Month: May 2022

The 2023 Home Depot Memorial Day sale is almost here, and we have everything you need to know and deals to expect.

May is just around the corner, which means the highly anticipated Lowe’s Memorial Day sale will be here before you know it. The holiday weekend is a great opportunity to score deals on patio furniture, appliances, plants, tools, grills, and so much more. To help you find all the best offers, we’ve created this guide with everything you need to know about the 2023 Memorial Day sale, such as the date and when deals start.

The Memorial Day sales event is the unofficial start to summer, which is why Home Depot is one of the most popular retailers during the holiday weekend. You can create your dream backyard with deals on patio furniture, planters, lawnmowers, and grills, or upgrade your home appliances with massive savings on refrigerators, washers and dryers, dishwashers, and more. 

Memorial Day lands on Monday, May 29 this year, and we should start to see Lowe’s official sale the week before on Monday, May 22. We’ll update this guide as soon as we see offers drop, and you can see our main Memorial Day sales guide for more early offers.

Home Depot Memorial Day sale 2023: key information

When is Memorial 2023?

Memorial Day is an American federal holiday that always falls on the last Monday in May to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

This year, Memorial Day will take place on Monday, May 29, with the long holiday weekend kicking off on Friday, the 26.

When does Home Depot’s Memorial Day sale start?

Home Depot typically kicks off its official Memorial Day sale during the week leading up to Memorial Day, with deals starting around Monday, May 22. The retailer will have discounts on outdoor items such as grills, patio furniture, plants, and tools and huge savings on major appliances. All offers will last through the holiday weekend, with the biggest discounts reserved for Memorial Day proper.

If you’re looking to shop for bargains right now, we’ve listed today’s best deals from Home Depot happening right now.
Appliances: up to $800 off major appliances
Grills: prices starting at $399
Patio furniture: up to $400 off patio furniture
Small appliances: take up to 25% off small appliances
Tools and accessories: $200 off select tools & accessories

Home Depot Memorial Day sale: last year’s top deals

You can shop for bargains right now in our 2023 Mother’s Day sales guide.

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Your guide to this year’s 2023 Lowe’s Memorial Day sale, with everything you need to know and deals you can expect.

The 2023 Lowe’s Memorial Day sale will be here before you know it, with huge summer savings on appliances, grills, patio furniture, plants, outdoor tools, and more. To help prepare you for the holiday weekend, we’ve put together this guide with everything you need to know about this year’s Lowe’s Memorial Day sale.

The Lowe’s Memorial Day sale is always a popular destination, thanks to summer savings on everything you need for the outdoors, such as grills, patio furniture, lawnmowers, and plants. You’ll also find huge discounts on major appliances, with the best-ever offers from all the top brands like LG, GE, and Samsung, on refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry packages, and more.

Memorial Day falls on Monday, May 29 this year, and we expect Lowe’s official sale to launch the week before the holiday, on Monday, May 22. We’ll update this page as soon as offers drop, and you can check our main Memorial Day sales page for more early bargains.

Lowe’s Memorial Day sale 2023: key information

When is Memorial 2023?

Memorial Day is an American federal holiday that always falls on the last Monday in May to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

This year, Memorial Day will take place on Monday, May 29, with the long holiday weekend kicking off on Friday, the 26.

When does the Lowe’s Memorial Day sale start?

In the past, Lowe’s has kicked off its official Memorial Day sale the week before Memorial Day (which lands on May 29), with deals starting on Monday, May 22. The retailer will offer discounts on outdoor items, major appliances, and tools through the holiday weekend, with the best deals reserved for Memorial Day proper.

If you’re looking to shop for bargains right now, we’ve listed today’s best deals from Lowe’s below.

Appliances: save $1,000 on major appliances from LG, GE & Samsung
Bath: savings across vanities, faucets, tubs, and more
Grills and outdoor cooking: grills starting at $149.99
Home décor: $400 off mattresses, rugs, and decor
Lawn and garden: planters, soil, flowers, and plants from $2.99
Outdoor tools: up to $100 off outdoor tools and equipment
Patio furniture: up to $1,000 off select patio and outdoor decor
Tools: up to 35% off on select tools and accessories

What deals can you expect

The Lowe’s Memorial Day sale is one of the most popular retailers during the holiday weekend, thanks to massive savings on popular outdoor items like patio furniture, plants, grills, lawnmowers, and more. It’s a great sale to jumpstart your summer, thanks to fresh discounts on brand-new outdoor items.

The Lowe’s Memorial Day sale is always known for offering record-low prices on major appliances. Past offers have included up to $1,000 off refrigerators, washers and dryers, dishwashers, and ranges from all the top brands like Samsung, GE, Whirpool, and LG.

Lowe’s Memorial Day sale: last year’s top deals

You can see other bargains in our 2023 Mother’s Day sales roundup.

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The Memorial Day mattress sales are on their way and we’re here to help you save on a new bed, whatever your needs.

