Mashable

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Defamation.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

LIBEL

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Jean material.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

DENIM

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Transparent.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for August 4 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for August 4, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CLEAR

Hurdle Word 4 hint

What an angry dog might do.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for August 4 Hurdle Word 4 answer

GROWL

Final Hurdle hint

By law.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

LEGAL

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

As well as being an impressively tense mini-Alien movie, episode 5 of Alien: Earth also sheds some light on one of the show's most mysterious characters: Morrow (Babou Ceesay), the head of security (and sole survivor) of Weyland-Yutani's downed Maginot ship.

One interesting scene from this flashback episode shows Morrow in his quarters, reading letters from back home that finally provide some insight into why he is the way he is.

So what do the letters that Morrow reads say, and what do they tell us about him?

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth': What's the difference between cyborgs, synths, and hybrids? Featured Video For You 'Alien: Earth' episode 5 was its own 'Alien' movie. Here's how they made it. What do the letters that Morrow reads on the ship say?

Back in his quarters, Morrow opens a box of letters and looks at a photo of his daughter, Estelle, when she was a baby. The first two letters are clearly from her (the first when she's younger, the second when she's a teenager), while the last letter is a fax from Weyland-Yutani.

We've transcribed each of them below, in full.

First letter

DADABEAR

I had a nightmare last night. Mom tried to tell me it was just a dream but it took a real long time to go back to sleep. I dreamed that your space ship flied by the moon.

Second letter

Dadabear

I'm starting to look at schools. I didn't know this but mom says that Weyland-Yutani will pay for all of my school. That's if I go to a Wey-Yu sanctioned school. Is that really the case? Cause I want to go to one of the old world colleges. They don't have restrictions on the content that the corp schools have. I think, if I tried I could get into Harvard. But of course, we'd have to pay for it ourselves. Also, my friend Cody's dad works for Weyland-Yutani too. But she only gets a partial scholarship. How important ARE you? I wish we could talk. That's not the first or last time I've thought that, I'm sure. But sometimes it would be good to have another voice to bounce this stuff off.

Estelle

Third letter

MISSION YEAR 8 OF 65

Mr. Morrow, this is to inform you that your daughter, Estelle, 19, died in a fire that destroyed her home on the 12th April. Her effects have been placed in storage for you on your return in 53 years.

What do we learn from the letters?

If you've been wondering why Morrow is as cold and detached as he is, this personal tragedy is presumably the reason. The first two letters make it clear that he and his daughter had a strong bond, making that final brief fax even more of a gut punch. Reading the letters back is the first time we've seen Morrow show pretty much any emotion whatsoever. Clearly, what happened to his daughter has hardened him. He no longer has her waiting for him back on Earth so he's thrown himself entirely into the mission at hand, zeroing in on his employer's instruction to preserve the alien samples and carrying out orders with a near robotic detachment.

The other clue in the letters? That "How important ARE you?" question from his daughter foreshadows the end of the episode, where we learn that Morrow has a personal connection to the Weyland-Yutani boss and is as much an adopted part of the family as he is a recruit.

Alien: Earth episodes drop Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX.

Alien: Earth episode 5 is like a miniature, contained Alien movie, taking us back aboard Weyland-Yutani's doomed Maginot spaceship and showing us exactly what went wrong in the build-up to the crash.

All of which is simple enough, but what about that slightly jarring ending with Morrow (Babou Ceesay) speaking to the Weyland-Yutani boss (Sandra Yi Sencindiver)? What exactly is said, and what does it tell us about Morrow's backstory and what he may do next? Let's unpack it.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth' presents a continuity conundrum for the franchise Featured Video For You 'Alien: Earth' episode 5 was its own 'Alien' movie. Here's how they made it. How does Alien: Earth episode 5 end?

After the now familiar sequence in which Morrow seals himself in the Maginot's impact room just before the ship enters its crash course with Earth, we suddenly cut to the Weyland-Yutani headquarters where Morrow stands waiting to meet the Weyland-Yutani boss — the granddaughter of the woman who was in charge when he first departed on his mission. This is a time jump back to the present day, in which Morrow has clearly managed to sneak his way back to Weyland-Yutani territory to report in.

We've transcribed the key part of the exchange between him and Ms. Yutani below:

Ms. Yutani: My grandmother was very fond of you, you know.

Morrow: I'm grateful. She had no reason to take me in. A feral boy with a palsied arm begging in the street.

Ms. Yutani: She always said you were the fiercest thing she had ever seen.

Morrow: I told her I'd bring the specimens home. And I will. And then I'll kill the one called Kavalier.

Ms. Yutani: He agreed to arbitration. We meet tomorrow. Maybe the lawyers can fix this.

Morrow: Unless lawyers means soldiers, we're gonna have to do this my way.

At this point Ms. Yutani leaves the room, but not before she mutters the following comment to a guard on her way out: "Whatever he wants, he gets."

What does the ending tell us about Morrow?

The letters Morrow reads earlier in the episode tell us about his daughter and hint at his importance in the corporation, but this final scene sheds light on his origin story. Morrow, it turns out, isn't just someone that randomly applied for the job as head of security on the Maginot — the company's former boss saw something in him when he was a homeless child, took him in, and then trained him up to be the adult he is today.

Morrow's comment about having a "palsied arm" also presumably explains why he has a robotic arm in the present. Maybe Weyland-Yutani made him into a cyborg as a gift, but the price was the 65-year mission that Morrow had to leave his young family to embark on?

Either way, it's clear that Ms. Yutani, like her grandmother, respects Morrow. If his plan is to wage war against Prodigy in order to get the specimens back – which is looking more and more likely – then her final comment suggests he has her full support.

Alien: Earth episodes drop Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX.

Alien: Earth's fifth episode may be called "In Space, No One...," but a more apt title might be "The USCSS Maginot and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."

That's because everything that can go wrong does go wrong in this episode, which reveals what happened to the crew of the Maginot before the spaceship crash landed on Earth. The answer, unsurprisingly, is nothing good, with everything from human sabotage and alien attacks playing a role in the Maginot's downfall.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth' review: Xenomorphs get upstaged in this sci-fi treat

The episode plays out like its own mini Alien movie, and I reacted as such while watching it: screaming, hiding my head in my hands, and letting the overall sense of dread wash over me. If you felt the same way, you've come to the right place! Here, in chronological order, are all the most WTF moments from Alien: Earth, episode 5.

