After tariff-based delays, the Nintendo Switch 2 preorders finally opened up in the US — and as expected, it looks like the first wave got snapped up quickly. Given that unexpected wait, and now seeing the new game console currently sold out, it’s understandable if your thumbs are getting twitchy for preorders to open again.

That said, having played on the Switch 2 recently at an event, may I help ease your FOMO somewhat by saying you’re probably OK waiting on it?

I felt this way after my full-day Switch 2 experience, and I’ll reiterate it now: As good as the upgrades the Switch 2 has, and as fun as the new Mario Kart and Donkey Kong games seem to be — and the GameCube gaming library also seems like a blast of retro fun — the Switch 2 is very much an iterative upgrade for now. The very best games on the Switch 2, and its most unique exclusives, are likely still to come.

Nintendo has clearly designed the Switch 2, at least for the moment, to exist as a bridge to the current Switch, with many upcoming games intended to work on the original Switch too. Much more than the debut of the first Switch, the Switch 2 is designed to be a system you could wait to upgrade to. In that sense, it’s following the path of the current gen of Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5 consoles.

You can build up your Switch library now and be Switch 2-ready when you eventually upgrade

The Switch 2 plays all the Switch games, which wasn’t the case with the Switch and previous Wii U and 3DS hardware. That means you could skip the Switch 2 now if you needed to, play games on the Switch, and then move your library over whenever. Switch 2 versions of games cost more (ranging from $10 to $20 more), but you can just buy the Switch 2 game upgrades later for a similar price — or play the versions you’ve already got minus the enhanced graphics and game extras.

The Switch 2’s current upgrades are good, but not shockingly good

After playing several of the Switch 2 Edition versions of Switch games for a bit, I noticed better frame rates and graphics resolution, but I honestly didn’t find it to be that much different. I’d prefer playing the enhanced Switch 2 editions, but the experience reminded me a bit of the PS5 Pro versus PS5 versions of games when I first played on the console with Sony last year.

If you have a big TV, you’ll likely appreciate the difference. The bigger Switch 2 screen shows off games in higher-res 1080p with HDR, but you could play on the older Switch and be fine. I’m playing on a Switch OLED again, and after the Switch 2 experience, I don’t have massive I-wish-this-were-a-Switch-2-envy. 

I’m sure this will change as games are developed to take better advantage of the amped-up Nvidia-powered Switch 2 GPU, and when more exclusives arrive. It’s similar to how I felt about the Meta Quest 3, which has better graphics than Quest 2 but didn’t feel like an absolute must-get until a year into its release.

You can still play upcoming Nintendo games on OG Switch

While Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are Switch 2 exclusives, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends Z-A also play on the Switch. It’s unclear how well these games will play on the Switch versus Switch 2, but you can get a good dose of New Nintendo this year on the older hardware and upgrade the hardware upgrade later. Think of it as a bit of a FOMO buffer.

Looking at Nintendo’s game history, the company often supported its previous consoles for a good couple of years after the new hardware’s release. I’d expect that after 2026 the Switch 2 will start to become the go-to platform for most big game, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a handful of key Nintendo games still supporting original Switch for another year at least.

There’s no ‘whole new experience’ you’ll miss other than Game Chat, that camera and the mouse 

The original Switch was an eye-opener because it was a portable, full game console that could dock with your TV and turn into a shareable console with modular controllers. It was different from anything Nintendo had made before. The Switch 2 is mostly the same proposition, just nicer.

You won’t feel the same regret for missing out on a whole new way to play this time, since it’s a continuation of the same idea. There are two new features you might envy: audio or video Game Chat among friends and the new Joy-Cons working like mice in some supported games. But Game Chat works only with other Switch 2 owners and needs a Switch Online subscription. The mouse functions are fun at times, but could also end up as just a gimmick. For now, the Switch 2 hasn’t pulled that many wild new functions out of its hat, but that could change, knowing Nintendo. There are also some fun camera-connected party game modes for Mario Party Jamboree if you happen to connect a camera, but no other games even have new camera-based features yet.

