This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.

Being a watch enthusiast can be challenging sometimes because so many amazing watches cost an absurd amount of money. In 2023, the top luxury brands didn’t pull any punches when it came to their new references, crazy complications, unexpected designs and just flat-out gorgeous timepieces dropping nearly every week. We’ve managed to whittle down the year’s fantastic output to the following 10 grails, which we’ve dubbed our bucket list watches for 2023.

Bulova Jet Star

Bulova

Bulova Jet Star

• $595.00 at sjv.io

Presented by Bulova

Bulova first introduced the Jet Star in 1973, and the bold, angular dial design quickly became iconic. Now, the brand is bringing back this classic style with a half a century’s worth of innovations. Behind the vintage face lies Bulova’s Precisionist movement: a mechanism that vibrates at 262kHz and is so meticulously made it’s accurate to five seconds per month. The watch is finished off with a date window, sweeping seconds hand and luminescent detailing.

Learn more about the Bulova Jet Star here.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘Le Mans’

Rolex

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘Le Mans’

• $51,400.00 at Rolex

In part underpinning much of Rolex’s status today (and, arguably, even the popularity of modern watches in general) is the so-called “Paul Newman Daytona.” Rolex had been holding back for years, but it finally released a modern tribute to the famous reference 6263 with a reverse-panda colorway, complete with an “exotic dial” design and everything. Announced for the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race (in which Paul Newman participated in 1979), it includes the tachymeter bezel’s “100” in red — and a custom chronograph movement that counts up to 24 hours instead of the usual 12.

Learn more about the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘Le Mans’ here.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date

Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date

• $43,800.00 at vacheron-constantin.com

Easily the star of the show from Vacheron Constantin this year was this combination of some of the traits and features the brand is best known for. In the brand’s most crowd-pleasing collection, the sporty Overseas, this model features retrograde date and moon phase displays (it’s right there in the name), but it all comes together (with that striking blue dial) in a way that’s approachable but also displays Vacheron’s high sense of refinement.

Learn more about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date here.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Aston Martin Edition

Selfridges

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Aston Martin Edition

• $23,145 at Selfridges

Girard-Perregaux has a precedent of using ceramic and of working with Aston Martin, and the brand put both to good use here. Seeing a watch case and bracelet in full ceramic in a color other than black, white or gray is rare, which is what makes this automotive-themed version of GP’s sporty Laureato such a head-turner. The watch commits to a fully monochromatic “British racing green” look that’s quite fitting for the Aston branding, and it stands as one of the best watch/car brand collabs we’ve ever seen.

Learn more about the Girard-Perregaux Laureato Aston Martin Edition here.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3

fifty fathoms

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3

• $32,000.00 at blancpain.com

Despite being the oldest extant watch brand with a history dating back to 1735, Blancpain was largely unknown outside the watch enthusiast community prior to this year. But then the Blancpain x Swatch Fifty Fathoms collab happened, and suddenly, the haute horological brand was on everyone’s lips. Taking advantage of the extra attention, Blancpain followed up Swatch’s Bioceramic diver with this stone-cold stunner: A modernized take on a vintage mil-spec Fifty Fathoms in bronze gold to celebrate 70 years of the OG dive watch. It’s the best-looking and perhaps most wearable modern Fifty Fathoms and has us excited to see what the brand has in store for 2024.

Learn more about the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 here.

IWC Ingenieur

iwc

IWC Ingenieur

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Everybody kind of knew IWC had to do it, and it did: The brand finally brought back the most distinctive version of the IWC Ingenieur from the 1970s, as designed by the one-and-only Gerald Genta. As just about everyone else has been jostling for position in the increasingly crowded integrated bracelet luxury sports watch genre over the past few years, IWC had one of the OGs in its back catalog lying in wait to reclaim the throne. The resurrected version is perfectly sized at 40mm and thin at 10.8mm, and it’s powered by an in-house movement.

Learn more about the IWC Ingenieur here.

Patek Philippe World Time 5330G-010

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Patek Philippe World Time 5330G-010

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Purple watches were seemingly everywhere in 2023, but none were more desirable than this plum-colored Patek, which the brand unveiled for its “Watch Art” Tokyo 2023 exhibition over the summer. In addition to the gorgeous and unexpected (for Patek) color, this white gold stunner also has something that no other Patek World Time reference does. Outside the 24-hour and world cities rings of the dial, there’s a third ring showing the date, making this the first Patek World Time with a date complication.

Courtesy

Breguet Type XX

• $18,000.00 at breguet.com

In 2023, Breguet brought back the Type XX as the latest in a long line of historically appropriate tool watches that the brand originally made for the military in decades past, beginning in the 1950s. Available in “military” and “civilian” versions, they’re remarkably down-to-earth for a prestigious company that typically operates in the haute horlogerie space, but are still ultra-cool. Both feature 42mm cases and in-house automatic movements with the flyback chronograph feature that characterizes the Type XX watches, both historical and in many modern interpretations.

Learn more about the Breguet Type XX here.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey GMT

Omega

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey GMT

• $22,200.00 at omegawatches.com

There are so many great lines of Omega’s Seamaster — the Diver 300M, the Aqua Terra, The Ploprof, the Seamaster 300 — that the Planet Ocean sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But it’s worth remembering that the PO is meant to be Omega’s most premium dive watch, and the Dark Grey GMT serves as a good reminder of that. The watch touts a case made from Silicon Nitride ceramic, which is twice as light as the Zircon ceramic used in most watches, while the crown, bezel, dial and even the Master Chronometer movement are all crafted from lightweight titanium.

Learn more about the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey GMT here.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph

• $25,000.00 at jaeger-lecoultre.com

At first glance, this member of JLC’s Reverso Tribute family looks like the rest of the classically-styled line. But the two small chronograph pushers flanking the crown clue you in that there’s more going on. Flip around the case, and you’ll find the watch’s second dial as a skeletonized beauty featuring a clock face along with a chronograph seconds display and an impressive retrograde 30-minute counter, all housed in a stainless steel case.

Learn more about the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph here.

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4

Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4

• $1,670,000.00 at audemarspiguet.com

Out of the Swiss luxury watch brands known as the “Holy Trinity” — Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet — AP is arguably the one that frustrates watch nerds the most. From its overreliance of the Royal Oak in its catalog to its confusing collabs with Marvel, AP draws about as much ire as it does praise these days. So it was awesome to see the brand flex its horological muscles in 2023 with this, the most complicated watch in the 148-year-old history of the maison. The Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 boasts 22 horological complications, including a split-seconds flyback chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a highly advanced moonphase, multiple chiming functions and many more impressive features.

Learn more about the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 here.

Related Topics

This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.

Like every year since the invention of the production motorcycle, 2023 was a great year to go riding. We rode some great bikes from brands like Royal Enfield and Harley-Davidson, and we scoped out some stylish and tech-forward (but still protective) new riding gear along the way.

Here are our favorite new motorcycles and new motorcycle gear we covered in 2023.

2023 Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

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Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650

• $6,999.00 at royalenfield.com

The Super Meteor 650 is a streamlined cruiser blending classic good looks and modern touches, with a balance of size, power and handling that’s versatile enough to let it zip along city streets, country backroads and bustling highways with equal aplomb. And it’s a strong value proposition, starting under $7,000.

Learn about the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650.

Forcite MK1S Helmet

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Forcite MK1S Helmet

• $1,099.00 at forcitehelmets.com

Australian brand Forcite brought its new MK1S Helmet to America in 2023. It’s loaded with tech, including a camera and turn-by-turn navigation software. And with a carbon fiber construction to keep the weight down, the helmet checks in between 3.3 and 3.7 pounds. All that tech does not come cheap, though — the price tag is north of $1,000.

Learn about the Forcite MK1S helmet.

Saint Engineered Armored Jeans

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Saint Engineered Slim Fit Armored Jean

• $199.00 at saint.cc

Leather chaps and technical racing pants are great for the actual riding. But they don’t transition well to real life. Saint’s new Engineered Armored Jeans come in regular and slim fit variations. They provide the protection you need, and they don’t scream “Moto GP” … or, for that matter, “BDSM.”

Learn about Saint’s Engineered Armored Jeans.

2024 Indian FTR x 100% R Carbon

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Indian FTR x 100% R Carbon

• $18,999.00 at indianmotorcycle.com

Active since the 1980s, 100% has steadily built a reputation for crafting some of the finest (and best-looking) helmets, goggles and gloves for bikers, cyclists and more. The brand’s action sports style cues come to life in an eye-popping Indian FTR trim featuring a hue dubbed “blue candy” that makes the bike even more of a head-turner than usual.

Learn about the Indian FTR x 100% R Carbon

Danner Moto GTX Boot

Moose Jaw

Danner Men’s Moto Wedge GTX Boot

• $479.95 at Moose Jaw

Danner, a renowned purveyor of rugged yet stylish work, hiking and lifestyle boots, moved into the motorcycling space with two new boots, the Moto GTX and Moto Wedge GTX. They balance good looks with the legit abrasion resistance and armor you need to be properly protected in a slide.

Learn about Danner Moto GTX and Moto Wedge GTX boots.

2023 Indian Sport Chief

Chief

Indian Sport Chief

• $19,999.00 at indianmotorcycle.com

Reborn in 2021, the Chief nameplate fills the gap between the smaller Scout and larger bikes like the Chieftain. The Sport Chief is an awesome combo of power, retro style and modern touches, and it’s perfect for the rider who wants to look badass, ride hard and customize their bike.

Learn about the 2023 Indian Sport Chief.

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Road and Street Glide

harley davidson womens

Harley Davidson 2023 CVO Street Glide

• $42,999.00 at harley-davidson.com

You could argue that Harley-Davidson is a brand boxed in by its rabid customers, but it’s good that H-D isn’t standing still (even if they are riffing off a familiar beat). The new versions of the Road and Street Glides provide much-needed variable valve timing and better cooling. Both bikes also lost weight — down 31 pounds for the Street and 35 pounds for the Road — while gaining horsepower.

Learn about the 2023 Harley-Davidsion CVO Road and Street Glide.

Related Topics

This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.

The end of another year is upon us, and whether you reached your fitness goals or not, well … don’t sweat it. All you can do at this point is refocus and reload for the next round — and now’s the perfect time to stock up for when the calendar turns.

These items have not only caught our eye over the last 12 months, but they’ve also been thoroughly researched and tested by our team, so you can be sure they’ll help you hit the ground running in ’24.

Reebok Nano X3 Training Shoes

Reebok

Reebok Nano X3 Training Shoes

• $140.00 at Reebok

Highlighted by an all-new Lift and Run Chassis System for versatile support across a range of fitness activities, the Nano X3 also features a revamped heel shape for better lockdown and comfort and a fresh tread pattern sure to give each step ample grip.

Learn more about the Reebok Nano X3 here.

Nike Aerogami Storm-FT ADV Jacket

Nike

Nike Aerogami Storm-FIT ADV Jacket

• $137.97 at Nike
  $250.00 (45% off)

Thanks to a moisture-reactive film, tiny winged vents strategically located around high-heat areas like the chest and upper back can sense sweat building up on the skin and automatically open to let your skin breathe. They can also close back up as you cool down, making this jacket the ultimate climate control system.

Learn more about the Nike Aerogami here.

Born Primitive Savage 1

Born Primitive

Born Primitive Savage 1

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Born Primitive may be well-known for its stylish workout apparel, but this all-new cross trainer has the brand vying for dominance in footwear, too. The Savage 1 boasts a streamlined design offering stability in Olympic lifting, flexibility for short-distance runs and a unique tread pattern to stay grounded through it all.

Learn more about the Born Primitive Savage 1 here.

Lululemon Steady State Hoodie

Lululemon

Lululemon Steady State Hoodie

• $128.00 at Lululemon

Made primarily of a fleece-like cotton/polyester blend, Lululemon’s comfy oversized hoodie just might be the perfect post-workout athleisure garb for the cold days ahead. There’s a bit more than meets the eye, too, courtesy of hidden media and coin sleeves within the spacious kangaroo pocket.

Learn more about the Steady State Hoodie here.

Xero Prio Neo

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Xero Prio Neo

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If you’re a fan of the barefoot movement, these updated gym shoes from Xero are for you. A wide toe box allows for effective toe splaying, ideal for those big-time lifts, and a grippy outsole and adjustable midfoot tensioning system help ensure each progressive step is as confidently locked in as the last.

Learn more about the Xero Prio Neo here.

Ciele FSTSinglet

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Ciele FSTSinglet

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Ciele’s Performance Run collection carries the comfort and style of its popular running hats over to the rest of your wardrobe. This singlet boasts reflective details and COOLmatic Plus micro mesh — which is also used in many of the brand’s high-performance caps — for lightweight, quick-drying performance.

Learn more about the Ciele FSTSinglet here.

Saucony Endorphin Elite

Saucony

Saucony Endorphin Elite

• $275.00 at Saucony

Launched early this year, the Saucony Endorphin Elite is the brand’s fastest, lightest, most energy-efficient silhouette to date. With all-new PWRRUN HG foam underfoot for unrivaled springiness as well as a sleek and stylish upper, these racers are sure deliver a fast, fun race day experience for those who invest.

Learn more about the Saucony Endorphin Elite here.

Forme Ace Long Sleeve

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Forme Ace Long Sleeve

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Long winter runs can call for extra coverage, but as the miles pile up — or you just hunch your shoulders for warmth — your back can get strained. Forme’s patented techn enables the body to relearn its best alignment to keep your spine straight, reduce stiffness and elevate performance.

Learn more about the Forme Ace Long Sleeve here.

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1

Adidas

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1

• $1,079.00 at StockX

These kicks made headlines when Tigist Assefa absolutely smashed the women’s marathon world record wearing them. What stands out? The incredibly light weight (4.87 ounces), a giant Lightstrike Pro foam forefoot rocker that propels you forward like no other and, yes, a price that will make your head spin.

Learn more about the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 here.

Vuori Kore Jogger Pants

Vuori

Vuori Kore Jogger Pants

• $98.00 at Vuori

We already named the Kore Shorts the best shorts for yoga disciplines; that style and performance now has a little more legroom, literally, with the Kore Jogger silhouette. Perfect for finding your flow or relaxing on rest days, these cozy pants boast a modern athletic fit, built-in liner and more.

Learn more about the Vuori Kore Jogger here.

Hoka Mach X

Hoka

Hoka Mach X

• $180.00 at hoka.com

A plated sneaker that’s a damn fine daily trainer? While most high-energy running shoes of this nature are reserved for tempo work or marathons, here’s the goldilocks of the bunch; the Pebax plate provides enough spring to keep your routes speedy yet the Mach X still delivers some plush cushioning underfoot.

Learn more about the Hoka Mach X here.

Ten Thousand A–L Short

Ten Thousand

Ten Thousand A—L Short

• $78.00 at Ten Thousand

Somewhat similar to Ten Thousand’s excellent Interval Short, the A-L’s feature a design that’s functional, comfortable and stylish. Warp-knit fabric with Proplyo Stretch helps retain shape regardless of your activity, and the 7-inch inseam is sure to look good when powering through a WOD or strolling about town.

Learn more about the Ten Thousand A–L Short here.

Norda 002

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Norda 002

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Building off the success of Norda’s original trail runner, the 002 profile boasts a lighter 8.78-ounce frame as well as a lower stack height for improved ground feel. The shoe is still tough as nails, though, thanks to a Dyneema upper primedd to conquer the dust, muck and debris you’ll encounter off the beaten path.

Learn more about the Norda 002 here.

Gymshark Apex 5-Inch Hybrid Shorts

GymShark

Gymshark Apex 5-Inch Hybrid Shorts

• $36.80 at GymShark
  $46.00 (20% off)

The lightweight polyester blend of these shorts sits effortlessly across the thighs during movement, but what we loved in testing was the Stay-Put waistband. Soft material keeps everything in place without digging into the hips, and the flat interior drawstring eliminates any bulging knots along your midriff.

Learn more about Gymshark Apex Hybrid Shorts here.

Nike Ultrafly Trail Running Shoes

Nike

Nike Ultrafly Trail Running Shoes

• $260.00 at Nike

The carbon Flyplate combines with the ZoomX midsole foam for a ride that’s snappy yet comfortable enough for extended wear. The Vibram Megagrip outsole is plenty grippy for wet and muddy conditions alike. These features add up to make Nike’s first plated trail runner quite possibly its best shoe of the year.

Learn more about the Nike Ultrafly here.

Injinji Run Lightweight No-Show Socks

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Injinji Run Lightweight No-Show Socks

• $14.00 at injinji.com

Toe-sleeved socks can be excellent options for those wanting more blister protection, and Injinji has become an industry leader in this area. These socks boast the lightest bulk across the brand’s stable, plus a mesh top and COOLMAX EcoMade Fiber construction for premium breathability.

Learn more about Injinji Run Lightweight No-Show Socks here.

Keen WK400 Walking Shoe

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Keen WK400 Walking Shoe

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Did you know they make walking-specific fitness footwear — and it makes a difference? Featuring a unique constant curvature geometry that accentuates your natural walking stride, the Keen WK400s have quickly become the go-to kicks for beneficial pedestrian sessions.

Learn more about the Keen WK400 here.

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Every month throughout 2023, we tasted a huge amount of beer, whiskey, spirits, weed drinks, cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks and other beverages. In some cases, we’re taste-testing the industry’s best new products, and in others, we’re coming across hidden gems in the wild.

Over the course of the year, we’ve been documenting our favorite drinks we’ve tried each month. But in case you haven’t been keeping up with our tasty journeys, we’ve got you covered, as we’ve gathered up all of the best things we drank in 2023 here in one place. Have a look below and see how many of these fantastic beverages you had a chance to try this past year — and see which bottles and cans you need to add to your shopping list.

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

January – March

Weldwerks Brewing Co

To kick off the year, we filled our bellies with a wide variety of warming beverages to keep away the winter chill. Our favorites included the first “super-aged” North American single malt whiskey (which is old enough to drink itself), a craft sour ale that tastes just like one of our favorite childhood cereals, a red wine-barrel-aged tequila, a crowd-pleasing IPA from a brewery not known for making IPAs and more.

April

Cann

Not everything we drank this year had booze in it, and one of our favorite April beverages was a tasty THC-infused seltzer. Of course, there was plenty of alcohol we enjoyed too, including a peach-flavored moonshine from a notable 2000s rapper (care to guess which one?), a subdued Spanish wine that was perfect for spring, a 22-year-old single malt Scotch with Aston Martin branding and more.

May

10 Barrel Brewing

May saw many experimental libations enter our gullets, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. We tried an awesome alcohol-free spirit infused with a hefty dose of THC that left us buzzing, a decadent marionberry cheesecake-flavored sour from Oregon (which we tried while visiting Oregon), a slightly alcoholic kombucha that tastes like chardonnay, a Mexican spirit aged in WhistlePig rye barrels and more.

June

Talisker Whisky

June found one of our editors in Cape Cod to try a 30-year-old version of Talisker’s classic maritime single malt — and it just may have been his favorite Scotch of the year. We also knocked back a trendy prebiotic soda (for science), tasted an outstanding 21-year-old PX sherry-finished Scotch rum, revisited an old friend (well, a classic India Ale) we hadn’t seen in some time and more.

July

ARDBEG

What do you get when you cross Scotch whisky with BBQ? You get one of the best things we drank in June, that’s what. We also enjoyed some non-alcoholic THC-infused canned cocktails, tried some great suds that are only available to members of an exclusive beer club, an ultra-refreshing prosecco rosé filled with summer flavor, a calming weed drink containing Lion’s Mane mushroom and more.

August

Allagash Brewing

We certainly didn’t take it easy during the dog days of summer — hey, somebody’s got to put in the hard work of trying all these new drinks. This month, we enjoyed a tasty light lager from a craft brewery, a summery canned cocktail made with a top bourbon brand, a beer based on a legendary southern soda, a hard-to-track-down brew exclusive to the state of Maine and more.

September

Jefferson’s

With fall on the horizon, our attention started to shift to brown spirits, and nothing warmed us up more than a bourbon aged in the tropical heat and humidity of Singapore. We also bid farewell to a longtime favorite West Coast beer, drank a local American single malt whiskey while in Pennsylvania, tried an alcohol-free witbier from the brand that’s redefining NA beer and more.

October

Tank Garage Winery

October saw the release of … a wine collab with a popular boot brand? Oh yeah, you bet we tried it (and loved it). We also imbibed a lesser-known beer from a major craft brewery, a tasty malted rye whiskey from a brand best known for bourbon, a hyped-up and impossible-to-find bourbon release from one of the nation’s most acclaimed master distillers and more.

November

Goose Island

Every fall sees the much-ballyhooed release of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout lineup. And every year we try it, including this year. And while that was certainly the headline-grabber for November, we also tasted a Japanese-inspired single malt Scotch, a Texas single malt whiskey that knocked our socks off, a selection of West Coast IPAs that kept away the creeping cold weather and more.

December

SAM GENTRY

Did we save the best of 2023’s drinks for last? We’ll let you decide. During the last month of the year, we were lucky enough to try a cult-favorite annual American single malt release, a California Zinfandel referred to as a “musical supergroup in a bottle,” an absurdly premium Scotch distilled in 1978 at an iconic (and long-extinct) distillery, a spiced alcohol-free spirit perfect for buzz-free holiday cocktails and more.

Related Topics

This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.

Grooming may be a behavior we share with the other apes — indeed, many other animals, period — but, not to engage in speciesism, we at Gear Patrol kinda think that we humans do it best. After all, while other creatures simply use their hands, feet and teeth, we use all sorts of tools that we’ve created specially for the task. And in 2023, we at Gear Patrol came across a whole bunch of new and improved products that are made just to help you look and feel your best — from your head down to your toes.

Todd Snyder x D.S. & Durga Young Dunes

Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder x D.S. & Durga Young Dunes

• $210.00 at Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder has basically done it all, but he’s never created a cologne … at least until now. Together with D.S. & Durga founders David Seth and Kavi Moltz., they crafted a cologne that referenced not the city streets Snyder has to gallivant to get to his stores, but the beaches he escapes to when they’re closed (or at least out of mind). And, yes, this is another instance of Seinfeld becoming real life.

Learn more about Todd Snyder x D.S. & Durga Young Dunes cologne here.

Horace Cream Pomade

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Horace Cream Pomade

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Horace’s cream pomade features ingredients like beeswax, coconut butter and shea butter, lending a medium hold that’s residue-free and easy to rinse out. But its refillable packaging — part of the brand’s notable commitment to sustainabiliy — is also noteworthy: When you’ve used up the pomade, simply keep the jar and order a lower-price refill.

Read more about Horace Cream Pomade here.

