Mashable

When Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005, no one could have predicted that nearly two decades later, one of its characters would still be one of the internet's favorite fictional boyfriends. Yet here we are.

Since Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender arrived on Paramount+ and in select theaters, my TikTok algorithm has developed a singular obsession: making sure I see adult Zuko in all his gorgeous, danmei-esque glory. Not clips from the movie. Edits. Slowed down. Zoomed in. Color graded to perfection.

The same handful of shots appear over and over, each transformed by a different corner of internet culture. There's the now-ubiquitous Doja Cat "Jealous Type" edit (see examples here, here, and here). Others swap in Sabrina Carpenter or Britney Spears. Another pairs Zuko with the viral audio of increasingly frantic cats meowing — the universal soundtrack for fictional men so attractive they short-circuit your brain. Another opts for barking dogs instead. One creator dissolved into tears trying to explain how unfairly good adult Zuko looks. Honestly? I understood every word.

On X, the reactions are even less restrained. "Zuko is so sexy just sitting there looking ripped af and his hair in a bun," one viral post reads. Another declares, "Adult Zuko is so hot and sexy. I'd take on the world just to have him."

SEE ALSO: I let fancams dictate what I watch

The internet, it seems, has once again reached a consensus. Unfortunately, many of these edits don't survive for very long. As copyrighted clips from the film, they're often removed almost as quickly as they go viral.

Legally, that makes sense. Practically, it's a little harder to understand. Because by the time an edit disappears, it's usually already done exactly what great marketing is supposed to do. It's racked up hundreds of thousands of views. It's inspired TikTok stitches and reaction videos. It's filled the comments with people asking where the clip is from or admitting they've never watched Avatar before but suddenly want to.

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Studios spend millions trying to convince audiences to care about a movie. Meanwhile, fans are doing it organically, one 20-second edit at a time. In 2026, the edit has become the trailer.

One of my own friends has tried to get into the original Avatar series more than once. It never clicked. But after days of TikTok serving her edit after edit of hot Zuko, she texted asking if I'd take her to see the movie in theaters.

That's the magic of internet fandom. It doesn't just keep beloved characters alive — it keeps introducing them to people who somehow missed them the first time around.

What's happening with Zuko speaks to something bigger than a viral thirst trend. It's a reminder that some characters never really leave the internet. They get passed from platform to platform, generation to generation, finding new audiences through fan edits, memes, fan art, and recommendations powered more by fandom than by marketing.

Dante Basco, who voiced teenage Zuko in the original series, has watched that happen in real time. Speaking to Fandom for the show's 15th anniversary in 2020, Basco described Avatar as "so timeless" and said he was happy that "a new generation is discovering it now." He also noted that the fanbase never really disappeared, saying fans were "always continually following it and cosplaying."

That enduring enthusiasm helps explain why the arrival of an official adult Zuko has taken over social media. The movie may have given fans new footage, but it didn't create the fascination. It simply reignited one that has quietly been thriving online for nearly two decades. It doesn't hurt that adult Zuko is voiced by another internet boyfriend: Steven Yeun.

Long before "book boyfriend" entered the mainstream lexicon and before TikTok perfected the art of the thirst edit, Zuko dominated Tumblr dashboards, YouTube AMVs, fanfiction archives, cosplay conventions, and GIF sets. Fans wrote essays dissecting his redemption arc, created fan art imagining his future as Fire Lord, and spent years debating every step of his journey. As Dante Basco told Fandom, fans still regularly approach him to say Zuko has "one of the greatest redemption arcs in history."

That devotion isn't an accident. In fact, Zuko almost didn't exist. On the Avatar: Braving the Elements podcast, co-creator Bryan Konietzko recalled that Zuko emerged after Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman suggested the series needed "someone who's going after them the whole time." Konietzko's response: "Can he have a scar?"

The creators also knew from the very beginning where his story was headed. "It's in the series bible," Konietzko said. "We knew that Zuko was going to become Aang's teacher."

That long-game storytelling is part of what makes Zuko endure while so many animated characters have faded into nostalgia. He's not redeemed overnight. He stumbles, backslides, betrays the people trying to help him, and ultimately has to choose, over and over again, the person he wants to become. His emotional vulnerability, dry sense of humor, and hard-earned growth make him the kind of character audiences can root for.

"We love the villain who's been hurt and who is given the opportunity to come back from that," said Janet Varney, who voices Korra, during the same podcast conversation. Konietzko agreed, noting that even he sees Zuko as someone with "an amazing redemptive arc."

He's also incredibly editable. Every glance, every fight scene, every quiet moment carries emotional weight because fans already know where his story leads. A well-made edit can communicate that emotional journey in under 30 seconds, even to someone who's never watched an episode.

That's part of what's changed about fandom in the TikTok era. Character edits have quietly become one of the internet's most effective recommendation engines. Instead of convincing viewers to watch an entire series, they convince them to care about one character. The rest often follows.

For years, studios have tried to figure out how to introduce older franchises to new audiences. Increasingly, the answer is powered by fandom.

A compelling edit can do what traditional marketing often can't: make someone emotionally invested before they've watched a single scene. We've seen it happen across pop culture. A fancam introduces someone to a K-pop group. A TikTok revives a decade-old song. An anime edit sends viewers rushing to Crunchyroll. The algorithm has become one of the internet's most powerful discovery engines, constantly resurfacing stories for audiences who missed them the first time around.

Zuko is perhaps the clearest example of how that cycle can last for decades. Ironically, Paramount spent months trying to keep Avatar Aang footage offline after the film leaked earlier this year. Now that the finished film is finally streaming, it's fans, not the studio, who are generating the clips everyone wants to watch.

The creators of Avatar Aang have described the film as a chance to revisit Team Avatar at "this precipice between adolescence and adulthood," reconnecting with characters who have grown up alongside the audience that first fell in love with them.

But if TikTok is any indication, fans didn't need much convincing to come back.

That's why the flood of "hot Zuko" edits feels like more than a fleeting social media trend. They're evidence that fandom itself has become part of a franchise's longevity. Characters no longer live only within the stories that created them. They continue evolving through the internet, where fans remix and reintroduce them to thousands of potential new viewers.

And if my friend finally watches Avatar because TikTok convinced her to give a scarred Fire Nation prince a chance? Honestly, I don't think she'll be the first. And judging by my For You page, she definitely won't be the last.

Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is now in select theaters and streaming on Paramount+.

Women receive no shortage of safety advice. Cover your drink. Share your location. Avoid walking at night alone. Text when you get home.

Here is one they may not hear every day: If you think someone wearing smart glasses is secretly recording you, start playing a Disney song.

The advice has begun circulating on LinkedIn, Threads, and other social channels as more people use Meta's smart glasses to covertly film women, prank service workers, and post unsuspecting strangers online. The theory, known as "copyright hacking," is that YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or another platform will recognize the copyrighted music and prevent the resulting video from being uploaded.

