Technologies

Apple Watch Series 8 vs. SE: Which One Is Right for You?

The Series 8’s extra health-tracking features, faster charging and always-on display separate it from the SE.

Deciding on a new Apple Watch can be challenging, especially if you’re choosing between the $399 Apple Watch Series 8 and the $249 Apple Watch SE.

Unless you’re an avid scuba diver or rock climber — or want to look like one — you’re probably not considering the $799 Apple Watch Ultra. The Series 8 and SE are both intended for everyday wearers that want to keep an eye on their health and fitness levels, but don’t need the Ultra’s larger screen, longer battery life and extra features tailored for the outdoors.

Both the Series 8 and SE run on Apple’s WatchOS 9 software, have the company’s newest chip and are among the first to detect car crashes. That’s in addition to the functionality Apple’s watches have offered for years, like the ability to track workouts, detect hard falls and mirror iPhone alerts.

Which one is right for you depends on what you want in a smartwatch. As someone who primarily uses my Apple Watch for logging exercise, viewing notifications and checking the time, there’s little that I missed when switching from the Series 8 to the SE after testing both.

The biggest reason to choose the Series 8 over the SE right now is its extra health-tracking smarts, such as its new wrist temperature measurements, blood oxygen saturation readings and the ability to take an electrocardiogram. The Apple Watch isn’t a medical device and shouldn’t be treated as such. But those who want more data on their cardiac and respiratory health to share with their doctors might find the Series 8 to be the better choice.

I think the Series 8’s main benefits will become more clear over the long term. Temperature sensing is still new, but I like the idea of being able to see how changes in my baseline temperature may correlate with how I’m feeling that day. The Series 8’s ultrawideband chip, which isn’t present in the SE, may also feel more valuable in a future where unlocking your car with your phone or watch is just as common as using Apple Pay at the checkout counter.

Apple Watch Series 8 with rainbow display on blue background

A larger screen with an always-on display

If you were to ask me what I’ve missed most about using the Apple Watch SE, it’s the always-on display found on the Series 8 and other flagship Apple Watches since 2019. Without an always-on display, the Apple Watch SE’s screen just turns into a black box on my wrist, which isn’t exactly the most attractive look.

When wearing the Series 8 (or the Series 5, 6 or 7), I can view my watch face anytime without having to raise my wrist or touch the watch. I don’t think the always-on display alone is worth paying an extra $150 if you don’t care about the other health extras that come with the Series 8. But I do wish the always-on display was standard across all Apple Watches at this point.

The Apple Watch Series 8 also has a larger display and comes in 41- and 45-millimeter case sizes, compared to the 40 or 44mm SE. Having a bigger display is nice, but the only thing I missed is the Series 8’s QWERTY keyboard for typing responses to text messages (the Series 7 has this too). On the SE, you can still scribble letters, dictate words or send canned responses, but I like the flexibility of being able to quickly type a couple of words. Those who prefer larger text sizes may also want to choose the Series 8 over the SE.

The Series 8 is also available in a pricier stainless steel finish, and the aluminum version comes in an additional Product Red color option not available on the SE.

Apple Watch Series 8 and iPhone with Health app showing temperature readings

More health tracking

Apple’s flagship watches like the Series 8 have evolved into comprehensive health-tracking devices, with the ability to take an ECG from your wrist and monitor blood oxygen levels. The Series 8 and Ultra are the first to get temperature sensors, enabling them to check your wrist temperature overnight and show whether you’ve deviated from your baseline. It takes five nights to set up temperature sensing, since the watch needs enough time to establish your baseline wrist temperature.

Apple says nighttime wrist temperature can be an indicator of overall body temperature, and changes could possibly be caused by illness, jet lag or exercise. Since the Apple Watch doesn’t have a readiness score like Oura or Fitbit, I could see this information being useful for helping me decide whether my body needs extra rest.

I’m hoping Apple weaves wrist temperature readings into new features and insights in the future. Right now, you can see a chart showing how your nighttime temperature readings deviate from your baseline. But it generally seems like it’s up to you to interpret these readings.

A chart from the Apple Health app showing wrist temperature data from the Apple Watch Series 8.