The Memorial Day mattress sales are fast approaching, and that means we’re getting close to one of the best times of the year for buying a new bed. While it’s likely to be a couple of weeks at least until the top sleep brands and retailers roll out their Memorial Day sales, when they do there’s a good chance you’ll be able to pick up that new mattress you’ve had your eye on at one of the lowest price points of the year.

While you’re unlikely to see the absolute lowest prices on Memorial Day – these are usually reserved for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday mattress sales – you’re definitely in with a good shot at getting the best mattress with a decent discount on standard pricing.

If you keep an eye on the mattress business you’ll know that mattress sales are a constant thing as far as most brands are concerned, although there are some exceptions to the rule. For the Memorial Day mattress sales, we’re expecting deals from the companies that only rarely drop their prices, as well as increased discounts – or welcome bundles of bedding included for free – from the brands that tend to have sales running 365 days a year.

We’ll be tracking the Memorial Day mattress sales from all the top brands as soon as they appear; some will likely get into gear around the Memorial Day weekend, while we expect some mattress companies to kick off their sales a week or two (or even more) in advance. And to help you save money, we’ll not only be highlighting each company’s sale, we’ll also pick out the best individual discounts and filtering them according to what you’re likely to be looking for. So whether you’re after a memory foam mattress, a hybrid or an organic mattress, or even if you don’t want a whole new mattress but you’re keen to upgrade your bed with one of the best mattress toppers, you’ll be able to find what you need and at a great price.

For now, though, we’ve gathered together a selection of the best current pre-Memorial Day mattress sales, enabling you to save on a bed without having to wait until Memorial Day itself, and to give you an idea of how much you may be able to save when the sales themselves get going, we’ve also assembled a list of some of last year’s top discounts. You’ll also find much more information on the specifics of the Memorial Day mattress sales and how to make the most of them.

Memorial Day mattress sales: quick links

Editor’s choice – Saatva: up to $500 off purchases over $1,000

Best value – Nectar: 33% off all mattresses

Bear mattress: 35% off + free accessories

Casper: up to 30% off bed bundles

Cocoon by Sealy: save 35% on cooling mattresses + free gifts

DreamCloud: 33% off everything

Ghostbed: up to 50% off mattresses + free pillows

Helix: 20% off everything + two free pillows 

Layla: up to $200 off mattresses + free sleep accessories

Tempur-Pedic: $300 instant credit with selected mattress and power base sets

5 of the best early Memorial Day mattress deals

^ Back to the top

When is Memorial Day 2023?

Memorial Day happens on the last Monday in May, so Memorial Day 2023 will roll around  on Monday 29 May. It’s a bank holiday and a federal holiday, and many retailers – both online and in-store – take the opportunity to launch sales that can save you money on a wide range of products – including mattresses.

What is a Memorial Day mattress sale?

While many mattress companies have sales running most of the year – which effectively means that their sale pricing is their standard pricing – they also tend to get involved in the big annual sales events such as Presidents’ Day, Labor Day and Memorial day, and break out bigger discounts than you’ll see the rest of the year.

Those savings aren’t always the same though – some brands and retailers offer either money off or free bedding, while others offer both. The latter are usually the best deals for sheer value for money, depending on the cost of the bed you are looking at.

(Image credit: Getty)

Is Memorial Day a good time to buy a mattress?

We’ve tracked mattress deals and sales for a good few years, and we’ve pinpointed the best times of year to pick up your perfect mattress for the least money. The Black Friday mattress deals are usually where you’ll get the lowest mattress prices as well as free bedding gifts, and these roll over into Cyber Monday mattress deals. 

Beyond these events, the Presidents’ Day mattress sales in February and the Memorial Day mattress sales in May can be relied on to deliver prices that are almost as low. That’s partly because sleep brands tend to introduce new models in the spring, which means having to clear older stock; however our research and trend analysis of the past few years also indicates that prices tend to rise over the summer months before falling again in time for Labor Day in September. 

So if you want or need a new mattress and you’ve missed out on all the major shopping events so far, the 2023 Memorial Day mattress sales are your next big chance to save on better sleep.

Where to find the best Memorial Day mattress sales

If previous Memorial Day mattress sales are anything to go by, we’ll see all the leading mattress brands launching offers throughout May. Some of them will be worth grabbing, but others will be only slightly more generous than the evergreen deals many companies run most of the year.

So that you know whether you’re getting a good deal or not, we’ll be updating this 2023 Memorial Day mattress sales guide regularly and highlighting the deals that we believe are worth buying. We’ll keep you informed about:

The standard price (the MSRP)
The sale price
How much you’re saving
How this compares to regular deals from the brand
Any free gifts you’re entitled to

One thing you really need to look out for when you buy a new mattress is a long trial period so that you can test it at home and return it if it doesn’t live up to expectations. On average it takes at least 30 nights to adjust to a new bed, and thankfully most brands give you much more than that; generally at least 100 nights. Most will allow you to return an unwanted mattress for free, but some will charge you; we’ll let you know if that’s the case.

