9to5Mac Reviews

It doesn’t seem that long since we had a choice to make when it came to external drives: we could opt for spinning metal drives if we wanted high capacities at affordable prices, or SSD if we wanted fast transfer speeds, were willing to compromise on capacity and were prepared to pay the substantial premium. But that’s beginning to change …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Many years ago, I used a desk striplight with a clamp. I clamped it to the back of my desk, then adjusted the angle arm so it was just above and in front of my monitor. That way, it lit the desk, didn’t cast any light onto my monitor, and effectively took up no space.

It took some time to find a suitable light, and a fair amount of messing around with clamp positions and angles until I had what I wanted. Now BenQ has created a product that achieves the same result in a really neat fashion: the ScreenBar …

Expand
Expanding
Close

It’s usually me making the case for new smart home gadgets, but when it came to a robot vacuum cleaner, it was my partner, Steph, who suggested it. Unusually hot weather in London causing our cats to moult more than usual may have been the triggering event!

I’d looked at them when they first came out, and wasn’t that impressed by what I saw and read. Early models tended to wander randomly about the home, didn’t cope well with obstacles, and their battery-powered vacuum motors weren’t very powerful.

But it had been quite a few years since then, so it seemed a good time to check out whether today’s robot vacuum cleaners are gimmick or genuinely useful home appliance …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Lume Cube, the high-powered portable photography light, is now available in an exclusive kit at Apple Stores country-wide. The Lume Cube Creative Lighting Kit includes a number of accessories with the compact flash to refine the photography experience.

The team at Lume Cube had recently reached out to us asking if we’d like to take a look at what the small cube could do. As I’ve been getting more and more into mobile photography, a portable lighting system piqued my interest. After having received a review unit from Lume, I set out to see what all the fuss was about.

Expand
Expanding
Close

We took our first look at the unique jimmyCASE approach to wallet cases over a year ago. Now we’ve been putting the company’s latest offering for iPhone X to the test. Just like earlier models, the new Slim Classic Wallet Case uses a mix of great materials including mahogany, silicone, and high performance elastic that provide a sharp blend of function and form. Read on for our full review and why jimmyCASE is a distinct and flexible choice for iPhone X.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were introduced last year (and long before), wireless chargers have become a dime a dozen. With so many options available on the market, it takes a lot for one to stand out from the crowd.

Earlier this year, Nomad released its versatile, travel-oriented wireless charger for iPhone 8 and iPhone X, joining the company’s range of high-end accessories. Since it was released, we’ve been using it day in and day out. Read on for our thoughts on how it compares to the rest of the crowded wireless charger market…

Expand
Expanding
Close

HomeKit adoption has grown swiftly over recent years, with lights of all shapes and sizes adopting the platform for smart control. In 2016, we took a look at the popular Nanoleaf Aurora light panels, and now Lifx is looking to enter the HomeKit accent lighting market with its new Beam accessory…

Expand
Expanding
Close

If you are like me, Spring means biking season and I want to tell you about two great bike helmets that connect to your iPhone via Bluetooth to not only make your ride more safe but also more fun too. For over a year, I’ve had the Coros LINX helmet which uses bone conducting conduits to safely send audio signal to your eardrums without blocking natural sound.

A few weeks ago I peeped the new $179.99 Lumos Helmet at the Grand Central Apple Store touting bright lights and a turn signal activated from your phone.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Twelve South is best-known for its BookBook cases for MacBooks and iPhones, but subsequently expanded into a wide range of stylish accessories for Apple kit – they have products for MacBooks, iMac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and more.

Its latest product, launched earlier this month, is a Bluetooth transmitter designed to let you use AirPods or other wireless headphones with in-flight entertainment systems or other equipment with a 3.5mm headphone socket: AirFly …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Case-Mate released its Power Pad Qi wireless charger last month and we’ve been testing it out for the last few weeks. With a unique design that allows it to stand or lay flat while in use, Power Pad is worth checking out. Read on for our full review.

Expand
Expanding
Close

For the last year or so I’ve been on the fence about picking up a new router. But along with moving into a new house, I decided to finally retire my Time Capsule. After a lot of deliberation, I landed on TP-Link’s deco mesh Wi-Fi system and I’ve been really impressed with the features it offers, such as the app, performance, and price. Read on for our full review.

