DJI Mini 4 Pro review: The best tiny drone gets even better
DJI continues pushing closer to perfection
DJI continues pushing closer to perfection
The Libra 2 sits in the sweet spot of the Kobo lineup
Rakuten's Kobo e-readers have been steadily building a reputation as a solid alternative to Amazon's Kindle devices, which enjoy a virtual monopoly over the e-reader market. Over the years, Kobo's business strategy has been to undercut Amazon's current offering. Such was the case with its first e-reader, priced $100 less than Amazon's second-generation Kindle (and prompted Amazon to price the Kindle Keyboard at $60 less than the Kobo), and it continues to be the case today with the Libra 2 competing in the same niche as the Kindle Oasis, just at a lower retail price.
This smart lock is cheap, seamless to install, and easy to use
The SwitchBot Smart Lock is one of the more affordable smart locks on the market, offering enhanced door security at a reasonable price. Indeed, at only $100, it’s a very affordable product, while offering plenty of features. It aims to cater to a broad range of doors with its adaptable design. It’s meant to fit over the thumb-turn of existing locks, great for rental properties where lock replacement isn't feasible, or for people who don’t want to fiddle with their existing lock. If you can get past the bulky design, it's a great option.
If you want a cutting-edge phone these days, you look to a sick foldable phone or some Pro Ultima Max of a beast. But for those of us who want a phone that fits in our hands, our pockets, and our budgets while still delivering the premium experience we know and demand from the most important electronics in our lives. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra struggled to excite even the most faithful of Samsung diehards, the relatively small upgrades in this year's base-model Galaxy are arguably the most important of the series.
A big way to blast your favorite tunes wherever you go
The JBL Authentics 300 is a hard-to-justify but easy-to-recommend portable speaker. As paradoxical as that sounds, it has some issues that can easily dissuade, namely its weight and price. But, the performance, design, and feature set overcome those shortcomings as long as you can afford it. The JBL Authentics 300 is good enough to receive mention among the best portable Bluetooth speakers. That's especially true if you need something powerful enough for a party. It also does a great job with its Alexa support – good enough to possibly replace your Echo or Echo Dot.
Make no mistake, these compact earbuds pack a punch
EarFun's track record of putting out competitive wireless earbuds that deliver a lot for a low price keeps right on rolling with the EarFun Free Pro 3. These $80 earbuds come in an ultra-compact case but pack in major battery life, ample audio, and bonuses like ANC, transparency mode, capable codecs, and wireless charging. There's a lot more on offer here than you'd normally expect to get for the price, and that's before factoring in that EarFun isn't shy about lowering its already low prices with almost ceaseless deals.
This phone leaves nothing on the table, making for a truly complete package
Since the OnePlus One release just shy of a decade ago, the company has been supplying Android fans with phones with a primary focus on performance without breaking the bank. Some could argue that it may have strayed from that path with a couple of generations of devices, but it seemed to truly get back on track with the OnePlus 11 from 2023.
The new benchmark for low-profile mechanical keyboard sound and feel
Mechanical keyboards are the talk of computer peripheral town, and every brand is vying for a piece of the pie. We cut through the noise and filter out the best options available for you on the market, but you may notice the abject lack of choice when you seek a mechanical replacement for your laptop keyboard or products equivalent to the sleek Apple Magic Keyboard and Logitech MX Keys series.
Spatial audio and a repositioned camera make for a solid update
Amazon was first to the smart speaker game back in 2014 with the Amazon Echo, a tiny speaker with poor audio quality and no display whatsoever. The e-commerce giant has come a long way, though, rolling out a wide range of smart speakers and smart displays that keep Amazon firmly in the discussion as a smart home hardware provider. The brand-new, third-generation Echo Show 8 solidifies that status even further, providing a comprehensive interface and stellar sound quality.
This is the embodiment of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
When it comes to reliable, long-lasting Chromebooks, Lenovo has been our go-to for years. Yes, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 — and its predecessor, the Spin 713 — may be more powerful, but they're twice the price most people want to pay for a Chromebook. The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 5i and Flex 5 before it have both offered punctual performance for much better prices. The last two generations have topped our best Chromebooks chart for years, and this one will be dethroning the two currently on that list.