When we learned Facehuggers were loose on the Maginot. Babou Ceesay in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

The horrors begin right away, when Morrow (Babou Ceesay) learns that a fire on the USCSS Maginot has led to the release of Facehuggers. With that news, you might as well re-start that fire and burn the whole ship, because it's only a matter of time before you've got full-grown Xenomorphs running around.

When we saw the dead captain and his Facehugger.

The loose Facehuggers have already found hosts in Maginot Captain Dinsdale (Tanapol Chuksrida) and crew member Bronski (Max Rinehart). The Maginot crew took what they thought was a reasonable step in trying to cut the Facehugger off Captain Dinsdale, but they didn't account for the creature's acid blood. RIP to Captain Dinsdale, and RIP to squeamish viewers, who get an eyeful of Dinsdale's exposed, acid-burned esophagus.

SEE ALSO: How 'Alien: Earth' pulls you into the world of 'Alien' in its opening scene When we learned the fire was sabotage. Babou Ceesay in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

As if dealing with escaped aliens wasn't enough, Morrow and new captain Zaveri (Richa Moorjani) realize that the fire in containment may have been started by one of their own crew. So on top of Facehuggers, they now have to deal with a mutinous human who's sent the Maginot hurtling on a crash course with Earth. My stress levels? Already through the ceiling.

When Teng was creeping on Sullivan. Andy Yu and Babou Ceesay in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

While all of the alien chaos is going down, crew member Teng (Andy Yu) decides to creepily stare down at fellow crew member Sullivan (Victoria Masoma) while she's asleep in her cryopod. Alien: Earth already hinted at his bizarre obsession with her in its first episode, but watching his voyeurism in action is frankly just as skin-crawlingly awful as seeing a Facehugger latch onto its prey. You know the drill, Teng: Get a job, stay away from her.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth' presents a continuity conundrum for the franchise When Alien: Earth hit us with a post-coital Facehugger jump scare.

While Zaveri watches over a Facehugged Bronski, she reminisces on the relationship they started while on the mission. (No one tell Weyland-Yutani!) That leads to a flashback of the two having sex, which culminates on a jump scare of the Facehugger on Bronski in the flashback. No thank you!

When Mother told Zaveri the cargo took priority over crew. Richa Moorjani in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

As Zaveri assumes Dinsdale's captain duties, she confers with the Maginot's AI Mother about how to proceed. Zaveri understandably wants to prioritize the crew, asking for permission to destroy the cargo if the crew's lives are in danger. In response, Mother tells her to flip that and reverse it: The cargo is the priority, and the crew can choke on a Facehugger. It's a chilling reminder that the Maginot crew isn't just at the mercy of the aliens they've got onboard. They're also pawns of the greedy corporation that hired them, one that cares more about profit and power than any measly human lives.

When we learned Morrow's daughter is dead. Babou Ceesay in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Kurt Iswarienko/FX

Much of "In Space, No One..." relies on the very pressing fear that "oh no, aliens are loose on the ship, run for your lives!" But in addition to that classic sci-fi terror, the episode also leans into the existential dread about human mortality that makes the Alien franchise tick. Here, that manifests itself in the form of the 65 years that the Maginot's crew is spending on their mission. Yes, they're in cryosleep for much of it, but you know who isn't? Their friends and family back home, who may never see them again.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth': What's the deal with Kirsh? We asked Timothy Olyphant.

Case in point is Morrow's young daughter, who died just a few years into the mission. How in the world was Morrow able to go on with the mission, knowing she was gone on Earth? How can any of the crew members go through with something similar? Yes, they're getting paid, but as engineer Shmuel (Michael Smiley) makes clear to engineer's mate Malachite (Jamie Bisping), what they're earning is nothing compared to what Weyland-Yutani is getting: their lives.

When the Chestburster got loose.

The Maginot crew make what seems like a solid decision to place Bronski, Facehugger and all, in cryo in the hopes of preserving him and the specimen. But of course, not even cryo can stop the Xenomorph. It bursts from the pod (and Bronski's chest, naturally), leaving a bloody mess and shifting the Maginot's alien crisis into high gear. Alien fans, I think we've seen this film before.

When the blood tick laid its tadpoles in Chibuzo's water. Karen Aldridge in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

Oh, you thought Xenomorphs were the only aliens the Maginot had to worry about? How foolish! How naive! Why, there are four other alien specimens onboard, and two of them are about to make the crew's nightmares even worse.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth': All the 'Peter Pan' references so far

First up is the blood tick, which mounts a daring escape from its case and then lays a bunch of tadpoles in science officer Chibuzo's (Karen Aldridge) water canteen. The sequence is a terrifying showcase of how smart these aliens are, but it also serves as a handy lab safety PSA. Never leave open food and water containers out in your lab! You never know what creature will see your yummy snacks and drinks as a breeding ground.

When T. Ocellus made its grand escape.

Eyeball-octopus hybrid T. Ocellus doesn't want the blood ticks to have all the escape fun! So when Chibuzo doesn't securely lock its container away, it takes advantage of her error and escapes. (Side note: Chibuzo please review your lab safety protocols, I beg you.) That means the Maginot has not one, not two, but three alien species out and about. Oh, and that pesky mutineer. When it rains, it pours, right?

When Malachite drank the tick tadpoles. Jamie Bisping, Karen Aldridge, and Michael Smiley in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

Things are about to get very bad for poor Malachite, who chugs down Chibuzo's tick-infested water after eating a too-spicy meal. Everything about this scene is an automatic "hell no," especially the sight of the tadpoles swimming around in Chibuzo's canteen. Don't mind me, I'll just be obsessively checking every glass or bottle of water I drink for tadpoles from now on.

When Malachite started vomiting blood.

What happens when you drink blood tick tadpoles? You vomit up a deluge of blood, of course! Now that that knowledge is out of the way, can we please get Malachite some medical attention? (And can we get me a glass of calming, non-tadpole-infested tea?)

When we learned Boy Kavalier was behind the crash all along. Samuel Blenkin in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

While the aliens are turning the Maginot into their bloody playground, Morrow is busy playing his own personal game of Among Us to find the Maginot saboteur. Turns out, it was crew member Petrovich (Enzo Cilenti), who's been pretending to be in stasis but is really hijacking the ship. But he wasn't working alone. Video messages reveal that he was in contact with Prodigy CEO Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), who tasked him with crashing the ship in Prodigy territory so Kavalier could steal the specimens onboard. What would Petrovich get in return? A hybrid body, just like Wendy's (Sydney Chandler). There's just one problem: Only child minds can make the jump to those bodies, so there's no way Kavalier ever planned on following through on his promise. Sucks for Petrovich, but come on, even I can see that "crash your spaceship into Earth for me, then you'll maybe get a robot body" is a raw deal.