The Apple Watch isn’t a medical device and can’t alert you when you’re sick, so it can be hard to know how to use this data. That’s part of the reason why I never check my blood oxygen levels; it’s just another statistic that I’m not sure what to make of. I’ve been wearing the Apple Watch Series 8 consistently for a couple of weeks, but I’m still not sure what to do with this temperature data.

My nighttime wrist temperature is pretty close to my baseline most of the time, but it’s usually a fraction of a degree higher or lower. Sometimes my deviations are as high as 0.37 degrees Fahrenheit above my baseline or 0.55 degrees below the norm. I can’t connect the dots between those deviations and what may have happened to cause them. It’s also difficult to wear the Apple Watch Series 8 consistently overnight since I have to charge it during some evenings.

Still, having another data point like wrist temperature opens up some interesting opportunities for the future. I’m hoping Apple finds new ways to crunch all of these statistics together to enable new insights and actionable advice. Until then, nighttime wrist temperature is yet another metric you can potentially share with your doctor if you’re not feeling well, but it’s difficult to tell how useful it actually is.

For now, the biggest application for the Series 8’s temperature sensing will likely be fertility tracking. Apple says the Series 8 and Ultra can provide retrospective ovulation estimates and improved period tracking, potentially making the Series 8 a better choice for those who are interested in using it for family planning purposes. That information can be helpful because it provides users with data from their own bodies, rather than just making estimates based on the length of their cycle.

«But this actually gives you real life data because the time of ovulation can vary from person to person from month to month,» said Dr. Angela Bianco, MD, director of maternal fetal medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System. «Some people ovulate earlier in their cycles, others ovulate later in their cycles.»

Again, the Apple Watch isn’t a medical device and shouldn’t be treated as such. It also shouldn’t be used for contraception.

«I stress that women who are trying not to get pregnant should not use this because there can be errors in the data,» said Dr. Alexis Melnick, an OBGYN at NewYork-Presbyterian and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medicine. «And you can have a cycle that is variable that may not follow the regular pattern.»

Apple says data stored in the health app — including female health statistics like ovulation estimates — is encrypted when your iPhone is locked with a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID. The same goes for data backed up to iCloud.

You’ll also want to make sure two-factor authentication is enabled for your iCloud account, which should be turned on by default. This ensures that health data is end-to-end encrypted, meaning Apple cannot read or access your data. To make sure two-factor authentication is on, open the Settings menu on your iPhone, tap your name and choose the Password & Security option.

Apple Watch SE on wrist showing battery percentage

Other extras, like faster charging and ultrawideband

While the Series 8’s extra health sensors are the biggest reason to potentially choose it over the SE, there are a few other extras to consider. The Series 8 can charge more quickly than the SE, as it inherits the fast-charging capabilities of the Series 6 and 7. The Apple Watch Series 8 charged from 70% to 80% in 10 minutes, while the SE charged from 70% to 77% over the same time period. For each watch, I used the included charging cable and the same power adapter plugged into the same outlet. Both watches have Apple’s new low power mode, which dials back certain features like automatic workout detection to extend battery life.

The Series 8, like the Series 6 and 7, also have Apple’s U1 ultrawideband chip. Ultrawideband is a wireless protocol for proximity sensing that’s become common in new flagship phones and smartwatches. Ultrawideband is primarily used for finding misplaced items and gadgets using Apple’s Find My service, or for unlocking your car with more precision than Bluetooth.

If you have a car that’s compatible with ultrawideband, for example, you can unlock your vehicle automatically as you approach it with your Apple Watch. Ultrawideband is said to be more secure and precise than Bluetooth when functioning as a key, which you can read more about here. It’s a nice perk, but it’s likely not a necessity for everyone. At least not yet.

The bottom line

The Apple Watch Series 8 and SE have a lot in common when it comes to core features and functionality. They can both track workouts, show iPhone notifications, provide high and low heart rate notifications and detect irregular heart rhythms. They also both come with safety features like emergency SOS, fall detection and car crash detection, the latter of which is exclusive to Apple’s 2022 smartwatches. The new Compass app, which includes a new feature to help you retrace your steps, is also coming to both watches as well as the Series 7, Series 6 and first-generation SE.

