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When Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 Ultra at its Unpacked event earlier this month, you’d be forgiven if you forgot that there were two other phones introduced: the Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus. The hype for the Ultra (and the Galaxy Ring) mostly overshadowed the other two. And that’s a shame because after using the S24 and S24 Plus for the past two days, I’m starting to think that the best Samsung phone to get in 2024 might not be the Ultra.

Most of my time has been spent testing the Galaxy S24 Plus which has been an absolute delight. If the S24 Plus were an illustration, it would basically be the Venn diagram overlap between the regular S24 and the S24 Ultra. But this year, the S24 Plus skews a bit more towards the Ultra, and the Ultra skews a bit more expensive, thanks to a $100 price increase. All of this has become a bit of a conundrum for me as I got to know the S24 Plus better. Is the $1,000 ( 999, AU$1,699) Galaxy S24 Plus a poor man’s Ultra?

Read more: Best Android Phone of 2024

While its aluminum design, squared off sides and iPhone-like rounded corners are just a bigger version of the regular S24, the Galaxy S24 Plus has a new screen that has the same resolution as the S24 Ultra. In fact, since the S24 Plus has a smaller 6.7-inch display, compared to the 6.8-inch one on the Ultra, the Plus actually has a higher pixel density. It’s only an 8-pixel difference and I know most people can’t see it. I can’t see it myself, but in my heart I know it’s more and that’s something.

The Plus and Ultra have the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, screen brightness and resolution, RAM, Galaxy AI features and storage options (except 1TB is reserved only for the Ultra). The Ultra is made of titanium instead of aluminum, has an ever-so-slightly bigger battery, houses an S Pen and, of course, has better cameras (on paper).

But now that the Ultra is $1,300, it costs $300 more than the S24 Plus. While I need to test the S24 Plus more to see if that $300 gap is worth it or not, the Plus has already made an impression on me after just a couple of days.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Come in Yellow, Violet, Gray and Black

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During my testing, the S24 Plus lasted two days on a single charge, ending the second day at 11 p.m. with the battery at 11%. The S24 Plus has a larger 4,900-mAh battery than last year’s S23 Plus, which has a 4,700-mAh battery. The first day of use involved a lot of downloading, having the screen on at full brightness for a photoshoot in the morning and then keeping the screen at full brightness for a video shoot in the afternoon. And that was all while trying out new features like Circle to Search throughout the day. The Plus’ battery ended the first day at 38%.

The second day was a bit more normal in terms of my workflow. I tried more new AI features. The phone can expand a photo’s frame to show parts that were cut off, and it can erase an object from an image. I’m obsessed with keeping the horizons on my photos level (sorry, my dad was an architect) so being able to straighten a photo and then use the S24 Plus’ onboard AI, called Generative Edit, to create new edges seemed too good to be true. The results weren’t great, but they weren’t horrible either.

I had a similar experience using the same Generative Edit tool on photos. The untouched photo below is of my CNET colleague Mariel Myers.

Take a look below at another version of the photo. Using the edit tool, I moved the striped pillow, enlarged it and repositioned it above Mariel’s head. I also straightened the photo, then let the AI do its thing. The results? For better or worse, it’s obvious that something has been altered, but it’s still fun. The fill around the photo’s edges and the background fill where the couch pillow was look off. Note that the bottom left corner now has a tiny AI watermark to let you know that the photo was altered. The photo’s EXIF data also includes a “Modified with Generative edit” label.

I did one more version, which you can see below. This time I moved the coffee cup from the table, enlarged it and placed it above Mariel’s head. The S24 Plus did a better job filling things in here. The part of the table the phone’s AI generated to fill in where the coffee cup was looks decent on a first glance. If you look closer though, you can tell something was altered on that corner.

Let’s come back to the Circle To Search feature. It should really be called Circle To Buy — it’s like having Google Lens built right into the screen. If there’s an image being shown on a website, app or social feed you can circle it, or a part of it, to start an instant Google search.

I came across a photo of a dog wearing sunglasses while on Instagram (which I immediately liked of course). I pressed and held the home button for a second, then circled the dog in the image. Search results for bulldogs populated the bottom of the screen. I tried the feature again on the same photo, this time circling the dog’s sunglasses. The search results showed that the glasses were from Prada (this was clearly a fancy dog) and included several different options to buy them. And no, though I was tempted, I did not.