SEE ALSO: I love that 'Alien: Earth' trillionaire Boy Kavalier takes calls with his feet

The reveal re-contextualizes the entirety of Alien: Earth up to this point: The crash was no accident, and Kavalier's been in control the entire time. But how long has he been plotting this, and how did he find out about the specimens?

When we saw the ticks in Malachite's body.

When Wendy and the Lost Boys investigated the crashed Maginot, they saw the corpses of the crew, including Malachite's innards. "In Space, No One..." revisits that grisly scene and reveals how it came to be. Not only do we see the ticks chowing down on Malachite's organs (ultra-gross!), we also learn they release a poisoned gas when threatened, which spells the end for Chibuzo and medical officer Rahim (Amir Boutros). Look, we knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier to watch.

When Petrovich delivered the hardest line of the series.

Sometimes, I pause Alien: Earth to freak out about all the alien nastiness going down onscreen. Other times, I pause and rewind to take in a damn good line. In this episode, that honor goes to Petrovich's dying words: "They want their monsters. Here they come."

Hearing that as the aliens rain down terror upon the Maginot? Chills. Chills, I say! Now back to our regularly scheduled panic about aliens.

When the Xenomorph attacked Zaveri. Richa Moorjani in "Alien: Earth." Credit: Patrick Brown/FX

"In Space, No One..." has been a collection of the Xenomorph's greatest hits, from Facehugger attacks to the full-grown Xenomorph hiding in air ducts and drooling on its next victims. It's frightening, but it's stuff we've seen before in the Alien franchise, which is why T. Ocellus and the blood ticks' antics bring a fresh layer of horror to the show.

Still, I'm human. I tensed way the hell up when Zaveri finally came face to face with the Xenomorph. Between losing her lover and all her crew mates, she's already gone through the worst day of her life. Couldn't we at least end the episode with her getting a spa trip or something? No, she has to get mauled? Bummer.

When T. Ocellus zombified Shmuel.

Throughout Alien: Earth, we've watched T. Ocellus invade a cat body and a sheep body. Here, it levels up again, taking over a human host. The results are predictably terrifying, conjuring up a primal fear over bodily control as T. Ocellus puppets Shmuel's body. I'll be thinking of his herky-jerky movements (and the sight of a tentacle slithering out of his nose) for a long, long time.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth's eyeball scares me way more than the Xenomorph When T. Ocellus fought the Xenomorph.

"In Space, No One..." closes out with an alien beatdown for the ages. In one corner, we've got the Xenomorph. You know it, you love it, you don't want to come within 100 feet of it.

In the other corner, we've got T. Ocellus in Shmuel's body. It's far smaller and a newcomer to the Alien franchise, but it's already making a gloppy splash.

Wouldn't you know it, T. Ocellus gives the Xenomorph a run for its money. First, it charges the Xenomorph as Shmuel. Then, once Xenomorph makes quick work of Shmuel's pesky human body, T. Ocellus attacks the Xenomorph with nothing but its bare tentacles. And wouldn't you know it, this teeny tiny eyeball actually manages to scare the tank that is the Xenomorph! I didn't know that was possible, but now, I can't get the idea out of my head: Will T. Ocellus end up in a Xenomorph body at some point? If so, I fear Earth is done for. As if I needed another nightmare after this episode!

Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes premiering Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX.

Xenomorphs, I love you. However, after watching you in action in seven Alien films (plus two Alien vs. Predator films), I'm not terrified of you anymore.

Don't worry, I'll never get tired of your facehugging and chestbursting and all-around murder sprees. Whenever you're onscreen, I always marvel at your creature design and think, "That's rad as hell!" But abject terror at the sight of you is no longer on the table.

SEE ALSO: 'Alien: Earth' review: Xenomorphs get upstaged in this sci-fi treat

Noah Hawley's Alien prequel series, Alien: Earth, understands that its audience's familiarity with Xenomorphs will dim the aliens' fear factor a little bit. That's why it introduces the Xenomorph in all its glory just halfway through its first episode. After all, why bother shrouding in total secrecy an alien we already know and love?

Instead, Hawley brings four new parasitic aliens into the fray, including nasty blood ticks and the mysterious, plant-like D. Plumbicare. But there's one clear standout among the new crop of aliens, and it's none other than T. Ocellus, or as I like to call it, "the eyeball monster of my nightmares."

I love it and I hate it. Credit: Screenshot: FX

Looking like what you'd get if you gave an eyeball octopus tentacles, T. Ocellus is nothing short of an alien menace. In episode 2, a screen in the USCSS Maginot's lab describes its parasitic capabilities. Its tentacles dislodge other organisms' eyeballs and then take over neural pathways to the brain, turning its victims into puppets. In a neat twist, it can also change the appearance of its pupil and iris to match that of its host.

T. Ocellus' brain-hijacking ability alone has already led to its fair share of showstopping moments throughout Alien: Earth's first few episodes. In episode 2, it crawled its way out a cat's skull, traumatizing animal lovers everywhere in the process. It then shot itself at hybrid Nibs (Lily Newmark), attempting to take her on as a new host. Then, in episode 4, it burrowed into a poor sheep's head. Someone, please, stop its trail of carnage!

SEE ALSO: Human consciousness implanted into robots? 'Alien: Earth' suggests we're heading there.

However, in episode 5, T. Ocellus truly breaks out — literally and figuratively. Literally because it stages a daring prison break, and figuratively because it cements its dominance over Alien: Earth's other new extraterrestrial baddies.

Episode 5 of Alien: Earth, titled, "In Space, No One...," is basically a mini Alien movie. It turns back the clock to reveal how everyone on the USCSS Maginot died before the spaceship crashed on Earth. Culprits include sabotage from crew member Petrovich (Enzo Cilenti), those pesky blood ticks, the Xenomorph, and of course, T. Ocellus.

T. Ocellus begins the episode in a specimen container. However, when it realizes its container hasn't been properly secured to the wall, it manages to use its own body as a slingshot to force the container away from the wall and onto the ground, where it shatters. The lab screen in episode 2 states that "the Ocellus has shown remarkable problem solving abilities at a near-human measure," and this is proof of that problem solving. Not only did T. Ocellus have to figure out how to leverage its own body to escape, it also had to recognize that the locking mechanism hadn't operated properly. On top of that, it helped distract Chibuzo (Karen Aldridge) earlier in the episode so the blood ticks could stage an escape of their own. Collaborative, tech-savvy, and resourceful — that's one seriously smart eyeball! I want it nowhere near me!

