Mashable

Stores with the best Halloween sales at a glance Home Depot Save up to 50% on outdoor decorations Shop Now Michaels Save up to 60% on 2025 tabletop decor and Lemax Spooky Town collectibles Shop Now TJ Maxx Save up to 60% on tabletop decor, kitchenware, pillows, and blankets Shop Now

Hardcore Halloween fans get pretty lucky in the summer — most holiday store sections have been black and orange since August (or June, if you're Michaels.) But that doesn't really soften the annual gut punch that is walking into Target mid-October to see the front $5 section already in fully holly jolly mode.

But the flagrant disrespect toward our holiday does have a silver lining: The big retailers are antsy to start their Halloween clearance sales at least a week before the 31st itself. That means there's plenty of time to squeeze in one more decor haul and display the items for the last hurrah of the current spooky season.

SEE ALSO: Best high-tech Halloween decorations: I found the tallest animatronics, spookiest projectors, and otherworldly inflatables

We're keeping track of the best Halloween decoration deals now through Oct. 31, with widespread savings on indoor and outdoor decor between 50% and 60% off.

Home Depot — save up to 50%

Home Depot has grown to be the North Star of yard spook-ifying ever since the iconic 12-foot skeleton changed the game back in 2020. Skelly itself isn't on sale as of Oct. 21, but other massive members of the gang are.

• 5-foot Grave & Bones LED Skelly's Cat — $99 $199 (save $100)

• 5-foot Grave & Bones Skelly's Sitting Dog with LifeEyes — $124.98 $249 (save $124.02)

• 15-foot Gruesome Grounds Animated LED Worricrow — $199.98 $399 (save $199.02)

• 15-foot Gruesome Grounds Animated LED Gally-Crow — $199.98 $399 (save $199.02)

Lowe's — save up to 60%

As if Lowe's would let Home Depot take all of the credit. Save up to 50% on Lowe's 5 to 6-foot posable yard figures and haunting animatronics, cutesy inflatables of characters like Bluey and Stitch, and tabletop trinkets.

• Hello Kitty as a Witch 3.5-foot inflatable — $17.49 $34.98 (save $17.49)

• Haunted Living 2-foot lighted Skeleton Doodle Dog — $27.49 $54.98 (save $27.49)

• Haunted Living 10-foot posable skeleton — $69.98 $183 (save $113.02)

• Disney The Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking Ghosts motion-activated lighted animatronic — $149 $299 (save $149.50)

Michaels — save up to 60%

Halloween at Michaels certainly doesn't end wickedly early just because it starts wickedly early. You can still find massive discounts on almost all of Michaels' different 2025 and 2024 collections by Ashland, including Alice's Adventures, Dead Regency, and the popular pink Sweet & Spooky line. A ton of additions for your Lemax Spooky Town figurine setup are also on sale. Online only, save $10 when you spend $50 or more with code GETMY10.

• Lemax Spooky Town collection — save up to 50%

• Ashland 7-inch glass coffin trinket or jewelry box — $11.99 $29.99 (save $18)

• Ashland 6.75-inch ghost with travel coffee cup tabletop decor — $11.99 $29.99 (save $18)

• Ashland 14-inch EmoteGlow LED Talking Candelabra — $13.99 $34.99 (save $21)

Target — save up to 40%

There are nearly 300 items in Target's Halloween decor sale section as of Oct. 21, including a ton of unique Disney light up outdoor inflatables, plus lots of string lights. Of course, there are already Halloween candy deals galore.

• North Light LED Bloodshot Eyeball wire lights — $11.61 $15.49 (save $3.88)

• Star Wars 6.5-foot The Mandalorian and Grogu with pumpkin inflatable — $89.99 $149.99 (save $60)

• The Nightmare Before Christmas 7-foot Oogie Boogie with Lock, Shock, and Barrel inflatable — $125.99 $209.99 (save $84)

• Gemmy 9.5-foot Beetlejuice Sandworm LED inflatable — $1249.99 $249.99 (save $125)

T.J. Maxx — save up to 60%

For the right group of people, Halloween decor shopping at T.J. Maxx is like TV shopping at Best Buy on Black Friday. If the spooky selection has been picked over at your local store for weeks, just know that T.J. Maxx is having a massive sale on Halloween home stuff online. Save on chic ceramic pumpkins, cozy candles, festive kitchenware, and the cutest Halloween throw pillows.

• Cupcakes & Cashmere Creepy Cocktail kitchen towels (set of 3) — $5 $14.99 (save $9.99)

• Handcrafted in India 12 x 26 Halloween cats pillow — $9 $24.99 (save $15.99)

• Isaac Mizrahi New York Dogtober Friends throw blanket — $10 $29.99 (save $19.99)

• Toil and Trouble 26.25-inch LED Castle Haunted House — $39 $79.99 (save $40.99)

Apple is rolling out a new macOS beta shortly after its initial release last week. The new release — macOS Tahoe 26.1 Beta 4 for developers — brings a few new things to track or try out, just in time for the launch of the new M5-powered MacBook Pro tomorrow.

The Apple-focused tech outlet 9to5Mac parsed through the new beta and already picked out a couple of changes. The main thing? There's now a toggle to play with the transparency of the new Liquid Glass design, according to 9to5Mac.

Otherwise, it's the boring, usual stuff. The new beta includes "the usual bug fixes and performance improvements," 9to5Mac noted. The developer notes from Apple, for instance, say that it fixed a missing search bar in the Apple TV app. The notes from Apple also show that there were background issues that the updated beta resolved.

So, there really isn't too much of a change. And the original beta itself was pretty minor, too. As Mashable's Alex Perry wrote, there was a slight alteration to the Macintosh HD desktop icon and evidence that there were plans to support third-party AI models in Image Playground, eventually.

MacOS 26 Tahoe itself, not any beta, did bring some major changes. Most notably, it got the Liquid Glass design change that dramatically shifted how Apple devices look for users.

It’s a new week, which means another TikTok trend has broken containment. This time, it’s all about the not-so-secret Group 7 — a supposedly exclusive club that’s taken over the app and appeared in countless viral videos over the past few days.

So… what exactly is Group 7?

Group 7 explained

Put simply, "Group 7" refers to a TikTok trend started by singer Sophia James while promoting her new single, "So Unfair." Hoping to get as many ears on her song as possible, James uploaded seven nearly identical videos with a simple premise: whichever one appeared on your For You Page determined which "group" you belonged to.

It began with James sharing her track alongside a parking ticket she’d just received. Over the rest of the day, she posted six more clips, with the seventh and final video — Group 7 — arriving last.

"i hereby declare group 7 is the most elite group," one user commented, racking up nearly 250,000 likes.

That final post quickly blew up, becoming an inside joke among those lucky enough to land in Group 7. Of course, with James’s original video now topping 17 million views and 2.3 million likes, the "exclusive" club isn’t quite as small anymore.

