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In this episode of Mashable's Say More, the cast of Apple TV's The Dink — Mary Steenburgen, Jake Johnson, and Aaron Chen — sit down to play our movie title guessing game, Pop Mash!

Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko reads descriptions that combine two different movie or TV plots into one. To win, the cast must figure out the titles and mash them together using a shared common word. Watch as they team up to decode hilarious hybrid titles like Fantastic Four Christmases, Jungle Book Club, and Jurassic World War Z. Can they score a perfect 10 for 10?

On Tuesday, OpenAI published a blog post with a fairly unassuming name: "OpenAI and Hugging Face partner to address security incident during model evaluation."

Once you dig in, it reads like a cyberpunk novel in which OpenAI created an advanced AI hacker agent and put it in an isolated environment for testing. The AI agent then autonomously hacked its way out of OpenAI's isolated environment and then hacked Hugging Face, an open-source repository of AI-related projects, to find a solution to an advanced test designed to evaluate an AI's hacking abilities.

In other words, the AI proved that it is, indeed, really good at hacking things. But this is exactly the stuff of AI nightmares that cybersecurity experts have been warning us about, and it could have serious ramifications for OpenAI.

The story starts with Hugging Face, the AI repository (think of it as GitHub for AI), which disclosed a security incident last week. In a blog post, the company said it recently detected an intrusion into its infrastructure that was "different from anything we had handled" as it was completely driven by an "autonomous AI agent system."

The AI, according to Hugging Face, exploited a chain of vulnerabilities to obtain credentials and access data from its servers. It did so by "executing many thousands of individual actions across a swarm of short-lived sandboxes, with self-migrating command-and-control staged on public services."

Sounds scary, but it gets worse.

SEE ALSO: The 6 biggest cybersecurity breaches of 2026 so far

OpenAI's part of the story exposes just how dangerous this thing is. The incident "was driven by a combination of OpenAI models — including GPT‑5.6 Sol and an even more capable pre-release model, all with reduced cyber refusals for evaluation purposes." It occurred "during an internal evaluation which prompts models to pursue advanced exploitation using complex attack paths, in an effort to quantify their cyber capabilities."

The models were running in a "highly isolated environment" with limited network access, meaning they should never have been able to escape to the open internet. Yet, they did. "To gain access, the models identified and exploited a zero-day vulnerability (...) in the package registry cache proxy. With this access, our models performed a series of privilege escalation and lateral movement actions in our research testing environment until the models reached a node with Internet access."

Note: OpenAI switches between using singular and plural on this one; we'll just call it an "agent" for simplicity's sake.

Once free, the agent did what it was supposed to do: It estimated that the best way to prove it's good at hacking things was to find a solution for ExploitGym, a test designed to measure how good an AI is at turning software vulnerabilities into actual exploits. The best way to do that, it determined, was to hack Hugging Face, which the AI thought likely to host solutions for ExploitGym.

It's unclear whether the AI agent was successful at solving the ExploitGym test. But it sure did prove it was good at hacking, as it autonomously broke out of OpenAI's prison and hacked Hugging Face's servers, all to solve the test.

SEE ALSO: What’s next in Apple’s legal battle with OpenAI

Both Hugging Face and OpenAI say they've fixed the vulnerabilities and deployed additional safety measures to make sure this doesn't happen again. At this point, however, you have to wonder whether OpenAI's experts are sophisticated enough to stop their own AI agents from doing whatever the heck they want to do.

After years of using Excel, it's easy to fall into muscle memory. You click the same ribbon tabs, rely on the same shortcuts, and barely notice when Microsoft adds new tools. That's how I initially overlooked Focus Cell, a simple feature that solved one of my biggest frustrations when working in Excel.

Your smart home sometimes requires your attention in the same way that your brick-and-mortar home does. Remembering these tasks can help you avoid problems later on.