SEE ALSO: I love that 'Alien: Earth' trillionaire Boy Kavalier takes calls with his feet

Once it's free in the Maginot, T. Ocellus finds its next target. We've seen it take on a cat and a sheep, gradually leveling up in host size. Episode 5 brings the horror of T. Ocellus to the next level by putting it in a human body, that of the Maginot's engineer Shmuel (Michael Smiley). The visual of T. Ocellus' too-big eyeball in Shmuel's head would be nightmare enough, but wouldn't you believe it, it gets worse! A tentacle slithers out of his nose. He lets out a droning scream that sounds like it could never come from a human's vocal cords. Then, he charges the remaining Maginot crew members with an unnatural, herky-jerky motion, a reflection of T. Ocellus puppeteering his body.

That sense of being an alien's puppet ties into the Alien franchise's larger themes of the horror of losing bodily autonomy. Weyland-Yutani robs its workers of decades of their lives on Earth, then deems then expendable in the face of collecting specimens. And of course, Xenomorphs force hosts to carry and "birth" their embryos, drawing a clear connection to pregnancy and childbirth. T. Ocellus follows in this tradition, although its targeting of the brain in particular conjures up fears around loss of cognition and bodily function as opposed to reproductive anxieties.

You'd think T. Ocellus taking over a human's body would be the end of its terrifying run in "In Space, No One...," but it doesn't stop there. As Shmuel, it attacks the Xenomorph, as if it's trying to make the alien of all aliens its next host. (It feels almost Predator-like in how it keeps trying to find a bigger, stronger body to conquer.) While it doesn't actually take over the Xenomorph's body (although in the future, I would like to see it), it still manages to give the Xenomorph a big scare.

Their skirmish points to two very different kinds of monstrous physicality. The Xenomorph is a tank, massive and almost unwieldy when compared to T. Ocellus. (Notably, all of the new aliens in Alien: Earth are smaller than the Xenomorph.) T. Ocellus, on the other hand, is far smaller and more slippery, adept at squeezing through cracks in your defenses. While I wouldn't want to face either of them, there's something viscerally terrifying about having a small tentacled creature launching itself at my eyeball, knowing that if it gets there, it's game over.

T. Ocellus has been growing more and more prominent over the course of Alien: Earth, but it's episode 5 where it truly shines as the star it was meant to be. You know how there are multiple blood ticks and Xenomorph eggs onboard the Maginot? It seems like there was only ever one T. Ocellus specimen onboard the ship. That's right: It's one of one, a true alien superstar. And while I will always consider the Xenomorphs to be the greatest movie monsters of all time, I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to pure scares in Alien: Earth, that demon eyeball's got them beat.

Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes premiering Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX.

Very few tech brands have a stronghold on a product category. Apple dominates the smartphone and tablet markets with the iPhone and iPad. Sony has headphones and earbuds on lock. When it comes to portable Bluetooth speakers, JBL is the unconquerable giant.

The company’s feature-heavy and near-indestructible speakers are considered elite purchases for consumers wanting big sound and battery life in strikingly rugged packages. Models like the Charge 6 and Clip 5 uphold the critical acclaim of JBL’s award-winning speaker lineups, while newer launches like the PartyBox Stage 320 have come out of nowhere to be recognized as the best party speakers money can buy. 

We’ve tested every major JBL speaker release and narrowed down our favorite picks. See which model is the perfect pairing for you based on performance, practicality, and price.

SAVE 50%: Through Sept. 29, all sizes of the TCL NXTVISION QLED art TV are 50% off for Labor Day, with savings of up to $2,000. Some sizes are sold out at Amazon, but all are available at Best Buy.

Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL NXTVISION Matte QLED 4K TV save 50% on sizes 55-inch to 85-inch Shop Now

Labor Day is a uniquely great time to buy a TV. While it may not see deals as intense as Black Friday or the end of football season, its timing is indisputably clutch: Labor Day deals strike right before the NFL season and spooky season, both of which call for heavy TV watching and a nice, new screen to do it on. Plus, the 50% off discount on TCL's NXTVISION art TVs sounds pretty Black Friday-ish to us. Through Sept. 29, you can save between $700 and $2,000 on the TCL NXTVISION (previously called the NXTFRAME).

Your best bet is to shop at Best Buy as some sizes are out of stock at Amazon. Note: The MSRPs listed by Best Buy are far lower than the MSRPs at TCL's website, so Best Buy's discounts look less stark — but we're trusting TCL's prices on its own TVs, and TCL says they're all half off. They're all significantly cheaper than Samsung's The Frame TVs of the same sizes, even on sale themselves.

Here's the full price rundown at Best Buy:

• 55-inch NXTVISION — $698.99 $999.99 (save $301)

• 65-inch NXTVISION — $999.99 $1,299.99 (save $301)

• 75-inch NXTVISION — $1,299.99 $1,599.99 (save $500)

• 85-inch NXTVISION — $1,799.99 $2,799.99 (save $1,000)

SEE ALSO: Fall TV preview: 25 TV shows you need to know, and where to stream them

Art TVs like the TCL NXTVISION or Samsung's The Frame have comparable specs to other QLED TVs on the market. Their extra layer of quantum dots helps them to achieve higher levels of brightness that pop during daytime watching. The 2024 NXTVISION TV features a 120Hz refresh rate, doubling the responsiveness of the 60Hz seen on most cheap 4K TVs. So, what's the difference between an art TV and a regular TV? It's the matte screen that allows the TV to look like framed wall art, not a shiny black TV. When not in use, you can choose from hundreds of famous paintings available in the NXTVISION's settings. From the side, the NXTVISION only sticks out 1.2 inches from the wall — a much more subtle framed effect than the average TV wall mount.

If you're looking for an NFL Sunday Ticket deal while you're at it, those are aplenty right now: My Best Buy Plus and Total members can get the full upcoming season for $258 (returning subscribers included) while Verizon phone or home internet customers can straight up get NFL Sunday Ticket for free.

SAVE $85.04: As of Sept. 2, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (64GB, WiFi) is down to just $134.95 at Amazon. That's a savings of 39% and a new record-low price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (64GB, WiFi) $134.95 at Amazon
$219.99 Save $85.04 Get Deal

If you want a tablet that simply acts as a tablet, you don't need to drop hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is a capable tablet that checks all the right boxes and it's on sale for less than $150.