If you like using Apple Pay or syncing your Apple Watch to the treadmill at your local gym through GymKit, you’ll do just fine with either the new SE or the Series 8. They both have the same processor, support low power mode and run on Apple’s new WatchOS 9 update.

The difference really comes down to health tracking. By choosing the SE, you’ll miss out on the Apple Watch’s ECG app, blood oxygen sensor and new temperature sensor. Whether those features are necessary depends on what you hope to get out of your smartwatch. Do you primarily want to track workouts, or are you looking for deeper health metrics to share with your doctor?

You’ll also get a few perks that make the Series 8 a better iPhone companion, such as a larger always-on display, faster charging and ultrawideband support. Of those features, I personally find the always-on display to be most useful.

Overall, the Series 8 seems poised to become more useful over time, especially after I’ve had more time to test the temperature sensor. Ultrawideband is another feature I’m expecting to become more useful in the long term as using mobile devices as digital keys starts to become more common. But for now, ultrawideband alone shouldn’t be a deciding factor; it’s more about the sum of how all of these parts come together.

The Series 8 is the right option for those who want more health-tracking features and are willing to pay a premium for it. The Apple Watch SE is the best choice for those who are upgrading from an older watch or are buying an Apple Watch for the first time and just want an Apple Watch that feels new and has all of the core features. But if you have a recent Apple Watch like the Series 5, you can probably hold off on upgrading entirely unless you really want Apple’s new health upgrades.

Apple Watch Series 8 vs. SE

	Apple Watch Series 8	Apple Watch SE
Starting price	$399	$249
Size	41mm or 45mm	40mm or 44mm
Finishes	Aluminum or stainless steel	Aluminum
Colors	Aluminum: Midnight, starlight, silver, Product Red; Stainless steel: Graphite, silver, gold	Midnight,starlight, silver
Software	WatchOS 9	WatchOS 9
Screen	904 sq mm display area (41mm); 1,143 sq mm display area (45mm)	759 sq mm display area (40mm); 977 sq mm display area (44mm)
Health sensors	Blood oxygen, electrical heart (ECG),third-gen optical heart, temperature	Second-gen optical heart
Health features	High and low heart rate notifications, irregular heart rate notifications, blood oxygen, nighttime wrist temperature deviations, cardio fitness level, cycle tracking, retrospective ovulation estimates, sleep tracking	High and low heart rate notifications, irregular heart rate notifications, cardio fitness level, cycle tracking, sleep tracking
Chip	Apple S8 SiP	Apple S8 SiP
Durability	IP6X dust resistant;water resistant up to 50m	Water resistant up to 50m
Safety	Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, crash detection, fall detection	Emergency SOS, international emergency calling, crash detection, fall detection
Battery	Up to 18 hours with fast charging, support for low power mode	Up to 18 hours, support for low power mode
Storage	32GB	32GB
Other features	GPS, optional cellular, Compass Backtrack, always on altimeter, Family Setup, speaker, microphone, activity and exercise tracking, Apple Pay, GymKit, ultrawideband support	GPS, optional cellular, Compass Backtrack, always on altimeter, Family Setup, speaker, microphone, activity and exercise tracking, Apple Pay, GymKit

Technologies

Your Guide to Epic Universe, the New Universal Theme Park Open Now

An insider’s guide to everything you’ll find at Universal Resort’s brand new theme park, including Donkey Kong Country, dragon drones and robotics, the Ministry of Magic ride and the werewolf roller coaster.

Universal Resort Orlando’s brand new theme park Epic Universe is now open, and CNET has all the details on the park and its immersive entertainment that ties in with movies, games and technology. We’re here to provide you with an insider’s guide to Epic Universe, which has five lands: Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk, Dark Universe, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic and Celestial Park.

Epic Universe is the fourth Universal Orlando theme park, after Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure and water park Volcano Bay. Universal says it’s goal is to be «a weeklong vacation destination,» much like its Orlando theme park competitor Walt Disney World, which has six theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, along with water parks Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon).