The S24 Plus has the same cameras on the back as the S23 Plus: a trio of wide, ultrawide and telephoto lenses. The main camera has a 50-megapixel sensor. Below are a few photos I took with the main camera and as you can see in good lighting, images look great. No surprise there.

So after two days, I can only come to one conclusion about the Galaxy S24 Plus: I have a lot more testing to do. My full impressions will be coming soon in a future review. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to solve my Ultra vs. Plus conundrum, too.

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

If you want to shake up your emoji life and you have an iPhone, you’ve now got 118 new ways to do it. Emojis are elaborate and creative these days, with the newest update adding a lime and a phoenix, among other images. The new, colorful little icons are now available on the iPhone, but only as part of the iOS 17.4 beta. Folks not using the beta version will have to wait for the final public release of iOS 17.4, expected in March or April.

Some of the emoji — like the phoenix, brown mushroom, lime and a broken chain — are new. Others are variations of emoji that already exist, with different skin tones or simply turned in a different direction. Those adjusted emoji include people walking, running, kneeling, using wheelchairs and using white canes. There are also four new gender-neutral family group emoji.

You won’t be able to find these new emoji on your keyboard just yet, though. While version 15.1.0 of the Unicode was approved on Sept. 12 (you can read all of it here), there’s always a lag between the approval and its release. Emojipedia had estimated that the new emoji would be available in early 2024.

It’s also likely that each emoji’s appearance will be slightly different depending on whether you use an Apple or Android smartphone.

The emoji update before this one included a long-awaited pink heart, a shaking-head smiley and a donkey, moose and goose.

Honestly, though, according to emoji reference site Emojipedia, it’s the simple emoji that really resonate with users. The top three most-used emoji in 2023 were the crying with laughter face, the rolling on the floor laughing face and the simple red heart, Emojipedia Editor in Chief Keith Broni said, according to the New York Post. Of the new emojis released in 2023, three hearts with different colors — pink, blue and gray — were among the most popular, along with the shaking face.

Here are tips on how to decipher certain emoji, plus five emoji keyboards that make texting more fun. And those emoji won’t be worth much without a phone, so here’s CNET’s guide to the best Apple phone for 2024, plus the best Samsung Galaxy phone, and the best overall Android phone. If option paralysis has set in, here’s how to pick the best smartphone for your needs.

Read also: Apple Will Allow Installation of Rival App Stores on iPhones… but Only in Europe

There’s no point spending potentially hundreds of dollars on a fancy phone, such as the latest iPhone and Samsung, and not also buying a good quality case for them. While it’s true that a stylish and rugged case for phones can get a bit pricey, Rokform is having a massive 20% discount on everything sitewide when using the promo code ROK2024 at checkout.

Rokform has rugged cases to fit current flagship lineups, from base models all the way to the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. They usually go for $70 each, but this discount drops the cost to under $56. You can also save on cases that’ll fit older models as well as select iPads, which is nice since there aren’t a ton of options for rugged iPad covers out there.

You’ll find other discounts too, such as the MagSafe sport ring to serve as both a stand and a grip for $32 ($8 in savings), a magnetic windshield suction mount for $48 (a $12 savings). Three are even motorcycle and bike mounts, as well as plenty of other accessories you can grab for some pretty great prices.

Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka will be hoping to defend her crown on Saturday as she takes on world No. 13 Qinwen Zheng in what looks set to be an intriguing Australian Open women’s final.

Sabalenka had to see off the challenge of Coco Gauff in their semifinal on Thursday to set up this clash, having beaten the American teenager in straight sets to avenge her defeat in the US Open final last September.

China’s Zheng, meanwhile, is appearing in her first ever grand slam title match, with the 21-year-old having beaten Dayana Yastremska in assured style in straight sets.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch this match live wherever you are in the world.

Qinwen Zheng vs. Aryna Sabalenka: When and where?

The 2024 Australian Open women’s final match between Qinwen Zheng and Aryna Sabalenka takes place on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park no earlier than 7:30 p.m. AEDT local time. That makes it a 3:30 a.m. ET, 12:30 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and an 8:30 a.m. start in the UK.

How to watch the Australian Open 2024 online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the tournament locally, you may need a different way to watch games — 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. If your internet provider or mobile carrier has stuck you with an IP address that incorrectly shows your location in a blackout zone, a VPN can correct that problem by giving you an IP address in your correct, non-blackout area. 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 Canada, 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 Qinwen Zheng vs. Aryna Sabalenka in the US

Tennis fans in the US can watch every remaining singles match of the Australian Open on ESPN. If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch the match with a live TV streaming service. All five of the major services offer ESPN.