As of Sept. 2, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ with 64GB of storage and WiFi connectivity is just $134.95 at Amazon. That's 39% off its list price of $219.99 and its lowest cost on record.

While you may be familiar with Samsung's flagship S-series devices, the A-series is a little under the radar. It's designed to deliver many of the same core essentials as the S-series, but with some swaps that knock the price down. It's essentially what the basic iPad is to the iPad Pro. The A-series tablets are "perfect for everyday tasks like streaming the latest movies, browsing the Internet or keeping the kids entertained," according to Samsung.

The A9+ is a reliable tablet that can handle all the basics with ease. It packs an 11-inch display with slim bezels, 4GB of RAM, quad speakers powered by Dolby Atmos, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor, expandable storage up to 1TB, and a decent battery life (it's just OK). It's certainly no laptop replacement, but it's not meant to be either. If you're looking for something that can handle productivity tasks as well as entertainment without spending a fortune, it's going to be hard to beat this deal at only $134.95.

SAVE $30: As of Sept. 2, the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones are on sale for $29.99 at Amazon. This is 50% off their list price of $59.99 and marks their lowest-ever price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Soundcore Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Headphones $29.99 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $30.00 Get Deal

The majority of Labor Day deals may be behind us, but thankfully, a few are still lingering around. Amazon has quite a few strong offers still available today, including some excellent deals on headphones. This includes the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones, which are currently down to their best-ever price of $29.99.

That's a whopping 50% off their list price of $59.99, and saves you $30. This discount only applies to the black Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones, but for a pair that boast hybrid active noise cancellation, that's a fantastic price.

SEE ALSO: The 8 best budget headphones we've tested under $100

The Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones feature hybrid active noise cancellation that can reduce up to 90% of outside noise around you. 40mm dynamic drivers bring you high-quality sound, with an extra boost for bass thanks to BassUp technology. And its battery life will keep you going for up to 60 hours in standard music mode (or 40 in wireless ANC mode), making them a great travel companion for any long trips you have planned.

Keep in mind that these are listed as a limited-time deal, so grab the Soundcore Anker Life Q20 headphones at this discounted price while they're still available. And if you're looking to drop some cash on a higher-end model instead, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones are still discounted after Labor Day.

TL;DR: The JBL Charge 6 speaker offers 28 hours of playtime, a built-in power bank, and is currently on sale for only $139.99 (reg. $199.95) with free shipping.

Opens in a new window Credit: JBL JBL Charge 6 (Open Box) $139.99
$199.95 Save $59.96 Get Deal

Are you ready to kick back and relax with some good tunes? Pack up your cooler, grab some sunscreen, and whatever you do, don’t forget this Open Box JBL Charge 6 to keep the party going. With 28-hour playtime, a built-in power bank, and a waterproof design, this could be your go-to companion for years to come, and now it’s on sale for only $139.99.

From beach trips and poolside summer barbecues to treacherous hikes and scenic campsites, this JBL speaker is adventure-ready. How? First, let’s admire its lightweight and portable design. Weighing in at only 3 pounds, that’s nothing considering it’s a powerhouse speaker and power bank. Plus, it features a built-in, detachable handling strap, making it easy to clip and carry around. 

SEE ALSO: Level up your home theater experience with a Bose TV Speaker Soundbar for its lowest price yet

Second, the Charge 6 boasts an IP68 waterproof and dust-proof rating. So, don’t fret about having rice on hand; this speaker can handle water submersion. 

Whether you’re in a crowded space or looking to add a nice ambiance after a long day, this speaker has built-in smart AI technology to enhance your listening experience. Enjoy deeper bass, clearer highs, and balanced sound with minimal distortion in real-time. For an immersive listening experience, use the JBL Portable app to connect two Charge 6 speakers or other JBL Auracast-enable speakers. 

If your phone is running low from streaming all day, its built-in power bank with USB-C connect can keep the party bumping without skipping a beat.

As an Open Box model, reap the benefits of a like-new JBL without the hefty price tag. Open Box models are often a result of excess inventory. So, while you may see a random sticker or two on the package, the item has been inspected, tested, and cleaned before rejoining the market. If you’re still hesitant, this deal comes with a 1-year warranty for added security.

This JBL Charge 6 Speaker won’t last, and for a limited time, you can get it for $139.99 with free shipping.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

TL;DR: Outfit your computer with helpful tools for life with this Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac or PC lifetime license, now just $159.97 (reg. $249.99).

Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime License $159.97
$249.99 Save $90.02 Get Deal

Sick of paying for Microsoft Office tools month after month? You don’t have to rent them, you can buy them for life with this license to Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business. It works on both Mac and PC devices, and right now you can save $90 on this suite of apps and secure this lifetime license for just $159.97 (reg. $249.99).

If you’re like most of us, you’ve been counting on Microsoft Office tools to help you with work, school, and everything in between since the ’90s. Not only are there new tools to rely on, the old staples are also still around to help you out and this Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac or PC lifetime license gives you both.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft Copilot is coming to Samsung TVs and monitors

This edition includes five of Microsoft Office’s most helpful apps — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote. They can be downloaded directly to your Mac or PC so you can create content, stay organized, tackle work projects, and more.

Though most of these names are familiar, they offer some brand new features like the ability to record presentations with voice narration and videos in PowerPoint, or the ability to access AI-powered suggestions in Word. Advanced data analysis and visualization tools are available in Excel, and there’s also an updated accessibility checker in Outlook.

Need to work with others? This license also includes new collaborative tools like co-authoring, enhanced commenting, and even deeper Microsoft Teams integration for a seamless workflow.

Take advantage of this deal on a Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for Mac or PC lifetime license, now for only $159.97 (reg. $249.99).

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Google is breathing a big sigh of relief today.

Why? A judge has ruled that the company will not be forced to sell Chrome or Android, two suggestions that were being pushed by the U.S. Department of Justice as a result of the search giant losing a major antitrust case last August brought against it by the government.

On Tuesday, Sept. 2, District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington rejected the DOJ's push to break up Google. Instead, Judge Mehta ruled that Google can no longer take part in exclusive deals regarding its search engine, such as the one that saw Google pay billions of dollars to Apple in order to maintain its search dominance on iOS devices.

In addition, the judge ruled that Google must also share some of its search data with competitors.