"I was just trying to promote my song. That's all it was," James told Mashable over email. "But the reason I make and perform music in the first place is to foster community and connect with people, so the way this thing is bringing people together is literally a dream come true."

The trend has since exploded, spawning more than 55,000 videos tagged Group 7 — each with its own spin on the phenomenon. There are dance clips set to so-called "Group 7 anthems," explainer videos where creators declare their own Group 7 allegiance before breaking down the trend, and plenty of rambling monologues from users outlining what they believe are the defining traits of a true Group 7 member.

Of course, with more than 17 million people having seen Sophia James’s original video, it’s safe to say everyone’s in Group 7 by now — or at least pretending to be.

Meet The Mashable 101: The top creators keeping the internet interesting in 2025

Like many viral moments before it, the trend fits neatly into a broader TikTok playbook: creators manufacturing “in-groups” to drive engagement and game the algorithm. Think OnlyFans creators posting two versions of the same dance — one wholesome, one risqué — and asking followers which one showed up first on their For You Page. Or the endless power-scaling edits from anime and superhero fans, sorting users into random teams based on their birth month and sparking endless comment-section debates about who would win.

Regardless, James seems thrilled with how her videos — and her single — have taken off on TikTok. As a playful reward for fans, she’s organizing a real-life Group 7 meetup, with the first one set for Friday, October 24, in London, England.

"This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen, and I think you should all meet in real life," reads a note on James’s website.

In my review of the new M5 iPad Pro, I said that the new Apple tablet feels like a victory lap for Apple. Well, as an F1 fan, I'm going to use another racing metaphor to describe the newest MacBook Pro.

The new M5 silicon doesn't just surpass the competition; it actually laps the competition. Last year's M4 ship already sped past its rivals like Max Verstappen on a tear, and the next generation of Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite chips won't even appear in Windows laptops until 2026. In the meantime, the fancy new M5 chip is already here and ready to claim its place at the top of the performance podium.

Apple provided its new MacBook Pro to Mashable for testing ahead of its official release on Oct. 22. Since we've only had a few days to stress test the Apple laptop, we'll update this review with a more in-depth report next week, including a battery run-down test.

M5 MacBook Pro review: By the numbers Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

For my 2025 MacBook Pro review, Apple sent me a device with 16GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and the optional Nano Texture display

• Display: Liquid Retina XDR display with HDR capabilities

• RAM: 16GB, 24GB

• Storage: 512GB, 1TB

• Size: 14 inches

• Colors: Silver and space black

• Resolution: 3024 x 1964

• Dimensions: 12.31” x 8.71” x 0.61”

• Weight: 3.4 pounds (1.55 kg)

• Ports: Three Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C), SDXC card slot, HDMI, MagSafe 3 charger, 3.5 mm headphone jack

• Brightness: 1,000 nits (1,600 nits with HDR content)

• Refresh rate: Up to 120Hz

• Touch ID: Yes

• Face ID: No

For now, the M5 MacBook Pro is only available in a 14-inch model, starting at $1,599, though I expect most users will want to pay more for additional storage and/or RAM.

M5 MacBook Pro review: Performance Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

It's not an exaggeration to say that Apple's M-series silicon has been revolutionary. Apple has shown that it can design processors just as well as it can design anything, and the M chips have set new standards of power and performance efficiency.

In our benchmark testing, the new M5 MacBook Pro received a score of 17,470 on the Geekbench performance test. That's a notable improvement over the M4 chip (though not radically so). The M5 achieved a 17 percent improvement over the M4, and while we saw a bigger leap in performance from the M3 to M4, it's still a noticeable jump. We've tested 61 Windows laptops, Chromebooks, and MacBooks for our guide to the best laptops, and the M5 MacBook Pro outperforms 93 percent of them. For the most part, only extremely specced-out (and extremely expensive) gaming laptops can beat it, with the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Pro chip being the exception.

For context, Apple’s M-series chips have seemed untouchable ever since they debuted in 2020. Then, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon X Elite processor, which surged past the M3 chip and powered award-winning laptops like the Microsoft Surface 7. Well, it was nice to have some genuine competition while it lasted. As Mashable’s former tech editor Kimberly Gedeon wrote last year in her M4 MacBook Pro review, “Apple dropped the M4 chip and obliterated Windows laptops in one fell swoop.”

Now, we've got the M5 chip. Its 17,470 Geekbench CPU score easily beats the M4's score of 15,199 and the Surface Laptop 7's score of 14,548. Like I said, Apple has now fully lapped the competition.

The M5 processor can handle advanced programs without breaking a sweat I recommend investing in the space black version and a microfiber cloth to wipe away fingerprints. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

While I've only had a few days to stress-test the new MacBook Pro, I don't feel like I've come close to actually stressing its M5 chip, which has a 10-core CPU (four performance cores, six efficiency cores) and shiny new Neural Accelerators for running advanced AI models locally on your device. Apple also promises that the M5 “delivers over 4x the peak GPU compute performance for AI compared to M4,” and overall 45 percent better graphics performance than the M4.

Combined with a promised 30 percent bump in memory bandwidth, you can play demanding games like Cyberpunk. And at work, you can use Final Cut Pro while also uploading massive video files to the cloud simultaneously.

I've been playing around with large video files in Adobe Premiere Pro and AI plugins in Logic Pro, and so far, the new MacBook Pro has been up to the challenge. I suppose one day we'll get to a point where you can export 4K video files in seconds, but by today's standards, the M5 chip works quickly and efficiently.

One of my friends is a filmmaker and editor, and he's still using an M2 MacBook Pro for his daily workflow. He told me it's more than fast enough already for professional work, and at a certain point, Apple is just showing off.

So, if you need to create photos or videos professionally with tools like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Logic Pro, or Final Cut, you'll get all the performance you need here. The same goes for AI models that need to run on your device. Only the most advanced power users will tax the M5 chip, and I haven't had any problems with overheating or excessive fan noise yet.

The new MacBook passes the Cyberpunk 2077 test Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Luckily for me, I'm playing through Cyberpunk 2077 for the very first time, and so I got to directly compare how this game runs on both a dedicated gaming laptop, the Lenovo LOQ 15 (AMD Ryzen 7, RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD), and the M5 MacBook. I'm happy to say it passed the Cyberpunk test. Now, did it perform flawlessly? No.

Occasionally, the graphics would get blown out, and some fine details (like hair) appeared more pixelated on the MacBook, but in general, it played smoothly and looked beautiful on the Liquid Retina display. (I played with 1080 resolution, 30 frames per second, and all ray tracing features turned on.) It was one of those "You can have your cake and eat it too" moments for me.

We may never think of MacBooks as gaming laptops, but thanks to the latest Apple silicon, Apple loyalists don't have to lose out on gaming anymore.

