Vizio's budget soundbar will not produce the most impressive soundstage while watching blockbuster movies, but for shoppers with around US$100 to spend, the current 2023 iteration of the affordable V-Series can be worth consideration.

CheckMag Music lockers have always been curious creatures. Amazon, Google and Apple promised they would bring legacy music collections forward into the cloud age – but all three pivoted to streaming services as they saw the way the wind was blowing, leaving only a few of these rare beasts still surviving today.

Nokia has released a Limited Edition of its XR21 to celebrate the fact that it now sells smartphones manufactured in Europe. The new version of the rugged Android device has an exclusive colorway and will come with custom engraving. It will also come in a potentially collectable retail box, and will be more expensive than the standard variant.

Samsung leads the premium Android tablet market with its Galaxy Tab Ultra, and its ultraslim design and fast, bright Dynamic AMOLED 2X display are just some highlights of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra's features that impressed us in our review.

Rivian's R1S electric SUV is now available with the Max pack battery option in the online vehicle configurator, which bumps the maximum range of the EV up from 352 miles (~566.5 km) to 400 miles (~643.7 km). The Max pack is still unavailable for the top-end Quad-Motor AWD variant of the R1S.

The Poly Voyager Surround 85 UC are new Bluetooth headphones that the user can charge simply by placing them on their custom stand. It is powered by NuCurrent NuSync technology to power up via a "unique" near-field communication (NFC) system. The Surround 85 UC headset also supports adaptive ANC and is rated for up to 21 hours of use.

Further details of the Cooler Master Tempest GP2711 gaming monitor have been released. The 27-in display has a VA panel with Mini LED technology, producing up to 600 nits brightness. Other features include a QHD resolution with a 165 Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support.

Lenovo has revealed the Legion R27fc-30, a new curved gaming monitor. The 27-in display has a VA panel with a 1080p resolution, up to 280Hz refresh rate and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio. Other features include a pair of built-in speakers and support for HDR10, NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync.

Acer Chromebooks have gone Plus for the first time with the series' latest 514 and 515 variants. The former has a 14-inch WUXGA display driven by a Ryzen 5 7000-series platform, whereas the latter has either 12th- or 13th-gen Intel processors for the potential to 2x the average Chrome OS productivity experience. The OEM asserts that they will deliver a workload capacity enhanced with "AI-powered Google and Adobe features".

GameForce is now selling the ACE and Indie, two gaming handhelds built around 5.5-inch displays. Equipped with the Rockchip RK3588S and Rockchip RK3566, respectively, the pair have hall effect joysticks and run Android 12 via LineageOS 19.

More images of DJI's next handheld camera have surfaced online. Seemingly of retail units, the images hint that DJI is finally ready to replace the Pocket 2, but perhaps as the Osmo Pocket 3 instead.

Since AMD is rumored to ditch the high-end RDNA4 SKUs, Nvidia is also looking to scrap the multi-chip module design on its high-end RTX 5000 SKUs. MCM will thus be reserved for HPC / data center cards with AI applications.

The model on sale also features a 500 nit 16-inch IPS panel with 2560 x 1600 resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate, 1x USB4 connector, a microSD card reader, plus a 90 Wh battery.

Google's new Chromebook Plus naming scheme allows manufacturers to demark Chromebooks that have higher-end specs (relative to the ChromeOS world). Chromebook Plus laptops will have to meet specific minimum hardware requirements and will have some AI-enabled features baked into ChromeOS.

The Pixel Watch 2 is almost upon us, as are the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. While Google is set to launch all three tomorrow, a renowned leaker has revealed an entire Google Store listing for the Pixel Watch 2 that confirms several earlier rumours.

ASUS is moving closer to selling the ROG Swift Pro PG248QP, a gaming monitor based around an Esports TN panel. Peaking at 540 Hz, the ROG Swift Pro PG248QP also boasts impressive colour accuracy, factory calibration and VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification.

The Acer Predator Triton 14 is a 14-inch gaming laptop with a Core i7-13700H CPU and an RTX 4070 laptop GPU that, after a respectable 16% discount, has now dropped back to its lowest price to date at Best Buy. In addition to the processor and GPU listed above, the laptop features a Mini-LED panel that Acer claims can shoot up to 600 nits of brightness.

Ahead of its scheduled debut tomorrow, the Google Pixel 8 Pro has now leaked rather comprehensively, with hands-on images of the phone running the AIDA64 and Device Info HW apps revealing some of its major hardware details.

Canadian prices for the 14th-gen Intel Core processors have leaked thanks to pre-mature product listings by Canada Computers. The prices showcase a 0-7% increase in MSRPs of key models like the Core i5-14600K/KF, the Core i7-14700K/KF, and the Core i9-14900KF vs the competing 13th-gen parts.

Beyerdynamic is extending its foray into gaming audio with the launch of the MMX 200 wireless, its first wireless gaming headphone, featuring a closed-back design, a transparency mode, low-latency with USB-C dongle, and a detachable boom mic. Its 35 hour battery life and foam-filled faux leather earcups are ideal for long gaming sessions. The MMX 200 is on sale now for US$249.

Ahead of its scheduled October 4 debut, Google's upcoming Pixel 8 Pro flagship phone has now surfaced on Geekbench. As is typical with the Tensor lineup, CPU performance lags behind the competition, but still manages to perform about 20% better than last year's model.

After arriving as a beta piece of code back on May 23, Vivaldi for iOS and iPadOS is now finally available in a stable release that can be downloaded via Apple's App Store. Its highlights include desktop-style tabs, speed dials, the built-in Notes functionality, an integrated ad blocker, and more.

The Sony Xperia 5 V is very exciting for fans of compact smartphones: the 6.1-incher utilizes the professional camera of the Xperia 1 V flagship and is one of the fastest smartphones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It also impresses with excellent battery life.

After finally making an appearance at an in-house crash test facility, Tesla's Cybertruck looks like it's seen better days. Drone footage of the electric pickup truck reveals a much less in-tact frunk, indicating at least a frontal impact test was carried out.

Amazon's latest and greatest Fire OS-based tablet has hit its lowest price point as the e-commerce giant currently grants its biggest discount yet on the baseline Fire Max 11 variant with 64GB of storage and lockscreen ads.

Xiaomi has certified two of its upcoming flagship smartphones for sale in China. This time it is the turn of the Xiaomi 14 Pro, which will maintain the 120 W wired charging capabilities of the Xiaomi 12 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Pro.

This budget-friendly configuration of the Legion 5 sports a dedicated RTX 4060 graphics card as well a quick 165Hz QHD display and an AMD Ryzen 7 octa-core CPU. Thanks to a 15 percent discount, the 15-inch Lenovo gaming laptop has now dropped to one of its lowest sale prices thus far.

Lenovo's upcoming handheld PC, the Legion Go, is now available for pre-order starting at US$699.99. The handheld has an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme CPU, 16 GB of RAM, up to a 1 TB SSD, and a 2560x1600 144 Hz display.

True wireless stereo (or TWS) earbuds are a prominent personal audio category by now. According to the latest market analysis, they still have a lot of growth left in them - as much as ~US$121 billion of it over the next four years, in fact. More affordable earbuds are thought to drive the segment to these heights.

The G32CQ5P is a new curved gaming monitor produced by MSI. Available only with a 31.5-inch panel, the MSI G32CQ5P also has a 1440p resolution, a 170 Hz refresh rate and a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, among other features.

ASUS has announced a new series of updates for the ROG Ally. Not only has the company confirmed plans to push a BIOS update to the gaming handheld, but it has finalised Armoury Crate SE and MCU improvements that it will roll out separately.

High-profile leakers have commented on the state of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, a few days after first renders of the Galaxy S23 Ultra successor emerged. While the Galaxy S24 Ultra looks only slightly different from its predecessor, it is said to have a significantly brighter display.

OnePlus may have been teasing its inaugural foldable for a while, but it has yet to reveal the device's full design. However, the company has now done so via Indian actor Anushka Sharma, who has been seen using the OnePlus Open in public. The company has partnered with Unbox Therapy to showcase some hardware elements too.

The Honor X50 GT might be a premium mid-range Android smartphone rather than a flagship - nevertheless, it is now tipped to stand out with a camera hump quite like that of a premium Huawei foldable smartphone. The device might also be accompanied by a new kind of GT-class Honor smartphone in 2023.

Oukitel has launched the rugged and stylish WP27 smartphone designed for tough environments. The Oukitel WP features dust and water proofing with IP68/IP69K rating, MIL-STD-810H testing, a new Camo design, a powerful MediaTek Helio G99 chipset, and Android 13. A large 8,500mAh battery and innovative cameras like the 20 MP Night-vision sensor ensure that you always have a reliable companion whether working in harsh environments or adventuring in the great outdoors. Pre-order now to get a US$100 discount off the $369.99 retail price.

The Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the Ring One from Muse Wearables is now live. The Early Backer Special pledge allows you to buy the device for under US$200. Features of the wearable include blood pressure monitoring, a skin temperature sensor and contactless payments via NFC.

The BenQ X500i and X300G gaming projectors have been unveiled. The new short throw 4K models cover 84% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and have up to 2,200 ANSI lumens brightness. Gaming features include modes to suit various game types, a low input lag and audio enhanced with BenQ CinematicSound technology.

"Affordable" is of course relative. You can already find gaming laptops with an RTX 4060 for less than 1,000 Euros (~$1,060). Our LOQ 16 costs around 1,500 Euros (~$1,591), with the price of the Legion series not far from that. So how important are the differences between the two model series?

BenQ has unveiled the X3100i, a 4K HDR gaming projector expected to launch later this year. The device has a 4LED light source for up to 3,300 ANSI lumens brightness, throwing images up to 150-in (~381 cm) wide. Gaming features include RPG and SPG modes and a 4.2ms input lag for a 1080p@240Hz resolution.

ULTIMEA has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the Thor T60 Laser TV. The device has a triple laser light source delivering up to 4,000 ANSI lumens brightness and covering 120% of the BT.2020 color space. Other features include a 3D mode, ALLM and support for Dolby Vision.

Anker has reduced the price of the 568 USB-C Docking Station (11-in-1, USB4). Customers in the US can get US$100 off, while the device is discounted by 47% in the UK. The dock has eleven ports, such as 40Gbps USB4, for connecting to the host device. Other types include DisplayPort, HDMI 2.0 and 10Gbps 30W USB-C 3.2 Gen 2.

The latest Lenovo Yoga 7i has dropped to the lowest price in 120 days at Lenovo’s official online outlet. The 14-inch laptop rocks a 10-core Core i5-1335U CPU, 16 GB of non-expandable LPDDR5 RAM, and 512 GB of storage alongside a healthy port selection, Wi-Fi 6E, and a 71 Wh battery.

The Hongo is one of the largest and cheapest portable monitors you can get right now and the smooth 100 Hz native refresh rate is icing on the cake.

The Palmshell NeXT H2 features impressive connectivity for its price point, including two SFP+ cages and a 2.5 GbE LAN port, and supports link aggregation. It comes with an AMD Ryzen Embedded R1505G processor paired with DDR4 memory and multiple storage interfaces.

CheckMag The titanium credit card Apple launched in 2019 was set to conquer the world, according to easy-to-excite types. The hype was so abundant that Samsung followed suit shortly out of fear of missing out. It's Q4 2023 and Apple Card's future looks bleak, as if the company has somehow forgotten about this little project.

It was already rumored months ago that Xiaomi would beat Apple's record thin display edges on the iPhone 15 Pro with the Xiaomi 14 Pro, and now a leaker not only provided a concrete figure on this but also on many other display specs that suggest a comprehensive display upgrade compared to the Xiaomi 13 Pro.

EcoFlow promises the "biggest discounts ever" offered on its DELTA series of portable generators during the Prime Day period. Those deals are to be augmented by various single-day flash sales with extra offers on select bundles. EcoFlow's Smart Device line, which include the WAVE wireless HVAC unit and GLACIER "portable fridge with integrated ice maker", is also involved in the event.