Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z foldable phones are soon to be unveiled at the company’s Unpacked event on July 9. But you don’t have to wait to lock in your next device — you can reserve one right now at Samsung.com and earn a $50 Samsung credit.
It’s not yet clear just how many new phones we’ll be getting (we’re wondering if there will be more than the usual two), but Samsung has been teasing Ultra-grade and slim foldable phones for this launch. Samsung Newsroom posts have pointed to a more “powerful camera” and “AI-powered tools,” and have also noted that its “newest Galaxy Z series is the thinnest, lightest and most advanced foldable yet.”
This story is part of Samsung Event, CNET’s collection of news, tips and advice around Samsung’s most popular products.
So, it’s possible Samsung could unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 7, Z Fold 7 and then the Z Fold Ultra, or perhaps just one Ultra-grade Fold device.
But wait, there’s more. There are also rumors surrounding a more affordable Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE phone. Leaks show renders of the rumored device, which appears similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 6, but it’s possible the phone could swap out the Snapdragon chip for an Exynos processor to keep that price down.
Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what Samsung has up its sleeve. But if you’re eager to get your hands on one of the latest devices, you can head to Samsung’s site to reserve your future phone and score that $50 Samsung credit. You can also enter a sweepstakes for the chance to win an additional $5,000 credit. These offers are only available on Samsung.com and the Shop Samsung app.
If you’d like to explore Samsung’s other phone options, check out list of the best Samsung phones to buy right now.
Awesome Games Done Quick and Summer Games Done Quick aren’t the only speedrunning marathons in town. There are others dotted throughout the year, such as Frost Fatales and Flame Fatales. Those all-women and femmes events are also operated by the Games Done Quick organization. The schedule for this year’s Flame Fatales has just dropped, and there are lots of fascinating runs on deck.
For one thing, you’ll be able to watch an Any% run (i.e. beating the game with any percentage) of Hollow Knight. What’s more, SawaYoshi will do this one-handed. The runner is expected to pull this off in around 45 minutes — it typically takes around 27 hours to beat that game.
Some newer titles are in the mix as well, such as Blue Prince. It might seem odd that a puzzle game with a heavy randomization element is on the schedule. ProfessorBurtch will be undertaking what’s known as a “B Quest Bingo” run. The idea here is to get to the Antechamber while using a bingo board. Here’s an example of such a run (it contains spoilers, of course):
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Elsewhere, we have Any% runs of the wonderful Neva, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and New Super Mario Bros. in the mix, along with speedrunning staples like Celeste and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The bonus runs include the first act of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and all regions of Hades II. I’m very intrigued by the Stardew Valley finale, which is a “Marriage% Co-Op Haley/Penny (Lesbian%)” run.
In all, there will be more than 50 speedruns during this edition of Flame Fatales, which runs from September 7 – 14. This year’s edition is being held in support of Malala Fund, which is a non-profit that helps girls around the world to have safe, secure and quality education. The event will be livestreamed on the GDQ Twitch channel.
ChatGPT has had an “unprecedented” impact on scientific writing, leading to a marked increase in “flowery” language, a new paper has found.
To determine the extent of usage of large language models (LLMs), researchers from the University of Tübingen and Northwestern University analysed more than 15 million biomedical abstracts from the PubMed library.
Their paper compared results from before and after the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 and discovered that LLMs have resulted in certain words featuring much more regularly.
These were predominantly verbs, such as “delves”, “underscores” and “showcasing”, which all had much higher increases in usage compared with previous years.
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Previously this so-called excess vocabulary had mainly been seen in content words. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, nouns such as “respiratory” or “remdesivir” appeared in studies much more regularly.
One example highlighted of “flowery language” from a 2023 study said: “By meticulously delving into the intricate web connecting […] and […], this comprehensive chapter takes a deep dive into their involvement as significant risk factors for […].”
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The results, published in the journal Science Advances, also show that changes as a result of LLMs resulted in abrupt changes in both the quality and quantity of research papers. And the analysis suggested that at least 13.5 per cent of abstracts published last year were processed with LLMs – about 200,000 papers in total.
“We show that LLMs have had an unprecedented impact on scientific writing in biomedical research, surpassing the effect of major world events such as the Covid pandemic,” said Ágnes Horvát, co-author of the study and a professor at Northwestern’s School of Communication.
The paper, which did not use LLMs for any writing or editing, said that the impact of ChatGPT, which is used to improve grammar, rhetoric and overall readability, could have broader implications for scientific writing as well.
