Audio

Better voice options, AirPlay that just works, and a Matter-adjacent home story that is almost there.

June 11, 2026 · 8 min read

The JBL Flip 7 is the best portable speaker for most people. The Charge 6 is the one to get if you need more power and battery, and the Emberton III is the long-battery style pick.

October 25, 2026 · 13 min read

Most bad speaker purchases follow a pattern: counterfeits, no water rating, fake wattage, a last-gen model at a new-model price, or the wrong speaker for the job.

October 25, 2026 · 9 min read

IP68 JBLs survive the deepest dunk. UE and Bose float. And IPX7 isn’t the same as IP67 at the beach.

October 25, 2026 · 9 min read

The JBL Go 4 is the best speaker under $50. Under $100, the UE Wonderboom 4 and JBL Clip 5 are the picks.

October 25, 2026 · 8 min read

The Charge 6 adds four to eight hours of battery, IP68, drop protection, USB-C lossless audio, and a 7-band EQ. It also drops PartyBoost.

October 25, 2026 · 7 min read

The Flip 7 is louder, tougher, and lasts longer, and it adds lossless USB-C. The Flip 6 is the bargain when it’s deeply discounted.

October 25, 2026 · 7 min read

The Flip 7 is the travel speaker. The Charge 6 is louder, has more bass, lasts 10 hours longer, and can charge your phone.

October 25, 2026 · 7 min read

The Xtreme 4 is stereo, much louder, and has a swappable battery. The Charge 6 is half the weight and price, with better EQ and USB-C audio.

October 25, 2026 · 7 min read

The Clip 5 has more bass, more battery, and a carabiner for $30 more. The Go 4 is smaller and lighter.

October 25, 2026 · 6 min read

JBL gives you more battery, bass, and water protection per dollar. Bose offers aptX, a more neutral sound, and (on the Max) an aux input.

October 25, 2026 · 9 min read

Sonos is Wi-Fi first, so the speakers join your home system and AirPlay. Bose is Bluetooth first, lighter, and simpler. Here’s how the models line up.

October 25, 2026 · 9 min read

The Pill lasts longer and has a speakerphone and Find My. The Flip 7 is louder, has more bass, and is tougher, with IP68 and drop protection.

October 25, 2026 · 7 min read

Google’s first new smart speaker since 2020 is compact, cheap, and built for Gemini. The catch is that the best of Gemini sits behind Google Home Premium.

October 25, 2026 · 8 min read

Pick the assistant first, then the speaker. Alexa+, Gemini, and Siri AI all got rebuilt this year, and each has a clear best speaker.

October 25, 2026 · 11 min read

Gaming headsets got good. What testers now recommend, why the old advice to avoid them has weakened, and where it still holds.

November 2, 2026 · 11 min read

2.4GHz wireless solved the latency problem. What to check instead: battery claims, dongle reliability, and whether the mic is any good.

November 2, 2026 · 10 min read

Wired still wins on price, weight, and never charging. Where analog beats USB, and the headsets testers keep coming back to.

November 2, 2026 · 9 min read

Earbuds beat headsets on weight, heat, and glasses comfort. What to check for gaming, and which connection type actually works.

November 2, 2026 · 10 min read

One design gives you space and leaks sound. The other isolates you and sounds narrower. Which matters for gaming, and which for everything else.

November 2, 2026 · 9 min read

They sit outside the ear canal, so you hear the room and the game at once. Useful for some players, wrong for most.

November 2, 2026 · 9 min read

Audio delay is the one specification that ruins competitive play. Wired has none, a dongle has little, and Bluetooth has too much.

November 2, 2026 · 9 min read

Fake surround sound, glued-on earpads, and clamping force you feel in an hour. The eight shortcuts that decide whether a headset lasts.

November 2, 2026 · 10 min read

Eight hours a day is a different requirement from an evening of gaming. The features that matter are the ones meetings expose.

November 2, 2026 · 10 min read

RTINGS' best-tested wireless gaming headset, with battery life most rivals cannot approach. The weight is the compromise.

November 2, 2026 · 9 min read

The headset that appears in nearly every recommendation list. What it gets right, what it does not, and whether you should spend more.

November 2, 2026 · 9 min read

The old advice was to skip headsets entirely. Headsets improved, and the answer is now more interesting than either camp admits.

November 2, 2026 · 10 min read