Technologies

Everything Announced at Samsung Unpacked: S24 Phones, Galaxy AI and One Surprise Reveal

Today’s Galaxy Unpacked event showed off Samsung’s premium new phones for the first time… as well as an unexpected new wearable.

Samsung kicked off its year with the first big phone event of 2024. The debut of Samsung’s newest smartphones — the Galaxy S24 series, which bring on-device generative AI along with upgrades to specs and cameras — was the main focus of today’s Galaxy Unpacked event. But Samsung had an unexpected product reveal at the end of Unpacked — the health-tracking Galaxy Ring, a new Samsung device with no official launch date yet.

As is usual for Samsung’s earliest event of the year, its S24 flagship phones took center stage. The company’s S-series phones rival Apple’s iPhones and are often the first to debut new mobile technology featured in other premium Android handsets that come out later in the year.

Galaxy S24 brings AI, brighter screens and more

In 2024, that new technology is generative AI, which made a splash on the global stage when ChatGPT arrived in late 2022 and tech companies have rushed to integrate in their own products and services. Late last year, Qualcomm revealed that its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip would come with on-device generative AI capabilities, and the Galaxy S24 series are some of the first phones to launch with that silicon.

The S24 series uses a combination of on-device and cloud-based generative AI, called Galaxy AI, to pull off new tricks. Some we’ve seen before, like live translation, suggesting different tones for text messages and expanding photos beyond their original backgrounds. Others are new, like turning a regular-speed video into a slow-motion one by generating frames in between what’s been recorded.

The S24 series also has more conventional upgrades on its predecessors, especially its top-tier model. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is more premium, trading its aluminum frame for a titanium body and swapping a 10-megapixel, 10x optical zoom camera for a 50-megapixel 5x optical camera to shoot sharper distance photos. It also only comes with 12GB of RAM (no 8GB option). For these improvements, the base price is $1,300 (£1,249, AU$2,199), up by $100 from last year’s S23 Ultra.

Read more: Best Galaxy 24 Preorder Deals

The standard S24 and S24 Plus haven’t received many upgrades, though the screens are 0.1 inches larger than last year’s (6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, respectively). The S24 Plus now has a Quad HD Plus resolution display (the same as the S24 Ultra) for a sharper picture than the HD Plus screen on its predecessor. Batteries are slightly bigger, with the S24 having a 4,000 mAh battery (up 100 mAh) and the S24 Plus a 4,900 mAh capacity (up 200 mAh).

Samsung has expanded its sustainability efforts, adding more recycled materials like cobalt in batteries and rare earth elements in speakers. Moreover, the Galaxy S24 phones will have seven years of Android and security updates, enabling owners to hold on to their phones into 2031.

Pricing

The Samsung Galaxy S24 starts at $800 (£799, AU$1,399), while the S24 Plus starts at $1,000 (£999, AU$1,699), which are the same prices as last year’s phones. The S24 Ultra starts at $1,300, which is up from last year’s S23 Ultra at $1,200 — a $100 price bump likely resulting from the switch in materials for more durability.

And in turn, Samsung has dropped the prices for its older phones, with last year’s Galaxy S23 now $700 and the Galaxy S23 FE down to $600.

And one more thing…

And to end the event, Samsung revealed a few new features coming to Samsung Health to improve sleep tracking and other health measuring — but the big tease at the end was a reveal of the Galaxy Ring, which presumably will be packed with sensors to monitor your health through the day.

Samsung didn’t share much about the gadget, including price or release date, so we don’t know much about how it compares to rivals like the Oura Ring, but we expect to hear more about the Galaxy Ring before long.

What happened at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event?

Samsung unveiled its next-gen Galaxy S24 phones on Jan. 17. The media invitation said to expect Samsung’s «most intelligent mobile experience yet» in a nod to the forthcoming AI-powered features. The in-person event happened in San Jose, California, and streamed on Samsung’s YouTube channel.

CNET had on-the-ground coverage of the event as well as our own watch party for reactions and analysis of the reveals and any surprises.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Come in Yellow, Violet, Gray and Black

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 28 #635

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Nov. 28, No. 635.

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

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is pretty tricky. If you’re not familiar with certain superstitious beliefs, you might not find all the answers. And some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: If all else fails…

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Don’t tell, it won’t come true.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

GLUB, RATS, TARN, DALE, FONT, FOUNT, LASH

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

DANDELION, STAR, COIN, FOUNTAIN, LADYBUG, EYELASH

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is MAKEAWISH. To find it, start with the M that’s three letters down on the far right, and wind backwards.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 28, #901

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 28, #901.

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 NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. If you need help sorting the answers into groups, you’re in the right place. 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 the 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: Appropriate.

Green group hint: I win!

Blue group hint: Musical instrument.

Purple group hint: Time to talk.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Fitting.

Green group: Achieve victory over.

Blue group: Parts of an electric guitar.

Purple group: Phonetic elements of speech.

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 fitting. The four answers are fair, just, proper and right.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is achieve victory over. The four answers are beat, best, take and worst.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is parts of an electric guitar. The four answers are fret, peg, pickup and string.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is phonetic elements of speech. The four answers are intonation, loudness, rhythm and stress.

Technologies

Anker’s New MagSafe Car Mount Keeps Your Phone Cool While Charging, and It’s 30% Off for Black Friday

Get wired-like charging speeds and MagSafe compatibility with Anker’s wireless car charging bundle for $62.99.

Black Friday is the best time of the year to upgrade the little essentials that make your everyday tech life more pleasant. I’ve found the perfect deal to amp up the phone charging setup in your car. This Anker MagSafe wireless car charging bundle is 30% off for the holidays, and it gives your iPhone a fast and steady way to power up while you navigate. It delivers up to 25-watt wireless charging speeds and with onboard active cooling, your phone stays comfortable to the touch.

Get it now for $62.99 verses the list price of $89.99.

What sets this charger apart is that its performance and cooling tech is built into a surprisingly compact package. The stand uses an ultra-strong Qi2 magnetic lock to keep your phone secure through bumps and turns. You can even tilt the mount and switch between portrait and landscape modes for navigation without blocking the view. The bundle has everything you need to get started including a 60-watt dual-USB-C charger, an adequately long USB-C cable, and cable organizers for a clean setup. Anker also includes a two-year warranty for peace of mind.

If you are getting your car prepped up for driving to a holiday vacation or just need a faster charging mount for your daily commute, this deal makes a lot of sense. CNET’s experts are also tracking more Black Friday and Cyber Monday picks across Apple products, headphones, and more, so you can score more savings before the sales season wraps up.

MOBILE DEALS OF THE WEEK

iPhone 17 Pro on Us With Any Condition Trade-in and Qualifying Plan
Google Pixel 10 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$749 (save $250)
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE 128GB Unlocked Phone (JetBlack):

$475 (save $175)
Google Pixel 9 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$499 (save $300)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 256GB Unlocked AI Phone (Titanium Black):

$900 (save $400)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

A high quality charger is a great addition to any car to speedily top up your phone on the go. You will especially want to look out for options from a top-tier brand like Anker for its fast charging speeds and reliability. This Black Friday deal is an excellent opportunity to save big on a staple car accessory. With holiday shopping heating up and tech accessories being one of the most popular categories, we expect the deal to sell out quick. So don’t wait too long before jumping on it.

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