SAVE OVER $10: As of July 22, Raycon Everyday earbuds are on sale for $63.99 at Amazon. That's $16 off their list price of $79.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Raycon Raycon Everyday Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds $63.99 at Amazon
$79.99 Save $16.00   Get Deal

When it comes to budget earbuds, Raycon's Everyday earbuds are among our favorites. If they've caught your eye as a solid pair that won't break the bank, now is an excellent time to grab them as Amazon has discounted them to an even lower price than usual.

As of July 22, every available color of the Raycon Everyday earbuds has been marked down to $63.99 at the retailer. That's a $16 discount from their full price of $79.99, but they're only on sale at this price for a limited time.

SEE ALSO: 16 summer hosting essentials that cost under $25 at Amazon

The Raycon Everyday earbuds have plenty to offer to keep you fully absorbed in what you're listening to, including noise-canceling and up to 32 hours of battery life with the charging case. We think very highly of them, as they're among our favorite budget earbuds, and our review from Mashable's Bethany Allard said they "prove that basic earbuds can be better".

Allard's review continues on to say, "Raycon Everyday Earbuds succeed because they know exactly what they are: relatively affordable earbuds, meant not to wow, but to be reliable and convenient to use." She also adds that, "They have decent ANC, preset equalizer options, and the ability to activate a phone's voice assistant."

If you want new earbuds at a more affordable price, don't miss out on this deal on the Raycon Everyday earbuds at Amazon.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

Obsidian has hundreds of community plugins—so many that simply browsing the list can feel overwhelming. Most plugins are built for specific workflows, and not every plugin will be useful to everyone.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love to hit the course.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 22, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Breakout

• Green: On the course

• Blue: Social media terms

• Purple: An exotic animal

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

Here are today's Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Symptoms of an allergic reaction

• Green: On a golf scorecard

• Blue: Platform-specific posts

• Purple: Features of a zebra

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

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1137 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Symptoms of an allergic reaction: HIVES, ITCHING, RASH, REDNESS

• On a golf scorecard: HOLE, PAR, SCORE, STROKES

• Platform-specific posts: PINS, SNAPS, TWEETS, VINES

• Features of a zebra: HOOVES, MANE, TAIL, WHITE STRIPES

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 22, 2026

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're a trivia lover.

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

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

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

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

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 22, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: "What is..."

The words are related to games.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe a famous game show.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

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

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is In Jeopardy.

NYT Strands word list for July 22

• Board

• Category

• Wager

• In Jeopardy

• Question

• Buzzer

• Answer

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

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

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

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a truck driver.

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

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 22, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

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

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

What's the best Wordle starting word?

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

What happened to the Wordle archive?

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

Is Wordle getting harder?

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for July 22, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A truck.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter R appears twice.

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

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter L.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

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

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

LORRY

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

In case you've been away from the internet for a few days, a new celebrity animal has been propelled into the spotlight.

We're talking of course about Jimothy, the viral Seattle raccoon whose unusual shape — which professors have speculated may be a result of congenital spine deformity — has caused footage and photos of him to be shared far and wide.

SEE ALSO: Jimothy the raccoon is taking over the internet

On Tuesday, Threads users noticed that Jimothy's fame has now been acknowledged by the search engine gods — namely, he has his own Google animation.

Behold, this is what happens if you type "Jimothy" into Google on smartphone or desktop:

Once he's scampered across the screen, a button pops up allowing you to replay the animation or share it.

What would Jimothy think if he knew that the human race is now paying homage to him with fan art?

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, July 22, 2026:

AcrossMother chicken

• The answer is Hen.

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

Word after "leading" and "first"

• The answer is Lady.

Just peachy ... or a hint to the two letters that appear most often in this grid

• The answer is Dandy.

Bryant of "S.N.L." fame

• The answer is Aidy.

Like overcooked chicken

• The answer is Dry.

DownHelpful

• The answer is Handy.

Swirl of water

• The answer is Eddy.

