This digest compiles the latest from Mashable.
Today’s Mashable Roundup
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is back down to under $15
SAVE $25: The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is on sale for $14.99 with code SAVE4K, down from the list price of $39.99. That’s a 63% discount.
Amazon makes some of the best smart home devices, like the collection of Echo speakers, Echo earbuds, and the fancy new Amazon Ember TVs. But one of the retailer’s best offerings is the Fire TV Stick. These are fantastic if your TV is older and takes forever to load apps, or if you’ll be traveling. If you’re in need of a new streaming stick, check out this epic deal.
As of April 16, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is on sale for $14.99 with code SAVE4K, marked down from the normal price of $39.99. That’s a 63% discount, taking $25 off.
Streaming with 4K HDR and connecting to high-speed WiFi, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select is a great way to improve a TV that struggles to load apps quickly. You’ll whiz to the Fire TV homepage with all your apps neatly organized in one location.
Another benefit of using a Fire TV Stick is access to Alexa. The virtual assistant will be able to take you back to your favorite episode, pick up your YouTube video where you left off, or recommend shows that match your preferences.
Best Buy is giving away a free TV when you buy the LG Class B5 Series OLED TV — how to claim
The Fire TV Stick is simple to both install and use. Plug the stick into an HDMI port on your TV, attach the power cable, and plug it into the wall. Once you pair it with your TV and your home’s internet, you’ll be on your way to expedited streaming.
If you travel often, packing along a Fire TV stick means you won’t have to log into your streaming accounts on a random hotel TV or at the Airbnb. Just use your Fire TV Stick, and everything will load in once connected to WiFi. Just set a reminder to unplug and pack the stick before you check out.
Don’t forget to use the code SAVE4K during checkout to snag the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select for just $14.99. Since this code tends to disappear quickly, hop on this one today.
Nano Banana can now make personalized AI Images based on your Photos library
Google announced today that the Gemini Personal Intelligence feature is now available in Nano Banana 2, the company’s popular AI image model.
Now, instead of uploading a photo, users can give Nano Banana access to their Google Photos library, which will allow Nano Banana to generate personalized images for users.
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“One of the biggest hurdles in AI image generation is finding the right prompt,” reads a Google blog post. “Previously, to get a result that felt truly personal, you had to write long, detailed descriptions and manually upload a reference photo just to give Gemini the right context. Now, Personal Intelligence gives Gemini an inherent understanding of your preferences from the start.”
Nano Banana is one of the web’s leading AI image generators, and it’s particularly good at editing photos. With Personal Intelligence, Nano Banana can reference your images and Labels to make photos based on you, your pets, or anything else in your library.
Google gives several examples of how this could be useful. For instance, instead of uploading an image of your family and writing a detailed prompt, you can simply tell Gemini to “Make a claymation image of my family.” Google also suggests prompts such as “Design my dream house” and “Create a picture of my desert island essentials.”
Users will need to organize and label their photos for the feature to work as intended, however.
Of course, before granting an AI tool like Gemini or Nano Banana access to your entire photo library, it’s important to understand how your images will be used.
Google says that Gemini will not “directly” train its models on your photos; however, it will be able to train its models with the photos, prompts, and AI-generated images that appear in the Gemini app.
“The Gemini app does not directly train its models on your private Google Photos library,” the blog post states. “We train on limited info, like specific prompts in Gemini and the model’s responses, to improve functionality over time. And connecting your Google apps to Gemini remains an opt-in experience that you can adjust in your settings at any time.”
As ever, it’s important to check the fine print before using a new feature like this. You can read more about training and privacy at the Google Gemini Privacy Hub.
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Is The Pitt Season 3 going to focus on the night shift?
Someone call Lucy Dacus, because the last few episodes of The Pitt Season 2 have been all about the night shift.
As the Emergency Department’s day shift staffers wound down and focused on completing their charts, the night shift came in to pick up their cases. That reconnected viewers with characters like Dr. Abbot (Shawn Hatosy), Dr. Ellis (Ayesha Harris), and Dr. Shen (Ken Kirby). It also introduced new characters like Dr. Henderson (Luke Tennie) and Dr. Toomarian (Sofia Hasmik), who fit right into The Pitt sprawling ensemble.
With all these new characters entering the fray, fans speculated about a night shift spin-off series or even having a night shift-centric Season 3. Adding fuel to that fire? The fact that Harris has been promoted to series regular in Season 3, meaning we’ll be seeing a lot more of Dr. Ellis in the future.
While seeing more of the night shift in The Pitt is certainly in the realm of possibility, a full spin-off or a Season 3 night shift pivot seem unlikely at this time. Star and executive producer Noah Wyle shut down spin-off rumors at a Q&A during PaleyFest LA.
According to TheWrap, while The Pitt cast and creative team teased details of Season 3, an audience member called out “night shift,” verbalizing viewers’ desires to see more of that team going forward.
“You’re getting just enough night shift,” Wyle responded. “You don’t want any more. You think you do, but you don’t.”
Based on that, it seems pretty clear that The Pitt is taking a “less is more” approach with the night shift. Perhaps Harris’s promotion to series regular signifies that Dr. Ellis is moving to the day shift instead. After all, employee churn is a a huge part of life in the ED: Actor Supriya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Mohan, will not be in Season 3.
At the PaleyFest Q&A, Wyle reportedly did reveal some key information about what to expect in Season 3: when the new shift would take place.
“It’ll probably be in the fall, November,” Wyle said, according to TheWrap. “Play with the cold weather, different cases.”
This 99-cent per month deal on Audible Standard makes the new tier worth it
SAVE $24: Through April 30, new and returning Audible subscribers can get three months of the new Standard plan for just 99 cents per month. Usually $8.99 per month, that’s a total of $24 in savings.
I’m going to be honest here: I don’t think Audible Standard is worth it at full price. The new plan, launched in March, costs $8.99 per month and lets you select one audiobook each month from the entire Audible collection. But unlike the Premium Plus plan, you can’t keep those titles if you cancel your subscription. It’s basically like you’re just borrowing them instead — and for $8.99 each month, that hardly seems fair. That’s why I think it’s 100 percent worth snapping up the three-month deal the audiobook company is offering this month.
Through April 30, new and returning subscribers can get three months of the Audible Standard plan for only 99 cents per month. That’s less than $3 total to “borrow” three premium audiobook titles from Audible’s expansive catalog. I deem that a damn good deal.
Along with the premium titles, you’ll also be able to enjoy unlimited listening to a curated library with Audible Originals and nearly 200 of the most popular titles previously available on Wondery+. So, technically, you’ll get more than just three audiobooks for $3.