Part of Universal’s expansion also includes three new hotels: Universal Helios Grand Hotel, Universal Stella Nova Resort and Universal Terra Luna Resort, bringing its total to 11 hotels. (Disney World has more than 20 hotels, for comparison.)

Check out CNET’s guide below for what you need to know about Epic Universe, including ticket prices, new rides, restaurants and experiences. And read here for more on Universal’s planned UK theme park.

Super Nintendo World (featuring Donkey Kong Country)

Universal Orlando is finally joining Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Hollywood in hosting a Mario-themed land. Much like in the Japan and Hollywood parks, the marquee ride is Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, where you hop inside a kart, collect coins and throw shells to try to win the cup.

There’s also Mine Cart Madness, a Donkey Kong-themed roller coaster, and Yoshi’s Adventure, where you board a Yoshi and go egg-spotting through the Mushroom Kingdom.

There are meet and greets with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad, and the Toadstool Cafe for your dining needs.

Buy a Power-Up Band and you’ll be able to collect coins throughout the land and rides on the wearable wristband. It works throughout all three Super Nintendo World locations.

How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk

How to Train Your Dragon finally has some space in a Universal theme park, 15 years after the original movie (which still has 99% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes) was released in 2010.

The much-loved DreamWorks movie, which featured Hiccup the teenage Viking and his quest to befriend rather than kill a dragon he names Toothless, spawned two sequels (both with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes), as well as 10 seasons of two separate animated series and a live-action version of the first movie, which releases in June.

Now, you’ll be able to visit Berk (Florida’s version). It won’t be as cold, but it will be filled with Viking characters walking around the land, dragon robots you can greet on the ground and dragons flying over the colorful wooden buildings.

Hiccup’s Wing Gliders is the main attraction, a roller coaster that simulates the experience of riding on a dragon. A second ride, Dragon Racer’s Rally, will see each rider strapped into an individual dragon-shaped seat attached to a pendulum arm, flipping upside down as the arm swings up and around.

There’s also a water ride called Fyre Drill, where you’ll board a Viking longboat and shoot water cannons at the dragon targets and other boats you sail past, while you in turn get soaked.

For the younger visitors, Viking Training Camp is an adventure playground where they can climb, run, slide and play with interactive elements.

Rounding out the land is a live show starring Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Gobber, and Mead Hall, a dining option serving Scandinavian offerings like fish, meat, ale and mead.

Dark Universe, and Classic Universal monsters

This sinister-sounding land is dedicated to all the classic Universal monsters out there, with villains from Frankenstein’s monster to Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon roaming Darkmoor Village.

Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment is a ride inside a spooky Victorian manor, where you need to escape the experiments of Dr. Victoria Frankenstein. A second ride, Curse of the Werewolf, is a coaster that soars through the forest as you escape a pack of werewolves.

You can also experience the wonders of theatrical makeup and be transformed into a werewolf, vampire or mummy with the Monster Makeup Experience.

There are two dining locations in Dark Universe:

Das Stakehaus, a vampire-themed restaurant.
The Burning Blade Tavern, a more casual eatery inside a windmill that catches fire several times each hour.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic

This is the third Harry Potter location at Universal Orlando, after the Diagon Alley area in Universal Studios Florida and the Hogwarts/Hogsmeade area in Islands of Adventure.

It’ll span both the Fantastic Beasts movies and the original Harry Potter series, meaning most of the land is themed after Paris in the 1920s, from where you can travel by the Métro-Floo network to the British Ministry of Magic in the 1990s.

The main attraction is the Battle at the Ministry ride, where you’ll help the trio fight Dolores Umbridge. It’s similar to the mechanics of the Hogwarts ride, except you’ll be in an elevator compartment at the Ministry of Magic, and it also features much-updated technology so it’s even more immersive.

There’s also Le Cirque Arcanus, a live show with performers, puppets and special effects, and is set in the Fantastic Beasts universe.

There’s plenty to explore in this new area, including a new wand store called Cosme Acajor Baguettes Magique, more interactive wand locations and a French restaurant called Café L’air De La Sirène.

