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ChatGPT, the revolutionary and controversial artificial intelligence chatbot, is now available to use as a dedicated app for your iPhone or iPad. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, released the official ChatGPT application for iOS last week — a smart move, considering all the fakes and copycats that have flooded the market since ChatGPT first came out in late 2022.

The free ChatGPT app does everything you would expect from the web version, which is mostly providing comprehensive answers to your many prompts. Thanks to Bing Search, you can even get access to real-time information, something which ChatGPT has never been able to do (it could only provide data before 2021). There is one new feature exclusive to the iOS app — you can now ask ChatGPT questions using voice recognition.

Don’t miss: ChatGPT vs. Bing vs. Google Bard: Which AI Is the Most Helpful?

If you’re interested in testing out ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad, we’ll show you how to download the application, sign up for the service, and use ChatGPT to get answers to your biggest and most complicated questions.

And if you need a device to test out the ChatGPT app, check out the best iPhone models of 2023 and our review of the iPhone 14.

Download ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad

As previously mentioned, there are a ton of third-party applications pretending to be ChatGPT, so you have to be careful when downloading the correct one. If you don’t want to search for it in the App Store, use the link below to download ChatGPT for iOS. You’ll know it’s the correct one if the developer is OpenAI.

• Download: ChatGPT for iOS and iPad

Sign in or create an account to use ChatGPT

If you already have an account, hit the Log in button and sign in with your existing email and password.

If you don’t, you can easily create an account using your Apple ID, Google account or email. You’ll then be asked to enter your name and birthday (people age 13 and older can use ChatGPT, but minors may need a parent’s consent) and type in your phone number to verify that you’re a real person.

Finally, you’ll see a single welcome page, where ChatGPT will warn you that its responses may be inaccurate and that you shouldn’t share sensitive information because the chats may be reviewed by AI trainers. Hit Continue to use ChatGPT.

Using ChatGPT on your iPhone or iPad

Now you can use ChatGPT just as you would in your web browser, although the user interface does have a slightly different look on mobile.

To ask ChatGPT a question, tap on the text field at the bottom of the screen that says Message. If you want to use the new voice-to-text feature, tap on the audio icon on the far right of the text field. ChatGPT will ask for access to your microphone. After providing access, you can then speak for as long as you like — tap to stop recording. Hit the enter button to send your prompt to ChatGPT.

In the top right, you can access ChatGPT’s menu, which allows you to rename your chats, delete your chats, view your history, manage your settings and start a new chat.

In your settings, you can subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, which gives you access to OpenAI’s most current language model — GPT-4 — and provides access to ChatGPT, even when demand is high and free users may be locked out. You’ll also get early access to any new features. It’s $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus, but it’s not necessary to pay for ChatGPT on iOS unless you want these advanced features and guaranteed access.

ChatGPT on iOS is currently limited to the US, but will expand to other countries in the following weeks. And for Android users, don’t fret — OpenAI says that ChatGPT will be coming to Android devices soon.

For more on AI, check out all the big AI reveals that Google made in its keynote and why Apple isn’t in the generative AI game just yet.

The PlayStation Vita is long gone, but Sony is making a return to gaming handhelds — in a sense. At Sony’s latest PlayStation gaming showcase on Wednesday, the company teased a surprise new device that should be coming later this year. It looks very much like a giant display fused with a DualSense controller.

The handheld, which should play all PlayStation games over Wi-Fi, has an 8-inch HD screen and a controller that Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan promised will have all the features of the DualSense that’s standard on the PlayStation 5.

Streaming handhelds are a definite trend now, with Android devices like Logitech’s G Cloud and the Razer Edge. It’s unclear how or if Sony’s new handheld will work offline at all, but it’s clearly being pitched as a second screen and a mobile play option for the PS5. Meanwhile, the Backbone One game controller, which has a PlayStation partnership and works with phones to play PS5 games wirelessly via streaming, just announced an Android-compatible model.

Sony’s second-screen PS5 game handheld does look exciting, though the price isn’t known. A screen that large could make games look great and a full-featured controller would make everything feel as responsive, possibly, as playing on the PS5 itself. Maybe, just maybe, Sony might consider a new Vita someday, too?

Google Bard, the search giant’s generative artificial intelligence engine that competes with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing AI, has integrated images into queries, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Now when you ask Bard questions, it’ll pull up images found online to help you get a better understanding through visuals. These are images that already exist online and are not AI-generated images, like those made by Dall-E 2, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly and Bing AI. But Google is working on bringing image generation into Bard.