So, why pay 99 cents per month instead of using a free library-based audiobook app like Libby? Well, plain and simple, there are no wait times. The Audible Standard membership allows you to check out whatever premium title you want with no waiting involved. That means you can enjoy 2026 releases, BookTok favorites, and more whenever you want. Just remember, you need to finish listening before you cancel your subscription, or you’ll lose access forever.
Bluetti just launched the FridgePower portable power station — preorders save at least $540
One of the biggest inconveniences when the power goes out is worrying about food spoiling in the refrigerator. A storm that knocks out power always seems to show up just a few days after doing a major fridge and freezer restock. We used to transfer items out of the fridge and into a cooler, but portable power stations made that a thing of the past. Bluetti, a leader in the portable power industry, has made things even easier.
Credit: Bluetti
The Bluetti FridgePower is the brand’s latest portable station, aimed directly at keeping the refrigerator and freezer cooling when the power cuts out. Unlike the majority of portable power stations that have a rectangular shape, Bluetti built the FridgePower to be slim to easily sit atop your fridge. It’s less than three inches in height and has anti-slip silicone feet for better stability.
According to Bluetti’s calculations, the FridgePower’s 2,016Wh battery capacity will keep a refrigerator powered on for nearly 22 hours if the appliance pulls about 2,000Wh per day. Instead of worrying about food going bad during an outage or strategizing opening the fridge for 10 seconds to grab the milk as quickly as possible, you’ll have the reassurance your fridge will stay powered on for about a day.
Bluetti FridgePower spec breakdown
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Capacity: 2,016Wh
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Battery type: LiFePO4
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Continuous output: 1,800W
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Surge power: 3,600W
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UPS: under 10 milliseconds
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Weight: 43 pounds
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Dimensions: 22.83 in. × 13.78 in. × 2.95 in.
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Warranty: 5 years
Versatile design and major expansion ability
In addition to setting the FridgePower either directly on top of your fridge or in a cabinet above, you can also mount the unit vertically to a nearby wall. The FridgePower has built-in wall mounting brackets and it comes with a mounting kit. That means you can easily set it up on a wall near the fridge in the kitchen or in the garage to power up the extra fridge or chest freezer.
Credit: Bluetti
If the 2,016Wh capacity doesn’t feel like enough, you can add up to three BlueCell 200 expansion batteries for a total of 8,064Wh. Each BlueCell 200 has identical dimensions to the FridgePower for perfect stacking ability.
Convenience of a dedicated fridge backup
I’ve tested dozens of power stations and one of the most useful scenarios for them is to keep the fridge cooling. Not only does that mean food doesn’t spoil, it’s essential for some households that have medical supplies that need to stay cold. The majority of the power stations I’ve tested are capable of running a refrigerator for various amounts of time, but adding the Bluetti FridgePower to your home takes it to a new level of convenience.
When my home’s power went out for almost 24 hours in December, I plugged the refrigerator into a 2,000Wh power station and left it sitting on the kitchen floor. But when I needed to charge my phone with the portable power station, I was tethered to the kitchen floor since it was keeping the fridge cooling. The Bluetti FridgePower serving as a dedicated fridge backup frees up any other portable power station you have to use around the house for lights, the WiFi router, and recharging phones.
Credit: Bluetti
Plentiful recharging options
With standard AC wall charging, the Bluetti FridgePower will take about an hour to go from 0 to 80% and about 105 minutes to reach a full charge. With a 1,000W solar panel, it’ll take a bit over 120 minutes to reach full power. Bluetti also plans on launching the Alternator Charger 2 soon which will allow you to recharge the FridgePower with your car’s alternator.
How to pre-order the Bluetti FridgePower
Bluetti is launching the FridgePower via Kickstarter with big discounts for pre-orders. Between April 16 and May 31, early orders save at least 42%. Bluetti expects shipments to begin in early June to make use of during summer storms and hurricane season.
Bluetti FridgePower
(save $540)
Bluetti FridgePower + BlueCell 200
(save $1,100)
Bluetti FridgePower + two BlueCell 200
(save $1,600)
Bluetti FridgePower + three BlueCell 200
(save $2,197)
Bluetti mentions these sale prices are super early bird offers. Once those sell out, prices will shift to normal early bird pricing. They’re still good deals, just not quiet as attractive as the super early bird offers. A standalone FridgePower, for example, will shift from super early bird $759 to early bird $819.
If you live in an area that’s prone to power outages and food spoilage is a major concern, the Bluetti FridgePower could be the perfect backup system. With these early bird sale prices taking at least $540 off, it’s worth jumping on them asap.
The Pitt fans, you need to watch the Season 2 finale credits
Here’s a PSA for everyone preparing to tune into The Pitt Season 2 finale tonight: Make sure you keep watching through the episode’s credits.
The finale features the show’s first mid-credits sequence, in which Nick Fury approaches Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) about putting together a team of elite TV doctors.
I’m totally kidding — about the Nick Fury part, anyway. The Pitt‘s mid-credits scene is very real, and it’s certainly worth sticking around for. No spoilers for what the scene actually entails, but I will say it’s less of an MCU-style teaser of what’s to come in Season 3, and more of a cathartic button to Season 2. And after 15 hours of trauma cases and tense staff drama, you’re going to want all the catharsis you can get.
That being said, if you want a teaser for Season 3, you’re in luck. At PaleyFest LA, Wyle and The Pitt creator R. Scott Gemmill revealed key elements about what’s next for the series, including when it would take place.
“It will be pre-Thanksgiving, moving into colder weather,” Wyle told USA Today at PaleyFest. “The holidays are approaching. The weather’s changing. People are turning on their heaters for the first time.”
Wyle added the next season would be “explosive,” which won’t do anything to soothe my worries about The Pitt‘s staff’s mental well-being. But in the meantime, the Season 2 mid-credits scene offers a sweet balm for that anxiety.
The Pitt Season 2 finale premieres Apr. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.
Students can get Microsoft 365 Premium and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free — but is it better than a MacBook Neo?
SAVE $625: College students can score one year of Microsoft 365 Premium, one year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, and a Xbox Wireless Controller totally free with the purchase of a Windows 11 laptop.
With the arrival of Apple’s MacBook Neo, college students can rejoice in an affordable, colorful laptop. Now, Microsoft is rushing to make their laptops a little more enticing to the college crowd.
They’re doing a pretty good job with the ultimate college bundle. With the purchase of a new Windows 11 laptop, students score one year of Microsoft 365 Premium and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, plus a free Xbox wireless controller. That’s $624.86 worth of product that students get completely free.
Microsoft 365 Premium is usually $199.99 for a one-year subscription, and includes access to all the essential Microsoft apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It also features cloud storage and advanced security to keep your papers organized and safe. But college shouldn’t be all work and no play.
For some well-earned downtime, one year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is included too. That’s access to over 500 games on Xbox consoles and PCs. Not to mention, you’ll receive a free wireless Xbox controller for all your gaming needs.