All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.

Coverage is also available via the network’s streaming service ESPN Plus.

Livestream Qinwen Zheng vs. Aryna Sabalenka in the UK

Tennis fans in the UK will need to subscribe to Eurosport or the streaming service Discovery Plus to watch the Australian Open live.

Livestream Qinwen Zheng vs. Aryna Sabalenka in Australia for free

Tennis fans Down Under can watch live coverage of this match on free-to-air Channel 9. That also means you’ll be able to watch the action online via the network’s streaming service 9Now.

Stream Qinwen Zheng vs. Aryna Sabalenka in Canada

Live coverage of the Australian Open will be available in Canada via TSN. Cord cutters can watch via the network’s streaming service TSN Plus.

We’re just weeks away from Super Bowl LVIII, which means it’s time to prep for festivities. If you’re considering upgrading your entertainment space with a new TV for the Super Bowl, there are plenty of great options out there. When you’re talking big screens, the TVs tend to get pricey, so we’ve gathered some stellar deals to help you snag a new screen in time for kickoff, without paying full price.

Read more: How to Get Your TV Ready for the Super Bowl

Want to text someone a colorful reminder that they should bring home some limes for gin and tonics? Or mushrooms for stroganoff? Or maybe to encourage them they can rise from the ashes, like a phoenix? Then this next batch of 118 emoji is for you. The new, colorful little icons are now available on the iPhone, but only as part of the iOS 17.4 beta. Those not using the beta version will have to wait for the final public release of iOS 17.4, expected in March or April.

Some of the emoji — like the phoenix, brown mushroom, lime and a broken chain — are new. Others are variations of emoji that already exist, with different skin tones or simply turned in a different direction. Those adjusted emoji include people walking, running, kneeling, using wheelchairs and using white canes. There are also four new gender-neutral family group emoji.

You won’t be able to find these new emoji on your keyboard just yet, though. While version 15.1.0 of the Unicode was approved on Sept. 12 (you can read all of it here), there’s always a lag between the approval and its release. Emojipedia had estimated that the new emoji would be available in early 2024.

It’s also likely that each emoji’s appearance will be slightly different depending on whether you use an Apple or Android smartphone.

The emoji update before this one included a long-awaited pink heart, a shaking-head smiley and a donkey, moose and goose.

Here are tips on how to decipher certain emoji, plus five emoji keyboards that make texting more fun. And those emoji won’t be worth much without a phone, so here’s CNET’s guide to the best Apple phone for 2024, plus the best Samsung Galaxy phone, and the best overall Android phone. If option paralysis has set in, here’s how to pick the best smartphone for your needs.

Read also: Apple Will Allow Installation of Rival App Stores on iPhones… but Only in Europe

Having booked their place in the Carabao Cup final earlier this week, Chelsea will be hoping to take a step closer to making a second appearance at Wembley this season as they host Aston Villa in this FA Cup fourth-round tie.

Chelsea have won the FA Cup on eight occasions and have an impressive record of just two defeats from their last 47 ties at Stamford Bridge in this tournament.

Standing in their way of progress to the fifth round are an in-form Aston Villa, who have become genuine English Premier League title contenders under boss Unai Emery. The Spanish coach earned the moniker of “King of Cups” for his glittering time at Villarreal, and the former Arsenal manager will be relishing the opportunity for a deeper run in football’s most famous club knockout competition.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world.

Chelsea vs. Aston Villa: When and where?

Chelsea host Aston Villa in this FA Cup fourth-round tie at Stamford Bridge in west London on Friday, Jan. 26. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. GMT local time in the UK (2:45 p.m. ET, 11:45 a.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 6:45 a.m. AEST on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Australia).

How to watch the Chelsea vs. Aston Villa game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — 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 Canada, 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 the Chelsea vs. Aston Villa game in the US

This cup match at Stamford Bridge is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 2:45 p.m. ET (11:45 a.m. PT) on Wednesday for viewers in the States.

Can I livestream the Chelsea vs. Aston Villa game in the UK?

The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are sharing live duties for this season’s FA Cup. The bad news is that this game has not been selected to be shown live on either network.

That also means that if you’re in the UK traveling for pleasure or for work, you’re unlikely to be able to watch the game like you normally would at home thanks to geo-blocking.

There is one option to get around this, however. By using a VPN, as explained above, you can set your location to a country where the match is being broadcast and go from there.