“We’ll also integrate Adobe Firefly into Bard so you can easily and quickly turn your own creative ideas into high-quality images,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.

In Bard, you can also ask for images directly. In addition, Bard will show the image source. This can be handy when you want to look up must-see sights in, say, New Orleans or you’re planning a road trip and want to visit some scenic destinations. In the coming weeks, you’ll also be able to use Google Lens to prompt Bard with related images.

Ever since the launch late last year of ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that could pretty much answer any question with a novel response, Google has been upping its AI game. Earlier this year, it introduced Bard, just as Microsoft announced ChatGPT integration into Bing Search.

Earlier this month at Google I/O, its annual developer conference, Google focused a significant chunk of the keynote on AI, with presenters saying the term more than 140 times during the two-hour presentation. Along with hardware announcements like the Pixel Fold phone, Google opened up Bard to the public and showed off an experimental version of search with integrated AI.

If Google does fully integrate AI into search, it’ll change the experience of finding information online for billions of people, but it might also require a rethinking of the larger ad-driven internet economy. After Google I/O, the company saw its stock jump 4.1% suggesting investor confidence.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

Microsoft announced Tuesday that OpenAI is using data from the Bing search engine to help improve its ChatGPT chatbot. Incorporating Bing data allows the chatbot to provide real-time information to users, but at first, you’ll have to pay a monthly premium for ChatGPT Plus to use it.

The deal lets ChatGPT anchor its responses to Bing search data from up-to-date websites, said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s marketing chief for consumer products, in an interview.

“They get to ground the answers. That will improve the relevancy. It will also make the answers more timely,” Mehdi said. “The second thing is they can now use citations, so when they have answers, they can point to links where people want to learn more.”

The company showed off the marriage of Bing and ChatGPT at the company’s Microsoft Build developer conference, held Tuesday in Seattle.

It’s not entirely new. In March, ChatGPT Plus subscription members were able to use an “experimental model” that tapped into Bing to browse the internet for more up-to-date information than previously available, although this change was not disclosed at the time. ChatGPT Plus premiered earlier this year and costs subscribers $20 per month.

ChatGPT Plus members will be the only ones to get the new Bing-infused version of the chatbot — at first. But Microsoft said it will eventually come to users of the free chatbot version. Right now, that version only pulls data from before September 2021. Users of the free product will need to enable a plugin to bring Bing to ChatGPT.

Microsoft had already built AI into its Bing search engine and Edge web browser.

Microsoft also announced that it has begun building an AI chat interface straight into Windows, its most important software product. The company will begin testing the tool, called Windows Copilot, in June. It will perform tasks like summarizing documents, suggesting music, offering tech support for your PC and answering questions you might ask a search engine or AI chatbot.

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to create some personal finance explainers that are edited and fact-checked by our editors. For more, see this post.

Looking for a new smartwatch? If you’re an Android user, it’s hard to beat the Galaxy Watch 5. It’s the latest wearable in Samsung’s lineup, and if you’re looking to snag one for yourself for less, we’ve rounded up some of the best deals you can take advantage of right now. For the most part we’re seeing bigger deals on the Pro variant, though you can find savings for each.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, unveiled last August, feature relatively minor upgrades to the Galaxy Watch 4, but the new smartwatches do have a longer-lasting battery and a skin temperature measurement sensor as a new health feature. The bigger Watch 5 Pro in particular is geared toward outdoor sports enthusiasts and features a durable titanium design, 80-hour battery life and exclusive tools like turn-by-turn navigation.

What colors do the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro come in?

The Galaxy Watch 5 is offered in four colors: silver, gray, gold and blue. Gold is exclusive to the smaller 40mm size and blue is only available on the larger 44mm variant. On the Pro side, you can choose between two titanium finishes: black and gray. There are plenty of interchangeable bands for both versions of the Galaxy Watch 5 if you want to customize the look further.

How much do the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro cost?

The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Watch 5 starts at $280, while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro starts at $450. If you want the LTE versions, that’ll cost you $50 more. Here’s how US retail pricing breaks down in full:

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm): $280
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (44mm): $310
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 with LTE (40mm): $330
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 with LTE (44mm): $360
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (44mm): $450
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro with LTE (44mm): $500

Be sure to check out all the Galaxy Watch 5 deals below for some ways to save on their retail prices.

