Tech

Adversaries Exploit Vacant Homes to Intercept Mail in Hybrid Cybercrime

Published

5 hours ago

2 April 2026

Open mailbox

Fraud operations have expanded beyond traditional hacking techniques to include methods that exploit legitimate services and real-world infrastructure. By combining publicly available data, weak identity verification processes, and operational gaps, threat actors are building scalable fraud workflows that are both low-cost and difficult to detect.

A tutorial shared in a fraud-focused chat group and analyzed by Flare analysts provides step-by-step guidance on how to identify and exploit vacant residential properties to intercept sensitive mail, revealing a low-tech but highly effective method for enabling identity theft and financial fraud.

Unlike traditional cybercrime techniques that rely on malware, phishing kits, or network intrusions, the method outlined in this article focuses almost entirely on abusing legitimate services and physical-world logistics.

The approach blends open-source intelligence, postal service features, and fake identity fraud into a coordinated workflow designed to gain persistent access to victims’ mail.

**A “drop address” tutorial circulated on Telegram**

Turning vacant properties into fraud infrastructure

The tutorial begins with identifying so-called “drop addresses”, real residential properties that are temporarily unoccupied and can be used to receive mail without immediately alerting the rightful occupants.

Threat actors are instructed to search real estate platforms such as Zillow, Rightmove, or Zoopla, filtering for recently listed rental properties. By focusing on newly available listings, attackers increase the likelihood that the property is vacant or between tenants.

The guidance further suggests reviewing older listings to identify homes that have remained unoccupied for extended periods, increasing their reliability as drop locations.

In some cases, threat actors even recommend physically maintaining abandoned properties to make them appear occupied, reducing the risk of drawing attention while using the address for fraudulent purposes.

Threat actors share fraud playbooks, stolen credentials, and fake document services across dark web forums and Telegram channels.

Flare monitors these sources continuously, so you can detect exposure before it enables account takeovers, mail fraud, or identity theft.

Keep up with threat actors for free

Monitoring incoming mail to identify valuable targets

Once a suitable address is identified, the next phase involves utilizing legitimate digitalized postal services for discovery and monitoring of incoming mail.

Informed Delivery, for instance, is a free service that provides residential consumers with digital previews of their incoming letter-sized mail and tracks package deliveries.

By registering these services for the selected address, attackers can monitor incoming correspondence remotely, allowing them to identify valuable items such as financial documents, credit cards, or verification letters before physically accessing the mailbox.

This transforms mail delivery into a form of intelligence gathering, enabling more targeted and efficient fraud.

If the address is already registered, the tutorial references change-of-address requests as a way to regain control over mail delivery. These services are designed for legitimate users relocating their residence and are widely available through postal systems such as USPS.

For example, users can submit a permanent or a temporary Change of Address (COA) request online or in person, enabling mail to be forwarded to a new location for periods ranging from several weeks up to 12 months.

Additional services, such as Premium Forwarding, can consolidate and redirect all incoming mail on a recurring basis.

While these mechanisms include identity verification safeguards such as requiring a small online payment tied to a billing address or presenting a valid photo ID in person, the tutorial suggests that actors perceive these controls as potentially insufficient or inconsistently enforced.

In particular, the ability to submit forwarding requests remotely, combined with the reliance on address-linked verification rather than strong identity binding, may create opportunities for abuse if supporting identity information is compromised or fabricated.

As a result, control over mail delivery may, in some cases, be reassigned without direct interaction with the legitimate resident, turning a service intended for convenience into a potential vector for unauthorized redirection.

At this stage, the operation moves beyond passive targeting and into active monitoring, providing attackers with visibility that significantly increases the success rate of downstream fraud.

Establishing persistence through mail forwarding

After confirming that valuable mail is being delivered, the workflow shifts toward establishing long-term access through mail forwarding services.

Actors are instructed to create personal mailbox accounts that allow them to redirect all incoming mail from the drop address to a separate location under their control.

Because these services typically require identity verification, attackers rely on fake identities, forged documents, or purchased personal data to complete the process.

This marks a critical transition from opportunistic interception to persistent access. Once mail forwarding is in place, attackers no longer need to revisit the physical location, reducing exposure while maintaining continuous access to sensitive information.

The use of fake identities, often involving fabricated personal details or Credit Privacy Numbers (CPNs), demonstrates how this technique integrates with broader fraud ecosystems.

Rather than operating in isolation, drop address abuse becomes one component in a larger pipeline that can support account takeovers, credit fraud, and refund scams.

In practice, these fake identities can be used to register mailbox services, submit forwarding requests, or receive sensitive financial correspondence tied to victim accounts.

This allows actors to bridge the gap between digital compromise and real-world access, enabling them to complete verification steps, intercept authentication materials, or establish new accounts under assumed identities.

As a result, control over a physical address can become an important step in fraud operations that depend on both identity credibility and access to legitimate communication channels.

A hybrid fraud model blending digital and physical layers

The method outlined in the tutorial reflects a broader evolution in fraud operations, where digital intelligence gathering is combined with physical-world manipulation.

In addition to leveraging online platforms and postal services, actors also describe using individuals (sometimes recruited from vulnerable populations) to physically access mailboxes or collect delivered items.

This introduces a human layer into the operation, allowing attackers to outsource risk and further distance themselves from direct involvement.

The activity described in the tutorial reflects a broader rise in mail-enabled fraud documented in recent reporting. According to U.S. Postal Inspection Service–related data, reports of mail theft have increased significantly in recent years, with theft from mail receptacles rising by 139% between 2019 and 2023.

Financially, the impact is substantial, with mail theft schemes linked to hundreds of millions of dollars in suspicious activity tied to check fraud.

At the same time, abuse of postal redirection services, similar to the technique referenced in the tutorial, has also grown, with change-of-address fraud increasing sharply year-over-year. Together, these trends highlight how control over physical mail has become valuable.

At the same time, the tutorial acknowledges operational challenges. Virtual addresses and commonly reused locations are increasingly flagged by financial institutions, suggesting that defenders are beginning to incorporate address-based risk signals into their detection models.

As a result, actors emphasize the importance of finding “clean” residential addresses that have not yet been associated with fraudulent activity.

Together, these elements illustrate a fraud model that is not driven by technical sophistication, but by coordination, adaptability, and the strategic use of legitimate systems.

Not an Isolated Tutorial / Fraud

While this may look like an isolated tutorial, this is part of a broader phenomenon or tutorials on how to find physical drop address, some are for free and others are paid for.

Expanding attack surface beyond traditional cybersecurity controls

The emergence of these techniques underscores a growing challenge for organizations: many of the systems being abused: real estate platforms, postal services, and identity verification processes, exist outside the scope of traditional cybersecurity defenses.