"Because Disney music is more protected than women," one X user wrote. She's not completely wrong.

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It sounds like the kind of internet hack that is equal parts clever and depressing. Women are already taught to modify their behavior in response to new risks. Now, as ordinary-looking glasses make it easier to turn a private interaction into public content, they are being handed another instruction.

While this specific piece of advice may be new, the tactic itself is not.

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The theory is based on YouTube’s real copyright system.

YouTube uses an automated tool called Content ID to compare uploaded videos against audio and video submitted by copyright holders. When the system detects a match, the owner can decide whether to monetize the video, track its performance, or block it.

The important part is that not every match results in a takedown. YouTube says monetization is the most common policy applied to music claims. In those cases, the video stays online, but some or all of its advertising revenue may go to the copyright holder.

The rules are stricter for certain Shorts. YouTube says vertical videos between 1 and 3 minutes are blocked when they receive an active Content ID claim. Even then, however, an uploader could shorten the video, remove its sound, replace the audio, or use editing software to separate the speakers’ voices from the background music.

TikTok can similarly mute a sound that violates copyright restrictions without removing the video's visual content. The uploader can then replace the missing audio with another sound.

So yes, playing a Disney song could make a video harder to post or less profitable, and might even get it blocked — but that's not guaranteed.

Social media users were quick to point out the practical problems with this methodology.

"If you are being secretly recorded, how do you know to play the songs?" one user asked on a viral Facebook post by author and content creator Tova Leigh. Others noted that the person wearing the glasses could simply post the footage without sound.

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That first question gets at the larger flaw: Meta's Ray-Ban glasses are designed to look like conventional eyewear. The person being filmed may never realize a camera is pointed at them, and even if they notice the small recording light, they’d still need to recognize what it means, reach for their phone, and start playing music before the interaction ends. By that point, they may have already become the content.

Women may not know they are being filmed

The Disney advice is spreading as more women describe discovering that seemingly ordinary encounters were actually being recorded for an online audience.

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In February, CNN reported on the rise of "manfluencers" who use smart glasses to film themselves approaching women in airports, grocery stores, gyms, and other public spaces. To the woman involved, the interaction may feel like a stranger starting a conversation. For the creator, it is an opportunity to produce a video for thousands, or even millions, of viewers.

One woman, a DJ and producer who goes by Manic Muse online, said she gave her number to a man who approached her in a Texas grocery store because she believed their conversation was genuine. Her sister later suggested that his glasses might have contained a camera.

"And in that moment, my heart fell to my stomach," she told reporters.

Manic Muse said she messaged the man, asked whether he had recorded her, and told him not to post the interaction. He stopped replying and uploaded it anyway. The video eventually received more than 23 million views.

"It’s just so violating," she added. "I didn’t consent to being secretly recorded, and I definitely didn’t consent to becoming content for millions of strangers.”

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Once the footage is online, the recording itself is only the beginning. Viewers may scrutinize the woman's appearance, sexualize her, criticize how she handled the interaction, or search for personal information. What she believed was a private conversation with one stranger can be repackaged as evidence of whether his pickup technique "worked."

The technology has helped creators build entire accounts around people who never agreed to participate. As Mashable previously reported, smart-glasses users have covertly filmed attempts to get women's phone numbers in many public spaces. Other accounts have featured recordings of women’s bodies, sexually suggestive visits to massage parlors, and pranks targeting retail and restaurant employees.

Former prank creator Brad Podray, previously known online as Scumbag Dad, told us in January that women and service workers are often selected precisely because they can provide usable reactions while being less able or willing to challenge the person recording them.

"They want people who are good on camera, so they’re going to hit fast food employees, and they’re going to hit pretty girls," Podray said. "A lot of random women walking around aren’t going to want to participate in a skit if you ask them to, so they remove the agency entirely by just running the glasses."

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Meta has attempted to make the recording less discreet. Its glasses include a white LED that signals the camera is operating. But users have also found ways to interfere with it. Stickers designed to conceal the indicator have been sold online, and people in at least 30 states have offered services that physically modify it, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Though Meta has put safeguards in place to make the glasses harder to manipulate, they do not solve the broader consent problem. A person can see the light without understanding what it means. In many cases, they may not even see it.

Police have tried the Disney defense, too

This is not the first time someone has tried to turn copyright enforcement into a shield against a camera.

In April 2022, a Santa Ana, California, police officer played Disney songs while a YouTuber recorded officers investigating a stolen vehicle in his neighborhood. "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story played through a police vehicle's speakers late at night. It was followed by "We Don’t Talk About Bruno" from Encanto, "Reflection" from Mulan, and "Un Poco Loco" from Coco.

When Santa Ana City Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez asked the officer why he was playing it, the officer pointed toward the person recording.

"Because it will be copyright infringement for him," the officer said in a statement. The department also said playing music while officers were being recorded was not part of its recommended policy.

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Still, the Santa Ana incident was part of a pattern that had already appeared in several other departments.

In February 2021, Beverly Hills police officers were recorded playing songs including Sublime's "Santeria" and the Beatles' "Yesterday" during encounters with activist Sennett Devermont. Devermont had been livestreaming his attempts to obtain information and body-camera footage from the department.

The timing suggested the officers might have been attempting to activate Instagram's copyright filters, which can interrupt livestreams or limit how the resulting video gets shared. The Beverly Hills Police Department responded similarly, stating it doesn’t recommend officers play music while being filmed.

A few months later, an Alameda County sheriff’s sergeant played Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" while activists recorded him outside a courthouse in Oakland. This time, the officer explicitly explained what he was doing. "You can record all you want," he said. "I just know it can't be posted on YouTube." A department spokesperson later acknowledged that the attempt had backfired.

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The practice also surfaced in Illinois. In an incident report obtained by Motherboard later that year, an officer wrote that he had been "recently advised" to turn on music when he encountered a woman recording him. That detail suggested the tactic was no longer simply occurring to individual officers in the moment; in at least one department, someone appeared to be passing it along as advice.

Platforms are starting to act, but only after the fact

Recording someone in public is not universally illegal in the United States. Laws vary by state, and additional restrictions can apply to audio recording, sexual imagery, stalking, harassment, and the commercial use of someone's likeness. But in general, people have weaker expectations of privacy on a sidewalk, in a park, or in other public places.

Nowadays, though, recording can also violate a platform's rules. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said last week that the platform would remove smart-glasses videos showing people being exploited or harassed.

Meta confirmed that two prominent accounts posting smart-glasses pickup content had been deactivated for violating its harassment policies. Both had amassed more than 1 million followers.

