Author: openjargon

• Rivian is undergoing another round of layoffs.
• Its the company's fourth wave of job cuts in recent years.
• Over a dozen employees have begun posting about the layoffs on LinkedIn.

Rivian is going through another round of layoffs.

Over a dozen workers began posting on LinkedIn about cuts at the company on Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson later confirmed the layoffs.

"We continue to work to right-size the business and ensure lignment to our priorities," they told Business Insider. "As a follow-up to some of the changes we made to teams in February, today we shared some additional changes to groups supporting the business. Around 1 percent of our workforce was affected by this change.  This was a difficult decision, but a necessary one to support our goal to be gross margin positive by the end of the year."

This is Rivian's fourth round of layoffs in recent years. Rivian cut 10% of its staff in February, 6% in February 2023, and another 6% in July 2022, BI previously reported.

At the end of 2023, Rivian employed nearly 17,000 workers in North America and Europe.

In March, Rivian delayed the opening of a planned factory in Georgia, opting to build its recently announced R2 vehicle at its existing factory in Illinois.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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• USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, is returning home just 10 days after deploying.
• The US Navy said the Boxer is undergoing "additional maintenance" due to an engineering issue.
• Deploying months late due to mechanical issues, the big deck departed for the Indo-Pacific on April 1.

The maintenance-embattled USS Boxer is heading back to San Diego just 10 days after deploying due to an engineering issue, as first reported by USNI News and confirmed to Military.com by Navy officials.

Sailing as the big deck, or lead ship, of its amphibious ready group, the Boxer had already been delayed by months when it deployed April 1. Its return further comes on the heels of an announcement by the Navy's top leader earlier this week that the service, in conjunction with the Marine Corps, is conducting an inquiry into amphibious operations that will include problems with the ship.

"USS Boxer is returning to San Diego to undergo additional maintenance in support of its deployment in the Indo-Pacific region," Lt. Cmdr. Jesus Uranga, a spokesperson for the Navy's 3rd Fleet in the Pacific, told Military.com in an email.

The Boxer had departed for its "Indo-Pacific deployment and was conducting integration exercises with the MV-22 Osprey in the 3rd Fleet area of operations," when it was forced to return, Uranga said.

While further details were not provided regarding the nature of the malfunction, Uranga said the ship would return to its deployment "in the near future."

Marines and aircraft with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit were onboard the Boxer and have already been offloaded, officials told USNI News, although the ship had not yet made it back to port as of Thursday evening. 

On April 8, the Navy's top leader, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, said that she had ordered a "deep dive" into numerous maintenance and readiness issues faced by the ship.

"I think there's some good lessons learned with Boxer," Franchetti told reporters at the Navy's annual Sea-Air-Space conference earlier this week.

Meanwhile, last month, the Boxer was given seven Navy-wide awards for "sustained superior performance," including the Battle Effectiveness Award and the Maritime Warfare Excellence Award, according to the service.

Franchetti's inquiry will be led by three-star admirals in the Navy's operations and plans and policy offices, she said, adding she anticipates they will come to her with initial recommendations on how to proceed "in the May timeframe, and that will start to outline the shape of the the deep dive going forward."

While the investigation's timing may seem coincidental, the four-star admiral said Monday that the branch was trying to be proactive and keep delays to just the Boxer.

"We're seeing some potential delays on [the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp]," Franchetti said. "We're trying to look ahead to make sure that we can, I want to say, nip this in the bud."

The Wasp, which is the same class of ship as the Boxer, departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, in early March only to return shortly afterward. A spokesperson for Surface Force Atlantic told Military.com following the incident that "during the underway, the ship discovered an engineering irregularity" and "returned to port to effect repairs."

The ship got underway again at the end of March without issue.

A defense official told Military.com in March that the Boxer had originally been slated to deploy late last year, but it was held up thanks to a series of delays and mechanical issues that were driven, at least partly, by poor leadership aboard the ship.

Two previous command investigations conducted on at least three different engineering breakdowns showed "a lack of procedural compliance, substandard supervisory oversight, and general complacency by the crew," according to the ship's strike group commander.

Those breakdowns, information on which was released to Military.com as part of a Freedom of Information Act request, revealed that the ship had experienced damage to two "forced draft blowers" on Nov. 8, 2022. A separate investigation into that incident, also provided to Military.com via FOIA request, faulted "poor quality craftsmanship, lack of industry repair skill set/capabilities" and a "lack of supervisory oversight" from the Navy offices overseeing the work.

Then on May 14, the ship had a "boiler safety" breakdown. That investigation "once again revealed a lack of procedural compliance and overall complacency of all personnel involved," documents from the strike group commander revealed.

The two other ships that the Boxer commands, the USS Somerset and USS Harpers Ferry, both have successfully deployed. The Somerset and its contingent of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit are currently in the waters off India, according to a Marine Corps press release from April 4.

The Somerset deployed in January, and the Harpers Ferry in mid-March.

Editor's Note: After publication, a Navy spokesperson contacted Military.com to clarify that the probe into the Boxer is part of a broader inquiry into amphibious operations that is being conducted in conjunction with the Marine Corps. The article has been updated accordingly.

Konstantin Toropin contributed to this story.

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• The US Navy's highly-anticipated shipbuilding projects are years behind schedule, a review found.
• The Navy attributed the delays to pandemic-related supply chain issues.
• The delayed warships include submarines, guided missile destroyers, and a new aircraft carrier.

All of the US Navy's highly anticipated shipbuilding projects face yearslong delays, the service said earlier this month.

The delayed ships include a new fleet of Virginia-class attack submarines, guided-missile destroyers, and a new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier.

The announcement came after a 45-day review ordered by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in January. The review identified the "shortfalls" that caused the delays, including labor shortages and supply chain issues.

Speaking at the Navy League's Sea Air Space conference on April 9, Del Toro said the review found that "too many of our industry partners are behind schedule and over budget on our highest priority programs."

Del Toro also said the Navy's Office of Strategic Assessment will perform a "deep dive" to find solutions to address the delays, including advanced material procurement and multi-ship buys.

"I think there's a lot of promise about being able to reduce those timelines into the future," he said.

The major delays come amid concerns that China is outpacing American shipbuilding and increasing its naval capabilities. The US Department of Defense said China now has "the largest navy in the world with a battle force of over 370 platforms," and it is only expected to grow — with up to 435 ships by the end of the decade.

But China isn't the only shipbuilding superpower in the Indo-Pacific. The Navy secretary said he and his team were "floored" by US ally South Korea's shipbuilding capabilities.

In a February statement, the Navy recognized Korean and Japanese shipbuilding as an asset to the US as "China continues to aggressively pursue worldwide shipbuilding dominance."

A new Ford-class aircraft carrier

Last month, the Navy announced that the future aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80), the third Gerald R. Ford-class carrier, is set to deliver a year and a half behind schedule.

Contracted to Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding — the US's only aircraft carrier builder — the Enterprise was initially scheduled to deliver by March 2028. However, the Navy's shipbuilding review found that it will now deliver in September 2029 from the earliest to May 2030 at the latest.

In August 2022, Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky commemorated the keel-laying of the Enterprise in a ceremony in Virginia, chalking their initials on the ship's steel plates.

Production delays have plagued all of the Ford-class carriers. The second-in-class John F. Kennedy was set to deliver in June 2024 but was delayed a year so the Navy could perform more work to prepare it for deployment in the Indo-Pacific.

The first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford also faced its fair share of delays, deploying in May 2023 — a few months before the 10-year anniversary of its 2013 launch. Then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday said it was the supercarrier's new, untested technologies that contributed to cost overruns and its yearslong delay.

"We had 23 new technologies on that ship, which quite frankly increased the risk … of delivery on time and cost right from the get-go," Gilday said during Navy League's symposium in 2021.

"We really shouldn't introduce more than maybe one or two new technologies on any complex platform like that in order to make sure that we keep risk at a manageable level," Gilday continued.

Guided-missile frigates

The first-in-class PCU Constellation, a guided-missile frigate, has been under construction since August 2022.

It was the first time a new frigate had been built since the 1980s, when USS Ingraham, the last Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, was built.

Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded the contract for the first-in-class warship in 2020, as well as sister ships, Chesapeake and Congress. The company also has contract options for seven additional ships.

The next-generation small surface combatant is designed for multi-mission capabilities, including air, surface, and underwater warfare. The versatile frigate features an advanced 3D air surveillance radar, sonar, a Mk 41 vertical launch system, and an upgraded version of the Aegis Combat System, which operates aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

But the Constellation also faces significant delays, with its delivery pushed back by three years from its original 2026 date, according to the Navy's shipbuilding review. Last Friday, the Navy held a keel-laying ceremony for the Constellation at the Wisconsin shipyard.

"I'm not here to put blame on mistakes that were made in the past either by Fincantieri or the Navy," Del Toro said. "I want to move this forward more aggressively to a better place. And so we're going to work as a team, with industry, with the government, to get us there quicker. And that's what we're doing."

Ballistic missile submarines

With the US Navy's submarine fleet carrying about 70% of the deployed US nuclear arsenal, the service's highest priority shipbuilding program is a new fleet of "boomers" to carry them.

In June 2022, the Navy laid the keel for the future District of Columbia, the lead ship of the upcoming class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile subs that will replace the 14 existing Ohio-class submarines.

The Columbia-class submarines will be the largest submarines ever built by the US, measuring 560 feet long and 43 feet wide. The Columbia is designed to carry Mk 48 Advanced Capability torpedoes and 16 Trident II D5 nuclear ballistic missiles. It will also feature "superior acoustic performance and state-of-the-art sensors to make it the most capable and quiet submarine ever built," according to the Navy.

Construction on the first-in-class submarine began in 2021, designed in collaboration between General Dynamics' Electric Boat and HII's Newport News. The stern of the boat was delivered to a facility in Rhode Island in January 2024.

The Navy plans to build 12 Columbia-class boats in a $136 billion contract, with the District of Columbia and future Wisconsin being the only two ordered so far.

However, the Navy's review found that the lead ship's delivery could be pushed back at least 12 to 16 months. The District of Columbia was scheduled to deliver in October 2027, the same year the first Ohio-class submarine, USS Henry M. Jackson, is set to decommission. The delays, brought on by ballooning costs, workforce shortages, and late supply deliveries, could prompt the Navy to keep its aging Ohio-class submarines a while longer.

"A delay of that length would make it more likely for the Navy to implement its backup plan to extend the service lives of up to five Ohio-class by a little bit," Ronald O'Rourke, a naval analyst for the Congressional Research Service, told Bloomberg. "There would be some cost for doing those service life extensions."

Virginia Block IV submarines

Pandemic-related supply chain issues and workforce shortages also impacted the upcoming Block IV Virginia-class fast-attack submarines, putting the program three years behind schedule.

These attack submarines are contracted to Electric Boat and Newport News, the same shipbuilders and suppliers as the higher-priority Columbia-class boats.

Virginia Block IV submarines differ from Block III in that the design is focused on reducing procurement costs and maintenance periods through smaller-scale design changes. Block IV boats will still have the same armament as Block III, carrying Mk 48 torpedos and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Four of the 10 submarines in Block IV are in service: USS Vermont, Oregon, Montana, and Hyman G. Rickover. Three Block IV vessels have yet to be commissioned — PCUs New Jersey, Iowa, and Massachusetts — and three are still under construction — PCUs Idaho, Arkansas, and Utah.

Virginia Block V submarines

Ten Virginia-class Block V attack submarines are also under construction in a $24.1 billion contract awarded to Electric Boat and Newport News in December 2019, the Navy's largest-ever shipbuilding contract.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, the design of Block V boats differs from that of Block IV boats by about 20%, including acoustic superiority, additional payload tubes, and a high-resolution photonic mast.

The Block V submarine is designed to be 461 feet and displace 10,200 tons, making it the second-largest US submarine behind the Ohio class.

The additional length comes from the Virginia Payload Module, an 84-foot-long extension that expands the sub's missile capacity. With the VPM, Block V boats increase the number of Tomahawk missiles they can carry from 12 to 40. The VPM can also be used to store and deploy additional payloads, such as missiles, seabed sensors, or sea drones.

While the Virginia-class boats are not as well-armed as the Seawolf-class fast-attack submarines, the Block V boats will be equipped with a larger launcher that can deploy advanced hypersonic missile technology as it becomes available, including a new version of the anti-ship Maritime Strike Tomahawk.

Three boats have been laid down so far, PCUs Oklahoma, Arizona, and Tang, with another seven ordered that have yet to begin construction.

However, the Block V submarines have faced problems since they were ordered in 2019, with insufficient staffing and workforce efficiency potentially pushing back their projected delivery by an average of two years.

Ocean surveillance ships

In response to China and Russia continuing to modernize their naval capabilities, including submarine activity, the US Navy is looking to procure a new fleet of ocean surveillance ships, designated TAGOS-25.

The unarmed naval surveillance vessels are designed to operate surveillance patrols for submarines and are maintained by civilian contractors for the Military Sealift Command.

In 2022, the Navy initially procured the first vessel of the planned TAGOS-25 class at a cost of $434.4 million from Alabama-based shipbuilder Austal USA.

But two years later, the cost skyrocketed to $789.6 million in the Navy's 2024 budget submission — an 81.8% increase — due to factors like "direct material inflation, supply chain challenges, and increased nonrecurring engineering costs," according to the Congressional Research Service.

As a result, the Navy proposed to defer the procurement of a second TAGOS-25-class ship from 2025 to 2026 to cover the additional costs. Nonetheless, Austal USA was also awarded a contract to design and construct seven more TAGOS-25-class vessels.

The future TAGOS-25 ships will succeed four Victorious-class vessels and USNS Impeccable, which entered service more than two decades ago.

The ships will be about 359 feet long and feature a catamaran-like Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design. Powered by three diesel generators and a gas turbine, the vessel will travel at speeds of up to 22 knots with a range of 960 miles, making it the largest and fastest TAGOS ship operated by the US Navy.

Guided-missile destroyers

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer program is one of the Navy's longest-running shipbuilding programs. Since the first-in-class USS Arleigh Burke was commissioned on July 4, 1991, more than 70 destroyers have been added to the Navy's fleet, with dozens more still on deck for delivery.

The Navy is modernizing its existing warship fleet with an updated Flight III variant of the Aegis destroyers. The Flight III design includes an upgraded Aegis Weapons System and a new SPY-6 radar, enhancing its air defense operations.

The Flight III contract was awarded to General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works and Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding, costing about $2.5 billion per vessel. While the program schedule is still stable despite late delivery dates, the limited capacity of the shipbuilding industry reduced the procurement rate of DDG-51s a year despite Congress pushing for more.

"I'm not hating on DDGs — my only point was that last year Congress added a third, and the reason we didn't budget for three is, again, we don't see the yards being able to produce three a year," Mike McCord, the Pentagon's top budget officer, told USNI News at a 2023 conference. "We don't see them being able to produce two a year. And that's just data. It's not what we wish to be true."

"Everybody's struggling with skilled labor. Everybody's struggling with supply chain," McCord added. "So it's not getting better very fast from the data that I've seen — whether with submarines or DDGs. So two a year seems to be a reasonable place."

Helicopter-carrying assault ships

Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding, the Navy is currently procuring large-deck amphibious helicopter-carrying assault ships, designated LHA. These "big deck" ships carry Marine aviators and landing craft.

The Navy's 2024 budget submission estimates the procurement cost for the fourth America-class ship, PCU Fallujah, at $3.8 billion, which has been incrementally funded by Congress over the last few years.

The Fallujah will feature a similar design to USS America, but the new vessel will have a larger deck configuration to accommodate F-35B Joint Strike Fighter and MV-22 Osprey aircraft, as well as a well deck used that floods to launch landing craft.

The Fallujah's predecessor, PCU Bougainville, was delayed by over a year due to engine defects and staff shortages, now expected to be delivered in 2025. The Navy also plans to buy the next America-class ship, LHA-10, nearly a decade after the Fallujah will be potentially procured, which could lead to cost increases and impacts on the shipbuilding industrial base.