As fraud operations continue to evolve, detection increasingly depends on correlating signals across domains, including address usage patterns, mail forwarding activity, and identity inconsistencies. Without this broader visibility, attacks that rely on legitimate services rather than technical exploits may continue to evade conventional security controls.

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Sponsored and written by Flare.

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Your iPhone Has a Hidden Document Scanner. Here’s How to Use It During Tax Season

Published

35 minutes ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

These days, it’s easy to digitally sign important documents from your computer or phone. But sometimes you’re handed physical versions on paper that you need to sign, scan and send over email. When you just have to put your signature on a real-life document but don’t have a standalone scanner handy, the easiest way is right in your pocket.

Just use your iPhone to turn images into PDFs.

Yes, your iPhone doubles as a document scanner. It may not produce images as sharp as a dedicated scanner would, but it does a respectable job, even when the phone is positioned at odd angles, trying to capture text. iPhones have had this hidden feature since iOS 11 launched in 2017, but as the cameras built into Apple phones have improved, so has their ability to take decent scans of documents and turn them into PDFs you can email.

You won’t need to download additional software or pay for a third-party app — Apple’s Notes app, which comes preinstalled on iPhones, does the trick. The good news is that it’s quick and easy to scan a document, save it, and send it wherever it needs to go. If you’ve kept your phone up to date with iOS 26, it’s easy to use this feature. Keep in mind that the process will be different if you haven’t upgraded past iOS 17, but we’ll walk you through it.

Here’s how to scan a document with your iPhone.

Using an iPhone as a document scanner — James Martin/CNET

Scan a document with your iPhone or iPad

To scan a document with your iPhone or iPad, first place the document on a flat surface in a well-lit area.

Open up the Notes app and either open an existing note or start a new one by tapping the New Note button in the bottom right corner (pencil-in-square icon). On iOS 17 and earlier, tap the Camera button at the bottom of the screen (or, if you’re editing a note, the same Camera icon above the keyboard), then tap Scan Documents. If you’re on iOS 26, instead of a Camera icon, tap the Attachments button (the paperclip icon), then tap Scan Documents.

This will open a version of the Camera app that just looks for documents. Once you position your iPhone over the document you want to scan and place it in view of the camera, a yellow rectangular layer will automatically appear over the document, showing approximately what will be captured. Hover over the document for a few seconds, and the iPhone should automatically capture and scan the document, but you can also tap the Shutter button in the bottom center. You can scan multiple documents at once if you’d like. When you’re done, tap the yellow checkmark in the top-right corner.

Sign, share or save your scanned document

Once you’ve captured a document, you can tap it and any others you’ve captured in the same session to edit them before saving. You can also tap Retake in the top right corner to start again.

When you edit the document, you can recrop it from the original photo (if you need to tweak its edges) and switch between color filters (color, black and white, grayscale or the unedited original photo). Then you can save the scanned document.

Once it’s saved as a note, you can tap the Markup button (circled pen icon) at the bottom to sketch or scribble with different colors. If you tap the Add button at the bottom right (the plus sign icon), you can add text, your signature, shapes or even stickers. Once you’ve added a signature, you can tap it to bring up a menu, then tap the diagonal line to edit its thickness and color. You can tap and hold the signature to move it around.

There are also AI tools for adding and rewriting text, though they aren’t helpful for signing documents. To use them, tap the center button that looks like a diagonal pencil stylus surrounded by a circle of loops.

To send or save the document locally, tap the Share button at the top (the square-and-arrow icon) to send it via Messages or other apps, copy it, save it locally in the Files app, or print it via a linked printer or other options.

Watch this: ProRaw vs. JPEG: The Hidden Setting Every iPhone Photographer Needs

05:05

How to export your scanned document as a PDF

Understandably, you may want to send your scanned document as a PDF. Tap the Share button at the top (the square-and-arrow icon) and scroll down below the contact and app roulettes to the additional list of options.

The easiest way to send your scanned document as a PDF is a bit convoluted: among the aforementioned list, tap Print, then tap the Share button at the top (square-and-arrow icon) again — this will share your PDF-converted document. Then pick your share method of choice, most easily via email, though you can also upload it to cloud storage or send it via text message if you want.

You can also use a third-party app to convert your document to PDF if you so choose. Scroll down past the Print button to find your app of choice. For instance, if you have the Adobe Acrobat app downloaded to your device, you can select Convert to PDF in Acrobat to do so — though you’ll need to wade past several screens attempting to upsell you on Adobe subscriptions first.

Why can’t I find the camera button to scan documents?

If you’re running iOS 26, the Camera button has been replaced by an Attachments button (a paperclip symbol). It should function just the same: Tap it and choose Scan Documents from the dropdown menu

If you can’t see the Camera or the Attachments button, check to see if you’ve opened the note in either the iCloud section or the On My iPhone section — you’ll only be able to scan documents and save them in either of these places. If you can’t tell, tap Folders in the top-left corner of the Notes screen, then select either iCloud or On My iPhone.

The document scanner is just one of many unnoticed iPhone features that come prepackaged in Apple’s handsets, often nested in the apps that come with your phone. Some hidden iOS 26 features add even more surprising capabilities already on your iPhone. But you can also find ways to do other tasks, like making a GIF on your iPhone, using third-party apps, or doing it in your browser.

Watch this: 26 More Things Hidden in iOS 26

05:27

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Tech

Gmail’s new AI Inbox is here, but you’ll need to pay a lot to acesss it

Published

48 minutes ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

Google has launched Gmail’s AI Inbox in beta for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the United States, replacing the traditional unread message count with an AI-driven system.

The feature sits as a separate label in Gmail’s sidebar and divides unread emails into two sections, To-dos and Topics, with To-dos surfacing time-sensitive items, including messages from designated VIPs, upcoming bills, appointments, and reminders for emails that have gone unanswered.

Topics groups related email threads together under a single heading, allowing users to scan conversations by subject area rather than sender, reducing the back-and-forth of hunting through an inbox for connected messages spread across different dates.

AI Inbox also tracks whether a user has already engaged with a suggested task through signals like reading, archiving, or deleting the relevant email, with Google planning to add a dedicated Mark as Done option to the feature in the near future.

All processing takes place within Gmail’s own infrastructure, with Google confirming that the AI Inbox handles email content securely without routing data outside the platform, a reassurance aimed at users cautious about AI tools accessing sensitive correspondence.

It’s only available as part of the top-end AI plan

Access is currently limited to Google AI Ultra subscribers, a plan priced at $250 per month that also includes the highest usage limits across Gemini, 30TB of Google Cloud storage, a Google Home Premium Advanced plan, YouTube Premium, and access to Google’s broader suite of AI tools.

AI Inbox was previously available only to a small group of testers, with Google having promised broader availability later in the year, though the expansion to Ultra subscribers stops well short of a general rollout given the plan’s steep monthly cost.

