CATEGORIES

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: All of Android for somewhat less

You’re also getting a much better screen, Wi-Fi 6E, S Pen support, and way more RAM.

AIRPODS MAX: OPULENT AUDIO THAT SHOULDN'T COST SO MUCH

APPLE’S HIGH-END HEADPHONES LOOK, SOUND, AND FEEL GREAT, BUT THE PRICE ISN’T RIGHT.

HP Spectre x360 14: Luxurious, with long battery life

The latest Intel CPU and Iris Xe graphics make all the difference.

Gigabyte Aorus 17G: A gaming laptop that's amazingly quiet

Awesome GeForce RTX 3080 performance without all the noise.

Aukey DRS1 4K Dash Cam: Nice 4K UHD video, easy to install and use

Simple, superhigh resolution, and easy on the wallet.

Tribit XFree Go headphone: Amazing sound, great price, and one glaring flaw

These cans sound like headphones that cost three or four times as much, but the controls on not one but two review units locked up after an hour or so of sustained use.

INPUT DEVICE: LOGITECH MX MASTER 3 MOUSE: LOGITECH STICKS WITH A WINNING FORMULA

I have two desktop Mac setups, one at home and one at the Macworld office (ah, going to the office, those were the days).

Hot Stuff

What we’re raving about this month

Bluesound Powernode 2i (with HDMI): Bodacious sound from a micro-sized box

This self-amplified multiroom music streamer delivers high-res audio experiences that Sonos won’t, but Bluesound’s user experience isn’t nearly as polished.

Aukey EP-N5: Entry-level ANC that gets it (mostly) right

Good sound and decent active noise canceling for a wallet-friendly price.

SteelSeries Arctis 9 $170

A LOT OF HEADSETS seem to have at least one or two things that hold them back from being great, either to reduce the cost, or to help one aspect of the headset exceed at the expense of another. The Arctis 9, on the other hand, does everything that is thrown at it very well indeed.

X by Kygo A11/800 $249

X BY KYGO is a fairly new brand imagined by Norwegian DJ Kygo himself. This pair, the A11/800, fit towards the higher end of the lineup, with a simple yet effective monocolored look.

Sony WH-1000XM4 $348

AT FIRST GLANCE, you might not get the sense that these headphones contain some serious power under the hood, as this power is hidden under an elegant and sleek body. Its smooth matte monocolored finish pushes the idea that Sony wanted sophistication with substance.

Sennheiser HD450BT Wireless $200

YOU ALL KNOW of Sennheiser, as an audio powerhouse at the forefront of sound. The HD450BT is a very well-rounded pair of headphones, sitting in the company’s low to mid-range price bracket at $200.

MSI Immerse GH50 Gaming Headset $75

SITTING AT the budget end of the headsets we have in this battle is MSI with its Immerse GH50 cans. They are a decent-looking pair, with a gunmetal-gray finish and an RGB MSI emblem sitting proudly on each cup. The RGB is quite subtle, at least.

Netgear Nighthawk XR1000

Excellent wireless, but we demand more ports

Razer Book 13

A new chapter

Logitech Pro X Wireless $200

LOGITECH and peripherals go hand in hand. The Pro X wireless is Logitech’s range-topping gaming headset, and you get a sense of this straight out of the box with the build quality, design, and sturdiness of the Pro X wireless.

Razer Blackshark V2 $100

AS FAR AS gaming peripherals are concerned, Razer seems to know how to make a strong product. As soon as you open the box you’re greeted with a card declaring: “Sound is just as important as sight when you’re in-game.” It’s not wrong, and the Blackshark V2 is a good example of this. It sits in the budget end of the group here, but don’t let the price fool you.

Audeze Penrose Planar Magnetic Headset $299

AUDEZE has used its phenomenal audio knowledge to create a very solid gaming headset. The company is more traditionally known for high-end planar magnetic headphones but has dipped into the world of gaming with the Penrose.

And the champion is…SONY WH-1000XM4

SO, how did we get here? In our little head-to-head, we ended up having a lot of similar scores through one reason or another.

Corsair HS60 Haptic $120

IF WHITE CAMO is your thing, or you can overlook the fact that this is white camo, then the HS60 is a good contender for this battle. Looks aren’t everything, remember.

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X

The usurper has come

1TB Samsung 870 EVO

Can Samsung teach old SATA new tricks?

GeForce RTX 3060 laptops hit the street, but more affordable models are in short supply

There’s just one at the $999 starting price, available March 1.

Intel's debut Iris Xe graphics cards are headed to prebuilt PCs (but not for gaming)

Intel will sell a discrete desktop GPU aimed at mainstream users and small businesses.

Intel benchmarks say Apple's M1 isn't faster. Let's check the claims

Intel just clapped back with a carefully crafted takedown of Apple’s Arm-based M1 chip. Let’s review the claims, one by one.

HP's new Pavilion x360s are smaller, faster, and more sustainable

Recycled content will save almost 400,000 pounds in coal burning.

Comcast suspends data caps for certain states, and that's unfair

Data caps should go away during the pandemic, period.

The case for a 12-inch MacBook Air

Go M1 and go smaller.