To get the bundle, all you need to do is shop a qualifying Windows 11 laptop, which are available at Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and Microsoft. Qualifying devices include the Microsoft Surface and Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 laptops.
at Best Buy
How to redeem ultimate college bundle
Once you purchase your laptop, you’ll have to redeem your offer. After setting up the device, an on-screen notification will pop up asking students to verify their student status. This requires a .edu college email address.
After your student status is verified, students will receive an email to redeem their Xbox Game Pass and Microsoft 365 Premium subscriptions. Additionally, they’ll receive a unique promo code to redeem a custom controller within three days of verifying their student status.
You can now turn off YouTube shorts entirely
YouTube is letting users turn off the brain rot faucet on its mobile app.
The internet’s home for all things video started rolling out a new setting in its iOS and Android apps that allows users to set a very strict daily limit for scrolling through the Shorts feed, per The Verge.
Specifically, you can now set it to zero minutes, effectively eliminating the Shorts feed as a viable part of the app. You’ll still be able to see individual Shorts on a user’s account page, but tapping on the Shorts tab at the bottom of the screen will instantly put up a message saying you’ve reached your limit for the day, disallowing you from watching Shorts there at all.
Credit: Screenshot: YouTube
YouTube originally rolled out a Shorts feed time limit feature a few months ago, but prior to this new rollout, the shortest limit was 15 minutes. After scrolling for whatever amount of time you set, the app would stop you from watching Shorts for the rest of that day. That option is still available, both for adult users to set for themselves and for parents to set for their kids, but it now exists alongside the zero minutes option.
Shorts have been successful for YouTube over the past few years as a TikTok competitor (or just a place where videos that originated on TikTok also show up), but it’s also undeniably become a source of endless scrolling through AI and brain rot content for many people. Giving users the power to turn off the spigot for themselves is probably necessary.
Grab the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro camera for its best-ever price at Amazon — save $80
SAVE $80: As of April 16, you can get the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo for only $368.99 at Amazon. That’s an 18% discount and matches its best price on record.
GoPro has long been the gold standard when it comes to action cameras, but the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro gives popular GoPro models a run for their money. It’s tough, waterproof, and compact, can capture stable, crisp video in any lighting scenario, and actually last more than an hour. Plus, it’s on sale for its lowest price on record.
As of April 16, the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Adventure Combo (which comes with three batteries and a battery case) is on sale for $368.99 at Amazon. That’s 18% or $80 cheaper than its list price and matches its best price ever, according to our favorite price-tracking tool camelcamelcamel.
Our friends at PCMag (also owned by Ziff Davis) tested the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and not only loved it, but also named it the best overall action camera for 2026. Highlights include superb 4K120 video footage, a waterproof build up to 65.6 feet, a compact and easily mountable design, effective digital stabilization, and the ability to record continuously without overheating.
What really takes it over the top compared to other action cameras, however, is its market-leading battery life. “The DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro provides the longest battery life we’ve seen from any action camera yet, running for far longer between charges than earlier entries in the series and bettering recent GoPro cameras by quite a bit,” PCMag’s reviewer writes. It’ll last you over two hours at 4K60 and over three at 1080p30. Not to mention, with the Adventure Combo pack, you’ll get three times that amount — an adventurer’s and content creator’s dream.
Character.AI users can now role-play classic books like Pride and Prejudice
The artificial intelligence entertainment platform Character.AI introduced on Thursday a feature allowing users to role-play in more than 20 classic books, including Hamlet, Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, The Great Gatsby.
“Books” lets Character.AI users engage in open-ended chats based on these and other famous titles in the public domain. Users can participate as a character from the book or as the “character” they’ve created on the platform.
Users can either follow the book’s original narrative arc or go “off script” to interact with its characters as they wish. Additionally, Books offers “alternate universe remixes” in which players can overhaul a title’s original premise, such as imagining Jay Gatsby in space. These remixes can be shared with the broader Character.AI community and subsequently browsed and played by other users.
In a blog post announcing the feature, Character.AI preemptively addressed the concern that it might encourage people to play classic literature rather than actually read it.
“Step into a story, talk to its characters, and there’s a good chance you walk away wanting to pick up the original,” the company said. “Not replacing books — but making them impossible to ignore.”
Credit: Character.AI
Users without a paid subscription can try Books with a “handful of free turns,” according to the company. Subscribers are able to explore the entire Books library.
Books will be available to users age 18 and older. Last fall, Character.AI shut down open-ended chats for teens, following lawsuits alleging that teens who used the platform experienced severe harm, including sexual abuse. The company settled the lawsuits earlier this year.
A spokesperson for Character.AI confirmed to Mashable that while users can prompt “romantic narratives” in Books, the company will moderate content that violate its terms of service, in addition to reviewing user reports of such behavior.
Character.AI policies prohibit certain types of behavior, including the depiction of excessive, graphic violence against people and animals; hate speech that demeans or promotes discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics; and content that promotes terrorism or violent extremism.
The policies also bar content that is obscene or pornographic, constitutes sexual harassment, and depicts the sexual exploitation or abuse of a minor.
“As with all of our content, [Books] interactions remain subject to our policies and our safety systems, including both automated and human review,” the spokesperson said.
Street Fighter trailer packs a punch with Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li
Street Fighter‘s trailer unleashes the whole crew of elite warriors from Capcom’s iconic video game franchise.
Set in 1993 and directed by Kitao Sakurai, the upcoming action film focuses on Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo). Once good friends, the pair have since become estranged. That all changes when Chun-Li (Callina Liang) recruits them for the World Warrior Tournament, a high-stakes series of fights that masks a deadly conspiracy.
As Street Fighter‘s trio battles to uncover the truth, they’ll face off with some of Street Fighter‘s most formidable foes, including M. Bison (David Dastmalchian), Balrog (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), and Akuma (Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i).
The trailer showcases these fighters and more in all their aggressive glory, including some body slams from Zangief (Olivier Richters) and some elastic moves from Dhalsim (Vidyut Jammwal). Plus, there are several in-jokes for Street Fighter fans, like a remark tied to Chun-Li’s impressive thigh strength.
And of course, it wouldn’t be Street Fighter without a Hadouken, which Ryu unleashes in full towards the end of the trailer. To witness that (and several other awesome attacks), check out the full video above.
Street Fighter hits theaters Oct. 16.
Lee Cronins The Mummy review: Gore and bores galore
Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin brings his trademarks of creepy kids and wild gore to Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, with mixed results.
On the one hand, the gore, when it comes, is spectacular. On the other hand, it’s sandwiched within an underwhelming storyline that never truly lets loose.
What’s Lee Cronin’s The Mummy about?
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Cronin’s take on a mummy story has no prior relationship to other mummy-related films, be that the 1932 Universal Monsters film, the Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz franchise (which has a fourth installment incoming), or the 2017 Tom Cruise flop.