Best Galaxy Watch 5 deals

Best Galaxy Watch 5 Pro deals

Once upon a time, active noise canceling, or ANC, was only available in a few true-wireless earbuds and those models were rather pricey. But today the majority of wireless earbuds feature active noise canceling — or “noise cancelling,” as companies like Bose and Google spell it.

Noise-canceling technology continues to evolve and improve with each passing year, with the best noise canceling able to mask a wider range of frequencies and do it on the fly (“adaptive” noise canceling) with sophisticated software algorithms and more powerful but energy-efficient processors embedded in the buds. Apple, Sony and Bose remain among the leaders in the category, but they have plenty of competition.

This list is just made up of the best noise-canceling earbuds, not full-size headphones. If you’re looking for the best noise-canceling headphones, we’ve got a list that includes a mix of earbuds and over-ear headphones. We update both of these lists regularly as new models hit the market.

Read more: Best Wireless Earbuds for 2023: Top Picks for Every Listener

Best noise-canceling wireless earbuds

Apple AirPods Pro 2

Even better Apple noise-canceling wireless earbuds

$200 at Amazon$249 at Crutchfield$249 at Apple

Battery Life Rated up to 6 hoursNoise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint NoHeadphone Type Wireless earbudsWater-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)

The new AirPods Pro (second generation) are powered by Apple’s new H2 chip, which delivers more processing power while being more energy efficient, according to Apple. The new chip, combined with new low-distortion drivers, allows for improved sound that offers better clarity and depth. The noise canceling is also improved — Apple says the new AirPods have “double” the noise canceling of the original AirPods Pro. Additionally, the new AirPods add an extra hour of battery life, up from five to six hours with noise canceling on. Plus, a speaker in the case that emits a sound that helps locate your buds via Find My should they decide to hide from you.

Read our Apple AirPods Pro 2 review.

$200 at Amazon$249 at Crutchfield$249 at Apple

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2

Best noise-canceling with top-notch sound

$714 at Bose$299 at Amazon$299 at Best Buy

Battery Life Rated Up to 6 HoursNoise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint NoHeadphone Type Wireless EarbudsWater-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — Splash-Proof)

Bose’s second-generation QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are not only about 30% smaller than their predecessors, but their case is about 40% smaller and truly pocketable. They feature best-in-class noise canceling and improved sound, thanks to Bose’s new CustomTune sound calibration system that customizes the sound for your ears. Voice-calling performance is also significantly better than that of the original QuietComfort Earbuds.

The other big change is to the ear tips. Bose has ditched its one-piece StayEar wing tips for a two-piece Fit Kit system that features separate ear tips and “stability bands” in three size options, giving you more flexibility to get a secure fit and tight seal.

The buds initially ship in the Triple Black Color with the Sandstone color to follow later in the year. Like the originals, they’re IPX4 splash-proof.

Read our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 review.

$714 at Bose$299 at Amazon$299 at Best Buy

Sony WF-1000XM4

Sony’s best wireless earbuds

$198 at Walmart$198 at Amazon$200 at Best Buy

Battery Life Rated up to 30 hoursNoise Canceling YesMultipoint YesHeadphone Type Over-ear wireless headphonesWater-Resistant No IP rating

Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM4 buds were arguably the top overall earbuds for 2021 and part of 2022. They feature excellent sound and great noise-canceling with decent voice-calling capabilities and good battery life. They’re still great earbuds but they’ve been surpassed in some ways by both Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds 2. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider them, but look for them at a discount.

Read our Sony WF-1000XM4 review.

$198 at Walmart$198 at Amazon$200 at Best Buy

Technics EAH-AZ80

Great-sounding Technics wireless earbuds

$300 at Amazon

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You should expect a lot from earbuds that cost $300 — and yes, that’s still a lot to pay for headphones, even if plenty of people seem to be willing to pay upwards of $450 for the likes of Apple’s AirPods Max headphones. Overall, Panasonic has done a nice job of creating an all-around top-performing set of buds that offer an improved fit with terrific sound, very good noise canceling and a robust feature set.

Voice-calling capabilities are decent but don’t quite live up to their billing (yet). Hopefully we’ll see some firmware upgrades that improve the voice-calling experience in noisier environments. Despite that caveat, as long as they fit your ears well, the Technics EAH-AZ80 are right up there with the best wireless earbuds on the market right now.