"Between LHA-9 and LHA-10, there's an 11-year gap, depending on when you decide it was appropriated," Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, deputy commandant of the Marine Corps, said in a 2022 congressional hearing. "We're returning to well decks with the flight deck; it's a very capable platform, very important to what we're doing, very important to the nation's crisis response force."

Amphibious transport dock ships

Designed and constructed by Ingalls Shipbuilding, the forthcoming variant of San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships was planned to replace the Navy's existing class of dock landing ships (LSDs), which were set for early retirement after the Defense Department found them to be in "poor material condition."

The three Flight II San Antonio-class vessels, the first of which is the future Harrisburg, will feature an advanced air surveillance radar and a new steel mast. Overall, they will equal the capabilities of the Flight I ship with lower production costs.

Last year, the Navy halted plans to buy any more future San Antonio-class ships to reassess their worth compared to the Flight I design, especially amid growing costs and delays in the shipyard.

The pause on shipbuilding, in conjunction with the early retirement of the LSDs, could reduce the amphibious fleet to below 31 ships, potentially violating the legally required minimum in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

Fleet replenishment oil tankers

Shipyard delays and ballooning costs aren't just impacting the Navy's warships and submarines but also its newest class of replenishment oil tankers.

Since the first-in-class John Lewis-class oiler was procured in 2016, the Navy plans to buy a total of 20 ships in a contract with General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding (NASSCO). The ships are expected to cost about $650 million each.

While transporting fuel for ships and aircraft during replenishments-at-sea is one of the vessel's primary missions, it can also supply dry cargo, fresh water, and ammunition at sea. The tanker can also be armed with a close-in weapon system or anti-ship missile defense system to detect and engage cruise missiles. It is also fitted with a defense system to counter torpedo attacks and fast-attack craft.

The lead ship, PCU John Lewis, was originally scheduled to deliver in August 2020, but it was ultimately delivered almost two years later in July 2022, also pushing back subsequent ship deliveries by 12 to 15 months.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, several factors contributed to the Lewis' delay, including late delivery of materials, a need to rework parts of the ship, and the shipbuilder's dry dock flooding in 2018.

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• China is punishing citizens who can't repay their debts by cutting off access to social services.
• So-called deadbeat debtors are blacklisted, facing travel restrictions and government jobs.
• The blacklist is similar to the country's "social credit" system that punishes undesirable behavior.

China wants its citizens to repay their debts — and it is willing to punish those who don't.

That means that delinquent debtors are restricted from accessing some services in the country, like high-speed trains and air travel. Some, according to a Wall Street Journal report, are forbidden from government jobs and denied pricier insurance policies, vacations, and even nice hotels.

Outstanding debtors are placed on a government delinquency blacklist. Informally, these people are referred to as "laolai" — roughly translated, "deadbeat debtors." And the number of names on the list is about 8.3 million, according to the Journal — a jump of nearly 50% since 2019.

It's not just formal restrictions they face; some phone companies in China have gone as far as assigning special ringtones to debtors to warn other people that they are talking to someone on the brink of insolvency.

However, procedures for personal insolvency in China are few and far between. Unlike most other countries, China doesn't allow most people to write off their debts with bankruptcy, per the Journal.

Instead, the Chinese government can take steps like seizing a debtor's income as restitution, leaving them with a small allowance so they can cover living expenses.

That isn't always enough, though, as one man found when he petitioned to raise his monthly income allowance to help pay for a newborn child. Rather than approving the increase to 12,000 yuan, or approximately $1,600, the Journal reported that the court cut his allowance by nearly 40%. 

In China, a country that traditionally values saving, some consider borrowing money to be taboo. That's backed by a 2021 study, which noted that in Chinese society, "many still view bankruptcy as a vehicle for feckless shirkers to escape their debts."

That's left many debtors feeling trapped by the system, which can make it increasingly difficult for them to pay off seemingly insurmountable liabilities.

China's debtor blacklist is technically separate from its "social credit system," but both have similar functions — namely, tracking individual behavior and rewarding or punishing people for it.

The system, which is not yet fully implemented, has penalized citizens for everything from social media posts to jaywalking. The worst offenders may face trouble getting loans and travel restrictions — similar to the experience of blacklisted debtors.

The Chinese economy has slumped after exiting the pandemic. Researchers have warned of a "debt-deflation spiral" that could make the situation for Chinese households even worse.

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• Boston Dynamics showed off a fully electric version of its humanoid robot Atlas on Wednesday.
• On Tuesday, the robotics firm had retired its hydraulic version of Atlas.
• Boston Dynamics says it's exploring commercial uses of the new Atlas, starting with owner Hyundai.

It's out with the old and in with the new at Boston Dynamics.

The robotics company retired its hydraulic humanoid robot, Atlas, on Tuesday but then posted a video on Wednesday debuting its new, fully electric Atlas.

"In the months and years ahead, we're excited to show what the world's most dynamic humanoid robot can really do—in the lab, in the factory, and in our lives," the company said in a press release Wednesday.

"We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile," the company said. "Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are equipping the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion. Atlas will move in ways that exceed human capabilities."

The video shows Atlas lying on the ground, but then its legs twist around backward and prop the robot up as it stands to full height, swivels on its torso, and walks toward the camera.

Boston Dynamics says it's exploring commercial uses for the new Atlas, beginning with Hyundai, which acquired the robotics firm in 2021. Competitor Agility Robotics has a partnership that lets Amazon use its bipedal robots, called Digit, to lift and move items in some warehouses.

Boston Dynamics says the fully electric Atlas "will be stronger, with a broader range of motion than any of our previous generations."

Besides Atlas, Boston Dynamics has also unveiled four-legged doglike robots called Spot that some police departments have started using. An artist-in-residence at SpaceX has even trained some Spot robots to paint, and now they have their own art exhibit.

Atlas may have even helped inspire Tesla's humanoid robot, Optimus.

Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert said on a recent episode of Lex Fridman's podcast that "it's hard not to think that seeing what Atlas is doing is a little bit of an inspiration" for the Tesla Bot.

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• American Airlines is launching its first rotating collection of premium amenities Memorial Day Weekend.
• It includes a new front-row flagship suite, new bedding, and enhanced dining options. 
• The new amenity kit program will cycle skincare products and offer limited-edition specialty kits. 

American Airlines is gearing up for summer travel with new luxury in-flight offerings for its customers.

American is launching its first rotating collection of premium onboard amenities over Memorial Day Weekend. It will be available on 300 international and transcontinental flights.

The offerings include new bedding, dining options, and an amenity kit program that lets premium passengers sample different skincare brands and products.

"We thoughtfully curate each element of the onboard experience so every customer can look forward to the time they spend in flight," American's vice president of customer experience, Kim Cisek, said in a statement. "Part of the magic of travel is connecting our customers to the people and experiences that matter most to them."

While most of the new amenities are being offered to premium cabins, main cabin passengers will also have access to new bedding and other seat enhancements.

Passengers in the main cabin will have access to 4K seatback screens, Bluetooth connectivity, and new charging ports. All customers will have access to 1,500 free entertainment content options and can use high-speed WiFi.

Passengers can kick back in the flagship suites with new privacy doors and chaise lounge positions.

Customers traveling in American's flagship suite seat have access to wireless charging, Bluetooth capability, and multiple storage spaces.

Passengers traveling in premium economy can also enjoy new amenities like wireless charging, additional storage space, and privacy headrest wings.

Customers looking for more luxury can sit front row on the new Boeing 787-9 and 777-300 aircraft's flagship suite preferred seat.

The new seat offers customers additional space and storage. It will offer additional amenities for passengers' comfort, like a Nest Bedding mattress pad, a throw blanket, and a memory foam lumbar pillow.

The seat will also have Nest Bedding pajamas and an exclusive amenity kit featuring additional skincare products.

American used customer research to enhance its bedding in all cabins.

American decided to offer dual-sided pillows to flagship first and business class after research indicated 75% of its customers preferred different materials on each side of their pillows. The new pillow will have cool touch fabric on one side and traditional fabric on the other.

Travelers in flagship business class can now enjoy slippers onboard.

The slippers used to only be offered on ultra-long-haul flights.