Omnilux LED Mask

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Omnilux LED Mask

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At almost $400, this red light LED face mask is a steep price for something that might seem like science fiction. Still, red light therapy has many proven benefits for your skin, and this mask can help your skin feel tighter and more luminous after a few weeks of daily 10-minute treatments. (Note: the above version is the men’s model; there’s also a women’s version, which you can find here.)

Learn more about the Omnilux LED Mask here.

Curaprox Samba Robotic Toothbrush

Samba

Curaprox Samba Toothbrush

• $299.00 at curaprox.us
  $399.00 (25% off)

This life-changing dental care device makes brushing a cinch, even for people with limited mobility. Just hold the toothbrush in place in your mouth, and the 12,900 bristles will vibrate and buzz their way into every corner of your dentition for a squeaky clean smile.

Learn more about the Samba Robotic Toothbrush here.

Lumin Instant Dark Circle Corrector

Lumin

Lumin Instant Dark Circle Corrector

• $19.00 at luminskin.com

If your skin care struggles in large part revolve around the zone under your eyes giving you a tired, worn-out look, this product is just what the doctor ordered. This yellow-tinted color corrector is designed to work as a quick fix for puffiness or dark circles that might rear their ugly head on your head.

Learn more about Lumin Instant Dark Circle Corrector here.

Harry’s The Craft Set

Harry’s

Harry’s Craft Set

• $20.00 at Harry's

Harry’s new-for-2023 razor bears the influence of 20th Century industrial designer Dieter Rams, who has long subscribed to the maxim that less is more. The Craft razor is made from chrome-coated zinc with a dotted grip pattern reminiscent of the perforated holes that appeared on Rams-designed Braun speakers and a long, curved underside for better hand feel — yet it’s still priced very affordably.

Learn more about Harry’s The Craft razor here.

Hai Smart Showerhead

Hai

Hai Infusions Smart Showerhead

• Shop Now
  $298.00 (34% off)

Hai’s latest showerhead is meant to bring the experience of the spa to your home, with a combination of improved water pressure and impactful aeromatics that you can add to the flow — with the added nerdy benefit of being able to monitor your water usage via an app. Get the showerhead, skip the add-ons.

Learn more about the Hai Smart Showerhead here.

Horace Normal to Oily Hair Shampoo

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Horace Normal to Oily Hair Shampoo

• $15.00 at horace.com

The name says it all: it’s a new shampoo designed to clean your hair and scalp, assuming your hair lies somewhere on the oilier side of the spectrum. It’s also responsibly made, with almost 98 percent of ingredients coming from natural origins.

Learn more about Horace Normal to Oily Hair Shampoo here.

STMNT Hair Gel

Statement

STMNT Hair Gel

• $21.95 at Nordstrom

Hair gel often comes with the downside of crunchy texture and an odd appearance once it’s on your head. This new charcoal-infused gel avoids much of those issues, holding your hair in place without making you look like Ross from Friends.

Learn more about STMNT Hair Gel here.

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Though purists will no doubt scoff, bottled barbecue sauce is not some great sin unto the world. Many of the best options are simplified versions of sauces made by pitmasters you or I could never hope to match.

But like most goods previously made in the home, store-bought sauce can also suck. Sometimes terribly so. The trap many fall into is excess in one of the four pillars of barbecue-sauce flavor — heat, smokiness, tanginess and, the most commonly abused, sweetness. We scoured the web, grocery stores and barbecue forums to find out which retail-available, bottled barbecue sauces are actually worth putting on the meat you’ve spent all day smoking.

What Is Barbecue Sauce

Despite the best efforts of the bottom-shelf BBQ sauces at the supermarket, barbecue sauce is more than just sweet and smoky ketchup. In fact, it’s far more than a monolith, with a wide range of styles originating in various regions throughout the (mostly southern) United States. But what they all share in common is a contrasting mix of sweet, spicy, smoky and tangy flavors that makes them the perfect complement to grilled and smoked meats.

Although people have been using similar sauces and marinades to cook meat since long before there was a United States of America, the BBQ sauce that we know and love got its start in the American South during the Colonial Period. It was there that a disparate collection of ingredients from around the world came together — vinegar and salt from Spain, tomatoes from South America, sugar and molasses from the Caribbean and chile peppers from Central America — and began to be mixed in various ways. Those combinations became honed over the ensuing decades (and a couple of centuries) to eventually transform into the variety of sauces we use today.

Types of Barbecue Sauce

Kansas City Style

The most widely available style of barbecue sauce at grocery stores is at its best a balanced mix of tomato (ketchup, most of the time), sweetness, tang and smoke. This is the gloopy reddish-brown sauce you slather all over ribs — it’s great for its strong hold to meats and overall body as well.

Texas Style

Sometimes called “mop sauce” or “mop style,” these are sauces with a tomato and vinegar base. They’re typically much lighter in body than KC-style sauces, but not as light as a Carolinian vinegar sauce. They’re also applied with a lighter hand than most sauces, and feature lots of garlic, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Memphis Style

Memphis barbecue tends to be served sans sauce, but there has been an uptick in Memphis-style barbeque sauces. The sauce is similar to a Kansas City-style barbeque sauce but with a richer sweetness thanks to molasses and a tad more brightness from a generous addition of vinegar.

Lexington Style (Western North Carolina)

Though some of North Carolina’s population may protest, this is essentially an earlier version of the uber-popular Kansas City sauce, sans-spiciness and with a lot more tomato product. If you don’t like the spiciness and bite that comes with a lot of KC sauces, this style is for you.

East North Carolina Vinegar-Based

It’s vinegar, pepper, salt and pepper flakes. The most fluid sauce there is gets most of its flavor from the tart vinegar and various pepper flakes and pepper powders added (cayenne being the most common). It may not be all that useful in caramelizing the outside of a pig, but it’s still delicious.

Japanese Style

While not a traditional part of American barbecue culture, Japanese BBQ sauce makes for an excellent substitution when you’re looking to mix things up. The thin and runny sauce is rich with umami flavor thanks to its base of soy sauce and mirin complemented by heavy doses of ginger and garlic.

How We Tested

Amazon

Best Overall Barbecue Sauce

Stubb’s Original BBQ Sauce

• $4.00 at Amazon

• Style: Texas
• Size: 18 oz

Though Texans aren’t prone to using sauces in the first place, Stubb’s Texas-style original sauce is as good as anyone can hope for out of a bottle. The first thing you’ll notice is that it is decidedly unsweet for a bottled sauce. It also has zero high fructose corn syrup and doesn’t use any artificial ingredients. Stubb’s opts instead for a tomato- and vinegar-forward sauce that’s way less overpowering than most things from a bottle.

Our tester found this to be as close to homemade as a shelf-borne BBQ sauce can get. It’s thick and even a little chunky, and both smells and looks like crushed tomatoes. It’s also delicious and tastes like “good BBQ,” the kind you might get from a restaurant in Austin with a line around the block. The more of it you eat, the more smokiness and spiciness you’ll begin to feel, but the sauce itself is not what you’d describe as particularly smoky or spicy. It is simply balanced, as all sauces should be.

Walmart

Best Budget Barbecue Sauce

Bull’s-Eye Original BBQ Sauce

• $2.00 at Walmart

• Style: Kansas City
• Size: 18 oz

Though a bit heavier in high fructose corn syrup than you’d like, Bull’s Eye’s sauce is a great grocery store sauce pickup. Serious Eats, Cooks Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen spoke of it too, but the sauce is as balanced as it gets without making it yourself — it sits in the middle on the sweetness scale, it’s smokier than most store-bought bottles, it’s not overly spicy (but isn’t boring) and it has enough body to cling to whatever you baste it to. If you can get past the ingredient list, it’s great.

Amazon

Best Upgrade Barbecue Sauce

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Sensuous Slathering Sauce

• $21.00 at Amazon
  $23.00 (7% off)

• Style: Texas
• Size: 19 oz

Not as widely available as the others on this list, but a treat if you can find it — Sensuous Slathering sauce is one of the lowest-sugar bottled sauces out there and, frankly, it doesn’t need it. It gets a bit of augmented sweetness from bell pepper and it’s wickedly smokey and tangy. The consistency is such that it’s ready to baste right out of the bottle. There’s no corn syrup of any kind in it and you can probably pronounce every ingredient in its makeup.

Walmart

Best Smoky Barbecue Sauce

Jack Daniel’s Original No. 7 Recipe Barbecue Sauce

• $5.00 at Walmart

• Style: Kansas City
• Size: 19.5 oz

This is as smoky a sauce as you’ll find in a bottle, but not so much it drowns other flavors out; it’s fairly peppery and has a lot of body as well. If you like super-sweet sauces, this one might not be for you — though a quick simmer with a bit of honey and butter might do the trick.

Amazon

Best Spicy Barbecue Sauce

Rufus Teague Blazin’ Hot Sauce

• $13.00 at Amazon

• Style: Kansas City
• Size: 15.25 oz

It’s not that hot, which is just what it ought to be. Rufus Teague’s sauces are typically well-balanced and non-destructive to your health. They’re also available in grocery stores across the country. This one is made with totally natural ingredients (read: no high fructose corn syrup) and contains more interesting ingredients than most sauces do, homemade or bottled. The heat stems from chili peppers and chipotles, but it isn’t an overly aggressive burn. If the burn proves too much, consider tossing a couple pats of butter into a saucepan with it.

Amazon

Best Sweet Barbecue Sauce

Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce

• $9.00 at Amazon
  $11.00 (20% off)

• Style: Kansas City
• Size: 18 oz

Readily available in basically every grocery store and listing high-fructose corn syrup as its number-one ingredient, Sweet Baby Ray’s is never going to win over the BBQ snobs and gourmands. However, if you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing sauce, this is it. There is a reason why everyone knows this sauce: it tastes good. It’s your prototypical KC-style BBQ sauce that’s thick, dark and plenty sweet.

Our tester can see why it’s popular, especially among sweet tooths. The sweetness is very forward here — 17g of sugar per 2 Tbsp — but luckily it’s offset by a good amount of tang and a little smoke (no discernible spiciness here). It’s a little more complex than it gets credit for, thanks in part to some unexpected ingredients like pineapple juice and tamarind, that latter helping provide some of the tanginess.

Amazon

Best Barbecue Sauce for Brisket

Bone Suckin’ Sauce

• $20.00 at Amazon

• Style: Lexington
• Size: 16 oz

A bit sweeter than your usual fare, to the point it might remind you of a sweet and sour sauce. Fortunately, sweet and sour sauce is delicious, and this one has the added benefit of a mild hickory smoke flavor that manages to not taste like chemicals. It is a bit thinner than KC-style sauce, so if you want it to stick to ribs consider cooking it down for a few minutes on the stove.

Amazon

Best Barbecue Sauce for Ribs

Lillie’s Q Smoky Barbeque Sauce

• $22.00 at Amazon

• Style: Memphis
• Size: 21 oz

Lillie’s Q is a Chicago-based barbecue restaurant with roots in Southern cooking. The brand’s barbecue sauces have made their way into supermarkets, so they’ve become easier to track down. The Smoky sauce is a Memphis-style barbecue sauce with a molasses-like sweetness complemented by a delightful smokiness. This sauce works well on pretty much anything, but Lillie’s Q recommends eating it with ribs and smoked chicken.

Amazon

Best Barbecue Sauce for Pulled Pork

Traeger ‘Cue BBQ Sauce

• $10.00 at Amazon

• Style: Kansas City
• Size: 19.5 oz

If you use the Traeger app for recipes, you might notice it calls for Traeger BBQ sauces quite often. The sauce’s consistency makes it versatile as a dip, marinade or glaze, and the addition of anchovy gives the sauce a savory umami flavor. This particular variety of Traeger BBQ sauce has hickory smoke flavoring, which is meant to pair well with Traeger hickory pellets.

Walmart

Best Japanese Barbecue Sauce

Bachan’s Original Japanese Barbecue Sauce

• $19.00 at Walmart

• Style: Kansas City
• Size: 18 oz

Traditional BBQ this is not, but it is certainly delicious. Bachan’s is billed as the original Japanese BBQ sauce, and it’s quite unlike any of its American counterparts. It’s very liquidy, not much thicker than soy sauce, so it’s not something you’ll be slathering over ribs or anything like that. But if you’re looking for a thinner sauce, the flavor is next-level.

Our tester finds the taste a bit indescribable, but “umami” is probably the most apt term to use here. It’s sweet at first, but that quickly dissipates to a salty and rich earthiness that makes your mouth water. Out of all the sauces we tested, our tester found this one to be the most crave-worthy — once having a taste, he continually wanted more. It’s closer in taste to something like hoisin sauce than to KC Masterpiece, and will level up any meat dish.

Related Topics

Even just a couple decades ago, if you bought a men’s wristwatch, it was probably small. Really small. Like, just-a-smidge-bigger-than-a-Kennedy-half-dollar small. For nearly as long as men have been wearing watches on their wrists, watches ranged from about 33mm to 36mm, and those that were any larger were stylistic outliers and chunky sports watches. In fact, some large watch designs from way back were derided for being unnecessarily big.

Since then, times have changed, but the virtues of a small watch remain. If you’re already a believer in a restrained timepiece silhouette, it’s a good time to be alive as that’s the trend du jour among collectors and watchmakers. If you’re on the fence, wondering what’s behind the trend, or looking for ammunition for your next argument with a big-watch devotee … here’s why we think small watches are the bee’s knees. See our full small watch guide for our favorites.

What’s the Beef?

A couple of decades ago, watches got beefed up. The 40mm to 42mm range became “standard,” and a chronograph or dive watch would likely be a few millimeters bigger still. Hulking sports watches from the likes of Breitling and Panerai were status items in the ’90s and ’00s and, the popularity of sports models from big brands like Rolex led other makers to creep up case sizes — even if said watches were not actually sport models or did not require a brawny case for any functional purpose. The consensus among some prominent watch folk is that this case inflation was a holdover from an era of conspicuous consumption.

This doesn’t mean that the large watch-wearing individual is a braggart or is prone to compensate (as the argument from small-watch fans often goes), but it does mean the big and bold watch had become the norm, which as a result seems to have, in some instances, spurred a bout of neuroticism in the modern watch buyer. There’s an abundance of guides online to “finding the right size watch for your wrist” (here’s one, for example) and forum posts inquiring as to whether or not a watch will fill out an enthusiast’s wrist — wrist circumferences no doubt having been taken with a tape measure and committed to memory. The subtext? Anything too small will look like a “ladies watch.”

Photo by Zen Love for Gear Patrol

Old-School Sensibilities

Our advice, first and foremost, is to buy whatever the hell you like regardless of size. A second bit of advice is to consider embracing the small-watch movement. The vintage watch market has been booming for some time, and watch collectors have come to love the authentically small case sizes of yore.

Watchmakers today have seemingly taken notice, offering dress and sports watches that are closer in size to their forebears. Tudor’s considerably downsized Black Bay 54 for 2023 is a prominent example in dive watch form, coming in at 37mm — the same diameter as the Tudor Submariner released in 1954.

Comfort Is King

So what exactly do you get out of a smaller watch? Comfort, for one. A substantially-sized watch is an ever-present weight upon your wrist, and while some tout “heft” as a signifier of quality or actually enjoy the weight, a truly comfortable watch is one that feels like it disappears on your wrist.

Thinner, smaller watches are just inherently lighter by virtue of using less material. Further, if your wrist shape is more round than it is flat, a smaller diameter watch will sit more flush with your wrist since there’s less flat surface area.

Henry Phillips

Zen Love

Easy on the Eye

An argument about aesthetics can be made, too. Large watches have a lot of empty space to deal with, both on the case and dial. Taller, thicker watches tend to have cases that feel slab-sided, while watches large in diameter often have dials with an overabundance of negative space, making the watch feel empty and platter-like. When a case is unnecessarily beefed up in size simply to suit consumer demands, these design missteps become all the more egregious.

Moreover, smaller watches tend to feel more refined. Watches that are gratuitously big don’t feel as purposefully made; hell, making a big watch is relatively easy. But small watches require more planning and working within more constraints. Complex movements need to be engineered to be slim and compact. Cases need to be thin but still strong enough to resist shocks and water pressure. Tolerances between the dial, hands and crystal need to be as tight as possible.

Ostensibly, this is what timekeeping enthusiasm is supposed to be about: celebrating the craftsmanship required to make a tiny, intricate piece of clockwork, not appealing to tiresome notions of excess and visibility. A smaller, more discrete watch might not garner as much attention as a shining, hulking wrist piece, but that shouldn’t be why you buy a nice watch in the first place. You should buy it for you.

A Few of Favorite Small Watches

Timex

34mm

Timex Marlin Hand-Wound

• $209.00 at Timex

Khaki Aviation

33m

Hamilton Khaki Aviation Pilot Pioneer Mechanical

• $1,150.00 at hamiltonwatch.com

Courtesy

34.5mm

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Self-Winding

• $23.00 at vacheron-constantin.com
  $4,600.00 (100% off)

Related Topics

In my opinion, menswear’s Mount Rushmore has a few shoe-ins: the Levi’s 501, the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star and, drum roll please, Filson’s Mackinaw Wool Cruiser. Sure, there are a number of others — Brooks Brothers’ Oxford Cloth Button-Down, to name one — but these are first ballot Hall-of-Famers. And while the others have changed considerably since their debut, the Wool Cruiser has not.

There are a million variants of the 501 (the 501 ’54, for example), and the same is true for the Chuck Taylor (the beefier Chuck 70). The Wool Cruiser, however, has remained true to its roots and only deviated in pattern and color, not shape or material — meaning there are options beyond basic Buffalo Check nowadays.

But is the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser still worth it, considering you can buy fully waterproof rain jackets for less than half the price? We tested it to find out.

Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket

Filson

Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket

• $495.00 at Filson

• Material: 100% virgin Pendleton wool
• Sizes: XS – XXL Long
• Colors: 4
• Made in: USA
• Care: Dry clean only
• Pockets: 9

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

What’s Good About the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser

Evan Malachosky

It’s the original.

First released in 1914, the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser was designed for foresters and timber workers that surveyed the soaking wet Pacific Northwest forests. There, the natural wool coats, which were cut from blankets (one of Filson’s original products), protected against the elements and kept the wearer warm, all without looming worries about whether a stray branch might snag the jacket’s woolen weave.

A few years later, it became the official outerwear of choice for the U.S. Forest Service and other outdoors organizations. In other words, it was initially tested by some of the hardest-working individuals in America — proving it would work for just about everyone else.

It’s warm, thanks to its weight and tight weave, but breathable.

Courtesy

The Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is made from boiled Pendleton wool, which means the final product has an abnormally tight weave. Wool shrinks when it’s boiled, meaning these jackets are made from even more wool than mentioned. The shrinkage isn’t bad, though; the tightened fibers help create a heat seal helping you stay warm, and a water-repellent shell, helping you stay dry.

The tight weave also protects the jacket from snags and other injuries, if you will. It’s less likely to get punctured, pierced or even simply sliced by a loose branch or stray blade, but it isn’t completely abrasion resistant. Treat it like Gore-Tex, not Kevlar.

That being said, it doesn’t suffocate like a jacket made from synthetic materials would. Wool is a natural fiber, meaning it insulates, but it also breathes. So, as the day breaks and the temperature rises, you won’t sweat through. Then, as the temperature dips as the day ends, you’ll feel warm once more.

There are nine total pockets.

Initially, every pocket on this popular Filson jacket had a purpose. That’s not to say they don’t now — trust me, I could use all of them if I wanted — but they’re less dedicated, if you will. Nine pockets on any jacket seems like a lot…especially when one pocket runs the width of your back.

Three are hidden within another one, though, as slotted places to store pencils, pens or other tiny tools. The four bigger ones across the front over sizable spaces to store phones, wallets, keys and more — like gloves or a hat.

But the back pocket, where folks originally carried a folded map, works for winter accessories as well, if you’re willing to live with the bulk a beanie adds.

Evan Malachosky

–

It can get dirty or wet, without feeling dirty or wet.

What if I told you Filson’s Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is a wearable non-stick pan? I’m getting confused looks, I can tell. But wool is actually a system of overlapping fibers coated with lanolin — a natural, waxy film that helps the material repel water, even if it doesn’t work like an Arc’teryx shell. The jacket can nearly 30 percent of its own weight in water without feeling damp or noticeably bogged down.

That being said, it doesn’t help just keep water out; it also helps keep other stuff from sticking to it, too — dirt, paint, you name it. If you get dirt on the exterior, for example, let it dry completely and scrub it off with a stiff nylon brush; it won’t hurt the wool, but it will completely detach the caked-on substance.

What’s Not Ideal About the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser

Oversized is an understatement.

To be fair, the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is big. Sure, the original ones were long enough to protect your thighs, too, meaning they were essentially top coats, but the modern iteration is meant to hit higher. Mine does, for sure — it lands right past my pant pockets — but it’s not the length that worries me. And I actually wouldn’t even say “worries.” This is just a fit most men probably don’t seek out nowadays, even though the Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is the embodiment of endurance.

It’s wide and exaggerated, almost like the jacket John Dutton wears in Yellowstone. There’s plenty of room for mid-weight layers, which is great if you’re really trying to stay warm, but not so great if you just plan to wear a long-sleeve tee underneath, which you still should — it’s slightly itchy. The width is most evident when unbuttoned, but it just looks boxy, less shape-less, when fully done up.

As for the sleeves, they hit past my knuckles when I’m just wearing a thermal tee underneath, but halfway down the back of my new hand when I have a sweater underneath. I gravitate toward bigger silhouettes anyway — remember J.Crew’s Giant-Fit chinos? — but the sleeves sort of got in the way when I went I about my daily duties. They didn’t rise too high, though, when I raised my arms…which is the point, I think. This is a heritage design with a lengthy past life, and it was designed to a enable a particular type of federal employee.

The quirks (and the perks) stem from its history, which makes it hard to ridicule. That being said, you’d be smart to try yours on in person before buying it. A large, for me — I’m a true large — was a little big for the ways I want to wear it. If you’re also a true large, the large size might be ideal. It depends on the wearer — and where they’re wearing it.

Evan Malachosky

Evan Malachosky

Buttons (and snaps) be damned.

The only “bad” reviews about this thing mention the fit (like I did above) and the buttons. While aesthetically pleasing, they aren’t all that practical when you’re wearing or gloves or thawing frozen hands. The same can be said of the snaps, which are relatively small and hard to close without full dexterity.

They’re getting pricier, unless you buy yours used.

In 2021, Filson raised the price of this popular jacket from $395 to $495. That’s quite the jump, especially considering the myriad options available for less, but this Filson jacket is the original. The $100 jump can probably be chalked up to a rising cost of materials and labor, but I’d argue you’re paying a pretty penny for this particular design’s history, too.