Instead, it introduces an entirely new mummy tale focused on a bereaved family. Charlie and Larissa Cannon (Jack Reynor and Laia Costa) were once stationed in Cairo for Charlie’s journalism job. While there, their daughter Katie (Emily Mitchell) went missing, kidnapped by a mysterious woman (Hayat Kamille) who lurked near their garden.
Eight years later, the Cannons have traded the deserts of Egypt for those of Albuquerque, where they live with their children Sebastián (Shylo Molina) and Maud (Billie Roy), as well as Larissa’s mother Carmen (Verónica Falcón). Their grief over Katie lingers still. They keep her childhood bedroom intact, preserved in all its pink glory. They also haven’t taken a vacation since her disappearance, too afraid of anything bad happening to their other children.
However, the Cannons get some miraculous news when Katie (now played by Natalie Grace) shows up alive, having been found in an ancient sarcophagus. It’s evident she’s undergone a heavy amount of trauma in her time away: Her skin is scratched and peeling, her limbs are contorted in a strange rictus, and she’s only able to communicate through a series of clicking teeth and wheezing breaths.
Confronted with their daughter’s deteriorated physical condition, Charlie and Larissa are ready to do whatever it takes to help Katie feel safe again. Perhaps that’s why they’re willing to overlook the several perturbing things Katie does, from cavorting through their house’s crawl space to straight-up headbutting Carmen. It’s textbook possession, but Charlie and Larissa’s love for their daughter and relief at having her back cloud any fear they may have of her… up to a certain point. However, that point comes far too late in Lee Cronin’s The Mummy‘s punishing 135-minute runtime, making the pair seem less like concerned parents and more like classic horror movie idiots who make every bad decision until the movie tells them not to.
Again, the bereavement does give Charlie and Larissa some excuse here. Cronin, who also wrote the film, does a solid job exploring their guilt at Katie’s disappearance, as well as their efforts to establish normalcy even as a supernatural evil wreaks havoc on their house. Yet after a while, their willful ignorance becomes almost comical.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is as frustrating as it is gory.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Despite being presented as a reimagining of The Mummy, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is frustratingly formulaic. It draws heavily on creepy child tropes, including some Exorcist-level backbends and cursing, twisting them slightly to incorporate some mummy lore. Scenes where skin sloughs off like mummy’s bandages are relentlessly stomach-churning, but other than that, we’ve seen this bag of tricks before.
The same goes for classic beats of mummy stories, including a trip to an archaeology professor who’s able to unlock most aspects of the film’s central mystery. Far more fascinating is what’s taking place on the ground in Egypt after Katie goes home. There, Detective Zaki (May Calamawy) revisits Katie’s missing persons case, hoping to solve a mystery that she first began looking into eight years ago. Her journey leads to some genuinely tense sequences, to the point that you wish this was more of a detective thriller than an Exorcist rehash.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy‘s saving grace — and the reason it will likely appeal to many — is its gore, which pulls no punches. Every tear of Katie’s skin or bloody gnash of her teeth is a visceral nightmare, and Grace is wonderfully unsettling as the latest creepy kid in Cronin’s arsenal.
Yet all this gore rarely leads anywhere. Even after the most upsetting set pieces (one involving nail clippers comes to mind), everything resets to mild concern. A family gathering unleashes some serious nastiness involving teeth and vomit and shredded flesh, ushering in carnage that… never comes. Instead, we cut to a restrained Katie, with no idea of the broader impact of her rampage. To the person in my theater who let out a bewildered, “That’s it?” after that scene, I’m right there with you.
That scene feels like a promise unfulfilled, as does the rest of the film. Lee Cronin’s The Mummy ultimately doesn’t feel as much like a bold new horror saga as it does a hodgepodge of better films. Maybe some horror franchises, like a cursed sarcophagus, are meant to stay buried.
The beginner-friendly DJI Mini 4K drone is down to its best-ever price at Amazon — save $90
SAVE 30%: As of April 16, you can get the DJI Mini 4K for $209, down from $299, at Amazon. That’s a 30% discount or $90 savings.
My dad and my cousin are obsessed with drones, so I’ve spent enough time watching them fly to know two things: the really good ones are usually very expensive, and they’re easy to crash if you don’t know what you’re doing (and sometimes, even if you do!).
If you’ve been wanting to get into the hobby without the steep learning curve (or the high price tag), this DJI model is a great place to start. Right now, the DJI Mini 4K is on sale for its best-ever price of $209 at Amazon. That’s $90 off the list price.
Despite its tiny size, this drone has the practical features you need to get in the air quickly. It has a 4K Ultra HD camera paired with a 3-axis gimbal to keep your footage smooth and cinematic. Because it weighs under 249 grams, you don’t have to worry about FAA registration or Remote ID for recreational use. It also has a maximum flight time of 31 minutes, Level 5 wind resistance (stable in winds up to 38kph), and a 10km video transmission range.
If you’re worried about flying it into a tree or the ocean, it features one-tap takeoff and landing, stable hovering, and a GPS Return to Home (RTH) function, so you don’t have to panic if you lose it. It even comes with intelligent QuickShots modes that automatically fly the drone in cinematic patterns to get you professional-looking shots with just a few taps (which could be good if you’re a real estate agent or photographer!).
Sonys WH-CH720N headphones are under $100 at Amazon — save over $80
SAVE OVER $80: As of April 16, Sony WH-CH720N headphones have dropped to $92.95 at Amazon. This is $87.04 off their list price of $179.99.
New headphones can be quite a big investment, but if you’re looking for a pair that’s a bit more budget-friendly, the Sony WH-CH720N headphones are something we love that shouldn’t cost the world. They’ve earned a spot on our list of the best headphones as the best pick under $100, which is perfect as Amazon currently has them on sale for just under that mark right now.
As of April 16, Sony WH-CH720N headphones are marked down to $92.95 at Amazon. Overall, this saves you $87.04 off their list price of $179.99. The good news is the black pair aren’t the only ones on sale right now, either. For a few extra dollars, you can grab the white or pink pair on sale for $98.
The Sony WH-CH720N headphones are well worth the investment. Between great sound quality, noise-canceling features, and a solid battery life that lasts up to 35 hours, they’re an excellent pick-up for under $100. Our review of these headphones from Alex Bracetti had plenty of praise for them, saying “they strike the rare balance of quality, comfort, and affordability.”
Bracetti said that “Audio was exactly how I remembered it during my first test run: crisp and vibrant.” And as for the noise cancellation, Bracetti found that “it suppresses a heavy amount of ambient noise.”
If the Sony WH-CH720N headphones have caught your eye, don’t miss out on the chance to save at Amazon.
