Tech Gadgets

I had honestly given up hope that the Apple Watch would ever last more than a day. It had always topped out at eighteen hours for as long as I’ve been wearing one, and at some point, I just accepted that daily charging was part of the deal. Low Power Mode gave me a little extra time, but it felt like a bit of a compromise. For me, the increased battery life is the most significant improvement. The jump from LTE to 5G is a huge win for people who use their smartwatch without their phone. The new high blood pressure alerts could be life-changing, but I was more impressed to learn this feature isn’t exclusive to the Series 11.

It's nice, but the phone sits at about a 60-degree angle, so for video calls, the camera looks 50% at the ceiling. I have to put something under the back to prop the phone up so it's almost straight, just to make video calls on Teams or Zoom. For some reason, it also has a huge base. The Twelve South model is much smaller and has no problem with video calls. The USB-C cable that comes with it is useless because it’s only like 2 feet long, so you’ll have to budget to buy a longer one. At $75, the Twelve South is better and costs $25 less.

This portable power bank is awesome. Maybe I'm new to the world of portable chargers, but I feel like you can't beat this, especially for the low price. You get 10,000mAh, which is enough for two full phone charges for flagship models from Samsung and Apple. Plus, it has a cool built-in screen that shows how much charge is left and an estimated time until it's fully charged. I think the most standout feature is the built-in USB-C cable that can be used to both charge the power bank and your device, so you always have a solution! I highly recommend it—I don't leave home without this thing!

This is perfect for charging your phone, watch, and AirPods all on your nightstand. It's a little too big compared to an adapter with cables for travel, so I wouldn't take this with me on a trip. But for a nightstand accessory, I'm super happy with it. It’s worth noting—and this isn't Belkin's fault—that if you have a case with a metal ring or stand on the back, it will get in the way of the wireless charging. I have a Quadlock case with a ring accessory on the back, so I just take the ring off at night before I place my phone on the charger, and then it works perfectly. (Otherwise, it won't even stay put or start charging.) This is just a note about compatibility, not a design flaw. I definitely recommend this product for nightstand use.

Just like most Anker wall plugs, this one has an unbelievably fast charging speed. I have a Samsung S23 and only recently found out it has a "super charge" feature. I also use AINOPE with my Anker plug, and they're very compatible and durable, making the charging speed crazy fast. This charger has two USB-C ports and one USB port. For the price, it's definitely worth it. Fun fact: This one is cheaper but a little bigger than their other wall plug, which is smaller and more expensive, but that doesn't take away from how good this one is.

This camera is only useful if you have the 24/7 surveillance setting turned on in the app. They also offer a cloud service called Kasa Care for $3 a month. I don't understand why the camera can't just send you a snapshot of what triggered it. The video quality is excellent for how cheap it is, so I'm keeping it, but that's a huge flaw that makes it less useful. It seems like it could be fixed easily with a simple software update. Since I already have three Kasa smart light units, I decided to add a Kasa camera to my setup. I went for the higher-resolution QHD version, and the extra $10 was totally worth it. The Kasa app works fine, but there's no PC version for Windows or Mac, so I can only use it on my phone or tablet. I'm going to get a micro SD card for recording, which apparently has a maximum storage limit of 256 GB. I also like that you can turn off the light that shows the unit is on, although if you have the tracking feature enabled, the movement of the lens and the whirring noise it makes are a dead giveaway.

I own a bunch of premium headphones, including the Bang & Olufsen H95, Bose 700, Bose QC 2, and Air Pod Max, but I have to say the Sony 1000XM6 are by far the best-sounding ones I own. I love the way the black looks on these XM6s. Even though they’re made entirely of plastic, they don't feel cheap at all. They're very lightweight, with incredibly clear audio and a very responsive touch control sensor. The power button is also easy to see. The app can be a little tricky to set up the first time, but after that, it's great. The noise cancellation is even better than Bose's, which I can’t believe I'm saying, given their legendary status in that area. I paid $1,000 for the Bang & Olufsen H95s, and the XM6s blow them out of the water while costing almost $700 less. The H95s do have a slightly better build quality, but I’m totally in love with the XM6s. The battery is also fantastic. I've had them for five days and only had to charge them once, on the day I bought them. I do plan to get the Bose QC Ultras eventually, as I've heard they're on par with the XM6s. Still, the XM6 is the best headset I've owned so far.