Customers in all cabins will enjoy enhanced bedding, with cabin-specific offerings like lumbar pillows, throw blankets, premium duvets, and fleece blankets.

American says the new bedding packaging will save 25 tons of plastic waste a year.

American collaborated with inflight textile company John Horsfall to create bedding from recycled materials. Nearly all the pillows, duvets, and blankets were made with recycled fibers, and filled bedding will be 100% recycled.

Customers traveling in premium cabins will also receive their bedding in a reusable zipper bag made with recycled fibers to reduce plastic waste from distribution.

Customers can try out new flavors inspired by international cuisine and American Airlines destinations worldwide.

American's premium cabins offer a wide range of new culinary items and award-winning wines.

American is offering enhanced dining options to domestic travelers, as well as those visiting new summer destinations like Nice, Naples, or Copenhagen. One of the meals includes macadamia-crusted sea bass with citrus cream sauce, quinoa, toasted orzo, and haricot verts.

Customers can also choose from new preorder options.

Preorder options will continue to roll out this spring for business class on flights from the US to international destinations. One of the meal offerings is short rib mac and cheese.

Passengers in premium cabins will also have access to the new amenity kit program.

American's amenity kit includes basic comfort amenities like a toothbrush, dental kit, eye mask, and earplugs. The kit will also cycle different skincare products and offerings in premium cabins.

American collaborated with beauty retailer Thirteen Lune to curate skincare offerings in the amenity kit.

The kit will feature high-quality beauty brands from Thirteen Lune's tailored collection. Passengers can scan a QR code in the kit to learn about each brand and partner featured.

Customers will receive the Thirteen Lune kit for the first few weeks of the kickoff to the new program.

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• Ukraine's most significant aircraft kills in 2024 are two Russian A-50 command planes.
• The A-50 can track over 150 targets simultaneously and relay them to a dozen fighters jets.
• The E-3 Sentry fills a similar role, and has played an active role in Ukraine from the sidelines.

Ukraine's embattled air defense network started 2024 with a string of successes.

In the first three months of the year, the country claimed to have intercepted at least 1,011 missiles and loitering munitions, and shot down at least 16 jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) — 13 of which were downed in just two weeks.

The kills include two modern Su-35 fighters and 12 valuable Su-34 fighter-bombers. But the most significant kills may have been two Beriev A-50 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft — platforms that carry no offensive weapons.

The loss of the two A-50s represents an enormous blow to the VKS and its operations in Ukraine.

Flying since the earliest days of the war, both sides have utilized early warning and control aircraft to enhance their capabilities and defeat each other's planes and missiles. Although Ukraine didn't inherit any A-50s from the Soviet Union, its American-made equivalent, the E-3 Sentry, has quietly played an important role in Ukraine's campaign to defend itself from Russian attacks.

The Mainstay

AEW&C aircraft are aerial radar stations meant to detect and track enemy weapon systems — namely aircraft, missiles, and naval ships. They also function as command-and-control centers from which commanders can distribute information and commands to subordinates in the field.

They originated in the latter half of World War II, when the Western Allies were finding ways to track incoming threats (particularly those aimed at ships) such as bombers, U-boats, V-1 rockets, and kamikaze aircraft.

With the development of nuclear-armed intercontinental bombers and ballistic missiles in the Cold War, AEW&C aircraft became essential. The USSR's first AEW&C aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-126, was designed to patrol Russia's 15,000-mile northern coastline for American nuclear bombers and ICBMs.

But the Tu-126 lacked look-down capability, meaning it couldn't detect or track low-flying objects underneath it. Moreover, by the late 1970s, its electronic suite was outdated.

In 1985, the Tu-126 was replaced by the A-50. Built by the Beriev Design Bureau and first flown in 1978, it is based on the Ilyushin Il-76 airframe and has a flight crew of five. Called the "Mainstay" by NATO, it has a ceiling of 40,000 feet, a range of over 4,000 miles, and a flight endurance of around 6 hours, which can be extended with aerial refueling.

Its central feature is the 32-foot wide, 6-foot-high rotodome mounted on aerodynamic struts on the rear section of the fuselage. Known as the "Mushroom" by the crew, it is operated by ten specialists and is capable of providing 360-degree scanning coverage.

In its most upgraded version, the A-50 is capable of tracking over 150 targets simultaneously at ranges as far as 400 miles, including a limited ability to detect and track certain ground targets as well. The A-50 can also coordinate and send guidance data to up to 12 friendly jets simultaneously. For example, it can relay targeting information on a Ukrainian aircraft or static targets to VKS jets, or alert Russia's ground-based air defenses to an incoming missile.

The USSR reportedly built as many as five A-50s a year, with about 42 being built by 1992, when the breakup of the Soviet Union halted production. It has had limited export success; one A-50 airframe was sold to China, but it was equipped with a Chinese-made radar and redesignated as the KJ-2000. Similarly, three A-50EIs were sold to India in 2004, though they were fitted with Israeli-made radars. In 2016, India ordered two more A-50 airframes.

Despite halting production, the Russians have been upgrading their remaining A-50s. In 2007, the A-50M variant was tested, reportedly featuring an upgraded radar and digital electronic systems. Another upgraded version, the A-50U, was introduced in 2011, and features new computers, satellite communications, a modernized radar, and new engines.

In 1991, Russian A-50s were deployed over the Black Sea during Operation Desert Storm to monitor aircraft in the US-led coalition that were flying bombing missions from Turkey. They have since served over the skies of Chechnya during both Chechen wars, helped coordinate Russian air operations over Georgia in 2008, and have been deployed to Syria as part of Russia's involvement in the Syrian Civil War.

The Sentry

The counterpart to the A-50 is the American-made E-3 Sentry. Also known as the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), it was created by Boeing and replaced the US Air Force's previous AEW&C aircraft, the EC-121 Warning Star.

First flown in 1976, the E-3 was adopted by the Air Force in 1977, and began flying monitoring missions for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Based on a modified civilian Boeing 707 airframe, the Sentry has a flight crew of four, a ceiling of 30,000 feet, and a range of around 5,700 miles. It can fly continuously for about eight hours, but is capable of longer flights thanks to its aerial refueling ability.

Like the A-50, the centerpiece of the E-3 is its rotodome. Nicknamed the "Oreo," the radome is 30 feet in diameter and 6 feet high. It is capable of providing a complete 360-degree view of everything within a more than 250-mile radius, from the surface of the earth to the stratosphere. This extensive ground search allows it to play much more of a role in air-to-ground targeting than the A-50.

The E-3's crew size is dependent on its exact mission. Capable of carrying up to 39 personnel, a typical mission usually calls for a crew between 17 and 25. In addition to detecting and tracking targets, the Sentry acts as a command-and-control platform, and is capable of delivering combat data and orders directly to friendly assets.

The E-3 has become a silent workhorse since it was adopted. It has been deployed as part of nearly every military operation the US has undertaken since its introduction, conducted radar coverage flights for NORAD, supported anti-drug trafficking missions in Latin America, and has occasionally tagged along with the president as he travels to foreign countries.

E-3s have also been sent to allies and partners as a way to show support and provide assurance during times of crisis. They were deployed to South Korea after President Park Chung-hee was assassinated in 1979 and in Egypt in 1981 after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They were also deployed to Saudi Arabia throughout the Iran-Iraq War.

In all, 68 E-3s were built between 1977 and 1992. It performed so well that it has been adopted by multiple countries.

France operates four E-3s acquired between 1991 and 1992, while Saudi Arabia operates five acquired between 1986 and 1987. The UK Royal Air Force operated seven E-3s between 1991 and 2021, three of which were sold to Chile in 2022.

The US Air Force operates 18 E-3s. The second-largest customer and operator is NATO, with 14 Sentries in service with the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, a specialized multinational unit tasked with monitoring NATO airspace comprised of crew and support personnel from 19 member states.

Ukraine and future

Both the A-50 and the E-3 have played an active role in the war in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Russian A-50s have been monitoring Ukrainian airspace for Ukrainian Air Force jets and surface-to-air missiles. They have also helped Russian kinetic strike operations by providing live targeting data and coordinates to anti-aircraft missiles, VKS strike aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, and drones.

