If you’re looking for a low-cost, full sized laptop that can handle all of the basics, Best Buy has you covered with this excellent Chromebook deal. The Acer Chromebook Plus 515 usually lists for about $400, but right now you can get your hands on one for just $279. That’s a $120 discount. Just note that this offer is only available today, Jan. 19, and expires at 11:59 p.m. CT, so you’ll need to make your purchase soon if you want to grab one at this price.
Chromebooks and laptops differ in a few ways, including that Chromebooks use the Chrome operating system and aren’t natively compatible with Windows or Mac software. However, there are ways to access Office apps and other software on a Chromebook, so if you can live with that, today’s deal may be a solid option for the average user.
This Chromebook sports a large 15.6-inch full high-definition display with anti-glare coating that should make it easy to work even when you’re in bright spaces. It also comes equipped with a 12th-gen Intel Core i3 processor and 128GB of flash onboard storage, as well as the ability to access your Google Docs, Sheets and Slides even when you’re offline. It also has DTS audio, AI-powered video call tools and HDMI, USB-A and USB-C ports so you have plenty of versatility for whatever you need. And with up to 10 hours of battery life, you’ll be able to get things done even when you’re on the go.
If this Chromebook isn’t quite the right fit for you, be sure to check out our roundup of all the best laptop deals happening now.
Samsung unveiled its newest Galaxy S24 phones at its Unpacked event. The most premium of the lot is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which has several new features over last year’s model. What’s changed from the S23 Ultra, and should you upgrade? Probably not, but let me explain.
First, here’s what’s changed. The S24 Ultra has a nominal amount of upgrades on its predecessor (mainly under the hood), but is pricier, starting at $1,300, while the S23 Ultra had a $1,200 price tag at launch (and can probably be found for cheaper now).
Read more: Best Android Phone of 2024
The S24 Ultra visually looks identical to its predecessor, with broadly the same design and rear camera layout. There are subtle differences. For instance, Samsung’s new high-end phone has a titanium frame, which should be tougher than the aluminum frame on the S23 Ultra.
For the S24 Ultra, Samsung dispensed with the curved edges of the display found on the S23 Ultra, leaving a flat front (Samsung claims it has 47% less bezel on the sides). That new screen is also brighter with a maximum of 2,600 nits (the S23 Ultra maxed out at 1,750 nits) and thus easier to see in bright daylight. The S24 Ultra’s screen is also made of Corning’s newest and toughest material, Gorilla Glass Armor, while the S23 has Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
In short: it looks the same but should be tougher and have a potentially brighter screen. The S24 Ultra also has an improved cooling system with a vapor chamber that’s twice as large and two added layers of thermal insulation, so we’d expect it to maintain better framerates and temperatures when running performance-intensive operations, like gaming.
As for cameras, the S24 Ultra inherits most of its predecessor’s lenses and sensors but does use a 50-megapixel 5x optical telephoto camera in place of the 10-megapixel 10x optical camera in the S23 Ultra. While the new camera has a shorter optical length, its higher megapixel count should mean photos taken with it are sharper than those shot with the S23’s 10x optical camera. (We’ll know for sure when we can compare both phones’ photo capabilities side by side.) To get to 10x optical length, the S24 Ultra shoots with its 5x optical camera and crop zooms in.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy S24 Phones Have a New Zoom Trick to Get That Close-Up Photo
The S24 Ultra is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S23 Ultra. Configurations have also been simplified in the new premium phone: you can only get 12GB of RAM and 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage (no 8GB RAM option, as there was in the S23 Ultra). The rest of the hardware remains relatively unchanged, although the S24 Ultra should get a minor battery efficiency boost thanks to its newer chipset.
The big difference between the new phones, at least at the launch of the S24 Ultra, is the new phone’s generative AI capabilities, called Galaxy AI. The most noteworthy is Circle to Search, which lets you trace an area on your screen with your stylus or finger to have your phone look up what you’ve circled without ever having to leave the app you’re in. It’s conceivably great for looking things up, like identifying landmarks in the travel photos your friend sends over or trying to track down fashion items in someone’s outfit.