Speaking of which, you should also check that the brand has published a clear returns policy on its website or has one available for you to read in-store, as you need to be aware of any small print. For example, some request that you use a mattress protector on your mattress during the trial period to keep it safe from spills and stains. If you don’t use one, you may not be able to return it if you change your mind. 

Brands and retailers we know and trust include Avocado Green, Casper, Cocoon by Sealy, DreamCloud, GhostBed, Helix Sleep, Leesa, Mattress Firm, Purple, Nectar Sleep, Saatva, and Tempur-Pedic, but there are plenty of others to consider on Memorial Day.

Are mattress toppers and bedding on sale too?

Yes, you can normally find a wide range of bedding in the Memorial Day mattress sale. Many of the best mattress toppers are discounted and these are an instant way to upgrade the comfort of your existing bed if you don’t have the budget for a new mattress.

(Image credit: Getty)

Other bedding you’ll find in the sales include bed sheets, mattress protectors, comforters, weighted blankets and some of the best pillows for comfier sleep. In recent years, we’ve seen brands and retailers bundle in some of these bedding items as free gifts when you purchase a mattress. Top brands for giving you free premium bedding include Awara, DreamCloud, Cocoon by Sealy, Helix Sleep, and Nectar Sleep.

The Memorial Day mattress sales are also a good time to nab bedding that isn’t normally discounted. For example, luxury sleep brand Saatva has been known to offer a sitewide discount ranging from 12-15%, and that can be used on its weighted blankets, pillows, toppers, sheets and more. That said, a recent Saatva mattress sale offered this exact same discount, so we’re hoping for a larger saving from the brand in May.

What to look for in a Memorial Day mattress sale

We’ve been reporting on Memorial Day mattress deals for a few years now, and there are two things in particular – in addition to free shipping – that we recommend you look for before spending a dime:

^ Back to the deals

Last year’s best Memorial Day mattress sales

Last year’s Memorial Day mattress sales: memory foam

Last year’s Memorial Day mattress sales: hybrid

Last year’s Memorial Day mattress sales: organic

Last year’s Memorial Day mattress sales: toppers

If you need to boost the softness, firmness or cooling power of your bed but don’t have the budget to buy a new mattress, a quality bed topper is a good solution. As we explain in our best mattress toppers guide, these clever accessories help extend the life of your mattress by at least a couple of years, depending on the type you buy. They also cost a fraction of the price of a new mattress. These are the ones we’d recommend considering ahead of the Memorial Day mattress sales… 

^ Back to the deals

See more early offers with our roundup of the best Memorial Day sales that are happening now. If you’re interested in other bargains, you can see the best Memorial Day appliance sales and the best Memorial Day TV sales.

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The Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi 13 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Lite launched at MWC on February 26. Here’s everything you need to know.

The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro are now official, and could rank among the best phones of 2023. Having launched in China late last year, Xiaomi has finally brought its latest flagship smartphone series to multiple markets globally, beginning with a dedicated event ahead of the MWC trade show in Barcalona on February 26.

With the international launch, we now have a clearer picture of design, specs, features, and of course, pricing and availability.

Highlights include a top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and – in the case of the Xiaomi 13 Pro – a 1-inch camera sensor, but there’s plenty more to like about these phones too, all of which you’ll find detailed below.

We’ve also included information on the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, which hasn’t yet been announced but which there are a few rumors about, and the Xiaomi 13 Lite, which also launched on February 26.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The latest flagship Xiaomi phones

When is it out? Launched globally on February 26, on sale March 14

How much does it cost? Starts at CNY3,999 (roughly $575 / £465 / AU$845) in China and costs from £849 and £1,099 in the UK for the 13 and 13 Pro, respectively.

Xiaomi 13 release date and price

The Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro were both announced in China on December 11, with the company subsequently confirming that they’d be launching globally on February 26 – which they did, just ahead of the MWC 2023 trade show in Barcelona.

While February 26 played host to the Xiaomi 13 series global release, markets where Xiaomi doesn’t already have a dedicated presence – including the US and Australia – will likely push eager buyers to purchase a grey market import instead.

In the UK, it’s a different story, with the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro officially going on sale on March 14, with availability from Xiaomi itself, as well as ‘official retail channels’ and local retailers, including Currys and Argos.

Internationally, you’ll find higher prices for the 13 series compared to their local China pricing (as is always the way), as well as a different blend of storage, memory and color options to choose from.

In the UK, the standard Xiaomi 13 costs £849 (approximately $1,015 / AU$1,510), while the the Xiaomi 13 Pro is priced £1,099 (approximately $1,310 / AU$1,950). The Xiaomi 13 Lite costs £449 (approximately $535 / AU$800), in the UK and is available to buy immediately.