M5 MacBook Pro review: Familiar hardware, new software

The new MacBook comes with macOS Tahoe 26, which brings Liquid Glass to your laptop. Now, I'm personally a fan of the Liquid Glass aesthetic. I think it matches Apple's brand perfectly. That said, Tahoe doesn't deliver as many noticeable upgrades as iOS 26 or iPadOS 26. Still, I like the design, transparent elements, and animations. You can also use Apple Intelligence and Shortcuts to automate certain tasks, though I haven't found much use for this in my daily workflow yet (more to come on this).

The hardware on the MacBook is impeccably designed, as ever. I especially love the tactile keyboard and port selection — you get plenty of Thunderbolt ports, HDMI, 3.5mm headphone input, and an SDXC card reader. The speakers on the MacBook are also surprisingly strong, as is the webcam tucked in the notorious top notch, the one design complaint most users (including myself) have of the modern MacBooks. (Stop me if you've heard all this before.)

Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable Is the new MacBook Pro 14-inch worth it?

Here's where I get frustrated. We've reached the awkward part of virtually every positive review we've written at Mashable in 2025, where we tell you that this is both an excellent product and not quite worthy of an automatic upgrade over the previous version. We're now getting new versions of our favorite headphones, smartphones, laptops, and tablets so fast that the actual upgrades are quite iterative, and often extremely so. You simply shouldn't replace your tech that often (though Apple does have a trade-in program, if you must).

And because the M3 and M4 chips are already so good, the new M5 just isn't a must-purchase if you have a relatively new Apple laptop. Even the M1 MacBook Air is still going strong for casual users. As Mashable's Stan Schroeder, an experienced Apple gadget reviewer, said last year, "Apple's M series chips are too good for their own good." That's the case with a lot of tech these days, which is a shame. (Apple, Google, Samsung, if you're listening, do we really need a new flagship smartphone every year?)

I could also see some professionals skipping the MacBook Pro altogether, and instead opting for a Mac Studio with the 32-core M3 Ultra or an M4 iMac. The relatively small screen of the 14-inch MacBook will be limiting for a lot of professionals, though it's a great fit for college students who need to run advanced software and yet stay mobile. I think there's a strong argument for video editors specifically to combine a Mac Studio or iMac with the M5 iPad Pro. You can do your everyday edits on the desktop, then use the iPad Pro's OLED and HDR-capable display to review footage on the go.

All of this is a complicated way of saying that the M5 MacBook Pro is absolutely worth it for the right user, but one of many professional solutions Apple now offers. There's no denying that it's a powerful, efficient device, which offers an impressive power-to-dollar ratio. It's also a shoe-in for our guide to the best MacBooks.

M5 MacBook Pro 14-Inch $1,584 at Amazon
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TL;DR: Live stream Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is back with another batch of top-quality fixtures involving the best sides in Europe. Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid is one of the biggest matchups from this round of games. Arsenal are coming into this contest with a perfect record, without conceding a single goal. Of course, Diego Simeone's side will pose a problem. They always do.

If you want to watch Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid?

Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 21. This fixture takes place at the Emirates Stadium.

How to watch Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid for free

Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League is available to live stream on Prime Video in the UK, but you don't need to be subscribed to Amazon Prime to watch this fixture. Instead, you can watch Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid for free with a 30-day trial of Amazon Prime.

If you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to watch the Champions League for free on Prime Video. This process is straightforward:

1. Sign up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial (if you're not already a member)

2. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

3. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

4. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

5. Live stream Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid for free on Prime Video

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid on Prime Video without committing with your cash. This isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream select Champions League fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Prime Video?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Stream Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream Villarreal vs. Man City in the Champions League for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The next round of Champions League fixtures includes some really interesting matchups, including Villarreal vs. Man City. The Spanish side are still searching for their first win in the group stage. Man City, on the other hand, are unbeaten after two games. Fans will be expecting Man City to triumph here, but Villarreal are a dangerous side on their best day.

If you want to watch Villarreal vs. Man City in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Villarreal vs. Man City?

Villarreal vs. Man City in the Champions League kicks off at 8 p.m. BST on Oct. 21. This fixture takes place at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

How to watch Villarreal vs. Man City for free

Villarreal vs. Man City is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.

Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Villarreal vs. Man City for free by following these simple steps:

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

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

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

4. Visit Virgin Media Player

5. Watch Villarreal vs. Man City for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Villarreal vs. Man City (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Virgin Media Player?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Villarreal vs. Man City in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

SAVE $500: The Bluetti Pioneer Na(Sodium) portable power station is on sale for $799, down from the list price of $1,299. That's a 38% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: Bluetti Bluetti Pioneer Na(Sodium) portable power station $799 at Bluetti
$1,299 Save $500   Get Deal

Portable power stations are useful in all sorts of situations. Some models cater to weekends at the campground while others are perfect for when the power goes out at home. But what if you'll be using a portable power station in super cold weather? Not all stations will be able to operate or recharge at low temps. Bluetti, however, has a new solution and it's already on a great discount.

As of Oct. 21, the Bluetti Pioneer Na(Sodium) portable power station is on sale for $799, down from the list price of $1,299. That's a 38% discount that shaves $500 off the list price. Since Bluetti only launched this model in October, this is a first-time discount on the new power station.

Bluetti is the first company to launch a consumer portable power station that uses sodium-ion battery cells, debuting at this year's IFA in Germany. You're probably wondering why use sodium-ion when we have truly amazing LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) batteries in most portable power stations. Well, those have some serious temperature limitations and they won't work or recharge in super low temps. Sodium-ion, however, is cool with the cold.

SEE ALSO: One of my favorite portable power stations just dipped to a record-low price at Amazon

The Bluetti Pioneer Na can safely recharge at temps as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit and operate in as low as -13 degrees. That will be ideal if your portable power station will experience low temps in the winter. Bluetti mentions it's a must-have for ice fishing or snow camping.

It comes with 1,500Wh of power. In real-life scenarios, that works out to about 44 hours of WiFi router juice and about 50 hours for a 10-watt LED light. If the Bluetti Pioneer Na is coming along on an ice-fishing trip, it'll be able to recharge a satellite phone about 29 times or keep a 20-watt light on for almost 29 hours.

Bluetti mentions this model can get back to 80 percent charge in just 45 minutes when using AC power. You can also use up to 500W of solar for fully-remote recharging. It'll get a full charge in about 2.5 hours when attached to 500W of solar panels.

If your winters involve working outdoors in the cold, ice fishing, or ice camping, the Bluetti Pioneer Na is an ideal portable power station. Freshly launched, it's already on sale for just $799 which means now it a great time to snag this new model. The negative temperatures could be just weeks away.

RESERVE THE NEW SAMSUNG GALAXY AND GET $100 CREDIT: As of Oct. 21, reserve the new Samsung Galaxy device to get a $100 credit when you purchase the device between Oct. 21 and Nov. 16, while supplies last.