It’s fine to wait, but tariffs are still a question mark

I’m saying this well before I’ve had a chance to review the Switch 2, and for sure, it looks like the best Nintendo console in a long while and worth upgrading to. But take some comfort that missing out on getting one early this time isn’t quite as big a deal as it was in 2017, even if you’re feeling the pull of regret. 

The only wild card remains the question of the effect tariffs will have on future console pricing. Will it fluctuate? I hope not, but the prices of Nintendo’s Switch 2 accessories have already gone up as a result of Trump’s chaotic tariff policies, and it’s unclear if that might happen again. The state of pricing and consumer electronics is still in an unknown zone, but in the meantime, you can still have a lot of fun on the Switch you already have, now and even in the near future.

Your Android phone‘s web browser — whether you use Google Chrome, Samsung Internet or Mozilla Firefox — picks up a lot of data from the various websites you visit every day. Every time you load up your favorite website to read articles, shop or most other tasks, your browser picks up and stores a small amount of data that can be helpful in some cases. It’s what lets you quickly load websites you frequently access and keeps you logged in to accounts. That’s nice, but there’s plenty of information in the cookies and cache of your browser that isn’t necessary and could even be a privacy risk.

Why you should regularly clear out your cookies and cache

A lot of what ends up building up within your cookies and cache is just plain junk. Some of it could have arrived from websites you’ve visited just once. Others seem to be tracking your browsing history on an active basis, helping to serve up advertisements based on what you are buying or streaming on the internet. For instance, I’m constantly receiving advertisements for buying glasses online after browsing a few stores or Amazon ads that just happen to show what was last in my shopping cart.

Because of this, it’s good to clear out your cache every so often. It allows you to remove data you don’t need on your phone, especially if an unknown data tracker is among your phone’s cookies. Clearing your cache is a minor inconvenience — you’ll have to log back into some of your favorite websites, but it’s a small price to pay to make sure your phone isn’t stocking up on extraneous data.

The steps differ slightly depending on the type of phone and web browser app you’re using. Below, we’ll go over how to clear this data for Google’s Chrome browser (the default for many Android phones, like the Google Pixel line), Samsung’s internet browser (often the default on the Galaxy phone series) and Mozilla’s Firefox browser. You can also check out our separate guide on how to clear your cache on an iPhone web browser, in case you have a few Apple devices to tidy up, too.

Google Chrome

You can delete your cookies and cache from within the Android version of Google Chrome by first tapping the More button in the top right corner of the browser, indicated by a column of three dots, then tap Delete browsing data. A small menu will pop up that will let you select a time range of the Last 15 minutes of data up through All Time. If the options in this quick menu suffice, you can tap Delete data and you’re done. However, if you want more-advanced settings, you can instead tap More options.

The extended Delete browsing data menu that pops up lets you further specify what to delete, with options that include Browsing history, Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Tabs, Saved passwords, Autofill form data and Site settings. You can also use the Time range drop-down to select how far back you’d like to clear the data out. After selecting what you want to delete, tap the Delete data button. 

You might receive an additional prompt in the event Chrome deems certain websites as being «important» to you, and if so, you’ll get the chance to confirm before clearing. Otherwise, if you don’t receive that prompt, Chrome will immediately proceed to clear as you instructed.

Read more: Ditch Google Chrome and Use This Privacy-Focused Browser Instead

Samsung Internet

There are two different ways you can clear your Samsung Internet browser’s cache and cookie data. You can clear from within the browser itself, or you can go through your phone’s Settings app.

To clear while in the Samsung Internet browser app, first tap the Options button in the bottom right corner represented by three horizontal lines, then Settings; scroll down to and tap Personal browsing data then tap Delete browsing data to get a menu of options to delete. You can clear your Browsing history, Form and search history, Cookies and site data, Cached images and files, Passwords and Autofill forms in any combination. After tapping Delete data, you’ll then receive a prompt asking for you to confirm your choices before deleting.

Going through the browser app itself provides the most customization as to what you want to delete. If you want to access similar options from your phone’s settings menu, open the Settings app and tap on Apps, then scroll down to and tap Samsung Internet and then Storage and cache. 

