For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.
This week, Apple rolled out several important software updates to a variety of its devices. The Apple Watch gained two highly-anticipated running features; Freeform, a first-of-its-kind app that creates a digital whiteboard for many people (ideally teams) can contribute to, officially was released across iPhone, iPad and Mac; and a new "Recognize My Voice" feature allows the Apple TV to recognize up to six different voices, making it easy for different family members to use voice for switching profiles and more custom "Hey Siri" searches. On the non-Apple front, Sonos rolled out an important software update and Tidal started testing out a new DJ feature.
We're nearing the end of the year, so there wasn't a ton of new gadget releases this week. But there were a few — here's what you need to know.
DJI Mini 3
The DJI Mini 3 Pro — a drone with many of the same advanced flying and shooting capabilities as the company's midrange Mavic Air 2, but packaged in a much smaller 249-gram size (so no permit is required to fly) — was announced earlier this year. Fast forward to more than a half-year later and DJI has released a more affordable version.
The "non-Pro" DJI Mini 3 looks basically identical, but it lacks the same object avoidance sensors so it's more difficult to fly. And doesn't support the same advanced shooting abilities, one of those being ActiveTrack, which allows the drone to lock onto a subject and continuously keep them in frame as it flies. On the plus side, the new DJI Mini 3 is $200 cheaper than the DJI Mini 3 Pro.
Price: $469
LG UltraGear OLED (27GR95QE)
The LG UltraGear OLED (27GR95QE) is one of the most hyped gaming monitors of the year. It's a 27-inch monitor with an OLED panel, a 2,560 x 1440 resolution, a 240Hz native refresh rate, a 0.03 millisecond response time, and covers 98.5 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut.
It's optimized for Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles thanks to two HDMI 2.1 ports, but it also supports both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync technologies, making it a solid match for PCs as well. The LG UltraGear OLED was technically announced earlier this fall, but LG finally announced pricing this week — and it clocks in at less than a grand.
Price: $999
Native Union Belt Cable Duo
Native Union announced a new charging cable with its signature braided design. However, the Belt Cable Duo is different, because it's a single cable with a unique "dual-headed" design: one for USB-C and one for Lightning heads. This means you can charge a gadget via USB-C or via Lighting, making it twice as versatile as other cables. Unfortunately, it cannot charge two devices simultaneously. It's available in several different colors.
Price: $50