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung New Samsung Galaxy Device Preorder as of Oct. 21 and get a $100 credit Get Deal

Samsung's newest Galaxy Event is here, and with it comes a brand new Galaxy device to add to your collection. It's set to launch in just 10 hours, with all the information being announced via Samsung's live "Worlds Wide Open" event today. Explorng a "new era of multimodal AI", it's set to very likely debut a new XR headset, co-developed with Google and Qualcomm. "Project Moohan", as it's called now, is the first product built for Android XR, and you'll get to see it very soon. For now, however, you can go ahead and reserve yours and save some cash.

As of Oct. 21, reserve the new Samsung Galaxy device to get a $100 credit when you purchase the device between Oct. 21 and Nov. 16 while suppies last. That's $50 more than Samsung usually offers on its preorder specials, so you're getting a bit of a better deal than what's on offer.

SEE ALSO: Samsung is randomly having a huge sale on 2025 Neo QLED TVs a month before Black Friday — save up to 45%

You'll need to fill out the form to reserve your products as of Oct. 21 and purchase between Oct. 21 and Nov. 16. Your credit you earn from the promotion will be added to your additional products you purchase. To reserve, all you need to do is provide your first and last name, email, and mobile number if you wish to do so.

If you decide to reserve a device and then not buy one, you won't be out any money. But if you do want to get the new Galaxy device, you'll be getting some hefty savings off of it. It's a good idea to go ahead and lock yours in if you're even remotely curious.

SAVE $300: As of Oct. 21, you can grab the TCL 75-inch QM8K QD-Mini LED 4K TV at Amazon for $1,699.99 instead of $1,999.99. That's a savings of 15% on a 2025 model.

Opens in a new window Credit: TCL TCL 75-inch QM8K QD-Mini LED 4K TV $1,699.99 at Amazon
$1,999.99 Save $300   Get Deal

The 2025-26 NBA season tips off today, so you might want to upgrade your TV if you haven't in awhile. While it's not exactly the best time overall to buy a TV, it's a pretty good time to snag a 75-inch TCL QM8K 4K TV.

"A worthy flagship model" from TCL, according to PCMag (also owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis), the 75-inch QM8K QD-Mini LED 4K TV from 2025 is on sale for $1,699.99 at Amazon. That's 15% or $300 off its list price of $1,999.99. If you wait around until Black Friday, you can probably get an even better price. But rest assured, if you need to upgrade today, you'll still be getting a solid price. According to price-tracking site camelcamelcamel, this is the 75-inch QM8K's second-best price on record.

As far as specs go, the QM8K is pretty impressive. It offers up to HDR5000 brightness, 3800 local dimming zones, a peak brightness of 720 nits with a full-screen white field and 2,849 nits with an 18% white field. Translation: it's very bright, its colors are fairly wide and generally accurate, and the contrast is excellent — even when viewing at an angle. It's also equipped with a 2.2.2-channel Bang & Olufsen-designed speaker array with Dolby Atmos spatial audio, a 144Hz native refresh rate with VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, a low 12.9ms input lag, ATSC 3.0, Wi-Fi 6, and plenty of ports for all of your peripherals.

PCMag's reviewer writes that while the QM8K is costly, its "excellent mini-LED picture quality, good speakers, and plenty of features" make it a worthy choice — particularly when it's on sale. Save 15% on the 75-inch model just in time for basketball season.

SAVE $100: As of Oct. 21, the Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is on sale for $499 at Amazon. That's $100 off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Mac Mini $499 at Amazon
$599 Save $100   Get Deal

Apple is really dominating the tech news cycle right now. The brand has treated us to new product launches, new streaming bundles, and a good dose of controversy. What more could we ask for?

We could ask for deals, that's what. And that's exactly what we're getting thanks to the limited-time discount on the ever-popular Mac mini. As of Oct. 21, the Apple Mac Mini (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is on sale for $499 at Amazon. That's $100 off the list price and close to the lowest-ever price for this model.

SEE ALSO: Apple still has not yet officially announced these expected new products

So why is the Apple Mac mini such a popular choice? Well, sometimes the best things come in small packages. This affordable desktop has 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD with an incredibly small physical footprint. Tight on desk space? No worries.

It's also built for Apple Intelligence and offers a range of ports including a Thunderbolt, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet ports, front-facing USB-C ports, and a helpful headphone jack. For once, Apple has thought of everything.

Score a $100 discount on the Apple Mac mini at Amazon.

SAVE UP TO 45%: As of Oct. 21, several 2025 Samsung Neo QLED TVs are on sale for up to 45% off. Deals include the budget-friendly 65-inch QN1EF for $749.99 ($620 off) or the 85-inch QN90F with Vision AI for $2,699.99 ($1,800 off).

Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Samsung NEO QLED TVs Save up to 45% on the QN1EF, QN90D, QN90F, QN990F 8K, and more Shop Now

Samsung is having a major sale on its 2025 Neo QLED TVs more than a month before Black Friday. We don't know if it's moral support for the Galaxy XR headset event that's happening during the evening of Oct. 21, or if it's nothing more than such is the yearly cycle of TV deals — it's not uncommon for brands to start pushing its current year TVs in the fall to make room for the new ones coming around CES in January.

But honestly, the "why" isn't important. What is important is the extra few weeks of fall movies and football you'll get with your new TV, versus waiting for Black Friday TV deals.

SEE ALSO: The scariest horror movies on Shudder to keep you up at night

Before you choose your model and size, let's get one thing straight: What does Neo QLED mean, like actually? Neo QLED is really just Samsung's proprietary term for QLED paired with Mini LED. Regular QLED TVs feature a panel of brightness-enhancing, color-boosting quantum dots laying over a traditional LED panel, right? Neo QLED TVs do use those quantum dots, but instead of a regular old LED panel lighting the screen, the backlight is packed with a bunch tinier-than-usual LED bulbs. This gives each inch of the screen more customized control of brightening and dimming for a more accurate picture — the parts of the scene that need to be punchy and colorful will be, but they won't bleed over into the parts of the scene that need to be dark and detailed.

As for the difference between the Samsung Neo QLED TVs, the price difference could be attributed to number of dimming zones (clusters of mini LED bulbs that can control their own light), refresh rate, and glossy vs. glare-free screens.

Not every single size of every single Neo QLED model is on sale (or in stock), but there are still a ton of options. We've handpicked a few of the best deals below:

• Samsung 55-inch QN1EF Neo QLED 4K TV — $679.99 $1,299.99 (save $620)

• Samsung 65-inch QN1EF Neo QLED 4K TV — $749.99 $1,699.99 (save $950)

• Samsung 75-inch QN70F Neo QLED 4K TV — $1,099.99 $1,599.99 (save $500)

• Samsung 75-inch QN90D Neo QLED 4K TV — $1,799.99 $3,299.99 (save $1,500)

• Samsung 65-inch QN90F Neo QLED 4K TV — $1,599.99 $2,499.99 (save $900)

• Samsung 85-inch QN90F Neo QLED 4K TV — $2,699.99 $4,499.99 (save $1,800)

• Samsung 65-inch QN99F Neo QLED 8K TV — $4,299.99 $5,499.99 (save $1,200)

If you need to get rid of an old TV to make room for your new one, you can recycle old TVs at most Best Buy stores.