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The crackdown creates a clearer consequence for some of the most abusive accounts, but it does not guarantee the removal of every video made without consent. Instagram has focused its policy on harassment and exploitation, leaving a large gray area for recordings that are invasive but do not clearly meet either definition.

More importantly, moderation generally begins after the footage has already been posted. The person recorded must first discover the video, locate the account, report the content, explain the violation, and wait for the platform to decide whether it crossed a line. By then, the video may have already accumulated millions of views or been copied to other accounts.

Government rules are beginning to adapt to technology in certain areas. Beginning July 20, New York prohibited recording-enabled glasses inside every courthouse in the state's Unified Court System. Officials said the ban was intended to prevent people from secretly recording court proceedings in violation of state law and court rules.

Outside those controlled settings, people who do not want to be recorded are still left depending on the wearer’s judgment, a small white light, inconsistent laws, and moderation systems that usually arrive after the damage has begun.

Playing Disney music might occasionally interrupt that process. It could also do absolutely nothing. But when the alternatives are so limited, an unreliable defense may still feel better than no defense at all.

A new humanoid robot debuted this week with a sensor-laden layer of "smart skin" designed to feel exactly where and how hard it's being touched...for industrial safety, of course.

The robot, called Gene.01, comes from Generative Bionics and debuted at AMD's Advancing AI conference in San Francisco. CNET senior video producer Jesse Orrall got hands-on time with the machine, and Orrall described the texture of the smart skin as similar to a neoprene wetsuit. (Disclosure: Mashable and CNET are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis.)

Around its frame, the bot is outfitted with "full-body multimodal skin" that can sense "touch, proximity, force and temperature," according to Generative Bionics.

SEE ALSO: The more I watch the new NEO robot hand video the weirder it gets

Per CNET's reporting, the skin senses touch using two kinds of sensors working together. The first are touch sensors capable of detecting contact, as well as the precise location and amount of pressure applied. Orrall wrote that squeezing the robot's arm triggered a live rendering on a nearby screen, lighting up at the exact spot being touched and darkening as more pressure was applied.

The second sensor type handles proximity rather than direct contact. These are known in the industry as time-of-flight (ToF) sensors, which work by emitting invisible light and measuring how long it takes to reflect back — effectively letting the robot sense something (or someone) before actual contact occurs. Orrall reported that waving a hand near the sensors produced a cluster of dots on the display screen that tracked with the hand movement, fading out as the hand moved away.

The practicality of the design, according to CNET, is collision avoidance. The hope is that these features will make it safer for industrial robots to work in close proximity to humans, whether on a factory floor or elsewhere. Generative Bionics reportedly views Gene.01 as an early platform, with plans to customize the amount and placement of smart skin, as well as the robot's hands, or "end effectors," depending on a client's specific use case.

As CNET noted, sensing the world is only half the equation — the harder problem still ahead is teaching the robot to act on that sensory data in real-time, something Generative Bionics says it's continuing to develop.

When the first trailer for Children of Blood and Bone debuted in Brooklyn this week, the excitement inside the room was palpable.

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood described years of research into African history and spirituality. The cast spoke about identity, ancestry, and the responsibility of bringing Orïsha to life. For fans who have spent years imagining Tomi Adeyemi's bestselling fantasy world, it was the first real glimpse of one of BookTok's most anticipated adaptations.

SEE ALSO: How 'Children of Blood and Bone' is bringing one of BookTok's biggest fantasy worlds to the big screen

Outside the theater, however, the conversation surrounding the film has been far more complicated.

Long before audiences saw a single frame of footage, the adaptation had become the subject of debates over colorism, questions about representation, and, more recently, the stunning decision by Adeyemi herself to publicly distance herself from the project she helped develop.

The casting sparked immediate debate.

When Paramount announced the cast in 2025, many readers celebrated seeing a predominantly Black ensemble led by Thuso Mbedu, Regina King, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cynthia Erivo, Damson Idris, Lashana Lynch, and Idris Elba.

But the announcement also reignited conversations that had followed the adaptation for years.

Much of the criticism centered on the casting of Amandla Stenberg as Princess Amari. In the novel, Amari is described as having "dark copper skin" and is notably darker than the rest of her royal family, a physical difference that contributes to her feeling like an outsider long before she begins questioning the kingdom's treatment of the maji. Many readers argued that casting the lighter-skinned, biracial actor weakened a key aspect of the character's identity and reflected a broader pattern of colorism in Hollywood.

Other fans questioned why relatively few Nigerian actors had been cast in a story so deeply inspired by Nigerian history, Yoruba spirituality, and pre-colonial West African cultures. Those conversations unfolded across Reddit, X, and BookTok, where readers debated what authenticity should look like in a film adaptation of a novel so closely tied to Nigerian identity.

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At the time, Stenberg said she understood why readers felt protective of the books and noted that Adeyemi had personally encouraged her to take the role.

Tomi Adeyemi publicly stepped away from the project.

The conversation shifted dramatically earlier this month. In a TikTok (since deleted) addressing fans who had asked why she had stopped promoting the movie, Adeyemi announced she was "officially separating" herself from the adaptation.

"There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work," she wrote. She later added that she had not seen the finished film and did not plan to watch it.

Adeyemi, who is credited as an executive producer and co-writer of the screenplay alongside Prince-Bythewood, said she had "tried everything" behind the scenes before deciding to step away, describing the experience as emotionally painful. She encouraged fans to support the film if they wished, but asked those who wanted to support her directly to purchase the books from independent bookstores.

Perhaps the most surprising part of her statement was a series of screenshots showing messages she allegedly sent to Stenberg, telling the actor not to contact her or mention her publicly, before blocking her. The message appears to be from Feb. 28, 2025, and reads: "Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me." Stenberg's previous message in the chain is partially blocked, but the words "my only hope was to reconnect as human beings" can be seen at a point.

The posts immediately reignited online speculation about what had happened behind the scenes, though Adeyemi has not publicly detailed the circumstances that led to the falling out.

Adeyemi's comments have also been viewed through the lens of previous public disputes. In 2018, she accused bestselling romance author Nora Roberts of plagiarizing the title of Roberts' novel Of Blood and Bone. After speaking with Roberts, Adeyemi retracted the allegation, saying she believed the titles had been created independently and apologized. That history has complicated the public response to her latest statements.

While many fans have expressed concern about the adaptation, others say they are hesitant to draw conclusions without more information about what actually happened to lead Adeyemi to sever ties.

What actually happened?

That's the question fans continue to ask, and one that remains largely unanswered.

Neither Paramount nor Prince-Bythewood has publicly addressed Adeyemi's comments, and the author has declined to elaborate beyond describing the experience as painful and saying she was "attacked behind the scenes." In a message dated July 18, posted under a 2025 behind-the-scenes video from set in South Africa, Adeyemi replied to a commenter, saying, "Making an impossible dream come true is a beautiful thing. Even if the dream becomes a nightmare. No one, not this film or you, will ever take away what I achieved."