Read our Technics EAH-AZ80 review.

$300 at Amazon

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Earfun Air Pro 3

Best new budget noise-canceling wireless earbuds

$65 at Amazon

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Earfun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important commonality: They’re very good values, made more so by frequent discounts. The company’s new-for-2023 Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature the latest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with aptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the new LE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices).

Lightweight and comfortable to wear — I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size — these aren’t a huge upgrade over the Earfun Air S, but they are better. They have slightly larger wool-composite drivers (11mm versus 10mm), slightly improved noise canceling and better battery life (up to seven hours with noise canceling on, according to Earfun).

In short, the Earfun Air 3 deliver strong performance for their modest price, with robust bass, good clarity and a relatively wide soundstage. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and “multidevice” connectivity. (I could pair them to two devices simultaneously but had to pause the music on one device and hit play on the other for the audio to switch.) They’re IPX5 splash-proof and also work well (though not exceptionally well) as a headset for making calls.

Note that after you activate the instant 10%-off coupon at Amazon, adding the code EAP3CNET at checkout gives you an additional 20% off, bringing the buds’ price down to $56.

Read our Earfun Air Pro 3 review.

$65 at Amazon

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Beats Fit Pro

Best everyday wireless earbuds that are also good for sports

$200 at Amazon$200 at Best Buy$200 at Target

While the Beats Fit Pro ($200) technically aren’t AirPods, they’re built on the same tech platform as the original AirPods Pro (yes, Apple owns Beats). Unlike Beats’ earlier and less expensive Studio Buds, the Beats Fit Pro include Apple’s H1 chip and have most of the original AirPods Pro’s features (the AirPods Pro 2 have the H2 chip), including active noise canceling, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. I’d venture to call them the sports AirPods you’ve always wanted. And for those folks looking for a more secure fit for a little less money, they might be a better fit than the AirPods Pro 2, especially when on sale.

Read our Beats Fit Pro review.

$200 at Amazon$200 at Best Buy$200 at Target

Beats Studio Buds Plus

Second-gen wireless earbuds from Beats

$170 at Amazon

Alas, for those of you who bought the original Beats Studio Buds, which remain on the market for now, I’m sorry to report that these new Plus buds are significantly improved, with better sound, noise canceling and battery life. Additionally, they now deliver top-notch voice-calling performance.

The transparent version is getting a lot of attention (who doesn’t like transparent electronics?), but the big changes are on the inside. Beats says 95% of the components are new and improved, and the buds’ “acoustic architecture” has been revised. The speaker drivers remain the same, but the Studio Buds Plus are powered by a new, more powerful custom chipset and have three new microphones in each bud, which are three times larger and more sensitive than the ones found in the Beats Studio Buds.

Read our Beats Studio Buds Plus review.

$170 at Amazon

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2

Best-sounding noise-canceling wireless earbuds

$399 at Best Buy$399 at Crutchfield$399 at B&H Photo-Video

Bowers & Wilkins has upgraded its fantastic-sounding PI7 noise-canceling earbuds. The new S2 model has better battery life and Bluetooth range, now up to 25 meters (double the previous range). Additionally, the buds now integrate into the new Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS and Android and have a much improved setup experience.

While not a major upgrade from the originals, the PI7 S2s, which feature a dual-driver design, are easily among the very best-sounding true-wireless earbuds. The step-down PI5 S2s, which have a single driver design, don’t sound quite as good but are more affordable.

Read our Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 review.

$399 at Best Buy$399 at Crutchfield$399 at B&H Photo-Video

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro

Best Samsung wireless earbuds

$230 at Samsung$198 at Amazon$230 at Best Buy

The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro offer improved noise canceling along with very good sound and voice-calling performance, plus support for high-resolution wireless audio streaming if you’re a Galaxy device owner with the right setup. That said, their biggest upgrade may their new design and smaller size, which make them a better fit for more ears. Aside from their somewhat high price, their only drawback is that some of their key features only work with Samsung Galaxy devices.

Read our Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro review.

$230 at Samsung$198 at Amazon$230 at Best Buy

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3

Best noise-canceling earbuds from Sennheiser

$200 at Amazon

Featuring excellent sound, improved noise canceling and voice-calling performance as well a smaller, more refined design that includes stabilizing fins (so the earbuds stay in your ears more securely), the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are among the best new true-wireless earbuds for 2002. They’re also among the best true-wireless earbuds overall, giving the Sony WF-1000XM4 a run for the money.