For existing Ultra subscribers, the addition represents meaningful value without any extra charge, while users on lower-tier Google plans will need to wait for confirmation of whether AI Inbox will eventually reach more affordable subscription options.

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Tech

Sega Meganet: Online Gaming In 1990

Published

1 hour ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

It’s easy to think of online console gaming as an invention of the 2000s. Microsoft made waves when Xbox Live dropped in 2002, with Nintendo and Sony scrambling to catch up with their own offerings that were neither as sleek or well-integrated.

However, if you were around a decade earlier, you might have experienced online console gaming much closer to the dawn of the Internet era. As far back as 1990, you could jump online with your Sega Mega Drive. But what did an online console feel like in the dial-up era?

Mega

The Sega Mega Drive was launched in Japan in October 1988. The company was in a tough battle with Nintendo for gaming dominance, and the new 16-bit console was intended to best its rival’s offerings across the board. With a forward-looking attitude, Sega quickly developed an online offering for the console, which went under a few different names. It was known as Mega Net, or alternatively, the Sega Net Work System.

The system hit the market on November 3 1990, exclusively for the Japanese market, with Sega talking up a future launch in the US under the “Tele-Genesis” name. The initial Mega Net kit cost ¥12,800, which included the Mega Modem accessory—a simple 1,200 bps dial-up modem which plugged into the “EXT” DE-9 port on the back of the Model 1 Mega Drive. Access to Mega Net service came at a cost of ¥800 a month. Users got a copy of Nikkan Sports Pro Baseball VAN, which provided live updates and statistics on baseball matches when connected to the service.

The Mega Net pack also included the “Game Library” cartridge. This allowed users to dial up to Mega Net and play a variety of downloadable games. These titles had to be incredibly compact, usually under 128 KB. This was both because of the glacially slow 1,200 bps modem, and because the Mega Drive had no real storage capability to speak of. 42 games were released on the system, and titles would take about 5 to 8 minutes to download. The vast majority were single player experiences. However, two games – Tel-Tel Stadium and Tel-Tel Mahjong – featured online play via Mega Net. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both games were turn-based—a practical necessity given the limited speeds and latency achievable with the slow Mega Modem. A handful of games from Mega Net would later see cartridge releases of their own.

Users could also engage in multiplayer gaming with certain cartridge-based titles. However, this was not using a server-based online system. Instead, this merely consisted of point-to-point dial-up play between two consoles equipped with the Mega Modem.

The Mega Anser kit allowed you to manage your banking or life insurance from the comfort of your living room. The optional thermal printer could be used to print statements or receipts. Credit: Sega

Mega Net wasn’t just limited to gaming, however. Sega explored more utilitarian uses for the Mega Drive with the release of Mega Anser. This came as a package that included the Mega Modem, the Mega Anser software, and a numeric keypad controller called the Ten Key Pad. There was also an optional printer that plugged into one of the controller ports. The most notable use of the Mega Anser was for online banking. Depending on your bank, you could manage your funds with the Naisu-kun Mini, Osaka Ginkou no Home Banking Service My Line, or Sumisei Home Tanmatsu.

Unfortunately, the technology wasn’t quite there in 1990 to support a fully-vibrant online gaming service. By 1992, Sega realised there wasn’t a large market for Mega Net and Mega Anser services, and the hardware started turning up in bargain bins for drastically reduced prices. By 1993, Sega had released a remodelled Mega Drive which eliminated the EXT port required for the Mega Modem, making it clear that there was no interest in taking the service any further.

You could use the Mega Net system to access live baseball scores and statistics, though one wonders if it might not have been easier to just watch a televised match instead. Credit: Sega

The end of Mega Net in Japan was swift, but the name would live once more. That time came in 1995, when a similar service saw a last gasp release in Brazil, of all places. Supported by local distributor Tectoy, it ran using a unique modem accessory that plugged into the cartridge slot. The range of services on offer was quite different—users could access emails, fax messages, and read an electronic magazine called Revista Eletrônica. The system was designed to be used with the Sega Mouse for a more computer-like interface experience, and prices started at R$5 a month for access to the service. The service was, in many ways, completely unrelated to the original Sega effort, but was inspired by it and wore similar branding.

Brazil’s Mega Net was more modern and had additional ways for users to interact with each other.

Sega’s early experiment with online console gaming was not a grand success. It failed to attract a huge user base or offer any ground-breaking features. However, it did give the company a base to work from when it came to getting later consoles online, like the Saturn and Dreamcast that arrived years later. Ultimately, Sega would largely be out of the console market by the time online gaming really took off in that world, but you can’t fault the former Japanese titan for trying to get in early.

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Dell’s new 14-inch Pro Premium delivers workstation-level performance in a surprisingly lightweight and travel-friendly package for busy executives

Published

1 hour ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

Dell Pro Premium prioritizes mobility while supporting serious business workloads
Magnesium alloy chassis reduces weight without sacrificing durability or structural integrity
Modular motherboard design improves cooling and maintains CPU performance under load

Dell is pushing its executive-oriented notebook business laptop line toward a genuinely workstation-grade experience without adding bulk or weight.

The new 14-inch Dell Pro Premium sits at the top of the refreshed Dell Pro lineup, built for senior executives and customer-facing managers who move between offices, airports, and conference rooms throughout the day.

says it is the lightest notebook in the Dell Pro family, and calculations suggest its chassis could shrink to roughly 15mm — 7% thinner than its predecessor — while still housing a full-sized 14-inch display.

Article continues below

The chassis relies on a magnesium alloy body finished in magnetite, which keeps mass down while giving the device a more solid, premium feel than a typical all-plastic business offering.

That lighter frame makes it easier to carry alongside a power brick and briefcase over long periods.

Inside, Dell’s modular motherboard layout frees up space for larger cooling fans and more efficient thermal management, helping keep CPU and graphics performance stable during extended meetings or AI-assisted workloads rather than throttling under heat.

The performance of this device focuses on modern business workflows, handling multiple apps, video calls, whiteboards, and large datasets rather than gaming or heavy rendering.

Intel Core Ultra Series 3 and AMD Ryzen AI 400 processor options, both of which integrate on-device AI and support Copilot+ PC experiences.

The 14-inch screen offers a Tandem OLED panel with richer contrast and deeper blacks, although higher power use may limit all-day battery life.

An 8MP HDR camera provides high-resolution video calls, supporting executives who rely on a polished virtual presence.

However, for those who need a true workstation, Dell’s Pro Precision 5S and 9 Series hardware complement the Pro Premium by offering much heavier compute and graphics muscle.

The Precision 5S marks the thinnest and lightest mobile workstation Dell has ever shipped – and relies on integrated Intel Arc Pro or AMD Radeon Pro graphics instead of a discrete GPU to keep weight and thickness in check.

At the other end of the spectrum, the Dell Pro Precision 9 T2 / T4 / T6 desktops are built for extreme workloads.