It’s not connected to the Hogwarts Express train ride that goes between the other two Harry Potter lands in Orlando, however, due to the park’s distance from Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

Celestial Park

Celestial Park is themed as a cosmic getaway, where you can ride a rocket at speeds of up to 62mph on the dual-launch roller coaster Stardust Racers — or if something slower-paced is more your thing, you can ride the Constellation Carousel.

There are also two restaurants — Atlantic and The Blue Dragon Pan-Asian Restaurant — as well as a shopping location called the Nintendo Super Star Store.

Celestial Park is the hub of the new theme park: you’ll enter Epic Universe into Celestial Park, and from there can take one of the four portals into the other lands.

How much do Epic Universe tickets cost?

Ticket pricing depends on how many days you want to spend at Universal Studios Florida, as well as which parks you want to go to, and whether you want to visit more than one park each day. Here are the options and starting prices. Keep in mind that pricing will change depending on what day of the week and time of year you visit, too.

For now, you can only purchase multiday park tickets to visit Epic Universe, unless you’re a Universal passholder. In future, Universal will allow you to buy a single-day ticket to visit the new park, but that option is not yet available.

3-day park tickets

3 day, 4-park hopper: $452/adult, $442/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other two days you can hop between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay).
3-day, 3-park hopper: $412/adult, $402/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other two days you can hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
3-day, 3 parks, one park per day: $352/adult, $342/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, one day at Universal Studios and one day at Islands of Adventure).

4-day park tickets

4-day, 4-park hopper: $486/adult, $476/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other three days you can hop between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay).
4-day, 3-park hopper: $436/adult, $426/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other two days you can hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
4-day, 4 parks, one park per day: $421/adult, $411/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, one day at Universal Studios, one day at Islands of Adventure and one day at Volcano Bay).
4-day, 3 parks, one park per day: $371/adult, $361/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, one day at Universal Studios and one day at Islands of Adventure).

5-day park tickets

5-day, 4-park hopper: $522/adult, $512/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other four days you can hop between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay).
5-day, 3-park hopper: $462/adult, $452/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, while on the other four days you can hop between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
5-day, 4 parks, one park per day: $452/adult, $442/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, and then choose between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay for your other one-day tickets).
5-day, 3 parks, one park per day: $392/adult, $382/child (Note: you can only spend one day inside Epic Universe, and then choose between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for your other one-day tickets).

Express Pass and VIP tours at Epic Universe

You can now also purchase a 1-day Express Pass for Epic Universe that’ll allow you to skip the lines at each attraction once. The cost is between $130 and $310 per person (on top of your regular ticket), depending on what date you go.

And if you want a truly luxe experience, you can fork over between $390 and $650 per person (also on top of your ticket) for a 4-hour VIP guided walking tour of the new park. With a VIP package, you’ll also get priority entrance to the rides, a discount on merchandise, complimentary valet parking and more.

A Photo Tour Inside Epic Universe

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Technologies

Who the Heck Is Gonna Pay $250 for Google AI Ultra?

Google’s pricey new AI subscription seems to be aimed at people who want to generate a ton of video or code.

Want Google’s biggest and best AI features? A new plan has them all, but with a steep price tag.

Read more: Everything We Learned at Google I/O. AI Mode in Chrome, Gemini Live, XR Glasses and Much More

Google rolled out AI Ultra Tuesday at its annual I/O developers conference, and the new top-tier model features the best models of its Gemini tool, early access to new video generation models, the highest usage limits in tools like NotebookLM, a prototype for managing AI agents and, as icing on the cake, a whopping 30 terabytes of storage.

For all of that, you’ll pay a pretty penny. Google AI Ultra costs $250 a month (although the company is offering half off the first three months). Not ready to drop $3,000 a year on AI? Google is rebranding its existing AI Premium plan as Google AI Pro, which also offers new features. It stays at a modest $20 per year.

The difference between the two plans centers mainly on the usage limits for AI tools and access to bleeding-edge technology. Google AI Ultra has much higher limits, meaning if you’re making a ton of videos or using Gemini a ton, you might need the pricier option. «It’s for the trailblazers, the pioneers, those of you who want cutting-edge AI from Google,» Josh Woodward, the company’s vice president for Google Labs and Gemini, said during Tuesday’s announcement.