That history spans over 100 years — a difficult feat to top — and surely shows no signs of shuttering anytime soon. But the new sticker price is surely forcing shoppers to consider options at a lower going rate, even if the Filson is, in my opinion, worth the price.

If you want this particular coat but for less, try buying a used one. They’re designed to last and they actually do, as evidenced by the sheer abundance of options available on eBay, Grailed and so on and so forth. You’ll find them for anywhere from $80 to $300, depending on the condition, and that’s much more manageable than the $515 it’d cost to buy a new Cruiser at Filson’s New York City flagship.

The Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Jacket: The Verdict

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — and the Mackinaw Wool Cruiser isn’t broken, nor is it prone to breaking. It’s an enduring icon built on a legacy of true work, and in not-so-savory weather, to boot. 100 years of weather- and wear-testing informs the final product.

If you want a jacket made like they used to do it — here in the U.S. from North American-sourced Pendleton wool — Filson’s Mackinaw Cruiser fits the bill, but the bill is, ahem, high. For $495, you’re getting a long-lasting, well-made jacket that’ll be with you for life, if you care for it. But that up-front price is quite a lot, and it likely limits those that could really use it from splurging half a week’s pay for it.

This a piece for the menswear purists — the ones that appreciate the origin stories of some of menswear’s most popular garments. You can go deep on the Mackinaw Cruiser, and there will likely be more lore to uncover still. It’s that storied. As such, it’s well worth it, even if you don’t venture out into a wet forest for work.

Filson

Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket

• $495.00 at Filson

Related Topics

This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.

Now that 2023 is just about in the books, it’s time to look back on some of the most compelling audio products that were released this past year. From a modular Dolby Atmos soundbar to modern turntables with built-in streaming, a bunch of new flagship noise-canceling headphones to fun portable Bluetooth speakers, here’s what jumps out.

Sonos Era 300

Sonos

Sonos Era 300

• $449.00 at Sonos

The Era 300 is a speaker specifically designed to play immersive audio that supports Dolby Atmos. It has a total of six drivers — including one that fires upward — and you can configure two as really immersive rear-channel speakers when paired with a Sonos soundbar.

Learn more about Sonos Era 300 here.

JBL Bar 1300X

Amazon

JBL Bar 1300X

• $1,699.95 at Amazon

The JBL Bar 1300X is the newest and most high-end in JBL’s “Bar” line of soundbars with detachable rear satellite speakers. It’s an 11.1.4-channel system with 21-total drivers (including six upward-firing) and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Learn more about JBL Bar 1300X here.

Goldring E4

Amazon

Goldring E4

• $299.00 at Amazon

The E4 is Goldring’s newest moving magnet cartridge designed for audiophiles on a budget. It’s the same basic design as the rest of Golding’s entry-level (or E-Series) of cartridges, but it has a new stylus that promises even more accurate performance. It also sports a new blue body.

Learn more about Goldring E4 here.

WiiM Pro Plus

Amazon

WiiM Pro Plus

• $219.00 at Amazon

The WiiM Pro Plus is the successor to the WiiM Pro that was released earlier this year. The “Plus” does pretty much the same thing — it hooks up to your old audio system and allows you to stream to it in a multitude of ways — but boasts upgraded internals for streaming lossless audio (up to 32-bit/192kHz).

Learn more about WiiM Pro Plus here.

Apple HomePod (2nd Generation)

Apple

Apple HomePod (2nd Generation)

• $299.00 at Apple

Apple’s second-generation HomePod is slightly smaller than the original “full-sized” HomePod. It doesn’t have as many drivers, but thanks to increased processing power, it is designed to sound exactly like the original. The kicker is that this new HomePod is $50 cheaper.

Learn more about Apple HomePod (2nd Gen) here.

Sonos Era 100

Sonos

Sonos Era 100

• $199 at Amazon
  $249 (20% off)
• $199 at Sonos
  $249 (20% off)

The Era 100 is a “remastered” and redesigned version of the One speaker. It works much the same, but has an extra tweeter and a larger mid-woofer and can play stereo. It also supports Bluetooth and line-in (via USB-C) connections, so it’s a significantly more versatile speaker, too.

Learn more about Sonos Era 100 here.

Amazon Echo Buds (2023)

Amazon

Amazon Echo Buds (2023 Released)

• $34.99 at Amazon
  $49.99 (30% off)

Amazon’s newest wireless earbuds are also its most affordable. These Echo Buds have been completely redesigned with a stem-shape design (like the original AirPods) and cost less than $50. If you’re looking for the best AirPods knockoffs, these are the ones.

Learn more about Amazon Echo Buds (2023) here.

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony

Sony WF-1000XM5

• $298.00 at Amazon

The Sony WF-1000XM5 are the company’s new flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds. Compared to their predecessors, the XM5s boast better noise cancellation, better sound and better call clarity. Each earbud is actually 25 percent smaller, so they fit more comfortably in your ears.

Learn more about Sony WF-1000XM5 here.

FiiO R7

Amazon

FiiO R7

• $719.99 at Amazon

The FiiO R7 is for people who take desktop audio really seriously. It’s a high-resolution audio player, streamer and headphone amplifier that’s specifically designed for your desktop setup. It has a touchscreen and 64GB of local storage, and it also supports up to 2TB of storage via microSD card.

Learn more about FiiO R7 here.

Linn Sondek LP12-50

Courtesy

Linn Sondek LP12-50

• $60,000.00 at www.linn.co.uk

The Sondek LP12-50 is a special-edition turntable designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Linn releasing its iconic Sondek LP12. The most interesting thing about it is that it’s a collaboration effort with LoveFrom, the design firm that Jony Ive founded post-Apple. It’s also pretty limited edition, just 250 units.

Learn more about Linn Sondek LP12-50 here.

Anker Soundcore Space One

Soundcore

Anker Soundcore Space One

• $99.00 at Amazon

The Soundcore Space One is Anker’s newest pair of wireless over-ear headphones with active noise-cancellation. Compared to its predecessor, the Space, the Space Ones have a new design, improved noise-cancellation and longer battery life.

Learn more about Anker Soundcore Space One here.

JBL Spinner BT

JBL

JBL Spinner BT

• $399.95 at JBL

The JBL Spinner BT is a belt-driven turntable with a built-in moving-magnet phono preamp. Other than its orange accents, what makes the Spinner BT unique is that it supports Bluetooth aptX HD so you can stream vinyl to your wireless headphones or portable speakers.

Learn more about the JBL Spinner BT here.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Bose

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

• $329 at Bose
  $429.00 (23% off)

The Bose QuietComfort Ultras are the company’s new flagship noise-canceling headphones (they replace the 2019-released Noise-Canceling 700s). They have a new foldable design with plush earcups, improved noise-cancellation and call clarity, and they support spatial audio.

Learn more about Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones here.

Beats Studio Pro

Amazon

Beats Studio Pro

• $150 at Amazon
  $349.99 (57% off)

The Studio Pros are the first flagship wireless noise-canceling over-ear headphones that Beats has released in nearly six years. They have a familiar design, but a lot have new custom drivers, more powerful mics and a bunch of new features that make them work well with iPhones.

Learn more about Beats Studio Pro here.

Sonos Move 2

Sonos

Sonos Move 2

• $399 at Sonos
  $499 (20% off)
• $399 at Amazon
  $499 (20% off)

The Move 2 is a new and improved version of Sonos’s 2019-released Move. It’s been updated with stereo sound, double the battery life, a refined look and support for a USB-C line-in. It also comes in a new olive finish (in addition to black or white).

Learn more about Sonos Move 2 here.

WiiM Amp

WiiM

WiiM Amp

• $349.00 at crutchfield.com

The WiiM Amp is an all-new streaming amplifier that works very similarly to the Sonos Amp — it can drive your passive speakers (up to four) while adding both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming capabilities as well. The kicker is that the WiiM Amp is less than half the price.

Learn more about WiiM Amp here.

Ultimate Ears Epicboom

Ultimate Ears

Ultimate Ears Epicboom

• $319.99 at Amazon
  $349.99 (9% off)

The Epicboom is the first truly new portable speaker that Ultimate Ears has released in years. It’s about twice the size (and cost) of the company’s Megaboom 3. And its UE’s first portable speaker to charge via USB-C.

Learn more about Ultimate Ears Epicboom here.

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This story is part of our end-of-year series This Year in Gear, rounding up the most notable releases of 2023. For more stories like this, click here.

“Rollin’ With My Homies” was released in 1995, and although the most play time that song gets now is probably when you’re rewatching Clueless, for those of us who love a life on two wheels, Coolio’s sage advice continues to ring true.

But whether you’re meeting up with friends or riding solo, having the proper gear to stay safe, visible and fast is paramount — and fun. Cycling continues to see innovation in accessories, apparel, components and more, and in 2023, there was no slowing down. Here’s what caught our editors’ eyes this year.

State Bicycle Carbon All-Road

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State Bicycle Carbon All-Road

• $1,999.99 at statebicycle.com

The newest version of State’s carbon road frameset (launched in January and updated in July) is the surprisingly affordable Carbon All-Road option. Featuring a lightweight frame, 1×12 drivetrain, multiple mounting points and the option to order a second set of wheels, it’s one bike you can ride almost anywhere.

Learn more about the State Bicycle Carbon All Road here.

Koo Alibi

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Koo Alibi

• $190.00 at kooworld.cc

Available in eight colors, the Alibi cycling collection features (interchangeable) cylindrical polycarbonate lenses by Zeiss and an ergonomic fit for comfort on the road and trail. The half frame maximizes your field of view, while the overall form factor is so light and comfy, you may forget you even have them on.

Learn more about the Koo Alibi here.

Lectric Bikes XP Folding Trike

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Lectric Bikes XP Folding Trike

• $1,499.00 at lectricebikes.com
  $1,803.00 (17% off)

Say hello to what Lectric calls the industry’s first folding electric tricycle. Built for hauling cargo and commuting, the XP Trike takes Lectric’s XP platform and adds a bigger battery, hydraulic brakes and a third wheel. With the included front rack and two baskets, it’s perfect for everything from beach trips to grocery runs.

Learn more about theLectric Bikes XP Folding Trike here.

Fox Union BOA Clipless Shoes

fox racing

Fox Union BOA Clipless Shoes

• $249.95 at foxracing.com

Early this year, Fox Racing debuted its brand-new line of mountain bike shoes, including this Union BOA Clipless model. Constructed with reinforced toe caps, a super grippy outsole and the BOA Li2 system, this shoe is ready to race.

Learn more about the Fox Union BOA Clipless Shoes here.

Priority Joker

Priority Bicycles

Priority Joker

• $1,299.00 at Priority Bicycles
  $1,399.00 (7% off)

This brakeless, velodrome-ready 16-pound beast boasts a belt drive and borderline bonkers 70/22 gear ratio, but that’s not all. The sports-car-compact drop bars are aggressive but comfortable, the 700×25 Goodyear Eagle F1 tires are grippy and the frame is stiff enough to be swift on the straights and steady on the turns.

Learn more about the Priority Joker here.

Thousand Crossbody Handlebar Bag

Thousand

Thousand Crossbody Handlebar Bag

• $49.00 at explorethousand.com

When your pockets simply aren’t enough to carry all the EDC gear you need on a given day, a crossbody bag is an excellent alternative. They’re still relatively small and secure yet can afford you a lot more storage. This affordable new one from Thousand is made from water-repellent nylon and doubles as a handlebar bag, making it perfect for bike commuters.

Learn more about the Thousand Crossbody Handlebar Bag here.

Specialized Turbo Tero X 4.0

Specialized

Specialized Turbo Tero X 4.0

• $3,749.99 at Specialized
  $4,500.00 (17% off)

With elevated electric assistance, full suspension and plenty of storage space (including an integrated rear rack), the Turbo Tero X 4.0 is a high-octane utility rig meant to haul more stuff over longer distances. Need more power? Specialized also offers 5.0 and 6.0 models featuring bigger motors and other upgrades.

ADIDAS

adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA

• $230.00 at ADIDAS

This year Adidas Five Ten broadened its reach, releasing its first-ever clipless cross-country bike shoe. The Kestrel BOA features a full suite of performance-oriented features, including a full-length glass fiber-reinforced plate and a Stealth rubber instep, delivering max power output and comfort.

Learn more about the Adidas Five Ten Kestrel BOA here.

ENVE MOG

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ENVE MOG

• $7,900.00 at enve.com

Top-notch component brand ENVE continued its push into full bikes with the delightful, sub-18-pound Mother of Gravel. Our favorite features include a versatile 1×13 Campagnolo Ekar AG25 groupset, clearance for up to 50mm tires, myriad mounting options and the “Cargo Bay,” 36 cubic inches of downtube storage for gear and snacks.

Learn more about the ENVE MOG here.

Velocio Trail Access Hardshell

Velocio

Velocio Trail Access Hardshell

• Shop Now

Velocio marked its 10th anniversary by rolling into the mountain bike space with a plethora of off-road-ready apparel, including shirts, shorts, pants and jackets. One standout piece is this lightweight technical hardshell, boasting a PFAS-Free DWR treatment, helmet-compatible hood, four discreet pockets and a relaxed fit for tearing up the trails.

Learn more about Velocio’s Off-Road Equipment here.

Chrome x Lucas Beaufort Kadet Sling Bag

chrome

Chrome Industries Kadet Sling

• $95.00 at chromeindustries.com

The latest in Chrome’s Artist Series is a skate-inspired collab hitting three packs, a wallet and a hat. Our favorite item is this 9L sling bag: with its handy bike lock slot, it can fit a surprising amount of gear.

Learn more about the Chrome x Lucas Beaufort Kadet Sling Bag here.

Ride1Up CF Racer1

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Ride1Up CF Racer1

• $2,195.00 at ride1up.com

It’s not often you’ll find a Class 3 ebike with a SRAM groupset and carbon-fiber frame for less than $2,200, but Ride1Up answered the call with its first-ever dropbar offering. The CF Racer1 is available in both road and gravel versions, both of which feature a 250-watt nominal BAFANG motor to help you keep rolling over tarmac and trails.

Learn more about the Ride1Up CF Racer1 here.

Ripton Classic Jeans

Ripton

Ripton Classic Jeans Indigo

• $98.00 at riptonco.com

In September, the cycling brand known for its performance jorts pulled a 180 and released what it hailed as “jants” — performance jeans infused with enough stretch and and style to transition from the bike to the bar without the wearer batting an eye. Boasting similar elements to the jorts, the pants come in multiple versions — all ready to rip it up outside.

Learn more about the Ripton Jeans here.

Quoc Gran Tourer XC

Quoc

Quoc Gran Tourer XC

• Shop Now

UK-based Quoc launched some impressive footwear this year, highlighted by this high-end, adventure-ready gravel shoe. Notable features include dual BOA dials for a perfect fit, a carbon composite midsole with an integrated TPU tread that maximizes pedaling efficiency and a colorful, abrasion-resistant microfiber upper that turns heads on and off the beaten path.Learn more about Quoc here.

Santa Cruz Heckler SL

santa cruz

Santa Cruz Heckler SL

• $7,299.00 at santacruzbicycles.com

Santa Cruz’s Heckler is the lightest, most powerful and longest-range e-bike in its class. Featuring a Fazua Ride60 drive unit, 150mm of VPP suspension, mixed wheels, and progressive geometry, the Heckler is no joke. Wanna know more? You can check out the details in this hilarious video.

Learn more about the Santa Cruz Heckler SL here.

Rapha + Snow Peak Water-Repellent Light Shirt

End Clothing

Rapha + Snow Peak Water-Repellent Light Shirt

• $153.00 at End Clothing
  $305.00 (50% off)

When two stylish brands partner up, it’s hard not to take notice. This water-repellent nylon riding shirt from Rapha and Snow Peak is quick-drying, packable and, of course, good looking.

Learn more about the Rapha + Snow Peak Water-Repellent Light Shirt here.

Cervélo Rouvida

Cervelo

Cervélo Rouvida Force XPLR AXS 1

• Shop Now

The streamlined carbon frame houses a 450-watt motor that assists up to 28 miles per hour. But what really makes Cervélo’s first e-bike (available in two road and two gravel options) sing are the brand’s performance-driven touches — vertically orienting the battery to save 25g in the wind tunnel, clever controls and silky-smooth electronic shifting.

Learn more about the Cervélo Rouvida here.

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As someone invested in fitness and staying active, I’m usually wearing a number of different shoes throughout the week. Whether I’m lacing up my gym shoes for an intense strength training session or hitting the pavement for a quick jog in my trusty pair of runners (weather coordinated, of course), there’s no lack of performance features and active components in my rotation.

That is, until you look at my daily footwear for running errands or travel.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m more than happy to step out for appointments in a pair of Chelseas or go on a date wearing cowboy boots. But in comparison to my normal fitness-focused footwear, these silhouettes definitely favor style and aesthetics over function and support.

That’s why when Hoka —a brand I’ve trusted for multiple running and trail running scenarios — unveiled the new Transport commuter shoe, it piqued my interest. Blending style and performance, this all-new silhouette boasts a CMEVA foam midsole, durable Vibram outsole and a subtle look that seems to favor off-day fits more than your typical workout garb. Would the performance-laden midsole provide that bridge of cushioning and support between my training shoes and dailies? Could this be the sneaker my wardrobe’s been missing?

To find out, I strapped into (more on that later) this sneaker for a few weeks, forgoing my normal loafers and boots for these kicks built with the city-dweller in mind. I took note of the underfoot performance across this all-new profile, as well as its ability to mesh with my daily outfits outside of the normal t-shirt and shorts. I also took the Transports on a few neighborhood walks, seeing if they could be solid options for this less-intense fitness discipline in an effort to save my dedicated running shoes for more strenuous cardio days.

Here’s what I found.

Courtesy

Hoka Transport

• $140.00 at hoka.com

What’s Good About the Hoka Transport?

Ben Emminger

I’m a big fan of the running shoe look, and Hoka is great at giving each of their silhouettes a sense of vibrancy with bright colors and patterns. That said, though, all that brightness is not always the best accessory to a more minimalist daily ensemble — bright orange and electric blue clash with neutral pants and tops. Thankfully, however, the Transport utilizes a more subtle aesthetic across its Castlerock, Avocado and Black lineup, which meshes much more appropriately with a pair of chinos, joggers or jeans.

I also mentioned earlier that I strapped into the Transports for testing. That’s a nod to the shoe’s quick-toggle lace structure, meant for easy on-and-off action. While the tech veers away from the traditional bunny ears, it didn’t stand out too much or draw attention. Plus, the Transports feature an elastic lace strap at the middle of the tongue, so you can keep the profile tucked away when on the go.

I really enjoyed the simple on-off nature of this component, as it allowed me to quickly get up and go whether hitting the streets for an afternoon walk or rushing out the door to make a weekend appointment. The quick-toggle lace system also has me less anxious about upcoming trips, as getting these sneakers on and off when passing through TSA checkpoints is sure to be a more welcome endeavor.

Editor’s Note: Hoka does include a pair of traditional laces in the box, in case you’re less enthused about this lazy-friendly lace structure.

The geometry and outsole create a comfortable ride.

Looks aside, the Transport also surprised me in how comfortable and efficient the underfoot felt when pacing through my normal day. Thanks to the CMEVA foam in the midsole, I felt a little bit of responsiveness that was nicely tuned to my normal walking pace.

Additionally, while the foam was more dense than what you’d experience across other Hoka running silhouettes, the shoe still provides a good foundation of cushioning. I also appreciated the rocker-like geometry of the sneaker that allowed for a better heel-to-toe roll without too much stress. This allowed me to stay on my feet longer without hesitation, and alleviated any “dog barking” aches that I’d normally feel after returning home from a night wearing boots or loafers.

The Vibram outsole also adds to the performance baked into this innovative silhouette, creating a sense of traction that’s grippy, yet not overly aggressive. With work boots or other hefty profiles, I often worry about having too much tread and tracking in mud and muck. That caked debris can also lead to slipping and sliding, which can result in rather comical and exaggerated entrances to your tiled grocery store (trust me).

While the lugs are present across the Transport’s Vibram outsole, I didn’t experience any debris following me in from outside. On wood or laminate floors, the traction is still present — you’re not left slipping and sliding around.

What’s Not Ideal About the Hoka Transport?

Ben Emminger

The Cordura upper needs time to stretch out.

Another perk of the Hoka Transport is the brand’s decision to utilize durable Cordura fabric across the upper. This material has shown to be excellent at defending against scuffs and tears, giving this daily commuter a little bit of muscle across its frame.

As with most durable fabrics, however, there’s not a lot of give and stretch — at least at first. In my first few trial runs (walks) with the Transports, I definitely felt a tighter fit across the top of my foot. While the size runs true, as is the case with most Hoka silhouettes, there was a present snugness that I hadn’t previously felt with the brand, which I immediately attributed to the Cordura composition.

To get around this, I opted for thinner athletic socks to help create some separation between foot and upper. This gave me some wiggle room as the shoes slowly broke in, and after a few days, I felt that tightness dissipate. I’ll also note that I did notice the tightened fit more so when sitting or standing still, so it may be beneficial to keep the shoes unlaced as you wear them around the house for the first few go-arounds.

Now, it’s not a huge issue for a sneaker to need some break-in time, but if you’re used to Hoka profiles and their “right out of the box” performance, this could throw you for a loop. Just realize that the growing pains are worth it, even if they’ll be slightly uncomfortable.

You’ll definitely notice the Vibram outsole upon initial wears.

Along with the tighter Cordura upper, there was also another factor at play with my first few wears — squeaking. The Vibram outsole definitely had a lot to say as I paced across my laminate flooring, to the point that it became a nuisance, rather than a sign of freshness. Additionally, there was a lot of tackiness across the tread, creating a sticking sensation on toe-offs. As the shoes wore in, the stickiness and squeaking dwindled, but it’s worth calling out.

Given the looks and performance of the Transports, I suspect this silhouette to be popular with workers in retail and medical fields. It might be best to wear these around the neighborhood or house before taking them to work — unless you really want to make your presence (and new shoes) known up and down the hallways and aisles.

The Hoka Transport: The Verdict

While there are some initial issues to get through, I confidently think the Hoka Transports will continue to be my new daily sneakers. The comfort and cushioning is plenty present enough for walking, and the colorways lend themselves to multiple outfits and get-ups. I also appreciate the outsole lug pattern, as this allows for more control and traction across different environments — a great plus for those that frequent dirt walking paths or have to deal with inclement weather.