SAVE $108.81: The DeWalt 20V Max Power Tool Combo Kit is on sale at Amazon for $699, down from the list price of $807.81. That's a 13% discount.

Opens in a new window Credit: DeWalt DeWalt 20V MAX Power Tool Combo Kit $699 at Amazon
$807.81 Save $108.81   Get Deal

Winter is a great time for indoor home improvement projects. The weather has us indoors anyway, so why not make it just the way you like it? If you're searching a power tool kit that'll help get the job done, check out this Amazon deal.

As of Oct. 21, the DeWalt 20V Max Power Tool Combo Kit is $699 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $807.81. That's a 13% discount that shaves $108.81 off the normal price.

In the best way possible, this is a do-it-all tool combo kit. It's a nine-tool cordless power tool kit that comes with two batteries and chargers. It includes a circular saw, a right-angle drill, compact drill driver, impact driver, reciprocating saw, and plenty more. There's even a jobsite Bluetooth speaker in the kit. For easier portability, the DeWalt kit comes with two contractor bags.

SEE ALSO: One of my favorite portable power stations just dipped to a record-low price at Amazon

Before you get deep into the winter home improvement projects, make sure your tool are up for the task. If you could use some upgrades, consider today's sale price on the nine-piece DeWalt 20V Max Power Tool Combo Kit. It'll save a big headache of back and forth trips to the hardware store in the future.

TL;DR: Live stream Barcelona vs. Olympiacos in the Champions League for free on Virgin Media Player. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The Champions League is back with another batch of games. Interested in watching some of the biggest of the bunch? Of course you are.

The good news for fans around the world is that you don't need to be subscribed to a streaming service to watch select Champions League fixtures. Instead, you can employ a quick and easy hack to access live streams of games like Barcelona vs. Olympiacos from anywhere in the world. Trust us, the process is simple.

If you want to watch Barcelona vs. Olympiacos in the Champions League from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is Barcelona vs. Olympiacos?

Barcelona vs. Olympiacos in the Champions League kicks off at 5:45 p.m. BST on Oct. 21. This fixture takes place at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.

How to watch Barcelona vs. Olympiacos for free

Barcelona vs. Olympiacos is available to live stream for free on Virgin Media Player.

Virgin Media Player is geo-restricted to Ireland, but anyone can access this free streaming platform with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in Ireland, meaning you can unblock Virgin Media Player to stream the Champions League for free from anywhere in the world.

Live stream Barcelona vs. Olympiacos for free by following these simple steps:

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

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

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

4. Visit Virgin Media Player

5. Watch Barcelona vs. Olympiacos for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the Champions League without actually spending anything. This obviously isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Barcelona vs. Olympiacos (plus more Champions League fixtures) before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for Virgin Media Player?

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

• Servers in 105 countries including Ireland

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

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).

Live stream Barcelona vs. Olympiacos in the Champions League for free with ExpressVPN.

Whether you're looking for a new subscription service, or just trying to remember how much you're paying for HBO Max — and what you're getting for that price — you've come to the right place.

Below, you'll find a comprehensive breakdown of how much HBO Max costs per month, including what each plan gives you, and how these price points compare to those of other streaming services.

SEE ALSO: The best HBO Max deals and bundles in October 2025 How much does the HBO Max Basic with Ads plan cost?

HBO Max offers three subscription plans. First up is the Basic with Ads plan, which gives you access to the HBO Max catalog, with ads. It costs $10.99 per month, or $109.99 per year. If you choose to pay the annual price, that would save you almost $21.89 per year.

The Basic plan also gives you the ability to stream on two devices at once, with a video quality of full HD 1080p resolution.

How much does the HBO Max Standard plan cost?

HBO Max's Standard plan costs $18.49 per month, or $184.99 per year. The annual price saves you $36.89 per year.

With the Standard plan, you get access to HBO Max's catalog without ads, as well as select live sports like certain MLB and NHL games. Like with the Basic plan, you can also stream on two devices at once, with video quality of full HD 1080p resolution. You also get 30 downloads.

SEE ALSO: Should you sign up for Hulu? Our film critics weigh in. How much does the HBO Max Premium plan cost?

HBO Max Premium costs $22.99 per month, or $229.99 per year. The annual price saves you just under $45.89 per year.

With the Premium plan, you get access to HBO Max's catalog without ads, along with select live sports. Premium also upgrades the number of devices you can use and the video quality you get. You can stream on four devices at once, although only two can be used for sports at a time. You also get 4K Ultra HD video quality and Dolby Atmos immersive audio, as available. Finally, you get 100 downloads.

How do HBO Max's prices compare to other streaming services?

When it comes to streaming services prices, HBO Max is on the more expensive side, cost-wise. However, it is not the most expensive. Here's how things shake out.

At $10.99 per month, HBO Max's Basic with ads tier is more expensive than the ad-supported tiers of Netflix ($7.99), Paramount+ ($7.99), Peacock ($7.99), and a Prime Video subscription by itself, without an Amazon Prime subscription ($8.99). However, HBO Max's Basic tier remains cheaper than both Disney+ and Hulu's ad-supported tiers, which cost $11.99 per month.

At $18.49 per month, HBO Max's Standard tier costs more than Peacock ($10.99), Prime Video ($11.98, the cost of a standalone Prime Video account plus $2.99 per month to go ad free), Paramount+'s ($12.99), and Netflix's ($17.99) ad-free tiers. Once again, it still costs less than Disney+ and Hulu's ad-free plans, both at $18.99.

Not every streaming service has a third, Premium tier like HBO Max. Several streaming services call their equivalent of HBO Max's Standard plan "Premium." However, of those that do, HBO Max is once again in the middle of the pack. At $22.99 per month, it is more expensive than Peacock's Premium Plus tier ($16.99), but still cheaper than Netflix's Premium tier ($24.99).

UPDATE: Oct. 21, 2025, 10:50 a.m. EDT This article was originally published on Oct. 3, 2025. It has been updated to reflect HBO Max's Oct. 21, 2025 price increases.

HBO MAX BUNDLES: HBO Max is offering a few different bundle deals so you can stream from its library without making a massive dent in your wallet.

The best HBO Max deals and bundles in October 2025: Best Disney+ Bundle Deal Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Best Hulu Bundle Deal Hulu and HBO Max Bundle Add HBO Max to your Hulu base plan from $9.99/month Get Deal Best Student Deal HBO Max Student Save 50% on HBO Max Basic With Ads Get Deal

It's happened: Max has rebranded back to its old name of HBO Max. Forget the name change, though, because the service still has plenty of exciting films and shows to watch. From The Last of Us, to Sinners, to the second season of Peacemaker, and so much more, HBO Max is worth the investment for those looking to dive into the most talked about pieces of entertainment. Even horror movie Weapons is dropping soon on the platform, just in time for Halloween.

