Category: Technologies

Arguably the pick of this second round of group phase matches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup sees the USA take on the Netherlands in an intriguing Group E match-up.

The USWNT lived up to their billing as tournament favorites with a dominant 3-0 win over Vietnam in their opening match of the tournament, in a game which saw Sophia Smith score a brace and captain Lindsey Horan add a third.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, edged out Portgual 1-0 thanks to a first-half goal from Stefanie van der Gragt to also leave them in a strong position for qualification to the knockout stage.

The last meeting between these two sides came during the quarterfinals of the Olympics in 2021, with USA coming out on top on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch USA vs. Vietnam, no matter where you are in the world.

USA vs. Netherlands: When and where?

This Group E clash takes place at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, on Thursday, July 22, at 1 p.m. NZST local time.

That makes it a 9 p.m. ET or 6 p.m. PT start in the US and Canada on Wednesday evening. Kickoff in UK time, meanwhile, is at 2 a.m. BST on Thursday morning, while it’s an 11 a.m. AEST start for viewers in Australia.

How to watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch this match — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Australia, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Livestream USA vs. Netherlands in the US

Women’s World Cup matches are being broadcast on Fox in the US. If you’re already a subscriber, you can livestream games via the Fox website. if you’re not, you’ll need a live TV streaming service that carries Fox, the least expensive being Sling TV Blue.

Numerous other live TV streaming services carry local Fox stations as well, namely YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, DirecTV Stream and Fubo. They all cost more than Sling TV, but they also carry more channels. Check out our live TV streaming channel guide for details.

NBC-owned Telemundo, meanwhile, offers all the games in Spanish, and can also be viewed via NBC’s streaming platform Peacock Premium.

One further option in the US for watching matches comes with Tubi TV, which is offering full-length replays of the games in English minutes after they end on the free ad-supported streaming service. You’ll have to sign up for a Tubi account in order to get the games, but you won’t need a credit card or subscription.

Watch USA vs. Netherlands for free in the UK

Football fans in the UK are among the luckiest in the world, as all matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup being shown live on free-to-air channels, with the BBC and ITV sharing broadcast duties. This game will be shown live on BBC1, which means viewers in the UK will be able to stream the game for free on BBC iPlayer. Coverage starts at 1:45 a.m. BST in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Stream USA vs. Netherlands in Australia

Stream USA vs. Netherlands in Canada

Comprehensive live coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup is available in Canada via TSN. Cord cutters can watch via the network’s streaming service TSN Plus.

Stream USA vs. Netherlands in New Zealand

Live coverage of 2023 Women’s World Cup for the co-host nation is with free-to-air channel Prime. Kick-off for this match is at 1 p.m. NZST.

Quick tips for streaming the 2023 Women’s World Cup using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming the Women’s World Cup action live may vary.
• If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
• If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
• All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
• And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.

Earlier this year, Samsung, Google and Qualcomm announced they’re partnering to create a new mixed reality platform. While none of them have announced details on what that platform will entail just yet, Samsung’s mobile chief provided more context about the company’s general vision for mixed reality.

And it will all likely start with our phones.

“So for the short term, perhaps many features or experiences [in] mixed reality would be in connection with [the] smartphone,” T.M. Roh, the president and head of Samsung’s mobile experience business, said through a translator in an interview at the company’s headquarters in Suwon, South Korea.

It’s been a busy year for virtual and augmented reality. Apple announced the Vision Pro, its $3,499 premium standalone headset, while Sony launched the second-gen PlayStation VR and Meta introduced the Quest 3. Samsung, Google and Qualcomm’s upcoming initiative is another sign that tech giants see head-mounted computers as being an important part of where personal computing is headed.

Roh couldn’t share much about the company’s specific plans, but did say the project with Google and Qualcomm is “moving as planned.” Speaking more generally about mixed reality, he said there are two avenues for mixed reality: one that’s linked to smartphones, and another that’s an “ecosystem that can be generated independently by mixed reality.”

He sees the latter standalone category, which is the approach Apple and Meta have taken with their respective Vision Pro and Quest Pro headsets, as being a mid- to long-term play. But there are several technical challenges to overcome before that happens.

“With our senses, we can understand location without feeling dizzy, but then to implement them on a device, that is still quite challenging,” he said. “And that is what consumers expect out of mixed reality as well. So I believe that we have some way to go until we can reach that point.”