The Yankees, on scoreboards

• The answer is NYY.

Supervillain's hideout

• The answer is Lair.

___ joke

• The answer is Dad.

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

TL;DR: Ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day's July 31 theatrical debut, Takis has launched limited-edition collectible bags inspired by the film. From July 1 through Aug. 31, shoppers who spend $15 on qualifying Takis products can earn $8 in Fandango Rewards for a movie ticket.

Fans counting down to Spider-Man: Brand New Day can earn a discount on their movie ticket with their next snack run.

Takis has launched limited-edition bags inspired by the upcoming Marvel film, and shoppers who spend $15 on participating products through Aug. 31 will receive $8 in Fandango Rewards that can be used towards a ticket to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Takis has rolled out limited-edition Spider-Man: Brand New Day-themed packaging across four of its rolled tortilla chip flavors: Fuego, Blue Heat, Intense Nacho, and Nitro. Each flavor sports a different collectible design, and fans can find the bags at participating retailers nationwide.

The limited-edition packaging and ticket offer are just part of the collaboration. Takis says it will also bring the partnership to life with fan experiences, influencer content, and in-store promotions throughout the summer.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings exclusively into theaters on July 31, starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, and Mark Ruffalo.

It’s not quite web-slinging, but saving $8 on a movie ticket is a pretty good superpower for a bag of chips.

SAVE $60: As of July 22, the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe coffee and espresso machine is on sale for $139 at Amazon. That's $60 off its full price of $199.

Opens in a new window Credit: Nespresso Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe Coffee and Espresso Machine by De'Longhi, 37 Oz, Black $139 at Amazon
$199 Save $60   Get Deal

If you're looking to cut down on trips to the coffee shop this year, a coffee machine is worth buying. Thankfully, Amazon's been offering some great deals lately on select models, making now an excellent time to shop around. Among these offers is the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe coffee and espresso machine, which is on sale for $139.

The Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe is usually priced at $199, so this offer saves you $60 overall, but not for long. It currently has a "limited time deal" tag on it, so you'll want to be quick to add it to your cart before the discount is all gone.

SEE ALSO: 16 summer hosting essentials that cost under $25 at Amazon

Not only can the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe brew you a cup of coffee from a capsule, but it can also make espresso drinks from capsules if you want to shake things up in your mornings. It can also brew four different cup sizes — single and double espresso alongside 5oz and 8oz coffee — and has an easy one-touch brewing system to get you started.

If the Nespresso VertuoPlus Deluxe sounds like the kind of machine you're hoping to have in your kitchen, now is the time to jump on this deal before it's gone.

This certainly isn't the only coffee machine deal worth checking out right now. If you're looking for an option for iced coffee this summer, have a look at this offer on the Keurig K-Iced Coffee Maker at Amazon.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

TL;DR: The LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is on sale for $379 at Amazon, down from its $449.99 typical price.

Opens in a new window Credit: LG LG OLED 27-inch OLED QHD UltraGear Gaming Monitor $379 at Amazon
$449.99 Save $70.99 Get Deal

Getting an OLED panel to upgrade your gaming setup is expensive, but Amazon’s latest LG UltraGear discount brings a glossy 240Hz QHD screen at a lower price than we’ve ever seen before. 

As of July 22, the LG 27-inch UltraGear OLED gaming monitor (27GX704A-B) is available on Amazon for $379 — slashing $70.99 off its standard $449.99 price. That makes this the best-ever deal on Amazon (confirmed with price tracker camelcamelcamel).

Delivered as soon as July 23 if you’re a Prime member (at the time of writing), what you’re buying at this record-low price is a 27-inch glossy OLED panel with a QHD 2560x1440 resolution. You’ll get extra visual perks like VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400, a 1.5M:1 contrast ratio, and 98.5% DCI-P3 coverage — giving darker scenes richer black levels and more convincing color.