A Xiaomi 13 (Image credit: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi 13 design

The Xiaomi 13 is available in understated black, light green, light blue, gray and white shades, along with much brighter red, yellow, green, and blue colors. Those bright colors, along with the gray shade, are classed as limited editions and you won’t see those outside of China.

All of the colors use a glass back except for the light blue model, which has a leather-like finish.

The Xiaomi 13 has a large camera block on the back, with lines dividing it into sections. The frame is metal. There’s a flat screen housing a punch-hole camera, and the phone a hair under 8mm thin (or 8.1mm for the light blue version).

The Xiaomi 13 (Image credit: Xiaomi)

The phone weighs 189g – or 185g in light blue – and has IP68 certification, so it’s got significant water and dust resistance.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a very similar design, but with a curved screen and curved back – more on this below. It comes in white, black, green, and light blue shades, all of which are ceramic except the blue, which uses a leather-like finish, and again, that choice becomes more limited when purchasing the phone internationally.

The 13 Pro, too, has an IP68 certification, and it comes in at less than 8.4mm thick and 229g. The exception is the blue model, which is 8.7mm thick but only 210g.

As for the Xiaomi 13 Lite, while the phone did technically launch late last year, like its siblings mentioned here, it arrived in China as the Xiaomi Civi 2, receiving a rebrand for international audiences as the 13 Lite for its relaunch on Febuary 26th.

This accounts for the phone’s decidedly different design aesthetic, which far more closely resembles the Xiaomi 12 series – with its rounded, segmented camera module. It’s also the thinnest and lightest entry in the 13 series.

Xiaomi 13 display

The Xiaomi 13 has a 6.36-inch, 1080 x 2400 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of 1,900 nits, which is very bright. It’s a flat screen with a punch-hole camera at the top, and the bezels are small.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a 6.73-inch, 1440 x 3200 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of 1,900 nits. So the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s screen is bigger and higher resolution, but similar in some other ways. It’s also curved, unlike the standard Xiaomi 13’s screen.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite sports a 6.55-inch, 1080 x 2400 OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits – so lower than the other entries in the series.

A Xiaomi 13 Pro (Image credit: Xiaomi)

Xiaomi 13 camera and battery

The Xiaomi 13 Lite, Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro have a triple-lens camera, but they make use of different lenses and sensors.

The Xiaomi 13 has a 50MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 10MP f/2.0 telephoto one with 3.2x optical zoom, and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide; the main and telephoto cameras also have optical image stabilization (OIS). The phone can shoot video in up to 8K quality at 24fps, and has a 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera too.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro, meanwhile, has a 50MP f/1.9 primary camera with OIS and a massive one-inch sensor size, likely allowing for significantly higher quality shots than most smartphone sensors are capable of.

It also has a 50MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with 3.2x optical zoom and a 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, which can also take macro shots, and has a 115-degree field of view. The front-facing camera is, again, 32MP.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite is a different beast, which loses out on the Leica partnership and serves up a comparatively pedestrian 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro snapper, although it does aim to impress with its lead 50Mp f/1.8 sensor (no OIS here, though).

Perhaps its most standout camera feature comes with its 32MP f/2.4 selfie camera, which is accompanied by a secondary 8MP depth sensor that collectively give the phone a decidedly iPhone 14 Pro-like Dynamic Island-style notch along the top edge of the phone’s display.

You can see official camera samples from the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s main and telephoto lenses below.

It’s worth mentioning the Xiaomi 13 Ultra here too, as while this hasn’t yet been announced, it has been rumored. Apparently this has a quad-lens camera, including the same one-inch sensor for the main lens as the Xiaomi 13 Pro has, along with gimbal stabilization, all of which makes it sound like it could be a contender for our list of the best camera phones.

As for the battery, the Xiaomi 13 has a 4,500mAh cell with 67W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a 4,820mAh battery offering 120W wired charging, 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite loses out on wireless charging, but otherwise enjoys the same 4,500mAh battery capacity and 67W fast charging as the standard Xiaomi 13.

Xiaomi 13 specs and features

Both the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro use a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. This is the top Snapdragon chipset at the time of writing, and is likely to be the best option available to Android phones until late 2023, when we might see a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 2.

The two phones also come in numerous configurations, with a choice of 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage, although in the UK – as with the colorway limitations – the Xiaomi 13 can only be had with 8GB of RAM (LPDDR5X) and 256GB of (UFS 4.0) storage, while the Xiaomi 13 Pro comes with 12GB RAM instead (but the same storage).

They both support 5G, both run Android 13 (with Xiaomi’s MIUI 14 interface on top) and both also have sport Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers.

The Xiaomi 13 Lite, meanwhile, relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC and comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the UK. While it does also arrive with MIUI 14, the experience runs atop Android 12 and like the 13 and 13 Pro, the phone also packs in Dolby Atmos-capable stereo speakers.

What are Xiaomi phones? A brief overview of the company and its smartphones

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Google has teased a new slate. Here’s everything we know about the Google Pixel Tablet so far.