As an AEW&C aircraft, the A-50 is not supposed to be deployed close to the frontline of active combat zones. Yet on January 14, Ukraine managed to shoot down an A-50 as it was flying over the Sea of Azov. A month later, a second A-50 was claimed, this time over Russia itself.

The shoot downs are as devastating as they are surprising, since Russia is unlikely to have many remaining A-50s able to replace the losses.

Estimates vary, but Russia reportedly started the war with as many as ten active A-50s, with seven reportedly being A-50Us. In addition to the two shot down, a third A-50 was reportedly damaged in Belarus last year.

Russia has said that it will restart production of the A-50, but those efforts are likely to be complicated by Western sanctions on critical electrical components. The sanctions issues have already been blamed for delays in production of the A-50's replacement, the A-100. The Ukrainians have also targeted the factory where A-50s are produced with drone strikes.

The E-3, meanwhile, has also played an active role in the war in Ukraine, although it has done so without crossing into Ukrainian airspace.

Flying over Poland, Romania, and the Black Sea, NATO and Allied E-3s have surveilled Russian activity in Ukraine, detecting the movement of Russian jets, ships, incoming missiles and drones, and sometimes even ground units. Ukraine has been more effective at destroying critical sites like air defenses and command posts well beyond Russia's frontlines, and it's plausible that intelligence gathered by E-3 radars and sensors may contribute to this targeting.

The Russians have made their disapproval of the E-3 operations known. Last November, the Russians threatened to destroy a French Air Force E-3 that was operating over the Black Sea in what a French military spokesman described as "a particularly aggressive radio exchange."

Their importance notwithstanding, the E-3s are in need of replacement.

With an average age of around 44 years, maintaining the E-3s is only getting more difficult — especially since the airframe it is based on was originally designed and built in the late 1950s and hasn't been produced since 1991.

Last year, the US Air Force announced that it had selected the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail as the E-3's intended replacement. The service hopes to acquire 26 of the new planes by 2032, with the first planned to be introduced in 2027.

NATO announced a similar plan last November, with plans to acquire six E-7s, the first of which will enter service by 2031. The UK, which has retired all of its E-3s, is also in the process of acquiring the E-7, which is already in service with the air forces of Australia, South Korea, and Turkey.

Benjamin Brimelow is a freelance journalist covering international military and defense issues. He holds a master's degree in Global Affairs with a concentration in international security from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. His work has appeared in Business Insider and the Modern War Institute at West Point.

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It's tough to go wrong with most phones available in the US these days, and it's almost impossible to find a bad phone if you're looking for a premium device in 2024. With that in mind, the "best phone" depends on your budget and priorities. Still, we can make a general assessment of the best phone overall.

Among the best phones available, Apple's iPhone 15 is our top option for most people due to its balance of performance, camera quality, camera reliability, battery life, and ecosystem for the price. Samsung's Galaxy S24 is the ideal pick for Android users for the same reasons as the iPhone 15. 

On the more affordable end of the spectrum, Apple's iPhone 13 and Google's Pixel 7a are superb devices that offer incredible value. It's true they're not exactly "cheap," but we think they're well worth the price considering what they offer and their potential longevity.

Our top picks for the best phones

Best overall: iPhone 15 – See at Best Buy

Best phone for Android users: Samsung Galaxy S24 – See at Amazon

Best budget iPhone: iPhone 13 – See at Best Buy

Best budget phone for Android users: Google Pixel 7a – See at Amazon

Best camera phone: Google Pixel 8 Pro – See at Amazon

Best battery life: iPhone 15 Plus – See at Best Buy

Best foldable phone: OnePlus Open – See at Amazon

Best overall

These days, most smartphone users fall into either Team iPhone or Team Android. If you're platform agnostic and want a phone that requires the fewest compromises, we recommend the iPhone 15. (For those who prefer Apple, our best iPhone guide shows what else we recommend.)

While Android phones seem to go through identity changes more often than Ethan Hunt, iPhones have stayed relatively consistent year over year. Apple is largely sticking to a successful playbook for the iPhone 15: A phone that delivers a great user experience that revolves around a stable operating system, best-in-class camera system, popular apps, and the latest tech.

The iPhone 15 isn't a big departure from the iPhone 14, but there are noteworthy upgrades. It runs on the A16 processor and incorporates the Dynamic Island notification display, both of which were introduced in the iPhone 14 Pro. Performance has increased over the iPhone 14 and 13, which used the A15. The 6.1-inch display is also much brighter, with a slightly higher resolution.

The big new feature is the iPhone's switch to USB-C from Lightning, which, depending on the user, could be a celebration or an annoyance. There is satisfaction in using the same cable to charge all your devices. But it's inconvenient if you own just Lightning cables and accessories, which would require purchasing new chargers and adapters. 

Most people, however, probably already have USB-C accessories, particularly those who own the newest MacBooks, iPads, PCs, and even Android phones, which have been using USB-C for some time now. Our disappointment with the iPhone 15's USB-C implementation is that it doesn't offer an improvement over Lightning regarding fast charging and data transfer.

The iPhone 15's main camera sensor has been bumped up to 48 megapixels from 12, and the optical zoom is now 2x instead of 1x. While iPhone cameras have always been solid, the iPhone 15 delivers improved low-light performance and picture quality, particularly when cropping into a photo.

While the newest Android phones aren't anything to sneeze at, we still recommend the iPhone for most people due to the polished hardware and software, ease of use, and Apple's lauded support.

For older iPhone owners who held back due to the lack of upgrades in the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 is a more attractive recommendation. However, those who could use Apple's latest high-end features should consider the iPhone 15 Pro models, as they exclusively offer faster USB 3 charging, a customizable Action button, and dedicated zoom lenses. 

See our guide to the best iPhone 15 cases to protect the phone. 

Best phone for Android users

With its triple-lens camera, class-leading performance, AI features, and excellent battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is the complete package. No other phone offers as much as the Galaxy S24 for an $800 base price, even among iPhones.

Indeed, the Galaxy S24's three cameras set it apart from other Android phones in its 6.1-inch size range and $800 price range. By including a 3x zoom lens, the Galaxy S24 offers a more versatile camera experience, allowing you to take better-quality photos of subjects further away.

Ironically, the Galaxy S24's cameras are among our few complaints. To be sure, they're very good cameras, but they're generally less consistent than premium phones from Google and Apple, as irregular lighting can produce flat, shallow photos with reduced character.

That said, overall, the Galaxy S24 is our top pick among the best Android phones, as it is likely to satisfy most people with its stellar performance and high-end features at a reasonable price point. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review, and see our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy S24 cases to protect the phone. 

Best budget iPhone

If you're looking for the best iPhone experience for the lowest price, go for the iPhone 13 rather than the iPhone SE (2022). Yes, the iPhone 13 has a $599 starting price compared to the iPhone SE's $429, which stretches the definition of "budget." However, we feel the iPhone 13's extras are well worth it. 

The iPhone 13 runs on Apple's A15 Bionic processor (the same as the iPhone SE, coincidentally). Although two generations old, it can easily handle any app or game in the App Store. 

The iPhone 13 also features Apple's modern design rather than the iPhone SE's antiquated look with its top and bottom bezels. It also includes Face ID, a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, a dual-lens camera, and support for Apple's MagSafe wireless charging and accessories. To top it all off, the iPhone 13 has significantly better battery life than the iPhone SE. 

With all this in mind, we think you'll better enjoy the experience with the iPhone 13 for the years you'll use it. Based on Apple's support cycle, we'd estimate Apple will support the iPhone 13 for another three years. 

However, if budget matters more than features and design, you'll still be happy with the iPhone SE (2022), as it remains another top option among the best cheap phones available. But be aware that the iPhone SE uses an outdated design with a small screen and Touch ID.

Best budget phone for Android users

Budget Android phones often try to appear more premium than they are, mostly with high-refresh-rate displays and bunk "macro" cameras that few people will use. Most fall flat when it comes to performance or camera quality. Google's Pixel 7a, however, is the exception. 