Boses SoundLink Max Bluetooth speaker has dropped to $329 at Amazon — save $70
SAVE $70: As of April 16, the Bose SoundLink Max is on sale for $329 at Amazon. This is $70 off its list price of $399.
A portable speaker is well worth having if you’re planning some outdoor excursions this year, whether that be camping, going to the beach, or just generally hanging outside with your favorite people. If you’ve been looking to buy a model to play your favorite tunes outside, Amazon has some great options on sale right now, including the Bose SoundLink Max.
As of April 16, every available color of the Bose SoundLink Max — black, blue dusk, and citrus yellow — has been marked down to $329 at Amazon. Overall, this saves you $70 off its original list price of $399. It’s only on sale for a limited time, so be quick to grab your favorite color while it’s still discounted.
The Bose SoundLink Max offers big sound and an equally big battery life of up to 20 hours to keep the party going. It also has a durable build that’s dustproof, waterproof, shock resistant, and rust resistant, and offers a convenient portable design thanks to its handle.
Amazon currently has the Bose SoundLink Max listed as a limited time deal, so better to take advantage of this offer now than wait too long and miss out.
Looking for more portable speaker options to pick up this year? Check out our rundown of the best portable Bluetooth speakers to see more picks we’d recommend.
Google Gemini now has a Mac app
Mac owner? Need even more AI in your life? We’ve got great news for you: Google‘s AI assistant Gemini is now available as a dedicated Mac app.
If you choose to install the app, it will be available via a keyboard shortcut (Option + Space), which can be handier than opening the Gemini website. But there are other perks to having Gemini living on your desktop. For example, you can share what’s on your screen with Gemini, and have it look at your local files.
To do so, you’ll have to give the app access to your Mac’s screen and audio in the Settings. You may want to revoke that access when you’re not using the feature, for privacy and security’s sake.
Credit: Google
Google’s Gemini is a bit late to the party, with both Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT having a dedicated Mac app already. The company says that this launch is “just the beginning.”
“We’re building the foundation for a truly personal, proactive and powerful desktop assistant, with more news to share in the coming months,” said Google in a blog post.
The app is freely available to all macOS users, provided you have macOS version 15 and up. You can download it over at http://gemini.google/mac.
Target is celebrating Pokémon’s 30th anniversary with a massive exclusive collection — how to buy
TL:DR: Target is celebrating 30 years of Pokémon with an exclusive collection for fans of every generation. The collection features more than 100 items coming in two drops (May 2 and June 6) — check it out here.
Do you have a binder full of holographic Charizards gathering dust in the attic? Or are you a new collector chasing rare pulls and limited-edition items? Either way, Target is the place to be for all types of Pokémon fans in the coming weeks.
To celebrate 30 years of Pokémon, Target has announced an exclusive collection featuring over 100 items. This has been created in partnership with Pokémon superfans like Joe Jonas, SuperDuperDani, Sydeon, PhillyBeatzU, Stephosaurawr and Aspen, and Noah Dankocsik and Lori Haynes.
This is a full-scale takeover spanning apparel, home goods, and collectible merchandise. Here’s a snapshot of what’s included in this collection:
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A first-of-its-kind retro jacket featuring the OG trio (Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle)
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Nostalgic collabs with legacy brands like Mead (maker of Trapper Keeper), Caboodles, Lip Smacker, and Starter
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A 151-piece puzzle inspired by the original Kanto 151 region
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A “Jigglypuff-scented” fragrance mist (whatever that smells like)
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Water-type Pokémon water bottles
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Butterfree-shaped hair clips
Almost half of the assortment is priced under $20, with items starting at just $3.50. The collection is already available on Target’s website, where you can sort by product category or Pokémon type.
Credit: Target
Target is splitting the release into two waves to keep the hype going. Target’s Pokémon adventure officially begins on May 2 in stores and online from May 3 with about 65 items launching, followed by a second drop on June 6 with about 40 additional items going live.
Given how quickly Pokémon merch usually moves, we recommend signing up for a Target Circle account now so you can check out faster when the online drop hits.
Josh Johnson talks Daily Show hosting with Stephen Colbert
Josh Johnson sat down with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday for his first Late Show interview, and it was a delightful chat between late night show hosts.
The Daily Show host spoke to Colbert about the pressure of being the latest addition to the lineup alongside Jon Stewart, Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, Jordan Klepper, and Michael Kosta, with a perfect analogy.
“When it comes to hosting, it’s so fun, and everyone is so supportive, but it is intimidating,” Johnson said. “You look at something like Daily Show, and it feels like you are borrowing your friend’s car to drive. You just want to give the keys back and be able to smile at them, like, the car is just like you left it. There’s no blood on the front grill or anything. I didn’t hit anything. I didn’t ruin it. I didn’t total it.”
Come for the Daily Show chat and Johnson’s announcement of his new HBO comedy special Symphony (out May 22), stay for his story about brass knuckles, TSA, and toe separators.
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Is Bluesky down? Heres what we know.
UPDATE: Apr. 16, 2026, 11:40 a.m. UTC Bluesky appears to be working again, both on the app and web, though we’re still seeing loading issues.
UPDATE: Apr. 16, 2026, 2:28 p.m. UTC Bluesky is operational again, according to the company’s status page. Bluesky told Mashable via email, “We are experiencing some service interruptions and our team is working on the issue.”
Bluesky went down on Thursday, with users reporting issues with the social media platform.
Often seen as the alternative to Elon Musk’s X, Bluesky was not working as usual in the early hours, with Downdetector identifying a thousand-strong spike in reported issues with the app and site around 6:30 a.m. ET. (Disclosure: DownDetector and Mashable are both owned by the same company, Ziff Davis.)
Credit: Downdetector
At 6:42 a.m., Bluesky’s own service status page reported acknowledgment of the issue, saying it was “investigating an incident” and confirming “some systems down.”
“We are starting to see some early recovery, but many users and services are still impacted,” a post read.
Credit: Bluesky
At the time of first publishing, Mashable could not access the site properly, and we reached out to Bluesky for further information.
“We are experiencing some service interruptions and our team is working on the issue,” a Bluesky rep told Mashable via email. “You can find the latest updates at status.bsky.app or the Bluesky Server Status account.”
A few hours later, Bluesky’s status page reported that the site was fully operational, though did not detail the issue that affected it.
Stephen Colbert breaks down the reality of Trumps tax refunds
It’s Tax Day in the U.S. and those super-charged tax refunds promised by Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” are on the way, right? Well…
As Stephen Colbert pointed out during The Late Show on Wednesday night, while the average individual tax refund will indeed be $748 higher this year due to the Republican-backed bill, the average U.S. household could pay $740 more for gasoline, thanks to the ongoing U.S. war with Iran. So, what’s the difference?
