It’s been well over four years since Google graced us with a pair of budget-friendly Pixel Buds, but after rejuvenating its Pro entry with a vastly-improved second-gen pair, that’s exactly what we got at this year’s Pixel 10 launch event.
After years of choosing the smallest smartwatch, I spent the last six months with the 45mm Pixel Watch 3. In going back to the 41mm Pixel Watch 4, I think this size class needs to grow, literally, to address how just one aspect is holding back an otherwise great device.
Where Android foldables are making massive jumps in form factor, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold seemingly sits stagnant. That’s where small changes make a massive difference, even if that means it isn’t cutting edge anymore.
Google’s Pixel Watch series has, at first glance, only evolved slightly in its various generations. But the latest Pixel Watch 4 is a bit more than meets the eye, and it’s also the smartwatch that Google has always wanted.
Nothing gets a lot of attention around its smartphones nowadays, but audio products are what made a name for the company. Over the past week, I’ve had the chance to check out the Nothing Ear (3), the fourth-generation earbuds from Nothing, and I’ve got mixed feelings.
Yale’s latest Smart Lock no longer bears the “Nest” tag, but Google Home still prefers it over other options. For the first time, it’s supported by just about any smart home ecosystem with Matter, an absolute win for the veteran lock-maker.
Ecovacs has made a name for itself by producing some excellent robot cleaners that cover vacuuming and mopping around the house. It isn’t uncommon for a new flagship offering to bring welcome yet iterative changes to the user, but this time is a little different. The Deebot X11 Omnicyclone from Ecovacs ditches one of the most annoying and repetitive parts about robot vacuums, and it makes massive changes in charging that mean it rarely stops running.
Google Pixel hit the scene in 2016 and, ever since, Google has been trying to figure out how it wants to build a flagship Android smartphone. It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride in one way or another, but after a week using the Pixel 10 Pro XL, I think, for better or worse, this is the culmination of Google’s efforts thus far.
We’ve spent some quality time with the Honor Magic V5 over the last few weeks, and among rather massive launches surrounding its release in Europe and the UK, the Magic V5 is a well-built device that stands against giants. So how does it hold up?
The Pixel 10 feels like the biggest, broadest step into its own space since the introduction of the Pixel Pro lineup and the base model. It not only sits in the “best” position it can, but it is not as easy to recommend as I had initially hoped.
While AI’s chatbot UI and prompt-based nature showcases the natural-language prowess of LLMs, I think a text field is daunting for most people. I see last year’s Pixel 9 Pro as very much belonging to that initial wave of AI features where LLM capabilities are something you seek out by opening an app. In 12 months, Google has more naturally integrated AI into the core Pixel 10 Pro experience.
As a long-time Galaxy Watch Classic fan, I’ve been sitting idly by for the past two years waiting to see what Samsung does for the next generation. The Galaxy Watch 8 Classic clearly brings Samsung into a new era of design, cementing what one previous model set up last year, and it’s for the better.
The idea of a foldable phone, still, several years in, feels like a novel one. As new releases have hit the market, they’ve continually improved and addressed some of the biggest complaints. That’s all led to today, where the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is not only a massive improvement over what came before, but also just flat out the best foldable phone that most people can buy today, begging the question of whether or not the Fold 7 is enough to make you want to buy a foldable.
As much as I have always loved having a robot vacuum around that connects to my Google Home ecosystem, I’ve still always felt like they fall short in small ways. The X8 Pro Omni from Ecovacs finally feels like an option that doesn’t, and that’s all you need.
The Android tablet market was devoid of decent options for a long time, but we’re finally seeing new options pop up. Lenovo’s Legion Tab is what really garnered attention earlier this year, but after spending a few weeks with the Redmagic Astra, I think it’s clear that this is a near-perfect version of a compact Android tablet, thanks in large part to its specs and OLED display.
Nothing mostly gets eyes for its smartphones at this point, but it’s audio that put this brand on the map. Over time, Nothing has built up a reputation for delivering excellent value in its audio products and rock solid sound quality at the same time. The Nothing Ear series blew away my expectations last year, so I was thrilled to hear the company was working on a pair of over-ear headphones. After hours of listening, though, I have mixed feelings about Nothing Headphone (1), as they don’t quite deliver the same charm as the earbuds.
In many ways, the Galaxy S25 Ultra signifies the industry’s acceptance that big changes are sort of “done” and that incremental updates are the way forward. That should be a negative, but the truth is that this is still one of the most complete packages on Android and maybe the best outright phone you can buy.
Minimal has set out to fix a problem. Social media fatigue, doom-scrolling, and endless screen time are side effects of efficient phones, and the Minimal Phone’s entire purpose is to slow you down. It does that, but it also makes you actively hate using your phone.
One of the biggest problems around flip phones has long been the compromise that comes in its form factor. Lesser cameras, smaller batteries, worse performance, and so many more are par for the course for these devices. But with the new Motorola Razr Ultra, we’re getting a device that tries to solve all of those problems and mostly succeeds, but it comes at a cost.
In 2025, the wearable market can be easily divided into a couple of categories. The watch or wrist wearable seems to be the most popular option, simply driven by the number of options available to choose from. The ring wearable tracker, however, offers a different set of conveniences, but it isn’t for everyone. In that second category, the Oura Ring 4 is easily our favorite option.
Roborock is one of the biggest and best names in robot vacuums, and the company is trying something new this year with the Saros 10 and Saros 10R being extremely similar in many ways – including their price – but with each having a key strength. Which one is better? I’ve spent the last two months trying to find out.
Android tablets are making a comeback after years of being something disappointing because, well, why wouldn’t you just buy an iPad instead? As Android as a platform has improved tablet support and as Google has pushed harder for tablet-optimized apps, the experience has gotten a lot better. The limitation, then, came in hardware, as tablets have either been huge and powerful, or tiny and bordering on unusable. For years, I’ve been wanting a compact Android tablet with flagship specs, and that’s finally what the Lenovo Legion Tab has delivered – even though it’s technically still not a product designed for me.
Compared to past years, the 2025 A-Series doesn’t feel like a variant of the main line. Rather, the Google Pixel 9a is its own thing that most people will be quite happy with.
The Nothing Phone (2a) was one of my favorite phones of 2024, combining an excellent price point with a really good overall experience. Now, the Nothing Phone (3a) series has arrived and after using both devices, I think the company has nailed it yet again, but I also think there’s a clear choice for customers.