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Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 16.

We’ve known that Cyberpunk 2077 is eventually coming to the Mac, and developers CD Projekt Red (CDPR) have been hard at work – and still are – at getting the title fit to run on any Apple Silicon-powered device. That means the massive AAA title, which has been frequently used to benchmark systems, will be able to run on the M1 chip or newer.

It was reconfirmed at WWDC 2025 – Apple’s week-long developer conference – that it would be arriving later this year, and back with the launch of the new Mac Studio, TechRadar saw a demo of it running on that super-powered computer.

Now, though, I had the chance to get another demo of Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition – a newer version of the in-development title – on a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip and 128GB of RAM.

It was on ‘Ultra’ settings with a buttery smooth and excellently rendered 120 frames per second. And yes, this performance is derived from Apple’s M4 Max chip – no discrete GPU required. Further, this was fully taking advantage of Apple's Metal 4, coming later this year, including MetalFX Frame Interpolation.

It looked fantastic and was responsive, but that had me thinking about the plans to launch this on any Apple Silicon Mac.

I was curious about performance on less powerful chips within Apple’s lineup, as the requirement for the title is expected to be Apple Silicon, meaning it should run base M1, M2, M3, or M4 chips as well as the more powerful creations.

(Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

I asked Pawel Sasko, Associate Game Director of CD Projekt Red, about what performance might look like on other Macs with different levels of performance from various chips, like even a MacBook Air.

He first explained that Cyberpunk 2077 is running on CDPR’s proprietary Red Engine Four, which is designed to be scalable. “It's trying to use everything that given platform provides,” Sasko explained and called out that the title is available on a variety of devices already, including the Nintendo Switch 2 ahead of its release on the Mac.

"Red engine is basically trying to check what hardware you have and squeeze out the max you can have,” he continued. Meaning that Cyberpunk 2077 will work to run and deliver the best performance based on the chip you have inside. Sasko couldn’t give a specific number yet based on the chip or a potential Mac SKU, but that’s because the game is still not finalized – CDPR is still working on it and polishing it.

Sasko even shared that they’ll work on optimizing performance until the very end, and recently CDPR figured out how to optimize cloth, also known as what a character is wearing, to make it look better.

Suffice to say, he shared that “We're trying to squeeze everything that given hardware gives us,” meaning it will run the best it possibly can on the Mac – which likely means that a more powerful chip, like an M4, M4 Pro, or M4 Max, will deliver the best results.

And the good news is that we’re likely only a few months away from one of the biggest AAA titles arriving on the Mac – the CDPR team wouldn’t give an exact time frame, but Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition will arrive in 2025.

I also got to see this demo of the title shortly after Apple unveiled macOS 26 Tahoe, which will introduce the Games app. Although CDPR hasn’t announced if it will be integrating with the new hub, it will work with the new ‘Game Overlay.’

This is a sidebar that can be brought to the top right-hand side of the screen, making it easy to enable game mode, adjust brightness or volume, and even switch controllers, as well as connect with friends. You can also opt to push your MacBook further with different energy modes.

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• Hostinger Reach promises powerful emails from a simple prompt, no tech skills required
• Built-in AI writes and designs professional emails in minutes, not hours
• Deliverability tools like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC come automatically configured with Hostinger domains

Hostinger, a company long recognized for its affordable web hosting services, has now entered the competitive field of email marketing.

With the launch of Hostinger Reach, the company has set its sights on established players like Mailchimp and Omnisend.

Email remains a highly active marketing channel, boasting a global user base of over 4.4 billion in 2024. Often praised for its return on investment, ranging from $36 to $45 per dollar spent, it’s clear success depends not just on tools, but on how they’re used.

A marketing platform baked into the ecosystem

Hostinger Reach is more than just a standalone app; it’s part of a broader ecosystem. Integrated tightly with Hostinger’s Website Builder, its key selling point lies in seamless syncing via hPanel.

The platform also offers built-in support for form synchronization and automatic domain configuration for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, aiming to improve email deliverability.

Hostinger says this should help users “land in inboxes, not spam”, though in practice, deliverability is influenced by many factors beyond DNS records.

At launch, the platform includes standard features such as contact management, campaign analytics, and compliance with GDPR and CAN-SPAM regulations.

It also introduces AI-powered tools for email creation and performance tracking, features typically found in top-tier email marketing software and social media marketing tools.