That uncertainty has left fans in an unusual position. The film continues to generate excitement, buoyed by Prince-Bythewood's reputation following The Woman King, an acclaimed ensemble cast, and a trailer widely praised online. At the same time, some readers say it's difficult to separate that excitement from the knowledge that the creator of Orïsha no longer wants her name associated with the adaptation. Others argue that the work of hundreds of artists, craftspeople, and performers deserves to be judged independently of whatever happened behind closed doors.

Until someone involved chooses to explain further, both realities will likely coexist.

Children of Blood and Bone remains one of the most anticipated fantasy films of 2027. It also arrives carrying questions that no trailer, no matter how spectacular, can answer.

Children of Blood and Bone hits theaters on Jan. 15, 2027.

FREE LEGO SET: Through July 31, spending $65 at Lego.com gets you a free Lego Straw Topper Set. It includes four cute silicone straw toppers, four reusable straws, and a straw cleaner.

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$12.99 Save $12.99 Free with $65+ purchases Shop Now

The free Lego offers at Lego.com have refreshed again. One option for the end of July would make a great back-to-school gift (or a cute stocking stuffer idea for kids, if you're thinking that far ahead): Get a free pack of four fun Lego straw toppers plus the straws themselves and a straw cleaning brush with any order of $65 or more.

The Lego Straw Topper Set includes four precious silicone buddies: a robot, a dinosaur, a cat, and an ice cream cone. The pastel straws included are much cuter and less wasteful than getting a new plastic straw at school or the drive-thru all the time.

SEE ALSO: New Lego Pokémon sets are about to be released into the wild: Pre-order Arcanine, Munchlax, and more

Back to the gift ideas thing: Now would be a smart time to grab the Lego set you've been wanting to give someone. Your $65 purchase could be one big Lego purchase or a combination of a few less expensive sets. Remember, preorders do count as a purchase that unlocks free Legos. Our favorite new Lego sets to preorder right now include the Spongebob Squarepants: Bikini Bottom set and Donkey Kong Pinball set.

Two other free Lego deals are live through the end of July: Get a free version of The Darksaber from Lego Star Wars when you purchase the Mandalorian's N1 Starfighter or get a free Spider-Man vs. Anti-Venom Heist set when you spend $40.

SAVE $24: As of July 28, get the Anker Prime Charging Station for $55.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79.99. That's a discount of 30%.

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$79.99 Save $24.00   Get Deal

If you're the type of person who hates wrangling cables but loves to make sure all your electronics have 100% battery, you need a charging station. You can plug in multiple devices in one central location, overnight if you prefer, and wake up to a menagerie of fully-charged tech, ready to start the day. Easy, affordable, and reliable, and we've got one that's even cheaper than usual for you today, courtesy of Amazon.

As of July 28, get the Anker Prime Charging Station for $55.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79.99. That's $24 off and a discount of 30%.

SEE ALSO: Amazon has knocked Soundcore C50i by Anker earbuds under $40 for a limited time — save $30

This device has six ports, so you can charge multiple devices at once, with each USB-C port supporting 100W max. When using two USB-C ports at the same time, both will offer 100W of power. That means you have the capacity to charge up to two 14-inch MacBook Pros to 50% in under 30 minutes. It can handle your phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and just about anything else you need, too.

Plus, it's super small and compact. It has safety features to help continuously monitor temperature and protect your devices while they're charging. That way you can feel comfortable about leaving all your tech to juice up when you head to bed or leave all of your devices charging while away.

This is a great way to consolidate your devices to charge them at once, all while not having to spend an arm and a leg. Swap from one cable to an entire selection of charging ports and be more efficient about filling those batteries.

SAVE $150.00: The Shark PowerDetect Pet Plus Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $399.99, down from the list price of $549.99. That's a 27% discount.

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$549.99 Save $150   Get Deal

These days, we have robot vacuums and robot lawn mowers to take care of keeping underfoot areas clean and manicured. But if you prefer to vacuum on your own, we have models with excellent features that make things easier. Check out this deal at Amazon.

As of July 28, the Shark PowerDetect Pet Plus Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum is on sale at Amazon for $399.99, down from the list price of $549.99 at Shark. That's a 27% discount.

When it comes to cordless stick vacuums, suction power matters. The Shark PowerDetect Pet Plus Clean & Empty doesn't mess around. This model is designed to tackle stubborn pet hair that loves to get stuck on carpet and furniture. Shark included a flexible crevice tool and the brand's Furfins tool to help clean pet hair in any location of your home.

Another major benefit of the Shark PowerDetect Pet Plus Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum is the self-emptying base. Set the stick vacuum back on its charging base, and all debris from the vacuum will whisk off to the base. You'll need to empty the base every 45 days or so, but that's minimal effort compared to emptying the debris canister after each vacuum.

SEE ALSO: Dreame's Matrix10 Ultra robot vacuum and mop is $300 off at Amazon — buy now for under $1,500

Espeically great for homes with pets is the Shark odor neutralizer technology. This fragranced puck sits on the self-emptying base to provide a fresh scent. If you're not one for scents in the house, you can easily leave the cartridge out.

If you could use a vacuum upgrade, consider today's sale price on the Shark PowerDetect Pet Plus Clean & Empty cordless stick vacuum. It's a powerful model with great features for pet owners, and it's on sale for under $400.

SAVE $100: As of July 28, the new Dyson V8 Cyclone cordless vacuum and Car Cleaning Kit bundle is on sale for $299.99. That's $100 off the vacuum's MSRP of $399.99.

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$399.99 Save $100   Get Deal

I test vacuums for a living and am a Dyson truther in most instances. However, I had never backed the Dyson V8 as the best budget stick vacuum — if you wanted to spend no more than $300 on a vacuum, I'd quickly tell you to buy a Shark stick vacuum that comes with a self-emptying dock instead. My mind changed when Dyson released the revamped Dyson V8 Cyclone in June. Its launch price of $399.99 was already practical, but as of July 28, you can save $100 and grab the new Dyson V8 Cyclone for just $299.99 at Dyson's website.

Funnily enough, the old Dyson V8 is also on sale for $299.99 at Amazon. So let's compare the specs while their prices are identical:

SEE ALSO: The Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones weighs nothing and fits everywhere. Don't get me started on the double lasers.

The old Dyson V8 has 115 Air Watts of suction power. The new Dyson V8 Cyclone has 150 Air Watts of suction power — the same as my favorite Dyson vacuum, the V12 Detect Slim. Dyson itself has confirmed that the Cyclone is the most powerful V8 model ever. The V8 Cyclone also has three suction modes compared to the old V8's two.