Courtesy

Hoka Transport

• $140.00 at hoka.com

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The good news is that there are a lot of really great skis available right now. That’s also the bad news. Too many choices — even if they’re good ones — can make it hard to decide on which pair to buy. I’m here to help. While there are a ton of variables you could consider, most aren’t important. Consider your skiing style, then focus on a few key points: waist width, turn radius, rocker profile and length.

Figuring out your wants in respect to those key factors will leave you a smaller selection from which to choose. From there, check out these picks for the best skis of winter 2021-2022. From my base in British Columbia, I’ve tested dozens upon dozens of pairs — that’s me in the lead photo, you know, working — so I have a pretty good idea. But I haven’t tested everything.

So talk to some shops. Read other reviews. Refine your list some more and then go demo a few pairs. The only way to know for sure if you’ll like any one of these skis is to try them for yourself. Watch for demo days at your resort or ask in your local shop. Most will deduct the cost of any demos when you buy a ski.

If that’s not possible, narrow your list to the top three and pick the one with the coolest graphics. Seriously, you should love your skis, inside and out.

How We Tested

ZargonDesign

As technical editor at Ski Canada Magazine, the Great White North’s largest circulation ski publication, I organize a ski test every spring at my local ski hill, Mount Washington Alpine Resort. I’ve been doing it for six years now. Most of the major ski manufacturers send me the skis they will debut the following winter and I assemble a team of testers, weekend warriors, full-time ski instructors and ski bums to try them out. Over two days we test more than 40 pairs of skis that vary from the widest powder planks to the race-ready bombers. The testers record their observations and opinions on comment cards.

During the testing, I’m pretty busy adjusting bindings and chatting sidecut, construction and performance, so I only get to ski a handful of the skis. But over the winter I make a point of getting out on every new model for at least a run. When the snow has melted I add my own observations to the tester feedback and check out what other ski reviewers are saying. Add it all up and the results are below.

Best New Skis of 2023: Elan Playmaker 101

evo

Elan Playmaker 101

• $699.99 at evo.com

• Sizes: 164, 172, 180, 188
• Turn radius: 16m-19.5m
• Ski weight: 3,520 grams at 180cm

The Playmaker is to Elan as a hip hop record would have been to Pearl Jam – out of character but intriguing. Elan has traditionally made classic skis: they were conservative and safe, designed for turning and carving. With twin tips and a fairly symmetrical side cut the Playmaker is more hip hop: a progressive freeride ski meant for twisting, flipping and riding both directions all over the resort and beyond. Testers were impressed with Elan’s deviation from the norm. As advertised the Playmaker skied in both directly smoothly and predictably. Generous rocker provided a surfy feel, especially in fresh snow. It felt nimble and poppy on the feet thanks to a lightweight wood core with carbon rods to add stiffness and rebound. It wouldn’t feel out of place in the backcountry. They liked to charge and there was enough stiffness to smash through chopped up powder and stomp landings. They carve okay, but were much happier in a drifted or skidded turn. Overall these are a fun ski for anyone that sees the ski hill as a playground.

Best Overall Ski: Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition

elan

Best Overall Skis

Elan Ripstick 96 Black Edition

• $849.99 at evo.com

• Sizes: 164, 172, 180, 188
• Turn Radius: 18m (180)
• Ski Weight: 1710 +/- 50g (180)

This version of the Ripstick will please everyone – a rarity in the world of skiing. No matter who I handed these skis to — from a 14-year-old ripper to his groomer-loving weekend warrior dad, a 55-year-old ski instructor to accomplished experts — everyone raved.

Elan borrowed the shape from the original Ripstick 96, a ski I already really liked. There’s an early rise in the tip, which makes it easy to get on edge at the start of a turn and helps with float in fresh snow. More rocker in the tail again helps with planing and keeps the skis agile, for ditching speed in the steeps or sliding them out just for fun. Plenty of camber underfoot gives the ski a lively feel and helps with edge bite in firmer snow.

And like most Elan skis, the Ripsticks are asymmetric — there’s a right and left ski, which puts more ski over the edge, helpful for gripping on groomers and ice. Finally, the 96 mm width under the foot is a versatile size for doing a little bit of everything. The only knock on the original was at high speeds and chopped-up conditions, where it got a little unpredictable.

The Black Edition smooths out the performance by adding a bunch of carbon to the construction: twin rods down the edges of each ski, a sheet focused over the inside edge and under the binding, and more in the tip and tail. The result is a slightly stiffer ski, which translates to better edge hold on hard snow and less shakiness in tracked-up powder.

Usually adding stiffness to a ski makes it heavier and harder to ski, but because Elan used carbon (instead of metal) the Black Edition Ripsticks remain relatively light and easy to ski. It’s definitely happier in softer conditions than east coast ice and for intermediate skiers, I’d suggest sticking with the regular version over the Black. But otherwise, this is one of the most versatile and user-friendly skis I’ve tried.

There are lighter skis, stiffer skis, better carving skis — but there are few that can do as much, so intuitively, as these skis do. It defines the all-mountain category and it looks badass, too.

Best Upgrade Ski: Stockli Montero AX

Powder7

Stockli Montero AX

• $1,299.00 at evo.com

• Sizes: 163, 168, 173, 178, 183
• Turn radius: 15 m
• Ski weight: 3,530 grams

I’ve never tried a Stockli ski that wasn’t luxurious and the Montero AX is no exception. It was smooth and silky with a weighty, stable feel that felt more planted and controlled the faster I pushed it. Kind of like driving a luxury car.

Chalk that up to process. A lot of ski brands share manufacturing facilities. Not Stockli. They have a private plant in Lucerne, Switzerland where they hand-build all their skis. Each board takes an average of five days and includes up to 140 steps, whereas a major brand might spit out a finished ski in eight hours.

Most of their skis share a similar construction of high-end materials, including a lightweight wood core and a full sheet of metal. In the Montero AX the Titanal top sheet has an S-shaped cut-out at the tip and tail. This creates more flexibility for easier turn initiation and forgiving skiing while maintaining torsional stability for carving in firm snow. With tip and tail rocker to help with swiveling, these were a surprisingly easy ski to turn, even at slower speeds. As I picked up speed they never wavered in their stability and support. They crashed through slush and chunky late-day conditions and felt more nimble than most 80 mm skis, transitioning edge to edge at the flick of a toe.

While we had the most fun on these laying trenches in groomers, they were capable in all conditions. The softer tip and tail make them predictable and smooth in the moguls and there is enough tail rocker to throw them sideways to dump speed in the steeps.

There’s also a Montero AR, which is a little wider and stiffer. More powerful skiers preferred these to the more easygoing AX. But unless you’re a former racer or high-end instructor we suggest sticking to the AX. It will make you feel like a better skier no matter where you take it.

Best Budget Ski: Dynastar M-Menace 90 Skis ​+ XP 11 Bindings

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Dynastar M-Menace 90 Skis ​+ XP 11 Bindings

• $449.95 at evo.com

• Sizes: 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180
• Turn radius: 10m to 27m
• Ski weight: 1400g to 1750g

There’s a lot to like about this ski, and the price is just the beginning. No matter where I took it, no matter the conditions, it felt comfortable. It only falls short of its high-performing brethren in a few places and more than makes up for it in versatility and easygoing attitude. That adaptability comes from a mix of construction and design. It’s a wood and fiberglass build with a 90 mm waist, and it looks like a throwback to a decade ago when twin tips were common in freeride and all-mountain skis.

The Menace can certainly play in the park. It has plenty of pop for getting airborne and feels stable on landings. The design is not as symmetrical as true park skis, but it is close enough to ski and land backwards.

But where a lot of park skis feel awkward doing anything else, the Menace easily transitioned to bumps, tight trees and groomed runs. The tip and tail rocker and a progressive flex from tip to binding and on to tail were predictable and easy to handle dropping into deep carves or making quick turns. On groomers, the heavier-weight ski sunk into turns and held on. It preferred a slightly washed-out finish to a crisp launch into the next turn, but with effort, I could bring it all the way around.

It’s not as powerful or stable as a metal ski, but it’s also not as demanding; I could ski hard on it all day without feeling like I had tanks on my feet. And in powder, the generous rocker offered decent float.

Put it all together, and the Menace impressed me before I saw the price. It feels natural and comfortable in so many different situations. People who approach skiing with a playful attitude will like it best. There are few skis that offer so much fun for so little money.

Best Eastern All Mountain Ski: Volkl Kendo 88

Backcountry

Volkl Kendo 88 Ski – 2024

• $699.95 at Backcountry

• Sizes: 163, 170, 177, 184
• Turn radius: 16 m
• Ski weight: 1898 grams

This was the most popular ski at my ski test this year. Everyone from strong intermediates to expert rippers came roaring into the test pit gushing praise for this highly versatile ski.

The 88-mm waist was easy to swing through varying-sized arcs in hard and soft snow. It felt lively and responsive everywhere, danced through the bumps, and charged through the late-day heavy slush without deflecting or jitters. But that didn’t mean it was a demanding companion. Lighter and more finesse skiers found it easy to control at any speed.

I attribute this to two things. One, tailored carbon and Titinal. A variable-shaped sheet of metal runs the length of the ski. It is full-width underfoot but quickly moves to a frame around the edges for the rest of the length. This creates lots of dampness and power without being overwhelming. In addition, at the tip Volkl placed strands of carbon in a fan shape. This adds additional torsional rigidity for strong tip engagement at the start of the turn, but without the weight penalty if it was all metal. Put the two technologies together and the ski locks into turns like a full metal ski but remains light and maneuverable.

The second key to its performance is a variable sidecut. The front and back of the ski are in the mid to high 20-meter range (depending on length) which is fairly long. Underfoot is tighter, ranging from 13 to 17 meters. This helps the Kendo feel like a long-radius ski at high speeds and in big turns while it retains the quick turning ability of a GS ski.

It was so popular with so many skiers we contemplated naming the Kendo 88 Best Overall Ski. I think the Elan Ripstick Black Edition’s wider platform gives it a little more all-around versatility. But for skiers in the east, particularly those who mostly stick to packed snow, this is one of the most approachable and exciting skis you can click into.

Best Western All-Mountain Ski: Line Blade Optic 104

evo

Line Blade Optic 104

• $749.95 at evo.com

• Sizes: 171, 178, 185, 190
• Turn radius: 19m
• Ski weight: 1890 – 2100 grams

This might be the most demanding category. A one-quiver ski for the west has to be good at floating through fresh snow and gripping rock-hard groomers, weaving through tight trees and bombing wide-open bowls. It’s asking a lot, but the Blade Optic impressed me and most testers no matter the assignment or the conditions.

The Blade Optic is a new ski from Line, a brand that leans towards the park and pipe and freestyle side of skiing. And the 104 is the second widest in the four ski families, which also include 92, 96 and 114 widths. The wider three skis share a construction of an aspen wood core, extra thick edges and base, and what Line calls Gas Pedal Metal. This is a full-length sheet of Titanal that runs down the middle of the ski with ribs that extend right to the edges underfoot. The shaping includes twin tips, lots of rocker and camber underfoot. Finally, the sidecut is variable, with five different radiuses along the ski for versatility. It averages out to a relatively long 19 meters.

The upshot is a ski that’s hard to categorize. It’s stable and powerful like we’d expect from a metal-laminate ski, but also playful and loose, which we definitely don’t. We could lay it over on firm groomers and it would hold an edge and carve like a much narrower ski. When we pushed the speed limit it always felt smooth, even in chopped-up snow and chunder. Yet, it also seemed to beg us to pop off every roll and slide out the end of our turns. It was just as happy wiggling through the bumps and trees as it was opening it up on a powder face. At the end of the day, when our legs were tired, it didn’t feel like a lot of work. Even less aggressive skiers liked its approachability.

Fun is probably the best description for this ski. It put a smile on my face with its rare combination of stability and power with playfulness and ease. I found the 104 skied like a much narrower ski when I wanted it to and like a wider ski when I needed girth. I can’t think of a ski that I’d rather have on my feet on a big western mountain.

Best Ski for Intermediates: Head Kore 85 X

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Head Kore 85 X

• $449.10 at bobssportschalet.com
  $499.00 (10% off)

• Sizes: 156, 163, 170, 177
• Turn radius: 12.4m to 16m
• Ski weight: 1890-3000 grams

The Kore 85 X borrows technology from Head’s popular freeride skis but brings it within range of intermediates for an ideal platform to explore the mountain and improve on.

Light, powerful and versatile, the Kore family of skis has been super popular among advanced and expert skiers. But stiff and wide — starting at 93 mm underfoot — they were more ski than most intermediate and even some advanced skiers could handle. To make the same performance more approachable, Head softened the flex, narrowed the skis and added a versatile turn radius for the 21/22 Kore X family.

Among the available widths, I think the 85 hits the sweet spot. It has a wood core with a sheet of Graphene, a carbon derivative that’s extremely light and strong. It provides just enough torsional rigidity to edge the skis in firm snow but retains the soft flex that makes them easy to turn and forgiving in bumps and tight places. The 85 mm width is narrow enough to make carving and tight turns easier but wide enough not to bog down in softer snow.

Head-matched construction with a rocker profile that’s ideal for intermediate skiers looking to advance. Moderate tip rocker hooks into a turn easily and adds float in new snow. Minimal tail rocker makes it easy to release the skis at the end of the turn to manage speed. And generous camber helps with edging and adds life.

It all adds up to a ski that will help intermediates take their turning beyond blue runs to the rest of the resort — and from the groomed trails to the bumps and powder and beyond.

Best Powder Ski: Salomon QST Blank

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Salomon QST Blank

• $749.99 at evo.com

• Sizes: 178, 186, 194
• Turn radius: 15m to 18m
• Ski weight: 2100g to 2450g

Typically a powder ski is a joy until the hordes have tracked out the fresh snow — then it starts feeling like a liability. But the Blank is a powder ski that extends its worth beyond those first couple of epic runs, thanks to beefed-up construction and a reasonable waist width, 112 mm underfoot. The result is a shockingly versatile ski that surprised me and just about everyone else who tried it.

The QST Blank replaces the QST 118 and is the ski most of Salomon’s freeride skiers are riding. They have the same C/FX construction, a mix of carbon and flax fibers, that is light and stiff. What’s new: cork in the tips and tails to absorb vibration and a double sidewall for smoothness and edge bite.

They’re not as wide as their predecessor, but in deep snow, I didn’t notice. Plenty of tip and tail rocker gives them a lot of lift: even in wind crust, they felt floaty and easy. And whereas a lot of big skis turn like boats, the Blanks were responsive, pivoting on demand in tight trees and bumps.

The biggest surprise came on packed snow. Granted it was still soft, but for a wide ski, they felt surprisingly nimble and precise. Other testers agreed and common feedback included intuitive, familiar and versatile — atypical praise for a powder ski. Even people that don’t normally as big skis loved them.

As a deep-day ski, the Blank is an attractive prospect. It’s a powder ski that makes few compromises and delivers plenty of smiles long after the fresh snow is shredded.

Best Carving Ski: Blizzard Thunderbird Sport Ti Skis ​+ TPX 12 Bindings

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Blizzard Thunderbird Sport Ti Skis ​+ TPX 12 Bindings

• $849.95 at skiessentials.com

• Sizes: 145, 155, 160, 170, 175
• Turn radius: 14m (170)
• Ski weight: 1660 grams

The Thunderbird is a carving ski that can lay trenches with the best of them but is forgiving enough to ride all day. That’s where it differs from a lot of its high-performance colleagues, which are loads of fun for a couple of runs but demand a tiring level of energy and attention.

Blizzard found a nice compromise mostly through construction. The wood core is a laminate of beech and poplar laid out to create a flex pattern that’s stiffest underfoot and gradually softens toward the ends of the ski. This makes it easy to start and end a turn while retaining plenty of power in the height of the arc.

A sheet of Titanal above the core and another below add edge bite and stability. Blizzard exposed the topsheet right to the edge of the ski to armor the sidewalls. Finally, a carbon plate under the binding separates the boot attachment from the ski, allowing the ski to flex more naturally and absorb chatter and vibration.

The result? Smooth carves, great hard snow performance and incredible stability in chunky conditions and at high speeds. Thunderbird comes in several models, varying by width and turn radius. I like the 15 for its versatility and narrow width. I found it exciting on the groomers and intuitive in bumps and firm off-piste conditions. Fast or slow, big turns or snappy slalom, it’s the rare groomer ski that’s happy any which way.

Best Backcountry Ski: Völkl Rise Beyond 96

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Völkl Rise Beyond 96

• $749.95 at avantlink.com

• Sizes: 156, 163, 170, 177, 184
• Turn radius: 17m to 27m
• Ski weight: 2360 grams [163]

Weighing a little more than two pounds per ski and designed for the backcountry, the Rise Beyond predictably feels great on the skin track and floats effortlessly in powder. What surprised me was how well it handled everything else. From soggy slush to firm groomers, bottomless powder to polished wind slabs, these featherweight skis felt like powerful planks.

The construction is a complex mix of woods, handpicked for lightness: poplar for stability, paulownia for low weight and beech for strength under the binding. Volkl glues them together, then mills out channels to add liveliness and cut weight. There’s also a three-part sidecut: rather than one continuous arc, each edge has three — a longer radius at the tip and tail and shorter underfoot.

It’s a winning combination. The skis are obviously light and maneuverable when skinning up the mountain. On the way down they feel effortless: holding an edge when needed, swinging from side to side in a pinch, floating well in deep snow thanks to plenty of rockers, and rolling over heavier powder like a much bigger, burlier ski. I was shocked and impressed.

Some of that variable snow performance comes from Rise Beyond’s relatively narrow 96 mm waist. This is less than many backcountry skiers will be looking for, but I think it’s actually an ideal size. When it comes to self-propelled skiing, foot weight adds up over a day, while gravity is always there on the way down. And so often, conditions aren’t bottomless top to bottom. That’s where a versatile ski like this one will keep you smiling while your buddies are cursing their 110 mm pontoons. If you’re shopping for a dedicated backcountry setup, start here.

Best Quiver Killer: Black Diamond Impulse 104

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Black Diamond Impulse 104

• $729.95 at avantlink.com

• Sizes: 165, 172, 179, 186
• Turn radius: 16m to 18m
• Ski weight: 3539 grams [165 cm]

You can own a bunch of skis for different purposes and conditions. Or you can simplify and just own one, like the Impulse. There are better resort skis, better backcountry skis and better all-mountain weapons. But few can do it all as well as the Impulse. It’s what I’ll be packing on ski trips this winter. With a do-it-all binding (Salomon Shift, Fritschi Tecton or Marker Duke PT), they are as fun to ski deep in the backcountry as they are inside the resort a week after a storm.

Designed by Black Diamond but made in Blizzard’s Austrian factory, the Impulse marries exacting construction with modern design. It has a poplar wood core sandwiched with carbon and Titanal underfoot and full ABS sidewalls. It’s a stiff-feeling build that lends a lot of power and stability. Less technical and more apprehensive skiers might find them hard to control, but those with good technique and stance will find skis that can rip groomers with the best of them, charge through broken-up new snow and bounce around in the powder.

The 18-meter turn radius and generous tip and tail rocker provide adaptability: I found they gave me confidence whether I was wiggling through tight trees, jump-turning a steep chute, negotiating wind crust, carving mellow warmup turns or bombing a groomer back to a lift.

Like all jacks of all trades, the Impulse does make a few compromises. But when you only have room for one ski, the Impulse demands fewer concessions than most of the competition. For one ski that can do it all — from the resort to the slackcountry to the backcountry — it is damn hard to beat.

Terms to Know

Full-cap, mustache rocker, stiff tail and a damp feel. Get your mind out of the gutter, we’re talking ski features. Here are the terms you need to know, broken down by shape, construction and feel.

Camber

The arch of the ski is its camber. It’s most obvious when you place a ski on something flat. With a cambered ski, the tip and tail sit on the ground and the center is in the air. The higher the camber, the more power and bite a ski will have. Skis with no camber or even reverse camber (the center sits on the ground and the tip and tail are in the air) promote float and easy turning. These shapes are typically powder-specific.

Rocker

How much and how far the tip and tail rise above the snow. Also known as early rise. The more rocker, the easier a ski is to turn. Less rocker promotes better edge hold. The most common rocker profile is mustache rocker, tip and tail rocker with camber underfoot.

Turn Radius

A measure of a ski’s sidecut measured in meters. The shorter the turn radius, the tighter the turns the ski will want to make.

Sidecut

Directly related to turn radius. Sidecut is the profile of a ski from tip to waist to tail. Typically the arc is consistent across the ski’s length, but brands are playing with combining different arcs along a sidecut to add multiple turning behaviors to one ski.

Waist Width

A measure from edge to edge at the narrowest point on a ski in millimeters. Wider tends to float in fresh snow better, while narrower is easier to edge into hard snow.

Ski Construction

Flex

This refers to how easy it is to bend a ski. Manufacturers adjust the flex with the materials and construction. We break up a ski’s flex into three parts: tip, center and tail. Tip: A soft tip makes it easy to initiate a turn and absorbs bumps. A stiffer tip provides bite, great for hard snow carving, and stability at speed. Center: A soft center provides a forgiving ride that’s easy to turn. A stiff center feels stable at speed, even if the tip and tail are soft. Tail: A soft tail feels loose and buttery. A stiff tail adds snap and pop at the exit of a turn. It also provides a good platform for landing jumps and skiing on uneven terrain.

Sidewall

The part of the ski above the edge and below the top sheet. The style of the sidewall plays a role in performance and durability. A full sidewall has vertical walls and is the toughest and most powerful. Cap construction slopes up to the top sheet and is easier to ski. Between the two are all kinds of hybrids.

Top Sheet

The top of the ski. Usually just a protective layer with graphics.

Base

The bottom of the ski is a hard plastic. There are a couple of hardnesses of base material, but in general, it all comes from one of two factories in Europe.

Feel

• Dampness: A ski’s ability to absorb vibrations. A damp ski is stable at speed and holds an edge through a carve.
• Playful: An ambiguous term generally associated with a loose tail and a snappy feel. The opposite of powerful, playful skis is happy to skid.
• Powerful: Like an expensive car, a powerful ski feels stable at high speeds and bites into hard snow. Harder to control, they’re often stiffer and need more energy and skill to ski.

Mounting Types

System Ski

When a ski comes with a binding for a set price. The binding often integrates with the ski rather than mounting with screws.

Flat Ski

A ski that doesn’t come with a binding.

How to Know It’s Time for a New Pair of Skis

Skis have a life, but figuring out when it’s over can be challenging. When you ski the same pair of sticks for a season or a couple of seasons, the changes are incremental. They don’t just stop working, so you may not notice right away. If you don’t tune your skis regularly, try an edge sharpen and wax before writing them off. A quality pair of skis should last at least 100 days of skiing.