Expand
Expanding
Close

We tested out the ElevationDock 4 (reviewed) last fall and concluded that it lives up to the self-proclaimed title of “the best dock for iPhone.” The company released its latest offering, CordDock – a hybrid product last month, and we’ve been able to test it out for the last few weeks. Here’s how this slick offering stacks up against ElevationDock 4 and the rest of the market.

Expand
Expanding
Close

I’ve always travelled hand-baggage-only (except when taking my bicycle with me), and when you carry as many gadgets as I do, that can require some efficient packing.

I usually travel with my MacBook Pro, iPad, camera & lens, drone – and sometimes a test gadget or two. Plus, of course, chargers and cables for all of the above.

The higher power output of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar means that I can use it as a charging hub, but if you’re looking for standalone chargers, as well as a way to reduce the bulk of a MacBook charger, OneAdaptr has some very neat solutions …

Expand
Expanding
Close

Back when I bought my 2016 MacBook Pro, I was kind of tempted to get all the expense out of the way in one hit and upgrade my monitor at the same time. The problem, as I wrote later, was finding someone to take my money.

What I really want now is to replace my existing two-screen setup – 15-inch MacBook Pro on the left, 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display on the right – with a single monitor.

That means I need something substantially wider than 27 inches and 2560 pixels. My colleague Jeff tested one candidate back in 2016, LG’s 34-inch UltraWide. But that didn’t tick all of my boxes, so I held out …

Expand
Expanding
Close

There are a ton of wireless chargers on the market, with many companies offering more choices as Apple’s iPhone lineup adopted the capability last fall. Aukey has a mix of options, but for this review we’ve tested out two of the company’s $30 offerings, the first has won two design awards and the other offers a unique and sleek aesthetic. Keep reading after the break for our full rundown.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Historically, I have flitted between many different routers. I used AirPort Extreme for a while, and then a variety of third-party options. A couple of years ago, mesh WiFi became a popular buzzword. I kind of passed it over, thinking it was more of a marketing gimmick, but I recently got the chance to review one such mesh WiFi system.

I was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. Read on for my hands-on with the Netgear Orbi mesh WiFi system.

After being impressed by Marshall’s Stanmore AirPlay speaker earlier this year, the firm asked me if I’d be interested in trying its latest headphones, the Marshall Mid ANC. This is an update to the earlier Mid model with the addition of active noise cancellation.

Ironically, it’s the new feature – the active noise cancellation – that I think is the least-impressive one. But that’s not to say I think that the headphones themselves are unimpressive; far from it …

Expand
Expanding
Close

I love my drone, but I knew when I bought it that it was only going to be a matter of time before countries started clamping down on them. Sadly, that proved to be the case when I spent a few days in Iceland. Everywhere I went, there were No Drone signs. I carried it around with me, but didn’t get to use it even once.

Fortunately, I did have another interesting gadget on me – one initially exclusive to the Apple Store: the Insta360 ONE camera. This is a 360-degree 4K video camera that plugs into the Lightning socket of an iPhone. You can either shoot like this, or you can put the camera on a selfie stick and then plug it into the iPhone to edit and upload your footage.

This proved a fantastic way to capture experiences, and in terms of getting unusual and engaging video, it’s the next best thing to a drone …

Expand
Expanding
Close

We covered the release of the LXORY Dual Wireless Charging Pad back in January. The new charger offers three input options — including USB-C and Lightning — and an affordable price tag. Now, we’ve had a chance to use the new wireless charger for several weeks, read on for our full review.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Adding HomeKit to your house can be expensive, but as the technology progresses, more affordable options have been making their way to market that make HomeKit a viable choice for more consumers.

A couple of weeks ago, Zac reviewed Hong Kong-based VOCOlinc’s HomeKit-enabled LED light strips, noting that the price almost seemed too good to be true for a HomeKit product with no bridge required. Intrigued by the company, I decided to try out their smart power strip with HomeKit support.

How does it work? Read on to find out…

Expand
Expanding
Close

There are Apple products I’ve been more excited to receive, but I can’t think of any that I’ve awaited with such impatience. The reason? Curiosity about that audio quality!

I wrote last time that it was Home hub and voice control of HomeKit devices for my partner that really sold it to me, and I wasn’t expecting too much from it on the audio front. Sure, it was going to beat out other smart speakers, but I didn’t see it as serious competition to proper HiFi brands.

But as the reviews came in, I started to wonder …

Expand
Expanding
Close