Technologies

Free Storage Upgrade Saves You Up to $180 On Unlocked Galaxy S23 Phones

These Amazon deals score you an S23 phone with double the storage for the same price as the entry-level model.

The Galaxy S23 series is the latest and greatest in Samsung’s flagship lineup, with multiple models claiming a spot on our list of the best phones overall for 2023. If you’re looking to get your hands on one, right now you can get a free storage upgrade at Amazon. That scores you the 256GB model of the Galaxy S23 for $800, which is $60 off and matches the price of the 128GB model. You can also snag the 512GB S23 Plus for $1,000 ($120 off) and the 512GB S23 Ultra for $1,200 ($180 off).

These discounts are also available on unlocked models, which means you don’t have to sign up with a service plan right away. There’s no set expiration for these deals, so get your order in soon if you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

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If you’re just after the basics, you can snag the Galaxy S23, which we named the best small Android phone on the market in 2023. It has a 6.1-inch AMOLED display, and the 256GB model comes with 8GB of RAM. Or, if you prefer a larger screen, you can upgrade to the 6.6-inch Galaxy S23 Plus for $1,000. The step-up 512GB model comes with 8GB of RAM, and it features a larger 4,700-mAh battery for all-day use.

And if you’re after the best of the best, you can grab the Galaxy S23 Ultra for $1,200, which we named the best premium Android phone for 2023. With the step-up 512GB model, you also get an extra 4GB of RAM, bumping the total up to 12GB. In addition to the larger 6.8-inch AMOLED display, the S23 Ultra also features a stunning 200-megapixel rear camera rather than the 50-megapixel camera found on the other models, and comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus included for easy note-taking, navigation and more.

And if you’re looking for a different model, you can check out our roundup of all the best phone deals for bargains on iPhones, Pixels and more.

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Technologies

Prime Day 2025: How to Use Amazon Layaway for Big July Sales

Here’s how to see if you can use Amazon Layaway for Fourth of July and Prime Day sales this month.

Amazon Prime Day is happening July 8 through July 11, and it’s one of the best online sales events of the year. Whether you’re looking forward to getting a good deal on new tech, home goods or anything in between, there will probably be a deal for it on Prime Day. And if you’re lucky, you might even be able to take advantage of Amazon’s Layaway program for your next purchase.

Amazon Layaway isn’t available for everyone, so you’ll either see the option in your account when checking out or you won’t. If you’re not sure if you’re eligible, we’ll show you where to look to see if your item is eligible and how it compares to other payment options available.

For more, check out the early Independence Day deals you can grab right now before Prim Day kicks off.

Check your item’s eligibility for Amazon Layaway

If an item you’re looking at is eligible for layaway, you’ll see a tag that says Reserve with Layaway — you may also see this when you add it to your cart. If you don’t see it, your item likely isn’t eligible.

Once you add all eligible items to your cart, select Reserve with Layaway at checkout next to each item you’d like to place on layaway. If you’re using Amazon Layaway you will not have to have your credit checked, so you won’t need to worry about this program affecting your credit.

Amazon’s layaway program isn’t available for orders shipping to Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC or outside of the US. Also, Amazon may remove its layaway program even if you had it as an option before.

Amazon Shopping Hacks to Get the Best July Prime Day Deals

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How Amazon Layaway works

Amazon divides the total price of the product you’re buying into five payments — not including tax and shipping. You’ll pay 20% upfront and make four additional 20% payments on the scheduled dates Amazon assigns. Your bill will come due every two weeks, for a total of eight weeks. Taxes and shipping costs will be included with your final payment, so it’ll be a bit more than the other payments.

When you make the first payment, Amazon reserves your item until it’s paid off — just like typical layaway. Once you pay it off, Amazon will ship the item to you. You won’t be charged interest while making payments, as you’re not financing your order.

What if I forget to make a payment?

If you forget to make one of your scheduled payments, Amazon will send you an email letting you know your payment attempt was unsuccessful. If you don’t make the payment before the next scheduled date, Amazon will cancel your layaway plan and refund all the money you’ve paid so far.

You won’t be charged any fees for overdue or canceled layaway plans. Also, if you have an overdue layaway plan, you won’t be able to start a new layaway plan.

If you decide to pay the balance in full ahead of time, log in to your Amazon account and go to My Orders > Order Details > Manage Payment Plans, and then click on Pay early.

How is this different from Amazon’s «Pay in 5 months» plan?

If you’ve never seen the «Amazon Layaway» name being advertised for a product, but do see the «Or $$$/month for 5 months (no fees or interest)» under the price of an item, then you’re actually in luck.

Also subject to availability, your purchase is broken into five monthly installments instead of over the course of eight weeks. Like Amazon Layaway, there are no additional fees or interest charges. And unlike Amazon Layaway, your items are shipped immediately. Your first payment will include the taxes and any shipping charges that may be involved, but the remaining four payments will all remain the same price.

How is this different from Amazon’s Affirm payment plan?

Using Amazon Layaway has no additional fees: Your only charges are for the product and any shipping costs and taxes. The Affirm payment plan lets you buy now and pay later, but you get your items immediately. This is because it finances your order, which means you’ll have to go through a credit approval process first.

However, with Affirm, if you miss a payment, it could potentially harm your credit score since Affirm reports some payment records, positive and negative, to the credit bureaus. Plus, it could come with interest, causing you to pay more in the long run — Affirm payment options can range anywhere from six weeks to 60 months. Some transactions may also be interest-free.

If you can wait eight weeks for the items you’ve ordered to be delivered, we recommend going with the layaway plan and avoiding buy now, pay later programs.

For more, here’s how to get Amazon Prime for free ahead of the big July sale.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, July 3

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for July 3.

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 stumped me in a few spots. 8-Across had me thinking of a couple different words, but I landed on it eventually. Need answers? 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.