A new Google-centric tablet device, the Google Pixel Tablet, was unveiled at Google IO 2022, and we’re looking ahead to what the slate might bring to the table in 2023. 

The tablet’s announcement came as a complete surprise, as there’d be no previous signs – other than a job advert – that Google was working on a new slate device. Since then, though, Google has shared further details about the upcoming product, even going as far as to tease images of the Google Pixel Tablet during the launch of the Google Pixel 7.

Below, then, you’ll find everything we’ve heard so far about the Google Pixel Tablet, including information shared by Google directly, as well as various rumors and leaks. As usual, we’ll be updating this article whenever we hear something new. 

Cut to the chase

What is it? An upcoming tablet from Google

When is it out? 2023

How much will it cost? No idea yet

Google Pixel Tablet: release date and price

Google has confirmed that it’s aiming to launch the Pixel Tablet sometime in 2023, so there’s quite a while to wait before it’ll be available to buy.

The company didn’t get any more specific than that, but we can take an educated guess at when we might see it, as there are two points in the year when Google tends to release new hardware. First there’s Google IO, which almost always takes place in May.

Then there’s the launch of new numbered Pixel models, which happens towards the end of the year, usually – but not always – in October. So, one of those events would be an obvious time for Google to launch the Pixel Tablet, but it’s entirely possible the tablet could be unveiled at another point in 2023 instead.

Of the two options, we think October is the more likely, as Google didn’t sound certain that the slate would even be out by the end of 2023 when announcing the product in 2022 – rather, that’s just the company’s goal. 

So far, we have no idea how much the tablet will cost. We can’t really guess, either, as the company hasn’t recently launched any other tablets, and we don’t know how high-end the Google Pixel Tablet is going to be. 

(Image credit: Google)

Google Pixel Tablet: news

Google has shared some images of the Pixel Tablet, two of which you can see above, and two more of which you can see below.

The slate is shown here in white with a curvy rear, a “premium nanoceramic finish”, fairly large bezels around the screen, and a single-lens camera on both the front and the back.

From the design – which is a bit like a Google Home Hub without the stand – we’re thinking this will probably be a mid-range slate rather than a high-end one, so it could be more of a competitor to the basic iPad 10.2 or iPad Air (2022) than to the iPad Pro 11 or Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

That said, Google has confirmed that it will use the same Tensor G2 chipset as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, so it should have a reasonable amount of power.

We also know, of course, that the Pixel Tablet will run Android – specifically Android 12L, which is designed for large screen devices. Being a Google device, it’s also sure to get a lot of software updates – and promptly, too.

The Pixel Tablet is also designed to work with a Charging Speaker Dock, which you can see in the image below. This turns the slate into a smart home device akin to the Google Home Hub or the Nest Hub Max. As the name suggests, it can both keep the Pixel Tablet charged, and offers better speakers than the tablet itself.

(Image credit: Google)

The Pixel Tablet is apparently easy to both dock and undock using magnets, and this Charging Speaker Dock is being built so that the Pixel Tablet remains useful at all times when at home, serving both as a slate and a smart home display.

As for the tablet’s design, we’ve seen two colours teased so far: green and beige. Google says it’s using premium materials for the tablet’s construction, which could drive up its price.

Google Pixel Tablet: leaks and rumors

Moving into the realm of leaks and rumors, we’ve seen that a Google tablet – possibly the Google Pixel Tablet – has been certified to support a stylus.

Beyond that, we can speculate that the device might have the same 50MP rear camera as the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, since Google doesn’t tend to change up the camera hardware it uses too often, and that was a new sensor for the range.

The Google Pixel Tablet might not offer the smartphone camera experience, though, as camera app code points to missing features. Apparently, there might not be 4K video recording, or certain features like slow-mo or audio zoom for videos.

We’ve also heard rumors that the tablet will be quite a low-spec, affordable one, with 4GB of RAM predicted. It may miss out on GPS and cellular connectivity features, too.

Storage options of 128GB and 256GB and a screen size of 10.95 inches have been mentioned in a leak – a leak that also says the tablet was in its internal testing phase in September 2022. 

That said, a more recent leak points to slightly better specs, including 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 1600 x 2560 LCD display and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.

The source of this leak also claims that there will be a second dock available for the Pixel Tablet – this time coming without a speaker. Plus, they say that while a Pixel Tablet and Pixel Tablet Pro had both previously been rumored, only the Pro version will launch (though probably without Pro in the name). This might explain why the specs leaked here are better than those mentioned above.

The same source also shared new images of the slate and one of its docks, which you can see in the tweet above. What’s more, Google may have inadvertently revealed more about the software running on board the Pixel Tablet: it’s not much of a look, but we’ll take it.

For more on the latest slate hardware, check out our guide to the best Android tablets of 2023. 

