Reviews

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...

The first reviews of the iPhone 17e were published today by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching on Wednesday. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone 16e, but it gained Apple's A19 chip, MagSafe for magnetic wireless charging and magnetic accessories, and Apple's second-generation C1X cellular modem. In the U.S., the iPhone 17e starts...

The first reviews of the iPad Air with the M4 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. The new ‌iPad Air‌ features the M4 chip, 12GB of memory, the N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity, and Apple's C1X modem on cellular models. Everything else remains unchanged compared to last year's M3 model. ...

Govee makes just about every kind of light you can think of, and many of those are Matter-capable and able to connect to HomeKit. Earlier this year, Govee came out with a series of Matter star projectors, which you can hook up to your Apple Home setup. There are three new projectors, including the Star Light Projector Nebula, the Star Light Projector Ocean Wave, and the higher-end Galaxy...

Anker is well-known for its charging accessories, including the Solix line of high-capacity power stations. Earlier this year, Anker came out with a new Solix C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station, which I've been testing for the last several months. The C1000 has your standard power station aesthetic, made from durable black and gray plastic. It has two handles at the sides, which makes it...

Bluetti's Elite 30 V2 that came out earlier this year is a portable power station that's ideal for short trips, plus it works well as a temporary backup for powering small electronics in a power outage. The Elite 30 V2 is one of many power stations that Bluetti offers, and it is on the smaller, more compact side with a 288-watt-hour capacity. This is the first Bluetti power station that I've ...

Satechi offers several accessories that include Find My integration, all of which either have more convenient form factors than the AirTag or expanded versatility. The Satechi FindAll range includes a Passport Cover, Glasses Case, Luggage Tag, Card, and Keychain, several of which I've been testing for the last few months. The entire range is made from a vegan leather material that's pleasant ...

Ecovacs recently came out with its newest robot vacuum, the Deebot X11 Omnicyclone. Like the last couple of models, this new vacuum has Matter integration and it's able to connect to HomeKit so it can be sent off to clean the floor with Siri voice commands. Design The X11 is the same size as the prior-generation X9, coming in at 3.86 inches tall. I've tested several robot vacuums now, and...

It's been over four years since Apple launched its Find My network accessory program, and unlike the AirTag, Find My-compatible devices have been evolving. Chipolo recently came out with a pair of new accessories that integrate with ‌Find My‌, the Loop and the Card. Prior to this review, I saw some complaints that prior Chipolo products stopped working after a few months, so I wanted to do a...

Last month, Mophie announced the launch of its Max Charging Stand. Aimed squarely at those with multiple sets of Apple's headphones, it can charge AirPods Max headphones plus a pair of AirPods or AirPods Pro at the same time. Priced at $150, it immediately garnered criticism in our forum, largely over its price point compared to its functionality. But is it actually worth it? I've spent a...

Bird Buddy is a company known for its camera-equipped bird feeder, a product that started out on Kickstarter. Since debuting the original bird feeder in 2021, Bird Buddy has expanded its product lineup, giving people more ways to bring nature indoors. I first reviewed the Bird Buddy last year, but I am revisiting my review because there's an upgraded camera that's now available, along with a ...

The first reviews of the 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. Apple began accepting pre-orders last week. Geekbench 6 benchmark results for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro already surfaced prior to today, revealing that the M5 chip is up to around 20% faster in the laptop, compared to...

The first reviews of the Vision Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. The updated Vision Pro ships with a more comfortable Dual Knit Band in the box. Plus, the headset now supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in reduced motion blur and a smoother experience while using the Mac Virtual...

The first reviews of the iPad Pro with the M5 chip have been shared by selected publications and YouTube channels, ahead of the device launching this Wednesday. The new iPad Pro has up to a 15% faster CPU, and up to a 35% faster GPU, compared to the previous generation. Models with 256GB and 512GB of storage have a 9-core CPU, while 1TB and 2TB configurations have a full 10-core CPU. The...

Popular accessory maker Anker recently came out with a new "Nano" line of products, and I've been testing them out for the last few weeks. All of the products are great, and Anker's ultra slim power bank in particular is appealing for those who are planning to pick up the iPhone Air. Nano Power Bank Anker's MagGo Nano Power Bank is a 5,000mAh Qi2 power bank that attaches to the back of your ...

The first reviews of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have now been published by selected media outlets and YouTube channels, offering a closer look at the device ahead of Friday's launch. The iPhone 17 Pro models feature one of the biggest design changes to the device in years, moving to an aluminum unibody frame and a full-width rear camera plateau. New color options include Silver, ...

The first set of reviews are out for the new 6.3-inch base iPhone 17 model ahead of the full ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup launching on Friday. As noted in our buyer's guide, the ‌iPhone 17‌ features Apple's biggest display upgrade to a non-Pro model in years, with a larger 6.3-inch display (up from 6.1 inches) and a 120Hz ProMotion display for refresh rates up to 120Hz. There are also some major camera...