They feature up to 15 PCIe slots and add support for five 300W Nvidia RTX PRO Blackwell-generation GPUs.

“IT leaders can deploy sleek and modern devices users are excited to use at every level of the organization, along with improved performance, without sacrificing the manageability, security, or value they demand,” said Rob Bruckner, president, CSG Commercial, Dell Technologies.

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We’ve tested both, so which should you buy?

Published

1 hour ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

As Sonos has added the Play to its speaker line-up, we’re keen to see how it measures up to the 4.5-star Era 100.

To help you decide which of Sonos’ offerings will suit you best, we’ve compared our experiences with the Play to the Era 100 and noted the key differences below.

Still not sure which Sonos speaker to go for? Check out our Sonos Play vs Roam 2 and Play vs Move 2 comparisons too. Otherwise, we’ve rounded up the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve reviewed in the past year.

Price and Availability

The Sonos Play is available to buy now and has an RRP of £299/$299.

The Sonos Era 100, on the other hand, is slightly cheaper with an RRP of £199/$199. Not only that, but the speaker has seen various price drops since its launch, which means it’s not impossible to find a bargain.

Design

Both come in just two colour choices: Black or White
Sonos Play is lighter, at just 1.3kg compared to 2.02kg
Sonos Play has an IP67 rating

Although the Sonos Era 100 has a thicker, more squat design than the Sonos Play, when the two are put next to each other there’s no denying they’re part of the Sonos family. Both retain that classic Sonos design, with a mesh surrounding and flat-top that houses the buttons. Plus, both come in just two colour choices: Black or White.

The Sonos Play, however, is designed specifically for both indoor and outdoor use and weighs just 1.3kg compared to the Sonos Era 100’s 2.02kg. Sure, the Play isn’t as light as the Roam 2, but aided by its carry loop at the back, it’s fairly easy to carry around from room to room.

As the Sonos Play is designed for both indoor and outdoor use, it comes with a reassuring IP67 rating which means it’s dust-tight and can survive short-term water immersion. In comparison, the Sonos Era 100 doesn’t have a specific IP rating, and instead just promises to be “humidity resistant”.

Otherwise, both speakers have a simple button layout on top and a button to turn the microphone off too – although doing so will stop Trueplay tuning from working.

Winner: Sonos Play

Features

Sonos app is better but still not as good as it once was
Although both support Stereo pairing, the Sonos Era 100 is better suited
Both have built-in Alexa and Sonos Voice Control

Sonos has fortunately fixed its disastrous app revamp of 2024, and it’s now more reliable and faster to load too. Sure, it’s not as good as the old app but there aren’t any major issues to report.

In fact, the Sonos app does boast numerous useful features including the ability to use a single music subscription to play music on different speakers at the same time, and the ability to sync music across multiple rooms for a party.

Sonos Play app — Sonos app. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

While both the Play and Sonos Era 100 support stereo pairing, we noted a few issues with the former as both speakers to be connected to the same Wi-Fi. In addition, both speakers need to be kept together at all times or the audio won’t sound quite right. With this in mind, if you want speakers specifically for stereo pairing, we’d recommend opting for two Sonos Era 100s instead as they’re fixed.

Otherwise, both are fitted with Amazon Alexa and Sonos Voice Control, and support Automatic Trueplay too which uses the integrated microphone to adjust the audio according to where the speaker is located.

Winner: Sonos Era 100

Sound Quality

Sonos Era 100 handles bass levels brilliantly
Sonos Play sports a balanced audio with solid stereo pairing
Trueplay works well with both speakers

Although Sonos is notoriously secretive when it comes to revealing the specs of its speakers, what we do know is the Play is fitted with three Class-H amplifiers, two angled tweeters and a mid-range woofer. The Era 100 is almost the same, except it has three Class-D amplifiers instead of Class-H.

The difference is that although the Class-H is less power-efficient, it does promise to provide a finer audio experience.

Sonos Play next to dock — Sonos Play. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

We found that the Play performs well, with tightly balanced audio but does sometimes suffer with distortion. In addition, we found its bass isn’t quite as powerful as the likes of the Move 2. While its stereo pairing is also solid, do keep in mind the issues we mentioned earlier.

In comparison, the Era 100 has a weightier performance across the frequency range with more hefty bass and thicker treble too. We also found that although its bass levels are powerful, it’s not at the expense of vocal clarity either.

Sonos Era 100 design close up — Sonos Era 100. Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)

Having said that, we’d still recommend you play around with the EQ to alter the bass and treble levels as, out of the box, we noted the Era 100 sounded rather limp. However, this was adjusted quickly.

Winner: Sonos Era 100

Verdict

Deciding between the Sonos Play and Sonos Era 100 will come down to your preferences. If you want a speaker that can easily be carted between rooms and outdoors, then the Sonos Play is a great choice for most. Plus, with a promise of up to 24 hours of battery life, you can even take it on camping trips and the like with relative ease.

In comparison, if you want more of a fixed speaker set-up at home, and don’t plan on moving the speakers around too much, then the Sonos Era 100 will likely suit you better.

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Samsung Unveils 2026 The Frame and Frame Pro 4K TVs: New Sizes, Art Mode Upgrades, and Design Focus

Published

2 hours ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

Samsung isn’t reinventing the art TV in 2026, it’s refining a concept that has clearly resonated with customers. The latest The Frame and The Frame Pro TVs continue to blur the line between display and décor, offering 4K UHD performance when powered on and a far more convincing art presentation when powered off. Available in 55, 65, 75, 85 and (soon) 98-inch screen sizes, the lineup builds on a design-first philosophy that has quietly turned The Frame into one of Samsung’s most successful lifestyle products since its 2017 debut.

With competitors like Hisense, TCL, and Skyworth now chasing the same “Art TV” idea, it’s clear Samsung didn’t just create a niche—it created a category.

LS03HW_Lifestyle_02-cropped-900px — *Samsung The Frame Pro (2026).*

Samsung Art Mode and Art Store: Still the Whole Point, Just Smarter

When you turn off a Samsung Frame TV, it doesn’t go dark, it shifts into Art Mode, automatically waking when you pass by thanks to its built-in motion sensor. The Samsung Art Store gives you access to a deep catalog of curated artwork, with more than 5,000 pieces from over 800 artists spanning multiple styles, eras, and regions. Subscribers also get exclusive collections from partners like Art Basel, MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Keith Haring, among others. It’s not just window dressing either, those subscriptions help support the galleries, museums, and independent artists behind the work, which makes this feel a little less like a screensaver and a little more like an actual ecosystem.

While access to the Art Store is technically free (for up to 30 pieces per month), the whole catalog and certain features are only unlocked with a subscription (currently $5/month or $50/year).