Read our Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 review.

$200 at Amazon

JBL Tour Pro 2

Best wireless earbuds with a touchscreen display in their case

$250 at B&H Photo-Video

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JBL’s Tour Pro 2 earbuds have received a lot of attention for bringing something new to true-wireless earbuds: a full color touchscreen display embedded in the case that allows you to access the earbuds’ key features and control playback as well as adjust volume levels. It’s a bit of a gimmick but also useful.

While the buds could sound slightly better for their list price, overall the JBL Tour Pro 2s are very good earbuds that offer a good fit, a robust feature set, strong battery life, plus solid noise canceling and voice-calling performance.

Read our JBL Tour Pro 2 earbuds review.

$250 at B&H Photo-Video

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Google Pixel Buds Pro

Excellent wireless earbuds for Android users

$200 at Walmart$200 at Amazon$200 at Best Buy

Battery Life Rated up to 11 hoursNoise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint YesHeadphone Type Wireless earbudsWater-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)

The Pixel Buds Pro are Google’s first earbuds to feature active noise canceling. While it’s nice that they finally have a feature that a lot of true-wireless earbuds have had for a while, what ultimately sets the Pixel Buds Pro apart and makes them worth considering — particularly for Android users — is their distinct design and winning fit. That helps enhance their performance on both the sound quality and noise-canceling fronts. While not quite elite for voice-calling, they did perform well as a headset for making calls. A couple of features were missing at launch — spatial audio and a five-band equalizer — but the equalizer has now been added with a firmware update. We’re now just waiting for spatial audio. Read our Google Pixel Buds Pro review.

$200 at Walmart$200 at Amazon$200 at Best Buy

Sony LinkBuds S

Best compact wireless earbuds from Sony

$148 at Walmart$148 at Amazon$150 at Best Buy

Battery Life Rated up to 9 hoursNoise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint NoHeadphone Type Wireless EarbudsWater-Resistant Yes (IPX4 — splash-proof)

Unlike the “open” LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S are traditional noise-isolating earbuds with tips you jam in your ears. They’re more compact and lighter than Sony’s flagship WF-1000M4 and also feature Sony’s V1 processor. While their sound and noise canceling don’t quite measure up to the WF-1000XM4’s, they’re close and cost less. They’re the Sony buds for people who can deal with larger buds like WF-1000XM4 but want 80% to 85% of those buds’ features and performance for $80 less.

Read our Sony LinkBuds S review.

$148 at Walmart$148 at Amazon$150 at Best Buy

JBL Live Pro 2

Excellent AirPods Pro alternative

$150 at Walmart$150 at Amazon$150 at Crutchfield

Battery Life Rated up to 10 hoursNoise Canceling Yes (Adaptive)Multipoint YesHeadphone Type Wireless earbudsWater-Resistant Yes (IPX5 — protection against low-pressure water streams)

Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand’s new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.

The Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 are equipped with the same 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips. Aside from the design, the biggest difference between the two buds is battery life; the stemless Live Free 2 is rated for up to seven hours, while the Live Pro 2 is rated for 10 hours. The Live Pro 2 is available in four color options.

Read our JBL Live Pro 2 first take.

$150 at Walmart$150 at Amazon$150 at Crutchfield

Status Between 3ANC

Wireless earbuds with triple drivers

$249 at Amazon

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Status Audio’s earbuds aren’t exactly the sleekest or most attractive earbuds you can buy, but if you don’t mind their utilitarian look and giant stems, you are getting an excellent sounding set of earbuds. The Between 3ANC, the company’s first noise-canceling earbuds, also do a good job muffling ambient sound, though they aren’t up to the level of the Bose QuietComfort 2 earbuds for noise-canceling prowess. They did perform very well in my voice-calling test, reducing much of the background noise around me in the streets of New York while picking up my voice clearly, or so callers told me.

While they have multipoint Bluetooth pairing — you can pair them to two devices simultaneously — they are missing a few features, including ear-detection sensors, and they only support the AAC audio codec (they’re equipped with Bluetooth 5.2), not LDAC or aptX. Some people with Android devices that support those codecs may not be thrilled with that, but, as I said, they sound quite good using AAC, offering clean sound with punchy bass and good clarity. That’s in part due to their driver design, and why the buds are on the larger side — they feature two balanced armature drivers, plus one 10mm dynamic driver in each earbud.