Beyond age, there a few other signs it’s time to upgrade: a lot of cuts and scratches to the top sheet, side walls or base, especially if any penetrate into the core materials; skis that don’t feel like they have any spring or life to them; or if the skis won’t do what you want them to. The last could be because the skis are toast or because you’re not as fit or sharp as you used to be.

“If a ski’s not fun, finding the right pair means you’re going to enjoy the experience more,” Rabinowitz says. “And if you haven’t bought a new pair in 10 years, then it’s definitely time. The technology has totally changed for the better.”

How to Shop for a New Pair of Skis

Every ski-buying expert we talked to says the buying process should start before turning on the computer or stepping out of the house. “Ask yourself a few key questions,” says Ashton Helmstaedter, the owner of Foothills Ski Life, a specialty store in Denver. “The more honest you are, the more you’re going to like your new ski.”

Is this your only ski or part of a quiver? Where in the country do you ski? What type of terrain do you like to ski? Do you like to carve your turns or prefer to skid and slide?

A Primer On Different Types of Skis

These questions should help narrow down the type of ski you need and then further down to performance attributes. Let’s start with the different categories of skis.

All-Mountain

This is your do it all ski, filling in everything between a dedicated powder ski and dedicated carving ski. Most ski sales pros will say that if you’re only going to own one pair, it should be an all-mountain ski. They’re designed to handle everything from fresh snow to moguls, groomers and steeps — which also means a certain amount of sacrifice. “Is there a true all-mountain ski that can do everything well?” asks Helmstaedter. “Absolutely not. You’re always giving something up.” Within the all-mountain category, there’s plenty of diversity; the category spans the gap between forgiving cruisers to missiles.

Powder

Once you’re into the 110mm waist and wider range, the skis only do one thing well: make skiing untracked snow easy. They’re so wide that it becomes hard to pressure the edge for carving, so they don’t do well on firm snow. But because they have so much surface area, they tend to float incredibly well, making skiing powder and even crusts much easier. This is the category where we see a lot of experimentation with things like reverse camber, upturned edges and unique shapes.

Carving

Spend more than 80 percent of your time skiing firm snow? Look for a ski with an 80mm and under waist width. This is also where the high-performance carving skis live. Both of these groups of skis can go anywhere on the mountain, but their happy place is on groomed snow.

Park

To survive the rigors of sliding rails, hucking table tops and flying out of the halfpipe, skis need to be tough. Park-focused skis tend to have full sidewalls, thicker edges and heavy-duty base material for absorbing hard landings and constant abuse. They are almost always twin-tipped for skiing and landing backwards. Their flex profile is usually soft in the tip for smearing and buttering and stiff underfoot for stability and landing jumps. With versatile side cuts and waist widths, these skis often work well as all-mountain skis outside of the park.

Ski Prices

A new pair of skis range in price from less than $300 to more than $1,300. More and more skis now come with a binding designed specifically to integrate with the ski. These “system skis” are often good value compared to buying a ski and binding separately. The drawback is weight; they’re often heavier.

But even factoring in bindings, the price range is huge. This begs the question, should you splurge or save? “You get what you pay for,” says Bernie Duval, a veteran floor manager at Fanatyk Co., a ski shop in Whistler. “The difference is in materials and workmanship. The ski will last longer.”

But most of us won’t notice the difference on the snow, says Rabinowitz. “As long as you’re paying $500 and up from a reputable manufacturer, there is no bad ski,” he says, “just a bad ski for you.”

You can save money by buying last year’s model. Often the technology is the same as an old graphic. Or, if you can wait, stores start dropping prices after Christmas. The drawback to either strategy is less selection.

One thing to keep in mind: everyone we talked to for this piece told us they recommend saving on skis and splurging on the right ski boot. “It’s fun to ski any ski if you have the right boot,” says Helmstaedter. “The opposite is not true.”

A Note On Construction

Skis are generally made from a sandwich of materials, bookended by a top sheet and base, and glued together with a resin. Material choice is getting more diverse, but even the same materials aligned a different way can create big differences in performance, so it’s hard to generalize. This is also where brands tend to put a lot of marketing energy. Bottom line, don’t worry too much about the construction details and concentrate more on what kind of skiing the brand is recommending the ski for. That should tell you more about how it will ski than what’s inside. That said, here are a couple of things to watch out for.

• Carbon: Strands, stringers or sheets of carbon add stiffness without weight.
• Metal: Most commonly Titanal, a mix of titanium and aluminum. It adds some stiffness but mostly dampening or vibration absorption.
• Wood: A wood core is the gold standard; we’d hesitate to buy a ski without a wood core.

Four Factors to Consider Before You Shop

Waist Width

The width of a ski determines how easy it is to get from edge to edge, how much it wants to float in soft snow and how easy it is to carve. Narrower widths – say 60mm to 80mm – are best for nimble and precise carving. Powder skis are on the other end of the spectrum, 110mm and wider. All-mountain and park skis land anywhere in between.

Turn Radius

Think about how you like to ski. Do you make lots of turns or prefer to open it up and ski straight and fast? Most skis list their turn radius, and it often varies slightly with ski length. 17 meters is a rough middle of the road. Anything over 20 is a missile. And 13 meters could probably carve a circle.

Rocker

Rocker makes skiing easier by making the ski feel shorter because less ski is in contact with the snow. Pretty much every ski has tip rocker. The longer the tip rocker, the easier it is to start a turn and the more a ski wants to float in fresh snow. Tail rocker helps release a ski at the end of a turn. That’s especially handy for making steep terrain easier.

Length

“I can hate a ski in one length and love it in another,” says Ben Rabinowitz, a ski advisor for Backcountry. The length of your last pair of skis is a good place to start. Otherwise, aim for about your height or a little less. And remember that rocker makes a ski feel shorter.

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If you use an Apple TV as your main streaming device and have it connected to a TV with an external speaker system — be it a soundbar or AVR system — you may have experienced this issue: When you adjust the volume (with your Apple TV remote or by pressing a button or knob on your soundbar or AV receiver), it works but no visual indication appears on the TV screen.

This isn’t the biggest problem, but it can be annoying. For example, when the volume is low (or off) and you rapidly mash on the volume up button only to have the volume go seemingly from 0 to 90 percent in a split second and blow out your eardrums … nobody wants that.

The good news is, Apple recently rolled out an update to Apple TV — via tvOS 17.1 — that aims to fix this issue. Specifically, it adds a Volume OSD (on-screen display) option. All you need to do is to turn it on — here’s how:

How to Turn On Volume OSD

Tucker Bowe

Tucker Bowe

1. Open the Settings app on your Apple TV.
2. Select Remotes and Devices.
3. Scroll down to the Home Theater Control section.
4. In the On-Screen Volume Display option, make sure “Show” is selected.

When Volume OSD is turned on, an additional, vertical volume slider pops up on the side of your TV screen whenever you adjust the volume. Whether you are doing so with your Apple TV remote, actual TV remote or the volume controls on your soundbar or AV receiver, you’ll get a visual indication of how much you’re increasing or lowering the volume of your system.

It’s admittedly a pretty nerdy solution and can be a little redundant — sometimes you’ll see two indicators, one horizontal bar and one vertical bar. It’s not perfect, but it’s finally a decent solution for Apple TV users who’ve been frustrated by the lack of a volume visual indicator on their TV.

For a deeper dive, check out this Reddit thread on the tvOS 17.1 update.

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The 5th Season of Yellowstone premieres on November 13th on the Paramount Network. The modern Western drama has earned a number of nominations, a few awards and a whole hell of a lot of public attention. It was the most-watched scripted television show in 2021; 9.3 million viewers watched the Season 4 finale, which beat Game of Thrones‘ previous record of 8.9 million viewers.

Despite the niche subject matter — cattle ranching and essentially mob crime — it’s clearly a hit, and its surging popularity is pushing a massive audience toward its style, which is western with clear workwear influences. The episodes leave plenty wondering where they can get the incredible jackets they see on screen. Without official confirmation of where they came from, it can be hard to act on the aesthetic, even if you’re interested — until now. This is our guide to the jackets you see on Yellowstone.

Inside Yellowstone‘s Costume Department

Yellowstone‘s costumes were designed and assembled by American costume designer Ruth E. Carter, the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Costume Design for 2018’s Black Panther. She wanted the show’s outfits to obviously be authentic, but a little over-the-top, too, to complement its dramatic plotlines.

“Cowboys wear Western-wear,” Carter said in a behind-the-scenes video. “But they wear it with a little bit more of an urban flair, little bit more of a hip-hop flair.”

What Brands Do the Characters in Yellowstone Wear?

Due to the show’s popularity, plenty of people have already done their own digging to figure out what brands appear on screen. That being said, there are lots of characters and thus lots of outerwear to identify. Beth Dutton (played by Kelly Reilly) wears Carhartt but carries a Bottega Veneta bag; Kayce Dutton wears Freenoth Cloth or a Carhartt; Most of John Dutton’s jackets are custom; Jimmy (played by Jefferson White) wears Wrangler; Lloyd (played by Forrie J. Smith) likes a particular vintage Woolrich jacket; and Rip (played by Cole Hauser), a fan favorite, wears Filson.

They can be hard to spot while still keeping up with the plot, but that’s what this guide is for — first, though, a word about fakes.

Watch Out for Fakes

Plenty of replicas of the outfits the characters wear have popped up online, appeasing customers that want to dress like a Dutton, whether that be John (played by Kevin Costner) or Kayce (played by Luke Grimes), but don’t know any better.

Instead of spending $49-$149 on what is essentially a costume, it’s smarter to seek out what the actors are really wearing. Most times, the pieces are publicly available. And because they’re coming from authentic, true-to-the-task brands, they’re always built to last.

All of the Yellowstone Jackets You Can Buy

Kayce Dutton: Freenote Cloth Riders Jacket

Paramount

The key piece Kayce Dutton wears throughout Yellowstone is the waxed canvas Riders Jacket from SoCal-based brand Freenote Cloth. It’s a beautiful hybrid between a vintage ranch jacket and trucker jacket and features a burly 10-ounce waxed canvas which, as you can tell from the show, ages really well. But it doesn’t just look good — it’s the real deal.

All of the metal hardware is custom-made in Kentucky, accompanied by a leather patch from Red Wing as well as a silky satin sleeve lining and Southwestern-inspired printed body liner, both made in Japan. It’s got plenty of room for personal effects, with dual chest and hand pockets as well as an interior pocket. And the clever gusseted shoulders allow for a greater range of motion to handle all that tough ranch work (or yard work).

Costume designer Ruth Carter keeps three versions on set: a clean one, a dirty one and an even dirtier one. Luke Grimes loves it, and he thinks it really suits Kayce.

“I think the first time I put that jacket on, I was like, ‘Oh, this feels right.’ This kind of starts to paint a picture of what this guy might look like and who he is, you know? This jacket looks like he’s had it his whole life. He probably grew into it a little bit — he’s a ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ kind of a guy,” he told us in an interview earlier in 2022. “I’ve loved those sort of wax canvas jackets for a long time and that’s a great one. It’s got this really cool wool lining, which, because we shoot in the summertime isn’t the greatest thing at all times. But it’s a really beautiful wool lining, too — it’s just an awesome-looking jacket.”

Freenote Cloth

Freenote Cloth Waxed Canvas Riders Jacket

• $450.00 at freenotecloth.com

Rip Wheeler: Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser Jacket

Paramount

Plenty of people theorized about which jacket Rip Wheeler wears when Yellowstone debuted. It looks like your regular trucker, albeit with a few tweaks. In reality, though, it’s a Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser Jacket, but plenty — myself included — think the costume department altered Wheeler’s actual on-screen iteration. It looks a little shorter, so perhaps they made the Short Lined Cruiser Jacket even shorter.

Wheeler wears the black version, which comes with a signature dry finish cover cloth liner and silk sleeves for easy layering. This isn’t the easiest jacket to wear over much more than a shirt, though, which is why you don’t see Rip layered up too much. It is water- and abrasion-resistant, though, and it has plenty of pockets. Plus, it’s durable, as evidenced by Wheeler’s uniform-like habit of wearing it.

Filson

Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser

• $350.00 at Filson

John Dutton: Schaefer Outfitter Rangewax Blacktail Quilted Jacket

Paramount

Most of John Dutton’s jackets are custom-made. His iconic orange and tan jacket, for example, was commissioned by Carter: “We made him the old style ’70s ski coat, which was popular amongst the Western dress,” she says. They also made a few others, each of which taps into this same style.

As for the pieces they procured, not created, most come from Texas-based Schaefer Outfitters. (You’ll see a theme reveal itself with the next three entries.) The brand commits to making its outerwear in the US, a prerequisite for most Dutton purchases, one would guess.

This particular jacket is the RangeWax Blacktail Quilted Jacket, which is made from what Schaefer Outfitter calls “the lightest, highest performing waxed cotton ever developed.” It’s relatively lightweight, thanks to the fabric, but it’s insulated, treated with a DWR finish and finished with a heavyweight 2-way zipper. The corduroy collar flips up, too, and that’s how John usually wears his.

Courtesy

Schaefer Outfitter RangeWax Blacktail Quilted Jacket

• $325.00 at schaeferoutfitter.com

Jamie Dutton: Schaefer Outfitter Rangewax Drifter Coat

Paramount

Jamie might not want to be just like his Dad, but he does wear plenty of jackets from the same brands his Dad knows and loves. Schaefer Outfitter is a family favorite, hence why Jamie’s got it on too. He wears the RangeWax Drifter Coat, a longer, more formal waxed canvas jacket. It’s heavier and lined with taffeta for easy layering, and it has a storm flap front for riding in the rain. Warmer pockets help protect fragile hands, too — perfect for the son that doesn’t work on the ranch.

The yokes are more Western too, as opposed to John Dutton’s Barbour-esque option. Truthfully, Jamie always looks most at home in a suit, so this is quite the departure. But it’s a damn good jacket.

Courtesy

Schaefer Outfitter RangeWax Drifter Coat

• $199.00 at schaeferoutfitter.com
  $265.00 (25% off)

Lloyd Pierce: Schaefer Outfitter Summit Jacket

Paramount

Lloyd Pierce isn’t officially part of the family, but he’s essentially as close as it gets. As such, he knows the deal: Schaefer Outfitter has great stuff. (I know Lloyd isn’t really, and he didn’t buy it — but go with it.) He wears the Schaefer Outfitter Summit Jacket, another waxed canvas option with smooth taffeta lining and a DWR finish, plenty of pockets (6), a storm flap front and a contrasting collar, albeit leather, not corduroy.

It’s the grown-up version, if you will, and Lloyd wears it well. It suits his style, which is more classic with less intentional flair. When Lloyd wears a flannel jacket, for example, it’s somehow less loud. He blends in, and this jacket helps him do it.

Courtesy

Schaefer Outfitter RangeWax Summit Jacket

• $255.00 at schaeferoutfitter.com

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Has there ever been a home appliance brand as design-forward as Balmuda? Since its debut in Japan two decades ago, the brand has racked up numerous international design awards, with every product it builds as much as a piece of modern art as a helpful gadget.

The Brew is Balmuda’s take on an automatic coffee machine, and like everything else we’ve seen from the brand, it occupies a singular place in the market. It’s beautiful — that goes without saying — but it also promises heightened performance, emulating a manual pour-over coffee maker to supposedly make a superior cup of joe. But is it really as good as it looks?

Balmuda The Brew: What We Think

Balmuda’s first coffee maker certainly lives up to the brand’s reputation. It’s gorgeous and looks great on a countertop. It’s high-performing, churning out noticeably more robust and clear-tasting coffee than your average drip machine. But, it’s expensive — arguably too expensive — given the amount of plastic in the machine and its limitations as a coffee maker.

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

Balmuda

Balmuda The Brew

• $699.00 at Nordstrom

The Brew is beautiful but feels cheap

The Brew is one of the most attractive coffee makers you’ll likely ever see, no question about it. It’s sleek, with a pleasing hourglass shape — likely inspired by the classic Chemex pour-over coffee maker — and its matte black finish contrasts beautifully with the stainless steel accents and carafe.

But upon closer inspection, you discover everything black on the body is made of plastic, giving The Brew a bit of a hotel-room-coffee-maker vibe. I like the look, but I’d love to see more metal and less plastic for this kind of money.

It’s surprisingly fun to use

Thankfully, the machine is not lacking in Balmuda’s typical design quirks. To remove the dripper, you rotate it 90 degrees rather than pulling it straight off, a unique feature that shows the whimsical creativity of Balmuda’s designers. Turn the machine on and you’re greeted with more whimsy.

Ja Tecson

Ja Tecson

First, there’s a short welcoming chime as the adorable little light bulb on top comes alive with a warm orange glow. Then, press the two buttons to select your size and brewing mode and hear them each emit a different retro beep. Finally, press “start” to begin brewing and hear a little jingle, followed by a clock-like ticking that lets you know your coffee is in the works.

If you like coffee, you’ll love what The Brew brews

There’s a lot of technology hidden in The Brew that allows for things like precise temperature control and carefully measured flavor extraction. Frankly, it all works wonders. After a (somewhat lengthy) show of steam and drips from the stainless steel dripper, the resultant beverage tastes just like pour-over coffee. (It only makes one cup at a time, but that’s probably for the best, since there’s no warmer for the carafe.)

Ja Tecson

Ja Tecson

Of the three modes, I’m surprised to say my favorite is the iced coffee setting, which still produces hot coffee, but in a more concentrated form. Toss some ice cubes in once it’s done brewing, let them melt and pour into an ice-filled glass for a strong, tasty treat.

Balmuda The Brew: Alternatives

Balmuda is not the first brand to automate the pour-over coffee experience, nor is it the first company to do so in beautiful fashion. Chemex makes an automatic machine that works with (and includes) its iconic and gorgeous glass brewer, and it costs half as much as the Balmuda. The Ratio Eight is priced around the same as the Balmuda, comes from a trusted coffee nerd brand and can brew 16 to 40 ounces at once. It’s also available in several attractive options.

Finally, of course, there is the classic Technivorm Moccamaster, which hews a bit closer to plain ol’ drip coffee than the others mentioned but is still plenty attractive and has loads of fans who will attest to the quality of its coffee. Like with the Chemex, you could buy two Moccamasters for the cost of one Balmuda.

Balmuda

Balmuda The Brew

• $699.00 at Nordstrom

Gear Patrol

Related Topics

New Balance’s classics-oriented catalog isn’t a facade. Founded by William J. Riley, an arch support specialist, in 1906, the company sold shoe inserts until 1960, when then-owners Paul and Eleanor Kidd introduced NB’s first-ever sneaker, the Trackster. The first of its kind to feature a ripple sole and come in different widths, cross-country and track teams across the country, at both the collegiate and high-school levels, quickly transitioned to this new shoe.

Eight models came between the Trackster and 1988’s 574, a lifestyle shoe originally introduced as an economy runner. For its value, it boasted impressive tech. 574s were comfortable, could be worn for a light workout, but proved best for more pedestrian situations. For New Balance sneakers, generally speaking, the higher the model number, the more tech. The lower that number is, the more “lifestyle” the shoe leans.

With the 574, New Balance broadened its reach. A lower point of entry made their shoes more accessible, and a big “N” logo and suede side panels helped the company move past their original color palette (grays and neutrals). Doing so attracted those set on expressing themselves through footwear. Namely, musicians — from Biz Markie and Raekwon to KRS One and Phife.

As years passed, New Balance’s technical credibility was never questioned. Running shoe after running shoe earned best-in-classic honors. But, what sneaker shoppers considered “cool” changed with the seasons. New Balances became “dad sneakers” — scorned for their sensibility. Their affordability — a strength to those with common sense — was ammo for arguments against them. There were better pairs of shoes out there, even from the same brand. But the 574 has endured, and, with the sudden hype surrounding casual, comfortable, stylish sneakers, will probably prosper again.

The Good

They’re an affordable everyday sneaker.

For less than $90, these are an incredible value. You might be able to snag nicer pairs of shoes for similar prices during end-of-season clearance sales, but doing so involves holding out until they hit rock bottom. New Balance 574s will always be there for you in an assortment of colors and materials, courtesy of a consistent refresh calendar and an ever-growing list of collaborators.

They’re comfortable.

Like Birkenstocks, New Balance 574s mold to your feet with wear, courtesy of lightweight EVA foam cushioning in the arch and heel. That’s where the ENCAP, marked by a little text logo, is, too. That’s more EVA foam with a polyurethane rim for added durability. Sure, these don’t have high-arch support, but that’s OK. For those born with high arches, these will slowly shape to your foot. They will, however, stop short of relieving pain in extreme situations. TLDR: they’re more comfortable than Vans yet far removed from orthopedic sneakers. Having three different widths to choose from helps, too.

New Balance

New Balance 574 Core

• $89.99 at New Balance

They’re iconic.

The 574 is a classic silhouette. It’s heritage, hard-wearing design that’s core to the company’s history. That being said, wear them with that in mind. 574s pair particularly well with jeans, sweatshirts, T-shirts, and sweats; anything kind of casual.

The Bad

These aren’t a top of the line model.

While some iterations of the 574 feature premium leather and suede or sustainable TENCEL lyocell, the baseline version’s construction could be better — and heftier. Again, I wouldn’t recommend wear these for high intensity interval training (HIIT), and I’d argue even daily walks would cause significant wear and tear. The suede scuffs easily and the mesh toe loosens over time. Of course it’s unfair to compare these to other models that are made in the U.S., but these are arguably too light.

Plus, now there’s a new 574 Legacy, which New Balance introduced through a collaboration with Bodega. They’re bigger, better-feeling and far more comfortable.

Should the “N” meet its end?

The big “N” logo on the sides of the 574 let New Balance play with its own image a bit. Lots of mesh and suede helped, too. The brand could pair mismatch colors and materials, follow themes, or pass the square footage off to other parties. Nowadays, though, it seems big, even as sneakers designs become increasingly crazy.

This is a good starting point, but New Balance makes better sneakers.

Does this meme sound familiar? There’s an image of two people, places or things and “You vs. the guy she tells you not to worry about” typed out above them. The 574’s eternally trapped inside one of these. Sure, it’s a great shoe, but look at its siblings, the 990, 992 and 993. Hell, even the 57/40, a chunky riff on the classic you’re reading about right now. I can’t forget about the 650R.

The Verdict

The 574 is a solid starting point, a jumping off point, if you will, to then explore New Balance’s pricier models. It’s an icon for a reason, but it seems more attention is paid to the newer silhouettes, and even the collaborations. That means the 574 hasn’t changed much, but maybe, just maybe, that’s a good thing.