Battery life has also improved. The Dyson V8 Cyclone can clean for up to 60 minutes on one charge while the old V8 maxed out at 40 minutes. Despite a more powerful motor and more powerful battery, the V8 Cyclone only weighs 0.1 ounces more than the old V8. They both have 0.14 gallon dust bins.

As if we needed any more proof that the V8 Cyclone stretches your $299.99 further, it also comes with more attachments than the old V8 at Amazon. You'll get Dyson's stick vacuum car cleaning kit that includes a crevice tool, extension hose, stubborn dirt brush, and mini soft dusting brush. The other V8 only comes with the crevice tool. Plus, a self-emptying dock for the V8 Cyclone is coming in August.

Last month, Apple tragically raised the prices on many of its devices, largely thanks to the industry-wide memory shortage known as RAMageddon. This month, it's giving consumers some relief. Sort of.

Apple officially launched a new leasing program today called Apple Upgrade. If the cost of buying a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch outright brings you to your knees, Apple Upgrade lets you lease a device for as low as $11.99 per month. While it doesn't actually reduce the price of Apple products, it changes the perceived cost by swapping the shock of the full price with a predictable low monthly payment. Price psychology!

This is the first time Apple is expanding its leasing options beyond just smartphones. Aside from iPhones, the new Apple Upgrade program also features a range of iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs, though not every product in Apple's lineup is included. Notably, the MacBook Neo — Apple's most affordable laptop — is not available in the program. Leasing prices start at $17.99 per month for iPhones, $11.99 per month for iPads and Apple Watches, and $24.99 per month for Mac devices. Leases run for 12 or 24 months for both iPhones and Apple Watches and 24 or 36 months for iPads and Macs.

Once your lease is up, you have a few options. You can either upgrade your device, keep it with a one-time fee, or return it to an Apple store and quit the program altogether. While Apple hasn't said how much that one-time purchase fee will be, it'll likely just amount to the full price of the phone minus your leasing payments. So, not exactly a deal.

Apple Upgrade is run by Klarna. So, similar to a credit card, you'll need approval before you can participate. Apple says applying takes mere minutes and requires a soft credit check that won't impact your credit score. Once approved, you'll be able to keep track of your lease and payment details through the Klarna app.

Here's a quick look at some of the sample prices (minus taxes):

• iPhone 17 Pro (256GB) — $1,099 $31.99/month with a 24-month lease or $45.99/month with a 12-month lease

• iPhone Air (256GB) — $999 $28.99/month with a 24-month lease or $41.99/month with a 12-month lease

• iPad Pro, 11-inch (256GB, WiFi) — $1,199 $24.99/month with a 36-month lease or $31.99/month with a 24-month lease

• iPad Air, 11-inch (128GB, WiFi) — $749 $15.99/month with a 36-month lease or $19.99/month with a 24-month lease

• MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M5 chip, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $1,999 $38.99/month with a 36-month lease or $53.99/month with a 24-month lease

• MacBook Air, 13-inch (M5 chip, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299 $24.99/month with a 36-month lease or $34.99/month with a 24-month lease

• Apple Watch Series 11 (42mm, GPS) — $399 $11.99/month with a 24-month lease or $21.99/month with a 12-month lease

In case you missed it, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program is now dead. The Apple Upgrade program is its replacement. If you're still on the existing iPhone Upgrade program, you can choose whether or not you want to move to the Apple Upgrade program when your contract ends.

SAVE $549.01: The Bluetti FridgePower portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $949.99, down from the list price of $1,499. That's a 37% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti FridgePower portable power station $949.99 at Amazon
$1,499 Save $549.01   Get Deal

No part of a power outage is convenient, but there's an especially inconvenient aspect to losing grid power: the refrigerator is no longer cooling. That puts the refrigerator and freezer food on a timeline of how long it'll last without power before it needs to go in the trash. If keeping the refrigerator online is a priority, check out this Amazon deal.

As of July 28, the Bluetti FridgePower portable power station is on sale at Amazon for $949.99, down from the list price of $1,499. That's a 37% discount.

We've come to love portable power stations for camping and using when the power goes out, but the major brands are introducing us to a new category of convenience: refrigerator backup power. The Jackery FridgeGuard launched earlier this summer, as did the Bluetti FridgePower. The Bluetti model is larger, coming with 2,016Wh capacity which can keep your fridge cooling for almost a full 24 hours.

SEE ALSO: Jackery's American Red Cross collab "Power the Rescuers" goes live for purchase in September. Here's what we know ahead of the launch.

Using the Bluetti FridgeGuard is simple. Place the slim power station on top of your refrigerator and plug your fridge into the Bluetti. Then plug the Bluetti into grid power. The power station is designed to keep itself 100% charged and ready to take over when grid power fails. Within 10 milliseconds of detecting a loss of grid power, the Bluetti will take over cooling the fridge.

While the name suggests it should be used as fridge backup, you can also use it elsewhere in the house. Make sure the aquarium stays filtering or your workstation always has power with the Bluetti FridgeGuard.

Since it's on sale for a 37% discount, snag the Bluetti FridgePower portable power station before fall storm season arrives.

SAVE $250: As of July 28, get the Dyson OnTrac active noise-cancelling headphones for $249 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $499. That's a discount of 50%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Dyson OnTrac active noise-canceling headphones $249 at Amazon
$499 Save $250   Get Deal

Looking for a new pair of headphones, but aren't sure where to start? You could try all the usual suspects, but did you know that Dyson has a pair you could feasibly buy? And what's more, they're on sale right now. They may look like just another pair of flashy cans, but they're actually quite fantastic.

As of July 28, get the Dyson OnTrac active noise-cancelling headphones for $249 at Amazon, down from their usual price of $499. That's $250 off and a discount of 50%.

SEE ALSO: The 12 best headphones of 2026 — we tested the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats

These noise-cancelling headphones look quite interesting, but the question remains: how do they sound? According to Mashable reviewer Timothy Beck Werth, they offer exquisite audio quality. He called them a competitor for the "best audio experience" he's ever had, and had additional high praise for them in his review of the typically pricey headphones.

And while they do a great job of making your everyday music and calls sound great, they also live up to their promise of blocking out any erroneous outside noise with noise cancellation options.

"During a test call, a friend was able to tell that I was calling on headphones, but they could barely hear the train passing in the near distance," Werth said of the noise cancellation abilities.

If you're ready to try a different brand after flirting with companies like Bose or Apple, Dyson is where it's at next. And for this discount, it's well worth seeing if these over-ear headphones click with you—and we think they will.

T-Mobile, one of the biggest mobile carriers in the U.S., went down for hours on Monday, leaving many of its customers without cellular service.

Customers took to social media yesterday to complain about the downtime, while T-Mobile was fairly silent about the issue.