The S24 Ultra (and the rest of the S24 lineup, to be clear) has other generative AI capabilities, like summarizing notes and live translations during phone calls. It can also suggest different tones for text messages depending on who you’re talking to, recommending more formal tones for bosses or casual tones for friends. Generative AI photo tricks let users do things like move or delete some elements, expand photos beyond their original boundaries or correct the tilt of an image, then use AI to fill in the backgrounds and empty areas.
Some of these generative AI features can be processed locally, like live translation, while others require sending requests to the cloud. The S24 Ultra does have a toggle in its settings to require generative AI requests to be performed on the device, which helps keep what you’re asking (and what your phone is addressing) private.
The kicker? Galaxy AI is coming to some older Samsung phones, including the S23 series, at some point in the future. While Samsung hasn’t said when to expect them, these features should come to the S23 Ultra in time.
There are other non-generative AI upgrades the S24 Ultra has over its predecessor, like making photos more stable during movement and improving low-light photography. The S Pen accessory is more or less unchanged from last year.
There is one more upgrade that’s worth mentioning: Samsung expanded how long it’s pledging to support its newest phones. The S24 Ultra comes with Android 14 and will get seven years of Android software and security patches, up from four years in the S23 Ultra (which comes with Android 13). That’s big. For sustainability, the S24 Ultra has more recycled parts, including cobalt in its battery and rare earth elements in its speakers.
Should S23 Ultra owners upgrade to the new S24 Ultra?
You can count the hardware improvements on one hand and they don’t meaningfully change how owners use their new S24 Ultra compared to last year’s S23 Ultra. Ultimately, if you own Samsung’s premium phone from 2023, the only reason you to consider upgrading to the new one is to access generative AI today — or if you wanted a phone that could conceivably last you seven years.
As previously mentioned, all the Galaxy AI features are expected to come to the S23 Ultra at some point in the future. It’s unclear when that will happen, and though Samsung said all of the S24 Ultra’s generative AI features will come to its predecessor, we’re concerned whether last year’s premium phone can pull that off.
Last October, Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 as the first phone-powering chipset to include generative AI on its silicon. That’s the chip powering the S24 Ultra, and presumably, the new phone needs that silicon to process some of its generative AI features. Either the S23 Ultra will require more of those Galaxy AI features to run through the cloud, or the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the S23 Ultra is actually capable of running on-device generative AI, but those features weren’t ready when that chipset launched in late 2022.
Whatever the case, whether you want generative AI weighs more heavily than any other factor on whether it’s worth upgrading from the S23 Ultra to the new S24 Ultra. It’s worth noting that we haven’t gotten to thoroughly experience Galaxy AI ourselves, and can’t make a summary judgment of its usefulness until we do. Once our full review comes out, we’ll be better informed to say whether the S24 Ultra provides a superior experience to its predecessor. For now, we recommend waiting — unless you want to be on the absolute cutting edge of mobile technology.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
Titanium frame, 2,600-nit peak brightness; 7 years of OS and security updates; 5G (mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging (charger not included); Galaxy AI; Wi-Fi 7; Gorilla Glass Armor cover glass
4 years of OS updates, 5G (Sub6, mmWave); IP68 water resistance; wireless PowerShare to charge other devices; integrated S Pen; 100x Space Zoom; 10x optical zoom; UWB for finding other devices; 45W wired charging
US price starts at
$1,300 (256GB)
$1,200 (256GB)
UK price starts at
1,249 (256GB)
1,249 (256GB)
Australia price starts at
AU$2,199 (256GB)
AU$1,949 (256GB)
Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.
At its Unpacked event earlier this week, Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S24 series of smartphones with several upgrades on its predecessors — including Galaxy AI, the company’s set of free generative AI features. But starting in 2026, S24 phone owners may have to start paying for their exciting new AI features.
Buried in the fine print of the Galaxy S24 listing on Samsung’s website are these sentences: “Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices. Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties.”