Related Topics

Winter is on its way, bringing with it an onslaught of sleet to soak through your shoes and to your feet. It’s bad enough having to trudge through a frozen landscape trying to keep your human status from devolving into meat popsicle. Add to that an ever-depleting bank account riddled with receipts for winter gear. The world is indeed cruel and cold.

But you don’t have to drop dough on a new pair of boots just to make it to spring. You can work with your existing shoe collection and some readily-available shoe-care products to save some closet space and some cash, all while keeping those lil’ piggies dry and warm.

What to Do Before the Storm

Get ahead of the inclement weather and do some shoe prep to get your footwear ready for the worst — you want to take care of things before the forecast turns torrential. If it’s too late and you’re reading this with sopping socks, skip down to the Maintenance section and then come back here once you’re done.

Waterproof Your Uppers

Water can soak through the uppers of your boots or shoes, even if you’re sporting a pair with full-grain leather. Counterintuitively, water can dry out leather and strip it of its natural oils which are essential for keeping leather pliable and preventing it from cracking. Conditioning and prepping your shoes’ uppers is key for defense against the elements.

Make sure your leather shoes have been cleaned and conditioned so that they get the nutrients they need. Then, add layers of protection with oils and waxes which are hydrophobic. Be sure to condition your leather shoes before adding wax because, though it protects the leather from water — wax can also dry out leather. Make sure to get the wax or oil products fully incorporated into the welt, where the shoes are particularly prone to water.

You can also protect your canvas sneakers, too. They’re certainly not as water-resistant as your boots are, but, just like a waxed canvas jacket, waxing your Chucks can add a touch of rain-resistance. You could also opt for weather protecting sprays that are better suited for suede and synthetic textiles which you’re more likely to find on more technical sneakers.

Red Wing

Smooth-Finished Leather Product Care Kit

• $46.99 at Red Wing

Nordstrom

Repel Shoe Protectant Spray

• $17.00 at Nordstrom

Add Rubber Soles

Before the weather gets too messy, you also want to take your shoes to a cobbler to protect the soles. Products like Saphir’s oil-based Sole Guard are great for protecting leather soles, but are a much less effective longterm option opposed to adding rubber soles to your shoes. You can have your local cobbler simply add rubber soles on top of your existing leather soles, or have them resole your shoes with a new rubber sole like Dainite or one of the many options from Vibram.

Be wary, though, since changing the sole will modify the overall aesthetic of your shoes. That may be a good thing for some people who want to switch it up, but not so good for others who like their shoes just the way they are.

Amazon

#132 Montagna Sole (Several Sizes)

• $48.00 at Amazon

Amazon

Sole Guard

• $33.95 at Amazon

Get Galoshes or Overshoes

If you don’t mind giving your shoes a facelift in the name of dry feet, then you might consider galoshes or overshoes. Galoshes are waterproof rubber coverings that slip over your shoes. Think of them like a rubber raincoat for your boots. They provide a waterproof covering a few inches up the shoes while also adding traction since they cover the soles as well. The downside is, most galoshes will only cover a portion of your shoes. So if you find yourself knee-deep in snow or in a sideways bout of rain, galoshes won’t be enough.

For extra protection, waterproof overshoes are the way to go. Overshoes cover your entire shoe and look standalone shoes themselves.

Since the overshoes and galoshes provide an extra barrier between your shoes and the weather, they also help insulate your feet. Toss on some wool socks and your feet should be better toasted than your morning bagel.

Zappos

Galosh

• $95.00 at Zappos

Gorewear

Overshoes

• $90.00 at Gorewear

UGG

UGG Boot Guard

• $50.00 at UGG

Add Boot Liners

If you have room in your boots, you could keep your feet warm with boot liners. Boot liners are inserted into the boot and come in a variety of insulating materials to keep your feet warm and dry. The benefit of this is that, rather than buying several pairs of winter socks, you can use your existing socks and simply buy one pair of boot liners and swap them from boot to boot. The downside is that they might not fit every shoe you have.

L.L.Bean

Snow Boot Liners

• $40.00 at L.L.Bean

L.L.Bean

Shearling Insoles

• $30.00 at L.L.Bean

How to Maintain Them Through Winter

Once you’ve done the prep work to winterize your shoes, don’t forget to maintain them throughout the winter. All that preparation would be for naught if you neglected your shoes anyway. Think of your shoes like a car: clean them up, replace the oil, get new tires. Shoes are the same.

Clean the Salt Off

If you live in a place like New York City, the roads are dusted with salt (which, I presume is the excess that falls off of God-awful salt bagels). It lowers the freezing point of water, keeping roads from forming into dangerously slick patches of ice. It also destroys your shoes. Not only will salty-slush cause visible stains, but road salt can also suck the moisture from your leather shoes. If you let it sit for too long, the damage could be permanent. Brush off any visible salt crystals and use a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar to draw out salt from the leather.

Let Them Dry

Don’t forget to let your shoes rest. It’s important to rotate your shoes to let them dry out fully to prevent damage and mold, especially in winter. Stuff your shoes with newspaper, and wait until your shoes are fully dry, often that will mean a whole day in many climates. Do not force your shoes to dry over a heater or you could run the risk of overdrying them — boot-dryers, like Peets, are gentle enough for daily use, though.

Amazon

The Original 2-Shoe Dryer

• $49.99 at Amazon

Woodlore

Shoe Trees

• $25.00 at Woodlore

Condition Them

Once you’ve cleaned the salt and let your shoes dry properly, prep them with leather conditioner and oil or wax before taking them out again. Winter’s tough. With a little research and preparation, you can walk through it unscathed and with all your toes.

Amazon

All-Purpose Leather Shoe Conditioner

• $28.95 at Amazon

Amazon

Rain & Stain Water Repellent

• $16.99 at Amazon

Related Topics

Editor’s note: The below article is a curation of all the tech and gadgets that were announced last year. For the latest product announcements of 2024, read our new guide.

The world of new tech and gadgets is fast-moving and non-stop. It seems like every month, every week and even every day, something new and exciting gets announced. From hi-fi headphones to the latest Sonos speakers, bookshelf speakers to gorgeous (and huge) TVs, the newest Apple gadgets to noise-canceling wireless earbuds — the sheer volume of new products can be overwhelming. That’s why we’re aiming to make it just a bit easier.

Below, we’ve rounded up the best new tech and gadgets that been announced thus far in 2023. We’ll be regularly updating this post with the coolest new gadgets that you should keep on your radar, so stay tuned for more as the year goes on.

Last updated: December 30, 2023

December

Courtesy

Nomad Stand

Nomad’s newest charging stand has the same metal and glass design as its Stand One. The big difference is that the Stand supports MagSafe and Qi2 magnetic charging; this means it can wirelessly charge compatible Android devices at the same 15-watts as it can with iPhone over MagSafe.

Price: $100

• $6.00 at nomadgoods.com

Eve

Eve Energy Outlet

The Eve Energy Outlet is a smart outlet that uses Thread and supports Matter, meaning it can be integrated with any smart home ecosystem. It also has energy monitoring that you can check out via Eve’s app. It’ll be available in February 2024.

Price: $50

• $55.00 at evehome.com

PS Audio

PS Audio StellarGold Preamplifier and DAC

PS Audio added two new high-end audio components to its Stellar Series: there’s the StellarGold Preamplifier (shown) and StellarGold DAC. Both are available in either silver or black. And as their names give away, they have a real gold-plated accent line.

Price: $3,999 (Preamp); $3,999 (DAC)

• $55.00 at psaudio.com

PS Audio

PS Audio Aspen FR10

PS Audio’s Aspen FR10 is a three-way floorstanding loudspeaker featuring planar magnetic midrange and high-frequency drivers, as well as a planar ribbon tweeter. The speakers aim to deliver similar sound as the company’s $30K FR30 loudspeakers, but at a third of the price.

Price: $9,999 (pair)

• $66.00 at psaudio.com

Apple

Apple MagSafe Charging Case (USB‑C) for AirPods Pro (2nd generation)

Apple started selling a standalone USB-C charging case for AirPods Pro (2nd-generation) for $99. This means that if you bought AirPods Pro (2nd-generation) with a Lightning charging case last year, you can upgrade to the newest charging case without having to buy wireless earbuds, too.

Price: $99

• $88.00 at Apple

Acer

Acer Swift Go 14

Acer announced an updated version of the Swift Go 14 ultraportable laptop— it’s notable because it’s the company’s first laptop to be decked out with Intel’s Meteor Lake chip, which can take advantage of new AI-powered audio and video features.

Price: $800+

• $88.00 at store.acer.com

Nomad Goods

Nomad Stand One Max

Nomad made a 3-in-1 version of its high-end MagSafe charger, the Stand One. The all-new Stand One Max has the same look and feel — it has a premium glass and metal design — but adds the ability to wirelessly charge your AirPods and Apple Watch, too.

Price: $180

• $66.00 at nomadgoods.com
  $666.00 (90% off)

Withings

Withings ScanWatch Nova

Withings announced its latest hybrid smartwatch: the ScanWatch Nova. It combines the look of a classic dive watch (including a rotating bezel) with smart features such as temperature tracking, blood oxygen monitoring and an ECG.

Price: $599

• $77.00 at withings.com

FiiO

FiiO KB3

The FiiO KB3 is a pretty unique mechanical keyboard. It has transparent swappable keycaps, RGB backlighting and a metal base (made of aluminium-magnesium alloy). Its standout feature, however, is that it packs a built-in amp/DAC for your wired headphones. Essentially, it’s a mechanical keyboard for hi-fi enthusiasts.

Price: $150

• $66.00 at aliexpress.us

Twelve South

Twelve South ButterFly

The Twelve South ButterFly is a super small 2-in-1 MagSafe charger for your iPhone and Apple Watch. It has a unique design that allows it to fold in on itself so that it can be easily packed and traveled with. It can actually work as a MagSafe stand that supports Standby mode, too.

Price: $130

• $6.00 at twelvesouth.com
  $66.00 (91% off)

Logitech

Logitech Astro A50 X

The Astro A50 X is Logitech’s newest flagship gaming headset. It packs most top-of-the-line specs and features you’d expect from a headset this expensive, but its standout out feature is — thanks to innovative docking/charging station — a single button press allows you to instantly switch connectivity between a PS5, Xbox Series S/X and PC.

Price: $380

• $55.00 at logitech.com

Amazon

Eve Play

The Eve Play is the company’s first-ever audio device. It’s an AirPlay 2 streamer, meaning you can add AirPlay 2 support to an existing amplifier, soundbar or active speaker system. It was announced this summer, but is finally available for order now.

Price: $150

• $77.00 at Amazon

Satechi

Satechi USB-C Cables and Adapters

Satechi announced three new USB-C cables and adapters, all of which have a aluminum enclosure and a braided cable. There’s a USB-C to HDMI 2.1 8K cable (here), a USB-C to HDMI 2.1 8K adapter (here), and a USB-C 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet adapter (here).

Price: $40 — $50

• $66.00 at satechi.net

Kickstarter

Keychron Q1 HE

The Keychron Q1 HE is the company’s first mechanical keyboard to have Hall effect switches (which is what the “HE” stands for). These keys feature magnets instead of pins and thus are more pressure sensitive and responsive for gaming. Keychron is running a Kickstarter for the Q1 HE right now.

Price: $214

• $666.00 at Kickstarter

November

Ayaneo

Ayaneo Retro Mini PC AM01

The AM01 is Ayaneo’s first miniature PC and, as you probably can tell, it pays homage to Apple’s original Macintosh. Inside, it packs a AMD Ryzen 3 3200U processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage — but you can get upgraded specs if you’re willing to pay more. And for early Indiegogo backers, it starts at just $149.

Price: $149+

• $44.00 at indiegogo.com

Amazon

Amazon Echo Frames (3rd-Gen)

Amazon announced its third-generation smart glasses — which have improved sound and faster Alexa — in September but didn’t give us a release date. That’s changed. They’re available now for preorder and will ship in early December. Early adopters can save $75.

Price: $270 $195

• $44.00 at Amazon

Ikea

Ikea Smart Sensors

Ikea announced three different smart Zigbee sensors — all are super affordable (less than $10) and will be compatible with Google Home, Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The Parasoll is a door and window sensor. The Vallhorn is a motion sensor. And the Badring is a water leakage sensor. They’re expected to be released in the US by next spring.

Price: TBD

• $99.00 at IKEA

Insta360

Insta360 Ace and Ace Pro

Insta360’s newest action cameras, the Ace and Ace Pro, look strikingly similar to the last GoPros and they pack similar specs — both are capable of capturing 48-megapixel stills and shoot 4K video (at 120fps). The signature feature of both is a touchscreen viewfinder that can be flipped around for easier vlogging.

Price: $380 (Ace); $450 (Ace Pro)

• $449.99 at insta360.com
  $559.00 (20% off)

Astell & Kern

Astell&Kern AK HC4

This is Astell&Kern’s latest portable USB DAC/amp for your smartphone. It has two headphone jacks, 4.4mm (balanced) and 3.5mm (unbalanced), and supports up to 32-bit/384kHz lossless audio. And it comes with both USB-C and Lightning adapters, so it’s compatible with iPhones and Androids alike.

Price: $229

• $22.00 at mmon-audio.com

WiiM

20% Off

WiiM Amp

The WiiM Amp is an all-new streaming amplifier that works very similarly to the Sonos Amp — it can drive your passive speakers (up to four) while adding both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming capabilities as well. The kicker is that the WiiM Amp is more than half the price.

Price: $299

• $239.20 at Amazon
  $299.00 (20% off)

FiiO

FiiO Q15

The FiiO Q15 is a high-end portable DAC/Amp for your smartphone. And it’s unique for a few reasons. It has a built-in battery and thus won’t drain power from your smartphone. And it has a 1.3-inch color display that can show you real time data for sampling rate, gain, volume or battery status.

Price: $399

• $55.00 at fiio.com

Analogue

Analogue Pocket (Classic Limited Editions)

Analogue is releasing more limited edition colorways of its Pocket handheld — this time in the same eight classic colors of the original Game Boy Advance.

Price: $249

• $2.00 at analogue.co/

Mophie

Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger with MagSafe (2023)

This is an updated version of Mophie’s 2021-released 3-in-1 travel charger. Like before, it has a foldable design and can wirelessly for your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. The difference is that it’s made of more eco-friendly materials and it supports fast-charging for the newest Apple Watches.

Price: $150

• $79.00 at Apple
  $149.95 (47% off)

Rotel

Rotel RAS-5000

The Rotel RAS-5000 is a powerful integrated amplifier with a multitude of wireless streaming capabilities, including support for Spotify Connect, Tidal, Airplay 2, Google Cast and Bluetooth aptX HD. It also has wired connections galore, including HDMI ARC, so you can turn into a hub for your home theater or modern hi-fi system.

Price: $2,999

• $44.00 at rotel.com

Opal

Opal Tadpole

The Tadpole is Opal’s second-ever webcam and significantly different from its original C1. It’s much smaller, for starters, and designed to be clipped on top of your laptop — not desktop. It has a big 48-megapixel sensor and is capable of capturing 4K video. Available in white or black.

Price: $175

• $175.00 at opalcamera.com

iFi Audio

iFi iDSD Diablo 2

The Diablo 2 is a high-end and high-powered portable DAC/headphone amp. It has an all-metal design and supports most high-res codecs out there (up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM). The most notable thing about the Diablo 2 is that it’s the first portable DAC to support Bluetooth aptX Lossless.

Price: $1,299

• $77.00 at ifi-audio.com

Sharp

Sharp Roku TV OLED 4K Ultra HD

Sharp teamed up with Roku to create the first OLED TV with a Roku smart operating system. The TV is available in two sizes — 55- and 65-inches — and, as a bit of a perk, both are steeply discounted for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Price: $1,900 (55″); $2,500 (65″)

• $1,999.99 at sharpusa.com
  $2,499.99 (20% off)

Amazon

Plugable USB-C Dual HDMI Docking Station (UD-MSTH2)

The Plugable UD-MSTH2 is the company’s most affordable docking station that supports two external 4K displays (at 60Hz). It connects to your laptop via USB-C while both monitors connect to it via two HDMI ports. It adds a couple extra ports and supports 65-watts of pass-through power.

Price: $150

• $149.95 at Amazon

Master & Dynamic

Master & Dynamic MW09

The Master & Dynamic MW09 are the company’s newest flagship wireless earbuds with active noise-cancellation. Compared to their predecessors, the MW08, the new models boast improved sound, ANC and battery life. They also have a slightly updated look.

Price: $349

• $66.00 at Master & Dynamic

Sony

Sony A9 III

The Sony A9 III mirrorless camera is the first full-frame camera to have global shutter. allowing it to expose every pixel simultaneously so there is no distortion while shooting both photos and video. The camera will be available next spring.

Price: $5,999+

• $77.00 at sony.com

Steam

Steam Deck OLED

The Steam Deck OLED is a new-and-improved version of Value’s 2022-released handheld. The big upgrade is its OLED (instead of LCD) display, but it also boasts significantly more battery life, improved connectivity, a quieter fan and it’s a little bit lighter. It’ll be available in 512GB and 1TB models.

Price: $549 (512GB); $649 (1Tzb)

• $77.00 at steamdeck.com

Meze Audio

Meze Audio Empyrean II

Meze Audio announced a second-generation version of its 2018-released Empyrean planar magnetic headphones. The Empyrean II have a slightly updated design, cushier earpads and improved drivers (specifically, Isodynamic Hybrid Array drivers) for even better sonic performance.

Price: $2,999

• $77.00 at moon-audio.com

Human

Humane AI Pin

The Humane AI Pin is a first-of-a-kind gadget. It’s an AI-powered device – with a camera, speaker and mini-projector — and battery pack that clips onto your clothes and you wear throughout the day. It runs its own software and responds to voice and gesture controls. It’s essentially a smart device without a traditional screen (nor does it run apps) that’s meant to be the future of wearables.

Price: $699

• $99.00 at hu.ma.ne

Soundcore

Soundcore AeroFit Pro

The Soundcore AeroFit Pro is the company’s first pair of open-ear wireless earbuds designed for runners. They also come with an optional neckband that connects to the bottom of each earhook for extra security. They have an IPX5 rating and, thanks to LDAC support, can play high-res audio over Bluetooth.

Price: $170

• $55.00 at us.soundcore.com

TP-Link

TP-Link Tapo C120

The Tapo C120 is an indoor/outdoor smart home camera that costs $40. The wired camera can capture 2K video and supports person and pet detection, and can even detect if a baby is crying — so you can use it as a pet or baby monitor. It has an adjustable stand and comes with a magnetic mount so you have flexibility where you place it.

Price: $40

• $66.00 at tp-link.com

Nomad

Nomad Charge Mount

Nomad announced its first MagSafe car mount. It has a slick all-black design and comes with an 18-watt USB-C car adapter so you can fast charge your iPhone. (Nomad also announced the Mount, which looks the same, costs $45, but can’t charge your iPhone.)

Price: $80

• $88.00 at nomadgoods.com

JLab

JLab Epic Lab

JLab is best known for making super affordable wireless earbuds — the Epic Lab aren’t that. At $200, they are the company’s most premium pair of wireless earbuds to date. They boast active noise-cancellation, Bluetooth multipoint and wireless charging. And, most significantly, they support LDAC high-resolution audio.

Price: $200

• $77.00 at jlab.com

Apple

M3 MacBook Pro (2023)

Apple introduced a new family of M3 chipsets — there’s the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max — and updated 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros that are powered by them. These new MacBook Pros have the same design as their predecessors, but boost improved performance (especially GPU) and the higher-end models are available in a new “space black” color.

Price: $1,599+

• $55.00 at Apple

Apple

M3 iMac (2023)

The iMac hadn’t been refreshed since its huge design overhaul in 2021. This week, introduced updated iMacs with an M3 chip (instead of M1) that promises to be a significantly faster machine. The M3 iMac comes in the same seven colors as before and starts at the same price, too.

Price: $1,299+

• $44.00 at Apple

Kanto Audio

Kanto Audio Ora

The Kanto Audio Ora is a pair of powered desktop loudspeakers that connect to your computer via USB-C. They have built-in Bluetooth for easy streaming, and even have RCA outputs for connecting to a hi-fi system.

Price: $350

• $44.00 at kantoaudio.com

Belkin

Belkin BoostCharge Pro 2-in-1 Dock with MagSafe

Belkin announced a new 2-in-1 MagSafe charging stand for your iPhone and Apple Watch that is exclusively being sold by Apple. It has a minimalist design and is available in two neutral colors: sand or charcoal.

Price: $129

• $44.00 at Apple

October

Osmo

DJI Osmo Pocket 3

Like its predecessors, the third-generation Osmo Pocket is a three-axis handheld gimbal. It stands out by having a significantly improved camera, a larger sensor, a longer-lasting battery and a much bigger touchscreen that now rotates between portrait and landscape modes. The catch? It’s considerably more expensive than past Pockets.

Price: $519

• $5.00 at dji.com

Marantz

Marantz CD 50n

The Marantz CD 50n is a streaming CD player that’s extremely versatile. It has a bevy of analog and digital inputs so you can hook it up to your existing hi-fi system or TV. It also supports high-resolution streaming over Wi-Fi. And is comes integrated with HEOS multi-room streaming platform.

Price: $1,800

• $77.00 at marantz.com

Soundcore

Soundcore Motion X500

The Soundcore Motion X500 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that’s essentially a smaller and more affordable version of the Motion X600 that was released this past April. It also supports LDAC and is capable of playing higher-res files than most other portable speakers. It costs $170, but you can get $40 if you put a $1 deposit down now.

Price: $170

• $99.00 at us.soundcore.com

Wyze

Wyze Video Doorbell v2

This is Wyze’s second-generation wired video doorbell. It captures a 2K video and has the usual features, such as 2-way talk and night vision. The kicker is that it has a microSD slot for local storage (card sold separately) and supports free 12-second recordings every time the doorbell is pressed.

Price: $40

• $66.00 at wyze.com

Leica

Leica M11-P

The Leica M11-P is a special version of the company’s flagship M11 rangefinder. What makes the “P” really unique is that it has a special chip that can add ‘Content Credentials’ metadata to each photo, which can be verified Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. Basically, it can prove if the photo has been edited or altered in any way.

Price: $9,195

• $66.00 at leica-camera.com

HH Keyboard

HHKB Studio

The Happy Hacker Keyboard (casual known as the “HHKB”) is perhaps the most iconic serious-but-portable mechanical keyboard. The new “Studio” model takes its functionality up a notch with a nub mouse and side-mounted touchpads to let it completely take the place of your mouse as well. Yes, there’s a learning curve, but that’s part of the HHKB line’s extremely nerdy appeal.