There’s no such thing as the perfect gaming controller (but there are a few contenders). Besides the fact that hand size runs the gamut from child to Andre the Giant, you also have to consider how you plan on using your controller. If you’re settling in for a few hours, you’ll probably want something wired and ergonomic. On the other hand, if you play on your phone and portability is your biggest concern, you’ll want to go wireless and small. The Lite 2 from 8BitDo falls squarely into the latter category.
Plug n’ play setup, sleek looks, and dependable performance
Google has been making mesh routers for several years, and their latest iteration, the Nest Wifi Pro, is a notable upgrade — sort of. It's the first Google router to use Wi-Fi 6E, which may prove useful for the latest smart devices. That isn't to say the Pro won't work with older devices; however, they will be limited to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and cannot utilize the 6GHz band reserved for Wi-Fi 6E-enabled devices. Either way, you'll enjoy less latency, lag, and reliable speeds.
Now including our Readers' Choice award
2023 is coming to a close, and that means we here at Android Police are looking back over the year in tech. Once we waded through all the AI innovations and iMessage drama, we realized that 2023 has been a banner year for consumer tech. The changes have largely been iterative, but many of the major manufacturers have had exciting years with big changes to top-end products. We pitted each gadget against each other to come up with our list of the very best of the year, and you can read each of our picks below.
Nubia scores again with an affordable and powerful gaming phone
Perhaps prompted by Asus teasing the upcoming ROG Phone 8, Nubia has revealed the Redmagic 9 Pro. This gaming phone is Nubia's most powerful device yet, eclipsing the Redmagic 8, one of the best gaming phones of 2023.
Dual drivers, decent battery, and compact design combine to make an excellent, low-cost speaker
Anker is no stranger to the portable Bluetooth speaker market, and the Soundcore Motion 100 is just one of a slew of recent additions to the brand. However, this compact speaker manages to squeeze in the value, providing a lot for its $60 price tag.
Waterproof, shockproof, and ready for anything
For 2023, Jabra is offering us a streamlined product lineup with two new sets of premium true wireless earbuds that are much better set apart from each other. While the Jabra Elite 10 takes up the company's flagship space, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are very clearly a pair of workout earbuds that still promise great audio quality and active noise cancelation while being billed by the company as "the world's toughest earbuds."
The Pixel 8 doesn't need every feature the 8 Pro offers, it's packing more than enough
The Google Pixel 8 is here, and it's likely Google's most distinct non-Pro model yet. It’s significantly smaller and lighter than its predecessor, giving it a different touch and feel than the Google Pixel 8 Pro. It also misses some key features compared to its bigger sibling, giving the $300 price gap between the two a lot more meaning than in previous generations.
Low cost and ideal for serving media and files, but don't ask for more
TerraMaster has become known for making budget-friendly NAS hardware that still retains a high level of quality. One of the company’s latest products, the F2-212, is unquestioning in its pursuit to be the ideal low-cost Plex server. It doesn’t have the highest specs or a lot of ports, which is how TerraMaster kept the price down to a mere $170, but it does have the obligatory GPU capable of 4K transcoding and everything else necessary for a good little home media server.
Petite, powerful, and cheap
The Soundcore Motion 300 is the kind of product that makes you question why everything else is so expensive. It’s not audiophile (though it has LDAC support), but it sounds very good, has lots of volume, comes with a robust EQ that adapts depending on its positioning, and does all this for a ridiculous price.
Leave it to OnePlus to supply the competition Samsung so desperately needs
Just one year ago, foldable fans in North America were stuck lamenting their lack of choice in the market. Don't like Samsung? You can take your luck importing one of several China or Europe-exclusive options from brands like Oppo or Honor, or keep biding your time while hoping someone arrives with a more exciting option. And considering Samsung once again delivered the slightest of refreshes on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 this year, most enthusiasts knew the latter wouldn't be an option.
If you want to see the future of Google, the Pixel 8 Pro is the phone to buy
What do we want smartphones to be? While smaller OEMs may settle for cranking out excellent, reliable phones year-in and year-out, the giants of the mobile world seem to be interested in bigger, more existential questions. For five generations, Samsung has experimented with foldable form factors, allowing a smartphone to grow as large or as small as you need to fit the tasks at hand. Apple, meanwhile, seems focused on delivering an ecosystem its users love — even as life inside its walled garden grows staler by the day.