Here’s what’s included in the new Google AI plans.

What’s in the Google AI Ultra plan?

The biggest component of Google AI Ultra is a maxed-out version of the company’s Gemini app. It has the highest usage limits for the Deep Research function, along with the Veo 2 video generation model and early access to Veo 3. The subscription also includes the company’s newest reasoning model, Deep Think in Gemini 2.5 pro. You’ll also get immediate early access to Gemini in Chrome, which allows you to use Gemini to understand information based on the context of the current page you’re on.

AI Ultra features access to Flow, Google’s new AI filmmaking tool that also debuted at I/O. This tool allows you to create clips, scenes and movies with text and image prompts. AI Ultra gets you the highest limits for Flow. (The AI Pro plan also includes access to Flow, just with a limit of 100 generations per month.) It also includes the highest limits for Whisk, an AI image generator that allows you to turn photos into mashups, including Whisk Animate, which creates vivid eight-second videos.

Other features included in AI Ultra aren’t necessarily AI-specific: You’ll get access to YouTube Premium, including YouTube Music ad-free. It also includes 30TB worth of cloud storage. It’s only available in the US for now.

While AI Ultra’s $250 monthly price tag is high, compare it to the top-tier subscription plans from competing AI companies. OpenAI’s Pro plan gives you the best of ChatGPT for $200 per month. Anthropic’s Max plan starts at $100 per month for top Claude features.

What’s in Google AI Pro?

The company’s current AI Premium plan is being renamed AI Pro. The price remains $20 per month, but the new features include Flow’s filmmaking capabilities and early access to Gemini in Chrome. These additions are also coming to the US first.

Google said it is also expanding free access to AI Pro for university students in Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and the United Kingdom. It’s already available free for students in the US.

Who is Google AI Ultra for?

You don’t need to drop $250 a month on AI if you’re just dabbling around with chatbots or making an image or two occasionally. Google’s AI Pro plan likely has everything you’ll need at a much better price.

What about the bundlers who want a lot of storage space? The non-AI features of AI Ultra are pretty cool, but are they worth $250 a month? First there’s YouTube Premium, which only costs $14 a month on its own. You can pair that with Google AI pro for just $34 a month. (And if you want to use a different AI service, even a top-level plan from OpenAI or Anthropic would keep your total below $250.) As for the 30TB of storage, that’s harder to replace. Apple’s iCloud offers 12TB for $60 a month while Dropbox offers 15TB starting at $24 per month.

The distinction really is the usage limits and the cutting-edge features. Google representatives told me that AI Ultra is best for people like filmmakers, developers and creatives who are going to generate a lot of content using AI. If you want to use generative AI to produce a lot of video content or longform video content, you’ll need the highest usage limits you can get. And with all of those files, you might actually need that 30TB of storage.

Even if you’re not using AI to produce a ton of content, you may be interested in AI Ultra if you absolutely must have access to the new features as soon as they roll out. AI Ultra will get early access to things like Google’s Project Mariner agentic research tool and the new Deep Think feature in Gemini.

But if the price tag for the biggest and best subscription plan is giving you sticker shock, don’t worry. AI Pro still comes with plenty of features.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, May 22

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 22.

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

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is fairly easy, especially if you know recent trends in baby names. It also helps to have a slight knowledge of The Lord of the Rings, or at a minimum, be good at riddles. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Part of a fleet
Answer: SHIP

5A clue: Answer to Gollum’s riddle in «The Hobbit,» which starts «This thing all things devours — birds, beasts, trees, flowers»
Answer: TIME

6A clue: «See ya!»
Answer: LATER

7A clue: Second-most popular girl’s name of the 2020s, after Olivia
Answer: EMMA

8A clue: Not keeping secrets
Answer: OPEN

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Sticker on an envelope
Answer: STAMP

2D clue: «I’d like another card,» in blackjack
Answer: HITME

3D clue: «Uhh, that is to say …»
Answer: IMEAN

4D clue: The «p» of m.p.h.
Answer: PER

6D clue: Name taken by the new pope
Answer: LEO

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.