On the Storage screen, you get separate options to Clear cache and Clear storage. Tapping Clear cache will immediately delete the cache, but Clear storage brings up a prompt that warns you that all of the application’s data will be deleted permanently, including files, settings, accounts and databases. While it doesn’t specify cookies, this «going nuclear» approach should zap all remaining data, letting you restart the Samsung Internet browser as if it were brand-new.

Read more: Change These Android Settings to Get the Most Out of Your Phone

Mozilla Firefox

Much as with Google Chrome, you can clear the cache from within the Mozilla Firefox Android app. To access this function, tap the More button on the right of the address bar, again symbolized by three vertically aligned dots. Then tap Settings and scroll down to Delete browsing data. 

Of the three browsers we’re discussing here, Firefox gives you the most options under the Delete browsing data menu, allowing you to also delete any existing Open tabs, your Browsing history, Site permissions and even your Downloads folder. Those options come alongside Cookies and side data and Cached images and files. 

While you can’t pick a time range as you can for Chrome, you can be more specific regarding what type of data you would like to remove.

Read more: Browser Privacy Settings to Change ASAP in Firefox, Chrome and Safari 

And Firefox has an additional option for those who never want to keep their browsing data after they’re done using the app. Inside Settings is a Delete browsing data on quit option, which instructs Firefox to wipe any combination of these same settings every time you quit the application. It’s a useful feature if you’d like to keep the browser tidy and, say, avoid accidentally handing off your browser history to someone who may have stolen or otherwise gained access to your phone.

The Pixel 9A’s Design: Google Takes Minimalism to the Extreme

+7 More

See all photos

With a 6.9-inch display, Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max is a real beefy bit of kit. But then Google’s 6.8 inch Pixel 9 Pro XL is also a real pocket-stretcher. Both Apple and Google’s flagships pack a stellar lineup of top tech, from their next-gen processors to powerful camera setups. And of course there’s a host of AI features on both models. 

Let’s dive into the specs to see how these two mobile giants compare. You’ll find a side-by-side spec chart at the end of this article.

The size is the big similarity here, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s screen measuring in at 6.9 inches — a mere 0.1 inch larger than the 6.8-inch Pixel XL display. It’s hardly a difference you’d likely notice, but if your primary concern is getting the most screen for your money, then the iPhone leads the way. And while the Pixel’s 486ppi pixel density is slightly higher than the iPhone’s 460ppi, again, it’s not really a difference you’ll likely notice in everyday use.

See more: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Review: Compelling Upgrade With My Favorite iPhone Feature in Years

Both phones run on home-grown processors but the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s Tensor G4 has disappointed in benchmark tests, performing closer to last year’s midrange phones and barely outpacing its predecessor. By comparison, even the iPhone 15 Pro Max blew the Pixel out of the water, and the 16 Pro Max whupped the Pixel’s proverbial on our suite of benchmarks. For your everyday emailing and Instagram scrolling you likely won’t notice any difference, but the iPhone is certainly better equipped for things like ray tracing-enabled video games.

The iPhone and Pixel both pack the standard trio of rear cameras — main, ultrawide and 5x telephoto. The Pixel put up a good fight in my recent camera shootout. However, the iPhone’s inclusion of ProRaw imagery and ProRes video encoding — along with the new 4K slow motion mode — makes the iPhone more appealing to photo and video creators.

Neither phone offers expandable storage, but both offer storage capacities up to 1TB and IP68 water resistance.

Should you buy the iPhone or the Pixel?

Despite all the flashy specs and features, the two biggest factors most people should consider if choosing between these two phones is price and software. The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts a $1,199 compared to the $1,099 Google Pixel 9 Pro XL. Is the Pro Max $100 better than the Google’s biggest Pixel? Honestly, those prices are deceptive. The Pixel comes with 128GB of storage compared to Apple’s 256GB. If you upgraded to a 256GB 9 Pro XL, it costs the same as Apple’s phone.

In terms of software one phone runs iOS and the other Android. Clearly if you, your family or close friends are on Android or iOS, that will be a huge factor in determining which phone is best for you. While Apple promises five years of major OS upgrades, Google commits to seven years. At the end of the day, whether you opt for an iPhone 16 Pro Max of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, you’re getting an excellent phone that should last you for years.

Check Out the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Cameras, Display and Colors

+9 More

See all photos