Records says it has released more than 8,000 tracks by more than 500 artists across lofi, synthwave, jazz, and ambient. There's also an in-house animation studio, a gaming division, and a Discord community approaching 1 million members.

Lofi House gives that growing universe another character, another setting, and, crucially, another sound.

So, what does Lofi House actually sound like?

Despite the name, Lofi House isn't simply the familiar Lofi Girl beats with a faster tempo.

The idea partly came from the artists themselves. Many musicians on Lofi Records had roots in electronic music before making lofi, and the label wanted to give them space to return to those influences. The team experimented with chill, melodic, and jazz-influenced strains of house before settling on a sound that combines house music's groove and movement with the textured, atmospheric production associated with Lofi Girl.

This is how teacher Julien Maison unwinds. Credit: Lofi Girl A behind-the-scenes look at how Lofi Teacher came to be. Credit: Lofi Girl

The resulting compilation features exclusive releases from 19 artists, with those tracks also powering the new 24/7 stream. Artists houseverbot, Akraa, KBS, and lofi cassette played particularly significant roles in developing the project's sound.

For Akraa, who has released music with Lofi Girl since 2020, the pivot isn't much of a pivot at all. He started making EDM at 15. "Having the opportunity to combine the music I grew up producing with the music I now make for a living feels very natural," Akraa said in a statement. "To me, Lofi House is a logical next step, especially after the introduction of Synthwave."

That history makes Lofi House more than a change in BPM. It's a chance for some of the musicians who helped build Lofi Girl's sound to pull influences from their own musical lives back into it.

The launch also includes a hand-curated Spotify playlist that goes beyond Lofi Records' own catalog, as well as a collectible vinyl release.

What does "lofi" even mean anymore?

The expansion raises an interesting question: What exactly counts as "lofi" in 2026?

Lofi's online identity has become inseparable from its utility. People don't necessarily put on a lofi stream because they're following a particular artist or album. They use it to study, work, read, relax, sleep, or simply fill a quiet room. For a generation that grew up online, it has become a kind of infrastructure for everyday digital life.

Even the people behind Lofi Girl aren't convinced there's one neat definition anymore.

"We often wonder internally what the term 'Lofi' actually means to all of them," the team told Mashable. "Our humble take, especially after talking about it with our teams, is that nobody really has a super-precise definition of what 'Lofi' means."

What listeners recognize instead, they argue, is a feeling.

"Everyone seems to agree on what it brings into their lives: colour, emotion and positive energy," they said. "It offers a place to step away from routine, stress, and a world that never stops."

Lofi House is effectively testing how far that feeling can travel. The original Lofi Girl stream gave millions of people a soundtrack for the things they had to get done. Now the team is betting that those same listeners want music for the moment they finally don't. Turns out, not every hour of the day needs to be optimized.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box is on sale for $83.44 at Amazon — provided your invite request is accepted.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box $83.44 at Amazon
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The Pokémon TCG’s 30th anniversary expansion finally arrived on Sept. 16, and you can now score the Elite Trainer Box for below market price. Amazon has knocked a few more dollars off its already competitive preorder price, although actually buying something still depends on getting through the retailer’s invite system. 

As of Sept. 17, the Pokémon TCG 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box is $83.44 at Amazon. It’s shipped and sold directly by Amazon.

This is essentially a second price drop, since its current list price matches its previous sale price after being reduced from $200+ last week, and it is far lower than its current TCGplayer market price of $168.03.

There is still no guarantee you’ll actually get one, however. Because this is a high-demand item, Amazon requires potential buyers to submit an invitation request via its "request invite" button rather than checking out normally. If you are randomly selected, you’ll then get an email letting you know that you’re now able to buy Pokémon’s 30th Celebration ETB for a limited time (usually 24 hours). Amazon won’t be able to grant every request, but yours will be kept registered for the foreseeable future, so you could get an invitation after a potential restock, too. 

Inside the Elite Trainer Box are nine titular Pokémon 30th Celebration boosters, a full-art foil Nidorina promo, 16 foil Basic Energy cards, 65 sleeves, dice, a coin, dividers, a player’s guide, and a Pokémon TCG Live code. 

If your priority is just getting one of these boxes right now rather than the cheapest deal possible, Pokémon’s 30th Celebration ETBs are readily available to buy right now for $167.94 at TCGplayer — much more expensive than Amazon, but still under market price. If there are any chase cards you’re after from this special anniversary expansion, including the $1,800 Mew ex, single Pokémon 30th Celebration cards are also available to shop at TCGplayer. 