Despite being heavier than earbuds like Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, they fit my ears comfortably and securely. Their case charges wirelessly and battery life is very good at up to 8.5 hours with ANC on. There’s also a transparency mode that sounds only OK, not great (a physical button on the earbuds activates it) and they have an IPX5 water-resistance rating, which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water. The companion app for iOS is fairly basic, but you can upgrade the firmware and tweak the sound profile with a customizable EQ option.

$249 at Amazon

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OnePlus Buds Pro 2

Next-gen noise-canceling premium earbuds from OnePlus

$160 at Amazon

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The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 have a lot to like about them. They’ve got a more premium look and feel than many AirPods Pro 2 clones and feature a dual-driver design and very good sound quality with just a bit of bass push (by that I mean they’re slightly bass heavy at their default sound setting). Equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, they also have support for a good range of audio codecs, including AAC (iPhones), LHDC 4.0, SBC, and LC3 (the successor to SBC). OnePlus says an upgrade to LHDC 5.0 will be available via a firmware upgrade. (LHDC stands for low-latency high-definition and it’s supposed to be close to on par with Sony’s LDAC audio codec.)

I found the noise-canceling to be good but not up to the level of what you get with Apple, Sony and Bose earbuds. Voice-calling performance was also above average with decent though not fantastic noise reduction on the streets of New York. (Callers said they could hear me well despite some background noise so the microphone quality seems good.)

Owners of the new OnePlus 11 smartphone can take advantage of the buds’ spatial audio feature. (Other smartphones may support spatial audio with the the Buds Pro 2 in the future but for now, it’s exclusive to the OnePlus 11.) The buds are rated for 6 hours of battery life with noise canceling on and are IP55 splashproof. The compact charging case supports wireless charging with a little more than four extra charges in the case.

The Buds 2 Pro list for $180, but hopefully we’ll see some discounts that bring them down to $150 or less.

$160 at Amazon

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Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX

Excellent premium wireless earbuds

$399 at Amazon$399 at B&H Photo-Video

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Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay EX buds are the company’s best true wireless earbuds yet. They feature a comfortable, secure fit (except perhaps for those with really smaller ears), top-notch build quality, great sound, good noise canceling and improved voice-calling performance over B&O’s EQ buds; with three microphones in each earbud they help with reducing background noise while picking up your voice. While they’re out of most people’s price range, they’re arguably the best earbuds out there with stems and offer superior sound to the AirPods Pro with better clarity, deeper more powerful bass and richer, more accurate sound.

Battery life is rated at 6 hours at moderate volume levels with noise canceling on and there’s an extra 14 hours of juice in the brushed aluminum charging case (wireless charging is supported). The buds have an IP57 water-resistance rating, which makes them waterproof and dust-resistant. They feature Bluetooth 5.2 and multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices at the same time, such as a computer and smartphone. You can use a single bud independently and the earbuds have ear-detection sensors so your music pauses when you remove them from your ears.

The buds support AptX Adaptive for devices like Android smartphones that support Bluetooth streaming with the AptX HD audio codec (AAC is also supported). They’re available in the gold tone pictured as well as a graphite color.

$399 at Amazon$399 at B&H Photo-Video

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Master & Dynamic MW08

Best premium wireless earbuds you might not have heard about

$435 at Walmart$299 at Amazon

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Battery Life Rated up to 12 hoursNoise Canceling Yes (ANC)Multipoint YesHeadphone Type Wireless earbudsWater-Resistant Yes (IPX5 — protection against low-pressure water streams)

Master & Dynamic’s earlier MW07 and MW07 Plus delivered top-notch sound for truly wireless, but they were a little lacking in the features department and weren’t so great for making calls. The 2021 MW08 offers some significant improvements, including the addition of solid noise canceling and call quality. Battery life is also very good (up to 12 hours with noise canceling off).

These buds may not fit everyone’s ear equally well, but they certainly have a distinct look, as well as excellent sound and a great listening experience if you can get a tight seal (I was able to get a secure fit with the largest tip). They deliver more of an audiophile sound profile, with smooth, well-balanced sound and well-defined bass.

Like their predecessors, the MW08 includes a swanky stainless-steel charging case (it charges via USB-C) that’s compact but carries more weight than your typical buds case. I prefer the matte finishes of the cases that come with the black and blue versions, and you also get a secondary pouch for safekeeping (yes, the charging case can get scratched up if you leave it in a bag).