SEE ALSO: Google just lost a big antitrust case for running illegal ad tech monopoly

The judge's decision marks a judgment in just one of Google's antitrust cases, which spanned from President Donald Trump's first administration into the preceding Biden administration and now into Trump's second term.

Google is currently involved in a separate antitrust case regarding digital advertising, which the company also lost in April.

Regardless of the judge's remedy, the search giant says it will appeal the decision, as Judge Mehta claimed that the company was acting like a monopoly and controlled 90 percent of the search market thanks to exclusive deals like the one the judge banned with Apple.

Nevertheless, Judge Mehta's refusal to break up Google must be welcomed news to both Google and other Silicon Valley companies undergoing antitrust lawsuits.

However, some, like OpenAI and Perplexity, may not be thrilled with the judge's decision, as these AI companies were eager to acquire the popular Chrome web browser if Google had been forced to sell it. That definitely won't be happening now.

Oura Ring has announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and many users online are not happy about it. The announcement sparked immediate backlash across social platforms, with concerns ranging from misinformation about data privacy to broader moral objections over the company's willingness to work with the U.S. military.

Some users speculated — incorrectly — that personal health data from Oura's consumer rings was being shared with the military. Others focused less on privacy and more on principle: questioning whether they want to support a company that collaborates with the Department of Defense at all.

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To clarify, Oura's work with the U.S. military isn't new. Tom Hale, Oura's chief executive officer, called their relationship with the DoD "longstanding" in a press release last week.

"We’re proud to expand manufacturing to the United States and are committed to empowering the Department of Defense with technology that prioritizes security and promotes readiness, resilience, and effectiveness to support service members and their missions," Hale said.

According to Oura, this expanded partnership is limited to its enterprise business, which is separate from its consumer offerings — meaning none of your data is currently being used to support military projects.

In an email to Mashable, Oura said it would "never sell, rent, or share your personal data with any third party without your express consent." This announcement, Oura told its customers, is "exclusively limited to our project support for U.S. service men and women." That support includes investing in manufacturing operations in Fort Worth, Texas, working closely with active duty military "to determine factors that impact soldier effectiveness," and "advancing military readiness," according to Oura's press release.

"Unless you’re a service member who is enrolled in a Department of Defense (DoD) health or human-performance program that uses Oura Ring — AND you have consented to share your data with that program — your data will never be shared with the DoD," Oura told concerned customers.

Hale also took to TikTok to clarify that user data is safe.

Users online also worried about Oura's connection with Palantir, a software company that works with intelligence agencies and defense departments and has a significant presence in Israel and the U.S.

"Underscoring its commitment to responsible data practices, ŌURA will be available to support population-level analysis of risk and Readiness on Palantir's FedStart platform, which is authorized at IL5 — enabling deployment of the Oura Enterprise Platform in environments with heightened security and compliance needs," Oura said in a press release.

SEE ALSO: Ultrahuman sues Oura over patent infringement in the battle of the smart rings

In a clarification to concerned users, Oura said it does not have a partnership with Palantir, but rather "Palantir provides the security layer for some of the DoD’s projects with Oura, particularly projects with rigorous security requirements to operate Oura’s platform within secure environments."

Despite these clarifications, the announcement has left some customers reconsidering their relationship with the brand. While Oura's consumer data does appear safe from military use, the company’s willingness to align with defense and intelligence contractors is now part of the equation for users deciding whether to keep wearing the ring.

The question now is whether users are comfortable supporting a tech company that openly collaborates with the U.S. military, regardless of how securely their data is handled.

OpenAI is appealing directly to concerned parents as the AI giant announces plans for a new suite of parental oversight features.

The company explained in a new blog post that it is moving ahead with more robust tools for parents who hope to curb unhealthy interactions with its chatbot, as OpenAI faces its first wrongful death lawsuit after the death by suicide of a California teen.

The features — which will be released along with other mental health initiatives over the next 120 days — include account linking between parent and teen users and a tighter grip on chatbot interactions. Caregivers will be able to set how ChatGPT responds (in line with the model's "age-appropriate" setting) and disable chat history and memory.

OpenAI also plans to add parental notifications that flag when ChatGPT detects "a moment of acute distress," the company explains. The feature is still in development with OpenAI's panel of experts.

SEE ALSO: I 'dated' Character.AI's popular boyfriends, and parents should be worried

In addition to new options for parents, OpenAI said it would expand its Global Physician Network and real-time router, a feature that can instantly switch a user interaction to a new chat or reasoning model depending on the conversational context. OpenAI explains that "sensitive conversations" will now be moved over to one of the company's reasoning models, like GPT‑5-thinking, to "provide more helpful and beneficial responses, regardless of which model a person first selected."

Over the last year, AI companies have come under heightened scrutiny for failing to address safety concerns with their chatbots, which are increasingly being used as emotional companions by younger users. Safety guardrails have proven to be easily jailbroken, including limits on how chatbot's respond to dangerous or illicit user requests.

Parental controls have become a default first step for tech and social companies that have been accused of exacerbating the teen mental health crisis, enabling child sex abuse materials, and failing to address predatory actors online. But such features have their limitations, experts say, relying on the proactivity and energy of parents rather than that of companies. Other child safety alternatives, including app marketplace restrictions and online age verification, have remained controversial.

SEE ALSO: What the Supreme Court hearing about age verification could mean for you

As debate and concern flare about their efficacy, AI companies have continued rolling out additional safety guardrails. Anthropic recently announced that its chatbot Claude would now end potentially harmful and abusive interactions automatically, including sexual content involving minors — while the current chat becomes archived, users can still began another conversation. Facing growing criticism, Meta announced it was limiting its AI avatars for teen users, an interim plan that involves reducing the number of available chatbots and training them not to discuss topics like self-harm, disordered eating, and inappropriate romantic interactions.

If you're suffering from Marvel fatigue, the trailer for Marvel Zombies is here to wake you right up.

The upcoming animated show lures viewers in with a gonzo premise initially explored in Season 1, episode 5 of What If...?: What would happen if the Avengers became zombies?

SEE ALSO: All the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, ranked worst to best

The answer: Pure, unbridled carnage.

The four-part series transports viewers to a world overrun by a zombie plague. Its victims include Avengers like Captain America, Scarlet Witch (voiced by Elizabeth Olsen), and Hawkeye, along with Marvel villains like Namor and Thanos. The virus may have taken their lives, but it did not take their powers, meaning we've got superpowered zombies on our hands. Hell yeah! I mean... oh no.

