Technologies

Samsung Unpacked: Everything You Need to Know About The Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Watch 6 and More

The new Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones, plus the latest Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Watch, are now official.

Samsung has taken the wraps off its latest devices. On Wednesday at an event in Seoul, South Korea the electronics giant unveiled a host of new devices including the latest Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 folding phones as well as a new Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy Watch 6 (complete with the return of a rotating bezel on the Classic).

The new wave of foldable phones were the focus of today’s Samsung Unpacked event, which was the first to take place in the company’s hometown of Seoul.

While Samsung’s entering its fifth consecutive year in the foldable phone market, the devices it’s launching at this year’s Unpacked arrive among a good deal more competition. Google’s $1,800 Pixel Fold is the first Pixel device to adopt a similar style to the Galaxy Z Fold series, in which a traditionally scaled phone unfolds to reveal an inner tablet-size screen. OnePlus is also rumored to have its own foldable phone on the way, which could further disrupt the space.

And after taking a few years off from the US market, Motorola’s new $1,000 Razr Plus is now eyeing Samsung’s Z Flip series, with the newest entry including a larger cover screen that can run most Android apps. We also know Motorola has a more affordable Razr model on the way with a smaller cover screen.

And it’s not only phones. As with Samsung’s past summer Unpacked events, Wednesday included new watches and tablets with the South Korean tech giant introducing a new Galaxy Watch 6 series and Tab S9 tablet line.

Here’s what you need to know about everything Samsung just unveiled.

Galaxy Z Fold 5: New ‘flex hinge’ closes the gap

The Z Fold 5 remains the pinnacle of Samsung’s folding lineup, though as with recent updates, this year’s model is largely iterative with no major redesign. There are improvements, notably a new «flex hinge» that allows the Z Fold 5 to fold completely closed without a gap around the hinge — a first for Samsung’s larger foldable. Also new is a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 processor, just like the Galaxy S23 line, a brighter internal display and a thinner S Pen stylus.

Otherwise, the Z Fold 5 looks similar to the Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 3 with the same sized front and internal screens. It still has a «flex mode» for propping the foldable up like a mini laptop, IPX8 water-resistance and a crease that CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco still found to be visible.

Like recent Z Folds, the new Z Fold 5 will start at $1,800 (£1,749, AU£2,599) when it hits stores on Aug. 11.

Galaxy Z Flip 5: A bigger front screen leads the way

Whereas the Z Fold 5 looks largely similar to older Folds, Samsung gave the Z Flip 5 a bit more of a refresh. New for this year’s Flip line is a redesigned front screen, which goes from 1.9-inches to 3.4-inches. The new front screen allows Samsung to better stack up to Motorola’s recently released Razr Plus and its 3.6-inch front display, though the Z Flip front screen is a bit more limited than Motorola’s offering. Samsung only lets certain apps run on the display at launch.

Beyond the updated front display, the new Z Flip 5 similarly runs on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Gen 2 processor and sports a new hinge that also closes completely flat.

What hasn’t changed is the starting price, as the Z Flip 5 will start at the same $999 (£1,049, AU$1,649) that the Z Flip 4 commanded. The new flip phone is set to hit stores on Aug. 11.

Galaxy Watch 6: Return of the (Classic’s) rotating bezel

Samsung has given the Galaxy Watch 6 sports bigger batteries, larger screens and, at least on the Classic model, the return of the rotating bezel that was last seen on 2021’s Galaxy Watch 4. We’re glad it’s back as Samsung’s choice to cut it out from the Watch 5 line did not make us happy.

While otherwise largely incremental, the new Watch 6 will come in either 40mm or 44mm varieties (with screens running roughly 1.3 inches and 1.5 inches, respectively) while the Classic will arrive in either 43mm or 47mm sizes (sporting similar display sizes).

On the sensor front, the Watch 6 line sports similar sensors including ones for heart rate, skin temperature and bioimpedance (body composition). Google’s Wear OS continues to run the software side, with Samsung touting that a new app for Gmail was coming to the platform. Samsung’s One UI remains a part of the platform, including for better sleep insights.

The new Watch 6 will similarly go on sale on Aug. 11 and starts at $300 (£289, AU$549) for the smaller 40mm size and $330 (£319, AU$599) for the larger 44mm size, $20 more than the initial prices for the Watch 5. The Watch 6 Classic starts at $400 (£349, AU$699) for the smaller, 43mm model and $430 (£399, AU$749) for the bigger, 47mm size.

Galaxy Tab S9: Now water-resistant

Two Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 tablets side by side on a table, two different sizes

The Galaxy Tab family also got a refresh on Wednesday, with the new Tab S9 line sporting improved Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 2 processors and IP68-rated water- and dust-resistant designs (for both the tablet and the S Pen stylus), but like Samsung’s other refreshes are largely incremental. You’ll still find large and impressive AMOLED displays across the line, with screen sizes still ranging from 11-inches on the base S9, 12.4-inches on the S9 Plus and 14.6-inches on the S9 Ultra. There also is a new beige color.