$435 at Walmart$299 at Amazon

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Other noise-canceling wireless earbuds we’ve tested

Samsung Galaxy Buds 2: Available in four colors, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 noise-canceling headphones don’t feature as good sound or noise canceling as the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but they’re compact (15% smaller and 20% lighter than the earlier Buds Plus, they barely stick out of your ears) and cost significantly less. Because they sit more flush with your ears — and have that curved design — they also pick up less wind noise. They’re IPX2 sweat-resistant while the step-up Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are fully waterproof (IPX7).

Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4: While their sound isn’t quite up to the level of higher-end buds like Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 that cost significantly more, the Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 earbuds have a strong set of features, including a spatial audio mode with head tracking, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, up to nine hours of battery life, wireless charging and support for Sony’s LDAC audio codec that can offer sound improvements if you have the right setup.

Sennheiser CX Plus: The Momentum True Wireless 3 are Sennheiser’s flagship true-wireless earbuds. But if you can’t afford them, the CX Plus, which feature very good sound and decent noise canceling, are a good alternative for a lot less money. The step-down CX, which have no active noise canceling, cost even less.

Is it ‘noise canceling’ or ‘noise cancelling’?

Short answer: both. Either spelling is correct, as “canceling” is more common in American English while “cancelling” is more common in British English. CNET uses “noise canceling” since the company is based in the US, but the noise is canceled just the same, regardless of spelling. If you’re looking to see what different noise-impacting technology is out there for headphones, check out our article on noise-canceling versus noise-isolating headphones, which highlights differences in function — and not just a difference in spelling.

More earbud and headphone buying advice

• Best True Wireless Earbuds for 2023
• Best Open Wireless Earbuds That Aren’t AirPods

• Best AirPods Accessories for 2023

• Best Over-Ear Headphones: Sony, Bose Noise-Canceling Headphones and More

• New Beats Powerbeats 4 Are Old-School Wireless Headphones That Cost $150

• Best-Sounding Earbuds

• Best Cheap Headphones for 2023

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• Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $100

Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 software update for iPhones could come with a feature that lets you view more items on your locked phone screen, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. The smart display would reportedly show things such as calendar appointments, weather and notifications.

The display would appear horizontally and resemble a smart home display like those sold by Amazon and Google while your phone is locked and lying unused on your desk or nightstand, Bloomberg said, citing unidentified sources. It’ll have a “dark background with bright text,” the report says, so that you can easily read the information.

A similar horizontal smart display would reportedly come to iPads at a later date.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, but the news will reportedly be revealed at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

The smart display rumor follows Apple last year launching lock screen widgets on iPhones and a customizable lock screen under iOS 16. The smart display would be a different experience, potentially giving you information without you having to touch your phone.

Apple’s WWDC event will kick off with a keynote on June 5, where it’s expected the tech giant will unveil iOS 17, an AR/VR mixed-reality headset and possibly a new MacBook Air. You’ll be able to watch WWDC online as well as on the Apple TV app.

Read more: Apple WWDC 2023: Everything We Expect at the June 5 Event

Samsung Display has taken the wraps off its new rollable screen technology for larger screens, saying it could “revolutionize the portability of tablet PCs or laptops.”

Unlike current slidable and foldable devices, which Samsung says only triples the size of a screen, Samsung says the Rollable Flex screen expands to five times the size — from 49mm to 254.4mm in length. It does so by rolling the display around an O-shaped axis like a scroll of paper.

This could make larger devices like laptops and tablets smaller and easier to carry.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a rollable display; the Motorola Rizr concept phone was revealed this year after LG showed off a phone with a rollable screen back in 2021 before exiting the smart phone market, which came after showing off a rollable TV at CES in January 2019.

Read more: Best Foldable Phones in 2023: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip, Moto Razr

Samsung is also showcasing its Sensor OLED Display, which recognizes fingerprints anywhere on a screen and can measure your blood pressure, heart rate and stress levels when you touch two fingers on the screen.

Unlike in current smart phones, the fingerprint sensor is embedded in the smartphone panel rather than underneath it as a separate module.

“To accurately measure a person’s blood pressure, it is necessary to measure the blood pressure of both arms,” Samsung Display said in a statement. “The Sensor OLED Display can simultaneously sense the fingers of both hands, providing more accurate health information than existing wearable devices.”

