Reviews - page 11

Apple gave reviewers early access to a soon-to-be-released software update that allows AirPods Pro 2 to go beyond providing entertainment to become hearing aids. They report that the wireless earbuds really do help people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

There’s also a huge cost advantage, but there are limitations that keep AirPods from being the right solution for everyone.

After a full day of toiling inside Vision Pro, I often keep my headset on for evening entertainment — shows, games or looking at photos. Vision Pro has almost completely replaced my television. It enables a new way of watching videos as well; I watch video all around the house as I wander about doing chores.

The Vision Pro also excels for perusing my photo library. It’s the best way to view photos ever — and by a huge margin. Spatial photos are unbelievable. Videos look fantastic. Panoramas, a largely forgotten feature, are mind-blowing.

In other areas, Vision Pro disappoints. I’ve played some super fun games, but gaming isn’t a serious thing on Vision Pro yet. And while Apple’s own immersive 3D movies on Apple TV+ are super cool, it feels like we’ve only been given an appetizer.

Watch our video or keep reading for more detail.

Apple gave the iPad mini a surprise refresh with faster internals and other minor upgrades. The highlight is Apple Intelligence support, bringing Apple’s AI suite of tools to its smallest iPad.

So, should you ditch your iPad mini 6 for these upgrades? Or hold on to it for another year or two? Find out in our iPad mini 7 vs. iPad mini 6 comparison.

The new Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless noise-canceling earbuds are the flagship of Anker’s Soundcore earbuds lineup, promising and delivering great sound and high-end features at a more accessible price point than some competitors, like AirPods Pro 2. After putting the Liberty Pro buds through their paces in various scenarios, I’m happy to recommend them for most users in this Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro earbuds review.

And that nifty new charging case with display screen and touch bar is pretty cool. But it’s a bit of a gimmick because it doesn’t do anything you can’t do with the app or touch controls. That said, most earbuds charging cases don’t have those features at all (yet).

After eight months of using my Apple Vision Pro, I’ve found it immensely useful for my writing work. I try to spend as much time writing with my Vision Pro as possible.

There’s still a lot I have to do on my Mac — but the work I can do from the Vision Pro is so good that I can’t wait for the platform to develop and grow even further.

Watch our video or keep reading to learn how.

Opal Tadpole acts as a replacement for the webcam in your laptop or tablet. Clip the well-built gadget to an older MacBook and you’ll look better on video calls.

I tested one with multiple computers to see how Tadpole stands up in real world use — and whether it might make a good gift this holiday season.

As a longtime iPhone user — now with a new iPhone 16 Pro — I like to flirt with the idea of going naked, with no case at all. But then I usually wimp out and go minimal instead. Totallee has built its reputation on barely-there minimalism, so I thought I’d give the Totallee Super Thin Case, Clear Grip Case and tempered glass screen protector a try. And true to form, Totallee iPhone cases offer protection without bulk. To my surprise, I liked the thin case and screen protector combo the most. It just seems like my black titanium iPhone, but with more grip and added peace of mind.

The new Soundcore Space One Pro wireless noise-canceling headphones generated some buzz in the audio community, promising top-notch sound quality and advanced features for a typically reasonable price from Anker’s audio brand. Keen to see if they’d live up to expectations, I tried them out. And I found that they’re great at the list price of $200. But when the price dips — and it usually does — they’ll become an absolutely fantastic value. Read my Soundcore Space One Pro headphones review below for more information.

Twelve South PlugBug is the first power supply to support Apple’s Find My technology. That means the USB-C wall charger can be located with an iPhone app, and it warns its owner if it’s being left behind in a coffee shop or hotel room.

One version includes a pair of ports and puts out 50W. A second has four USB-C ports and 120W.

I put PlugBug through real-world testing, and came out loving it.

If you got a new iPhone 16 series smartphone, you probably want to protect it with a new case. And if you’re into classic materials, you can’t go wrong with a Mujjo Full Leather Case for iPhone, one of  best-looking and best-made leather cases out there. For this Mujjo leather iPhone case review, I tried it out on my new iPhone 16 Pro in three different colors.

Attach the Pebblebee Clip to your keys, backpack or purse and you won’t need to worry about misplacing your item or leaving it behind. You can locate the missing item with your iPhone (or Android), or have the tracker tag play an audible alarm.

The item tracker is a rival to Apple’s AirTag, and both use Apple’s Find My network so they can be located almost anywhere on Earth. But Pebblebee has a new advantage: it just launched a Universal version that supports either Apple’s or Google’s similar tracking service.

I tested the new version of Pebblebee’s tracker tag and found a lot to like. It even improves on Apple’s offering, but not in every way.

Wifi Porter takes the hassle out of letting friends or guests access your wireless network. Just tap this accessory from Ten One Design with your iPhone or Android device and the login details will be transferred. 

The hardware is attractive, and it’s certainly a unique idea. We went hands on to see how it works in real life.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunite in darkly madcap comedy-thriller Wolfs, an Apple Original Film that started streaming on Apple TV+ Friday. For those who love to see modern takes on classic Hollywood vehicles where stars pretty much play themselves — and for anyone who just wants a good popcorn flick with lots of gunplay and humor — there’s no shortage of reasons to watch Wolfs. But those same traits may deter others, of course.