The good news is that HBO Max has a couple of different bundles available at the moment that are worth checking out, including a big bundle with Disney+ and Hulu. With streaming prices on the rise, a bundle like this can be a great way to save some cash while getting access to your favorite services.

SEE ALSO: HBO Max raises its prices today. Here's how much it costs now.

Alongside bundles, we've also broken down HBO Max's standard plans in case you're just interested in its service on its own.

Best Disney+ bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max Bundle $19.99/month with ads, $32.99/month ad-free Get Deal Why we like it

The HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu bundle is a top-tier choice for those looking to have access to some of the biggest streaming services around. Starting at $19.99 per month, this bundle grants you access to Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max's streaming services for a much lower price than what you'd pay for them on their own. If you've already got Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, this bundle is worth every cent. If you're interested, there are two plan options to choose from:

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (with ads) — $19.99 per month (save 41%)

• Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max Bundle (no ads) — $32.99 per month (save 39%)

Best Hulu bundle deal Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu and HBO Max Bundle Add HBO Max to your Hulu base plan from $9.99/month Get Deal Why we like it

If you're not interested in the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max mega bundle, you can just get Hulu and HBO Max together if you already have a Hulu base plan, which starts at $11.99 per month. HBO Max Basic with Ads can be added onto your plan for $9.99 per month, or you can splash out on the HBO Max Standard plan for $16.99 per month.

• Hulu with HBO Max add-on — from $9.99 per month

Best student deal Opens in a new window Credit: HBO Max HBO Max Student Discount Students save 50% on HBO Max Basic With Ads Get Deal Why we like it

It's always nice when streaming services have a deal for students, and HBO Max's offer is definitely worth taking advantage of. Students who can verify their status with UNiDAYS are eligible to get the HBO Max Basic With Ads plan for just $5.49 per month. That's a 50% discount off its $10.99 monthly price. After verifying your status, you'll receive a unique code that can be used to redeem the discounted plan on HBO Max.

• HBO Max Student Discount — $5.49 per month (save 50%)

HBO Max's monthly plans

HBO Max offers a few different subscription plans. If you don't mind having to sit through ads, HBO Max's Basic With Ads plan starts at $10.99 per month or the annual plan runs for $109.99 per year. If you can't stand ads and don't mind throwing down a bit more cash, the Standard plan will cost you $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year. If you really want to go big on an HBO Max plan, you can spring for the fancy Premium plan, which costs $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year.

Below we've broken down what comes with each of these plans, per HBO Max's website, so you can know a bit more before you buy.

Basic With Ads — $10.99 per month, $109.99 per year

• Stream on two devices at once

• Full HD 1080p resolution

Standard (Ad-free) — $18.49 per month, $184.99 per year

• Stream on two devices at once

• Full HD 1080p resolution

• 30 downloads to watch on the go

Premium (Ad-free) — $22.99 per month, $229.99 per year

• Stream on four devices at once

• 4K Ultra HD video quality (as available)

• Dolby Atmos immersive audio (as available)

• 100 downloads to watch on the go

If you're wondering where to start once you've set yourself up with a HBO Max subscription, we've got an excellent selection of recommendations to point you in the right direction. Looking for a great TV show to kickstart your next binge-watching session? Have a look through our roundup of the 20 best TV shows streaming on HBO Max. Or if you prefer movies, we narrowed down the 25 best movies on HBO Max to make your next movie night a spectacular one.

SAVE $350: As of Oct. 21, get the Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop for $349.99 at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon. That's a discount of 50%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop $349.99 at Amazon
$699.99 Save $350 Clip on-page coupon to save $30 Get Deal

If you spend a lot of your time vacuuming and mopping your floors, know that there's a better way. You don't have to reduce yourself to a lifetime of scrubbing and sweeping when there's an efficient (and affordable) robot that can do it all. In fact, you can pick up a robot vacuum and mop combo right now that'll speed up your cleaning process significantly at Amazon.

As of Oct. 21, get the Eufy Omni C20 robot vacuum and mop for $349.99 at Amazon when you clip the on-page coupon. That's $350 off and a discount of 50%.

SEE ALSO: I found the best robot vacuums for every floor, budget, and level of laziness

This robot boasts up to 7,000 Pa of suction and can tackle a wide variety of messes, including hair that's been ground down into the carpet, crumbs, dirt, and other debris thanks to a rolling brush and side brush. Plus, on the mopping side, its Mop Master tech offers up to 180 rotations per minute as well as 6N of pressure to really get in there and scrub just about any mess clean with water and suction.

It can handle its own pathways through your home as well, so it's easily maneuverable and capable of navigating your space so you don't have to program a way around your dwelling. And at just 3.35 inches tall, it's compact enough that it can handle cleaning smaller, harder to reach places without your intervention.

If you're ready to stop messing with vacuuming and mopping your whole day away, think about grabbing this vacuum. You'll be delighted about all the things you don't have to handle anymore as part of your cleaning routine.

On Oct. 21, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that HBO Max would be raising its prices across all three of its plans, effective immediately. The announcement comes on the same day that Disney+ increases its prices, highlighting the seemingly annual tradition of streamers growing more expensive.

SEE ALSO: The best HBO Max deals and bundles in October 2025

Here's what every HBO Max plan will cost going forward, and how its new prices compare to those of other streaming services.

How much will HBO Max plans cost after the price increase?

HBO Max's ad-supported tier, HBO Max Basic with Ads, is getting $1 more expensive per month, going from $9.99 per month to $10.99 per month. Annually, it costs $109.99, a $10 increase from the old price of $99.99. Opting to pay for the annual plan will save you $21.89 per year.

HBO Max Standard, which comes without ads, used to cost $16.99 per month. As of Oct. 21, it costs $18.49, meaning subscribers will be paying an extra $1.50 per month. The annual plan now costs $184.99 per year. Choosing to pay for that upfront will save you $36.89 per year.

SEE ALSO: How much does HBO Max cost per month?

HBO Max Premium gets the steepest price hike, going from $20.99 per month to $22.99 per month. The annual plan costs $229.99, $20 more than the former yearly price of $209.99. Still, choosing the yearly plan will save subscribers $45.89 per year.

How do HBO Max's new prices compare to other streaming services?

HBO Max has always been on the more expensive end of the major streaming services, but even after these price hikes, it isn't the most expensive.

At $10.99 per month, the Basic with Ads tier remains more expensive than the ad-supported tiers of Netflix ($7.99), Paramount+ ($7.99), Peacock ($7.99), and a Prime Video subscription by itself, without an Amazon Prime subscription ($8.99). However, Disney+ and Hulu's ad-supported tiers remain $1 more expensive, at $11.99 per month.

HBO Max Standard, now at $18.49 per month, surpasses Peacock ($10.99), Prime Video ($11.98), and Paramount+'s ($12.99) ad-free tiers. With the new price increase, it now also costs more than Netflix's ($17.99) ad-free tier. Once again, it's less expensive than both Disney+ and Hulu's equivalent tiers ($18.99 each).

