13 Cool New Gadgets to Keep on Your Radar

The MacBook Neo is really a first for Apple. It’s a new ultra-affordable laptop that starts at just $599, making it nearly half the price of the new Airs. Like those Airs, the Neo is a 13-inch laptop that promises to deliver a familiar Mac experience — including Apple’s signature “all day” battery life. Naturally, there are a few trade-offs to keep the price low. The Neo runs Apple’s A18 Pro chip, which was featured in last year’s iPhone 16 Pros, so it’s far from a productivity powerhouse. On the hardware side, its 1080p webcam doesn’t support Center Stage, its keyboard isn’t backlit, and it lacks MagSafe charging. It’s a laptop positioned for students and budget-conscious shoppers.

The TruStream is Leak Audio’s first dedicated music streamer. It’s designed to match and pair with the company’s vintage-inspired integrated amplifiers, the Stereo 130 and Stereo 230. It works with most of today’s streaming services and technologies, including Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz Connect, TuneIn, Internet Radio, and AirPlay 2. It’s also Roon Ready. And it packs a 32-bit DAC (ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M) and thus supports high-resolution streaming.

The Signature S550 is the most affordable pair of open-back headphones in Grado’s flagship Signature series. Positioned as more affordable alternatives to the brand’s Signature S750, which are nearly twice as expensive, the S550 has the same 50mm S2 dynamic drivers, but they have been tuned specifically for its all-wood enclosure (instead of wood, the Signature S750 has an all-aluminum housing). According to the brand, they offer “a more relaxed presentation while preserving the speed, detail, and immediacy that have long defined the Grado sound.”

Apple has refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup for 2026. It didn’t reinvent the wheel as the new Pros look identical to last year’s models, but the big news is they’re configurable with Apple’s new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. For the first time, they’ve been built around Apple’s new Fusion Architecture, which, according to Apple, “combines two dies into a single system on a chip, providing tremendous performance boosts.” Like with the new MacBook Airs, Apple has increased the price of the new Pros, but also increased the base storage.

Apple refreshed its MacBook Air for 2026. It’s mostly the same as last year’s M4 model — in fact, it’s identical (it comes in the same four colors and 13- and 15-inch sizes) — but Apple upgraded it with its M5 chip, thus promising improved performance and AI capabilities. The base model also comes with double the base storage (now 512GB), but that comes at a $100 price increase. Additional upgrades include Apple’s N1 wireless chip for superior Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a more powerful 40-watt power adapter is included in the box.

Alongside its M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros, Apple has also introduced new Studio Display monitors. There are two models: the refreshed Studio Display replaces its 2022-released predecessor, while the all-new Studio Display XDR replaces the 2019-released Pro Display XDR. Both are 27-inch monitors that feature upgraded cameras and speakers, a more beautiful display and improved connectivity thanks to Thunderbolt 5 ports. The Studio Display XDR is the more professional-grade option, featuring mini-LED backlighting (for superb brightness and contrast) and a 120Hz refresh rate. Both are available in nano-texture glass options.

The Astru is the Romanian hi-fi brand’s most premium pair of in-ear monitors to date. According to the brand, they are meant for “listeners who demand true high-end performance without crossing into flagship pricing territory.” The earbuds feature a 10mm multilayer composite dynamic driver diaphragm, meticulously engineered to balance speed, control, and musical weight. They have a beautiful titanium housing, detachable cables and feature a gold-plated 4.4 mm balanced termination. A 3.5mm adapter is included so you can use it with most traditional sources.

Nothing’s Headphone (a) is a more affordable alternative to the company’s first wireless noise-canceling headphones, the 2025-released Headphone (1). The two models share a similarly unique, semi-transparent design, but the Headphone (a) comes in several more colors and, interestingly, has a way longer battery life (up to 135 hours, which is insane, with ANC turned off). The main tradeoff with these headphones is that, unlike the Headphone (1), they aren’t tuned by KEF, so you can expect a drop-off in audio quality. But at $199, the headphones are also $100 less expensive.

iFi’s Go Link 2 is an affordable gadget designed to give your smartphone, tablet or computer an audio boost when listening to wired headphones. The portable DAC (ESS Sabre) and headphone amplifier connects to your device via USB-C and supercharges your wired headphones so you can really hear the difference of lossless tracks (which are now supported by most major services, including Spotify and Apple Music). Compared to its predecessor, the 2022-released Go Link, this second-generation model is eight percent smaller and costs exactly the same.

The Astell&Kern PD20 is a beautifully designed, portable hi-fi player that blends premium design (and materials) with high-resolution playback capabilities. It’s unique because it’s the company’s first model to administer a hearing test and then adjust its equalizer settings based on your hearing. According to the press release, this Personal Sound system “analyzes individual hearing characteristics and compensates independently for left and right ears to create a uniquely tailored listening profile.” Basically, it promises to deliver a more personal audio experience than other portable hi-fi players.

The Technics SL-1500CS is a direct-drive turntable with a built-in phono preamplifier. It’s essentially an updated version of the SL-1500C, which was released in 2019. The SL-1500CS looks nearly identical and even comes equipped with the same Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. But the new model has been upgraded with Technics’ ΔΣ (DeltaSigma) Drive technology, which it also featured in its more expensive turntables, the 2023-released SL-1200GR2/1210GR2 ($2,500), as well as the 2024-released SL-13000G ($4,000). According to the brand, the new SL-1500CS “achieves sonic performance levels far beyond the perceived standards of its class.”

The iPhone 17e is Apple’s budget-friendly iPhone for 2026. Compared to last year’s iPhone 16e (which replaced the 2022-released iPhone SE), the two smartphones are quite alike. Both have a body similar to the iPhone 14, featuring a 6.1-inch display with a notch — no Dynamic Island — that supports Face ID. And they both have an Action button and support for wireless charging. That said, the iPhone 17e packs a number of upgrades, headlined by an updated processor (A19), a C1X modem and double the storage (now starting at 256GB). Most notably, it also supports MagSafe so you can use it with all your existing magnetic accessories. Apple is selling it at the same $599 price.

Apple’s new iPad Air lineup for 2026 is a pretty modest upgrade over last year’s models. Like before, the iPad Air comes in two sizes — 11- and 13-inches — and it looks exactly like its predecessor. The big upgrade is that these newest iPad Airs now have an M4 chip, which Apple claims makes them “up to 30 percent faster” than last year’s M3 models. Apple has also given its new iPad Airs more RAM, an N1 wireless networking chip (for superior Wi-Fi connectivity) and, for its cellular models, its custom C1X modem. The M4 iPad Airs are the same price as last year’s models.