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Google Pixel 6a review: Regression is the better part of value
Easily one of the best value phones you can get, if you're willing to pay the Pixel toll
Following up on one good product is hard enough, but Google has put itself into a bit of a spot with the Pixel 6a as the fourth product in a line of back-to-back great phones. While Google did have to downgrade a few features from the Pixel 6 and even last year's excellent Pixel 5a to hit the mark, $450 is a small price to pay (in every sense) to get Google's best phone dressed up in a smaller package. If you aren’t made of money and can deal with an inevitable software snafu, this is the Android phone to get.
Motorola MA1 review: The best wireless Android Auto adapter
An effective way to add wireless Android Auto to your car
Android Auto has existed for years, and now most new vehicles support it. Some cars can even run Android Auto wirelessly—no plugging in your phone and tossing it awkwardly into a cup holder. Wireless AA is mostly limited to luxury vehicles and the higher trim levels of mid-range cars, but what if I told you wireless Android Auto can be yours in almost any vehicle for just $90? That's what it costs to get the Motorola MA1, the first wireless Auto dongle Google has seen fit to promote. I've been using the MA1 for the last few months, and I've barely had to use my USB cables. I was expecting to enumerate the bugs, frustrations, and shortcomings of this device in the review, but I'm here to tell you a very different story: the MA1 is great, and you should buy it... if you ever find it in stock.
The Pixel 5a is almost a swan-song for an older smartphone era. Released three years ago, this would be a flagship phone, with billboards and TV spots promoting it. Enthusiasts would even have loved the logic that went into designing it: Finally, someone is making the battery bigger and the camera bump smaller! But now, in 2022, it cruises under the radar as a sleeper hit, cult favorite, and one of the best phones no one is talking about.
Review: Forget the Chromecast, Walmart's Onn Android TV is cheaper and just as good
It's practically the same thing, but almost half the price
While smartphones regularly threaten to get more expensive every year, somehow the market for set-top boxes and HDMI dongles is dropping to seemingly impossible lows. When we were introduced to the Chromecast with Google TV last year, with 4K HDR support and the full capabilities of Android TV, it felt like a $50 gadget would be the best we could ask for. As it turns out, a new contender with similar specs and an even lower price has come from an unlikely source: Walmart... And it's pretty damn good.
Redmi Note 10 Pro Max review, one month later: A home run
120Hz OLED displays and 108MP cameras are no longer reserved for premium flagships
The Redmi Note series is what really put Xiaomi on the map, and it played an instrumental role in making competitors like Samsung step up their game. The 10th generation of the lineup sticks with the company's ethos of offering oodles of value for money and is probably the most significant generational jump we've seen in the series so far.
"Good" and "bad" smartphones can have qualifiers — as in, "good but too expensive" or "bad but so cheap it doesn't really matter." After all, everything is worth something to someone. But Samsung's recent Galaxy S21 isn't just a good phone, now that we're starting to see the rest of what 2021 has to offer, it comes in at a good price, too. In fact, the more I use it, the more I like it. So, we're taking the rare step of giving the Galaxy S21 our Most Wanted award.
The best smartwatches, fitness trackers, and wearables for Android (Spring 2021)
We may not have an Apple Watch, but we do have options
Android as an ecosystem is lacking any one de facto wearable accessory. Whereas iOS users enjoy exclusive access to the best smartwatch you can buy, we Android loyalists have to do a little research to choose from a staggering number of smartwatches and fitness trackers (and yes, iPhone owners can use these devices, too — but there's not much reason for them to).
The best Android smartphones you can buy right now (Early 2021)
These are our top phone recommendations right now
There are thousands of Android phones available right now, and while it's great there are so many choices, the abundance of devices can sometimes feel overwhelming. That's why we've created a list of the best Android smartphones to buy, with something for every price point and taste. By the end, you should have all of the information you need to make an informed purchase.
Chromebooks are hard to shop for these days. If they're even in stock, it's tough to tell which ones are worth your time. Thankfully, we've assembled a small list of our favorite models. Whether you need a cheap computer for the kids' homework or something capable to plug the work-from-home gap, a Chromebook can probably do the job, and these are the ones we recommend.One thing that's worth noting now: Chromebook availability continues to be a little bit hit and miss these days (especially on Amazon). While things aren't as bad as they were earlier this year, some of our favorite models might still see some stock and price fluctuations across retailers.This list is also obviously non-exhaustive. There are a lot of Chromebooks out there, and plenty of new hardware is always on the horizon, but these are our recommendations for the best Chrome OS-powered devices among a range of prices and utility categories.
The best smart home devices you can buy right now (Fall 2020)
From voice assistant speakers to robot vacuums, and everything in between
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Millions of homes now contain a smart assistant speaker of some variety and sales of IoT products continue to grow as the market matures and prices come down across the sector. With so many options available, it's hard to know what to buy, and that's where we come in — this is a selection of our favorite smart home gadgets. Whether you want to just dip your toes in the water with a cheap Google Nest Mini or dive into the deep end with smart lights, cameras, thermostats, doorbells, and so on — we’ve got you covered.
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review: This could be the best phone of 2020
$600 buys a whole lot of phone here
Samsung's top-end phones are getting more and more expensive at an alarming rate, as evidenced by the fact that very few people bought an S20 during the series's launch window. Seeing the gap to fill between bargain-bin budget phones and outright luxury devices, this week, Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. It costs $700 (currently $600 on sale), and it packs a ton of features we're used to seeing in flagships with very few compromises. This might just be the best phone of the year.