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This pairs brilliantly with the 240Hz refresh rate to grant you jaw-dropping fluid movement no matter what kind of game you’re playing: be it hectic multiplayer shooters like Overwatch and League of Legends, or the latest single-player adventures like Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced or the upcoming Marvel's Wolverine. 

As we usually see with UltraGear monitors like these, the 27GX704A-B also comes with NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and VESA AdaptiveSync to keep frames looking cleaner when performance fluctuates.

To make sure this fits in perfectly with the rest of your setup, you also get two HDMI 2.1 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, USB connectivity, OLED Care tools, and a stand that supports height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments.

The word "tariff" seems to have been blissfully absent from the news cycle for a while now, but this week it made a comeback.

In the Daily Show clip above, host Desi Lydic reacts to Trump announcing 50 percent tariffs on several goods imported from Canada, from dairy products and paper to furniture and hockey sticks.

"No hockey sticks? What's my husband gonna keep jammed in the corner of our garage for the past 15 years?" Lydic said. "Now, obviously, it's very frustrating to be back in this trade war again, but if you're worried that this is another case of Trump abusing his power again relax, these tariffs are legal under the Smoot-Hawley act, which has been around since 1930 when it helped prolong and worse the great depression. So cheer up!"

Lydic goes on to explain why the tariffs are being imposed now, citing a Truth Social post in which Trump accuses Canada of "not properly maintaining their forests," leading to the US "being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air."

"Are you sure you want America to set a precedent for paying for pollution?" asks Lydic. "I feel like your pals at Pesticide-Microplastic-Death-Diarrhea-Lettuce Inc. might have other ideas."

TL;DR: The Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Draft Night Box is on sale for $80.97 at Amazon, down from its $94.99 typical price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Magic: The Gathering Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Draft Night Box $80.97 at Amazon
$94.99 Save $14.02 Get Deal

Secrets of Strixhaven’s dedicated game-night box already puts an entire four-player draft into one compact package, and Amazon has now dropped it low enough to beat the prices currently listed at TCGplayer. 

As of July 22, the Magic: The Gathering Secrets of Strixhaven Draft Night Box is available at Amazon for $80.97. Compared with its typical $94.99 price, that works out to a 15% discount and a $14.02 saving on the full set. Confirmed when checking our go-to price tracker camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest price we’ve seen for Strixhaven’s Draft Night Box. This lowest-priced Amazon listing is sold and shipped by third-party seller SSA Cards, with free delivery currently showing for July 29. 

For just an extra cent, there is also an $80.98 option sold by Double Infinity Gaming and shipped directly by Amazon, which can arrive slightly sooner by July 27 — or July 23 for Prime members at the time of writing. That listing is marked as a final sale, which means it cannot be returned. 

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Open a pack, choose two cards, and pass the rest. Once all 12 packs have been drafted, everyone builds a 40-card deck using their selections and the included pool of 90 Basic Lands.

The box also includes 10 double-sided token cards and one Collector Booster, which is intended as the prize for the final winner. Every Play Booster contains 14 cards and guarantees a Mystical Archive instant or sorcery with special art and a showcase frame. The Collector Booster contains 15 cards, including five rares or higher and three to four Mystical Archive cards.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle is available at $47.45 at Amazon, down from its $59.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Booster Bundle $47.45 at Amazon
$59.99 Save $12.54   Get Deal

Perfect Order has spent much of the summer around the $50 mark at Amazon, but another marketplace price drop has made its six-pack Booster Bundle comfortably one of the most affordable options in the modern Pokémon TCG. 

As of July 22, the Pokémon TCG’s Perfect Order Booster Bundle is available at Amazon for $47.45. That's a $12.54 cut from its $59.99 list price.

The cheapest listing is sold by third-party seller IOTSide and shipped by Amazon, with free delivery currently estimated for Aug. 6-8. A second $47.45 option, sold by Collectors Expedition and also fulfilled by Amazon, shows delivery from Aug. 1-7. Both versions are covered by Amazon’s standard 30-day refund or replacement window. 