The goal with Samsung’s forthcoming mixed reality collaboration will be to establish an open platform for mixed reality, said Roh. When asked, he said the approach is similar to the way Samsung and Google have partnered on Wear OS software for Android-powered smartwatches. As my colleague Scott Stein recently pointed out, that’s one reason why phone-based mixed reality seems like a sensible option for this partnership.

“And for us, the [mixed reality] vision that we are pursuing is where there is an open ecosystem, open platform where many third parties can participate in the MR or the XR ecosystem,” he said.

Although Samsung and its partners have yet to discuss details about this new platform, Roh has some ideas about the types of apps and services that would work well in mixed reality. He thinks there’s an opportunity for mixed reality to improve everyday experiences we already use our phones for, like communication and viewing content on a larger screen. That approach is similar to what we’ve seen in Apple’s promotional videos for the Vision Pro.

Samsung’s entry into mixed reality, especially as part of a partnership with Google, sounds like an opportunity to build up from the devices Samsung already has in its portfolio. If that’s a smaller set of glasses, it could be a phone-connected device rather than something truly standalone. But if that’s the case, it could also mean a smaller form than something like Apple’s Vision Pro.

Samsung isn’t new to VR and AR. Its smartphone-driven Gear VR headset, introduced in 2014 as the Gear VR Innovator Edition, was one of the first gadgets to popularize the technology. It provided simpler VR experiences at a cheaper price than early PC-bound headsets like the Oculus Rift. Google took a similar approach with its Cardboard VR headsets, which like the Gear VR provided phone-based VR experiences at affordable prices. Samsung’s also had several AR features on its phones for years, and manufactured PC VR headsets.

But both company’s have been relatively quiet about their mixed reality ambitions until the announcement of this partnership, with Google’s former head of VR departing the company earlier this year.

It’s unclear when Samsung and its partners will discuss more details about their mixed reality partnership. But at Google’s I/O developer conference in May, Sameer Samat, Google’s vice president of product management for Android, said the company will share more about its “immersive XR” partnership later this year.

ChatGPT maker Open AI , startup Anthropic and tech giants Google and Microsoft have forged an alliance to create a framework for safety standards and the responsible development of what they’re calling “frontier AI” models.

The four tech companies on Wednesday announced the formation of the Frontier Model Forum in a blog post and shared the group’s main areas of focus. The announcement comes less than a week after top executives of those four companies, along with others including Meta and Amazon, met with President Biden and pledged to reduce the dangers that unrestrained artificial intelligence may pose and to abide by AI safety measures which prioritize the public’s security and trust.

The Frontier Model Forum has outlined its blueprint for the coming year with three areas of priority. They include determining best practices for developing and launching AI applications, furthering AI safety research, and having transparent discussions on vulnerability, risks and security with lawmakers, academic institutions and industry peers.

As part of its larger strategy, the group is open to other organizations joining as members if they meet the criteria regarding frontier models, which they defined as “large-scale machine-learning models that exceed the capabilities currently present in the most advanced existing models.” The founding companies plan to assemble an advisory board in the coming months as well.

“Companies creating AI technology have a responsibility to ensure that it is safe, secure, and remains under human control,” said Microsoft’s president and vice chair, Brad Smith, said in a statement. “This initiative is a vital step to bring the tech sector together in advancing AI responsibly and tackling the challenges so that it benefits all of humanity.”

Concerns about AI safety and security risks have prompted calls for multilateral oversight and the establishment of guardrails for consumers and enterprises. Tech firms are being asked to address issues around deepfakes, cybersecurity threats, discrimination and data collection.

Read more: Amazon Web Services Wants to Teach You How to Use Generative AI

Editors’ note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see this post.

At its Galaxy Unpacked event Wednesday, Samsung showed off the latest version of its flagship foldable phone — the Galaxy Z Fold 5. It features a new, gapless hinge and a speedier processor, but it keeps the same $1,800 price tag as last year’s model, the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 5 comes in the lighter and slimmer design teased by T.M. Roh, the president of Samsung’s mobile division. The Z Fold 5 weighs 253 grams (8.92 ounces), which represents a 10-gram decrease from last year’s Z Fold 4 and a 18-gram decrease from the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

The Z Fold 5 is 13.46 mm thick when folded closed, making it 2.44mm slimmer than its predecessor. Despite Samsung’s progress, the world’s thinnest foldable phone is the Honor V2, made by Huawei’s former subsidiary Honor. The Honor V2 is 9.9mm thick when in phone mode. However, that foldable is only available in China.