Pantone and Anti-Reflection Matte Display

The Frame adds Pantone ArtfulColor Validation, which is Samsung’s way of saying the colors you’re seeing are actually accurate, not just showroom flashy. It’s also UL-certified for its anti-reflection, glare-free matte display, which does a solid job of cutting down ambient light so the artwork looks less like a TV pretending to be art and more like something you’d actually hang on your wall.

The Frame Pro leans harder into that lifestyle pitch. It’s built to anchor a room visually while doubling as your main display for movies, TV, and gaming. Samsung is positioning it as a do-it-all centerpiece—a customizable TV that can pass as a personal gallery when idle and a full-on entertainment hub when it’s not.

Bezel Options

The Frame Pro and Frame provide owners with a broad array of custom Bezel options, such as Modern Brown, Modern Teak, Modern White, and Sand Gold
Metal. Additional authorized Bezel options are available from Deco TV Frames. And adventurous customers can find unauthorized (but compatible) options on sites like ETSY.

Display Technology: Matte Panels, Real Color Accuracy, and Less Glare

The Frame Pro LS503HW series (“The Frame Pro”) incorporates a Neo QLED display, with boosted brightness and enhanced contrast, ensuring your favorite art and favorite shows always look their best – even in bright environments.

Neo QLED displays are LCD-based, which combine Mini LED backlighting with local dimming and Quantum Dot technology. Quantum Dots enhance color range and accuracy, while Mini LED backlighting with local dimming enables more precise light control, especially when rendering bright objects against dark backgrounds. When paired with HDR formats like Samsung’s HDR10+, this combination improves both color volume and overall dynamic range. We should note, however, that unlike Samsung’s traditional Mini LED TV lineup, the Frame Pro does not use a full array LED backlighting system but uses MiniLED edge-lighting instead which does decrease the precision of the backlight.

The Step-down Frame LS503HE Series (“The Frame”) incorporates a QLED display with Samsung Dual LED backlighting instead of Mini LED backlighting. Dual LED is a variation of LED edge lighting consisting of two LED strips, one that emits warm light (yellow) and another that emits cool light (blue). The two strips alternate light output to support a slight improvement in color in combination with the Quantum Dot layer. Unlike The Frame Pro, The Frame does not use local dimming.

For viewers, Dual LED supports a slight improvement in color balance at the sacrifice of deeper blacks and whiter whites. Although not as precise as a Neo QLED Display, the LS503HE Series still offers acceptable levels of brightness, color accuracy, and HDR support for most room setups.

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Additional Features

Wireless One Connect Box (The Frame Pro Only): Samsung is finally addressing one of the biggest aesthetic compromises with wall-mounted TVs—cables. The Frame Pro’s Wireless One Connect Box means the display itself only needs a power cord, while everything else stays tucked away in a separate box. It wirelessly transmits up to 4K at 144Hz from as far as 10 meters (30 feet), which should be enough for most living rooms unless you’re trying to hide it in another zip code. The result is a much cleaner installation that actually delivers on the whole “it looks like art” promise.

Display Versatility: The Frame lineup isn’t just about pretending to be a painting. When it’s time to actually watch something, you’re getting a full 4K UHD TV with AI upscaling that works scene by scene to clean up lower-resolution content. The Frame Pro steps things up with Samsung’s NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor and local dimming, focusing on better detail retrieval, contrast control, and overall image stability.

Real Depth Enhancer and AI Customization: Samsung’s Real Depth Enhancer adds a bit of perceived dimensionality by separating foreground elements, which can help draw your eye to the subject without overcooking the image. AI Customization Mode goes a step further by letting you pick your preferred picture style during setup, then automatically adjusting settings in real time based on what you’re watching. It’s part convenience, part control—less menu diving, more actual viewing.

Audio Support: For speech clarity, the Frame TVs incorporate the Active Voice Amplifier. This boosts dialogue or key sound effects. Also, the FrameTV incorporates Dolby Atmos, which provides more sound immersion. Also, with Q Symphony, the Frame TV can be combined with compatible Samsung soundbars and Wi-Fi speakers to operate as a single, coordinated sound system rather than isolated components.

Gaming: Gaming support includes Samsung’s Gaming Hub, AI Auto Game Mode, Cloud Gaming, and Motion Xceleration on both series. The Frame Pro supports a 144Hz refresh rate.

AI: The Frame TVs also incorporate Samsung’s Vision AI experience, anchored by the Perplexity TV App. The takes AI on TVs beyond simple voice commands or video enhancements by combining AI audio/video processing, Bixby voice control, Tizen Smart TV integration, and Knox Security into a single, seamless ecosystem.

Slim Fit Wall Mount: Samsung includes its Slim Fit Wall Mount with The Frame, allowing the TV to sit nearly flush against the wall like an actual picture frame. No awkward gap, no obvious hardware, just a cleaner install that makes the whole art illusion a lot more convincing.

