Reviews

With Apple's discontinuation of the Pro Display XDR earlier this year, Mac users looking for a larger high-resolution display suddenly found themselves with fewer options on the market. Apple's current display lineup now includes its 27-inch Studio Display and ‌Studio Display‌ XDR, both of which offer excellent image quality and tight macOS integration, but neither provides the larger 32-inch form...

BenQ is expanding its display lineup with the MA320UG, a 32-inch 4K 120Hz display designed for Mac users. BenQ's new $830 display connects to a Mac using Thunderbolt 4, and provides up to 96W charging. The MA320UG has an appealing design with a silver aluminum stand and a round height-adjustment arm that has up to 150mm of travel. It can be used in landscape or portrait mode by rotating,...

CalDigit is best known for its docks and hubs, and it has two options designed for Apple's latest Macs. I reviewed the larger $500 20-port TS5 Plus last summer, and for the last couple of weeks, I've been testing the $400 15-port TS5 that launched a bit later than the premium model, and the smaller $250 Element 5 Hub. TS5 The TS5 is probably the Thunderbolt 5 dock that I would recommend if...

iPhone accessory maker Ugreen recently came out with a new Nexode Air charger and MagFlow Air power bank, two products that are designed for Apple users. MagFlow Air The $60 MagFlow Air is a 10,000mAh Qi2 power bank that also has a built-in USB-C cable. The power bank is 4.4 inches long, 2.75 inches wide, and 0.55 inches thick. It has some weight to it, and feels like a good quality device. ...

Accessory maker Satechi released its first Thunderbolt 5 dock earlier this year, debuting the $400 Thunderbolt 5 CubeDock. Satechi's dock combines Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with the traditional ports you expect from a dock, plus extra SSD storage thanks to an added SSD enclosure. Satechi likes to make things shaped like the Mac mini, and the CubeDock gives ‌Mac mini‌ vibes. It's five inches...

Bluetti's Elite 10 Mini Power Station is larger than your average iPhone or iPad power bank, but it's still small enough to be portable. It's ideal for camping, day trips, barbecues, or to have on hand in case of a power outage. It's also a design that works well on a desktop thanks to the included ports. The Elite 10 has a 128Wh capacity, which is enough to charge a MacBook Neo almost three ...

The Level Lock Pro is Level's latest smart lock, featuring Matter connectivity for Apple Home, multiple unlocking methods, door status, and the unassuming design that Level products are known for. I've tested and reviewed several great HomeKit-compatible smart locks, but Level Locks are my personal favorite because of the look. From both the inside and the outside, Level Locks look like a...

Smart home device maker Aqara launched the Camera Hub G350 in March, and it is the first Matter-certified smart camera on the market. Cameras are included in Matter 1.5, and while Apple doesn't support Matter cameras yet, Aqara's camera still works with Apple Home. For Apple users, Matter integration doesn't provide any benefit, but it adds cross-platform support for Google Home, Alexa,...

There are multiple companies making bird feeders with AI identification that send you pictures and info on the birds visiting your home, and Birdfy is one of the better-known brand names. I've reviewed and regularly use multiple Bird Buddy products, so when Birdfy asked if I wanted to give their bird feeders a look last winter, I said yes. Birdfy has a lot of bird feeder options at different ...

A couple of years ago, I reviewed iVANKY's FusionDock Max 1, a powerful Mac dock utilizing dual Thunderbolt chips and dual-cable connectivity to drive 20 ports of various types for extreme versatility. Since that time, iVANKY has taken things further with the 23-port FusionDock Max 2 and now the 26-port FusionDock Ultra, and I've spent the past few weeks testing out the top-of-the-line FusionDock ...

Last year, accessory maker Nimble came out with the Wally Stretch power adapters, and they've become some of my favorite charging options. The Wally Stretch is available in 35W and 65W options, and it has an excellent design. It's a simple cube with prongs that fold down, a retractable USB-C cable, and an extra USB-C port. The 65W model that I tested is thicker than the comparable 70W Apple...

SwitchBot makes some of the most affordable HomeKit-compatible robot vacuums on the market. I've been testing the SwitchBot S20 and the K11+ for the last several months to see how they measure up to some of the more expensive models that I've reviewed. SwitchBot S20 The MSRP for the S20 is $799, but SwitchBot runs sales often that drop the price to under $500, so it's competitive with some...

Smart home device manufacturer Aqara today launched the Thermostat Hub W200, a new Matter-enabled thermostat that comes with several features that set it apart from existing smart thermostat options. The W200 is Aqara's first thermostat created for North America, and I've been testing two of them for the last couple of months prior to launch. The W200 is a thermostat, but it's also a...

Last month, tech columnist David Pogue released a new book titled Apple: The First 50 Years. In the U.S., the hardcover book is regularly priced at $50, but it is currently on sale for around $35 on Amazon as of the time of this writing. Published ahead of Apple's 50th anniversary on April 1, the 600-page book explores the first five decades of the company's history. Pogue interviewed 150...

Accessory company Alogic has been releasing an increasing number of displays, and the latest model arrives as a 40-inch 5K2K ultrawide model that joins existing 34-inch and 40-inch 4K models in the Edge family. I've been testing out the new 40-inch 5K2K model for the past few months, and I've found it to be a solid display offering major screen real estate for productivity users. As a...

Smart lock company Nuki today launched the Keypad 2 NFC, which is the first keypad that includes support for Aliro. Aliro is a smart lock standard that supports interoperability between mobile devices and platforms, allowing smart locks to work with any smartphone or wearable device without the need for a dedicated app. Aliro was designed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which...

Govee today introduced its newest lighting product, Matter-enabled string lights with chromatic bulbs that have multiple LEDs inside. The Govee Chromatic String Lights feature large, pill-shaped bulbs that can display multiple colors at once, creating unique lighting effects. Priced starting at $170, the Chromatic String Lights come in a 32.8-foot strand with 10 bulbs or a 65.6-foot strand...

The first reviews of the MacBook Neo were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the laptop launching on Wednesday. Available in Blush, Citrus, Indigo, and Silver, the MacBook Neo is powered by a version of the A18 Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro. The laptop is equipped with a 13-inch display, up to 512GB of storage, and a non-configurable 8GB of RAM....

The first reviews of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple's M5 Pro and M5 Max chips were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the laptops launching on Wednesday. In addition to the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the new MacBook Pro models offer up to twice as fast SSD speeds compared to the previous generation, and storage now starts at 1TB. ...

With the Studio Display and ‌Studio Display‌ XDR set to launch on Wednesday, members of the media have started publishing their reviews of the new display options. According to The Verge, the ‌Studio Display‌ is the same panel as the prior model, but with an upgraded camera, speakers, and ports. The brightness is the same, and there appear to be no other changes to the display quality. The...