Price: $449 $329

• $77.00 at hhkeyboard.us

Ecobee

Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera (Wired)

Best known for its smart thermostats, Ecobee has introduced its first smart video doorbell. It does most of what you’d expect a smart doorbell camera to do — 24/7 live feed, two-way talk, motion alerts and package detection — and is compatible with Amazon Alexa, HomeKit and, coming soon, Google Home.

Price: $160

• $55.00 at ecobee.com

Zagg

Mophie Snap+ Juice Pack Mini Stand

This is Mophie’s newest MagSafe-compatible portable battery for the latest iPhones. It has a 5,000 mAh capacity and an integrated kickstand. There’s an in/out USB-C port on the side that, provided you have an extra cable, will allow you to charge a second gadget while also wirelessly charging your iPhone.

Price: $60

• $44.00 at ZAGG

Apple

Apple Pencil (USB-C)

Apple announced a more affordable Apple Pencil that charges via USB-C. It looks similar to the $129 Apple Pencil and can similarly magnetically stick to newer flat-edged iPads, but it can’t wirelessly charge. It also lacks some higher-end features, like pressure sensitivity, so it’s meant more for signing documents rather than being used for art.

Price: $79

• $78.00 at Apple

Schiit

Schiit Audio Skoll

The California hi-fi company announced the Skoll, a balanced MM/MC phono preamplifier for high-end turntables. It has single-ended and balanced inputs and outputs, gain controls on its front panel (up to 70dB), and comes with a remote.

Price: $399

• $555.00 at schiit.com

Analogue

Analogue 3D

The Analogue 3D is an upcoming retro control that promises to be able to play Nintendo 64 games and output the games in beautiful 4K. Analogue didn’t divulge much other info — nor did it show off a photo of the 3D — but did share that the console will be available sometime in 2024.

Price: TBD

• $55.00 at analogue.co
  $555.00 (90% off)

Bloom Audio

Astell&Kern AK HB1

The Astell&Kern AK HB1 is a portable USB DAC/amp that’s designed to deliver high-res audio to your wired headphones. More interestingly, the AK HB1 also has built-in Bluetooth and supports 24-bit LDAC and aptX HD, so you can stream higher-res files to your wireless headphones, too.

Price: $269

• $66.00 at bloomaudio.com

PSB Speakers

PSB Imagine Loudspeaker Series

PSB announced its Image series of loudspeakers consisting of two sets of floorstanding speakers and a pair of bookshelf speakers. The speakers feature crossover and driver technologies from the PSB’s higher-end lines, but at a more affordable price.

Price: $699/pair (bookshelf); $1,499 — $1,999/pair (floodstanding)

• $699.00 at psbspeakers.com

Zagg

Mophie Universal Wireless MagSafe 3-in-1 Extendable Stand

This is a 3-in-1 MagSafe wireless charger for your iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods. It’s standout feature is an extendable arm that can lift your iPhone up to 16-inches high while simultaneously charging it.

Price: $150

• $55.00 at ZAGG

Playstation

Sony PlayStation 5 “Slim”

Sony announced a redesigned PS5 that’s a little bit smaller, lighter and slimmer than the 2019-released PS5 — the new model is not technically called “Slim,” but that’s what people are referring to it as. The other neat thing is that you can buy an detachable disc drive for an extra $80 and play physical games.

Price: $459 (Digital Edition); $499 (with disc drive)

• $55.00 at playstation.com

Sony

Sony InZone Buds

The InZone Buds are wireless earbuds that are specifically designed for gaming on a PS5, PC or smartphone. There’s a USB-C dongle that comes in the case that creates a low-latency connection. They also support ANC and transparency modes for when you’re not gaming.

Price: $200

• $44.00 at sony.com

Logitech

Logitech Wave Keys

The Logitech Wave Keys is the company’s newest wireless ergonomic keyboard that comes with an integrated cushion for your palms to rest. It’s compatible with both Windows PCs and Macs. Available in black or white.

Price: $60

• $66.00 at logitech.com

Tapo

Tapo Wire-Free MagCam

The Tapo Wire-Free MagCam is a new battery-powered smart home camera designed for the indoors or outdoors. It shoots 2K video and supports people- and pet-recognition (for free). It’s compatible with either Google Home and Amazon Alexa smart home ecosystems.

Price: $120

• $66.00 at tp-link.com

Leica

Leica Sofort 2

The Leica Sofort 2 is a new instant film camera and direct successor to the 2016-released Sofort. Unlike its predecessor, however, the Sofort 2 lets you pick and choose which of your shots you want to print. It has enough internal memory to store 45 of your shots, but there’s a micro SD slot that allows you to add more storage.

Price: $389

• $44.00 at leica-camera.com

Google

Google Pixel 8

The Pixel 8 is the company’s new baseline smartphone. Compared to last year’s Pixel 7, the Pixel 8 has a brighter screen with a higher refresh (now up to 120Hz), faster charging and Google’s new Tensor G3 chip and an improved main camera. The downside is that Google increased its starting price.

Price: $699

• $4.00 at store.google.com

Google

Google Pixel Watch 2

Google’s second-generation smartwatch looks identical to the original Pixel Watch, but it packs a much improved processor, a bunch of new sensors (including barometer, magnetometer and a skin temperature sensor) and up to 24 hours of battery life with its always-on display turned on.

Price: $349

• $66.00 at store.google.com

Google

Google Pixel 8 Pro

The Pixel 8 Pro is the company’s new high-end smartphone. It’s the same size and looks mostly the same as its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Pro, but the Pixel 8 Pro has improved cameras, a brighter screen, a next-gen Tensor G3 chip and a lot more software tricks. It also comes with the promise of seven years of OS updates.

Price: $999+

• $66.00 at store.google.com

Google

Google Pixel Buds Pro

Google didn’t exactly announce new Pixel Buds Pros, although it did introduce new color options to match the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. It did announce, however, that it was going to roll out new features, most notably conversation detection and improved call quality, that will come via a software update.

Price: $200

• $66.00 at store.google.com

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE

This “Fan Edition” smartphone is essentially a more budget-friendly version of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S23. It looks mostly the same, but has a slightly dated processor and a less-capable telephoto lens. It costs $600, making it $200 cheaper.

Price: $600

• $44.00 at Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE & FE Plus

Samsung announced “Fan Edition” versions of its Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus tablets. They pack older chipsets and have LED displays rather than OLED displays, but they still look similar and come with Samsung’s S Pen stylus.

Price: $449+; $799+ (Plus)

• $55.00 at Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Buds FE

The Galaxy Buds FE are noise-canceling wireless earbuds that cost just $99. They are essentially a more budget-friendly alternative to the Galaxy Buds 2, which are $50 more expensive.

Price: $99

• $44.00 at Samsung

Amazon

Plugable Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 Docking Station

This is a new powerhouse of a docking station that adds 10 extra ports to your setup and can support two 4K (60Hz) external monitors. It boasts 100-watts of passthrough power for keeping your laptop fully charged, too.

Price: $290

• $44.00 at Amazon

September

DJI

DJI Mini 4 Pro

DJI announced a new and improved version of its compact drone. Compared to the Mini 3 Pro, the Mini 4 Pro has the same camera but new obstacle avoidance sensors and smarter tracking abilities. It still weighs less than 250 grams, meaning you don’t need a license to fly it.

Price: $759

• $88.00 at B&H Photo

Analogue

Analogue Pocket (Transparent)

Analogue announced an extremely limited batch of transparent Pockets that pays homage to the clear GameBoys of yesteryear. These handheld consoles come in seven different finishes — red, orange, green, blue, purple, black and clear — and will go on sale on September 29th at 11AM ET.

Price: $249

• $0.00 at analogue..co

FiiO

FiiO KA13

The KA13 is FiiO’s gorgeous (and affordable) new portable DAC and headphones amplifier. It has a USB-C connection and supports lossless audio up to 32-bit/384kHz as well as native DSD256 hi-res audio files.

Price: $79

• $88.00 at fiio.com

Tivoli Audio

Tivoli Audio Songbook and Songbook Max

The Songbook (shown) and larger Songbook Max are boombox-style portable Bluetooth speakers from Tivoli Audio. Each boasts a handle, playful knobs and switches and, uniquely, can function as a standalone amp.

Price: $449; $599 (Max)

• $77.00 at tivoliaudio.com

Sennheiser

Sennheiser Accentum Wireless

These are Sennheiser’s take on a more budget-friendly pair of noise-canceling headphones. They promise a similar sound and fit to the company’s flagship Momentum 4 Wireless ($380), but are mostly plastic and don’t have quite the same level of active noise-cancellation.

Price: $180

• $88.00 at B&H Photo

Bose

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra is the company’s new flagship noise-canceling headphones (they replace the 2019-released Noise-Canceling 700s). They have a new foldable design with plush earcups, improved noise-cancellation and call clarity, and they support spatial audio.

Price: $429

• $77.00 at Bose

Nikon

Nikon Zf

The Nikon Zf is a mirrorless camera with retro appeal. It packs a 24.5-megapixel full-frame sensor and similar shooting capabilities as the Nikon’s higher-end Z8 and Z9 cameras, but has physical buttons and dials and looks like a vintage shooter.

Price: $2,000 (body only)

• $55.00 at nikonusa.com

Amazon

Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd-Gen)

Amazon’s newest smart display looks almost identical to its 2021-released predecessor, but packs a faster processor, improved sound quality and a now centrally-placed camera. It also has some advanced AI abilities and can sense when you are nearby and will then change what’s on its screen accordingly.

Price: $150

• $55.00 at Amazon

Bose

$50 Off

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are the company’s new flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds (replacing the 2022-released QC Earbuds II). They boast improved mics for call clarity and support for spatial audio. Available in early October.

Price: $299

• $249 at Bose
  $299 (17% off)

Amazon

Amazon Echo Hub

The Echo Hub is a wall-mounted tablet with an 8-inch touchscreen. It’s basically a more streamlined version of the Echo Show 8 and works much the same way. It’s mainly meant to be a central hub for controlling your smart home gadgets.

Price: $180

• $66.00 at Amazon

Amazon

Amazon Echo Frames (3rd-Gen)

Like their predecessors, Amazon’s newest Echo Frames work as a combo of eyeglasses (or sunglasses) and headphones — there are speakers built into each arm. The third-generation Echo Frames have improved sound, faster Alexa and come in a number of stylish frames.

Price: $270+

• $77.00 at Amazon

Bose

$150 Off

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones replace its 2021-released QuietComfort 45 as the company’s mid-range noise-canceling headphones. They look almost identical to their predecessors, but pack improved software allows for more customizable ANC settings.

Price: $349

• $199 at Bose
  $349 (43% off)

Amazon

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar

This is Amazon’s first soundbar released under the Fire TV name. It’s meant to be paired with any Fire TV (optimized for 50-inch and smaller models) and give them a boost in audio quality. It has built-in Bluetooth for easy music streaming, too.

Price: $120

• $66.00 at Amazon

Bowers & Wilkins

Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e

The Px7 S2e is an “evolved” version of last year’s flagship Px7 S2 noise-canceling headphones. The new models are mostly the same as their predecessors, with the same design and specs, but they have a new DSP for improved sound quality. They are also available in a new forest green finish.

Price: $399

• $399.00 at bowerswilkins.com
• $266 at Amazon
  $399 (33% off)

Tivoli Audio

Tivoli Audio Model Two Digital

Tivoli Audio’s Model Two Digital is a wireless speaker with built-in Wi-Fi (AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Spotify Connect) and Bluetooth streaming capabilities. It looks like a modern version of the company’s Model One — it has similar wooden veneers but comes with a new metallic grille — although it lacks a true AM/FM radio.

Price: $449

• $66.00 at tivoliaudio.com

Instax

Fujifilm Instax Pal

The Instax Pal is a super small 4.9-megapixel digital camera that comes bundled with Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 2 smartphone printer. After snapping photos with the camera, you can then select which photos you want to print on its companion smartphone app. (Read DPReview’s review for more details.)

Price: $200 (bundle)

• $55.00 at B&H Photo

Soundcore

Anker Soundcore Motion 300

The Soundcore Motion 300 is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker that’s super waterproof (IPX7) and can even float. It has a metallic grill and rubberized sides and buttons. It also supports LDAC files, so if you have a compatible Android you can play high-res sound.

Price: $80

• $55.00 at us.soundcore.com

Apple

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a couple of key upgrades over their predecessors. They have a customizable Action button, a new titanium case, a USB-C charging port, Apple’s new A17 Pro chip and an upgraded camera system. The Pro Max also has a 5x telephoto lens.

Price: $999+ (Pro); $1,199+ (Pro Max)

• $44.00 at Apple

Apple

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

Apple’s more affordable line of new iPhones get a brighter screen with the Dynamic Island (which was previously only on the Pros). They’ve also been updated with an improved camera system and a USB-C charging port.

Price: $799+; $899+ (Plus)

• $44.00 at Apple

Apple

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple’s second-generation Ultra smartwatch looks identical to its predecessor, but boasts several key updates under the hood. It has a 2x brighter screen, a much faster chipset and supports new-age features like gesture controls and on-device Siri processing.

Price: $799+

• $77.00 at Apple

Apple

Apple Watch Series 9

The Series 9 looks identical to last year’s Series 8, but Apple has given it a brighter display and its fancy S9 processor, the latter of which enables new features like double-tap gesture controls and on-device Siri processing. The Series 9 is also Apples’s first-ever carbon neutral product.

Price: $399+

• $44.00 at Apple

Apple

AirPods Pro w/ USB-C Charging Case

Apple released new AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case (no more Lightning). They are almost the same as last year’s second-generation AirPods Pro, but they’ve been updated with improved dust resistance (now IP54 instead of IPX4). And when paired with Apple’s Vision Pro headset, they’ll actually support lossless audio.

Price: $249

• $88.00 at Amazon

Fujifilm

Fujifilm GFX100 II

Fujifilm announced its newest flagship medium-format mirrorless camera. Compared to its predecessor, the Fuji’s GFX100 “II” has a more compact body, a new sensor and significantly faster autofocus. It’s also $2,500 less expensive than the GFX100. It’ll be available this fall.

Price: $7,499 (body only)

• $55.00 at B&H Photo

HP

HP Spectre Fold

The HP Spectre Fold is a 3-in-1 foldable PC similar to last year’s Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold — it can function as a 13-inch laptop, a 17-inch tablet or 17-inch desktop (thanks to its attachable keyboard. The main difference is that Spectre Fold promises to be a more refined, more premium and significantly more expensive device.

Price: $5,000

• $66.00 at hp.com

Twelve South

Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe

Twelve South’s newest 3-in-1 MagSafe charger is designed to wirelessly charge three of your Apple devices — iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch — at once. It’ll work with your iPhone’s new Standby mode.

Price: $150

• $44.00 at twelvesouth.com

1More

1More Penta P50

The 1More Penta P50 are the company’s newest wire earbuds that promise hi-fi sound at a relatively inexpensive price. Each earbud packs five drivers and the cables detachable, similar to what you’d find in higher-end IEMs.

Price: $170

• $99.00 at Amazon

Devialet

Devialet Gemini II

The French hi-fi company announced its second-generation flagship wireless earbuds. Compared to its 2020-released predecessors, the Gemini II boast significantly improved active noise-cancellation and sound quality, but they cost $150 more. These are one of the most expensive wireless earbuds out there.

Price: $449

• $55.00 at Amazon

Ultimate Ears

Ultimate Ears Epicboom

UE released its first truly new portable speaker in years. The Epicboom is about twice the size (and cost) of the company’s Megaboom 3. And its UE’s first portable speaker to charge via USB-C.

Price: $350

• $350.00 at Amazon

Sonos

Sonos Move 2

The Move 2 is a new and improved version of Sonos’s 2019-released Move. It’s been updated with stereo sound, double the battery life, a refined look and support for a USB-C line-in. It also comes in a new olive finish.

Price: $449

• $449.00 at Sonos

Polaroid

Polaroid I-2

The Polaroid I-2 is the company’s most expensive and most ambitious instant film camera to date. It comes with manual controls, a fancy lens and support for three different types of film.

Price: $600

• $600.00 at polaroid.com

Victrola

Victrola Hi-Res Carbon

The Victrola Hi-Res Carbon looks similar to the company’s Stream Carbon, but instead of working with Sonos, this model supports high-res streaming over Bluetooth (up to aptX Adaptive). It can stream audio to any Bluetooth-enabled speaker or headphone.

Price: $599

• $599.00 at Amazon

Victrola

Victrola Hi-Res Onyx

The Victrola Hi-Res Onyx is a more budget-friendly alternative to the company’s new Hi-Res Carbon. It has an all-black finish, but comes with a less high-end tonearm and cartridge. It supports the same high-res streaming over Bluetooth (up to aptX Adaptive).

Price: $399

• $399.00 at Amazon

GoPro

GoPro Hero 12 Black

The big upgrade with GoPro’s newest flagship action camera, the Hero 12 Black, is that it doubles the runtime for recording continuous footage. It supports Bluetooth audio so you can use a wireless headset (including AirPods) as a mic. And there’s larger lens, called the new Maxs Lens Mod, that you can buy for an extra $100.

Price: $400+

• $333.00 at Amazon

Nomad Goods

Nomad Base One Max 3-in-1

Nomad has expanded its line of premium MagSafe chargers. The Nomad Base One Max 3-in-1 is made of the same high-end materials as the existing Base One and Base One Max, but wireless charging three devices: iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods.

Price: $170

• $170.00 at nomadgoods.com

Technics

Technics SL-1200GR2

Technics announced a modern version of its iconic direct-drive SL-1200 from the 1970s. The SL-1200GR2 retains a similar design but has been given new motor control and an upgrade power supply to help deliver an even more immaculate sound. It’ll be available this December.

Price: $2,200

• $55.00 at us.technics.com

August

B&H

Sony A7C II

Sony announced a second-generation model of its popular A7C compact mirrorless camera. The “II” boasts a larger 33-megapixel CMOS sensor (up from its predecessor’s 24MP sensor), newer processor, improved autofocus and viewfinder with higher magnification. It starts at $400 more expensive.

Price: $2,198 (body only)

• $66.00 at B&H Photo

Analogue

Analogue Pocket Glow

The Analogue Pocket Glow is a glow-in-the-dark version of its handheld console — only a very limited quantity will be sold. You can order one on Analogue’s website on September 1st at 11AM ET.

Price: $250

• $44.00 at analogue.co

Jabra

Jabra Elite 10

The Elite 10 is the company’s new top-of-the-line wireless earbuds. They pack its best sound quality and most powerful active noise-cancellation, plus they have new semi-open design for improved comfort.

Price: $250

• $99.00 at jabra.com

Jabra

Jabra Elite 8 Active

The Elite 8 Active are the company’s most rugged wireless earbuds to date. They have an IP68 water-resistance rating and meet the Military Standard 810H, meaning they can survive extreme temperatures and hard impacts.

Price: $200

• $88.00 at jabra.com

JBL

JBL Authentics 200

The JBL Authentics 200 is a portable speakers with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Aside from its retro design, its standout feature is that you can set it up so it’ll answer both “Hey Google” and “Alexa” voice commands. (JBL also offers two larger speakers, the Authentics 300 and Authentics 500.)

Price: $330

• $77.00 at JBL

Marshall

Marshall Motif II ANC

Marshall announced a new-and-improved version of its flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds. The Motif II ANC have a similar design as its 2021-released predecessor, but have improved battery life and faster charging capabilities.

Price: $199

• $199.00 at marshallheadphones.com

JLab

JLab JBuds Mini

The JLab JBuds Mini are super small wireless earbuds that come in an equally small charging case — there’s even a ring for attaching to a keychain. The budget-friendly earbuds lack active noise-cancellation, but do have a transparency mode and support Bluetooth multi-point.

Price: $40

• $77.00 at jlab.com

Amazon

Plugable USB Type-C Extension Cable with Power Meter

This new USB-C charging cable has a built-in power meter that can show you realtime charging data. It supports 240-watt charging speeds and thus will be a fun accessory for those charging their smartphone or laptop.

Price: $20

• $88.00 at Amazon

Plugable

Plugable USB-C GaN Charger

Plugable’s newest 30-watt charger is super small and yet capable of charging your iPhone at its fastest possible speeds. Available in white or black finishes.

Price: $20

• $55.00 at plugable.com

U-Turn Audio

U-Turn Audio Orbit (Gen 2)

U-Turn announced a refreshed or “Gen 2” line of its popular Orbit turntables. They’ve been given some hi-fi upgrades including a new magnesium tonearm, electronic speed control and an improved drive system. Like before, there are four Orbit models — Custom, Basic, Plus and Special — in this refreshed line.

Price: $249 — $999

• $77.00 at uturnaudio.com

Bowers & Wilkins

Bowers & Wilkins 600 Series

Bowers & Wilkins introduced a new-and-improved 600 Series of loudspeakers. There are four models — 603 S3 (floorstanding), 606 S3 (standmount), 607 S3 (bookshelf) and the HTM6 S3 (center channel) — each of which features a new Titanium Dome tweeter.

Price: $900 (bookshelf/pair) — $2,500 (floorstanding/pair)

• $66.00 at bowerswilkins.com

PlayStation

PlayStation Portal

The PlayStation Portal is a handheld console that plays PS5 games. You’ll still need to have a PS5 console to play it, granted. And since it streams games from your console over Wi-Fi, you can only play Portal when you have a reliable Wi-Fi connection. It’ll be available later this year.

Price: $200

• $88.00 at playstation.com

Anker Soundcore

Anker Soundcore Space One

The Soundcore Space One is Anker’s newest pair of wireless over-ear headphones with active noise-cancellation. Compared to its predecessor, the Space, the Space One have a new design, improved noise-cancellation and longer battery life.

Price: $100

• $88.00 at soundcore.com

HyperX

HyperX Cloud III Wireless

HyperX announced a third-generation of its extremely popular Cloud Wireless gaming headset. The new model has improved sound, more padded earcups and an incredible 120-hour battery life — which is 4x times the juice of its predecessor. On the downside, it’s $20 more expensive.

Price: $170

• $55.00 at hyperx.com

Urbanista

Urbanista Malibu

The Urbanista Malibu is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker with a unique feature — it’s equipped with the company’s solar-powered technology (which Urbanista has integrated in some of its headphones), meaning you might never need to charge it the old fashion way.

Price: $149

• $149.00 at urbanista.com

Blink

Blink Outdoor 4

Blink — owned by Amazon — introduced a next-gen version of its battery-powered outdoor smart home camera that has been upgraded in most ways. The Outdoor 4 has a new design, improved motion detection and slightly better image quality. It takes two AA batteries, which promises roughly two years of run time.