Campus resource: Can we detect AI-written content?
“LLMs are infamous for making up references, providing inaccurate summaries, and making false claims that sound authoritative and convincing. While researchers may notice and correct factual mistakes in LLM-assisted summaries of their own work, it may be harder to spot errors in LLM-generated literature reviews or discussion sections.”
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With a risk that LLMs make academic papers less diverse and less novel than human-written text, the researchers warned that such homogenisation may degrade the quality of scientific writing.
And they called for a reassessment of current policies and regulations around the use of LLMs for science in light of the findings.
Google has pushed an emergency update to the widely used Chrome browser after identifying an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in the product, the fourth found so far in 2025.
Tracked as CVE-2025-6554, it is described as a type confusion flaw in the Google-developed V8 JavaScript engine that compiles and executes JavaScript code in Chromium-based browsers.
It was identified by the Google Threat Analysis Group’s (TAG’s) Clément Lecigne on 25 June, and fixed the following day by a configuration change that has by now been pushed out to the stable channel on all platforms.
Left unchecked, the US National Vulnerability Database (NVD) – which is operated by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) – said the high-severity vulnerability could have allowed remote attackers to perform arbitrary read or write actions via a specially crafted HTML page.
In layman’s terms, this means vulnerable Chrome users lured into visiting an attacker-controlled website may be exposed to attacks in which threat actors install malware, including spyware, on their devices, or take other malicious actions such as bypassing security restrictions to conduct deeper lateral movement in their environment or accessing and stealing confidential data.
“Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2025-6554 exists in the wild,” Google said in its update notice.
However, given the update may take a while to filter down to all Chrome users, Google provided no further technical details of the issue beyond the fact an exploit appears to be being used in cyber attacks. Note that the Google TAG frequently monitors and reports on state-backed cyber activity, but this is not necessarily an indicator of attribution to any such threat nexus.
Chrome users can check whether or not their browser is up to date by navigating to the Help menu via the three-dot icon in the top right corner of their browser window, and then clicking through to About Google Chrome. In most cases, doing so should automatically trigger the update if it has not yet been applied.
What are type confusion bugs?
A type confusion vulnerability arises when a program makes an inaccurate assumption about the type of an object resource and tries to access or use it as if it were the assumed type. This throws up errors and undesirable behaviours such as crashes, data corruption and incorrect memory access, or in this instance, enabling arbitrary code execution.
Attackers can take advantage of these conditions by writing specific JavaScript code to trigger incorrect type assumptions within V8.
These bugs tend to pop up in C and C++ coding languages – Chrome and V8 are both written in C++ – that make do with memory safety mechanisms, but according to SOCRadar, have been seen in PHP and Perl code as well.
Besides web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox or Safari, they can also occur in PDF readers, other JavaScript engines besides V8, or operating system components.
Developers can avoid introducing type confusion flaws into their software by conducting appropriate type checking at compile and runtime, using memory-safe languages if possible, implementing runtime type verification checks, conducting code reviews that focus on type casting, and using static analysis tools to detect potential issues down the line.
“I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer” edited by Mary Beth Norton
The world’s first personal advice column came about by accident. In early 1691, the Athenian Mercury was a new broadsheet that sought to provide talking points for coffeehouse patrons by answering assorted questions of the day. However, the three-man editorial team quickly started to receive queries of a more intimate nature from their subscribers and found that matters of marriage, lust and courtship interested their readers more than those on medicine, law and the military. This book, nimbly edited and introduced by the historian Mary Beth Norton, contains a broad selection of questions and answers, and plus ça change.
“It is my misfortune to be red-haired,” laments a correspondent with his eye on a woman with the “greatest aversion” to the shade and asking for a method to turn his locks brown; “I’ve a dreadful scold of a wife,” writes another, asking “how to tame her”; if a man finds his fiancée in bed with another man, is he still duty-bound to marry her? We may now have Mumsnet and Reddit but, nevertheless, many of these three-centuries-old quandaries still come with a there-but-for-the-grace-of-God warning. By Michael Prodger Princeton University Press, 203pp, £20. Buy the book
Never Flinch by Stephen King
When it comes to reading books by the “King of Horror” it’s best to go in with an open mind and without assuming what will happen next – unless you want to be let down by your deducing skills. This rule clearly applies to King’s latest book, Never Flinch. Though a standalone novel, it features a much-loved private investigator, Holly Gibney, and those associated with her investigation firm Finders Keepers.
