Entertainment
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with Privacy Display launches today. Its already a #1 best seller.
There’s a new King of the Hill in the smartphone world. At least, if you’re an Android user.
After a two-week pre-order period, Samsung officially launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra, its next-gen flagship phone. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is unique among recent mobile launches for having a genuinely new hardware feature, a rarity in the age of annual release cycles and iterative updates. (We did see some cool stuff at Mobile World Congress 2026, however.)
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces the world’s first Privacy Display, which operates at the pixel level. This feature blacks out the whole screen, specific apps, or notifications from those around you, and it’s legitimately very cool. Once again, the Korean tech giant is introducing features that Apple has no answer to. See also: the Galaxy Z Trifold.
A notification blacked out by Privacy Display.
Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable
The phone is already listed as a No. 1 best seller at Amazon. If you’ve been eyeing an upgrade, or if you’re considering defecting from iOS to Android, here’s a quick download on the new AI smartphone.
Free Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra at AT&T With Trade-in and Unlimited Plan
at AT&T Wireless
The Galaxy S26 Ultra: By the numbers
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at $1,299.99, about $100 more than Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max. The phone features an impressive list of specs and camera array. Based on our testing, the custom Snapdragon processor inside will easily set a new high score on the Geekbench 6 mobile processor leaderboard.
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Display: 6.9-inch AMOLED display
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Refresh rate: Adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz
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Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor
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Resolution: 3120×1440
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Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB storage options
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Battery: 5000 mAh (31 hours of video playback)
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Durability: IP68 rated, Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
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Cameras: 200MP main wide lens camera, 50MP ultra-wide lens, 50MP telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom, 10MP lens with 3x optical zoom, front-facing 12MP selfie camera
Is the Galaxy S26 Ultra worth it?
The Korean tech giant has a steep asking price for its fancy new handset. We named this smartphone a Mashable Choice product, and you can check out our full Galaxy S26 Ultra review and camera test.
Frankly, it may be too much phone, both literally and figuratively, for most people. But if you want the best possible Android phone, this is it.
Where to find deals on the Galaxy S26 Ultra
You can buy the new Samsung flagship anywhere phones are sold. If you have a phone to trade in, you can find trade-in offers at AT&T and T-Mobile. Both of these companies are offering the device for free with eligible plans and trade-ins.
In addition, if you buy the phone at Samsung, you get a $150 Samsung credit you can use to save money on the new Galaxy Buds4 Pro, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and a ton of other Samsung gadgets.
Meanwhile, Amazon is offering a $200 gift card with purchase.
$1,299.99
at Amazon
$1,499.99
Save $200
$1,299.99
at Amazon
$1,699.99
Save $400
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for May 9, 2026
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it’ll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
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If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Bubbly.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
PERKY
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Hurdle Word 2 hint
To accumulate.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
AMASS
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Hurdle Word 3 hint
A kink.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
CRICK
Hurdle Word 4 hint
A beer.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
LAGER
Final Hurdle hint
Harmony.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
AMITY
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
NYT Strands hints, answers for May 9, 2026
Today’s NYT Strands hints are easy if you have a green thumb.
Strands, the New York Times‘ elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There’s always a theme linking every solution, along with the “spangram,” a special, word or phrase that sums up that day’s theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you’re feeling stuck or just don’t have 10 or more minutes to figure out today’s puzzle, we’ve got all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Garden varieties
The words are related to plants.
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Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe garden crops.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today’s spangram is Spring Veggie.
NYT Strands word list for May 9
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Asparagus
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Artichoke
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Onion
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Lettuce
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Radish
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Spring Veggie
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable’s Games page has more hints, and if you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now!
Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2026
Today’s Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you have great style.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
A soft fabric.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter S.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
SATIN
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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