Price: $120

• $77.00 at Amazon

Moment

Moment T-Series

Moment’s T-Series of lenses are designed to get more out of your smartphone’s camera. Compared to its existing M-Series, which has been around since 2017, the T-Series all have thicker glass for better optics and are bigger to better fit today’s smartphones. There are 8 lenses in the T-Series.

Price: $120 – $150 (per lens)

• $55.00 at shopmoment.com

Satechi

Satechi Dual Dock Stand

This a 3-in-1 accessory for your Mac or Windows laptop. It’s a USB-C hub that adds nine total ports and supports up to two external monitors. It’s an SSD enclosure. And it’s kind of ergonomic stand that rests underneath your laptop. If ordered by August 24, you get 20-percent off with code: NVME20.

Price: $150

• $99.00 at satechi.net

Dockcase

Dockcase Smart USB-C Hub 10-in-1 Explorer Edition

Dockcase’s USB-C docking station adds ten ports to your laptop or desktop and can support a dual monitor setup (4K at 60fps). It’s a standout for its mostly see-through design and its built-in 1-inch display that can show you a wide variety of data. The Kickstarter campaign runs through the end of the month.

Price: $159 ($109 Super Early Bird)

• $66.00 at Kickstarter

House of Marley

House of Marley Stir it Up Lux Bluetooth

House of Marley announced an updated version of its eco-friendly turntable. The “Lux” model has a built-in phono preamp (switchable) and an Audio-Technica AT-95E (MM) phono cartridge. It supports Bluetooth, too, so you can stream vinyl to a wireless speaker.

Price: $400

• $399.99 at www.thehouseofmarley.com

Technics

Technics EAH-AZ40M2

Technics’s latest wireless earbuds lack some of the hi-fi capabilities of its $299 flagship EAH-AZ80 earbuds, but they deliver active noise-cancellation and convenient features (like Bluetooth multi-point) at a more mid-range price.

Price: $169

• $77.00 at www.us.technics.com

Zagg

Zagg Pro Stylus 2

The Zagg Pro Stylus 2 is the newest accessory for the iPad Pro. The coolest thing about it is that it actually supports magnetic wireless charging just like the second-generation Apple Pencil. It’s also available in five different colors: gray, yellow (shown), white, blue or pink.

Price: $80

• $77.00 at ZAGG

Audio 46

Astell&Kern UW100 MK II

Astell&Kern’s second-generation wireless earbuds, the UW100 MK II, look almost identical and cost the same as their 2022-released processors. The difference is that they have improved sound and battery life, and they come in a significantly smaller charging case.

Price: $299

• $444.00 at audio46.com

Amazon

WiiM Pro Plus

The WiiM Pro Plus is the successor to the WiiM Pro that was released earlier this year. The “Plus” does pretty much the same thing — it hooks up to your old audio system and allows you to stream to it in a multitude of ways — but boasts upgraded internals for streaming lossless audio (up to 32-bit/192kHz).

Price: $219

• $999.00 at Amazon

LG

LG Signature OLED M (model 97M3)

The LG Signature OLED M is the company’s super high-end OLED TV that’s almost completely wireless. There’s a separate box that houses all your sources (such as cable box and gaming consoles) and then streams it to the TV. The absolutely huge 93-inch TV has an equally huge price tag.

Price: $30,000

• $666.00 at www.lg.com

Amazon

ESR 25W 3-in-1 Wireless Charger with MagSafe

ESR’s newest MagSafe 3-in-1 charging station can wirelessly charge the latest iPhone (at its full 15-watt potential) along with your AirPods and Apple Watch. It’s integrated with the company’s CryoBoost cooling technology to make sure your device don’t overheat, too.

Price: $120

• $77.00 at Amazon

Audioengine

Audioengine N22 (2nd Gen)

Audioengine finally released a second-generation version of its N22 desktop and headphone amplifier (which has been around since 2010). The new model has a refreshed design, upgraded internals and adds built-in Bluetooth and USB-C connectivity. It’s also more expensive.

Price: $269

• $269.00 at www.audioengine.com

Marshall

Marshall Studio JTM

Marshall’s new vintage-inspired amplifiers pay homage to its legendary JTM45 tube amp from the 1960s. The Studio JTM range consists of four models — 20-watt head and 20-watt combo amps, and 1 x 12” and 2 x 12” cabinets — all of which are more compact and lightweight than the original.

Price: $1,480+

• $77.00 at www.marshall.com

DJI

DJI Osmo Action 4

DJI’s newest flagship action camera, the Osmo Action 4, has a larger sensor – now 1/1.3-inch image sensor — and promises better low-light performance. Compared to the Osmo Action 3, the “4” also has a slightly more durable design and $70 more expensive price tag.

Price: $399

• $399.00 at dji.com

Amazon

Belkin BoostCharge Pro

Belkin has quite a few MagSafe chargers in its BoostCharge line. The newest addition, the BoostCharge Pro, is a 2-in-1 wireless charging pad that rests flat on your desk and can simultaneously charge your iPhone and AirPods (with a wireless charging case).

Price: $80

• $39.00 at Amazon

Twelve South

Twelve South Curve SE

Twelve South released a more affordable version of its popular Curve laptop stand. It’s looks almost identical to the Curve, but it has a three-piece design that snaps together (instead of a one piece design) and only comes in one silver finish.

Price: $40

• $39.00 at www.twelvesouth.com

Wyze

Wyze Battery Cam Pro

The Wyze Battery Cam Pro is a battery-powered smart home camera with a unique feature: it’s capable of continuous recording even when running solely on battery. So if your power goes out, the camera won’t miss a beat (until its battery needs recharging).

Price: $94+

• $222.00 at www.wyze.com

July

Sony

Sony WF-1000XM5

The Sony WF-1000XM5 are the company’s new flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds. Compared to their predecessors, the Sony gave the XM5s better noise cancellation, better sound and better call clarity. Each earbud is actually 25 percent smaller, so they fit more comfortably in your ears.

Price: $300

• $298.00 at Amazon

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the fifth-generation foldable smartphone in Samsung’s “Flip” series. Samsung gave it a bunch of internal upgrades, but the biggest physical change is that the small cover screen on the front of the smartphone is 3.78-times bigger than the one on last year’s Flip 4. Available for preorder now.

Price: $1,000

• $66.00 at Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the newest foldable smartphone in Samsung’s higher-end and more-productivity-focused Fold series. It’s not that much different than last year’s Fold 4, but it has upgraded internals and a slimmer, lighter and more pocketable design. Available for preorder now.

Price: $1,800

• $99.00 at Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6

The Galaxy Watch 6 is the next generation of last year’s Galaxy Watch 5. It has a larger and brighter display, slimmer bezels, larger batteries, faster charging capabilities and a couple of new health and wellness features. It’s available in 40mm and 44mm sizes.

Price: $330

• $8.00 at Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic is essentially a larger version of the Galaxy Watch 6 — it’s available in 43mm and 47mm sizes. The other standout difference is that it has a physical rotating bezel, which used to be a signature feature for Samsung smartwatches.

Price: $400+

• $99.00 at Samsung

Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Series

Samsung introduced its next-generation line of Android tablets. Like last year, there are three options in the Tab S9 Series — the Tab S9 (11″), the Tab S9 Plus (12.4″) and the Tab S9 Ultra (14.6″) — but the big update is that they all have the same AMOLED displays, even the most entry-level model.

Price: $800 (S9); $1,000 (S9+); $1,200 (S9 Ultra)

• $99.00 at Samsung

Fluance

Fluance RT81+

The Fluance RT81+ is an upgraded version of the company’s RT81. It has a slightly more contemporary design with the same built-in preamp, but the “+” version has updated cartridge (Audio Technica VM95E) and an anti-resonant platter. It costs an $50.

Price: $300

• $3.00 at www.fluance.com

Yamaha

Yamaha SR-B30A

The Yamaha SR-B30A is a new affordable Dolby Atmos soundbar. It’s a pretty simple plug-and-play soundbar that’s designed for people wanting immersive sound for their smaller TV. It supports Bluetooth, but not Wi-Fi streaming.

Price: $280

• $88.00 at usa.yamaha.com

Amazon

Beats Studio Pro

The Beats Studio Pro are the first flagship wireless noise-canceling over-ear headphones that the company has released in nearly six years. They have a familiar design, but a lot have new custom drivers, more powerful mics and a bunch of new features that make them work well with iPhones.

Price: $350

• $99.00 at Amazon

Samsung

Samsung ViewFinity S9

Announced at CES earlier this year, the Samsung ViewFinity S9 will finally be available in the states this August. It’s a 27-inch smart monitor that delivers a 5K picture and comes integrated with Tizen OS. It costs exactly the same as Apple’s 27-inch Studio Display.

Price: $1,599

• $99.00 at Samsung

Nomad

Nomad ChargeKey

Nomad has introduced a modern version of its classic ChargeKey (which it hasn’t made for years). It’s a pocketable charging cable that’s designed to fit on your keychain and charge your devices (with the help of a power adapter). It’s available in two models: USB-C to USB-C or Lighting to USB-C.

Price: $25 (USB-C); $35 (Lightning)

• $77.00 at nomadgoods.com

Beyerdynamic

Beyerdynamic Blue Byrd ANC

Beyerdynamic announced new neckband-style wireless in-ear headphones with active noise-cancellation. The Blue Byrd ANC has an IPX4 water-resistance rating, charges via USB-C and supports AAC and AptX Adaptive codecs.

Price: $149

• $99.00 at www.beyerdynamic.com

Amazon

Plugable USB4 Dual HDMI Docking Station

Plugable’s newest docking station, the USB4, is unique because it allows you to connect compatible laptops to two external 4K monitors, both running at a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s designed to work with PC laptops running Windows 10 or newer.

Price: $199

• $199.95 at Amazon

Nothing

Nothing Phone (2)

The Nothing Phone (2) is the company’s first Android smartphone to be available in the States. It looks very similar to its predecessor, last year’s Phone (1), but boasts higher-end specs and an upgraded and more customizable LED lighting notification system on its back.

Price: $599+

• $77.00 at nothing.tech

Sony

Sony A6700

The Sony A6700 is the company’s new flagship APS-C mirrorless camera (and the first APS-C camera that Sony has released in years). The 26-megapixel camera is optimized for vlogging thanks to its small body, advanced autofocus system and ability to shoot 4K video at 120fps.

Price: $1,400+

• $99.00 at www.sony.com

Samsung

Samsung OLED S90C 4K TV (83″ Model)

Samsung has introduced an 83-inch model of its affordable S90C line of OLED TVs. In fact, the S90C is Samsung’s only line of OLED TVs that comes in a 83-inch size. You’ll be able to pick one up for just over $5K.

Price: $5,300

• $44.00 at Samsung

Yamaha

Yamaha True X Series

Yamaha has introduced the True X Series of soundbars and wireless surround sound speakers. There are two True X 50A and the more affordable True X 40A, both of which support Dolby Atmos as well as a multitude of wireless streaming capabilities.

Price: $700 (50A); $500 (40A)

• $66.00 at usa.yahama.com

Nothing

Nothing Ear (2) Black

The Nothing Ear (2) are the company’s higher-end wireless earbuds with active noise-cancellation. Their unique see-through design and relatively affordable price make them unique. This week, Nothing announced an all-black model.

Price: $149

• $88.00 at nothing.tech

Linn

Linn Sondek LP12-50

The Sondek LP12-50 is a special edition turntable designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Linn releasing its iconic Sondek LP12. The most interesting thing about it is that it’s a collaboration effort with LoveFrom, the design firm that Jony Ive founded post-Apple.

Price: $60,000

• $60,000.00 at www.linn.co.uk

FiiO

FiiO FW3

The FiiO FW3 is the company’s newest pair of wireless earbuds that are designed to bring solid sound and a relatively low price. Each earbud has a DAC-and-amp combo and they support the highest-res audio files that can play over Bluetooth, including LDAC and aptX Adaptive.

Price: $99

• $66.00 at www.fiio.com

Satechi

Satechi Thunderbolt 4 Multimedia Pro Dock

This is Satechi’s newest high-powered USB-C dock that’s aimed at creative professionals. It has 16 different ports, supports 96-watt passthrough power and can connect several external displays.

Price: $350 ($280 launch price)

• $77.00 at satechi.net

Amazon

Aqara Door and Window Sensor P2

Aqara announced its first smart sensor designed to work with Matter smart homes. It has a two-piece magnetic design and is primed to be placed on a door or window. It has a programmable button and does not need a separate hub to work.

Price: $30

• $55.00 at Amazon

Montblanc

Montblanc MTB 03

Montblanc is best known for its luxury pen and high-end watches, but it’s decided to get into the wireless earbud game. The MTB 03 is the company’s first pair of wireless earbuds. They boast active noise-cancellation, wireless charging and a glossy finish.

Price: $395

• $66.00 at Montblanc

June

Insta360

Insta360 Go 3

The Go 3 is Insta360’s newest action camera — and it’s actually a two piece modular system. There’s a thumb-sized camera that pops out of a rectangular body (called the “Action Pod”) with a viewfinder. You can attach the Go 3 onto a mount or item of clothing and then view what it’s capturing on the viewfinder.

Price: $379

• $55.00 at store.insta360.com

Bowers & Wilkins

Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond Signature Loudspeakers

The British audio company added two new Signature speakers to its ultra high-line of 800 Series loudspeakers. There’s the 801 D4 floorstanding speakers and 805 D4 stand-mounted speakers. B&W have given these new models upgraded crossovers, bracing technologies and improved drivers too.

Price: $50,000 (floorstanding); $12,000/pair (stand-mounts)

• $77.00 at www.bowerswilkins.com

Skullcandy

Skullcandy Ounce

Skullcandy announced a new line of rugged portable Bluetooth speakers. There are eight speakers in total, ranging from $30 to $80. The “Ounce” is the smallest and most affordable of the company’s new offerings.

Price: $30

• $77.00 at www.skullcandy.com

Skullcandy

Skullcandy Terrain

The Terrain (pictured) and Terrain XL are the two largest of the eight portable Bluetooth speakers that Skullcandy announced this week. They both have an IPX7 water-resistance rating and charge via USB-C.

Price: $60 (Terrain); $80 (Terrain XL)

• $77.00 at www.skullcandy.com

TP Link

TP-Link Mini Smart Wi-Fi Plug (TP15)

TP-Link announced a little smart plug that is fully certified to work with Matter, meaning it’s pretty much guaranteed to work with your current smart home ecosystem. It also has a side button for manually powering on/off whatever is plugged into it.

Price: $20

• $20.00 at www.tp-link.com

WiiM

WiiM Wake-Up Light

This is a new smart sunrise alarm clock that’s unique because it also works as a full-on Echo speaker with built-in Alexa. You can set wake and sleep schedules so that the light gradually warms or cools, respectively, as well as use your voice to request songs from Spotify or Amazon Music.

Price: $129

• $77.00 at www,wiimhome.com

Google

Google Pixel Tablet

Announced last fall, Google’s first tablet in years is finally available. It’s an 11-inch Android tablet that’s powered by the same chip (Tensor G2) that’s in the Pixel 7 smartphone. It’s unique amongst tablets, however, because it works with a speaker hub that turns it into a full-fledged smart display that responds to “Hey Google” voice commands.

Price: $499

• $499.00 at store.google.com

Denon

Denon PerL Pro

The PerL and PerL Pro (shown) are Denon’s first wireless earbuds not under the Nura name. Both are high-end wireless earbuds that support active noise-cancellation. The “Pro” models have more powerful ANC and support higher-res streaming, but are also significantly more expensive.

Price: $199; $349 (Pro)

• $77.00 at denon.com

TCL

TCL Q6510

TCL officially released its 2023 line of soundbars — with TCL Q6510 (shown) being the most high-end of the bunch. It’s a 5.1-channel soundbar that comes with wireless subwoofer and two rear-channel speakers. While very affordable, none of TCL’s newest soundbars support Dolby Atmos.

Price: $280

• $55.00 at tcl.com

Sennheiser

Sennheiser All-Day Clear

The Sennheiser All-Day Clear are the audio company’s first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. They have a slim look are are easy to set up thanks to a companion app (compatible with iPhone and Android). They promise a 16-hour battery life per earbud.

Price: $1,400+

• $55.00 at sennheiser.com

Instax

Fujifilm Instax SQ40

The Instax SQ40 is the company’s newest instant film camera. It has a similar vintage design flair as the Instax Mini 40, but uses larger 62 x 62mm Instax Square film. As for features, the SQ40 has an Automatic Exposure function and a new selfie mode.

Price: $150

• $66.00 at instax.com

Soundcore

Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC

The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC are Anker’s new wireless earbuds that cost just $100 yet promise some pretty premium features, including active noise-cancellation, support for LDAC high-resolution audio files and a wireless charging case.

Price: $100

• $6.00 at soundcore.com

Satechi

Satechi Triple 4K Display Docking Station

Satechi’s newest docking allows you to connect your M1- or M2-powered MacBook Air or MacBook Pro to up to three external 4K displays (each at 60Hz). It also adds a bunch of extra ports for peripherals and delivers 100-watts of passthrough power.

Price: $299

• $66.00 at satechi.net

Nebula

Anker Nebula Mars 3

The Nebula Mars 3 is a portable projector that’s designed for outdoor viewing. It has a really bright (1,000-lumen) bulb so that it can deliver a 1080p picture (up to 150-inches) even when it’s not pitch black outside. It’s primed for backyard movie nights.

Price: $1,099

• $99.00 at us.seenebula.com

Courtesy

Nomad Base

The Nomad Base is a wireless charger designed for the latest iPhones. It’s identical to the company’s Base One but $30 cheaper because it won’t charge your iPhone quite as fast — it maxes out at 7.5-watts instead of 15-watts over MagSafe.

Price: $70

• $99.00 at nomadgoods.com

Courtesy

Nomad Stand

The Stand is a more affordable version of Nomad’s Stand One. It’s exactly the same, but is “MagSafe compatible” instead of “Made for MagSafe” meaning it’ll charge your iPhone a little bit slower — it maxes out at 7.5-watts instead of 15-watts over MagSafe.

Price: $80

• $88.00 at nomadgoods.com

Skullcandy

Skullcandy ​​Rail ANC

The Skullcandy ​​Rail ANC are budget-friendly noise-canceling wireless earbuds. They have a wireless charging case, an IPX4 water-resistance rating (so they’re safe to workout with) and are integrated with support for Tile tracking.

Price: $100

• $99.00 at skullcandy.com

Apple

Apple Vision Pro

Apple’s first AR headset, the Vision Pro, is effectively a standalone Mac for your face. It has high-resolution displays, a bunch of built-in cameras and sensors (so it doesn’t require any extra hardware for controls), and it’s designed as the computer of the future. It’ll be available in early 2024.

Price: $3,499

• $99.00 at Apple

Apple

15-inch M2 MacBook Air

The 15-inch MacBook Air is almost identical to the 13-inch MacBook Air that was released last summer. It is decked out with the same M2 chip, has the same design (including MagSafe charging) and comes in the same colors. It’s just got a bigger screen. But it’s a big deal because it’s the first-ever 15-inch MacBook Air.

Price: $1,299+

• $1,399.00 at Apple

Apple

Mac Pro (M2 Max and M2 Ultra)

Apple hadn’t updated the Mac Pro, its high-end tower workstation designed for professionals, since 2019. That changed this week. The newest Mac Pro looks identical to its predecessor, except it’s now updated with Apple silicone instead of Intel. You can purchase the new Mac Pro with either M2 Max or M2 Ultra chipsets.

Price: $6,999+

• $55.00 at Apple

Apple

Mac Studio (M2 Max and M2 Ultra)

Apple has updated its Mac Studio with its newer and more powerful M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips. It offers a cheaper alternative to the super high-end Mac Pro. It has the same design as the M1-versions that were announced last year.

Price: $1,999+

• $99.00 at Apple

Western Digital

Western Digital Expansion Cards for Xbox Series S/X

Western Digital announced expandable cards specifically designed for the Xbox Series S and Series X consoles. Available in 512GB and 1TB capacities, the storage cards are slightly more affordable alternatives than the ones that Seagate currently offers.

Price: $80 (512GB); $150 (1TB)

• $88.00 at westerndigital.com

Amazon

Plugable USB-C Hub (USBC-HUB4A)

Plugable’s newest USB-C hub, the USBC-HUB4A, allows you to add four USB 3.0 ports (with 5Gbps transfer speeds) to your laptop or desktop. It costs just $13.

Price: $13

• $66.00 at Amazon

Audio-Technica

Audio-Technica AT-SB727 Sound Burger

Last year, Audio-Technica announced that it would be reviving its iconic portable turntable, the Sound Burger, from the ’80s — and it’s finally available. The new version is updated with modern conveniences, like Bluetooth connectivity and USB-C charging.

Price: $199

• $199 at Amazon
• $199 at Audio-Technica

Meta

Meta Quest 3

Meta released a first look of its third-generation of its VR headset, the Quest 3, which will be released in the fall. It’ll cost $499, which is $100 more expensive than the 2020-released Quest 2, but it’ll be more powerful, deliver a higher-resolution experience and be more comfortable to wear.

Price: $499

• $9.00 at meta.com

Garmin

Garmin Fenix 7 Pro and Epix 2 Pro

Garmin announced “Pro” versions of its Fenix 7 and Epix 2 multi-sport smartwatches. These higher-end models have a few new features and sensors, such as a hands-free flashlight and an improved heart rate monitor. Like before, the primary difference between the Fenix and Epix line is that the latter has a higher-end OLED display (but a shorter battery life).

Price: $800+ (Fenix 7 Pro); $900+ (Epix 2 Pro)

• $9.00 at Garmin

Logitech

Logitech MX Anywhere 3S

The Logitech MX Anywhere 3S is the company’s newest portable wireless mouse. It looks identical to the MX Anywhere 3, but features a more accurate optical sensor and quieter buttons. It doesn’t come with a USB dongle, however, and only uses a Bluetooth connection.

Price: $80

• $9.00 at logitech.com

Logitech

Logitech MX Keys S

The Logitech MX Keys S is a refreshed version of the company’s MX Keys wireless keyboard. The “S” model has an updated function key row that adds more controls over backlighting and video conferencing.

Price: $110

• $9.00 at logitech.com

Wyze

Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro

The Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro is essentially an improved version of the previous Wyze Cam Floodlight. The “Pro” model has a higher-res camera, a wider field of view and smarter AI so that it can now better recognize people, pets and vehicles.

Price: $150

• $9.00 at wyze.com

Razer

Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed

Razer’s newest noise-canceling wireless earbuds, the Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed, are specifically designed for gamers. They are THX certified, support a low-latency connection (via a USB dongle) and even have customizable RGB lighting.

Price: $200

• $9.00 at razer.com