T-Mobile has now issued a statement apologizing for Monday's service disruption.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

"We have fully restored service for all customers and sincerely apologize for the difficulties to those who experienced network impacts today," the company said in a statement late last night. "At T-Mobile, we know that customers rely on us to stay connected to what matters most, and we appreciate their understanding as we prioritized resolution."

The service disruption affected T-Mobile customers nationwide and also affected customers of wireless carriers that use T-Mobile's network, such as Mint Mobile.

On Monday afternoon, millions of customers found their smartphones in SOS mode, which appears on cellular devices when regular service is disrupted. SOS mode allows users to make emergency calls even when a mobile network is down.

Hours after the nationwide service disruptions began on Monday, T-Mobile put out a statement acknowledging the issue.

"Our teams are actively working on the reports of technical challenges impacting some customers," T-Mobile said at the time. "Any service impacts are in the process of being resolved and are our highest priority. We know how critical it is to stay connected, and every available resource is focused on resolving this as quickly as possible."

T-Mobile has yet to share exactly why its network went down. Mashable has reached out to T-Mobile for more information and will update this piece when we hear back.

Samsung's smart glasses still haven't made their long-awaited debut, but the company just gave us a few more crumbs of info about them.

Per The Korea Times, Samsung executive Choi Jae-in offered some mildly illuminating remarks about the upcoming "Galaxy Glasses" during a press conference after Galaxy Unpacked earlier this month. Namely, he said Samsung's status as a maker of smartphones and other smart devices could give its glasses a leg up over competitors like Meta, which doesn't produce other compatible hardware.

SEE ALSO: Don't fall in love with this Samsung heart-shaped phone. It's an AI fake.

“Running artificial intelligence (AI) effectively requires significant computing power, but packing all the necessary chips into a pair of glasses makes it difficult to deliver a lightweight and comfortable experience that smart glasses should provide," Choi said, per The Korea Times. "As the first major smartphone brand to enter the smart glasses market, we have a lot of things to offer (to the market).”

In other words, the fact that Samsung's glasses will interface directly with a Samsung phone could, in theory, make them more capable than Meta's.

The other point Choi made that's worth mentioning here concerns the price of the glasses that firms like Warby Parker and Gentle Monster are designing. According to Choi, you can expect a "reasonable" price point, but one that will still "initially be positioned in the premium range." Meta's glasses start at $299, so maybe set your expectations around there.

Samsung's glasses are reportedly coming this fall. We'll have plenty of coverage when that happens.

SAVE UP TO $160: The Samsung 55-inch Class Mini LED 4K TV is on sale at Samsung for $439.99 and at Amazon for $537.99, down from the list price of $599.99. That's up to a 27% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 55-inch Class Mini LED 4K TV (M80H) $439.99 at Samsung
$599.99 Save $160   Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung 55-inch Class Mini LED 4K TV (M80H) $539.99 at Amazon
$599.99 Save $60   Get Deal

We have a slew of fun fall shows coming in just a few weeks. New Abbott Elementary, season 51 of Survivor, The Traitors: New Blood, and season 6 of Slow Horses on Apple TV. If you've been thinking your current TV isn't doing its job well anymore, it's probably time for an upgrade. Check out this Samsung deal if you're shopping for a new TV.

As of July 28, the 55-inch Samsung Class Mini LED 4K TV is on sale at Samsung for $439.99 and at Amazon for $537.99, down from the list price of $599.99. That's up to a 27% discount. At the time of writing, Amazon hasn't dropped the price to match the low at Samsung, but double check before you buy if you prefer Amazon.

SEE ALSO: T-Mobile is giving away the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for free — how to claim

The 55-inch display on the Samsung Class Mini LED 4K TV is great for a larger bedroom, rec room, and even gaming thanks to the 144 Hz refresh rate. Mini LED backlighting is perfect for getting stark color contrast and deep blacks.

Samsung used the brand's Pure Spectrum Color technology to make the display look more lifelike than ever. Combined with the HDR picture quality, you'll be watching Planet Earth in a whole new way.

Before fall shows start up in September, upgrade to the 55-inch Samsung Class Mini LED 4K TV while it's on a major sale. The crisp display and gaming specs make this a model a versatile pick.

TL;DR: Manscaped has launched The Lawn Mower Go, its most affordable body hair trimmer yet, priced at $49.99 with a SkinSafe ceramic blade and waterproof design.

Opens in a new window Credit: Manscaped Manscaped Lawn Mower Go $49.99 at Amazon
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Manscaped is expanding its Lawn Mower lineup with a new, more budget-friendly option: The Lawn Mower Go, launching for $49.99.

It's designed specifically for below-the-waist grooming, with a slim, lightweight build that's meant to be easy to handle — a solid option if you're new to grooming or just want something simpler than Manscaped's pricier options.

The trimmer uses a SkinSafe ceramic blade, designed to reduce nicks and cuts in sensitive areas, paired with a compact grip for better control. It comes with two adjustable comb attachments, so you're not locked into just one trim length. It's also fully waterproof, rated to withstand up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, so it works well in the shower and rinses off easily.

There's also a built-in LED spotlight, so you can actually see what you're doing instead of just trimming blind. For everyday use, it offers up to 60 minutes of runtime and charges over USB-C. The trimmer comes with a travel lock and a built-in sport strap, so it's easy to toss into a gym bag or weekend travel bag without worrying about it turning on by accident.

Easy to trim, easier on your wallet — grab the Lawn Mower Go for $49.99.

SAVE $33: As of July 28, the Zafro 150-Pint Smart Dehumidifier is down to $296.99 at Amazon. That's a 10% discount off its $329.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Zafro Zafro 150-Pint Dehumidifier $296.99 at Amazon
$329.99 Save $33   Get Deal

The Zafro 150-Pint Smart Dehumidifier is currently $296.99 at Amazon, down from $329.99. It covers spaces up to 7,500 square feet, so it's a solid pick if you're dealing with a big basement or a larger area rather than just one damp room.

It uses an advanced compressor system designed around Zafro's "Silent by Nature" approach, keeping things quiet without sacrificing power. It comes with a 2.11-gallon water tank and a drain hose, so you don't have to empty it manually constantly. It also meets the newer, stricter Energy Star 6.0 certification, meaning it runs efficiently without spiking your electricity bill.

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There's ambient lighting built around the humidity readings, cycling through yellow, green, or red depending on how humid the room is, so you can get a quick glance at the room's conditions without checking the display.

It's WiFi-enabled with six smart presets, including a dedicated Laundry Mode that speeds up drying damp clothes. You get full remote control through the Zafro app, plus a 24-hour timer and safety features like a child lock, auto-defrost, and auto-shutoff when the tank's full — useful if you've got kids or pets around.

Musty room? Not for long — grab Zafro's dehumidifier for $296.99 at Amazon.

