OnePlus has officially unleashed the stable OxygenOS 12 update which is based upon Android 12. Thanks to the early beta phases we had a good idea of what to expect – and that is ColorOS Lite.

Do-it-yourself home security has been the way to go for many, with the costs of cameras and other smart home gear coming down and getting more reliable. Google’s Nest lineup has long been among the best in this arena even though it comes at a cost. After several years, Google is finally refreshing its Nest Cam lineup with the arrival of a brand-new lineup that’s headlined by the Nest Cam (battery). Is it a worthwhile upgrade? Let’s dig in.

Smart home cameras are an easy way to add a layer of security to your home or to just keep an eye on things remotely. Google’s Nest Cam lineup has long fulfilled that purpose, but in the six years since its previous indoor camera release, the competition has stepped up. Finally, Google has released a new Nest Cam (wired) for a lower price than ever, but the choice isn’t as clear as it used to be.

Despite the rise of mobile gaming and the continual evolution of controllers, a keyboard and mouse remain the best way to play some games, especially shooters. If you want a way to bring the accuracy of a keyboard and mouse to your favorite mobile and cloud games, the KeyMander 2 Mobile is the best way to do so, but it will come at a cost.

The Pixel 6 series is a reinvention of the company’s smartphone lineup, and that’s obvious on the Pro. The standard model, however, takes a step back with a design that feels more Google-ly, with specs that hold up to that flagship and a price that arguably makes it the best deal for a smartphone today.

2016 marked a major year for Google, with the launch of Assistant and its first self-made smartphone, the Google Pixel. It was a launch that changed the game for how we thought about Google’s hardware ambitions, but several generations in, things weren’t exactly working out all that well. The Pixel 5, despite being a relatively good phone, was a low point for the entire series. But finally, everything seems to have clicked into place. The Pixel 6 Pro is Google’s first true flagship with top-tier specs and the company’s own chipset under the hood, and it’s exactly what Google needed to put out at this moment in time.

Samsung is now at its third generation of flagship foldables, and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the pinnacle of its achievements to date. Between better, more durable hardware, evolving foldable technology, and prices that keep inching their way down to sanity, the Fold 3 is a showcase for refinement in this field. But is it ready for the average customer?

The explosion of Chrome OS over the past 18 to 20 months and at-home working similarly expanding unlike ever before, it’s refreshing to know that you don’t need to deal with cheap, underpowered Windows laptops or PCs to get actual work done. A case in point is the excellent Acer Chromebook Spin 713.

Most smart home gear isn’t for everyone, but a smart doorbell is a piece of tech that arguably most folks should have installed. Google’s Nest Hello was one of the best options for a smart doorbell for years, but it came at a hefty cost and, as the competition improved, fell behind on many features. The new Nest Doorbell brings an updated design, a built-in battery, and several more new features. 

For years now, the smartwatch market has not been kind to Android users. The Apple Watch only works with iPhones. Fitness watches are usually great for health but not-so-great at being a smartwatch. And as for Google’s Wear OS, it’s been stagnant for years. Samsung’s Tizen platform and Galaxy Watch lineup were the only saving grace, but even that had its own complications if you weren’t using it alongside a Galaxy smartphone. Now, Samsung has moved from Tizen to Google’s revamped Wear OS 3 with the Galaxy Watch 4, and we’re finally getting somewhere.

One of the downsides of Google’s second-gen Pixel Buds, as well as their mid-range successor the Pixel Buds A, is that there’s no noise cancellation. With powerful competition like the AirPods Pro and the Galaxy Buds Pro both packing noise cancellation, it was a shame to see the Pixel Buds skip it.

In its place though, the most unique aspect of the Pixel Buds series is their ability to respond to the “Hey Google” hotword, which up to this point had not been replicated on any third-party earbuds. That is, until now. JBL’s latest true wireless earbuds, the JBL Tour Pro+, are the first third-party earbuds to have full Google Assistant integration, including audible notifications and “Hey Google” support.

Foldable smartphones offer a lot of potential, but price has always been a prohibitive factor. For the first time, Samsung has dropped pricing considerably this generation, with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 coming in at $999. With a price like that, is there any reason to stick with a traditional smartphone?

You can buy truly wireless earbuds at just about any price point now, whether that’s super-premium options that cost well over $200 or super-affordable options that cost just $20. It’s the middle ground, though, which I find the most interesting. That’s where Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 2 sit, and they accomplish their given task very well.

Ahead of its launch, many believed the Pixel 5a would simply be a rehash of the Pixel 4a 5G. However, having used it, I now believe the Google Pixel 5a with 5G carries the torch of the Pixel 5 to counteract costly flagship phones.

As Google’s Android TV platform continues to expand, the TVs running it are only getting better. For the past couple of months, I’ve been using the Hisense U8G that runs Android TV with a great display, and importantly, much better software performance than I expected.

Google’s Android TV platform has been around for nearly seven years, but it’s only taken on traction in the past two or three. The reason? Primarily, hardware has been hard to find and, more specifically, affordable hardware. That’s why the Walmart “onn” 4K streaming box is so important — it’s one of the most affordable Android TV devices to date. 

Samsung’s foray into the the affordable spectrum has improved year-over-year, and the Galaxy A52 5G might be the best of the bunch.

It’s taken a while, but only the second smartwatch to come packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 has arrived in the guise of the TicWatch E3, which oddly, is the second such watch from Mobvoi.

It feels like each and every week, a newer, cheaper, more powerful Android smartphone is released. The latest such device to hit shelves in European markets is the Realme GT – which turns out to be very impressive.

With the rise of mobile gaming and more recently cloud gaming, the need has never been greater for a reliable and affordable controller for your Android phone. But does the GameSir X2 rise to the occasion? Let’s find out.

After a flawed first attempt at wireless earbuds in 2017, the second-generation Pixel Buds were, on paper, an absolute win for Google. However, over time, audio cutouts and complaints about battery life soured some users on the $180 earbuds. Now, the Pixel Buds A-Series are making their debut with virtually the same design, but a price that’s nearly cut in half.

After using them for the past week, I can definitively say they’re the better product.

The Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro is a good phone trapped between two price points and living in the shadow of the excellent Poco F3.

Smartwatches for Android are a tough subject. Wear OS works, but it has a lot of flaws. Samsung’s Tizen-based smartwatches are great, but they’re also pretty expensive and work best on Samsung’s own smartphones. Fitbit smartwatches are excellent for fitness, but not so amazing for smart features. That’s why there was a lot of excitement for OnePlus to debut its own smartwatch, the OnePlus Watch. The final product, though, isn’t what most people wanted, and after using it for nearly two weeks, it’s hard to express just how disappointed I am in the OnePlus Watch.

As the “main” flagship for Xiaomi in 2021, at least on paper, the Mi 11 Ultra really doesn’t disappoint. No smartphone is used on paper though and how it stacks up is far more nuanced.