Although the reader is introduced to the murderer from the get-go, this by no means spoils the fun. You may think you know all there is to know, but King’s mastery of withholding those final important pieces of information will have you working alongside Holly, perhaps not on unveiling the identity of the criminal, but on their motives. And let’s not discard King’s signature parallel plotlines which in the end collide to bring everything to light. With a killer on a revenge mission and a religious zealot targeting a celebrity feminist speaker, Never Flinch is not as graphic or as scary as King’s previous novels. What makes the book unnerving and impossible to put down is how real and plausible everything described can be. By Zuzanna Lachendro Hodder & Stoughton, 429pp, £25. Buy the book
A Perfect Harmony: Music, Mathematics and Science by David Darling
“Math and music are intimately related,” says composer and lyricist Stephen Sondeim. While to many music might seem remote from maths and science, their shared intricacies have been studied for centuries. We all recall Pythagoras’ theorem (some more fondly than others), but what about Pythagorean tuning to create the interval of a perfect fifth? Though its mathematical precision fell out of favour by the end of the 15th century, Pythagorean tuning and its “circle of fifths” remains at the heart of harmonic theory today. It comes as no surprise that many scientists were also musicians.
A Perfect Harmony serves to solidify just how interlinked the fields are. From the Neanderthal bone instrument that mimics the musical scales we commonly use today, through musica universalis of the Middle Ages combining arithmetic, geography, music and astronomy, to the two Voyager spacecrafts’ cosmic LPs, the disciplines co-exist in perfect harmony. Darling’s observant musical odyssey across time reinforces that “music and maths are endlessly entwined… nourishing one another” and have done so for millennia. After all, at its simplest music is melody and rhythm, and rhythm cannot exist without maths. By Zuzanna Lachendro Oneworld, 288pp, £10.99. Buy the book
The Harrow by Noah Eaton
The Harrow is a local newspaper – for Tottenham. Not, as its hardened editor John Salmon is sick of explaining, for Harrow: “As in ‘to harrow’, to rake the land and drag out weeds, to distress the powerful. As in Christ harrowing Hell, saving the innocent and righteous. Not Harrow as in that miserable bloody town Harrow!” The paper, each issue announces, is “the guardian of your democracy”.
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The reality is not quite so grand. The coverage focuses on villains, not victims, because no one cares about the latter. Salmon keeps a shabby office and three staff above a betting shop and spends much of his time harassing off-licence proprietors who have tried to lower their order. But when the prospect of a last-gasp “big story” heaves into view, Salmon and his team feel their hopes renewed. At well over 400 pages, The Harrow is on the weightier side for a thriller – and for a debut. But author Noah Eaton keeps the story ticking along at a pleasingly alacritous clip. Sometimes the world Eaton has built is told a little indulgently, but all told the story is complex, amusing and readable. By George Monaghan Atlantic Books, 389pp, £18.99. Buy the book
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This article appears in the 02 Jul 2025 issue of the New Statesman, Just Raise Tax!
The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal will hold a hearing in the autumn to decide which of two rival class action claims seeking damages against Google’s allegedly abusive conduct in search advertising should proceed to certification.
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The long-rumored foldable iPhone is expected to launch next year, and a new report from Digitimes suggests that the device has entered its prototype testing phase last month. Based on info from supply chain sources, Apple already has a functioning prototype of its first foldable phone.
The prototype testing phase is expected to finish by the end of this year. From there, the device will enter its Engineering Verification Test (EVT) phase, and if everything goes as planned, we should see it announced alongside the iPhone 18 series in September 2026.
The new report also mentions that Apple has paused development of its foldable iPad due to a mix of manufacturing difficulties and weak consumer demand.
According to the latest rumors, the foldable iPhone is expected to feature a Samsung-made 7.8-inch main OLED display with an under-display camera and a side-mounted Touch ID scanner and no Face ID. It will reportedly feature an “almost invisible” crease, and the whole device will be extremely slim at around 9–9.5mm when folded.
Apple is expected to use a titanium alloy chassis and a liquid metal hinge that would offer unparalleled durability for a foldable. As you might expect, this device won’t come cheap with rumors pointing to a launch price in the $2,100 – $2,300> range.