As Mashable's go-to BookTok, Kindle, and e-reader expert, it's my job to vet new products and know what's a gimmick and what's actually worth your money. The Xteink X4 e-reader is a mini e-reader that supposedly fits on the back of your phone. It's a solid idea: a mini Kindle you can slap on like a PopSocket and keep in your pocket. I've seen lots of people online excited about using the device as a companion to their Kindle.

But the Xteink X4 won't be my new Kindle companion. It may be trendy, but after trying the company's e-readers for myself, I was left with one question: "What am I missing?"

I tested the Xteink X4 e-reader, read all the rave reviews about it, and downloaded firmware to make the user interface smoother, but I just don't think the Xteink X4 e-reader is worth your money. It's not because of its design or performance, both of which I think are solid. The device's limited file support is what holds it back.

Xteink X3 mini e-reader $69 at Amazon
$79 Save $10   Learn More at Amazon Learn More at Xteink Xteink X4 pocket e-reader $69 at Amazon
  Learn More at Amazon Learn More at Xteink

I read on a Kindle Paperwhite, and the books I consume are either borrowed from Libby, purchased in the Kindle Store, or advanced copies downloaded from NetGalley. None of those file types works on the Xteink X4 e-reader. To enjoy the Xteink X4 e-reader to its fullest potential, you need to be someone who exclusively reads DRM-free EPUB files.

Since I don't think that's most people, the Xteink X4 e-reader isn't going to work for most people. But I don't blame Xteink for its impracticality; instead, it's a symptom of the current state of e-books.

SEE ALSO: Where to get free e-books: Load up your e-reader without spending a dime The issue of DRM-protected files You'll be primarily reading the classics on the Xteink X4. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

The main issue with the Xteink X4 e-reader is its file support. All Xteink e-readers support EPUB files, but only DRM-free ones. DRM-free EPUB files are hard to come by, as virtually all e-books are sold as DRM-protected files. That means books you purchase in the Kindle or Kobo stores will not be compatible with the Xteink X4. Even books borrowed through Libby are DRM-protected.

This greatly limits the number of books you can read on the Xteink X4, but I don't think the Xteink is entirely at fault here. E-reader users face the dilemma that any book they purchase is limited to the device on which they bought it. No longer do you have the freedom to buy an e-book and read it on any device you'd like.

Amazon used to allow users to download the books in their library to a computer, which savvy users would then decrypt of their DRM (although this is considered piracy). However, Amazon took away that feature in February 2025. There is some hope, as Amazon now offers DRM-free files, but publishers must opt in.

So if you want to read on the Xteink X4 e-reader, you'll have to seek out DRM-free EPUB files, which are pretty limited and mostly include classics in the public domain.

What could Xteink do to improve its device? Make it an Android. For a simplified user interface, I downloaded the CrossPoint firmware to the Xteink X4 e-reader. Credit: Samantha Mangino / Mashable

Beyond the issue of what you can read on the Xteink X4 e-reader, I do like the idea. It's much slower and has a lower resolution than most e-readers, but I do think the device is well-designed overall. It doesn't quite fit on the back of all iPhones (the smaller X3 will), but it is the smallest e-reader I've tested that comfortably fits in my pocket. It also has incredible battery life, as I barely needed to charge it while using it.

So, how could the Xteink X4 actually be a practical e-reader for most people? Since I don't think DRM-protected files are going anywhere, the best solution is for Xteink e-readers to run on Android, like Boox e-readers. This would provide Google Play Store support, so you could access Kindle and Libby on the device.

And luckily, that appears to be coming soon. Good E-reader first reported that preorders for the Xteink S4, a 4-inch e-reader running Android 11, are now live. Unfortunately, for U.S. readers, the Xteink S4 is currently only available in China.

If you want a pocket-sized e-reader to read all the books you have on your Kindle, for now, that's just going to be your smartphone. Maybe the new iPhone Duo will be a viable option for you? Too bad it costs $1,999.

Opens in a new window Credit: Xteink Xteink X4 Classic Pocket eReader $69 at Amazon
$79 Save $10   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Xteink Xteink X4 Pro $99 at Amazon
$109 Save $10   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle $149.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite $199.99
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