Comparison

	The Frame Pro (2026 models)	The Frame (2026 models)
Model	LS503HW	LS503HE
Screen Size (Diagonal Inches)	55, 65, 75, 85	55, 65, 75, 85, 98
Price	85″ – $3,999.99 75″ – $2,799.99 65″ – $1,999.99 55″ – Coming soon	Coming soon
Display Type	Neo QLED	QLED
Refresh Rate	144Hz (VRR Support)	144Hz (VRR Support))
Lighting Technology	Quantum Matrix Technology Slim	Dual LED
Display Resolution	4K (3840 x 2160)	4K (3840 x 2160)
Anti Reflection	Glare Free	Glare Free
Matte Screen	Yes	Yes
Viewing Angle	Wide Viewing Angle	Wide Viewing Angle
Dimming Technology (Software-based)	Supreme Mini LED Dimming	Supreme UHD Dimming
Processor	NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor	NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor
Upscaling	4K AI Upscaling Pro	4K AI Upscaling
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)	Yes	Yes
Motion Handling	Motion Xcelerator 144Hz	Motion Xcelerator 144Hz
DLG (Dual Line Gate)	240Hz	240Hz
Contrast Enhancer	Real Depth Enhancer	Real Depth Enhancer
AI Motion Enhancer	Pro	–
Color	Quantum Dot Display Pantone Validated ArtfulColor	Quantum Dot Display
Color Booster	Pro	Pro
HDR (High Dynamic Range)	Neo Quantum HDR	Quantum HDR
HDR10+	Adaptive Gaming Advanced	Adaptive Gaming
Auto HDR Remastering	Pro	Yes
Adaptive Picture	AI Optimized AI Customization	AI Optimized AI Customization
Supersize Picture Enhancer	85″ Only	85″ and 98″ Only
Bluetooth	BT5.3	BT5.3
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6E	Wi-Fi 6E
One Connect Box	Yes – Wireless	–
HDMI Inputs	5 Ports	4 Ports
HDMI Maximum Input Rate	4K 144Hz (for HDMI 1/2/3/4)	4K 144Hz (for HDMI 1/2/3/4)
HDMI Audio Return Channel	eARC	eARC
HDMI-CEC	Yes	Yes
USB Ports	2 x USB-A 1 x USB-C	2 x USB-A
Ethernet (LAN)	Yes	Yes
Digital Audio Out (Optical):	Yes	Yes
RF Connection	Yes	Yes
RS-232C Input	Yes	Yes
Gaming Support	Gaming Hub Cloud Gaming: – Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Luna, Blacknut, Antstream, Boosteroid AI Auto Game Mode ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) Gaming Motion Plus Super Ultra Wide Game View Game Bar Mini Map Zoom AMD FreeSync: Freesync Premium™ Pro HGiG Hue Sync	Gaming Hub Cloud Gaming: – Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Luna, Blacknut, Antstream, Boosteroid AI Auto Game Mode ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) Gaming Motion Plus Super Ultra Wide Game View Game Bar Mini Map Zoom AMD FreeSync: Freesync Premium™ Pro HGiG Hue Sync:
Samsung Vision AI	Vision AI Companion AI Soccer Mode AI Sound Controller Live Translate Generative Wallpaper Multi AI Agents (Copilot & Perplexity) Pet & Family Care Home Insight	Vision AI Companion AI Soccer Mode AI Sound Controller Live Translate Generative Wallpaper Multi AI Agents (Copilot & Perplexity) Pet & Family Care Home Insight
TV Art Features	Art Mode: Yes Art Store: Yes	Art Mode: Yes Art Store: Yes
Operating System	One UI Tizen	One UI Tizen
Free Ad-Supported TV	Samsung TV Plus	Samsung TV Plus
Smart Home Connectivity	SmartThings. Matter, IoT-Sensor Functionality, Quick Remote	SmartThings. Matter, IoT-Sensor Functionality, Quick Remote
Smart Assistants (Built-In)	Bixby, Alexa	Bixby, Alexa
Smart Assistants (Works with)	Google Assistant	Google Assistant
Far-Field Voice Interactions	Yes	–
Web Browser	Yes	Yes
Samsung Health	Yes	Yes
Multi-Device Experience	Mobile to TV, TV initiates mirroring, Sound Mirroring, Wireless TV On	Mobile to TV, TV initiates mirroring, Sound Mirroring, Wireless TV On
Multi-View	Up to 2 videos	Up to 2 videos
Galaxy Buds Auto Switch	Yes	Yes
Works with Apple AirPlay	Yes	Yes
Works with Google Cast	Yes	Yes
Daily+	Yes	Yes
Now Brief	–	–
Workout Tracker	Yes	Yes
Karaoke Mic	Yes	Yes
Multi-Control	Yes	Yes
Storage Share	Yes	Yes
Audio	Speaker System: 2.0.2 Channels Output Power (W): 40W Dolby Atmos Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Q-Symphony Active Voice Amplifier (AVA) Pro Adaptive Sound Bluetooth Audio 360 Audio	Speaker System: 2. Channels Output Power (W): 20W Dolby Atmos Object Tracking Sound (OTS Lite) Q-Symphony Active Voice Amplifier (AVA) Pro Adaptive Sound Bluetooth Audio 360 Audio
TV Design	Frame Design (Customizable)	Frame Design (Customizable)
Bezel Type	VNB (Interchangeable)	VNB (Interchangeable)
Front Color	Black	Black
Stand Type	Round Feet	Round Feet
Stand Color	Black	Black
Adjustable Stand:	Yes	Yes
Security	Knox Vault: N/A Knox Security: Yes	Knox Vault: N/A Knox Security: Yes
Power	Power Supply (V): AC110-120V~ 50/60Hz Stand-by Power Consumption (W): 0.5 Eco Sensor Auto Power Saving Auto Power Off	Power Supply (V): AC110-120V~ 50/60Hz Stand-by Power Consumption (W): 0.5 Eco Sensor Auto Power Saving Auto Power Off
Included Accessories	Remote Control: BT SolarCell™ Remote TM2661H Power Cable Slim Fit Wall Mount: Included Simple Stand Included Wireless One Connect Box	Remote Control: BT SolarCell™ Remote TM2661H Power Cable Slim Fit Wall Mount: Included Simple Stand Included

The Bottom Line

Samsung didn’t just stumble into a gimmick with The Frame; it built a category and then spent nearly a decade refining it while everyone else played – and is still playing – catch-up. What still works is obvious: the design remains unmatched, Art Mode is actually useful (not a throwaway feature), and the matte display with reduced glare does more to sell the illusion than any marketing language ever could. The addition of the Wireless One Connect Box on the Frame Pro finally cleans up installation in a way that aligns with the whole “this is art, not a TV” pitch.

What makes it unique hasn’t really changed, but that’s the point. No one else has matched Samsung’s ecosystem: the depth of the Art Store, the partnerships, the motion sensor integration, and the overall polish. Others are making “Art TVs,” but most still feel like TVs wearing a costume. Samsung’s feels intentional.

What’s missing? For all the AI talk, there’s still a lack of clarity around how much real picture quality you’re getting versus Samsung’s more performance-focused QLED, OLED and Micro RGB models. There’s also the ongoing question of value, especially when you factor in Art Store subscriptions and whether buyers are paying more for design than outright performance.

Who is this for? Not the spec chaser. Not the home theater purist in pursuit of perfect blacks in a dark room. This is for someone who wants a TV that doesn’t dominate the room when it’s off, but still delivers a very competent 4K experience when it’s on. If your living space matters as much as your watchlist, The Frame still makes a compelling argument.

For customers who like the idea of an “Art TV” but do want top-notch picture performance, Samsung also now offers the S95H OLED TV. It comes with an integrated picture-frame style bezel, flush wall mounting, Glare Free screen and wireless OneConnect option like The Frame Pro, but with picture performance that rivals the top TVs of 2026.

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The real question for 2026 isn’t whether Samsung improved The Frame—they did. It’s whether the growing crowd of competitors has figured out how to do it better, or just cheaper. So far, Samsung still looks like the one everyone else is trying to catch.

Pricing & Availability

Samsung’s 2026 4K Frame TVs carry the following prices:

The Frame Pro (LS503HW)

85-inch Class: $3,999.99
75-inch Class: $2,799.99
65-inch Class: $1,999.99
55-inch Class: Coming soon

The Frame (LS503HE)

98-inch Class: Coming Later This Year
85-inch Class: Coming Soon
75-inch Class: Coming Soon
65-inch Class: Coming Soon
55-inch Class: Coming soon

Bonus Offers

Samsung is adding some incentive to soften the blow. Order a 2026 The Frame Pro directly from Samsung.com and you can bundle in the “Picture Perfect” package, which knocks $800 off a setup that includes a white bezel, ultra slim soundbar, professional installation, a one year Art Store subscription, and two years of Samsung Care+. In other words, they are not just selling you a TV. They are trying to finish the room for you.