The key to the Fold 5’s more portable design is what Samsung calls the flex hinge, which allows for a more streamlined construction with fewer moving parts. The new hinge also makes way for both displays to fold completely flat.

Apart from this, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 received a series of incremental improvements such as the newest Snapdragon processor and a brighter internal screen (1,750 nits). It’s the brightest screen on any Z Fold. There’s also support for three SIMs, and the upgraded hinge. For more specifics, feel free to check out the details in CNET’s specs chart below for a side-by-side comparison.

Z Fold 5 vs. Z Fold 4 vs. Z Fold 3

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5G	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G
Cover: 6.2-inch AMOLED (2,316 x 904 pixels), 1-120Hz; internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,176 x 1,812 pixels), 1-120Hz	Cover: 6.2-inch (2,316 x 904; internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,176 x 1,812 pixels)	Cover: 6.2-inch AMOLED (2,268 x 832 pixels); internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,208 x 1,768 pixels)
Cover: 402 ppi, internal: 374 ppi	Cover: 402 ppi, internal: 374 ppi	Cover: 387 ppi, internal: 374 ppi
Open: 6.1 x 5.11 x 0.24 in; closed: 6.1 x 2.64 x 0.53 in	Open: 6.11 x 5.12 x 0.25 in; closed: 6.11 x 2.64 x 0.62 in	Open: 5.04 x 6.22 x 0.25 mm; Closed: 2.64 x 6.22 x 0.63 in; hinge ~0.57in (sagging)
Open: 154.94 x 129.79 x 6.1 mm; closed: 154.94 x 67.06 x 13.46 mm	Open: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mm; closed: 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8 mm	Open:128 x 158 x 6.4 mm; closed:158 x 67 x 16 mm; hinge: ~14.4mm (sagging)
253 g (8.92 oz)	263 g (9.27 oz)	271 g (9.56 oz)
Android 13	Android 12L	Android 11
50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)	50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)	12-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto)
4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (cover screen)	4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (cover screen)	4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (front cover)
TBD	4K	4K
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1	Snapdragon 888
12GB + 256GB/512GB/1TB	12GB +256GB/512GB/1TB	12GB + 256GB/512GB
None	None	None
4,400 mAh (dual-battery)	4,400 mAh	4,400 mAh
Side	Side	Side
USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
None	None	None
5G-enabled, IPX8 water-resistance, S Pen support, 25W wired charging, wireless charging, wireless power share, triple SIM	5G, 30x space zoom camera, IPX8, 25-watt fast-charging (no in-box charger)	5G-enabled; Foldable display, 120Hz refresh rate (front cover and main display), water-resistance, S Pen support
$1,800 (256GB)	$1,800	$1,800 (256GB); $1,900 (512GB)
1,749	1,549	1,599 (256GB); 1,699 (512GB)
AU$2,559	Converts to AU$2,970	AU$2,499 (256GB); AU$2,649 (512GB)

With the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 and recently launched Pixel Fold, Samsung and Google are both trying to combine the phone and tablet experience. But that convenience comes at a sky-high price of $1,800, which is more expensive than buying a phone and a tablet separately in most situations.

Despite their similarities in price and shape, Samsung and Google’s approaches differ slightly. Samsung has given the Z Fold 5 a skinnier cover display that’s easier to use with one hand but feels less like a regular phone when closed. Google’s Pixel Fold has a wider cover screen that makes apps look more natural, but the internal tablet-size screen didn’t look as immersive or bright as Samsung’s in my testing.

Read more: Samsung Unpacked: Everything You Need to Know

Otherwise, both devices run on the same new processors found in other premium phones in each company’s lineup. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 has the same custom Qualcomm chip as the Galaxy S23 series, while the Pixel Fold has the Pixel 7 family’s Tensor G2 processor. The cameras on each phone are a step down from those found on Galaxy S23 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro, but still fall into what’s typically expected of a high-end phone.