With AI assistance, Hostinger Reach claims users can go “from idea to inbox in minutes” simply by prompting the tool with a message theme.

The platform then generates a complete email, including layout suggestions and brand-aligned styling.

This could save significant time for solo entrepreneurs and small teams. However, skeptics may question whether AI-generated content can match the nuance and personalization seasoned marketers expect.

A free tier is available, allowing up to 200 monthly emails to 100 unique subscribers, sufficient for experimentation, but not for scaling.

Paid plans offer expanded capabilities, though pricing details remain unclear at this stage.

One notable limitation is the lack of deep third-party integration. While current Hostinger users benefit from smooth syncing with Website Builder forms, WordPress support is still “coming soon.”

This delay could be a drawback, especially given the widespread use of WordPress among small businesses.

Hostinger may offer one of the best web hosting services, but whether that reputation translates into a truly competitive email marketing platform remains to be seen.

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Fast-paced floodwaters in San Antonio left 13 people dead. West Virginia also witnessed at least three deaths from flash flooding, with more people missing.

(Image credit: Lekan Oyekanmi)

President Trump says Israel and Iran should make a deal to end their exchange of airstrikes. But there's no sign of a diplomatic solution on the horizon, and Trump is also warning Iran not to strike at any U.S. targets.

The political assassination yesterday of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman was a shock to the people of the state and the country.

NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi reports from Tel Aviv as Israel and Iran trade airstrikes for another night.

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with immigration lawyer Lindsay Toczylowski about the condition of detainees swept up in the ongoing immigration arrests in Los Angeles.

• AI-generated documents are replacing traditional forgeries and bypassing verification faster than ever imagined
• Synthetic identity fraud has surged 195% globally, with Europe and North America hardest hit
• Most fraud now happens after onboarding, using tricks like credential stuffing and device spoofing

Synthetic identity document fraud is now spreading at an alarming pace globally, driven almost entirely by the misuse of generative AI, experts have warned.

New data from Sumsub has claimed the creation of fake documents using AI grew by 195% worldwide between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025.

The most dramatic spike was recorded in Europe, where synthetic ID fraud surged by 378%, followed by North America (311%) and the MENA region (258%).

Traditional forgery declines

This trend appears to be gaining ground on traditional document forgery, which has declined sharply in most regions, dropping by 82% in Africa and 50% in North America - with Europe the exception, where traditional forgeries increasing by 33%.

This shift suggests scammers are moving from conventional techniques to AI-generated identities, which can now be produced in seconds using largely unregulated tools.

The industries most affected by this trend include crypto, trading, transportation, fintech, and gambling, all sectors which often rely on rapid onboarding processes and may not yet have strong enough safeguards to detect synthetic documents before damage is done.

Compounding this vulnerability is the fact over three quarter (76%) of fraud now occurs after the onboarding stage, using methods such as device fingerprint spoofing, credential stuffing, and so-called “money muling.”

“The rise of AI-generated fraud is exposing critical flaws in traditional verification systems, and this data shows sophisticated fake documents are becoming a key tool in the fraudster’s arsenal,” said Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin, Head of AI/ML at Sumsub.

“We expect companies like OpenAI to strengthen safeguards controlling the use of its programs to generate passports, IDs, and other personal documents.”

Parallel to this trend is a dramatic rise in deepfake-related fraud, where North America saw a staggering 1,100% increase in such cases, with Europe following at 900%.

Nations like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Germany saw the highest individual surges, raising concerns about the future role of manipulated visual media in identity fraud schemes.

For individuals and organizations trying to protect themselves, relying solely on conventional KYC protocols may no longer be enough. Businesses are advised to use identity management software and multi-layered verification systems for stronger protection.

Consumers should also consider top-rated ID theft protection solutions, especially those that monitor for synthetic identity use. Using reputable people search tools can add an extra layer of safety when verifying unknown contacts or confirming someone’s legitimacy online.

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Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 470 for June 16.

Here are hints and the answer for today's extra-difficult Wordle No. 1,458 for June 16.

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for June 16, #736.

• Fake wallet apps ask for your 12-word phrase and quietly drain your crypto funds
• CRIL found over 20 Play Store apps built solely to steal users’ crypto credentials
• Malicious apps used WebView to fake real login pages from PancakeSwap and others

New research by Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs (CRIL) has uncovered a large-scale phishing campaign involving more than 20 Android applications listed on the Google Play Store.