Apple unveiled new AirPods last year, and while you might be considering buying the brand’s latest earbuds, you shouldn’t forget about the sweet discounts that activate on earlier models once Apple releases new hardware — especially if you’re looking for a new pair of high-quality noise-canceling earbuds. Amazon currently has a great deal on the AirPods Pro 2, our pick for the best AirPods model that you can buy.
Also: The best early Prime Day deals you can shop right now
The AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), which are some of our favorite earbuds and our top pick out of the AirPods lineup, keep getting lower and lower price at select retailers. At Amazon, the pair are on sale for $169, an $80 discount for an impressive pair of earbuds with stellar noise cancellation and native iOS compatibility.
Also:Just installed iOS 18.4? Changing these 3 features made my iPhone much better to use
The AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) tops ZDNET’s best AirPods list because they offer impressive sound quality, immersive noise cancellation, all-day comfort, and a wireless charging case. With six hours of battery life and Apple’s latest H2 chip, you’re getting the most modern tech in these Apple earbuds.
More: These premium JBL earbuds lasted me all week without a charge (and sound great)
And, because the case can utilize wireless charging, you can plunk it down on a MagSafe charger, an Apple Watch charger, or a Qi-compatible charging mat for non-Apple tech products.
The AirPods Pro 2 are great for iOS users and iPhone owners, as they boast certain features that seamlessly integrate with your phone. My favorite is the in-ear text notifications, which will read the texts you’ve received to you without having to look at your phone.
ZDNET editor-in-chief Jason Hiner says the pair are the most easily recommendable of the four AirPod models. “That’s because they fit almost every type of ear, they are very comfortable to wear, and they include all of the best and latest features that Apple has to offer in headphones. Plus, they get a bonus set of new features as part of the iOS 17 update, which won’t come to any of the other AirPods,” he writes.
If you’re ready to replace that old pair of wired earbuds with one of our favorite wireless earbuds, you might as well hop on this AirPods Pro 2 deal. Plus, check out ZDNET’s list of the best headphones for working out.
Looking for the next best product? Get expert reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.
How I rated this deal
Based on ZDNET’s rating system, these 20% savings grant this AirPods Pro 2 deal a 3/5 Editor’s deal rating. This deal nearly matches what Apple sells the earbuds for during sales events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, when the earbuds go as low as $170. But we’ve seen better savings and have an inkling that once Prime Day deals activate next week, you’ll get the earbuds for even lower.
Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We’re sorry if you’ve missed out on this deal, but don’t fret — we’re constantly finding new chances to save and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com.
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We aim to deliver the most accurate advice to help you shop smarter. ZDNET offers 33 years of experience, 30 hands-on product reviewers, and 10,000 square feet of lab space to ensure we bring you the best of tech.
In 2025, we refined our approach to deals, developing a measurable system for sharing savings with readers like you. Our editor’s deal rating badges are affixed to most of our deal content, making it easy to interpret our expertise to help you make the best purchase decision.
At the core of this approach is a percentage-off-based system to classify savings offered on top-tech products, combined with a sliding-scale system based on our team members’ expertise and several factors like frequency, brand or product recognition, and more. The result? Hand-crafted deals chosen specifically for ZDNET readers like you, fully backed by our experts.
The Crew Motorfest Season 7 is out now and brings two new Playlists, one on day one, the second on August 6, 17 new vehicles, and new quality-of-life improvements to the game, all for free.
Available immediately, the new Playlist, Ferrari Supercars, adds the Enzo Ferrari Museum to the island of Maui, seven main events, more than 25 challenges, six photo ops, six feats, and the yet-to-be-released Ferrari F80 supercar. Players will be able to explore the museum on a journey through Ferrari’s most legendary models, guided by Michele Pignatti Morano, Director of the Ferrari Museums.
On August 6, the second new Playlist, Luxury Chronicles: Europe, adds 13 main events (available on a weekly basis), 40 challenges, 13 photo ops, and 13 feats. It will feature vehicles from other European luxury manufacturers such as Porsche, Triumph, and more.
Season 7 also introduces new quality-of-life features including a redesigned and customizable Fast Fav system, Immersion mode to disable all HUD elements, and an overhaul to Grand Races with new gameplay modifiers, dynamic special event formats, Spectator mode, and split time tracking.
The Crew Motorfest is available on PC via the Ubisoft Store and Steam, and is included with a Ubisoft+ Premium subscription. The Crew Motorfest is also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
![[UN][TCM] Season 7 Out Now - ferrari](https://afnnews.qaasid.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/TCM_FERRARI_1920x1080_MF.jpg)