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Learn more about the world’s most popular content management system and how to make it accessible on the web

WordPress has been around since 2003 and is the most popular blogging software on the market, powering over a 40% of websites. Establishing itself as the content management system (CMS) of choice. WordPress hosting is making WordPress sites accessible on the web.

Check our curated list of the best WordPress web hosting services and our best managed web hosting list which includes a number of managed WordPress web hosting firms.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that’s, statistically (a whopping 43.4% of all websites you see on the internet are powered by WordPress), the most popular way to create websites and blogs. Since the WordPress software is open source, anyone can use it completely free of cost (the cost comes when you want to make the site accessible on the Internet – that’s hosting).

The birth and rise of WordPress is a fascinating tale, and it all began in 2001 when a French programmer named Michel Valdrighi created the b2 or cafelog blogging system. The original hero of the story, though, saw an early exit, as he couldn’t keep updating the blogging system – he stopped developing it in 2002. Then, in January 2003, a university freshman Matt Mullenweg took it upon himself to continue improving b2 without Valdrighi. 

Together with Mike Little, he launched a new version of b2 on SourceForge on May 27, 2003 – they called it WordPress 0.7. It’s worth noting that the name “WordPress” was a suggestion by Christine Selleck, Matt’s friend and a blogger. Next came WordPress 1.0, or “Davis”, on January 3, 2004, WordPress 1.2, or “Mingus”, on May 22, 2004, and WordPress 1.5, or “Strayhorn”, on February 17, 2005 . Fancy names, right? Well, Matt Mullenweg liked jazz, so he decided to name the different versions of WordPress after jazz greats. Davis, for example, comes from Miles Davis, who was a famous American trumpeter.

WordPress 1.0, in many ways, was the first iteration of the WordPress we know today – it had multiple categories, allowing users to group their website’s content, simple installations, permalinks so that the pages could be found by search engines, and comment moderation. 2004 was indeed a good year for WordPress, as its then toughest competitor, Movable Type, decided to change its pricing structure – and it was for the worse. This drove away a lot of users, who then opted for WordPress, which was undoubtedly the best alternative.

The next major event was in August 2005, when Matt Mullenweg launched his own company, Automattic Inc., after raising $1.10 million in Series A funding. Automattic Inc. is the company behind WordPress.com, the for-profit platform for self-publishing that allows you to set up a website with ease; it offers managed hosting, wherein it  looks after important tasks related to website creation and maintenance, such as website security, performance, and speed, for you. 

WordPress.org, on the other hand, is for “self-hosting” WordPress, and it’s non-profit. This is where the development of the open source WordPress CMS takes place. You can download the WordPress source code from WordPress.org and then upload it with your chosen hosting provider. This is undoubtedly more complex and requires a fair bit of technical expertise, but I’ll explain how you can easily make a WordPress site with a third-party hosting service in just a moment. 

At the time of writing, WordPress 6.6 is the latest version, having been launched on July 16, 2024. Today, WordPress is a constantly growing community comprising thousands of developers, bloggers, and designers who all contribute to improving the platform (including releasing plugins, applications, and themes) for the around 500 million websites that use WordPress.

What popular sites are built on WordPress?

As I mentioned earlier, WordPress is home to nearly half a billion websites on the internet – that’s around half of all the websites that exist! Naturally, there are a lot of big-name brands that use WordPress to maintain their online presence.

Government and news websites 

The White HouseNASAThe Harvard GazetteTime MagazineWIREDTED BlogCNN Press RoomMicrosoft NewsMeta Newsroom

Entertainment brands

The Walt Disney CompanyVogueRolling StonePlayStation.BlogSony MusicAngry BirdsSpotify NewsroomBBC AmericaStar Wars Blog

Celebrities

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How can I host a WordPress website?

It’s important to note that WordPress is technically free software that you can directly download from WordPress.org and install on a server (web hosting). What is web hosting, you ask? It’s a service that provides you with online storage and computing resources that you can use to make website files that make up your website accessible on the Internet. The server, in this case, is called the “host”.

There are a couple of approaches you can take to creating a WordPress website: 

First, sign up to a best web hosting service  and then install WordPress first-hand from one of the one-click WordPress installers or upload WordPress and supporting files if necessary to a VPS. This would involve uploading the WordPress files to your server, creating a database for WordPress, and setting up your site once WordPress is installed. Using a VPS can be more cost effective but if you don’t know what you’re doing it might not be the fastest or most secure option (if you do, it can be the fastest and most secure). 

However, if this is your first time creating a site on WordPress, or if you’d like to get set up quickly, I’d recommend opting for one of the best WordPress hosting providers instead. These come with WordPress-optimized server environments, pre-installed WordPress and WP plugins, themes, etc., making it a breeze to go live like a professional. And, of course, a good hosting plan (WordPress-optimized or otherwise) would come included with a free domain name, which is your website’s address on the internet.