At retail, the pitch is simpler. Buy either the 2026 The Frame or The Frame Pro and you can take 50% off one of Samsung’s customizable bezel options, which is arguably one of the more important add ons if you actually care about the whole “it looks like art” idea.

As for availability, The Frame Pro is shipping now through Samsung and major retailers, while the standard The Frame is expected to follow later this spring. The official press release did not list the 98-inch screen size announced at CES and confirmed to eCoustics staff in March at an on-site workshop. We’ll update this article if/when we learn more about the 98-inch version.

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Amazon is giving away one of the best strategy games ever, plus loads of other PC games for Prime members

Published

2 hours ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

You might think that Amazon Luna is all about cloud gaming, but that’s not the case. The underappreciated Amazon Prime membership perk also includes a monthly selection of free PC games – offering you the chance to pick up keys for storefronts like GoG or the Epic Games Store (plus Amazon‘s own PC game launcher) at no extra cost.

This isn’t the same as a service like Xbox Game Pass, either, as the games that you get are yours to keep even if your membership lapses. They’re only available for a limited time, and there’s really no reason not to claim them. Even if you’re not too thrilled about an included title right now, you never know when you might want to play it in the future.

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Samsung S95H OLED TV Hands-on Review: Bright, Museum Quality OLED

Published

2 hours ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

The Samsung S95H is the company’s new flagship OLED TV for 2026, and it’s a decidedly different beast compared to previous Samsung S95 series OLEDs. What’s most immediately different about the Samsung S95H is a beveled metal frame surrounding the set’s screen. Samsung calls this new design FloatLayer, and it gives the TV a picture frame look when flush-mounted to a wall.

Along those lines, the S95H is the first OLED TV to support the Samsung Art Store, a subscription service that lets viewers display a selection of over 3,000 artworks on the TV, including ones from leading museums like the Met, the Museo del Prado, and the Louvre.

Adding to the S95H’s high art credentials is a new version of Samsung’s Glare Free screen with OLED HDR Pro to better maintain contrast even when viewing in brightly lit rooms. A new QD-OLED Penta Tandem display panel used in the S95H is also said to be 30% brighter than last year’s S95F, which is another factor that will help with bright room viewing. Samsung is a bit cagey about revealing which raw panels are used in which screen sizes, but we believe the QD-OLED panel will be used in 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch screen sizes while the 83-inch model will use a W-OLED panel.

With the S95H series, which is available in 55, 65, 75, and 83-inch screen sizes and priced from $2,499 to $6,499, Samsung is clearly attempting to port its The Frame TV concept to the premium OLED TV market. Is it a comfortable fit? Let’s take a look and find out.

Before we do that, let’s briefly cover two additional OLED TV series Samsung announced for 2026. The S90H series is available in 42, 48, 55, 65, 77 and 83-inch screen sizes priced from $1,399 to $5,299. These models also feature a Glare Free screen. Rounding out Samsung’s new OLED offerings is the S85H series, which will be sold in 48, 55, 65, 77 and 83-inch sizes priced from at $1,199.99 to $4,499.99.

Samsung S95H-1 — *The S95H’s new, enhanced Glare Free screen rejects screen reflections while maintaining better black levels and contrast than previous versions of the tech.*

Features

The S95H series is Wireless One Connect Ready. That’s a new feature for a Samsung OLED TV, and one that gives you the option to pair it with Samsung’s Wireless One Connect Box. And doing so will also give you a total of eight HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K/165Hz support – four on the unit itself and 4 on the wireless One Connect box. That’s a lot of inputs. (The wireless connection is 4K/165Hz-capable.)

For the S95H series, Samsung is using the same NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor found in its 2025 flagship TVs. This processor brings a host of AI-based picture enhancements such as 4K AI Upscaling Pro for lower-resolution content, AI Motion Enhancer Pro, and an Adaptive Picture function that uses AI to optimize pictures based on the content genre. Another new feature is AI Customization, which can create a custom picture setting based on the viewer’s response to a series of images, and there’s also Real Depth Enhancer, a feature first introduced in 2025 Samsung TVs that analyzes pictures in real-time to enhance foreground detail.

Gamers who skip Samsung’s Wireless One Connect Box will still find plenty to work with. The S95H includes four HDMI 2.1 ports that support up to 165Hz, along with FreeSync Premium Pro and HDR10+ Gaming for smoother, more responsive play. Samsung’s Gaming Hub also returns with a deep bench of cloud services, including Xbox, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Luna, Blacknut, Antstream, and Boosteroid, giving players multiple ways to jump into games without a console.

A 4.2.2-channel, 70W speaker array is used for the S95H’s sound. Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound+ feature ensures that dialogue and sound effects accurately follow the onscreen action, and Active Voice Amplifier can be used to dynamically enhance dialogue. Owners of compatible Samsung soundbars can also take advantage of Q-Symphony, a feature that combines the output of the TV’s speakers with the soundbar for an enhanced presentation.

Last but not least, Samsung includes a set of support feet with the S95H for viewers who choose not to wall-mount the TV.

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Samsung S95H-2 — *The S95H is designed for a flush wall mount, but also ships with support feet for stand installations.*

Hands-on with the Samsung S95H OLED TV

Samsung invited eCoustics to its New Jersey headquarters in early March to spend some hands-on time with the S95H and some of its other new TVs. As part of that process, I was able to make a full set of measurements on a 65-inch S95H.

As mentioned above, Samsung has said that the new S95H OLED is 30% brighter than last year’s Samsung S95F. While I didn’t review the S95F, I can confirm that the S95H is the brightest OLED TV I’ve yet measured, topping even the very bright LG G5 OLED on that front.

Measured on a 10% white window pattern, the S95H’s peak HDR brightness in the Standard picture mode was 2,553 nits, and it measured 251 nits on a 100% (fullscreen) pattern. Peak HDR brightness was notably lower in Filmmaker Mode, measuring 1,072 nits on a 10% window, and 251 nits fullscreen.

The S95H’s peak HDR brightness (10% window) in Standard mode is comparable to some of the best mini-LED TVs on the market, even exceeding Samsung’s own flagship QN90F mini-LED TV from 2025 on that parameter.

At the S95H’s default Filmmaker Mode picture settings, P3 color space coverage measured 99.9% and BT.2020 coverage was 88.4%. Those are stellar results, and they also exceed what I measured on last year’s OLED flagship from LG, the G5.

For subjective testing, I opted to use the TV’s Movie picture mode, which produced a brighter picture than Filmmaker mode. I also watched content in both dark and bright room conditions to evaluate the effectiveness of the S95H’s Glare Free screen.

Checking out Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (in 4K, using a Kaleidescape movie player as a source), the S95H’s picture looked nothing short of fantastic. Shadows were deep and detailed, and the movie’s rich colors popped on the screen. The computer-generated animation in Into the Spider-Verse is finely textured, and the S95H easily revealed the intricate patterns and graphic overlays in the backgrounds.