These apps, which appeared to be legitimate cryptocurrency wallet tools, were created with a singular purpose: stealing users’ mnemonic phrases, the crucial 12-word keys that provide full access to crypto wallets.

Once compromised, victims risk losing their entire cryptocurrency holdings, with no possibility of recovery.

How the apps work and what makes them dangerous

Many of the malicious apps were built using the Median framework, which enables the rapid conversion of websites into Android applications.

Using this method, threat actors embedded phishing URLs directly into the app code or within privacy policy documents.

These links would then load deceptive login pages via a WebView, tricking users into entering their mnemonic phrases under the false belief they were interacting with trusted wallet services such as PancakeSwap, SushiSwap, Raydium, and Hyperliquid.

For example, a fraudulent PancakeSwap app used the URL hxxps://pancakefentfloyd[.]cz/api.php, which led to a phishing page mimicking the legitimate PancakeSwap interface.

Likewise, a fake Raydium app redirected users to hxxps://piwalletblog[.]blog to carry out a similar scam.

Despite variations in branding, these apps shared a common objective: extracting users’ private access keys.

CRIL's analysis revealed that the phishing infrastructure supporting these apps was extensive. The IP address 94.156.177[.]209, used to host these malicious pages, was linked to over 50 other phishing domains.

These domains imitate popular crypto platforms and are reused across multiple apps, indicating a centralized and well-resourced operation.

Some malicious apps were even published under developer accounts previously associated with legitimate software, such as gaming or streaming applications, further lowering user suspicion.

This tactic complicates detection, as even advanced mobile security tools may struggle to identify threats hidden behind familiar branding or developer profiles.

To protect against such attacks, CRIL advises users to download apps only from verified developers and avoid any that request sensitive information.

Using reputable Android antivirus or endpoint protection software, along with ensuring that Google Play Protect is enabled, adds an important, though not infallible, layer of defense.

Strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication should be standard practice, and biometric security features should be enabled when available.

Users should also avoid clicking on suspicious links received via SMS or email, and never enter sensitive information into mobile apps unless their legitimacy is certain.

Ultimately, no legitimate app should ever request a full mnemonic phrase through a login prompt. If that happens, it’s likely already too late.

Full list of the 22 fake apps to avoid

• 1. Pancake Swap
  Package: co.median.android.pkmxaj
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://pancakefentfloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 2. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.ljqjry
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietsiz.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 3. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.jroylx
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 4. Raydium
  Package: co.median.android.yakmje
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://raydifloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 5. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.aaxblp
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 6. BullX Crypto
  Package: co.median.android.ozjwka
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://bullxni.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 7. OpenOcean Exchange
  Package: co.median.android.ozjjkx
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://openoceansi.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 8. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.mpeaaw
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietsiz.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 9. Meteora Exchange
  Package: co.median.android.kbxqaj
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://meteorafloydoverdose.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 10. Raydium
  Package: co.median.android.epwzyq
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://raydifloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 11. SushiSwap
  Package: co.median.android.pkezyz
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://sushijames.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 12. Raydium
  Package: co.median.android.pkzylr
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://raydifloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 13. SushiSwap
  Package: co.median.android.brlljb
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://sushijames.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 14. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.djerqq
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 15. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.epeall
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietwz.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 16. BullX Crypto
  Package: co.median.android.braqdy
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://bullxni.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 17. Harvest Finance blog
  Package: co.median.android.ljmeob
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://harvestfin.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 18. Pancake Swap
  Package: co.median.android.djrdyk
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://pancakefentfloyd.cz/privatepolicy.html
• 19. Hyperliquid
  Package: co.median.android.epbdbn
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://hyperliqw.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 20. Suiet Wallet
  Package: co.median.android.noxmdz
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://suietwz.sbs/privatepolicy.html
• 21. Raydium
  Package: cryptoknowledge.rays
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://www.termsfeed.com/live/a4ec5c75-145c-47b3-8b10-d43164f83bfc
• 22. PancakeSwap
  Package: com.cryptoknowledge.quizzz
  Privacy Policy: hxxps://www.termsfeed.com/live/a4ec5c75-145c-47b3-8b10-d43164f83bfc

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Vance Boelter, the subject of a nationwide manhunt, described himself as an experienced security professional who worked in conflict zones. A friend said at least part of that account is "fantasy."