Since they both cost the same, the biggest factor to consider when deciding between the two comes down to display preferences. If you’d rather have a wider cover screen and a design that feels more like a notebook when closed, the Pixel Fold might be the better choice. Although I haven’t tested the Galaxy Z Fold 5 extensively yet, the Galaxy Z Fold 4‘s internal screen looked sleeker and more enveloping than the Pixel Fold’s, thanks to its slimmer borders.

We’ll have more advice once we’ve had a chance to review the Galaxy Z Fold 5. But in the meantime, check out the table below to see how the two phones compare on paper.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 specs vs. Google Pixel Fold

	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5	Google Pixel Fold
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate, brightness	Cover: 6.2-inch AMOLED (2,316 x 904 pixels), 1-120Hz; internal: 7.6-inch AMOLED (2,176 x 1,812 pixels), 1-120Hz	Cover: 5.8-inch (2,092 x 1,080 pixels) 60-120 Hz; internal: 7.6-inch OLED (2,208 x 1,840 pixels)
Pixel density	Cover: 402 ppi; internal: 374 ppi	Cover: 408 ppi; internal: 380 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	Open: 6.1 x 5.11 x 0.24 in.; closed: 6.1 x 2.64 x 0.53 in.	Open: 5.5 x 6.2 x 0.2 in.; closed: 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 in.
Dimensions (millimeters)	Open: 154.94 x 129.79 x 6.1 mm; closed: 154.94 x 67.06 x 13.46 mm	Closed: 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm; closed: 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8 mm
Weight (grams, ounces)	253 g (8.92 oz.)	283 g (9.98 oz.)
Mobile software	Android 13	Android 13
Camera	50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)	48-megapixel (main), 10.8-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera	4-megapixel (under display); 10-megapixel (cover screen)	8-megapixel (inner screen); 9.5-megapixel (cover screen)
Video capture	TBD	4K
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2	Tensor G2
RAM/storage	12GB + 256GB/512GB/1TB	12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB (US, UK, Germany)
Expandable storage	None	None
Battery	4,400 mAh (dual-battery)	4,821 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Side	Side
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None
Special features	5G-enabled, IPX8 water resistance, S Pen support, 25W wired charging, wireless charging, wireless power share, triple SIM	5G (mmw/Sub6), IPX8 rating, 5x optical zoom, dual SIM, estimated 24-33 hours battery life
US price off-contract	$1,800	$1,799
UK price	1,749	1,749
Australia price	AU$2,559	Converts to AU$3,340

The Galaxy Watch 6 may be the newest Samsung wearable on the block, but the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is getting a software update to add some long-awaited features for hikers, runners and walkers. The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro remains in Samsung’s watch lineup at $450 as the company’s rugged offering, targeted to outdoor adventurers and anyone who wants a Samsung watch with the longest-lasting battery.

Samsung already teased several updates coming to One UI 5 Watch earlier in the year, like sleep tracking improvements and personalized heart rate zones during workouts, but the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro gets some exclusive features.

Now, the watch can tell you the required time needed for a route, as well as the remaining distance left on a trail. It will also give you altitude alerts. Apple is also bringing elevation alerts to all compatible Apple Watches with an update to WatchOS 10 arriving in the fall.

The Watch 5 Pro is the only Samsung watch that’s compatible with GPX files to get route information and turn-by-turn navigation on the wrist. You’ll be able to access the Trailforks database to find maps and GPX files of new routes, or get recommendations on nearby trails sorted by rating or popularity. The route workout option now supports walking and running, alongside the existing cycling and hiking options.

Samsung has slowly been adding more features to the Galaxy Watch 5 series with software updates. The skin temperature sensor wasn’t active at launch, but in April this year the company turned it on to support menstrual cycle tracking. A new Thermo Check app uses this same sensor to measure the temperature of surroundings and WhatsApp recently launched for the watch.

Samsung has routinely impressed us with its unique Z Series foldable phones, with both of the previous models earning a spot on our list of the best Android phones for 2023. And now, after months of rumors, the latest generation is here. Samsung just announce the new Z Fold 5 — along the smaller Z Flip 5, a new generation of smartwatches and a new tablet lineup — at its massive Unpacked event.

The new Z Fold 5 won’t officially begin shipping until August 11, but if you’re looking to upgrade to one of these sleek new foldables, you’ll want to get your order in before then. Samsung has some great preorder offers available right now that can save you up to $1,000 when you trade-in your old phone, and you’ll get a storage upgrade for free. That mean’s you’re getting the 512GB model for the same price as the 256GB model, which saves you $120.