Samsung S95H-3 — *The S95H has exceptional peak HDR brightness in its Standard picture mode.*

The movie Alpha is a known torture test for HDR tone mapping on TVs owing to its 4,000 nits HDR transfer. (Most 4K/HDR movies max out at around 1,000 nits.) Watching a scene where a figure is positioned against a bright sunset, the S95H’s excellent tone mapping preserved image contrast without eliminating highlight detail.

Next up on the S95H was the opening sequence from the movie Baby Driver – another torture test, this one for motion handling. Samsung’s OLED showed a fair amount of motion judder on this scene in the default Movie mode. As usual with Samsung TVs, adjusting the blur and judder settings in the Custom motion preset fixed the issue, and it didn’t introduce any of the dreaded “soap opera” effect that makes movies look like TV shows.

Switching to the TV’s Standard picture mode to let the S95H display pictures at maximum brightness, I turned on the lights and watched some clips from the movie F1. While color accuracy took a hit in Standard mode, the picture looked incredibly bright for an OLED TV. And the set’s Glare Free screen also did a great job of preventing reflections from the room’s overhead lights without losing black depth and detail.

Samsung Micro RGB-4 — Samsung’s rechargeable Solar Cell remote is used to control the S95H.

The Bottom Line

The Samsung S95H’s fancy FloatLayer design may not be for everyone, but it’s not surprising given the trend of TV makers trying to make their flagship models more luxurious and living room friendly. If that idea doesn’t ring a bell, check out the LG OLED evo W6 Wallpaper TV the company introduced at CES 2026.

Along with making their best TVs more visually appealing, companies like Samsung are pushing the brightness capabilities of OLED and introducing screen glare-reduction tech to negotiate the picture quality compromises that come with installing TVs in well-lit living rooms. From what I saw during the hour or so that I spent going hands-on with it, Samsung’s new flagship OLED TV manages to look great in both dark and bright lighting conditions, and the performance of its Glare Free screen is a marked improvement over last year’s Samsung S95F (which itself improved on its S95D predecessor when it came to black level retention).

Will the Samsung S95H turn out to be the best OLED TV of 2026? It’s a bit early out of the gate to make that determination, but Samsung’s new flagship OLED is certain to grab attention.

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Pros:

High brightness for an OLED TV
Refined overall picture quality
Effective Glare Free screen
Wireless One Connect Ready
Samsung Art Store support

Cons:

Pricey
New FloatLayer design not for everyone
Limited picture brightness in Filmmaker Mode

Where to buy:

55-inch S95H: $2,499.99
65-inch S95H: $3,399.99
77-inch S95H: $4,499.99
83-inch S95H: $6,499.99

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Money transfer app Duc exposed thousands of driver’s licenses and passports to the open web

Published

2 hours ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

A publicly accessible Amazon-hosted storage server allowed anyone with a web browser to access potentially hundreds of thousands of people’s personal data without needing a password. This included driver’s licenses, passports, and other personal information collected by the Duc App, a money-transfer service owned by Toronto-based Duales.

The Canadian fintech company said it resolved the data exposure on Tuesday after TechCrunch alerted its chief executive that one of the company’s cloud storage servers was publicly listing its contents, without a password.

The data was also stored unencrypted, meaning anyone with a link to the data was able to view it in full.

Anurag Sen, a security researcher at CyPeace who discovered the security lapse earlier in the week, contacted TechCrunch in an effort to notify the data’s owner. Sen said that anyone could view and download the data using their browser just by knowing the easy-to-guess web address of the storage server.

According to Sen, the Amazon-hosted storage server listed over 360,000 files containing government-issued documents and other information used by customers to verify their identity through “know your customer” checks. These files included user-uploaded selfies to prove their real-world likeness.

TechCrunch could not ascertain the precise number of exposed driver’s licenses and passports; however, several folders in the exposed bucket each contained tens of thousands of user-uploaded files, a sampling of which listed driver’s licenses, passports, and selfies.

Duales touts its app as a way for users to send money to other users, including overseas in Cuba and elsewhere. Its Android app listing on the Google Play app store shows more than 100,000 user downloads to date.

The files, which dated back to September 2020 and were being uploaded daily, also contained spreadsheets listing customer names, home addresses, and the dates, times, and details of their transactions.

When reached by email, Duales chief executive Henry Martinez González told TechCrunch that the data was stored on a “staging site,” referring to a website used primarily for testing, but did not explain why customers’ personal information was publicly accessible in the same database.

“All protections are in place,” Martinez said. “We are notifying the appropriate parties. We have not contracted any services from you.”

After TechCrunch emailed the company, the files on the storage server were made inaccessible, though a list of the server’s contents is still visible.

Martinez would not say if the company had the technical means, such as logs, to determine who or how many people accessed the data.

Duc App’s website appeared briefly down on Thursday, and displayed a “bad gateway” error.

It’s not clear how or for what reason Duales left its Amazon-hosted storage server publicly open to the internet. In recent years, Amazon has added security checks to prevent users from inadvertently exposing their data to the internet after a series of high-profile incidents where several corporate giants, including a U.S. spy agency, published sensitive data to the web due to misconfigurations.

When reached by TechCrunch as part of our outreach to contact the app’s owner, Canada’s privacy regulator said it was seeking more information from the company.

“The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has reached out to the company to obtain more information and determine next steps,” a spokesperson for the regulator told TechCrunch by email, declining to comment further.

Duc App is the latest app in a list of recent security lapses involving the exposure of other people’s sensitive identity data. This data exposure comes as apps and websites are increasingly requiring their users to upload their government-issued documents to verify who they say they are but without taking enough steps to secure the data that they collect.

Last year, popular app TeaOnHer exposed thousands of its users’ passports and driver’s licenses, which the app required users to upload before allowing them into the app’s gated community. Discord last year also confirmed a data breach affecting around 70,000 government-issued documents uploaded by users who sought to verify their age, amid a worldwide effort to enact online age checking laws.

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‘This rootkit is highly persistent; a standard factory reset will not remove it’: “NoVoice” Android malware on Google Play infects 50 apps across 2.3 million devices, here’s what we know

Published

2 hours ago

2 April 2026

NewsAdmin

McAfee uncovers NoVoice malware hidden in 50+ Google Play apps with 2.3 million downloads
Malware exploits old Android kernel and GPU flaws, persists even after factory reset
Injects code into apps like WhatsApp to hijack sessions; Google has removed apps but infected devices remain compromised

Millions of Android devices were infected with malware spying on their WhatsApp chats and that even a factory reset wouldn’t wipe, experts have warned.

Researchers at McAfee have published an in-depth report on NoVoice, a new Android malware variant found in more than 50 apps hosted on the Google Play store, downloaded more than 2.3 million times combined.