(Image credit: FBI)

• SoftBank and Intel plan low-power memory to rival South Korean HBM
• Saimemory aims for 2030 launch but faces major market delays
• Intel and SoftBank are already stretched across AI chips and tech investments

SoftBank and Intel are reportedly teaming up to develop a new type of AI-focused high-bandwidth memory that they hope will rival HBM products produced by South Korean tech giants Samsung and SK Hynix.

A report from Nikkei Asia, claims the pair are aiming to create stacked DRAM chips with a new wiring structure that cuts power consumption by half, compared to current HBM chips.

The initiative will be led by a new company called Saimemory, with a prototype expected within two years, and commercialization targeted before 2030.

Too little too late?

Despite the technical ambition, the timeline poses a serious challenge. Samsung and SK Hynix are already several product generations ahead and comfortably dominate the global HBM market. By the time Saimemory brings its alternative to market, the existing players are likely to have extended their lead further.

A SoftBank executive told Nikkei Asia that if the project is successful, “we want priority for the supply,” reflecting just how early-stage the effort remains.

The memory is intended for use in AI data centers, where energy consumption and high throughput are growing concerns. SoftBank hopes the new chips will support large-scale AI training more efficiently and at lower cost.

Stronger domestic supply chains could also reduce Japan’s reliance on Korean suppliers.

Nikkei Asia notes Japan once held over 70% of the global DRAM market but exited as South Korean and Taiwanese players rose. Elpida, Japan’s last DRAM manufacturer, went bankrupt in 2012 and was acquired by Micron, which itself is currently seeking a bigger slice of the $100 billion HBM pie.

SoftBank is the largest investor in Saimemory, with a 3 billion yen stake in the 10 billion yen project. Intel is contributing technology, while the University of Tokyo and other Japanese academic institutions are providing patents. Government support is also being considered.

Although this is a promising endeavor, both SoftBank and Intel have a lot on their plates right now. Intel is managing its foundry expansion, pushing AI chips, and trying to reclaim CPU market share. SoftBank is focused on growing Arm and expanding its AI investment portfolio.

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• Android 16 is causing problems for some Pixel devices
• Navigation buttons and gestures are freezing
• As yet Google hasn't said anything officially about the bugs

Android 16 was officially pushed out to Pixel owners last week, but reports are coming in of the software update causing some pretty major bugs on certain handsets, related to gestures and interface and navigation.

As noted by Android Headlines, the reports say certain navigation buttons and gestures don't respond as they should – meaning certain operations (like going back to the previous screen) take seconds to complete, or don't happen at all.

It's not difficult to find users having problems: on Reddit, we've got posts about unresponsive buttons on a Google Pixel 8, swiping up not doing anything on a Pixel 9 Pro XL, and multiple gestures not functioning on a Pixel 6.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), Artem Russakovskii from Android Police says the back gesture only works intermittently since updating to Android 16 – and there's a screen recording included so you can see what happens (or rather, doesn't happen).

Problems for some

Here's a demo of the back button randomly not working on Android 16.I grabbed a bug report and submitted it to Google engineering along with this reproduction screencast. Hopefully, they'll figure it out. pic.twitter.com/nEmifqQRvbJune 14, 2025

While there are numerous reports of issues online, these problems clearly aren't affecting everyone: since upgrading to Android 16 on my Google Pixel 9 phone, I haven't noticed any problems using the navigation gestures.

As yet, Google hasn't yet said anything officially about these problems. If you are affected, you can report the bug to Google. With so many users now complaining, no doubt this is going to get addressed sooner rather than later.

What makes these bugs particularly annoying is that they relate to a fundamental part of the user experience, and affect multiple apps and screens. Being able to get around your phone is a pretty fundamental part of using it.

Android 16 brings with it a number of useful upgrades, including a new Pixel VIPs feature for your favorite contacts, but we're still waiting for the big Material 3 Expressive revamp to arrive – which should be along later this year.

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Group B gets underway with an all-European clash.

Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in the southern city of Rafah.

(Image credit: Abdel Kareem Hana)

Samsung HW-QS700F: Two-minute review

The Samsung HW-QS-700F is one of the company's latest soundbars. It combines the performance of Samsung’s Q series models with a stylish lifestyle-friendly design usually found in Samsung’s S series soundbars. Does this mean this crossover soundbar is twice as nice, though, or has becoming a jack of all trades made it a master of none?

At first glance, you might be forgiven for not understanding why the Samsung QS700F might be considered a designer ‘lifestyle’ example of the best soundbars. With its long, angular, hard-finished main soundbar and compact, roughly cubic subwoofer, it looks mighty similar to the components of Samsung’s latest performance-led Q series models.

