9to5Mac Reviews

We tend to be wary about crowdfunding campaigns, as not all deliver, but the Looking Glass Portrait was too interesting to pass up as a way to turn iPhone Portrait mode photos into three-dimensional holograms.

It won’t be available until (at the latest estimate) October, but I got a chance to try a pre-production model which I’m told is very close to the final version, and there’s a mix of good and bad news.

While a lot of MagSafe stands include metal for at least some part of their build, there’s usually a good amount of plastic involved. Native Union’s MagSafe Rise Dock takes the path less traveled with a solid metal build and a minimalistic (and portable) design. Read along for our detailed review of the MagSafe Rise Dock, Native Union’s 10-foot MagSafe compatible charger, and more.

Using the Google Pixel Buds A-Series with the iPhone has been a better experience than I expected, but it’s not as good as using AirPods. That should be expected given the fact that they are made by Apple’s biggest competitor. But Google’s Pixel Buds A are excellent wireless earbuds with great fit and decent sound. Long story short, they are an impeccable value over the standard AirPods even if you have to make some compromises. 

Mophie is out with its sharp MagSafe compatible accessory lineup for iPhone 12. But it went above and beyond by making Snap Adapters to bring the MagSafe functionality to all iPhones (and even Android smartphones). Here’s our full review of the Snap and Snap+ Mophie MagSafe accessories.

The Zens ZEPP03M dual-sided MagSafe-compatible powerbank is one of four models the company announced earlier this month. Its USP is that it can simultaneously charge both an iPhone 12 and an AirPods case.

The company’s marketing is a little naughty, saying MagSafe in some materials and MagSafe-compatible in others…

AirTags are here and the accessory market around the new item tracker is expanding quickly. While there are lots of keychains, cases, and other similar options to attach an AirTag to things, we haven’t seen as many wallets that are compatible with it. With a super minimal design, the Snapback Slim Air wallet for AirTags caught our eye, here’s our review.

When it came to trying the upcoming Brydge Max+ keyboard for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it seemed most sensible to write it up as a head-to-head against the Apple Magic Keyboard. Both are premium-priced keyboards with integrated trackpads, and are essentially chasing the same user demographic.

I’ve long been a fan of Brydge keyboards, and have used them with all my iPads – but have so far been using Apple’s Magic Keyboard with my 12.9-inch iPad Pro…

The Withings Body Cardio has been a smart scale leader for some time and the advanced device just got a valuable update with Vascular Age measurements earlier this month. We’ve been testing out the new feature that offers “a cardiovascular check up at every weigh-in” along with the Apple Health integration Body Cardio includes. Read along for all the details on Vascular Age and everything you’re getting with this updated smart scale.

A few weeks ago, Apple debuted a new “Find My Certification Asst.” app today designed to let third-party companies test how their accessories will work with the Find My application. This news comes after Apple announced at WWDC 2020 that it would open up the Find My network to third-party products. Ahead of the debut of AirTags, Apple announced that Chipolo would be one of the early partners for Find My integration. I received an advanced unit ahead of the June release, and I can confidently say that it’s every bit as good as AirTags unless you want the U1 chip for precise item tracking. Read on to learn more about the Chipolo ONE Spot.

I love Time Machine. As the old saying has it, the only reliable backup is a fully automated one, and that’s what Apple’s Time Machine utility provides. But… it’s perhaps a little too automated for some situations – and that’s a problem the free TimeMachineEditor app sets out to solve.

Unless you want to do them totally manually, Time Machine offers you no control over when backups take place …

Mophie recently launched a solid new iPhone and AirPods wireless charger – the Charging Stand+ – and after checking that out, its larger brother caught our eye, the 4-in-1 wireless charging mat. This iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch charger is a great fit for couples or families who want the convenience of simultaneous wireless charging without having to buy multiple devices.

When I was in my early 20s, I worked for an independent telephone company in Ringgold, Georgia. One of the projects I worked on was building a home and business security product. I ended up working with customers in a sales role after we got the product up and running. I say all that to make the point that I am somewhat of a veteran in the home security industry. I’ve been using the abode system for the past year, so if you’re researching the best options for a Homekit alarm system, keep reading to learn more about abode.

The Brydge MacBook Vertical Dock is the latest incarnation of what used to be Henge Docks. Brydge acquired the company back in 2019 and has continued to develop new models since then.

The concept of a laptop dock has been around for decades now. The basic idea is that you use the laptop as a standalone machine when mobile, then snap it into a dock when you return to your desk, to effectively turn it into a desktop computer. There are, though, two different takes on the idea …

Sonos unveiled its new ultra-portable speaker last month along with opening pre-orders. Ahead of the Roam arriving to the first customers later this month, we were able to test out this slick new speaker to see how it compares to other options in the ultra-portable category along with the larger Sonos Move portable speaker.

The Master & Dynamic MW08 are the latest version of the first-ever true wireless in-ear headphones to win me over – and they continue to impress.

I’d always been an on-ear/over-ear headphone guy, even when mobile. To me, the sound quality outweighed the inconvenience of the bulk and weight. That changed with the launch of the MW07 in 2018…

CalDigit launched its new Element Hub last month as a compact way to add plenty of USB-A legacy ports to Macs as well as the latest I/O thanks to Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports. We’ve been testing out this small and powerful Thunderbolt 4 hub for a few weeks with an M1 Mac, read on for our full review.

I’ve been using the Satechi Slim X1 Bluetooth keyboard full-time for the last three weeks, and it’s proven to be a solid companion for both my Macs and iPads. Should you consider purchasing it? Watch our hands-on Satechi Slim X1 review for the details, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more video reviews.

The Waterfield Ranger Phone Case Holster has been the final piece in my iPhone 12 Pro Max puzzle. Back when I first took delivery of the device, I said that it felt like a giant phone.

It really does feel like I’m trying a whole new product category here […] I got an early hands-on preview of the size when the case arrived ahead of the phone, but even that didn’t fully prepare me for just how big the iPhone 12 Pro Max feels. It really does feel more like a next-gen iPad mini than an iPhone…