Luckily, many heroes have escaped infection and are working to save the world. They include Yelena Belova (voiced by Florence Pugh), Shang-Chi (voiced by Simu Liu), and Kamala Khan (voiced by Iman Vellani). Which team of heroes will prevail: infected or uninfected?

If the premise of zombies with superpowers didn't already sell you on Marvel Zombies, the trailer certainly will thanks to a hard rocking soundtrack and several fight scenes that made me gasp. Blade fighting Moon Knight? Spider-Man ripping a dozen zombie heads off with his web? The sheer amount of blood and guts and gore? It's a two-minute adrenaline rush.

In addition to Olsen, Pugh, Liu, and Vellani, several other MCU actors reprise their roles in Marvel Zombies. The cast includes Paul Rudd, David Harbour, Tessa Thompson, Awkwafina, Hailee Steinfeld, Wyatt Russell, Randall Park, and Dominique Thorne.

Marvel Zombies premieres Sept. 24 on Disney+.

As someone who watches TV for a living, I eat a lot of meals while checking out new shows. Sometimes that system can get a little dicey, like when I decided to accompany dinner with the many surgeries of The Pitt. (While not the best eating experience, I did do it again.)

SEE ALSO: Did 'Alien: Earth' episode 5 freak you out? Us too.

However, no show has outright killed my appetite quite like Alien: Earth, episode 5.

To be clear, I was able to handle the rest of the show just fine, pairing Xenomorph attacks with copious snack breaks, no problems in sight. But all that changed in episode 5, titled "In Space, No One..."

The episode is an extended flashback, trading Boy Kavalier's (Samuel Blenkin) Neverland research facility for the USCSS Maginot in the lead-up to its crash landing on Earth.

Featured Video For You 'Alien: Earth' episode 5 was its own 'Alien' movie. Here's how they made it.

Alien: Earth has already hinted at what happened to the crew of the Maginot in their final hours. Episode 1 revealed that a Xenomorph got loose, slaughtering crew member Zaveri (Richa Moorjani), and likely many others. Later, in episode 2, when Hermit (Alex Lawther) and his fellow soldiers investigated the wreckage, they saw several of the Maginot crew's corpses, eyes bloodied, faces terrified. They also caught a glimpse of one crew member on a medical table with his chest cut open and signs of alien bodies in his GI tract. Basically, whatever happened to them, it wasn't good! But it also wasn't enough to raise my queasiness levels to alarming rates.

Still, seeing the corpses is one thing. Seeing the horrors on the Maginot actually play out is a totally different story — one that left me shunning my snacks and even my trusty water bottle for some time after watching. No spoilers, but it is predictably grisly! Nauseating, even.

So Alien: Earth fans, heed my warning. Eat or drink before you check out episode 5, but certainly not during. Don't make this a TV dinner event, don't break out dessert, don't even think about a relaxing glass of wine. You'll regret it more than the crew of the Maginot regret setting foot on that blasted spaceship in the first place.

Episode 5 of Alien: Earth premiere tonight at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX. New episodes premiere Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX.

Leaks suggest that Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is planning to launch his own mobile phone service in 2026.

The scoop comes via Business Insider, which reviewed an internal pitch deck showing one of YouTube’s biggest stars eyeing a move into the telecommunications industry. It’s just one of several ambitious ideas from Donaldson and his team to expand the ever-growing MrBeast empire, alongside pitches for everything from a creator platform to financial services.

SEE ALSO: MrBeast pulls AI tool for YouTube thumbnails, issues video apology

According to Business Insider, Donaldson isn’t expected to build a phone network from scratch. Instead, the service would likely be a white-label venture — branded with MrBeast trademarks but powered by an established carrier like Verizon or T-Mobile. This setup, known as an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), has become a popular side hustle among celebrities. Ryan Reynolds famously co-owned Mint Mobile before selling it to T-Mobile for $1.35 billion.

A leap into telecom may sound unusual, but it fits with Donaldson’s ongoing push to diversify beyond media. His brand already spans a successful chocolate line, Feastables; the packaged lunch competitor Lunchy; and the ghost kitchen chain MrBeast Burger.

For MrBeast, the phone in your pocket could be the next frontier. And if even a fraction of his more than 400 million subscribers get on board, it could mean massive profit in the future.

The world "cult classic" gets thrown around a lot these days, too often intended to mean a movie or TV show with a cult following. But before the internet gave us access to everything and anything, true cult classics meant movies that you had to be introduced to by someone already initiated. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was such a sensation, going from a London fringe play to a flopped movie to a midnight madness phenomenon that's lasted for 50 years.

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is a documentary that looks back on the origins of this truly iconic film, as Richard O'Brien, author of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, lays out ahead of the trailer above.

His son, documentarian Linus O’Brien, interviews a slew of the original cast members, including O'Brien, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick. To get an idea of the impact this movie about kinky aliens had on pop culture, O'Brien also speaks to stars who grew up obsessed with Rocky Horror, including Tenacious D's Jack Black and RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars champion Trixie Mattel.

Archival footage from the '70s allows audiences to do the time warp again, taking us back to the rise of the shadow casts and all the in-theater mayhem that came to be a part of the show's legacy. But beyond that, this documentary aims to explore why this "freak" show appeals to so, so, so, so many.

How to watch: Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror opens in a limited theatrical run in more than 50 cities starting on Sept. 26, including the Landmark Theatres Nuart in Los Angeles, the Village East by Angelika in New York, and the Music Box Theater in Chicago.

Seeing the northern lights is one of life's little gifts. For those who have been lucky enough to catch them before, you'll know just how magical it is.

If you haven’t had the chance yet, tonight might just be your moment. A strong geomagnetic storm is set to light up the skies across parts of North America, giving hopeful stargazers the perfect opportunity to catch the northern lights tonight, according to a prediction from the Space Weather Prediction Center. So grab a blanket, find a dark spot, look north, and keep your fingers crossed.

When are the northern lights peaking?

Tonight, Sept. 2, the northern lights are expected to reach their peak visibility in North America. A geomagnetic storm classified as "strong" was forecast by the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The geomagnetic activity is measured by the planetary K index, also known as Kp. Activity is measured between 0 to 9 – the higher the activity, the more likely it is to be seen from the United States, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. The activity is measured at a Kp of 5, which means the northern lights move even further from the poles and become bright and active, even in the north of the United States.

Where will the northern lights be visible?

According to maps from the Space Weather Prediction Center, Canada and Alaska are most likely to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon. There is a slight chance – but not a guarantee – that the aurora borealis will be visible in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan.