That’s not to say it’s ugly; it’s slender enough to fit beneath most TV screens, long and deep enough to promise some potent sound, and robustly finished enough to feel like a premium product. And the new subwoofer design Samsung has adopted across most of its soundbar range this year might even be called cute thanks to its relatively small footprint, rounded edges, crisp black finish and jauntily large circular drivers.

In the end, though, despite unfortunately not joining most of Samsung’s performance-oriented Q series models in carrying a proper built-in LED display, it shares more immediate DNA with the Q series than the usually sleeker, smaller S Series.

The S part of the QS700F deal heaves into view with its so-called Convertible Fit feature. This “dynamic dual set-up” system means that, unlike the vast majority of other soundbars, the QS700F can be configured to truly work in either a wall hanging or stand placement.

Of course, many other soundbars out there can either be attached to a wall or placed on a bit of furniture. Practically none of those other soundbars, though, do what the QS700F does and actually adjust their speaker configuration to optimise their performance for their separate wall-hanging or stand placement options.

What happens with the QS700F, essentially, is that the front and up-firing height speakers in play when the soundbar is sat on a TV stand can reverse their functionality if you tip the soundbar up into a vertical position and turn it upside down to place it flat on a wall. There’s even a gyro system built into the QS700F’s main bar component that can automatically tell if the soundbar is being used flat or vertically, adjusting the sound channel configuration accordingly.

Pictures are worth a thousand words when it comes to explaining this extremely rare feature, so I suggest you take a moment to peruse the below images if you’re still struggling to figure out how it does what it does – and why the result is so different to simply sticking a regular soundbar on a wall bracket.

Image 1 of 2

A gyro system built into the QS700F reverses the front and the up-firing height speakers when the soundbar is tipped up into a vertical position to place it flat on a wall for a wall-mount installation (see next slide). (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2

(Image credit: Future)

The QS700F isn’t the first soundbar that’s been expressly designed to look good and work well when mounted on a wall. Most wall-based soundbar designs, however, can’t also be used in a stand set-up. And soundbars that can do what the QS700F does and completely reconfigure their driver array to support both horizontal and vertical setups are very rare indeed. The main current model I can think of is the Devialet Dione, with its ‘rotating ball’ centre channel speaker, but that will currently set you back £1,800 / around $2,440 – two and a half times what the QS700F costs.

Delivering genuine wall or stand placement flexibility isn’t the QS700F’s only attraction, though. Its 3.1.2 channel count is also more numerous than might have been expected with such an affordable and customisable soundbar – especially given that the .2 bit indicates the presence of two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos height effects that are available in either of the soundbar’s two orientation options, and the .1 bass channel bit is delivered by an external subwoofer.

This subwoofer manages to combine likeable, compact aesthetics, too, with two startlingly large drivers on two of its opposing sides. One of these is an active 8-inch driver, while the other is a smaller, passive unit, with the dual-sided approach intended to make it possible to underpin music and, especially, film soundtracks with smoother and less directional bass than Samsung’s previous sub designs did.

The Dolby Atmos playback support (for music as well as movies) mentioned earlier is joined by support for DTS:X soundtracks too, while music lovers can enjoy their favourite tunes streamed in via direct Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Airplay and Tidal Connect support. Supported music file formats are expansive, too, including MP3, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WAV, ALAC and AIFF.

Stereo music can be played in its basic two-channel format by the QS700F, as you would expect, but its sound presets also include a couple of options that can upmix two-channel music to take advantage of all of the system’s available channels. The Surround mode is the most straightforward of these two options, while an Adaptive option brings AI into play, with a particular focus on optimising volume and enhancing detailing and clarity.

A Game preset, meanwhile, emphasises the multi-channel directionality of the surround sound (often Dolby Atmos) audio tracks modern games typically use, to both make the game world feel more immediate and intense, and to give you a better idea of exactly where approaching or attacking enemies are relative to your own position.

The QS700F's compact remote control (Image credit: Future)

While the QS700F doesn’t carry nearly as many channels as you get with Samsung’s flagship soundbars for 2025, there’s still enough going on to potentially present you with a bit of a setup headache. Happily, though, Samsung has equipped the QS700F with a so-called SpaceFit Sound Pro system that automatically and constantly works to optimise the tone and impact of the bass to keep it in line with the rest of the soundstage, as well as keeping dialogue and effects in balance.