“Let’s see… that is…eight bucks. That’s eight bucks. So congratulations, everybody,” Colbert said. “Eight bucks doesn’t sound like much, but may I remind you that’ll get you eight lotto tickets, which also happens to be Trump’s health care plan.”
Colbert noted one person who’s seemingly not concerned with oil prices and inflation, Trump’s Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett, who told CNBC on Tuesday, “Imagine if oil prices start going back down, because the situation resolves itself somehow, that you could be looking at an inflation close to zero.”
“Yes, the situation might resolve itself somehow,” responded Colbert, in full sarcasm mode. “Until then, all America has to do is use their imagination. My friends, imagine a car made of liquorice somehow, and it somehow runs on dreams, and somehow your best friend is a musical dog and Kevin Hassett isn’t an idiot, somehow.”
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Jimmy Kimmel mocks Trump for sharing another AI image of Jesus
It’s only been a few days since Donald Trump received criticism for attacking the Pope online and then sharing a now-deleted AI image of himself as Jesus a “doctor”, but it appears the president is doubling down.
“Our Darth Vader president is lashing out at the Pope again,” says Jimmy Kimmel in the clip above. “This is how he operates: he does something dumb, everyone around him tries to clean it up for him, and then he just does it again. He’s mad at the Pope for being against war and lashed out last night just before midnight, which is not helping his ‘I’m not the Antichrist campaign.'”
Kimmel goes on to show another AI image Trump posted on Truth Social, this time featuring himself standing next to Jesus in apparent harmony.
“He posted this image of Jesus quietly begging him to stop,” says Kimmel. “Check out the chin and cheekbones. Somebody’s been looksmaxxing.”
Best Buy is giving away a free TV when you buy the LG Class B5 Series OLED TV — how to claim
TL;DR: As of April 16, you can get the LG 43-inch Class UA77 Series for free when you buy the LG 77-inch Class B5 Series at Best Buy.
at Best Buy
$2,999.99
Save $1,500.00
If you’re shopping around for multiple TVs to kit out your living room, kitchen, or bedroom, Best Buy has a stellar deal right now that will see you get an impressive TV for free. Yes, really.
As of April 16, if you buy the LG 77-inch Class B5 Series TV, you’ll get the 43-inch Class UA77 Series totally for free. But that’s not all. You don’t even need to pay full price for the B5 Series, because it’s currently half off. For a limited time, the price is down from $2,999.99 to $1,499.99. So already you’ve saved $1,500 before you consider the TV thrown in for free.
The LG 77-inch Class B5 Series TV offers native 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and a filmmaker mode for a more cinematic experience. It’s powered by the α8 AI Processor, which automatically optimizes picture and audio based on what you’re watching. And for gamers, it includes NVIDIA G-Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium, VRR, and four HDMI 2.1 ports, along with LG Game Optimizer and Game Dashboard.
You can add $249.99 to your savings, because that’s the list price for the UA77 Series that you’re getting for free. That’s a total saving of $1,749.99 when everything is added up.
Anything is good when it’s free, but this TV shines at full price. It’s a 4K TV with webOS 25, so you’ll get smooth browsing, personalized recommendations, and access to over 300 free LG Channels. And just like the B5 Series, gamers are catered for thanks to the LG Game Optimizer.
Head to Best Buy to snag this BOGO deal.
Regularly $2,000, the 45-inch curved LG UltraGear OLED gaming monitor is over $400 off right now
TL;DR: Amazon has the LG 45-inch UltraGear OLED curved gaming monitor on sale for $1,547.52, which knocks $452.47 off its $1,999.99 list price. That’s a 23% discount on a huge 5K2K OLED display with a dramatic 800R curve, dual-mode refresh rates up to 330Hz, and a near-instant 0.03ms response time.
OLEDs are some of the most expensive screens you can buy, both for gaming monitors and TVs. And even more so when you look at curved models. However, the latest bargain from LG on one of its UltraGear units should help take the sting away from your upgrade.
As of April 16, the LG 45-inch UltraGear OLED curved gaming monitor is listed for $1,547.52 at Amazon, down from $1,999.99. That saves you $452.47 on a monitor that feels built for gamers who want their setup to look as stellar as the games they’re playing.
With its 45-inch curved OLED panel, 21:9 aspect ratio, and a 5K2K WUHD resolution of 5120 x 2160, this LG monitor gives you a lot more room to work with than a standard gaming display. LG also says the aggressive 800R curve is designed to pull more of your peripheral vision into the action, which makes this a particularly tempting pick for the latest sprawling RPGs like Crimson Desert, and other single-player releases that are on a more cinematic scale — such as Pragmata and Saros.
What’s more, LG’s Dual Mode lets you switch between 5K2K at up to 165Hz for sharper, more detailed visuals, or Wide Full HD at up to 330Hz when you want something even faster and more responsive for competitive matches.
When combined with its 0.03ms response time, NVIDIA G-SYNC compatibility, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, you’re not only all set for buttery smooth visuals with quick-moving racing games like Forza Horizon 5, but also fast-paced shooters like Fortnite and Marathon.
For those who are open to a smaller model, LG’s 27-inch Ultragear gaming monitor is only $749.99. Elsewhere, Samsung’s 40-inch Odyssey G7 is now just under $700.
The Google Pixel Watch 4 is under $400 right now at Amazon — save $60
SAVE $60: As of April 16, the Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, LTE) has been marked down to $389.99 at Amazon. This is $60 off its list price of $449.99.
Have you considered investing in a smartwatch to help keep track of your workout or health goals? Amazon has a few deals worth checking out right now. Among them is the Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, LTE), our favorite Android smartwatch, which is $60 off right now.
This deal has dropped this Pixel Watch 4’s price from $449.99 to $389.99. What’s even better is every available color is on sale at this price, so you can pick out your favorite from the range.
The Pixel Watch 4 boasts a wide variety of health and fitness features, including over 40 exercise modes, a high-precision dual-frequency GPS, heart rate tracking, and sleep tracking, just to name a few. Mashable’s Christianna Silva called it a “true runners’ watch” in her review, also mentioning that it’s “faster, brighter, and more customizable than ever.”
On top of all that, the Pixel Watch 4 has a solid battery life. Silva noted in her review that it, “charges 25 percent faster than the Google Pixel Watch 3” and that, “The Google Pixel Watch 4 has up to 48 hours of battery life on the 41mm or 72 hours on the 45mm in Battery Saver Mode.”
Keep in mind that this deal on the Google Pixel Watch 4 (41mm, LTE) is currently marked as a limited-time offer at Amazon. So if you’re hoping to grab it at this price, act fast before it’s gone.
The Bluetti Elite 10 Mini power station is under $150 for a limited time — save over $80 at Amazon
SAVE OVER $80: As of April 16, the Bluetti Elite 10 Mini is on sale for $112.98 at Amazon. That’s a 43% discount on the list price.
