Technologies

Anycubic Kobra Go 3D Printer Review: An Expert and a Novice Weigh-In

The price is right for beginners, but the setup feels more appropriate for intermediate 3D printing hobbyists.

Anycubic’s updated 3D printer lineup has impressed us this year, with products like the Kobra Max and the Photon M3. Another new addition, the $200 Kobra Go, is an ambitious attempt to crack the budget 3D printer code.

8.0

Anycubic Kobra Go

$200 at Amazon

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Like

Auto-bed-leveling for $200
Removable build plate
Excellent price

Don’t Like

The manual can be hard to read
Needs fine-tuning from the start

While I’m an advanced 3D printer user, this is a product aimed at beginners, so I also asked my colleague Russell Holly to test the Kobra Go and compare it to other budget 3D printers he’s tried, such as the Anycubic Kobra. I’m including his observations alongside my own.

Some assembly required

The Kobra Go is shipped in semikit form. That means while you will have to put together a lot of the mechanical pieces, you don’t have to run cables or use any tools apart from the included hex wrenches.

The upside of a kit is that you can learn what all the pieces are, and to some degree what they do, as you build it, though the manual doesn’t go into too much detail. The assembly is certainly something that can be done by just about anyone, and is worth the time because it introduces you to some pretty advanced features.

Russell: Anycubic’s general ease of use and even greater ease of repair is frequently marred by less-than-stellar instruction manuals, and the Kobra Go is no exception. User error aside (I admit to missing a page in the manual, which was totally on me) the manual regularly changes the perspective of the printer when trying to show you how to connect different pieces, causing the user to stop multiple times to confirm it’s not being installed backward.

It’s not that the instructions are unreadable, in fact far from it, but there’s a lot of room for improvement given the audience these printers are aiming for. I would go so far as to suggest a video demonstration for first-time 3D printer owners would be appropriate for something like this.

It’s still a $200 3D printer (with extras)

While most 3D printers in the $180 to $220 range are pretty similar in terms of print quality, the addition of auto-bed-leveling at this price is a compelling selling point for the Kobra Go. I’ve said many times that ABL should become the industry standard and Anycubic including it in a printer in the extreme budget section is a good sign. Having ABL on every machine would make 3D printing much more accessible.

The quality from the CNET test print showed some instances where the Kobra Go isn’t calibrated quite right, but with a little effort and some tweaking of the software, you should be able to print quality models reliably.

Russell: The print quality for the Kobra Go is exactly what I expected for a $200 3D printer. I wouldn’t use this for printing something with high detail or lots of fine edges, but simple shapes or pieces for a larger project can easily be printed on this machine. With a little bit of practice, it wouldn’t be all that limiting for most projects.

Kit vs. cost

When it comes to making a budget 3D printer, there’s a balance between cost and usability. By selling the Kobra Go in kit form, Anycubic can save money in assembly and shipping, giving the company scope to add auto-bed-leveling and other premium features.

Whether you’re brand-new to 3D printing and looking to learn as you go (and willing to put in some effort to build it), or if you’re just looking for a cheap 3D printer with ABL, the Kobra Go makes a good case for taking a DIY approach.

Technologies

New AT&T Elite 2.0 Phone Plan Boosts Wireless Hotspot and Data Performance

For customers willing to pay for it, the new top plan offers more high-speed data and performance than the former one.

Only a few weeks after overhauling its unlimited phone plans, AT&T has added a new plan to the top of the lineup that offers more data and performance — for a higher price. The AT&T Elite 2.0 plan is available now.

For a single line, Elite 2.0 costs $110 (plus taxes and fees). As more lines are added, the per-line price goes down. AT&T customers can mix and match plans on an account, but if we assume everyone is signing up for the Elite 2.0 plan, the costs break down like this:

• One line: $110
• Two lines: $100 per line, $200 total
• Three lines: $85 per line, $255 total
• Four lines: $75 per line, $300 total
• Five lines: $75 per line, $375 total

To compare it with AT&T’s next-priciest option, the Premium 2.0 plan costs $90 for a single line, or $55 per line on an account with four lines.

What’s included in the AT&T Elite 2.0 plan

For those amounts, the plan includes unlimited high-speed 5G data, prioritized even during network congestion, just like the Premium 2.0 plan, and 250GB of hotspot data (up from 100GB for the other plan). It also includes cellular access for one smartwatch and one tablet per line.

For travelers, Elite 2.0 has unlimited international talk, text and 20GB of high-speed data per month in 210 countries. The Premium 2.0 plan has unlimited talk, text and high-speed data, but only for 20 Latin American countries.

Aside from the data amounts, the Elite 2.0 plan includes AT&T Turbo, a feature normally offered as an add-on that increases data performance for video calling, gaming and streaming on 5G-capable devices. For other plans, AT&T Turbo costs $7 per line per month.

(AT&T Turbo is a separate feature from AT&T Turbo Live, which is designed to boost performance in certain crowded venues such as concerts or sporting events.)

AT&T Elite 2.0 vs Premium 2.0

	Price for 1 line, per month	Price for 4 lines, per month	High-speed data	Mobile hotspot	International Call/Data	AT&T Turbo
AT&T Premium 2.0	$90	$220 ($55 per line)	Unlimited	100GB	Unlimited talk, text and high-speed data in 20 Latin American countries; unlimited texting from US to 200+ countries	Not included
AT&T Elite 2.0	$110	$300 ($75 per line)	Unlimited	250GB	Unlimited talk, text and 20GB high-speed data in 210 countries	Included

Technologies

Stuck in a Coffee Rut? ChatGPT Can Now Plan Your Next Starbucks Order

Don’t be surprised if the chatbot suggests mixing espresso with lemonade.

If you like getting your daily cup of coffee from Starbucks, you’ll now be able to consult with ChatGPT for your next beverage. Starbucks said on Wednesday that a new Starbucks app in ChatGPT, now in beta, will help you figure out your next order based on your mood or craving in the moment.

Although you won’t be able to order your Starbucks coffee directly through the ChatGPT app, it will suggest drinks and menu items you may enjoy, then direct you to the Starbucks app or website to complete your order.

OpenAI has added a host of other apps you can interact with in ChatGPT since announcing the functionality last year. You can do everything from browsing home listings to designing playlists without leaving the chatbot interface.

You’ll be able to use prompts like, «@Starbucks, I want something bright to start my morning,» or upload an image to describe your mood and location. Once the menu suggestion appears in ChatGPT, you can start the order through the chatbot and then complete it in the Starbucks app or online.

Paul Riedel, senior vice president of digital and loyalty at Starbucks, said in a statement that Starbucks noticed customers weren’t always starting off by looking at the menu. «They’re starting with a feeling,» he said. «We wanted to meet customers right in that moment of inspiration and make it easier than ever to find a drink that fits.»

Starbucks said interacting with ChatGPT lets you personalize your order more and discover menu options you never considered before.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

When I tried out the new feature, I asked it about the oddest beverage combinations you can get at Starbucks. One interesting combo ChatGPT came up with was espresso with lemonade. The AI described another drink as «basically liquid dessert soup,» if that’s more up your alley.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 16, #570

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 16 No. 570.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one, especially if you enjoy unusual team names. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Put your glasses on for this.

Green group hint: Hoops home.

Blue group hint: The minors.

Purple group hint: Hidden hoops word.