Samsung responded to a request for comment with a slightly longer version of that fine print, noting “We are committed to making Galaxy AI features accessible to our users and will provide them for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices.” Samsung repeated that AI features provided by third parties may have different terms.
Read more: Galaxy S24 Ultra: One Day With Samsung’s New Phone
Based on that wording, it does seem like Samsung could charge for its Galaxy AI features after that period of free service ends. It’s also possible that Samsung could keep extending its offer of ‘free’ features, much like Apple has extended its Emergency SOS service to iPhone 14 owners beyond the originally promised two free years.
The difference is that Apple was up front about how long it would offer Emergency SOS to users for free, while Samsung relegated its free service pledge to the fine print of a product page. Heck, it wasn’t even clear that the generative AI features on Samsung’s new phones would be considered a service separate from the phone’s other perks.
But there’s a crucial difference between the sort of generative AI features we’ve heard about and Samsung’s Galaxy AI. Late last year, chipmakers Qualcomm and MediaTek showcased the AI features that manufacturers could include in their phones which would only process data and generate content on the device. But Galaxy AI has several features that can only be done via the cloud, which seemingly includes the Google-partnered Circle To Search perk.
Presumably, this is the justification for treating Galaxy AI like a service rather than a static feature like many AI photo-editing tricks that have come on phones for years. For instance, Google hasn’t mentioned any time restriction on the AI editing offered on its newest Pixel 8 phones.
It’s also unclear if the time limit for free service applies only to cloud-based AI features or the entire Galaxy AI suite.
It’s entirely possible that Samsung guaranteed Galaxy AI for free through 2025 to leave the door open for its future plans, or to allow for shifting technologies and service offerings. Indeed, generative AI wasn’t a household concept until ChatGPT arrived in late 2022, so it’s possible that AI features will look very different in 2026. But until we know more, prospective Galaxy S24 owners should be aware that the fanciest features announced for the newest Samsung phones may not be free in the coming years.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
Whatever upgrades you have in mind for your home, Best Buy’s sale is offering plenty of discounts to help you score it at a great price. We’ve gone through and gathered some of the best discounts on TVs, laptops, appliances, soundbars and other great options to save you some time and have highlighted the best offers below. The sale ends on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 9:59 p.m. PT, so if you see something you like, be sure to snag it before the deal expires.
If you want a low-cost way to add some smart automation to your home, you can pick up this three-pack of TP-Link Tapo smart plug minis for $27, which saves you $23 on its regular price. Or take advantage of a timely deal on this Greenworks bundle that includes an 80-volt, 20-inch snowblower and 730 CFM handheld blower, along with two 4 Ah batteries and a rapid charger all for just $450. That’s a $750 discount on its list price.
Other big bargains this weekend include a massive markdown on the 48-inchLG A2 Series TV with an OLED screen, which drops the price from $1,300 to just $600, as well as this 55-inch The Frame TV from Samsung, which is down to $1,200 right now. That’s a $300 savings, and your purchase comes with an extra $100 Best Buy gift card.
You’ll also find deep discounts on new kitchen appliances, in case you’re ready to upgrade. Major appliances are up to 30% off right now. And if you invest in select Samsung appliance packages, you can earn up to $700 in Best Buy credit.
Here are some more of our top picks from Best Buy’s three-day sale:
If you’re in the market for a new smartwatch and have an iPhone, the Apple Watch really is the best option. In fact, the latest Apple Watch Series 9 is one of the best smartwatches period, and now you can put one on your wrist with a massive $70 discount thanks limited-time deals at Amazon and Best Buy.
Right now you can order a new Apple Watch Series 9 in the 41mm size from either retailer for just $329 and the 45mm version is now yours for just $359, too. There are multiple colors on offer across both sizes, as well as discounts on cellular-enabled models, but do note that you have to be a My Best Buy Plus or My Best By Total subscriber to get these special prices.
The Apple Watch Series 9 was just released in fall 2023 and has been upgraded with a new S9 chipset, the first meaningful processor change since the Apple Watch Series 6, for improved speed and power efficiency. The device also features a new Double Tap gesture that opens up some one-handed use possibilities, while also being the first model to include on-device Siri commands. Ultra Wideband capabilities and a brighter display are also on board.