Either way, once you’re in the WordPress dashboard, all that’s really left to be done to complete the process is tweaking the website’s settings. This involves deciding the website’s title, subtitle, time zone, theme, etc. To add your very first page, click on “Pages” (or “Posts,” if you want to add a post) in the left-hand menu and select “Add New.” In addition to text, you can also add images and videos to your content. Click “Publish” to take the page/post live. 

Simple enough, no? Well, WordPress’s ease of use is what has made it the most widely used CMS in the world. With that said, the most important part of creating a WordPress website is deciding what kind of hosting service you’d like. Let me break this down further: 

Managed WordPress hosting: this is the one I recommend, especially if you’re new to the space. As the name suggests, “managed” WordPress hosting handles all the core (and technical) hosting administrative tasks for you. This includes installing and updating WordPress, carrying out daily and on-demand backups, and keeping your site safe from nefarious cybercriminals through regular monitoring and maintenance.

Additionally, you’ll get access to dedicated customer support, including one-on-one expert guidance on how to get started with the service. Even better, managed hosts have WordPress experts in their support team, meaning they’ll have a higher level of knowledge regarding WordPress and will, therefore, be able to iron out any technical issues that happen on your website.

Check out the best managed WordPress hosting providers

Unmanaged WordPress hosting: opposite to managed hosting, unmanaged hosting places the onus of updating, security, advanced functionality, and the overall administration of your WordPress site on your shoulders – you won’t get much assistance from the host. Needless to say, this type of WordPress hosting is ideal for technical users, who’d very much like total control over their hosting. 

Naturally, a massive benefit of unmanaged WordPress hosting is that it’s cheaper than managed hosting, which could almost make putting the extra effort into managing your site hands-on worthwhile. However, I won’t advise ditching managed WP hosting simply for pricing reasons; that’s because providers such as IONOS and Namecheap offer super cheap managed WordPress hosting plans with top-of-the-line security features, excellent reliability, and plenty of resources.

VPS for WordPress: if you’re after more freedom, control, resources, and value for your money, use a VPS for WordPress. VPS, or virtual private servers, are isolated virtual environments within a physical server, meaning resources aren’t shared with other users (as they are in shared hosting), plus you get your own server space (with full root access) at a fraction of the cost of an entire dedicated server.

Furthermore, even the best managed and unmanaged WordPress hosting plans often use the shared hosting scheme, which won’t cut it if you have a blog that experiences a good amount of traffic or it gets periodical spikes in traffic. Secondly, if you’re running a website for business purposes – entrepreneurial bloggers, small businesses, or eCommerce sites – then it’s important to have a hosting arrangement that won’t let your site crash or load slowly. Lastly, VPS is also a top choice if you want to host multiple WordPress sites.

As is the case with unmanaged hosting, VPS hosting, too, is primarily meant for experts, as tasks such as monitoring and updating the WordPress software, setting up the firewall, or installing security patches will be up to you to figure out and execute. However, this shouldn’t have to be a deal breaker for you at all, as you can get the best of both worlds by choosing a managed VPS plan for WordPress. 

Yes, these are slightly more expensive than your typical VPS or unmanaged shared WordPress hosting, but for those who need the benefits of VPS (better security, reliability, resources, etc.) plus the ability to focus on what they do best while letting experts handle their WordPress site’s performance, security, and optimization, it’s well worth the expenditure. My top two recommendations for this are DreamHost and GreenGeeks.

What is a CMS?

A CMS is the user interface used to upload, edit and manage all content on a website without having to learn code. This lead to the gradual decline of web design software like Dreamweaver. In other words, if you wanted to add a new page to your website, this is where you would log in and follow a few simple steps to do that.

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The iPhone SE 4 is probably not landing for a long time, but we’re already hearing about big potential changes.

In all likelihood, the iPhone SE 4 is a long way off. After all, the iPhone SE 3 – also known as the iPhone SE (2022) – only launched as recently as March 2022, and new models in Apple’s affordable iPhone line don’t typically receive yearly releases.

That said, having used the latest iPhone SE extensively, we have a very good idea of what we want from the iPhone SE 4. Despite the current model featuring on our list of the best iPhones, the iPhone SE (2022) is far from perfect, so we’re holding out hope for an upgrade. With that in mind, we’ve created a wishlist of features what we want to see included on the next version, which you’ll find below. 

Before that, though, we’ve you’ll find information on the phone’s possible release date and price, along with any other news and rumors. Right now, we don’t know much – though we have heard a few things – but as information rolls in, we’ll be updating this article, so check back soon.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The next affordable iPhone

When is it out? Likely 2025

How much will it cost? Expect a mid-range price

iPhone SE 4 release date and price

Expect a similar price to the iPhone SE 2022 (Image credit: Future)

It’s hard to say when the iPhone SE 4 will land since, unlike most phones, we don’t get a new one every year. The iPhone SE 3 landed in March 2022, but the iPhone SE 2 was unveiled in April 2020, and the original model landed in March 2016.