Apple’s newest MagSafe Charger offers faster wireless charging than its predecessor when used with an iPhone 16. However, it does not live up to Apple’s claim of powering up the newest iOS handsets as quickly as a USB-C cable.

I tested the new power puck with an iPhone 16 to see how fast it can charge, and how warm it makes the handset. Here’s what I found out.

AirPods 4 bring professional-grade features to Apple’s non-Pro earbuds. Fairly good active noise cancellation sits at the top of the list of additions, which is a surprise because the earbuds lack foam ear tips.

Apple did tweak the design to make them more comfortable and secure. And the company improved the audio quality, too. Especially the bass. How does all this play out in real-world testing? Read our hands-on AirPods 4 review to find out.

If you snatched up an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro — congrats! Now it’s time to consider how you’ll protect it. New iPhones aren’t fragile, and plenty of people go caseless to show off their handset’s sleek lines and cool color. But imagine how bummed you’ll be if you drop it and break it. Fortunately, there are already plenty of protective new cases to choose from.

 After all, case-makers anticipate the new iPhone every year, and they bring the variety. You could go minimal with a thin case that works well with iPhone 16’s sleek design. You might seek extreme impact resistance for the most damaging drops. Or maybe you’d pick a luxurious leather that only looks better with age. For those looking for durable yet stylish protection, brands like Spigen offer a variety of well-crafted options.

We rounded up the best options you can buy right now — in addition to cases by Apple and its subsidiary Beats — with prices starting at less than $20, below.

John Gruber’s three keys to internet success are:

1. A fussy way to make coffee
2. A clicky keyboard
3. A SodaStream

I’m no longer 12 years old, so I’ll skip No. 3, but I’m so deep into Nos. 1 and 2 that it more than makes up for my aversion to carbonated drinks. The keyboard is the majestic Filco Majestouch 2. And the fussy coffee method is the AeroPress.

The iPhone 16 Pro is a much-refined iPhone. All the features that make the it pro have been improved. The cameras are better, faster and higher-resolution. The screens are bigger, the bezels smaller, the chips faster. Even Siri works better!

But the bright colors of the iPhone 16 are swaying a lot of people back to the entry-level models, and I don’t blame them. The iPhone 16 Pro is for those who want the top 10%, the uncompromising best-of-the-best — if you can live with a gray phone.

This year, the best gets a little better all around. Keep reading or watch the video.

I’d like to save you between $200 and $400. It’s easy: Don’t assume you must buy an iPhone 16 Pro or Pro Max to get an excellent handset. The more-affordable iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are both brilliant.

Traditionally, customers choose the basic iPhone because they’re willing to forgo cutting-edge features to get a cheaper device. But the gap between iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus versus the Pro versions proves quite narrow. My time reviewing Apple’s latest iPhones shows that if you go with a “regular” iPhone this year, you will give up less than you think in exchange for significant savings.

I find going to the mall for an Apple Store sales event exciting yet brutally soul-sapping, even when a preorder makes pick-up relatively easy. But it’s well worth it when it results in the excellent new Apple Watch Series 10 on my wrist. I actually couldn’t wait to write this Apple Watch Series 10 review.

Larger, thinner, lighter and more lushly curvaceous than predecessors, the 10th anniversary Apple Watch is, technically, a redesign. But it feels like a bunch of iterative improvements more than a huge overhaul. And yet those small changes simply add up to great — with only a couple of small caveats.

Rather than Apple Watch Ultra 3, we got the Ultra 2 in a “satin black” titanium finish. This might be more disappointing if early reviewers weren’t raving about the new color.

“It looks sick as hell,” said The Verge reviewer.

The charging station’s compact design makes it one of the smaller MagSafe-compatible docks I’ve seen that supports 15W fast charging. Measuring just 3.07 x 2.36 x 2.36 inches, it’s small enough for travel if you have space in your bag or for keeping your workspace tidy because it doesn’t take up much space. The charger’s build quality is top-notch, featuring a tilting top charging panel for MagSafe iPhones that adjusts up to 70 degrees for a better viewing angle. This flexibility allows me to easily see notifications or watch videos while my device charges. It’s great for Standby mode, too. If you’d like to know more about similar charging solutions, check out this review.

Early reviews for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus say the base handsets close the gap between them and the Pro models. With the new Action and Camera Control buttons, the powerful new A18 chip, camera improvements and the promise of upcoming Apple Intelligence functionality, users with older models have plenty of reason to upgrade from older models (especially iPhone Series 14 and older). Read our iPhone 16 review roundup to find out more.

As Apple Watch celebrates its 10th anniversary, Series 10 has arrived with a suite of refinements rather than revolutionary changes, our Apple Watch 10 review roundup found. And that’s despite the fact that a redesign took place to make the wearable larger yet slimmer. Let’s dive into what reviewers say this latest iteration brings to the table, including a larger display, faster charging and sleep apnea detection.

The first reviews of Apple AirPods 4 are in to answer the question, how well does active noise cancellation work without foam ear tips? The consensus: pretty well.

Early reviewers of the new wireless earbuds also had plenty to say about fit, sound quality and more.