If you decide you want to make the QS700F a full surround system, you can either add a pair of Samsung’s SWA-9500S speakers for £249 / $299, or a pair of Samsung’s Music Frame speakers for a £800 / $600. As well as being much cheaper, I’d suggest the SWA-9500Ses would be the much better option for adding to the QS700F because they include extra up-firing speakers as well as the main forward-facing drivers, enhancing Dolby Atmos’s hemisphere of sound effect.

The QS700F is decently connected considering how affordable it is for such an innovative design, with an HDMI pass-through being joined by an optical digital audio input and the now expected Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming options. The Wi-Fi functionality even extends to support for Samsung’s Wireless Dolby Atmos streaming, where the soundbar can receive Dolby Atmos soundtracks from compatible Samsung TVs without the need for any cables.

The QS700F supports Samsung’s Q Symphony system, too, where the speakers in the TV can work alongside those in the soundbar to create a more detailed and well-staged soundscape, rather than the soundbar just taking over all sound duties by itself.

The one disappointment with the QS700F’s connections is that the HDMI pass-through doesn’t join the HDMI ports on Samsung’s Q990F flagship soundbar in supporting 4K 120Hz gaming feeds. So if you have a console or PC capable of outputting graphics to that format, you’ll have to connect your gaming device directly to your TV and use eARC functionality to send game sound from the TV to the soundbar. That approach can sometimes, though thankfully not that often these days, cause a loss of synchronisation between the pictures on your TV and the sound coming from the soundbar.

The QS700F's top surface control buttons (Image credit: Future)

The QS700F’s performance turns out to be startlingly uncompromised by its innovative multi-placement design. There are some mild differences in how it sounds in its two usage configurations, but overall, it sounds excellent whichever way round you use it, and better, in fact, than most ‘standard’ soundbars at the same sort of price point.

Looking first at performance features that remain consistent regardless of whether you’re using the QS700F in its vertical or horizontal stance, the most immediate thing you notice is how powerful it is. Despite its fairly compact two-piece design, it’s capable of both getting seriously loud and projecting its sound far beyond the boundaries of its physical form. The result is a sound that’s capable of filling at least the front half of even quite a substantial room with a really potent soundstage.

There’s much more to the QS700F’s power and projection than just brute force and loudness, though. Its speakers are also sensitive enough to deliver impressive amounts of detail, be it a mild background ambient sound or a more specific, placed effect. Yet it does so with an excellent sense of balance, where no sound stands out artificially brightly from the mix.

Spot effects are accurately placed in the three-dimensional sound space the QS700F creates in either of its vertical or horizontal placement configurations, too, and sound transitions as noisy objects move around the three-dimensional space are tracked with strong and involving accuracy, clarity and consistency, even if there are multiple moving objects to track at the same time.

Impact sounds are delivered with a degree of venom and projection that’s rare indeed at the QS700F’s price point, while the subwoofer performs well beyond its size, underpinning action scenes with seriously deep and distortion-free rumbles. These also, crucially, feel like natural extensions of the dynamic range delivered by the main bar, with no sense of bagginess or dislocation in the way the subwoofer’s sound ‘attaches to’ it.

Treble effects, finally, also emerge without sounding distorted or overly shrill, especially as the subwoofer’s contributions at the other end of the spectrum provide such a potent counterpoint.

While the QS700F is at its absolute best as an ultra-flexible movie soundbar, it’s also a strong music performer. In either of its vertical or horizontal configurations, music enjoys good staging, with effective but not over-stated stereo separation, nicely positioned vocals that sit at the centre of and slightly above the rest of the mix, and some tight and typically well-timed and consistent bass from the subwoofer.

They might not be to everybody’s taste, but the surround sound upmixing options the QS700F provides for stereo sources work unusually well, too. There’s a level of intelligence and naturalism about the way elements in a stereo mix are separated out and redirected around the system’s 3.1.2 channels that you don’t get with arguably any other soundbar brand bar except, perhaps, Sony. Add a pair of the optional rear speakers and the upmixing becomes even more effective, sounding at times more like a professional surround mix than something that’s being essentially made up on the fly by Samsung’s processing.

The QS700F's rear ports include HDMI pass-through for connecting an external source like a Blu-ray player (Image credit: Future)

Looking at the differences in the way the QS700F sounds in its vertical and horizontal configurations coincides for the most part with the weaker aspects of the soundbar’s performance.