SAVE $76: As of July 28, get the DJI Mic 3 (1 TX + 1 RX) for $143 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $219. That's a discount of 35%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon DJI Mic 3 (1 TX + 1 RX) $143 at Amazon
$219 Save $76   Get Deal

Whether you're a content creator or just looking for a great mic to enhance your personal recordings, DJI is where it's at when it comes to excellent audio equipment. True, the company may be famous primarily for its drones, but its microphones are some of the best tech on its roster, and it's a good idea to grab a DJI mic when it's on sale—like right now.

As of July 28, get the DJI Mic 3 (1 TX + 1 RX) for $143 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $219. That's $76 off and a discount of 35%.

SEE ALSO: DJI Mic 3 review: Ease and versatility for semi-pro producers

This tiny mic is perfect for recording interviews, giving your videos better, clearer narration, or just making sure you're capturing spoken words that you want in your content. This particular bundle comes with one transmitter, one receiver, a charging case, and Lightning and USB-C phone adapters to get you started recording right away.

This pocket-sized mic is great for taking on the go. You can throw it into a bag or keep it on you while traveling, and it's small and out of the way. It's possible to pair up to four transmitters with a receiver to sync audio, and it's unobtrusive in just about every setting. Plus, it has adjustable voice tones, adaptive gain control, and a slew of other features to help make the audio you capture perfect for any use case.

If you're ready for a significant upgrade for your content creation supply kit, this mic will be an invaluable addition, especially at this price.

SAVE $50: As of July 28, the Alienware 34-inch curved ultrawide gaming monitor (AW3425DWM) is on sale for only $299.99 at Amazon. That's $50 off its current list price and just $30 away from its lowest price ever.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dell Alienware 34-inch curved gaming monitor (AW3425DWM) $299.99 at Amazon
$349.99 Save $50   Get Deal

Gaming hardware tends to come with outrageous price tags, especially curved ultrawide gaming monitors. But every once in awhile, we come across a deal that stops us in our tracks. The Alienware AW3425DWN monitor is that deal.

As of July 28, you can get the Alienware 34-inch curved ultrawide gaming monitor (AW3425DWM) for only $299.99 at Amazon. While it originally retailed for $399.99 (which is still a stellar price), the monitor recently got a permanent price drop to $349.99. Now it's even cheaper with an extra $50 discount.

If you're wondering why the monitor is so cheap, there are a few main factors. One, it's a VA panel, which can often have issues with smearing and motion handling, depending on the game. On the other hand, it has deeper blacks and better contrast than an IPS panel and you don't have to worry about burn-in as you do with an OLED panel. For what it's worth, users on Reddit have mostly excellent things to say about the AW3425DWM.

The 1500R curved panel wraps the game around you and is pretty steep, which may take a bit of getting used to. You'll be fully immersed in any game or world you choose. As Redditors have pointed out, it also serves as a great all-rounder for productivity and web browsing as well as gaming.

The 180Hz refresh rate and 1ms response rate aren't the highest around, but they should serve most gamers just fine. Plus, for the price, it's honestly hard to complain. Other perks include AMD FreeSync Premium, VESA Adaptive Sync Technology, VESA DisplayHDR 400, WQHD resolution, plenty of ports, and a small footprint design with an adjustable base. Any way you slice it, it's hard to believe it's under $300.

National Chicken Wing Day lands on July 29.

Major chains across the country are dropping limited-time deals, BOGO promos, and wing discounts to celebrate this special day. Whether you take your wings bone-in, boneless, drenched in extra-spicy sauce, or coated in lemon pepper, this is officially your excuse to indulge in your passion.

These are our favorite National Chicken Wing Day deals in 2026:

7-Eleven

Get 10 wings delivered for $8 with the app. This offer is valid until Aug. 25.

Bad Daddy’s

Score $0.99 wings in classic Buffalo or sweet-and-spicy Thai chili on July 29 for dine-in guests. To qualify, you need to make a minimum order of six wings, with a limit of 18 wings per person.

Buffalo’s Cafe

Get $19.99 all-you-can-eat wings for dine-in guests on July 29.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Grab a free order of wings (bone-in or boneless) with any $15 dine-in purchase on July 29.

Dave & Buster’s

Score $0.50 boneless wings and $1 bone-in wings all day.

Hooters

Dine-in guests can get 10 wings (bone-in or boneless) for $7.29 with any beverage purchase on July 29.

Hurricane Grill & Wings

Get $0.99 bone-in or boneless wings all day on July 29 for dine-in guests.

Native Grill & Wings

Get $0.49 bone-in wings with any drink purchase on July 29. Valid for dine-in, takeout, or orders placed directly through the Native Grill & Wings app or website.

Pilot

On July 29, customers who order on the Pilot app can get five jumbo wings for $5.

Pizza Hut

Get a buy-one-get-one-free offer on wings at participating Pizza Hut locations with the code BOGOWINGS. This deal is valid when ordering online or in the Pizza Hut app.

Raise the Roost

Grab $1 single chicken tenders or traditional bone-in wings from July 27-30 at participating locations.

Sonny's BBQ

Loyalty members get a free 6-count of Sauced & Tossed wings with any entrée purchase.

Speedy Cafe

Speedy Rewards members can grab special promotional pricing on 5-piece or 8-piece boneless wing orders through Aug. 25.

TGI Fridays

Order Matchday Wing Bites starting at $8.99 (six bone-in or eight boneless wings with fries and dip) or upgrade to the Matchday Goal Line Platter starting at $16.99 (eight wings, three chicken fingers, and golden onion rings).

The Greene Turtle

Get the $19.99 all-you-can-eat wing-and-fries special (valid for both bone-in and boneless wings, upon request).

Wings and Rings

Take 40% off all wings on July 28-29 for dine-in and online orders.

Wingstop

Club Wingstop members can unlock daily sweepstakes for concert tickets, $500 Ticketmaster gift cards, and VIP festival packages until July 31.

In a year where price hikes and the enshittification of tech products are more common than is ideal, the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are a very pleasant surprise.

I'm not going to lie — I doubted Ozlo. Maybe it was the the $50 price jump of the original Sleepbuds last year, or maybe it was the fact that the original buds were leaps and bounds more expensive than other popular options (yet lacked any noise cancelling or sleep tracking features).

Yet, here I stand corrected. The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are available for $279. While still firmly at the luxury price point for sleep earbuds, they're $80 cheaper than the post-price bump $349 OG Sleepbuds, and cheaper still than the first gen's $299 launch price. Rather than using this as an excuse to pare down, Ozlo scaled up, adding comprehensive sleep tracking while retaining the streamlined performance that put the first Sleepbuds on the map.

So what's the result? I spent many a night's sleep to find out.