At its $499 starting price, the Pixel 7a pushes the boundaries of "budget." Yet, we feel it's well worth it if your budget allows for it, as it's easily the best budget Android phone you can buy now, and it's often discounted. (We expect Google to announce a new A-series model during the company's I/O event on May 14. Consequently, you might want to wait for a price drop of the Pixel 7a or see what the next model offers.)

The Pixel 7a has a smooth 90Hz display, but that's par for the course on budget Android phones. What's impressive is that it runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as Google's flagship Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, meaning it has high-end performance at an excellent value. 

The Pixel 7a's cameras also beat any other phone in its price range. In fact, the Pixel 7a's camera system comfortably competes with phones that cost twice as much. You don't get a dedicated zoom lens with the Pixel 7a, but it's not expected on a budget phone.  

Read our full Google Pixel 7a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 7a cases to protect the phone. 

Best camera phone

The Google Pixel 8 Pro has three cameras: a 48MP ultrawide camera, a 50MP main camera, and a 48MP 5x zoom camera. It takes excellent photos and imparted the most confidence during our testing, over both Samsung and Apple phones, that it would reliably do so repeatedly. 

The Pixel's signature photo look is present, with rich and natural colors, and lighting is properly balanced without trying to enhance darker and brighter details with extra brightness. Pixel photos have plenty of contrast, too, which gives photos gorgeous depth.

The Pixel 8 Pro's three lenses offer plenty of versatility, and we love its 5x zoom compared to the 3x zoom cameras that are more common.

If you want to stick to Apple's ecosystem, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers the best camera system among iPhones, and it's the only option that matches the Pixel 8 Pro's 5x zoom lens. 

Read our full Google Pixel 8 Pro review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8 Pro cases to protect the phone. 

Best battery life

The iPhone 15 Plus is our recommendation if you're looking for a phone that can last over a day on a single charge. Every user's mileage will vary, but we achieved, on average, 66% of battery life remaining after rounds of testing. A close runner-up is the Samsung S24 Ultra, which yielded similar test results but is a more expensive phone.

In terms of performance and features, the iPhone 15 Plus shares the same pros and cons as the iPhone 15. But the iPhone 15 Plus is a larger device that can accommodate a bigger battery. It also has a 6.7-inch display versus 6.1, which gives you more viewable real estate. The problem is that you can't get longer battery life without getting a large phone, so it's something to consider and worth trying out at a store. That said, we haven't experienced issues when holding it in our hand or stashing it in a pocket.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, with its 6.8-inch display, is a good example of how larger phones tend to offer longer battery life. However, it scored notably higher than other phones with large screens, like the Galaxy S24 Plus and Google Pixel 8 Pro. That's all to say that the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers the best battery life for Android users, but they have to pay a higher price than iPhone users.

See our guide to the best iPhone 15 Plus cases to protect the phone. 

Best foldable phone

We prefer book-style foldable phones that unfold into compact tablets for their superior functionality and performance relative to clamshell foldables, which fold into compact squares. 

Among the three phone-tablet hybrid foldables available in the US, the OnePlus Open is our favorite option, topping the Google Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

All phone-tablet hybrid foldables essentially offer the same level of performance, top-of-the-line displays with premium specs, like 120HZ refresh rates and OLED panels, excellent camera quality, and superlative battery life. 

What sets the OnePlus Open apart is its superior, rock-solid build quality, its cover display that's sized and shaped like a traditional phone, and its slightly larger cover and tablet displays compared to other available foldables. 

The only gripe we have with the OnePlus Open is the omission of wireless charging, which should be expected on a phone with a $1,700 price tag. It does support super-fast 67W charging speeds, but only with the included proprietary OnePlus charger.

See our guide to the best foldable phones for more information and other top options. 

What is the best phone to buy right now?

Overall, Apple's iPhone 15 is the phone we'd recommend to most people, at least those who live in the US. Android phones these days are fantastic, but they still lack certain key features, like advanced biometric authentication that's on par with Apple's Face ID. Even minor features, like Apple's Dynamic Island, make us lean toward the iPhone 15 for an overall recommendation.

How we test phones

We test iPhones and Android phones as if they were our daily drivers for at least a week, often longer, to get a feel for their performance, battery life, cameras, and new features. We have extensive experience testing various phone models from different companies at various price points, which lets us quickly identify any issues.

In addition to real-world usage, we conduct standardized tests on all phones reviewed and included in our guides.

For performance, we put phones through a series of benchmarking apps to check for discrepancies between devices. We use Geekbench 6 for general performance and the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test to gauge extended heavy gaming performance. These tests help us estimate how long a phone could maintain its performance relative to comparable phones.

For camera testing, we photograph a consistent set of scenes with every phone and compare the results with their direct competitors. We take photos and videos with each lens on each phone and evaluate the differences. We even compare budget camera phones to premium options to assess the discrepancies in image and video quality.

For battery life, we run phones through a stress test that simulates a range of typical daily workloads, like streaming video and music, and high-intensity activities, like playing demanding games. This test includes five runs of the Geekbench 6 app, two runs of the 3DMark Wildlife Stress Test, two hours of video streaming at a set average brightness, and one hour of music streaming with a Bluetooth speaker connected. At the end of the test, we note the phone's remaining battery percentage.

FAQs

How much storage should a phone have?

These days, 128GB is the standard, minimum option for storage on most phones. Anything lower than that, like 64GB, can be quite limiting in terms of how many apps you can install, and you can basically forget about storing a significant number of photos, videos, and music.  

128GB of storage can be enough, especially if you use cloud storage for photos and often stream. Depending on how many apps you use, you can also get by downloading videos for flights.

You should opt for more than 128GB of storage if you tend to download your music rather than stream it or store lots of photos and videos on your phone. More storage can be helpful if you have many apps and games.

How long should a phone's battery life last?

A phone's battery should last you through a typical day, even for heavy users with extensive screen time. Thankfully, most phones tend to have good enough battery life to do so.

Larger phones tend to have longer battery lives than smaller ones, so heavier users would benefit from a larger phone if not for the larger display.

Your best options for a phone that can last longer than a day routinely are Apple's iPhone 15 Plus and Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra, large-screen devices that scored the highest among all phones in our intensive battery test. 

What is a good camera for a phone?

More than anything, a good camera for a phone should give you the confidence that you'll get a high-quality photo or video without making you feel like you need to check and retake your content.

We find that Google's Pixel phones and Apple's iPhones tend to give us the most confidence in this regard. Correspondingly, our top overall picks for phone camera systems are Google's Pixel 8 Pro and Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max, which both offer a dedicated 5x zoom lens. 

Best phone overall: iPhone 14

Pros: Enhanced value after recent $100 price drop, stellar performance, excellent camera quality, excellent battery life, valuable safety features

Cons: 60Hz display feels outdated, no dedicated zoom lens

Apple has released the iPhone 15 generation, and once we've reviewed those phones, one of those models will likely replace the iPhone 14 as the best phone overall. For now, however, the iPhone 14 is still technically our pick for the best iPhone and best phone overall, and that's especially the case now that its starting price has dropped by $100 down to $699.

The iPhone 14 offers a hard-to-beat balance of features, battery life, camera quality, and performance for its price, which all combine to make it our top recommendation for most people. 

Some might point out that Samsung's Galaxy S23 devices, which are among our best Android picks, don't make the same compromises as the iPhone 14 does, like a 60Hz display, or a camera system with "only" two lenses. These are valid points, but looking at the overall picture, the iPhone 14 is still the phone we can most widely recommend. 

Apple's ecosystem is still a major hook for the iPhone, and while Samsung is building out its own ecosystem, it's not there yet. Popular Apple devices, like the Apple Watch, Macs, AirPods, iPads, and iPhones work seamlessly with each other to offer access to popular services like iMessage, FaceTime, AirDrop, taking and making phone calls, and instant mobile hotspot connectivity. 

The safety features Apple introduced with the iPhone 14 series, including Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection, especially, are valuable to have on hand, even if you hope to never use either. Both have proven to save lives, or at least been useful, in emergency situations. 

There's also something to be said about Apple's physical presence with Apple Stores — if iPhone users need help or repairs, the Apple Store is an easy, clearly defined place to go. To be fair, official repairs by Apple are often pricey. Still, at least it's a convenient option to get help, if imperfect, compared to the murkier options available for Android phone users.  