So, a March or April launch is likely, but the actual year we’ll see it is more up in the air. Interestingly, seasoned Apple analysts reported in 2022 that Apple had abandoned plans to release a fourth-generation iPhone SE, owing to doubts over the series’ popularity and profitability. 

Then, two months later, the same analysts counterclaimed that Apple had restarted development on the iPhone SE 4, albeit with the company eyeing a much later release date than initially intended for the pint-sized device.  

Then, in April 2023, we were given a better idea of when that release date might be, with reliable leaker Jeff Pu predicting that Apple will release the iPhone SE 4 in 2025. As such, it stands to reason that we could see the phone released sometime in the spring of 2025 (that’s between March and May, for our Australian readers). 

As for the price, there’s no news on that front, but we’d expect it to be similar to the iPhone SE 2022, which starts at $429 / £419 / AU$719. That said, rumors point to some significant improvements, which could mean the price will rise a bit.

iPhone SE 4 news and rumors

The iPhone SE 4 could mark a big change for the line. Ross Young (a leaker) previously claimed that the screen will be 5.7-6.1 inches, which would be a big jump up from the current model’s 4.7-inch display.  

Since then, they’ve got more specific, saying that a 6.1-inch screen will probably be used, and the iPhone SE 4 will have a notch rather than the current design’s big bezels. That could mean Face ID may be added, too, though it’s also possible that Apple could stick with Touch ID and house the sensor in a side button instead of on the front.

We’ve now seen unofficial renders emerge that show the supposed design of the iPhone SE 4, and they largely match the details above – as well as looking basically identical to the iPhone XR. You can see some of these images below.

Along with these renders, the source claims the iPhone SE 4 will have a 6.1-inch screen and come in Midnight (black), Starlight (white), and Product RED shades.

An earlier leak from the same source suggested the iPhone SE 4 might have a punch-hole rather than a notch, but while the iPhone 14 Pro has this change, we’d be surprised if the next SE did.

Young also previously suggested that the most likely size was 5.7 inches, so they haven’t been very consistent with their iPhone SE 4 leaks. As such we’d take all of these claims with a pinch of salt.

Elsewhere, Ming-Chi Kuo (an analyst with a great track record for Apple information) has also said – via a note seen by MacRumors – to expect a larger screen, and that the iPhone SE 4 will have 4GB of RAM. 

Kuo has also predicted that the upcoming device will inherit the OLED display used by the iPhone 14, where Young has been touting an LCD display. For our money, the former screen option is more likely – especially if the phone isn’t arriving until 2025.  

As for the phone’s connectivity, another Apple leaker, Jeff Pu, reports that Apple is developing a custom-designed 5G modem that will be manufactured – using a 4nm process – by the company’s chipmaking partner, TSMC. It’s not yet clear whether this 5G chip will offer any performance or power efficiency improvements over rival modems produced by the likes of Qualcomm, but it’s safe to assume that the iPhone SE 4 will offer top-of-the-range network connectivity. 

iPhone SE 4 wishlist

We don’t know much for sure about the iPhone SE 4 just yet, but we know what we want from it. Below, we’ve rounded up a few of our biggest hopes:

1. A new design

The iPhone SE 2022 looks very dated (Image credit: TechRadar)

The design of the iPhone SE (2022) is more than old – it’s ancient, with even the cheapest of cheap phones showing it up in many ways.

So, we really, really want to see a design refresh for the iPhone SE 4. This shouldn’t be hard for Apple – it has plenty of phones with more modern designs that it can copy. The good news is that signs suggest Apple might actually do this.

2. More starting storage

The iPhone SE 3 has a starting capacity of just 64GB, which, in 2023, is frankly not enough, especially given its mid-range price and lack of a microSD card slot.

So, for the iPhone SE 4, we want to see 128GB as the starting size – and for that to happen without a price jump.

3. A lower price

The iPhone SE 2022 costs more than we’d like (Image credit: Future)

Speaking of prices, the iPhone SE (2022) already costs more than the iPhone SE (2020), so not only is a price hike an unwanted prospect, but we ideally want a lower starting cost, so that this truly is an affordable iPhone again.

Given rumors of a larger screen and possibly a new design, this probably won’t happen, but we live in hope.

4. A larger display

The iPhone SE 3 is absolutely tiny with its 4.7-inch screen, and arguably that’s too small even for most fans of compact phones, so we’d like to see the iPhone SE 4 increase in size.

The good news is that rumors point to a 5.7-6.1-inch screen, which would be a notable increase, while still just about being compact, especially if the smaller of those sizes is used. In fact, paired with a new design and smaller bezels, the overall footprint needn’t be much bigger.

5. More camera lenses

The iPhone SE 3 has just one camera lens on the back, which even for a mid-range phone isn’t enough. Sure, it’s a quality camera, but it’s also limited, giving you just a wide field of view. So, for the iPhone SE 4 we want a second lens added, offering either ultra-wide or telephoto functionality.

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