At this price, each of the six boosters works out to roughly $7.91 before tax. While this is not the lowest per-pack cost available online, it is still much lower than the Perfect Order Booster Bundle price we saw back in March.

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Walmart currently undercuts it at $42.68, which comes to around $7.11 per pack. TCGplayer goes lower still, with unopened listings starting from $39.99 including shipping, which is only 30 cents above its market price of $39.69. 

The Perfect Order Booster Bundle includes six packs from the Mega Evolution expansion. Each contains 10 trading cards, one Basic Energy, and one Pokémon TCG Live code card. 

As for the valuable cards you can get from this expansion, or buy individually from TCGplayer, Perfect Order still has some nice, pricey chase cards — including MHR Mega Zygarde ex, SIR Mega Meowth ex, SIR Mega Zygarde ex, and SIR Mega Clefable ex. 

Recommendations for the best TVs to buy in 2026 are at the bottom of this guide, thanks to intel from CNET's Ty Pendlebury and PCMag's Will Greenwald. (CNET, PCMag, and Mashable are all owned by publisher Ziff Davis.) Use the table of contents to skip down to a specific category.

Buying a new television can break your brain more than it breaks your budget. If you're not a picky cinephile or longtime hardcore gamer, TV specs are one of those Michael Scott "Explain it to me like I'm five" things. Laptop specs are in the same club.

Wordy product titles on Amazon TVs definitely aren't helping the confusion. The clusters of nebulous descriptors like "Omni Mini-LED, QLED 4K UHD, Dolby Vision IQ, 144hz, Ambient Experience" aren't exactly accessible to the average person — they're just pure chaos.

Familiarizing yourself with all of this technical stuff doesn't require a lab or any prior knowledge at all. It might just take a straightforward TV buyers guide, broken down by someone who's used to feeling overwhelmed by tech jargon. So, here's your brain workout for the day: Let's translate all of these TV acronyms and buzzwords so that you know exactly what to look for when buying a new TV.

SEE ALSO: What is the slimmest TV you can buy? I compared numbers to find the thinnest OLED, QLED, and RGB TVs. Backlight explained: LED vs. QLED vs. OLED vs. RGB

The main thing to know: 4K and LED are not talking about the same thing. 4K refers to resolution, and terms containing -LED refer to the panel lighting the TV.

Contrary to the TV-related queries that fill Google's "People also asked" section, you don't have to choose between, say, 4K or QLED. For example, a TV can have 4K resolution with LED, QLED, or OLED lighting. My beloved bedroom TV, the artsy Hisense DécoTV, is QLED (more colorful than LED) but not 4K (a lower pixel count).

The order listed above also reflects their escalating price points: LED TVs are the most affordable of the types of TV lighting, QLED TVs can be entry-level and affordable or high-end and expensive, and OLED TVs are the most expensive type of TV because their lighting system is the most advanced. You're much more likely to find cheap QLED TVs than you are to find cheap OLED TVs.

What is QLED?

Technical translation: QLED stands for Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diode.

Quantum dots are tiny nanocrystals that can convert the basic spectrum of light into billions of vibrant colors. Measuring no more than 10 nanometers in size, a quantum dot beside even a single piece of human hair would look as small as Earth looks beside massive stars in those 'scale of the universe' videos. Existential dread incoming.

Because they're so small, millions (sometimes billions) of quantum dots can be packed into a quantum dot display. Each has the ability to receive and reflect the light coming from the backlight panel layered behind them. The color of the light reflected depends on the size of each particle.

The color of the light reflected in a quantum dot depends on the size of each particle. Credit: Samsung

The more quantum dots that can be packed into a display, the more vibrant the range of colors and brightness the TV can produce. Color gamut is the official term you'll see denoting the range of colors a TV can produce. A wide color gamut simply means more saturated colors, regardless of where they fall on the rainbow.