Not all the major streaming services have third Premium tiers like Max. (Many services refer to their ad-free tiers as "Premium.") But among those that do, it's squarely in the middle, price-wise. At $22.99 per month, it's far more expensive than Peacock's Premium Plus plan ($16.99), but just $2 cheaper than Netflix's Premium tier ($24.99).

If you're on dating apps or social media, you're probably familiar with "ENM," or ethical non-monogamy, aka consensual non-monogamy (CNM), aka plain ol' non-monogamy. The umbrella term — meaning, anything other than monogamy — has seemingly taken over the online dating sphere as of late. The term "ethical non-monogamy" has seen a 213 percent spike in searches in the last year alone.

But what actually is consensual non-monogamy, and what are the pluses and minuses of the relationship style? Mashable spoke to three experts in the space to find out.

SEE ALSO: How to get started with non-monogamy What is an 'ENM' relationship?

"ENM" stands for "ethical non-monogamy," and those in an ENM relationship are non-monogamous. What flavor of non-monogamy they practice, however, isn't really explained by the term. And while the term "ethical non-monogamy" has entered our cultural lexicon, experts tend to favor the terms "consensual non-monogamy" or simply "non-monogamy."

"What counts as ethical for one person may not count as ethical for the other person," explained relationship coach Dedeker Winston, co-host of the Multiamory podcast and co-author of Multiamory: Essential Tools for Modern Relationships. The term she uses is consensual non-monogamy, as that's the standardized research term.

"Ideally, if we're saying non-monogamy, it should be ethical and consensual, built into it," said marriage and family therapist and host of the Sluts & Scholars podcast, Nicoletta Heidegger. "Otherwise, it would be cheating."

"The practice of having multiple relationships that may either be sexual or romantic." What is consensual non-monogamy?

Consensual non-monogamy is, in itself, an umbrella term. It's "the practice of having multiple relationships that may either be sexual or romantic," Winston said, "having those relationships concurrently and with the full knowledge and consent of everyone involved." 

For relationship coach and co-host of the Curious Fox podcast, Effy Blue, it's essentially the opposite of monogamy. 

SEE ALSO: How growing up in purity culture impacts sex What is a polyamorous relationship?

Within the broadness of non-monogamy are the variations in which people practice it. They may be polyamorous, literally meaning "many love," and have romantic and sexual connections with multiple people. Polyamory can also be seen as an umbrella term, with many ways of operating underneath it.

What is an open relationship?

Non-monogamous people may be into swinging — usually couples swapping partners — or cuckolding, which is watching your partner getting it on with someone else. They may have an open relationship, which is also a pretty broad term but usually means a primary romantic connection and other sexual connections.

SEE ALSO: Want to try swinging? Here's a beginner's guide.

"Everything from 'we're mostly monogamous 364 days out of the year, but then once a year we have this like wild drunken threesome'" can fall under non-monogamy, said Winston. That may fall under "monogamish," a term coined by sex writer and podcaster Dan Savage, to mean mostly monogamous.

In terms of non-monogamy's rising popularity, Winston felt a shift in 2016, the year Trump was elected president. "A lot of structures were being questioned in that year," she said, including monogamy. She started noticing more people coming out that they practice non-monogamy, or putting such in their Instagram bios. 

Then, several years later, COVID forced us into a literal or figurative existential crisis. People may have felt a sense that if there's a part of themselves they're repressing, now's the time to express it, Winston continued. 

Not to mention that pop culture has also upped its representation of non-monogamy — such as Netflix's Easy and celebrities (like Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith) opening up about it, too. Dating apps have taken notice, too, with Hinge and Tinder adding non-monogamous label options.

Obstacles in non-monogamous relationships 

As with any style of relationships, there are struggles to overcome. With non-monogamy, these struggles can have added layers of complexity, as more than one person is in the mix. 

Jealousy may be at the top of people's minds when considering non-monogamy. It's an emotion that comes up in different facets of our lives — like with our career, and certainly in relationships. How we're socialized around this emotion is funny, Winston said, because in contexts aside from romantic relationships, jealousy is seen as good. For example: If you're jealous of a co-worker for receiving a promotion, that jealousy is supposed to motivate you.

"But when it comes to romantic jealousy, the story is more like [jealousy is] a completely unacceptable emotion to feel," Winston said, and if you're in a situation where you feel jealousy, it's a major red flag.

Before jumping into non-monogamy, ask yourself (and your partner if you're already coupled): how do we deal with tough feelings when they come up?

It's not that people who prefer non-monogamy don't get jealous — it's that they recognize it's a typical feeling to experience and work through it by looking inward and being honest with their partner(s).

"There needs to be a willingness and…support tools and systems in place," Heidegger said. Before jumping into non-monogamy, ask yourself (and your partner if you're already coupled): how do we deal with tough feelings when they come up?

SEE ALSO: Want to try swinging? Here's a beginner's guide.

Communication, then, is paramount in non-monogamous relationships (just like it is in monogamous ones). But beyond communication, you need to be willing to be vulnerable and honest, Winston said, and if that's not there, communication won't be successful.

Blue warned that there is such a thing as too much communication. One pitfall she sees is one partner in a couple becoming hyper-focused on non-monogamy, so much so that it becomes the only thing they want to talk about. Don't let this happen; remember to nurture other aspects of your relationship.

Bandwidth and time management are other issues Blue sees. Couples who are looking to open for the first time may have lots of commitments — like work and children — and they need to fit in their new, other relationships within their already busy lives. Be honest with yourself about how much time you have to dedicate to new connections, and be direct with these people about your availability to your new partner. 

Relational traumas and attachment issues may rise to the surface as well. It is possible for relationships — monogamous or non-monogamous — to be healing and corrective, but if it's not done in an intentional way, they can actually be unintentionally harmful, Heidegger said. If you have a history of relational trauma, seek a therapist to work through these issues with you.

Then there's the exhaustive obstacle of going against the grain. Society is so geared towards cis, heterosexual monogamy that there's pressure to conform to these ideals. "We're all swimming against the current," said Winston. When we have community and feel supported, it's easier to live in a non-normative way, but it can still be tiring.

Non-monogamy "can be hard, and there's an extra layer of difficulty layered on top of it, because of the fact that the water that we swim in doesn't really support us inherently," Winston said.

Benefits of non-monogamous relationships

Given the above, Heidegger said non-monogamy has the potential to help you work through relational issues and be healing in ways you didn't think were possible. It's also an opportunity to tune into what you want and explore your desires more openly. "It allows people to have more expansive love, more expansive pleasure, [and] to maybe have less shame about their needs and desires," she said. 

Non-monogamy also encourages autonomy. You can get clear about what you really want, instead of what society deems acceptable for you to want. 

"One major upside that I see is that… non-monogamy can give us a chance to be partnered with one partner or multiple partners, and yet also still maintain a sense of independent identity and independent interests," Winston said. 

