Technologies

Samsung Odyssey Gaming Monitors Go Double UHD, QD-OLED and More

The company’s CES 2023 announcements include a 57-inch curved high-res display, a 49-inch QD-OLED and some smaller fry.

CES is when gaming monitor companies bring out the big guns — and few are bigger than the new 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9, a curved, DisplayHDR 1000 model. Teased by AMD during its RX 7000-series GPU launch in November as the first monitor announced with DisplayPort 2.1 support, the Neo G9 has 7,680×2,160 resolution. The high resolution plus HDR and fast 240Hz refresh rate make the high-bandwidth DP 2.1 essential, even though it’s not a full 8K (it’s a 32:9 aspect ratio).

Unfortunately, there’s still a bit of a disconnect between this level of resolution and GPU performance; at the moment, the only GPU that can handle it with all the frills is probably the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, but Nvidia hasn’t leveled up to DP 2.1 (HDMI 2.1 can support it but only at 60Hz). AMD’s RX 7900 XTX does have DP2.1 connections, but isn’t quite up to that level, or might be but just under limited circumstances.

It’s slated to ship later this year, but we don’t know how much this bad boy is going to cost.

The 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) isn’t the company’s first Quantum Dot OLED monitor announcement; it unveiled a 34-inch G8 model similar to the Alienware 34 QD-OLED at IFA in August which was supposed to ship by the end of 2022 but that’s been bumped to «very soon.»

In addition to the QD-OLED panel, the G9 has 5,120×1440 resolution — essentially 32:9 1440p but with a better pixel density than the typical 21:9 3,440×1,440 — and is DisplayHDR True Black 400 certified. It also has a faster-than-Alienware’s 240Hz refresh rate and incorporates Samsung’s Gaming Hub for cloud gaming. Samsung opted to go with mini DisplayPort instead of full-size DisplayPort for this model, in addition to HDMI and USB-C with 65w power delivery.

Samsung expects to ship it later this year, and has yet to give us pricing.

A little more mundane, if you consider 43-inch monitors have reached that level of commonplace, the flat Odyssey Neo G7 goes a little sleeker and more gaming-slash-entertainment hybrid than its predecessors. The 144Hz Quantum Dot, DisplayHDR 600-compliant monitor has integrated stereo speakers and comes with a remote and all the streaming-and-gaming apps Samsung’s Hubs can include.

It’s scheduled to ship by the end of March in the US, for as-yet unspecified dollars.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

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 Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

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.