Buyers can look forward to an App Store full of possibilities including health tracking, games, and more. And with Apple Pay support you can make payments on the go even if you don’t have your wallet or iPhone, too.
For more savings on the Apple Watch, be sure to hit up our dedicated Apple Watch deals roundup for the latest discounts and promotions.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 line will receive seven years of major Android upgrades and protection from vulnerabilities, the company said. The new software update policy matches Google’s Pixel 8 line, which at the time of its fall announcement was the longest of any major Android phone maker. Only the eco-conscious Fairphone 5 outlasts this, which will receive eight years of software support.
No matter how long a Galaxy S24 owner holds onto their phone, it should work just as securely in 2031 as it does right now. This also bodes well for anyone that prefers to buy an older device to save money, as the Galaxy S24 line will still have several remaining years of software support even in 2025 or 2026. These long-term software commitments come at a time where people are holding onto their phones longer, an average of 2.93 years, according to the site Statista.
Samsung’s extension could also help lure over iPhone owners who are used to Apple’s practice of providing five or six years of software and security update support. Even though Apple never makes a formal commitment, 2017’s iPhone X and iPhone 8 each received major iOS updates until 2023, and both still receive security updates from Apple.
Longer software and security update timelines could also add value to flagship Android phones. But not every company is making the jump to seven years just yet. In the chart below, we compare the Galaxy S24’s software update timeline against those offered by Google with its Pixel 8, the recently announced OnePlus 12 and last year’s Motorola Razr Plus.
Samsung Galaxy S24 software, security support vs. Google Pixel 8, OnePlus 12, Motorola Razr Plus
Samsung Galaxy S24
Google Pixel 8
OnePlus 12
Motorola Razr Plus
Years of major software updates
7
7
4
3
Years of major security updates
7
7
5
4
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Come in Yellow, Violet, Gray and Black
The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will now be sold without their blood oxygen feature. Apple says the move will allow it to sell its high-end watches while staying in compliance amid an ongoing patent dispute with health tech company Masimo.
Apple said Wednesday that Series 9 and Ultra 2 models that don’t contain the feature will be available on both its website and in US retail stores on Thursday. Customers who buy these versions will still see references to a blood oxygen feature when using the watch, but when they tap it they’ll see a message that the feature is no longer available.
Read more: Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Ban: What You Need to Know
Apple Watch owners who already have a model with a blood oxygen feature are not affected, and internationally Apple is still able to sell watches with the feature.
Apple’s announcement comes after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the company can’t continue to sell watches with a blood oxygen sensor while the feature remains under a patent dispute with health tech company Masimo. In January 2023, a US judge ruled that Apple’s blood oxygen sensing system infringes on Masimo’s patents, leading the US International Trade Commission to issue an order in October that prohibits importing the watch.
“Apple’s appeal is ongoing, and we believe the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit should reverse the USITC’s decision. We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting orders,” Apple said in a statement issued late Wednesday.
The changes to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 have no effect on the Apple Watch SE, which doesn’t include a blood oxygen feature.
Whether you want to take the show on the road or just want to be able to watch TV series and movies on a big screen at home, a portable projector is a great way to do it. They can go anywhere, are small enough to fit in a bag, and aren’t permanent installations in your home. And now you can get one of your own at a price that has never been seen before.
The Anker Nebula Capsule Max would normally set you back around $470 but Amazon will ship you one today for the low price of just $350. It’s a price that doesn’t require any messing around with codes or coupons, thankfully, but there is currently no indication of when the deal will end. That means that buying now is the best route to go down if you want to be sure of getting this discounted price.
The Nebula Capsule Max is small yet has all of the features that you’d expect, starting with the ability to create an image of up to 100 inches big. It has a built-in speaker so you don’t need to take your own if you’re traveling, and it’ll run for up to four hours per charge as well. That’s more than enough for even the longest of movies and plenty of time for marathon gaming sessions.