For the time being, Samsung is the only place to order the new Z Fold 5, but we expect other retailers and carriers to start listing it soon, along with plenty of other great preorder offers. We’ll continue to update this page as new deals become available, so be sure to check back often.

What colors does the Galaxy Z Fold 5 come in?

There are three main color variants for the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 — phantom black, cream and icy blue. However, there are also two exclusive variants — gray and blue — that are only available if you order through Samsung directly.

How much does the Galaxy Z Fold 5 cost?

The new Galaxy Z Fold 5 retains the same list prices as the previous-gen Z Fold 4, and starts at $1,800 before any discounts or offers are applied.

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (256GB): $1,800
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (512GB): $1,920
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (1TB): $2,160

Best Galaxy Z Fold 5 deals

At the moment, Samsung is still the only one carrying the new Z Fold 5, but we expect plenty of other offers from more carriers and retailers to start popping up shortly.

Now that Samsung Unpacked has been and gone, there are a number of new products to be had, with the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic the company’s latest wearables. They’re available for preorder right now, with up to $250 off and a free second band thrown in, too.

Samsung’s latest wearables are an iteration on the previous year’s offerings and are sure to be popular, with prices starting at $300, depending on the model you’re looking at. But you can actually pick up a new Galaxy Watch 6 for just $50 if you’re trading in an old watch.

Even if you aren’t trading anything in, you’ll still benefit from a freebie — Samsung is throwing a free second fabric band in with all orders.

What colors do the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic come in?

If you’re picking up a Galaxy Watch 6 you can choose between graphite and gold colors, with both shipping for delivery on Aug. 11.

The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is offered in more muted colors, with black and silver models available with the same Aug. 11 delivery date.

How much do the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic cost?

Pricing up a new Samsung wearable will depend on which model and configuration you’re in the market for, and that’s before we start to look at trading an older watch in. That being said, the general gist isn’t all that complicated once you know what you’re looking for.

Without discounts, the Galaxy Watch 6 offerings cost:

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm): $300
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (40mm, cellular): $350
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm): $330
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (44mm, cellular): $380
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm): $400
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (43mm, cellular): $450
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (47mm): $430
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (47mm, cellular): $480

Best Galaxy Watch Series 6 deals

The new Galaxy Z Fold 5, announced on Wednesday at Samsung’s Unpacked event in Seoul, is a modest improvement over its predecessor, the Z Fold 4. Samsung is gradually refining the design of its foldable phones and attempting to reduce the compromises that come from prioritizing a foldable screen over battery life and photography.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5, along with the newly announced Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy Watch 6 series and Galaxy Tab S9 family, launches on Aug. 11. It starts at $1,800 just like the Z Fold 4, proving foldable devices that double as phones and tablets are still a luxury.

The biggest change I noticed in my short time with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the new hinge, which enables the new phone to fold completely shut without a gap. The redesigned hinge, which is also found on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, makes Samsung’s new foldables look and feel sleeker than previous models. Samsung says the new hinge should provide better durability since it has fewer moving parts, although both the Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 still have an IPX8 water resistance rating like their predecessors.

The ability to close more seamlessly makes a significant difference, especially on a device like the Z Fold that’s already bulky when closed. It’s also a notable change since Google’s Pixel Fold, which is likely to be the Z Fold 5’s biggest foldable competitor in the US, also has a gapless design.

During my time with the Z Fold 5, the 7.6-inch folding screen’s crease was still very visible. But it felt flatter when I scrolled and swiped on it.

Samsung also says the internal screen’s brightness now matches the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s peak brightness, making it the brightest display on a Fold device. It was difficult to tell during the limited time I had with the phone, but I imagine this will be more noticeable when using it outdoors. Samsung’s displays are already usually very bright in my experience, especially compared to Google’s Pixel phones, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this change pushes that further.