Brightness, simply the amount of light that the TV screen produces, is measured in nits. Peak brightness increases as the TVs get fancier: A mini LED TV on the more affordable side in 2026 might hit around 3,000 nits, while the brightest TVs of 2026 settle between 4,000 and 5,000 nits. The brightest of them all reaches up to 10,000 nits.

SEE ALSO: Best movies of 2026, and where to watch them now What is mini LED?

Technical translation: Mini LED is a type of TV lighting that uses more, tinier-than-usual LED bulbs in a TV's LCD panel.

QLED is not synonymous with mini LED — QLED has to do with the nanocrystals that reflect light from bulbs in the panel, while mini LED has to do with the bulbs themselves.

Smaller, more jam-packed LED bulbs across the screen allow for more precise brightness control within small zones (called dimming zones) of the screen. These clusters of bulbs can be dimmed or turned off together to achieve more detailed contrast without muddying things up for the parts of the scene that need to be bright and colorful.

The more local dimming zones a screen has, the more opportunities to fine-tune color and contrast across each inch of each scene, ultimately leading to a sharper, more realistic image on the screen. Budget-friendly mini LED TVs probably won't have more than 200 dimming zones, while solid mid-range picks might up the count to 500. The best mini LED TVs have 1,000+ dimming zones and will get the closest to the OLED experience in terms of contrast (more on that later).

SEE ALSO: TCL QM6K mini LED review: An impressive TV between the super cheap and super expensive

When QLED does its best work: The main advantage of QLED is brightness, which is inherently better at handling glare and reflections in bright rooms. QLED TVs are ideal for people whose TV usage happens mostly in the daytime, especially watching sports. Less than 1,000 nits of brightness, like the low numbers produced by a more basic LED TV, just isn't bright enough for comfortable visibility when it's competing with direct sunlight.

Ideally, QLED technology will be paired with mini LED technology to create the most well-rounded picture — this is what Samsung's Neo QLED TVs do.

When QLED isn't great: The main disadvantage of QLED TVs is dulled contrast, especially when it comes to black levels. QLEDs simply have a hard time reaching as deep of a black tone as OLED pixels do. The combination of these muted black levels with the brightness of light colors can sometimes backfire with what's commonly called blooming or haloing: a ring-shaped glow around bright objects on the screen. The halo effect can mess with the legibility of details on the screen, like captions written in white letters.

What is OLED?

Technical translation: OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode.

The one-letter shift between QLED and OLED doesn't accurately represent how starkly different these two lighting technologies are. While QLED pixels are merely casting light coming from behind them (but making it juicier), OLED pixels emit their own light. These self-lighting pixels can individually turn themselves on and off, which is how light/dark scenes show up.

The OLED TV on the right has one less layer — no backlight. Credit: Samsung Display

When OLED does its best work: The main advantages of OLED TVs are contrast and deep black levels. OLED TVs are ideal for people who do most of their TV watching or gaming in the dark, or watch a lot of dimly-lit content that gets muddied on more basic TVs.

The main disadvantage of OLED is the eventual likelihood of "burn-in," or permanently dimmed OLED pixels that show up as little black dots on the screen. OLED burn-in happens over a span of several years — not quickly enough that it stops many TV experts from generally preferring OLED TVs over QLED, anyway. Most newer OLED screens have built-in protective features that can prolong burn-in, like pixel refresh to shake up a static screen. You can also mitigate burn-in by simply not leaving your TV on all day, every day.

SEE ALSO: Wait, what are Amazon Ember TVs? The Amazon Fire TV rebrand, explained. What is RGB?

Technical translation: In TV terms, RGB stands for red, green, and blue LEDs lighting a TV's screen.

Traditional LED or QLED TVs get their color from white or blue LED bulbs reflecting light through the pixels on the LCD screen in front of them. Nothing is tinted blue to the naked eye or anything, and no everyday colors that we're used to seeing are blatantly missing. But only RGB TVs have the capacity to achieve 100 percent coverage of the color gamut, or the full possible spectrum of colors visible to humans.