The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 at a glance They look nearly identical to the first generations Sleepbuds, but pack important upgrades. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

What I liked: The addition of sleep tracking is a huge upgrade, especially thanks to the comprehensive analysis in graphs and charts (more on that below). The battery life is 14 hours per charge (compared to the 10 hours of the first gen), which makes the earbuds more functional for listening before dozing off. The extremely comfortable design is left virtually untouched, which is great. Improved Bluetooth connectivity left me with zero issues in connecting to the app. Ozlo also kept its sleep sound library, which is the best of any sleep earbud I've tried.

What I didn't like: Though the battery life per charge improved, the case can only hold a few days of charge max, which pales in comparison to the five to seven days you can get with Soundcore's Sleep A30 Special earbuds. At this price point, a feature like noise cancellation would've made sense, and while I didn't find myself missing it, it might be a con for some users. Finally, these earbuds lose the first generation's on-ear touch controls, which I did like for snoozing alarms. The friction probably does me some good in avoiding snoozing, but it's a bummer to see it gone.

Specs and key features

• Battery life: 14 hours per charge, with case holding up to three nights of sleeps per charge

• Alarm: Set and schedule multiple private alarms

• Controls: Smart case button for phone-free controls, including Sleep Sound playback or alarm snoozing

• Sleep tracking: Biometric and environmental tracking from the earbuds and smart case, with detailed reports available in app

• Ear tips: Four sizes of silicone ear tips

• Sleep modes: Customization between different kinds of audio playback and sleep timers customized to user experience

• Phone-free features: Can use sleep sounds and alarm without a phone connection

• Sleep Shield: Feature set that blocks incoming notifications, calls, and streaming while you sleep

• Sleep sounds: Library of over 30 soundscapes and masking sleep sounds

The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 performanceComfort

Any sleep earbud needs to excel in the comfort category, especially if you're a side sleeper. Thankfully, the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 do exactly that. Though they're nearly identical to the first-generation earbuds, I still found myself appreciating the ultra-low profile and silicone ear tips. You'll get four sizes total, with the wing tips connecting to the ear tips. The material is soft, allowing for a snug fit that's hard to detect, making for maximum comfort.

Sleep sounds

These sleep earbuds don't feature active noise cancellation, so the sleep sound library — which includes nature-based soundscapes, "mask" sounds, and nocturnes — needed to bring the incredibly soothing heat, and bring it, it did.

You can choose from over 30 options on the Ozlo app. Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo And up to 10 sounds saved locally onto the earbuds. Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo

With the app, you can save up to 10 sounds locally on the earbuds at once, swapping out from the library of more than 30 sounds. Sounds include names like "Warm Glow," "All Aboard," "Jade Static," and "Mountain Air." I legitimately felt my eyelids getting heavier as I cycled through them during the daytime while I tested the earbuds. None stood out as too grating (which I can't always say for Soundcore's sleep library). The volume levels felt very appropriate for sleep, with the soundscapes striking the right degree of balance: busy enough to block out either the sound of a room or a busy brain, but not so busy as to be distracting.

Customization

The Sleepbuds 2 can be as simple as a fancy device to listen to a pre-bedtime podcast, before switching to soothing sounds to get you through the night. Even in that simplest use case, it offers quite a bit of customization.

The five different sleep modes customize when (and if) your sleep sounds kick in. Auto, for example, plays the sound as soon as your own content finishes. Sensing (my preferred mode) starts the sleep sound once the earbuds tell you're asleep. You can also manually activate the sleep sound — from the case, with no phone required — or set a timer if you prefer not to rely on any auto-play.

How do you prefer to drift off? Ozlo gives you options. Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo

Sleep shield is another new feature to these earbuds, and basically acts as a "do not disturb," blocking notifications, texts, and calls while you're sleeping. Not so new is the built-in alarm, which is a true game changer if you share a room but not a wake-up time with someone else. As someone who usually uses a Loftie alarm clock, I'm very picky about the sounds that wake me up — these earbuds deliver. That said, if you're loyal to iPhone alarm sounds, you do have the option of using your phone's built-in alarm.

Finally, all of these customizations are made even better by the improved Bluetooth connection — the earbuds connect to the app without a hitch. That said, if you're trying to limit your screen time or keep your phone out of your bedroom, these earbuds also work perfectly fine with just the smart case button.

SEE ALSO: The Brick taught me how to be bored again Sleep tracking

While I wouldn't put these earbuds on par with a dedicated wearable fitness tracker, Ozlo definitely made an effort to take a firm step in that direction.

The result is the most comprehensive sleep tracking I've encountered on sleep earbuds, which is impressive considering the first-generation earbuds had...none.

The earbuds and smart case work in tandem to offer data about your sleep... Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo ...and room environment. Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo

You do have to manually load your data into the app by putting the earbuds back in the case, opening it up, and then opening the app. It'll take a few minutes, but the earbuds can store several nights' worth, so it doesn't have to be a daily task. The result is worth it, too. I saw how well my sleep lined up with my goals (set in the sleep pattern tab), my various sleep stages, the noise and temperature in my environment, what sleep sounds I used, at what volume, and in what mode, and overall trends with my sleep. Like I said, comprehensive.

All of these features are included in the cost of the earbuds, so that means no monthly subscription costs are necessary for you to understand more about how you sleep.

The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 design

As I mentioned in the comfort section, these earbuds are incredibly low profile and completely comfortable to use as a side sleeper (which is how I sleep exclusively).

The case is a bit larger than both Soundcore sleep earbuds options, and for $279, it probably should just come with a free travel case for the most convenient packing possible. But ultimately, it's hard to find too many issues with the earbuds.

The low profile is side-sleeper friendly. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

As for the digital design, the app layout is clean and reminiscent of Bose headphones' companion apps. It isn't too surprising, considering ex-Bose employees founded Ozlo. For the sleep earbuds, it works well, keeping features simple and accessible to find, with troubleshooting options also prominently placed. The last thing you'd want to do before bed is spend time looking for settings, so Ozlo gets big points here.

The app is plenty easy to navigate. Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo Credit: Screenshot / Ozlo Are the Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 worth it?

The Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 are an improvement on the original in almost every way. The brand kept the same what needed to be kept the same, and added new features where they were most crucial.

While they're still $50 more than my favorite pair of sleep earbuds, the Soundcore Sleep A30 Special, they're also much more deserving of a premium price point than they formerly were. Despite the lack of ANC, the balanced soundscapes, top-of-the-line comfort, and overall thoughtful design let these earbuds shine — or rather, very soothingly dim the lights and calm your mind — in their own right.

They won't be the sleep earbuds for everyone, but if you're looking for a more upgraded experience, want the most comfortable earbuds possible, and plenty of sleep data, buying these is a decision you could sleep very well with at night.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ozlo Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 $279 at Ozlo
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