A reliable power backup source doesn’t need to break the bank, especially when you don’t need a unit to power a whole home for days.
If you’re looking for something to keep your main devices going, you need the Bluetti Elite 10 Mini. And as of April 16, it’s on sale at Amazon. Right now you can take home this model for just $112.98, saving you over $80. This price is for the gray model, but for one cent more you can opt for the meadow green color.
This power station is designed to be a step up from a power bank. It has enough capacity to power small devices like laptops, drones, and cameras while on the move, so it’s a great choice if you have lots of personal devices. It includes a 200W AC outlet, 100W USB-C fast charging, and multiple DC ports, so it’s handy for camping, travel, or even emergency use. And despite its powerful output, it’s light enough to carry around (just 4.0 lbs).
For charging, it has multiple methods of powering, including 150W AC charging that reaches full power in around 70 minutes, 100W solar input for off-grid use (solar panels are sold separately), and car charging via a 12V outlet.
You can find this limited-time Bluetti deal at Amazon.
NYT Mini crossword answers, hints for April 16, 2026
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times‘ revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.
With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.
So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player’s flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.
Here are the clues and answers to NYT’s The Mini for Thursday, April 16, 2026:
Across
Bow ties and ribbons that you can’t wear?
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The answer is Pasta.
Opposite of lower
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The answer is Upper.
Flappable origami creation
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The answer is Crane.
Where the Hangul alphabet is used
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The answer is Korea.
Apparatus under a trapeze
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The answer is Net.
Down
Disc dropped on center ice
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The answer is Puck.
One might read “Kiss the Chef”
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The answer is Apron.
Unlikely outcome after a 7-10 split
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The answer is Spare.
Fundamental belief
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The answer is Tenet.
Bay ___ (part of California)
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The answer is Area.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Mini Crossword.
Normally $2,000, score the Anker Solix F2000 for over $1,000 off with this limited-time deal
SAVE OVER $1,000: As of April 16, the Anker Solix F2000 is on sale for $899.99 at Amazon. That’s a 55% discount on the list price.
If you’ve been thinking about picking up a reliable portable power station for home backup, travel, or camping, there are plenty of great deals at Amazon right now, including this latest offer on the Anker Solix F2000.
As of April 16, this powerhouse of a unit is reduced by over $1,000, bringing the price down from $1,999 to $899.99. That’s more than half off. This deal is for the unit alone, however there are upgrade options to add solar panels or expansion batteries.
This is a high-capacity portable power station designed for long-term use. It delivers 2400W of output with a wide range of ports, including AC outlets, USB-C and USB-A ports, car sockets, and an RV port. It can even keep a fridge running for up to 32 hours.
It supports fast recharging, reaching around 80% in about 1.4 hours, and has the ability to handle higher-wattage devices up to 3,600W using its SurgePad feature. And thanks to Anker’s InfiniPower technology, this unit has a lifespan of up to 10 years, so you’ll truly get your money’s worth.
You can find this portable power station deal at Amazon.
Regularly $800, you can score the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 power station for $449 if you act fast
SAVE $350: As of April 16, the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 is on sale for $449 at Amazon. That’s a 44% discount off the list price.
The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 is back on sale at Amazon, and if you’ve been looking for a reliable portable power station to see you through power outages, this is the ideal unit. And as of April 16, there’s currently $350 off the list price, bringing the cost down to $449. This price is for the unit only, however there are various upgrade options also on sale. You can add solar panels, charging cables, or carrying bags for less right now.
With 1,500W of AC power (3,000W surge) and a 1,070Wh capacity, this power station is ideal for running all types of appliances, from fridges to keeping your phone charged.
Despite being so powerful, it doesn’t need long to charge up. It actually supports fast charging, reaching full battery in around one hour with the Jackery app’s emergency mode, or 1.7 hours when charged normally. And this battery will last. It has an LFP battery that’s rated for over 4,000 charge cycles. This worsk out to around 10 years of use.
For your devices, you’ll get multiple ports you can use at the same time, including USB-C, USB-A, DC car output, and three AC outlets. And it’s a great unit for taking with you on the go, weighing just 23.8 lbs and including a foldable handle, making it ideal for camping or road trips.
Get this Jackery power station deal at Amazon now.
Looksmaxxing my bedroom TV with the Hisense Déco: The chic, small, budget QLED TV that blends in with my decor
As a society, we’re down to spend money on a nice new living room TV every so often. But smaller spaces like the kitchen or a bedroom seem to have been dubbed undeserving of a TV upgrade — even if the current TV is crappy, or even if we spend a lot of time in that room. To be fair, there weren’t many exciting options to choose from. I don’t know how the stylish budget-friendly small TV market went so untapped for so long, but Hisense was genius for throwing the S5 Déco QLED TV into the mix.
What’s special about the Hisense Déco TV
The Hisense Déco TV is a 32-inch QLED TV with a chic white “art-inspired design.” That’s not to be confused with matte art TVs that lie flat against the wall like framed art. So while the Hisense Déco isn’t a direct dupe for The Frame or the Hisense CanvasTV, it still speaks to the style-conscious part of your brain that cares about the cohesiveness of a space. Why settle for a blatantly techy TV if your bedroom’s decor calls for something more whimsical?
The case for an aesthetically pleasing bedroom TV
I’ve been carefully curating my bedroom’s ambiance for years, as most of us do. There are few places more comforting than the personal cave we’ve designed for ourselves, few activities that sound better than watching something cozy in bed. Doesn’t it just make sense for the TV to mesh with the rest of your decor?
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
Outside of expensive art TVs with swappable frames, I don’t think I had ever seen a TV that strays from the standard black design. Apparently, neither had all of the people who flooded my DMs when I posted the above photo on my Instagram Story.
“What is this?!”, “I’ve literally never seen a white TV before omg”, “I’m scared to know how much this costs but I need it”, and “This pic is literally so chic omg” were just a few of the replies. You get the point: There was clearly a need for a classy little decor-centric TV that doesn’t cost $600, like the smallest Frame TV.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
My current dresser was my mom’s when she was a teenager in the ’70s. It’s an eggshell color with swirly gold handles, topped with various trinkets like antique jewelry boxes, perfume, a skeleton hand from Michaels’ Halloween section that I use as a ring holder… the classics. I always thought that the arrangement was way too elegant for the old black plasticky TV that also lived there. (The mismatch would probably be less obvious if I mounted the TV on the wall instead, but I ain’t doing all that.) The Hisense Déco is the seamless addition that I had unknowingly been waiting for.
Instead of standing on two stubby legs, the Déco’s curved white bezels flow directly into the base of the TV. The sculptural one-piece build feels avant-garde for TV standards, but also means that no assembly is required.