Read our full iPhone 14 review.

Best phone for Android users: Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus

Pros: Excellent performance, versatile triple-camera system, smooth 120Hz display, superb battery life, 45W charging speed

Cons: Occasional shutter lag, some unwanted bloatware

Chances are that if you're looking for a particular feature, or all the best phone features you can get in 2023, Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus has what you need at a starting price of $1,000. 

The Galaxy S23 Plus, our best Android phone overall, is a delight to use thanks to its smooth 120Hz display and incredibly snappy performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that's specially optimized for Samsung's Galaxy S23 phones. 

To be sure, the Galaxy S23 Plus with its 6.6-inch display is for those who like larger displays. But despite its screen size, the Galaxy S23 Plus maintains a comfortable 6.91-ounce weight, which is positively featherweight for a phone of this size.

Battery life is excellent and support for fast 45W charging speeds is a cherry on top. Wireless charging is included and rated for up to 15W on the Qi common standard. You can even charge other devices off the back of the Galaxy S23 Plus, albeit at a slow 4.5W that's best suited for smaller accessories, like wireless earbuds.

The Galaxy S23 Plus' versatile triple-lens camera offers nearly everything you would want in a premium phone, with sharp, clear, high-quality photos and video. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review.

Best budget iPhone: iPhone SE (2022)

Pros: Excellent performance-to-price ratio, impressive single camera, lightweight, 4.7-inch display is comfortable to use one-handed

Cons: Antiquated design, lacks multiple cameras, 60Hz LCD display, short battery life compared to larger phones

The least expensive way to get the Apple experience, as well as access to its ecosystem of apps, accessories, and services, is the third-generation iPhone SE. Starting at $429, it's also less expensive than even our budget Android pick.

The iPhone SE runs on Apple's A15 Bionic processor, which also powers the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. That means it's a powerful processor that opens and runs apps quickly now and for the next few years. 

For its relatively low price, the iPhone SE is missing some high-end features. It has a 4.7-inch LCD display, which not only is small, but isn't as high-quality as the OLED displays on other more expensive iPhones. Having a small display and overall size doesn't have to be a negative, as some may actively want a smaller screen for the most comfortable one-handed reachability. Plus, at 5.09 ounces, the iPhone SE is the lightest iPhone currently available.

The biggest caveat with small phones like the iPhone SE is a smaller battery, which leads to shorter battery life than bigger iPhones — it might need a charging top-up once or twice during the day, depending on your usage. 

The iPhone SE also has an antiquated design. Many liken it to the iPhone 8, but the design with large bezels above and below the display can be traced back to the iPhone 6 generation from 2014. 

Still, having such large bezels affords the iPhone SE an old favorite — Touch ID. While not as seamless as the more modern Face ID, Touch ID is still incredibly reliable, and some prefer to use their fingerprints rather than their faces to unlock their iPhones. 

Then there's the question of cameras, or a single camera, to be precise. The iPhone SE lacks the ultrawide and zoom lenses of more expensive iPhones, but its main camera can still hold its own with high-quality photos. Again, they're not as high-quality as those on more expensive iPhones, but anyone would be more than happy with the iPhone SE's photos for its sub-$500 price.

Best budget phone for Android users: Google Pixel 7a

Pros: Flagship performance on a budget phone, stunning dual-camera system, 90Hz display, wireless charging

Cons: mmWave 5G model is more expensive and a Verizon exclusive, thicker and heavier than premium phones its size

Budget Android phones often try to appear more premium than they are, mostly with smooth high refresh-rate displays and bunk "macro" cameras that few people will use. Most fall flat when it comes to performance or camera quality. Google's Pixel 7a, however, is the exception. 

Marked down from its typical MSRP of $499, the Pixel 7a is an especially great deal at its current starting price of $374, which easily makes it the best budget Android phone you can buy. 

The Pixel 7a has a smooth 90Hz display, but that's par for the course on budget Android phones. What's impressive is that it runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as Google's flagship Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, meaning it has high-end performance at an excellent value. 

The Pixel 7a's cameras also beat any other phone in its price range. In fact, the Pixel 7a's camera system comfortably competes with phones that cost twice as much. You don't get a dedicated zoom lens with the Pixel 7a, but it's not expected on a budget phone.  

Read our full Google Pixel 7a review.

Best camera phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Pros: Exceptional quad-lens camera system, 10x optical zoom ability, stellar optical image stabilization, large screen and S Pen make on-device editing easier

Cons: Surprisingly lackluster battery life for its size, may be too large for some people, occasional shutter lag

Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra has the most camera tech out of any other phone we've tested. It's the most versatile phone for taking photos thanks to its four lenses, including a main camera, an ultrawide, a 3x zoom, and a 10x zoom. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra's 200MP camera takes 12MP photos by default, but you can set it to take photos at 50MP or the full 200MP for stunning clarity and detail. The caveat is that a 200MP photo can take up to 200 megabytes, so storage inside and out of the phone should be a consideration. 

Another perk of the massive 200MP sensor is better low-light performance, as more megapixels can combine to capture more light in a process called "binning." Indeed, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is also the best phone for taking high-quality photos in low-light situations.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x zoom lens is one of those things you never knew you needed until you tried it. I often wish I had 10x zoom when I'm using a different phone, as no other phone can capture far-away subjects as sharply and clearly as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. To take sharp photos at such a high zoom, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has impressive optical image stabilization, too, which also makes for incredibly stable video recording. 

Then, there's the S Pen — a built-in stylus that offers more precision and functionality than any finger could for editing photos right on the device, which is only made easier by the Galaxy S23 Ultra's larger-than-usual 6.8-inch display. There's no better phone if content capture is your top priority. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.

Best battery life: iPhone 14 Plus

Pros: Large screen for sub-$1,000 price, best battery life on any phone we've tested

Cons: Previous generation processor, antiquated 60Hz screen

Once we've finished testing and reviewing it, the new iPhone 15 Plus could replace the iPhone 14 Plus as the phone with the longest battery life. For now, though, the iPhone 14 Plus still reigns in that department.

Apart from offering the big-screen iPhone experience for less than a Pro Max model, the iPhone 14 Plus also has the best battery life out of any phone we've tested to date. It ended our intensive battery test with 73% remaining, which is astounding. Out of the dozens of phones I've tested with our latest battery test, only one other phone obtained a result in the 70th percentile — the OnePlus 11 with a 71%. 

Otherwise, the iPhone 14 Plus is essentially a bigger version of our pick for the best phone overall, the iPhone 14. It runs on the same processor, has the same cameras, the same 60Hz screen, and the same features. 

Following the announcement of the iPhone 15 generation, Apple reduced the iPhone 14 Plus' price by $100 down to $799. That's a stunning deal for an iPhone with a 6.7-inch display, but you may find the iPhone 15 Plus warrants the $100 premium.

Read our full iPhone 14 Plus review.

Best foldable phone: Google Pixel Fold

Pros: Smooth flagship performance, excellent five-camera system, familiar-shaped exterior display, 120Hz displays inside and out, stellar battery life, thin and light as a tablet

Cons: Thick and heavy as a phone, prohibitive pricing

Between clamshell-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus, and tablet hybrids like the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5, we've decided the hybrid design is the best form factor for foldable phones. That's primarily because clamshell phones sorely lack the battery life and cameras of traditional flat phones, while the best hybrid foldables are more comparable to high-end flat phones in those respects.

Out of the tablet-hybrid foldables we've tried and reviewed, Google's Pixel Fold tops our list thanks in large part to the exterior display's familiar, traditional phone shape. The tall, narrow displays on the Galaxy Z Fold series phones are more awkward to use and take more getting used to than the Pixel Fold's exterior display. (The new OnePlus Open foldable has a cover screen that strikes a welcome middle ground between the narrowness of the Z Fold phones and the width of the Pixel Fold, and it could take the Pixel Fold's spot here once we've finished testing and reviewing it.) 