Due I think to its rather unusual configuration, where it sits tucked up into the upper edge of the soundbar when it’s placed on a desktop so that it can also work when the soundbar has been turned upside down and placed vertically on a wall, the centre channel speaker isn’t a total success. It can sound a touch muffled at times when using the soundbar in its TV stand set up, and in the wall-hanging configuration, while dialogue sounds clearer, it can also sound like it’s coming from slightly below the onscreen action. (Simply overriding the auto-calibration system and turning the centre channel volume output up a couple of notches helps the stand set up centre channel issue, mind you.)

With the QS700F used vertically, for wall hanging, height and ambient effects in a Dolby Atmos mix aren’t spread quite as far and wide or with quite as much authority and polish as they are when the soundbar is in its desktop position. Finally, stereo music sounds slightly more open, rich and detailed with the QS700F in its vertical stance. In stand mode, stereo music sounds a bit hemmed in, not quite escaping from the soundbar’s bodywork as cleanly and effectively as movie soundtracks do.

In the end, I’d suggest sticking with Standard mode for stereo music playback if the soundbar’s hanging on a wall, but at least giving an extended trial to the Surround mode for two-channel music if the soundbar’s sat on a surface.

I need to wrap all this up, though, by circling back to the point I made earlier that while there are one or two mostly minor performance differences in how the QS700F sounds in its two different set ups, Samsung’s new soundbar’s unique convertible fit design doesn’t stop it from still sounding much better, especially with movies, in either of its configurations than the vast majority of normal soundbars do.

Samsung HW-QS700F review: Specs

Dimensions (W x H x D)

Main bar: 1160 x 51 x 120mm/45.67 x 2 x 4.725 in, Subwoofer: 249 x 252 x 249mm/9.8 x 9.92 x 9.8 in

Speaker channels

3.1.2

Connections:

HDMI input, HDMI output (eARC), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Airplay, digital optical input, wireless Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

Yes/Yes

Sub included

Yes

Rear speakers included

No

Features

4K 120Hz passthrough, voice assistant support, room calibration

Samsung HW-QS700F review: Price & release date

The QS700F comes with a compact, dual-driver subwoofer (Image credit: Future)

• First available: April 2025
• Price: £749 / $699.99 / AU$999

The QS700F was released globally in April 2025. While the brand launched a slim-design Q700D soundbar in 2024, the QS700F’s unusual convertible fit design means that it stands as a new product category for Samsung rather than just being an evolution of a previous soundbar model.

The HW-QS700F costs £749 in the UK, $699.99 in the US and $999 in Australia. These prices make the QS700F great value for such a flexible but still high-performance model.

Should I buy the Samsung HW-QS700F?

(Image credit: Future)Samsung HW-QS700F soundbar

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

3.1.2 channels of sound, Dolby Atmos and DTS support, Bluetooth, and a rare true multi-placement design

4.5 / 5

Performance

Outstanding power, detail and staging that mostly holds up no matter which way round you use it

4 / 5

Design

The way the speakers change their role to suit different setups is genius, and both the main bar and wireless sub are surprisingly compact for such a powerful system

4 .5/ 5

Value

Considering the combination of performance and features it provides, the QS700F looks like a pretty good deal

4.5 / 5

Buy it if...

You want a soundbar that can truly switch between wall and surface use

The QS700F joins the rare breed of soundbar design that can swap speaker duties around depending on whether the soundbar is hung on a wall or sat on a tabletop.

You want much more powerful sound than your TV could ever manage

Worries that the QS700F’s extremely unusual focus on delivering a low-profile design, whether it’s wall- or stand-mounted, would compromise Samsung’s usually powerful soundbar performance proved spectacularly unfounded. No TV sound system can sound anywhere near this good.

Don't buy it if...

You want an out-of-the-box full surround sound experience

While the QS700F creates a large soundstage, it doesn’t include any rear speakers and so can’t extend its sound behind you.

You’re sure you will only ever want to sit your soundbar on a piece of furniture

If you don’t envisage ever wall-hanging your soundbar, then I guess you could get a ‘normal’ soundbar instead. Though the QS700F sounds good enough in its simple desktop mode to stand tall against most of its ‘standard’ mid-range rivals.