RGB TVs replace each white or blue LED with a cluster of true red, green, and blue LEDs, heavily widening the range of colors able to shine through the display. RGB leads to more vibrant, accurate hues, deeper blacks, and boosted brightness while limiting the possibility of blooming around light objects.

Credit: Samsung

Where RGB does its best work: Any room in any lighting, ideally. RGB TVs generally get brighter than traditional mini LED TVs, making them a stellar choice for watching in the daytime. RGB TVs also have the skills to maintain stark contrast and shadowy details in dark rooms, which was strictly an OLED thing before.

The main disadvantage of RGB TVs is their cost. RGB just had its mainstream explosion at CES 2026 in January, so the technology is still extremely new and therefore expensive to the average consumer. They're also a big investment in the literal sense — most RGB TVs start at 65 or 75 inches.

Resolution explained: FHD vs. 4K vs. 8K

Technical translation: Resolution refers to the number of pixels(p) that make up the picture on the screen.

The TV resolutions to know in 2026 are FHD, 4K, and 8K. Resolution technically measures the pixel count horizontally and vertically, but is sometimes shortened to just the vertical number. (For example, FHD is 1920x1080p, but is often represented as just "1080p".) A higher pixel count allows for more details, leading to clearer picture quality.

4K is overwhelmingly the most common screen resolution nowadays, and it's a much more self-explanatory term than you may think: 4K is literally just four times the resolution of FHD.

(4K measures 3840 x 2160, which is double the horizontal and double the vertical resolution of FHD's 1920 x 1080.) For most consumer buying purposes, 4K and UHD are essentially interchangeable.

For most intents and purposes, 4K and UHD are interchangeable. Credit: LG

The math gets more intense with the switch to 8K: At 7680 x 4320, 8K is four times the resolution of 4K and 16 times the resolution of FHD. But honestly, you probably don't have to worry about 8K right now. While it's the sharpest TV resolution one can get on paper, there's not enough content that can even be watched in 8K right now to make buying an 8K TV worthwhile.

HDR explained

Technical translation: HDR stands for high-dynamic range.

In the most lucid sense, HDR allows certain content to get brighter and more contrasted — as close to seeing the image IRL as possible. HDR is a technology that has the capacity to "understand" color and contrast data about what was originally shot through the camera lens that more basic technology, like SDR (standard dynamic range), just can't translate.

HDR "understands" color and contrast data better than SDR. Credit: LG

Not all TVs can get bright enough to fully take advantage of HDR's brightening capabilities, even if they claim to technically support the technology. Remember that conversation about brightness and nits we had earlier? Any TV toeing 1,000 nits probably won't be able to give you the optimal HDR experience.

On the flip side, a really good TV can't magically turn everything into HDR content — the movie, show, or video game has to be HDR compatible in the first place. For example, Hulu supports HDR for some titles and devices, but not others. Depending on your TV, calibrating HDR could be relatively simple or a pain in the ass, and is often trickier to nail with video games and monitors than with streamed content on a TV.

There are a few main types of HDR formats: HDR10 (the most common "generic" one), Dolby Vision (the next most common one), and HDR10+ (Samsung's own version of HDR10). Most streaming services support at least the first two. The main difference between the HDR formats involves some heavy jargon that the average TV buyer probably doesn't need to dissect — but if you're really interested in the comparison between HDR10's use of static metadata versus Dolby Vision and HDR10+'s use of dynamic metadata, CNET breaks down the HDR formats well.

Refresh rate explained

Technical translation: Measured in hertz (Hz), refresh rate refers to the number of times a display refreshes its image per second.