The Pixel Fold runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7 flagship lineup, so performance is stellar. It also comes with a total of five cameras, and when talking about Google's excellent Pixel cameras, more can only mean better — there are three cameras on the rear, a front-facing camera, and an interior camera for tablet mode. Not to mention, you can unfold the Pixel Fold and use its superior main rear camera to take selfies while using the exterior display as a viewfinder, which is a common perk in foldable phones. 

Both the Pixel Fold's OLED displays run at a smooth 120Hz for a seamless experience, inside and out. 

As with any tablet-hybrid foldable, the Pixel Fold is rather heavy and chunky as a traditional phone, even more so with its smaller 5.8-inch exterior display. Still, its small display means it's comfortable to use one-handed and offers superior reachability with your thumbs relative to large displays. To boot, the Pixel Fold is also thin and light as a 7.6-inch tablet.

Battery life is also excellent on the Pixel Fold, as it ended our intensive battery test with a 69% result while in folded phone mode — that's a result we'd expect for phones with larger, 6.7-inch displays. In tablet mode, the Pixel Fold scored 65%, which may not seem impressive for a 7.6-inch tablet, but it still means you can use the Pixel Fold exclusively in tablet mode all day, like you would your traditional phone, without worrying about battery life, though that'll depend on how intensively you use it. 

Read our full Google Pixel Fold review.

Best phones compared

Specs	iPhone 14	Galaxy S23 Plus	iPhone SE (2022)	Pixel 7a	Galaxy S23 Ultra	iPhone 14 Plus	Pixel Fold
Starting price	$699	$1,000	$429	$374	$1,200	$799	$1,799
Processor	A15 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy	A15 Bionic	Google Tensor 2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy	A15 Bionic	Google Tensor 2
Release date	September 2022	February 2023	March 2022	May 2023	February 2023	September 2022	June 2023
Screen size	6.1 inches	6.6 inches	4.7 inches	6.1 inches	6.8 inches	6.7 inches	5.8-inch exterior; 7.6-inch interior
Rear cameras	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom	12MP main	64MP main, 13MP ultrawide	200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom, 10MP 10x zoom	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	48MP main, 10.8MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x zoom
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	128GB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB

Best phone FAQs

What is the best phone to buy right now?

While we rigorously test the iPhone 15 series, Apple's iPhone 14 offers the best overall combination of performance, camera quality, battery life, and value with its new starting price of $699. If you want to buy into the Apple ecosystem at a more affordable price point, we recommend the third-generation iPhone SE starting at $429 as the best budget iPhone currently available. 

The best Android phone overall is Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus for its comprehensive mix of high-end features. The best budget Android phone you can buy is Google's Pixel 7a, which offers an essentially premium experience for a new starting price of $374. 

Which phones get the most updates?

The new Google Pixel 8 phones have the best explicit support window of any phones on the market with their guaranteed seven years of Android operating system and security updates, and they'll likely take at least one spot on this list once we've finished testing and reviewing them.  

While Apple doesn't explicitly state how long it will support its devices, the company's recent history has shown that it will support iPhones for at least six years of software updates. That means the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE included above should see iOS and security updates at least through 2028. 

Among the Android phones on our list, Samsung's flagship devices have the best current support window for software and security updates, as the company said its Galaxy S23 phones will get four years of Android software updates and five years of security updates from their February 2023 release. 

The Google phones included above, on the other hand, have a comparatively short support window. Google said that the Pixel Fold will see Android software updates until June 26, 2026 and security updates until June 25, 2028, while the Pixel 7a will see software updates until May 8, 2026 and security updates until May 7, 2028.

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• Superyacht sales fell 17% in 2023, but still stayed above pre-COVID levels.
• Sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs dented the market, but America helped split the difference.
• Florida, where most US users base their boats, has been doing especially well, one expert said.

Both new and used superyacht sales of vessels longer than 100 feet fell again 2023 — in part due to sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs.

But steady sales in America are helping to split at least some of the difference.

A total of 203 superyachts were sold globally in 2023 — a 17% drop from the 245 sold last year, according to the SuperYacht Times' annual State of Yachting report.

That's down from 2021's peak of 313 superyacht sales — though the report notes the market still remains high above its pre-COVID levels, and that "any number over 200 is historically still a high number."

Sales for superyachts over 200 feet slowed more than their smaller counterparts due to high pricing and longer build times, according to the report. And the fallout from Russian sanctions will likely impact the market for years to come, especially with respect to the larger ships that Russians have purchased in the past.

"Russian buyers remain largely absent from the newbuild market, which has an impact on the market for large newbuilds in particular," according to the report.

That said, SuperYacht Times' head of intelligence, Ralph Dazert, told Business Insider that sales in America are helping to fill some of the void.

"The strength of the US economy just continues to defy expectations, and Florida (where most of the US owners base their boats) has been doing particularly well," Dazert said. "The top end of the market has been hit by the Russian pullout, but it is beginning to bounce back, with mainly inquiries from the US again."

The US share of overall superyacht ownership stayed steady at 23.6% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report, while Russian ownership continued to decline from 8.1% to 7.8% over the same period.

And while Americans have tended to buy slightly smaller yachts than Russians in the past, Dazert said they are gradually moving up in size.

For new superyachts longer than 130 feet, Russia's share (now at 6%) has declined over the past decade, while the US share (29%) has continued to increase, the report found.

The report concludes that the superyacht market could see "further slowdown" in 2024, citing the conflict in the Middle East and the US presidential election — an event that's sometimes thought to impact sales.

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• If Ukraine loses to Russia, NATO forces would face an emboldened Russian military, war experts say.
• Ukraine's defeat may lead Russia to become a greater military risk, potentially driving toward NATO borders.
• If Ukraine wins though, it could make it more challenging for Russia to threaten the alliance.

If Ukraine loses to Russia, NATO countries could consequently find themselves facing an emboldened, "battle-hardened" Russian army with a clearer path to war, an analyst argues.

The Institute for the Study of War's Fredrick W. Kagan wrote that unless the US resumes sending military aid, Ukraine will be defeated and Russia will become an even greater military threat able to then "drive toward the NATO borders from the Black Sea to central Poland." 

In the event that Russia attacked the alliance, NATO would likely have to resolve threats at Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary's southern borders, holding up its forces that are tasked with defending countries in the Baltic region like Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Able to overrun a defeated Ukraine, Russia would be threatening parts of the alliance that haven't faced a Russian threat since the fall of the Soviet Union.

In that dire scenario, "NATO troops, inexperienced in fighting modern mechanized war, would be staring down a battle-hardened Russian military, emboldened from its victory in Ukraine," Kagan wrote.

He said that it "is almost impossible to overstate how much the success or failure of Ukraine's current efforts to fight off the Russian attack changes the prospects of a future Russian attack against NATO's northeastern flank," which would be front-line fighting in a war with Russia.

Kagan emphasized that regardless of whether or not Ukraine is a NATO member, empowering it to stand strong against Russia is in the best interests of the US and the broader alliance.

"An independent Ukraine with a strong military and a pro-Western government will make a Russian attack on NATO much more difficult, risky, and costly for Moscow," he wrote.

Currently, Kyiv has been waiting on US aid for months, waiting for a decision on billions of dollars in aid from Congress that could make or break it in the war against Russia.

Ukraine has found short-term solutions. Its dependence on drones, for instance, stems from its struggle to find enough artillery ammunition and other supplies to sustain its ground forces. Ukraine recently used seven drones to take down a Russian radar system worth millions of dollars, but they aren't enough, as Ukraine's leadership has said.

Ukraine has regularly said it needs more weapons and more ammo, such as air defense and artillery.

"It's a lot to preserve ourselves. It's very difficult for us. We are fighting against a large army," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with PBS this week.

"They have an unlimited number of people and a lot of shells. They use thousands of drones against us. Tell me, please, how can you fight against these thousands if you don't have weapons to take them down?" he said, adding that what Ukraine needs, it's partners have.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that helping Ukraine fight Russia today keeps NATO from having to fight it later.

Kagan argued in his analysis that a "victorious Russia that succeeds in its aim of destroying Ukraine entirely" will likely "pose a major conventional military threat to NATO in a relatively short period of time."

He added that "it will be much harder to deter future Russian aggression and both more difficult and far more costly to defeat it if deterrence fails."

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