Samsung HS-QS700F soundbar: Also consider

Samsung HW-QS700F

Sonos Arc Ultra

Samsung HW-Q800D

Price:

£749/$699/AU$999

£999/$999/AU$1,799

£699/$699/AU$799

Dimensions (w x h x d):

Main bar: 1160 x 51 x 120mm/45.67 x 2 x 4.725 inches, Subwoofer: 249 x 252 x 249mm/9.8 x 9.92 x 9.8 inches

1178 x 75 x 110.6mm/46.38 x 2.95 x 4.35 inches

Main bar - 1110.7 x 60.4 x 120mm/43.73 x 2.38 x 4.73 inches; Subwoofer - 403 x 210 x 403mm/15.87 x 8.27 x 15.87

Speaker Channels:

3.1.2

9.1.4

5.1.2

Connections:

HDMI input, HDMI output (eARC), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Airplay, digital optical input, wireless Dolby Atmos

HDMI input (eARC), Bluetooth, Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, Airplay, Sonos Multiroom

HDMI input, HDMI output (with eARC), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, digital optical audio, Airplay, Wireless Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X:

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Sub / rear speakers included:

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Sonos Arc Ultra

The Sonos Arc Ultra is one of our current favourite one-box soundbars. The scale and detail of the sound it’s able to produce from its surprisingly compact form is incredible, and while it doesn’t ship with a subwoofer, its integrated low frequency system still delivers startling amounts of rumble and bass. You can add optional rear and subwoofer speakers too. The Sonos Arc Ultra doesn’t support true multi-position placement like the QS700F, though, and it also costs £250 more.

Read our full Sonos Arc Ultra review

Samsung HW-Q800D

The Samsung HW-Q800D was rated by us in our recent best soundbars of 2025 selection as the best soundbar for most people. A position it earns by virtue of being an excellent all-rounder that combines outstanding sound quality, a compact two-piece design, good connectivity and a great value price considering what it offers. It’s a 2024 model, though, so if you want one, you’d best be quick about it – and again, it doesn’t truly support multi-position placement like the QS700F does.

Read our full Samsung HW-Q800D review

How I tested the Samsung HW-QS700F

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested across 9 days
• Used in both a regular living room environment and a dedicated test room, in both its wall-mount and stand mount orientations
• Tested with a mixture of music and video sources

Testing the Samsung QS700F was more complicated than usual, thanks to its Convertible Fit technology, requiring it to be used for half the time in a regular surface-mounted stance, and half the time in a vertical wall-mounted stance. I tested it extensively in both of its configurations with a range of CDs, high-quality audio streams and 4K Blu-ray movie soundtracks.

The 4K Blu-ray soundtracks I used included both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X mixes, since the QS700F supports both, while stereo music was tested both in native two-channel mode and using the soundbar’s multi-channel upmix feature.

First reviewed: June 2025

Read more about how we test

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, June 15 (game #1238).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1239) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1239) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #1239) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1239) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1239) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• R

• S

• D

• F

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1239) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1239, are…

• RETRY
• SCALD
• DINGO
• FEIGN

There was one word that stopped me roaring home today and that was DINGO. Despite having all five letters I really struggled to find an actual word before finding the wild Australian dog.

RETRY took a little while too, until I accepted the possibility of a repeat letter – first E, then the correct choice of R. 

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1239) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1239, are…

• FIFTY
• ENNUI
• SIREN
• ROACH

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1238, Sunday, 15 June: SHOCK, STEIN, BROIL, COVEN
• Quordle #1237, Saturday, 14 June: STICK, FERRY, THESE, IONIC
• Quordle #1236, Friday, 13 June: REPEL, LARGE, SNIDE, CARRY
• Quordle #1235, Thursday, 12 June: SCANT, BATCH, UNDER, PARSE
• Quordle #1234, Wednesday, 11 June: CRAVE, ROOST, ANGLE, FLOOD
• Quordle #1233, Tuesday, 10 June: DECRY, CHEEK, FILET, EASEL
• Quordle #1232, Monday, 9 June: DERBY, LEMON, WRITE, HOVEL
• Quordle #1231, Sunday, 8 June: REBAR, ALERT, PAYEE, FLUME
• Quordle #1230, Saturday, 7 June: FLUNK, ESTER, SPITE, CHEAP
• Quordle #1229, Friday, 6 June: ELUDE, KHAKI, VISTA, SMOKY
• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST
• Quordle #1225, Monday, 2 June: THINK, BELLE, CRONE, BOULE
• Quordle #1224, Sunday, 1 June: POINT, MERIT, WHOOP, APHID
• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR