The Latest from Gadget Hacks: Page 34

With the holidays approaching, choosing between Apple's AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro becomes more critical than ever. Apple now offers two distinct versions of the AirPods 4—a standard model at $129 and an enhanced version with Active Noise Cancellation at $179, according to 9to5Mac.

Apple is gearing up for what could be its most significant Mac launch in years, and it's not what you'd expect. While we're used to seeing the company push boundaries with premium features and sky-high price tags, 2026 might mark a dramatic shift toward affordability.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Black Friday season has kicked off, and this year's tech deals are hitting record lows across the board. Retailers are offering price guarantees, ensuring their current discounts won't be beaten later in the season, while Google has launched its official 2025 Black Friday sale with unprecedented savings on its entire ecosystem. Among the standout deals, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is seeing its first major discount since launching in August, with all storage configurations getting $300 off...

Black Friday has arrived early for Apple enthusiasts, and this year's deals are genuinely impressive. Current discounts span Apple's entire product lineup, with savings that rival or exceed previous Black Friday events. The iPad Pro is seeing unprecedented $400 discounts, while MacBook Air models are starting as low as $749. What makes this deal season particularly noteworthy is the timing—retailers are offering these substantial savings weeks before traditional Black Friday shopping begins.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

OnePlus has been busy this year, and December promises to be particularly exciting for fans of the brand. The company recently announced a comprehensive launch event scheduled for December 17, where they'll unveil not just one, but three new devices that could reshape their product lineup.

The tech world has been buzzing about Tim Cook's future at Apple ever since he hit the big 6-5 in November. You might be wondering—is this the beginning of the end for his remarkable 14-year run as CEO? Well, hold that thought.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

The beloved film community platform is making a bold move into digital distribution, and it's about to change how we discover and rent movies. Letterboxd's upcoming Video Store represents more than just another streaming service—it's a data-driven approach to film curation that leverages insights from 20 million dedicated film enthusiasts.

US Pixel users have been watching from the sidelines as their international counterparts enjoyed faster hotspot speeds, but that's finally changing. American Pixel 9 Pro XL owners are now discovering that 6GHz hotspot functionality has quietly become available on their devices, delivering the enhanced connectivity that regulatory hurdles had previously kept locked away, according to Android Authority. The timing couldn't be better, as flagship Android devices in North America are showing over...

Apple's decision to incorporate 3D printing technology into the iPhone Air and Apple Watch Series 11 marks a significant pivot in how premium consumer electronics are manufactured. It signals a shift toward processes that deliver better performance while sharply reducing environmental impact, and it is happening at a scale that could reshape the entire industry.

Apple's recent success in China reads like a comeback. With the iPhone 17 series launch, the company captured 25% of all smartphone sales in China, its highest market share in the region since 2022. Not just another launch milestone. A lesson in taking a hit, fixing the miss, and giving a demanding market what it asked for.

Apple’s iOS 26.2 beta 3 just dropped a seismic change in how the iPhone works. Japan gets it first. For the first time, iPhone users can ditch Siri and set alternatives like Alexa or Google Gemini, though Apple’s developer documentation confirms the feature is initially limited to Japan. It arrives with iOS 26.2’s beta release, where new code lays the groundwork to reassign the side button so it can launch third-party conversational apps instead of Siri.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Apple's latest iOS 26.2 beta is quietly setting the stage for the biggest shake-up to iPhone voice control since Siri showed up. Experts say that buried in the code are hints that EU users could soon ditch Siri for Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Not a routine tweak, more like a line in the sand that could change how voice works on Apple devices.

When Google ended support for its first and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats in October 2025, many users figured they would simply lose remote control features. What they probably did not expect was for Google to keep collecting detailed data from these supposedly "unsupported" devices. Here is what is happening behind the scenes, and why it raises serious questions about data privacy and corporate responsibility.

Two months into using macOS Tahoe, I can honestly say this update has shifted how I work on my Mac. The initial buzz around Apple's biggest macOS overhaul in years settled into muscle memory. Some features stuck and turned into habits. Others faded without a fight.

Samsung's leap into Super Fast Charging 3.0 represents more than just a numbers upgrade—it signals the company's recognition that charging speed has become a crucial battleground in the flagship smartphone market. Recent firmware discoveries have revealed that the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature 60W charging capabilities, marking Samsung's most significant charging advancement in years (Android Authority).

OnePlus is making waves in the smartphone world by confirming that its upcoming device will be the first to launch with Qualcomm's newest processor. The OnePlus 15R will debut the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset on December 17, marking a significant milestone in the company's partnership with the chip giant. This collaboration between OnePlus and Qualcomm began back in 2023, according to Android Authority, demonstrating the strategic planning behind this launch. The device will be known as the...

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

OnePlus is making some serious noise in the smartphone world right now, and honestly, it's about time. The company has officially dropped the news that tech enthusiasts have been waiting for: the OnePlus 15R will launch globally on December 17, 2025 (Android Central). But here's what makes this launch particularly exciting—the OnePlus 15R will be the first Android smartphone powered by the brand-new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset (Android Central).

We're witnessing something pretty remarkable happening in the voice AI space right now. ChatGPT just dropped what might be the most important interface update in conversational AI history, and it's giving us a crystal-clear preview of what Apple's future Siri should look like. OpenAI has successfully merged voice and text modes into a single interface, eliminating the jarring transitions that previously disrupted user interactions. The timing here is fascinating—while Apple continues working on...

Looking at the Apple Card through the lens of someone who has covered tech products for years, I can tell you this is not just another piece of Apple hardware. You judge it by its specs. It is a financial product that lives inside the Apple ecosystem, and whether it makes sense for you depends on how deeply you are already invested in that world.

The moment you connect your iPhone to a compatible vehicle this fall, you'll notice something different about CarPlay. Apple's iOS 26 represents the platform's most significant leap forward yet, delivering a comprehensive redesign and powerful new capabilities that Apple describes as its biggest in-car upgrade to date. This is not another incremental update. It is a reimagining of the in-car experience that resets expectations for how mobile technology should integrate with our vehicles.

Looking at the Android flagship landscape in 2025, we are seeing a fascinating battle between two phones that embody very different ideas of what a premium smartphone should be.

Apple's mini app program is more than a commission tweak; it is a strategic pivot that could reshape how we use mobile software. The tech giant just announced its "Mini Apps Partner Program," offering developers a 15% commission instead of the usual 30% for lightweight experiences inside larger platforms, according to TipRanks. Big cut, bigger plan.