This portable projector provides a native 720p HD image and you can download all of your favorite video streaming apps via the Nebula Manager Store, too. You can control the whole thing from your phone and there is support for HDMI and USB connectivity not to mention AirPlay, Bluetooth, and Mirracast.
Not sure that you quite need a projector? Our list of the best TV deals is a good place to start before placing your order, too.
As launch day for Apple’s Vision Pro approaches on Feb. 2, the company shared which video streaming apps will be accessible on day one. Netflix is noticeably missing from the list, and according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the streaming giant purportedly didn’t create a native app for the VR headset, nor will it support its iPad version.
Rather, Netflix is urging Vision Pro users to stream its content on a web browser such as Safari. Though it’s one of the few major streaming platforms that won’t have a presence in the app store, Apple is touting the inclusion of Disney Plus, Max, Tubi, ESPN, NBA, MLB, Paramount Plus, Peacock, Pluto TV, Fubo, Crunchyroll, IMAX, TikTok and others. Disney Plus offers an immersive viewing experience using visionOS that allows you to watch select movies in 3D and stream shows and films in hyper-realistic environments. Choices include Marvel’s Avengers Tower or taking in a Tatooine sunset from Luke Skywalker’s ship that CNET’s Scott Stein described as “a Disney-ified Star Wars drive-in experience.”
Pre-orders for the Vision Pro headset kick off on Jan. 19 with a starting price of $3,500. Equipped with Apple’s new visionOS technology, the device features spatial video, audio and photos, an M2 chip, and a digital crown with the ability to let you toggle between augmented and virtual reality settings. In addition to using apps like FaceTime and Apple TV Plus, users entertain themselves with games, music, audiobooks, TV shows, roughly 150 3D movies and Apple’s new Immersive Video format with built-in 8K content.
The Vision Pro app store will have over 1 million apps available on launch day, and it’s likely that number will grow after the headset officially hits shelves.
Netflix didn’t immediately respond for a request for comment.
Among the AI features in Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 phones is a version of Google’s generative AI technology for editing photos. But when you use it, Samsung wants other folks to know.
Samsung’s software will add a quartet of little stars to the lower left corner of the photo when you use generative AI for actions like repositioning people in a shot, expanding a scene or deleting distractions in the background. In addition, Samsung will add invisible text called metadata into the photo file that declares the photo to have been modified by AI, said Hamid Sheikh, Samsung’s vice president of intelligent imaging.
“We understand that with new possibilities for technology, there can also be concerns,” Sheikh said during the Samsung Galaxy S24 launch event. “That’s why with every generated image, we will be adding a watermark to the image and the label in the metadata.”
The move is a notable response to worries AI could strip the truth out of our photos, undermining the trust we have in our visual communications. Watermarks and metadata can help provide some transparency in a world of deepfakes and disinformation.
It’s not yet clear how noticeable Samsung’s moves will be beyond its own phones and photo gallery software. “Since this is a relatively new development without a standardized format, it is currently incompatible on third party devices,” the company said in a statement Thursday. “We are always looking at opportunities for future compatibility.”
Samsung isn’t the only one working on AI transparency measures. Google uses metadata to label its AI-generated images. Adobe uses a more elaborate approach called content credentials that’s designed to detail who made AI-related changes and with what editing tools. It’s backed by camera makers including Sony and Nikon.
Samsung didn’t comment on why it used its own approach.
Modern AI on phones means powerful image editing that sidesteps the difficulties of painstaking photo manipulation in tools like Photoshop. Samsung demonstrated it by elevating a jumping basketball player toward the basketball hoop and expanding the scene for a better composition. Those are pretty dramatic changes to the original shot.
It’s possible that people could strip out Samsung’s metadata and watermarks, for example by expanding a frame with AI then cropping it back to get rid of a watermark. But defaults matter, especially for mainstream use, so it’s likely that the approach would indeed help alert people that generative AI was used to change a photo.
Even if deceptive people want to fool you with fake photos, metadata and watermarks also can play a role for others who want to provide some transparency.