Picture quality is actually quite sharp for non-4K
The Hisense Déco’s screen has some serious pop, especially compared to a dull LED screen. The Déco’s full HD resolution isn’t as granular as the 4K you’ll see on 90 percent of TVs, but I don’t think the average $200 32-inch TV buyer will be that picky about upscaling. Shadows aren’t pixelated like they were on my old TV, and there’s no overall fuzziness. I was thoroughly impressed by the sharpness of subtitles, despite the letters being so small.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
The layer of quantum dots picks up a lot of the slack from the lack of 4K. While LED vs. QLED and FHD vs. 4K are talking about two different TV specs (light and resolution, respectively), the range of a QLED TV’s color palette does create a crispier image than an LED TV. These tiny nanocrystals can emit over a billion different colors, deepening black levels and brightening light tones to create a more contrasted picture. The colors on the Hisense Déco are legitimately stunning. They were even rich enough to hold their own against the color-changing bulbs in my nightstand, which are the only lights on in my room at night.
I struggle to wind down at night as it is, so I typically don’t watch anything that I actually need to pay attention to before bed. If I absolutely need some background noise, Planet Earth or Our Planet for the 40th time it is. The Déco really did the habitats on these shows justice. Between spot-on color accuracy and vibrant hues across the board, it’s quite the immersive experience for such a little TV.
Bright objects in dark scenes do sometimes have a glow around them. The Déco’s screen uses a direct backlight rather than full-array local dimming, so it doesn’t benefit from little clusters of bulbs that turn off to reduce the halo effect. But the casual watcher probably won’t even notice — a TV this small isn’t meant to have the picture quality of an advanced home theater TV.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
The occasional blooming didn’t affect my weekend horror movie watching, at least. In my time with the Déco TV so far, I crossed Hallow Road and Rosario off my list and threw in a comfort rewatch of Paranormal Activity 3. Dark scene details in all three films were less gray and significantly more legible from a few feet away in my bed than on my old TV.
If you haven’t switched to a smart TV yet, do it
Many small space TVs are such an afterthought that they haven’t made it out of the dumb TV phase yet. That was me using my bedroom TV from high school at age 30. The ol’ Fire Stick rig can make it possible to access streaming apps on a regular TV for several years. But as I learned, a TV can simply get so old that it can’t handle an external streaming device anymore.
A single arrow click on the Fire TV remote was enough to send my old TV into shock. It was so frustrating that I stopped bothering trying to watch anything at all. So not only was that TV an ugly plastic box that didn’t match my room at all, but it was doing nothing but collecting dust.
After a month or so with the Hisense Déco, I can’t believe I put up with a non-smart TV setup for so long. The Déco’s Fire TV interface is highly responsive and as easy to navigate as Fire TV always is. You mean I can just click on a streaming app and it plays the content? Without the possibility of spontaneous combustion?
Is it a reach to classify a reliable bedroom TV as a productivity hack? That’s one surefire way to pair some universally-hated chores — like folding laundry or cursing out the fitted sheet while you make your bed — with an activity you enjoy, like catching up on a show. It’s also nice to not be relegated to the living room couch if I want to watch something live. Now, I can throw the new episode of Abbott Elementary or an NBA game on in my room without propping my phone up to watch YouTube TV. (That app would have sent my old TV into orbit.)
Factors to keep in mind
The Hisense Déco TV is the rare QLED TV that isn’t 4K. The difference between the Déco’s FHD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) and 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) would be most noticeable when intently watching a dark film in a dark room or playing video games. But no one would realistically be shopping for the decor-focused Déco TV with expectations for an elevated streaming or gaming experience.
Credit: Leah Stodart / Mashable
QLED TVs are naturally brighter and easier to see in sunlit rooms than LED TVs. That doesn’t automatically make them immune to glare in a bright room. The Déco TV definitely struggles to neutralize reflections when watching TV during the day. Because it’s designed for such casual use, I’m not that pressed about the lack of glare reduction — plus, there are significantly more expensive QLED TVs that struggle just as much in lit rooms.
The competition
For those in the market for a small budget TV, it makes the most sense to compare the Déco TV to other TVs in its price range. Barring any extra wild discounts that could pop up during an event like Prime Day, a hard $200 cutoff will typically have you looking at 32- through 50-inch 4K LED TVs.
Best Buy often has the TCL 40-inch Q35F QLED FHD Fire TV on sale for $149.99 or the 50-inch Q5 QLED 4K Fire TV on sale for $179.99. Both are obviously larger screens for a little bit less money, but both are the exact plasticky black box design that we were trying to get away from. Hisense can’t just make the prettiest small TV you’ve ever seen and then make it the same price as a boring small TV, you know?
Is the Hisense Déco TV worth it?
I’d recommend the Hisense Déco TV to anyone looking for a small space TV. You really couldn’t ask for a more seamless TV setup: It’s bright and responsive when you are watching it, stylishly camouflaged when it’s off, and costs $400 less than The Frame of the same size.
I’ve been firmly on the living room side of the “bedroom person vs. living room person” conversation forever. Now, I’m convinced that some of my living room tendencies stemmed from the fact that my old bedroom TV sucked. The switch to the Hisense Déco has genuinely been such a delight, and I find myself carving out time to hang out in there instead. It’s bright and bold enough for the full range of my TV watching needs, but more importantly, the satisfaction of its cohesiveness with the rest of the room never gets old.
With the world as overwhelming as it is, the safe space that is your bedroom deserves a little extra adornment. In this case, that adornment is a TV that serves c*nt.
The best dating apps of 2026
This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
All the single ladies — as well as the single fellas — are complaining about the same thing lately. Everyone’s exhausted from the stress, admin, and the general minefield that is online dating. App fatigue isn’t just a buzzword term. It’s a real phenomenon, and it makes connections all the much harder to find. Sometimes it feels actually impossible, like getting lost in the never-ending app-scroll. We understand the basic problem all too well: You just want the dating apps that actually work. Which begs the question: Which dating apps do actually work?
There are no right answers, of course. Because it’s less about finding an app that works than finding the right app for what you actually want. People on eharmony are probably looking for long-term commitment, while people swiping through hookup apps such as Tinder are after… well, let’s just say we know what they’re looking for.
The crucial thing is to remember you’ll get results if you know how to navigate the right apps. Sure, we’re all suffering from dating app burnout, but research proves that they do get job the done. A SSRS Opinion Panel Omnibus found that 65 percent of people aged between 18 and 29 have used dating apps, while a 2023 report found that one in five young people met their partner via an app. The best dating apps are one of the most reliable ways to meet a partner.
Thankfully, Mashable’s dating experts know what they’re talking about here. They’ve put valuable hours into testing and using datings apps IRL, determining the best apps for every kind of dater. So, to help you make a match, we’ve put together this roundup of the dating apps worth downloading in 2026.
End of today’s Mashable roundup.