On the Galaxy Z Fold, that internal screen is the star of the show. Using the Galaxy Z Fold 4 as my main phone made me see the benefit of having a larger screen that fits in your pocket. Samsung knows this, which is why it’s improving the way multiple apps work on the Z Fold 5. You can now use two hands to drag and drop, which should make it easier to move content between apps without stretching your fingers. Samsung says TikTok is now optimized for the internal display, which should make browsing video clips more satisfying.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 both get a processor upgrade to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the same chip that powers the Galaxy S23 series. The new processor is expected to bring improvements to battery life and image processing, a claim that I found to be true when I reviewed the Galaxy S23 series. Hopefully that holds true for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, because the camera hardware and battery capacity are otherwise the same as last year. There’s also a thinner new S Pen for the Galaxy Z Fold 5, although you’ll still have to buy it separately.

While the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is an improvement, there’s still plenty of room for Samsung’s book-shaped foldable phone to further evolve. That’s especially true now that Samsung is facing more competition from Google and others. The $1,800 price, for example, is likely to be a major barrier for most shoppers. Samsung should also bundle the S Pen with the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at that price, much like it does with its tablets. In its fifth generation, I was also hoping to see a less visible crease.

However, some of these criticisms come from the notion that foldables are still relatively niche and expensive to produce. But Samsung’s early start in the foldables arena should give it an advantage when that eventually changes.

And based on data from market research firms, it looks like foldable phones are slowly but surely gaining traction. While foldables only accounted for a fraction of global smartphone shipments in 2022, according to the International Data Corporation, the worldwide foldable phone market grew by 64% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2023, according to Counterpoint Research. Samsung is leaning into productivity and entertainment to convince shoppers that the $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 5 is worth the price, as evidenced by the device’s more luminous screen and minor software updates.

Verizon’s partnership with the NFL and YouTube is extending to NFL Sunday Ticket. On Wednesday the wireless carrier announced that it would be making the popular out-of-market football package available at a discount through its Plus Play content management platform, and bundling in the upcoming NFL season for free for some new wireless and home internet subscribers.

Plus Play, which was announced last year, is Verizon’s attempt to become the hub for managing your various subscriptions and streaming services. The carrier handles billing and has partnered with a host of major brands including Disney Plus, Max, Netflix and Xbox to sell their respective subscriptions on its platform as well as offer discounts to Verizon users.

The company has long partnered with the NFL, including selling its NFL Plus service on Plus Play, and has similarly offered YouTube TV subscriptions as part of Plus Play. With YouTube taking over from DirecTV as the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket starting this season, a new deal for Verizon users isn’t a big surprise.

The ways to save on Sunday Ticket with Verizon

As for how to get the savings on Sunday Ticket when the deal enters the market on July 27, well, it’s a bit complicated.

The simplest and largest savings: Switch to Verizon, sign up for its pricier, new Unlimited Plus plan and get a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 or Z Fold 5, and the carrier will give you a year of Sunday Ticket for free. That’s a savings of $449 compared to the regular price YouTube will charge for Sunday Ticket if you don’t also pay for YouTube TV, or a $399 savings from what the company is currently charging (with the $50 discount coming via a promotion it’s running through September 19).

Other eligible phones for this offer include Google’s Pixel Fold, Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro as well as Motorola’s Edge Plus and Samsung’s Galaxy S23 line. Verizon tells CNET the deal will similarly be available with Apple’s iPhone 14 line.

It is worth noting that this version of Sunday Ticket doesn’t include the popular RedZone channel, but you can add that in for $40. It also isn’t offering YouTube TV proper, which is Google’s cable-like streaming service and has local channels for ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox.

As NFL Sunday Ticket only streams games that are available outside your local television area (or what is known as out-of-market broadcasts), you will need a subscription to the $73-per-month YouTube TV proper — or an antenna, satellite, cable or streaming provider — to watch NFL games that air on local CBS and Fox stations in your area on Sunday afternoons even if you have Sunday Ticket.

New home internet users who sign up for one of Verizon’s pricier plans — 5G Home Plus or LTE Home Plus for wireless broadband, Fios 1 Gig or 2 Gig for wired broadband — can similarly get a free season of Sunday Ticket. Home internet users in the “select cities” of Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. can also get “up to” $150 in Fanatics gift cards.

Those signing up for Fios Gig can get a $150 gift card, while those choosing the 500Mbps or 300Mbps options can get $50 gift cards.

As for existing wireless customers, Verizon is offering $100 off a subscription to Sunday Ticket, but the carrier tells CNET that these users will need to switch to its new Unlimited Plus plan to be eligible. Existing Fios users can also get $100 off.

In either scenario, you will then need to sign up for Sunday Ticket through Plus Play.