Blue sees the primary benefit as finding a relationship design that you can thrive in. If you found something that works for you more than monogamy, that's a plus. Another she mentioned is the infusion of new relationship energy — even in longtime connections. You're embarking on a new adventure with your partner, and it can be exciting for both of you.

Heidegger echoed this. Since non-monogamy leads to people experiencing something new, it can bring about a freshness and sense of adventure to your relationships. 

If you're interested in becoming non-monogamous, you're already starting off on the right foot: research. Next, take a look at our guide on how to get started with non-monogamy to learn more about how to open your relationship gently and intentionally.

This article was originally published in 2023 and updated in 2025.

Watching the showcase of impulsive and absolutely illegal decisions made in the film Bad Apples, I couldn't get the words of a doomed galactic senator out of my head: "If you lead your thoughts through to conclusion, it will lead you to a place we cannot go."

It's exactly this place of no return that the Saiorse Ronan-led dark comedy thriller relentlessly cannonballs into, with director Jonatan Etzler putting his protagonist down a dubious, desperate path. With Ronan's always-impeccable talents supported by a sublime young cast, Bad Apples leans into unethical impulses, all the while exposing home truths about the under-resourced education system and social disdain toward children with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties. Plus, it's really funny.

SEE ALSO: How social media in the classroom is burning teachers out

Teachers, parents, you're going to want to watch this film (and I want to know what you think of it).

Bad Apples sees Saiorse Ronan as a teacher who meets her edge

Written by Jess O'Kane as an adaptation of Rasmus Andersson's novel De Oönskade, Bad Apples enrols you with Somerset-based primary school teacher Maria (Ronan), who has thought of nothing but a teaching career since childhood. Alas, the reality of an underfunded education system wears down her Miss Honey-drenched dreams and raises the stakes with a "difficult" student.

Beyond overwhelmed, Maria's all-too-real lack of institutional support comes to a head accommodating the needs of disruptive student Danny (excellent newcomer Eddie Waller). A boy with the shortest of fuses, he swears at his classmates, destroys their belongings, ruins excursions, and generally gives Maria hell. Here, young Waller delivers in spades, with O'Kane's script heaped with unapologetic expletives and violent threats. Despite her frazzled attempts to control the situation and the attempted assistance of teacher's pet Pauline (an outstanding Nia Brown), Maria is held accountable by concerned parents, denied professional support by the equally stressed principal (Rakie Ayola), and facing the school's dreaded regular Ofsted inspection. Suddenly, a moment of violence occurs.

With her job genuinely on the line, Maria takes action. How do you solve a problem like Danny? Reader, she locks this kid in her own basement. 

Featured Video For You NYCC Recap, Good Boy's Oscar Plea, and Best Book Adaptations from BFI LFF Saiorse Ronan gives a masterclass in unreliable protagonist

With full knowledge of the kidnapped child playing video games in her home, Maria keeps the ruse up — and Ronan plays the audience entirely with her inner insistence on her actions being justified. Practicing such deadpan statements aloud as "I've got your son in my basement" and lazily searching "how to control a large pet" online land with comedic finesse, as Maria digs herself deeper and deeper into a proverbial hole.

Notably, a large part of Bad Apples gives us an insight into Maria's real sense of loneliness. She retreats into her nightly sense of control in her cosy farming simulator game and never socialises outside of school. Adding stress to an already tempestuous working environment, Maria works with her ex, the man she moved to Somerset for, who then left her for another woman — an especially brutal move in a small town. So, with Danny kept in the basement, Maria not only controls a newfound peace in her classroom, but enjoys a warped sense of company in her primary-aged prisoner.

This sense of messed up perspective extends to Danny, who screams to go home to his absent father (Robert Emms) as much as he enjoys a Stockholm Syndrome-like existence learning his ABCs from Maria and being actually cared for (albeit while being incarcerated in a basement and shitting in a bucket). Over the course of the film, Maria and Danny develop a deeply strange, playful, and volatile bond. But is this genuine camaraderie, or is Danny merely trying to get the hell out of here? It's a dark dance of ethics, and one that draws wonderful moments of pure comedy from both Ronan and Waller. 

Bad Apples plays out a micro decision with macro implications

Maria's actions in Bad Apples aren't just unhinged, they're criminal. However, the film plays out the scenario anyway, just to see what might happen if you, say, shut a disruptive student in a basement the day of your school's Ofsted inspection, the day after he attacked a fellow student.

Beginning as a trope of a Difficult Student, Waller's Danny finds superb moments of vulnerability and humanity, especially through moving scenes with Ronan's Maria. In contrast, Brown's Pauline, the straight-A student, the ultimate teacher's sycophant, becomes the film's real power player.

Through the film's diabolical set-up, Etzler and O'Kane are able to pose ethical questions about overworked teachers and the lack of resources educators have to work with children with behavioural difficulties, as well as assumptions we make of "difficult" kids. Here, communities would rather sweep troubled kids like Danny under the rug (or into a basement) than begin to try to understand him. I honestly want to know what teachers and parents think of this film, as I'm neither myself.

Ultimately, who in this situation is actually the bad apple?

Bad Apples was reviewed out of BFI London Film Festival.

As you may have heard, Amazon had some problems on Monday. In fact, that's a huge understatement.

On Monday, Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides the infrastructure for many of your favorite websites, apps, and online services, experienced a major outage, causing ripple effects that brought down everything from Amazon Alexa to Zoom.

Since the AWS outage affected some of Amazon's own services, you might be wondering if the outage extended to physical package deliveries. Likewise, as the outage continued on Monday, Prime members were left asking: Is Amazon still delivering packages during the outage?

Mashable reached out to Amazon with this question, and we will update this piece if/when we hear back. So far, Amazon hasn't announced any problems with package deliveries.

Here's what we know so far.

The AWS outage and Amazon Prime delivery

Amazon did post a brief blog post on its company website about the AWS problems. Regarding Amazon.com, the company simply said, "This issue has also impacted Amazon.com and Amazon subsidiaries, as well as AWS customer service support operations. Please refer to the AWS Health Dashboard for the latest information: https://health.aws.amazon.com/health/status."

More on the AWS outage: Is Canvas still down?

So, while it's reasonable to assume some Amazon delivery services may have been impacted, we don't know to what extent.

All we have to go on right now are personal anecdotes, which obviously shouldn't be taken as entirely representative data. Mashable's tech editor coincidentally had an Amazon Prime package scheduled to be delivered today, and it arrived on schedule. Though the AWS outages may have caused some delivery disruption, packages are still being delivered for some people.

SEE ALSO: AWS outage update: Amazon, Alexa, Snapchat, Reddit, more hit by massive outage

However, that may not be the case for everyone. A cursory keyword search on X, for example, reveals people reporting delays to their deliveries, or at the very least, not being able to track their deliveries.

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Again, a handful of tweets do not signal widespread, ubiquitous delays or cancelations of Amazon deliveries. It's a fluid situation and we're still awaiting answers.