Can I livestream Chelsea vs. Aston Villa in Canada?

Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet.

Livestream Chelsea vs. Aston Villa game in Australia

ViacomCBS holds the broadcast rights for the FA Cup in Australia, which means you can watch matches from the tournament live Down Under via streaming service Paramount Plus. You’ll just have to set an alarm for the early hours of Saturday morning: kickoff is at 6:45 a.m. AEDT.

Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming FA Cup matches 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.

The stand-out glamour tie of this season’s fourth-round draw sees holders Manchester City travel to north London on Friday to take on Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs.

The hosts edged past Premier League strugglers Burnley with a 1-0 win in the previous round, and will be boosted by the welcome return of midfielder James Maddison for today’s game.

Pep Guardiola’s City haven’t registered a win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their previous five visits, but the Cityzens could also see a key player return to the ranks for this fixture, with machine-like striker Erling Haaland expected to be named in the starting lineup for this tasty-looking cup clash.

Below, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to use to watch the game live, wherever you are in the world.

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City: When and where?

Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester City in this FA Cup fourth-round tie at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, Jan. 26. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. GMT local time in the UK (3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT in the US and Canada, and 7 a.m. AEST on Saturday, Jan. 27 in Australia).

How to watch the Spurs vs. Man City game online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — 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 Canada, 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 the Spurs vs. Man City game in the US

This cup match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is streaming exclusively live in the US on ESPN Plus. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. ET (12 p.m. PT) on Friday for viewers in the States.

Can I livestream the Spurs vs. Man City game in the UK?

The great news for footy fans in the UK is that free-to-air broadcasters the BBC and ITV are sharing live duties for this season’s FA Cup.

Coverage on ITV1 from 7:30 p.m. GMT ahead of the 8 p.m. kick-off.

Can I livestream Spurs vs. Man City in Canada?

Canadian soccer fans looking to watch this FA Cup fixture can watch all the action live via Sportsnet.

Livestream the Spurs vs. Man City game in Australia

ViacomCBS holds the broadcast rights for the FA Cup in Australia, which means you can watch matches from the tournament live Down Under via streaming service Paramount Plus. You’ll just have to set an alarm for the early hours of Saturday morning: kickoff is at 7 a.m. AEDT.

Quick tips for streaming the FA Cup using a VPN

• With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming FA Cup matches 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.

On January 24, 1984, Steve Jobs stood in front of an audience for Apple Computer’s annual shareholders meeting to introduce the Macintosh — and the computer said, “Hello.”

Clad in a double-breasted jacket and bowtie, Jobs pulled the Macintosh out of a bag, inserted a floppy disk into the 3.5-inch drive and started up the machine. The computer began to play a program on screen that showcased how this graphical user interface, controlled by a finger click of a mouse, was “insanely great” — not to mention, the computer also turned some typed-out words into spoken text to greet the crowd with, “Hello, I’m Macintosh. It’s great to get out of that bag.” (You can watch the 1984 shareholders meeting at this link from the Internet Archive.)

Though the $2,495 Macintosh wasn’t cheap, it was much more affordable than the Apple Lisa from the year prior —which listed for $9,995 and also had a graphical interface with mouse control. The Macintosh became the more practical choice for early adopters to give a mouse-driven interface a try.

The idea of operating an all-in-one home computer this way was so novel that using a mouse became a focus of the massive advertising campaign launched to promote the Macintosh in television commercials and magazines — one that had kicked off with a tease two days earlier with the iconic “1984” Macintosh Super Bowl commercial.

Now, 40 years later, we’re about to enter a new era of computing with the launch of the Apple Vision Pro. Apple calls this the spatial computing era, utilizing the space around us for our mixed reality computing work, as spreadsheets and video screens float around in our living room.

The world is very different now than in 1984, and yet there are some parallels between these two moments in history. Consumers today may be asking themselves some of the same questions as four decades ago — a high price for a novel machine leaves folks wondering, “Is it worth it for what it can do? How different will it feel to operate? What programs can I run on it?”

The Vision Pro headset lands in consumer hands on Feb. 2, but for this week’s episode of One More Thing, I wanted to look at these two moments in computer history and think about how Apple will get us thinking differently about what we want from our home computers going forward.

This month I’ve dipped into what other companies are pitching as future tech at CES, the world’s largest consumer electronics show. And as I discuss in the video embedded above, the Vision Pro headset isn’t the only new tech that could influence where personal computing is heading next.