OnePlus got started with affordable so-called “flagship killers” like the OnePlus One and OnePlus 3. But over the years, its phones have become more expensive (as have most phones, to be fair). Its focus on getting more features and advanced hardware has increased too, though, culminating in the recent OnePlus 8 Pro — every bit a true "flagship," and with a price tag to match. Fans of the brand have thus yearned for a return to the alluring value proposition of old, and the company has finally obliged in the form of the OnePlus Nord.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite review: The new Android tablet to beat
The iPad is still the gold standard for tablets, but this is Samsung's best attempt yet
Samsung is the only manufacturer interested in producing high-end Android tablets, but last year, the company added a slightly cheaper option to its Tab S lineup. The Galaxy Tab S5e retained the high-quality AMOLED screen and thin design of Samsung's highest-end models, but lacked the Tab S4's stylus support (and still cost over $400). This time around, Samsung is trying something different with the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite.Despite its faults, the new Galaxy Tab S6 Lite might be the strongest iPad competitor Samsung has ever produced. The hardware won't blow you away, and it doesn't have all the features of the more expensive Tab S6, but it's a full-fledged tablet with an included S Pen stylus for $350 — only $20 more than the cheapest iPad, not including the 0 Apple Pencil.
The best cheap true wireless earbuds you can buy (Summer 2020)
Affordable options from Samsung, Klipsch, JLabs, and Earfun make it onto the list
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As the true wireless earbud market has matured, we've reached a point where we now have a lot of good quality options even at lower price points — they're no longer just an expensive toy for early adopters. Anyone can pick up an affordable pair of TWEs these days and expect half-decent sound quality as well as a few useful extra features. We've reviewed quite a few of these over the years and are therefore able to help you decide which pair is right for you. These are our favorite options in the 'less than $50' and 'less than $100' price brackets.
OnePlus 8 Pro review, two weeks later: Better with time, but keep an eye out for some issues
This is the most phone you can get for the price — but you will pay more than last year
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The OnePlus 8 Pro has some big shoes to fill, following-up on the success of last year's 7 Pro. At $230 more, though, it's hard to call it a successor — the days of flagship "killing" are done now that OnePlus phones can cost over $900. This is a new era for the company, and with all the crazy prices we've seen on 5G phones so far, a new world for smartphones in general. It's "just" a flagship, but the OnePlus 8 Pro is the phone to buy right now.
Galaxy S20 review: After a month in my pocket, I think this is the one to buy
It's the phone most people should probably buy, provided you get a decent deal
The Galaxy S20 is Samsung's most expensive "entry level" flagship to date. When a phone starts at a thousand dollars, it's easy to begin questioning just how much smartphone you need, versus what you may just want (and let's be honest, we're all guilty of upselling ourselves sometimes). But as the US begins the long transition to 5G cellular networks and smartphones begin to support them, it's becoming valid to ask just when an upgrade is necessary, and just which phones will be suited to best handle the next few years of mobile technological disruption.While we think the Galaxy S20 Ultra is simply too much money and too much phone for most people, the base model Galaxy S20 offers a far more approachable size and price point, while losing very little functionally in the process. Given Samsung's aggressive discounting and trade-in offers, we also think the $1000 price tag only exists on paper, and that in practice, this phone represents a very solid buy at the 0 most retailers are currently offering it at. With its manageable size, industry-leading display, excellent battery life, top-notch performance, and the only 5G you'll need for the foreseeable future, the Galaxy S20 is the Android phone we think most people should probably buy if they're in the market right now—just make sure you're not paying full price, as there's really no good reason to.
The best wireless headphones, USB-C earbuds, and smart speakers you can buy (Early 2020)
The best wireless earbuds
Hey, are you listening to music right this second? Maybe a podcast? I bet you are. If you're looking to upgrade whatever it is you're listening on, you have a ton of options. Android Police tests all kinds of headphones and speakers, but those reviews are a whole lot of words to read. So here, as part of our Most Wanted series, is a digestible list of the audio gear we're really feeling in early 2020.
There is no shortage of true wireless earbuds nowadays. Although new, this product category has taken the audio world by storm and appealed to most users thanks to a combination of convenience, portability, and longer listening time between charges. The first generation of products was expensive and riddled with issues, but with time, we're seeing more and more good affordable options, like Anker's Soundcore portfolio.The company first dipped its toes in this market less than two years ago with the Zolo Liberty and Liberty+, but has since done what it's wont to do by releasing model after model across many price points and form factors. Its new line-up, announced in September, forges on in the same direction, with a few noteworthy additions: USB-C and wireless charging on many models, and a high-end option for picky listeners. Here, I'll be looking at the latter, the 0 Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro as well as the more affordable 0 Soundcore Liberty Air 2.
Power accessories are important because they can be dangerous, but they really just fall into three broad camps: legitimately unsafe, odd, and fine. The best you can hope for is for an adapter to meet its specs as defined without doing anything wrong, hazardous, or suffering any incompatibility issues — in other words, the best chargers are just "fine." In that fine tradition, the $40, gallium nitrite-powered, Type-C, 60W, Anker PowerPort Atom III perfectly meets our expectations.
Blue Yeti X is one of the best consumer mics available for under $200
Everything good about the original has been updated for live streaming
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The default hardware kit for most podcasters and live streamers consists of two widely known products: A Logitech webcam and a Blue Yeti microphone. The Yeti has become one of the most popular all-around mics on the market because it delivers high quality, versatility, and a distinctive look without breaking the bank. Blue is now launching a new member in the lineup called the Yeti X, taking everything from the original, but adding great lighting and powerful audio processing capabilities that will appeal to podcasters and a rapidly growing market of game streamers.