What causes the northern lights?

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are natural light displays that appear in the night sky, usually near the poles. According to NASA, they occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth’s atmosphere, creating shimmering colors of green, pink, and purple that dance across the sky.

Viewing tips for the northern lights

When it comes to seeing the northern lights, so much is down to luck, but there are things you can do to help increase your chances. Firstly, head somewhere dark away from light pollution.

If you're unsure whether you're seeing the northern lights, try taking a picture of the sky with your phone, which can capture a wider wavelength of light than the human eye, according to Lifehacker. Both Mashable and Lifehacker are owned by Ziff Davis.

Since their release in 2023, Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds have been Mashable's favorite noise-cancelling earbuds. So naturally, when Bose announced its second-generation QuietComfort Ultra earbuds — which are available for preorder as of Aug. 28 — I was curious to test them out.

After spending one week with the earbuds, I can say that so far, they remain the most comfortable earbuds on the market, with some of the best noise cancellation money can buy — but they don't feel all that different from their predecessor. Given that many devices can fall victim to fixing what isn't broke in the name of producing an "upgraded" model, the lack of dramatic changes isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So are they worth the upgrade? Let's dive into my early thoughts (which I am obligated to say, are subject to change as I spend more time with the earbuds).

Opens in a new window Credit: Bose Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) $299 at Bose
Pre-order Here Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) specs

Below, you'll find the quick rundown of what to expect with these earbuds, with new features bolded:

• Adjustable active noise cancellation

• Immersive Audio for spatial listening experience

• Custom equalizer with four audio presets

• Three sizes of stability bands and ear tips with wax guards

• Six hours of battery life (four hours with Immersive Audio), and up to 24 hours with the case

• Wireless charging for case

• 20 minutes of quick charge for

• Toggle touch controls on/off

• Bluetooth 5.3, Google Fast Pair

• Bose SpeechClarity, an AI-powered technology to promote better voice quality on calls

• Improved adaptive ANC, especially in Aware Mode

• IPX4 water- and sweat-resistance

Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen) vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

A quick glance at the spec list above will tell you that not a ton has changed between the first and second generation QC Ultra earbuds. The products themselves look nearly identical, and both started at the price point of $299 (though you can likely expect to see the first gen on sale more often as it's slowly phased out of Bose's lineup).

Without the color differences, I'd have trouble telling which is which. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Despite the similar hardware, I did notice improved audio quality, noise cancellation, and general ease of use with the second generation earbuds.

Audio quality

Bose's marketing materials don't tout many major upgrades to these earbuds' listening experience, but a rep from the brand told me to look out for an improved bass response and clarity at higher frequencies. Even without the direction, I firmly believe I would've heard the improvements: Ebony Loren's vocals on her cover of "O Pato" sounded clearer and even louder, without sounding blown out. Chappell Roan crooning "She's got a way" on her latest song, "The Subway," somehow hit even harder on the second-gen earbuds, highlighting a robustness where the first-gen Ultras default to a flatter sound.

SEE ALSO: Review: 8 months later my Panasonic Technics AZ100 earbuds still beat all comers

As for the bass, I went to my go-to songs where I need the bass to sound good — Magdalena Bay's "Killshot" and Le Sserafim's "Crazy" — and these earbuds delivered. Both offered a nice reverberation and blend, especially with the synth and guitar lines in the former song. The balance let me appreciate the depth of the bass and the layers of each song's production. Plus, with the ANC on, I could barely hear myself typing. Even on less bass-heavy tracks like Laufey's "Tough Luck," the quality of the bass allowed me to appreciate the backbone of the song more, offering an overall better-rounded listening experience.

For anyone looking to fine-tune the sound on their earbuds, the equalizer settings between both generations of earbuds are exactly the same. On the other hand, call quality is noticeably improved: when I made my partner do a blind test by calling him on each earbud, he immediately identified the newer Ultras, saying my voice sounded significantly less muffled.

Noise cancellation

While Bose is known for having great audio quality, the brand's real standout feature is their noise-cancellation, and these earbuds offer no exception.

Bose's first claim is that on the newer earbuds, the adaptive ANC is better equipped at handling spikes in audio to prevent clipping, particularly in transparency mode. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to create the conditions for that particular feature in the course of the last week, but I have been able to use both earbuds in a shared workspace, right under an air conditioning unit, and with the TV playing nearby. In each of the above scenarios, the second-generation QC Ultras' performance bested the first gen, offering slightly more blockage.

More notably, these earbuds have a much less noticeable hiss than the first-gen earbuds, both on ANC and transparency modes. While not totally at the level of completely undetectable ANC, with these earbuds, Bose gets closer.

Comfort

With such a similar design, I didn't expect the newer earbuds to wear all that different, and spoiler alert — they didn't. Still, I appreciate the inclusion of a wax guard for easier cleaning, even if it's not a revolutionary feature.

The 2nd gen earbuds (right) have a guard to help catch dirt and ear wax, making the earbuds easier to clean and less susceptible to damage. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Still, there aren't many negative things I can say about the design of these earbuds. The stability bands help keep the earbuds firmly in place, without ever causing soreness or fatigue, even after a few hours of wear. The touch control is a little large, and the general design of the earbud is a tad clunky (meaning a higher likelihood to accidentally trigger those controls), but if that proves to be a real problem for you, Bose did include the option to toggle touch controls off completely with the newer generation.

Other points of difference

I was able to confirm the wireless charging on the second generation buds worked thanks to the charger built into my monitor stand from Target — in other words, you won't need anything fancy.

What stood out more than the charging to me was the ease of connection with these earbuds. I've tested my fair share of Bose headphones and earbuds, and across the board, they struggle with multipoint connection, often failing to connect or struggling to play back audio without skipping when more than one device is paired. It's never been a good look for Bose's price points, but so far, I haven't experienced these issues at all with the second-gen QC Ultra earbuds, and I've been switching between four different devices for playback (with two connected at a given time).

Who should upgrade to the second-generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds?

I'm going to withhold my full judgment until my (incoming) full review, but if you haven't updated your earbuds in a while, or have never invested in a pair of premium earbuds, I can't see the second-gen Bose QC Ultra earbuds disappointing you. That said, first gen owners can likely skip the upgrade this time around, and anyone looking for a cheaper option still has plenty of other choices — even within the QuietComfort line.

Where to buy Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds Second generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) $299 Pre-Order Here First generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds $229 (save $70) Get Deal