The higher the refresh rate, the smoother and more lifelike the motion on the screen will be. But if your TV watching doesn't really exceed casual streaming service perusing, don't focus too much on refresh rate in your shopping. You'll probably be perfectly fine with 60Hz, which is what's found on most budget 4K TVs, like Amazon's Ember 4-Series Fire TV.

SEE ALSO: PlayStation disks are done. Fans feel betrayed. Here's why.

Serious film watchers might find 60Hz too laggy, though, and might consider upping the ante to 120Hz. If you want to play the Switch 2 in all of its glory, a TV that supports at least 120Hz is crucial. The Hisense UR9 is a rare option with a 180Hz native refresh rate, thanks to DisplayPort making an appearance along with the HDMIs.

Refresh rate plays the most influential role in video games, especially games that rely heavily on on-screen responsiveness. For gamers, anything under 144Hz will probably be frustrating. This is the number that separates the good TVs from the best gaming TVs. For instance, LG's B6 OLED is a solid midrange OLED option that would work for just about anyone. That is, unless you're a graphics-heavy gamer who wants to play at 144 fps — in that case, you'd need to upgrade to a more premium LG OLED TV that supports 144Hz, like the LG C5 or LG C6.

Final thoughts: How to choose a TV

It can still be tricky to picture the differences between TV screens based solely on descriptions and definitions. I thought my 2019 4K LED looked fine until I upgraded to a mini LED in my apartment on the same wall in the same bright living room. Then I understood the hype.

So if you can, go to a store that has a TV aisle and see for yourself in person. Ideally, the TVs lined up in your local Best Buy or Target will be playing the same thing for easy side-by-side comparison of big features like picture quality, brightness, and color accuracy that can't quite be explained.

If you need a starting point for the TVs to hunt down IRL, check out some recommendations for the best televisions of 2026 below. You have budget-friendly TV options, high-end TV options, and several in between, spanning all types of backlighting for whatever room needs a new screen. There's a high chance that a few of them will be on sale whenever you're reading this — most of them were at the time this story was written.

Our top TV recommendations for 2026 Hisense S5 Déco TV Between $249.99 (32-inch) and $349.99 (43-inch) Shop Now TCL QM6K Mini LED QLED TV Between $599.99 (50-inch) and $1,999.99 (98-inch) Shop Now TCK QM6L SQD QLED 4K TV Between $2,499.99 (65-inch) and $5,999.99 (98-inch) Shop Now Hisense UR9 RGB 4K TV Between $2,199.99 (65-inch) and $9,999.99 (100-inch) Shop Now Samsung S95H OLED 4K TV Between $2,499.99 (55-inch) and $6,499.99 (83-inch) Shop Now LG S95B Micro RGB 4K TV Between $4,999.99 (75-inch) and $7,999.99 (100-inch) Shop Now

The next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is finally here. The launch event will be held in London on Wednesday, July 22 at 9 a.m. ET, and Samsung will almost certainly unveil a slew of new products. Samsung has already confirmed that new details on its next generation of foldable smartphones will be announced. The tagline for this year's event is "A new shape unfolds," which isn't exactly subtle, and we're fully expecting to see the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 take center stage.

Will Samsung's new Fold and Flip smartphones cost more, as the leaks have pointed to? Is the highly anticipated Galaxy Z Fold Ultra going to be worth the premium price tag? Most importantly, does Samsung have any surprises up its sleeve? We might be too optimistic, but a tease of the unreleased Galaxy Glasses isn't out of the question.

Here's how you can watch the event live.

Watch Galaxy Unpacked live on YouTube

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked will livestream right on the company's website and on YouTube.

Don't forget: Because the event takes place in the United Kingdom, we're getting an early start time this year for viewers in the United States. The event will kick off at 9 a.m. ET (6 a.m. PT).

And, of course, Mashable will be providing real-time coverage and analysis before, during, and immediately after the event. We also have reporters attending the London launch event, so keep checking back for more live updates and previews of all the new devices, including the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Watch 9, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 (if the rumors are true, that is).