Pricing for the tablets remains high: The S9 is $800 (£700, AU$1,299), the S9 Plus is $1,000 (£999, AU$1,699) and the Ultra is $1,200 (£1,199, AU$1,999). And while a keyboard still costs extra, Samsung still includes an S Pen. Like the other devices that Samsung announced, the new tablets will arrive on Aug. 11.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for May 24, #713

Hints and answers for Connections for May 24, #713.

Looking for the most recent 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, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle has a fun variety of categories. The purple one appeals to my English major heart. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

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

Yellow group hint: Goo-goo.

Green group hint: Not shirts.

Blue group hint: City that never sleeps.

Purple group hint: Acclaimed writers.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Baby gear.

Green group: Kinds of pants minus «s.»

Blue group: New York sports team members.

Purple group: Black women authors.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is baby gear. The four answers are bib, bottle, monitor and stroller.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of pants minus «s.» The four answers are capri, jean, jogger and slack.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is New York sports team members. The four answers are Jet, Met, Net and Ranger.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is black women authors. The four answers are Butler, Gay, Hooks and Walker.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, May 20

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 20.

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 a fun one, and now I’m singing the song from 1-Across in my head. 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 at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Pink ___ Club» (Chappell Roan hit)
Answer: PONY

5A clue: Instrument that might be made with a comb and wax paper
Answer: KAZOO

6A clue: How bedtime stories are often read
Answer: ALOUD

7A clue: On edge
Answer: TENSE

8A clue: Short Instagram video
Answer: REEL

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Less colorful
Answer: PALER

2D clue: Layer of the upper atmosphere
Answer: OZONE

3D clue: Totally pointless
Answer: NOUSE

4D clue: Hit a high note in a high place, perhaps
Answer: YODEL

5D clue: Kit ___ bar
Answer: KAT

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.

Technologies

Want to Speak to Dolphins? Researchers Won $100,000 AI Prize Studying Their Whistling

The scientists studied a bottlenose dolphin community in Sarasota, Florida, uncovering evidence of language-like communications.

If any dolphins are reading this: hello!

A team of scientists studying a community of Florida dolphins has been awarded the first $100,000 Coller Dolittle Challenge prize, set up to award research in interspecies communication algorithms.

The US-based team, led by Laela Sayigh of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, found that a type of whistle that dolphins employ is used as an alarm. Another whistle they studied is used by dolphins to respond to unexpected or unfamiliar situations. The team used non-invasive hydrophones to perform the research, which provides evidence that dolphins may be using whistles like words, shared with multiple members of their communities.

Capturing the sounds is just the beginning. Researchers will use AI to continue deciphering the whistles to try to find more patterns.

«The main thing stopping us cracking the code of animal communication is a lack of data. Think of the 1 trillion words needed to train a large language model like ChatGPT. We don’t have anything like this for other animals,» said Jonathan Birch, a professor at the London School of Economics and Politics and one of the judges for the prize.

«That’s why we need programs like the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, which has built up an extraordinary library of dolphin whistles over 40 years. The cumulative result of all that work is that Laela Sayigh and her team can now use deep learning to analyse the whistles and perhaps, one day, crack the code,» he said.

The award was part of a ceremony honoring the work of four teams from across the world. In addition to the dolphin project, researchers studied ways in which nightingales, marmoset monkeys and cuttlefish communicate.

The challenge is a collaboration between the Jeremy Coller Foundation and Tel Aviv University. Submissions for next year open up in August.

Dolphins are just the beginning

Researching animals and trying to learn the secrets of their communication is nothing new; but AI is speeding up the creation of larger and lager datasets.

«Breakthroughs are inevitable,» says Kate Zacarian, CEO and co-founder of Earth Species Project, a California-based nonprofit that also works in breaking down language barriers with the animal world.

«Just as AI has revolutionized the fields of medicine and material science, we see a similar opportunity to bring those advances to the study of animal communication and empower researchers in this space with entirely new capabilities,» Zacarian said.

Zacarian applauded Sayigh’s team and their win and said it will help bring broader recognition to the study of non-human animal communication. It could also bring more attention to ways that AI can change the nature of this type of research.
«The AI systems aren’t just faster — they allow for entirely new types of inquiry,» she said. «We’re moving from decoding isolated signals to exploring communication as a rich, dynamic, and structure phenomenon — whish is a task that’s simply too big for our human brains, but possible for large-scale AI models.»

Earth Species recently released an open-source large audio language model for analyzing animal sounds called NatureLM-audio. The organization is currently working with biologists and ethologists to study species including carrion crows, orcas, jumping spiders and others and plans to release some of their findings later this year, Zacarian said.