Samsung’s new tech is currently being showcased during SID Display Week in Los Angeles. Also on display from the tech giant this week:

• A foldable phone concept called Flex In and Out for phones that can be folded 360 degrees both inwards and outwards. This tech could lead to lighter and thinner foldable phones, Samsung Display says.
• A combination of foldable and slidable screens, called Flex Hybrid, announced earlier this year at CES 2023.
• A slidable display called Slidable Flex Solo that changes from a 13-inch tablet to a 17-inch screen.

Galaxy Z Fold4 $1,920 at Samsung

Netflix said Tuesday it’s now rolling out product updates around account-sharing in the US as part of its expanded policy on borrowing passwords. It began sending emails on May 23 to customers who are sharing passwords with anyone outside of their household, Netflix said in a blog post.

If you’re sharing your streaming account with friends and family who live at a different address, you may opt to pay a fee for the extra user or to remove them from your account.Subscribers with either a standard or premium plan can choose to pay an additional $8 per month for each extra member. At this time, the extra member option is only available for those who are billed directly by Netflix.

Stream Netflix See at Netflix

There are limits to how many extra users are allowed on accounts. Only those with a premium membership can add two extra people to their account; the standard price plan allows for only one extra member. Netflix defines a household as one where everyone lives under the same roof. Members of that household are still able to watch content while traveling, and the extra fee will not apply.

When you open the Netflix app and navigate to your account page, you’ll see an Extra Members option. From there, subscribers can purchase a slot for the person outside their household. If they accept the invitation, the extra member will receive their own separate account, profile and password, and the fee is paid for by the main subscribing household.

The rules? Extra member accounts can only stream on one device at a time and are only permitted to have one profile. The extra member must also be located in the same country as the account holder.

Subscribers can also opt to remove users outside of their households from their account, and urge them to sign up for their own Netflix subscriptions. In this case, anyone who is removed from an account can transfer existing profiles to a new membership they pay for themselves.

Here’s a look at the monthly cost for each subscription plan:

The streaming service rolled out its new policy in February for Canada, Spain, Portugal and New Zealand. Netflix first announced its intention to crack down on password-sharing last year. In April, Netflix said it would implement a fee for US customers by the end of the second quarter.

If you’re looking for productivity tools, it’s difficult to match the Microsoft Office suite of apps. Office is the industry standard when it comes to word processing, spreadsheets, mail and more — and it’s used by businesses, schools and individuals around the world, making it an essential part of most people’s lives at one time or another. You’ve probably used Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook before, but Office apps aren’t always included with computer purchases, and getting access on your own can carry a hefty price tag.

There is technically a barebones freebie version of Office out there, but assuming that basic version of Office won’t work for you (see below), your options essentially come down to paying a rolling monthly or yearly fee for a Microsoft 365 subscription or opting instead for a one-time Office license with the full panoply of apps, which typically costs as much as $430. But right now, StackSocial is offering a Microsoft Office 2021 license for just $30. That’s around 86% off its usual price. Better yet, this license, which is available for either Windows or Mac, is a one-time purchase that grants you unlimited access with no recurring charges.

StackSocial’s deal is a great bargain when compared with the online Microsoft 365 subscription suite that starts at $7 a month or $70 a year for individuals. There’s a free online version of Microsoft Office that you can use as well, but it isn’t nearly as feature complete. (Separately — and notably — Apple users should note that Outlook is now a free app for the Mac.)

Now, a deal this good comes with some caveats. First, this key is good only for a single computer, so you won’t be able to install it on various machines in your home, and if your current computer happens to die, you could run into a snag when trying to transfer it. Likewise, you’re passing up on other benefits you’d get as a 365 subscriber. You won’t get any OneDrive Cloud Storage, nor will you get the fancy new cloud-based AI features like Microsoft Copilot. And while the apps should continue to work as long as your computer does, Microsoft’s support for this version of Office ends on Oct. 13, 2026.

To that last point: Though this is listed as a “lifetime license” — that is, the lifetime of the computer you installed it on — it’s worth noting there’s always a risk that Microsoft could terminate the license. But versions of Stack’s deal have been running for more than a year — the one we bought in early 2022, for instance, still works fine. At this cost, it takes a little over four months for you to get a full return on the investment compared with buying the subscription, so the risk factor isn’t super high here.