Articles by Ara Wagoner

The best cases for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra need to balance protection and profile, style and substance, and do it all without breaking the bank. The Note 20 Ultra is one of the most cutting-edge phones on the market, but it’s also one of the largest and heaviest phones in 2020. Combine that with the luxury price tag that Samsung demands, and you have a recipe for disaster if you dare take your new phone out into the world naked. Skip the public smartphone indecency and get yourself a great case. Here are the best Galaxy Note 20 Ultra cases to keep it like new for years to come.

Slim and sublime

Ringke Air-S

Staff Pick

If you don’t want to bulk up your Note 20 Ultra but need to add some grip, the Air-S is a minimalist case that will give your fingers more purchase than expected while also guarding against scratches.

$9 at Amazon
$9 at Walmart

Rough and tumble

ArmadilloTek Vanguard Series

I have loved the Vanguard Series for the last couple generations of Galaxy phones bec…

The Lenovo Chromebook Flex 3 is essentially a reskinned Lenovo C330, so we know it’s reliable and long-lasting.

I’m not going to sugar-coat it; this Prime Day has been a bust for Chromebooks. The deals we expected to go live never appeared, and today, the only Chromebook “deal” to be found on Amazon is $200 off a $1400 4K Pixelbook Go, which is just embarrassing for a company that’s known for offering great laptop deals around the holidays. Of course, it’s not all Amazon’s fault; we’re in the middle of a massive Chromebook shortage, and if Amazon can’t keep Chromebooks in stock at regular prices, it has zero reason to put them on sale.

Fortunately, hope is not lost if you were counting on a discounted Chromebook for you or your kids to use between now and Black Friday: Best Buy’s early Black Friday prices have given us a Chromebook deal to rival Prime Day’s past, and while the name of this Chromebook might sound new, it’s actually the return of an old favorite.

A C330 by any other…

From phones to laptops and beyond, USB-C Power Delivery chargers are simply the best.

Trying to keep all of your tech and toys charged day after day is no small challenge, but having a good Power Delivery charger to center your gear around is a godsend. Whether you need a newer, smaller charger for your phone since the new iPhone doesn’t include one in the box anymore, or you want to use one singular charger for both your laptop and phone — these are the USB-C charger deals that stand out the most this Prime Day.

Portable and perfect

Aukey 18W PD Wall Charger | 30% off at Amazon

With fold-in AC prongs and a compact profile that’s smaller than an AirPods case, this Aukey charger is easy to pocket for a quick top-off while you’re at the coffee shop. Be sure to clip the coupon for 30% off!!

$7 at Amazon

Dynamic duo

Xcentz 36W Power Delivery Fast Charger | 35% off at Amazon

This charger might not be as compact as others, but it still gives you 18W USB-C Power Delivery charg…

Nothing can turn your Android phone from state-of-the-art to overpriced paperweight faster than a dead battery, but the best portable chargers and power banks can help recharge your tech when life plays keep-away with your power outlets. Portable chargers used to be big, bulky, and slow, but USB-C charging and Power Delivery charging have made things much faster — fast enough to charge laptops, even — and has allowed power banks to get slimmer and better than ever. There are plenty of options in every shape or size, but our favorite is the Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux, which is tiny but mighty.

Best Overall: Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux

Anker’s power banks have been some of the most popular in recent years. Plus, its 10,000mAh PowerCore PD Redux is just about the perfect battery pack for recharging a single phone during a long day at a theme park, or as a backup battery you can stow away in a small bag. This is especially true as the Reux fixed the original PowerCore 1000…

The Power Delivery standard has paved the way for a new wave of the best USB-C battery packs that are both powerful and portable. While there are some massive power banks aimed more at charging laptops or powering devices through long camping trips, I much prefer the lighter chargers that can quickly charge a phone while sitting down for lunch or in my pocket during long days out and about. Whether you prefer your power banks big or small, these are the best ones around!

Charge your way

Aukey Wireless Power Bank with 18W PD (10,000mAh)

Staff pick

Not only does this power bank have 18W Power Delivery charging through its USB-C port, it still has a USB-A port and a Qi wireless charging coil so that you can charge however you like.

$34 at Amazon

Small and swift

RAVPower 10,000mAh Power Bank

This candy bar-sized power bank is powerful enough to charge most phones from dead to full twice or more. Available in black or white, this charger comes with a USB-C cable and a travel p…

The best Chromebooks can provide a top-notch computing experience in 2020. They’re perfect for students, grandparents, and anyone looking for a trouble-free laptop with long battery life. We’ve reviewed and rated the absolute best Chromebooks so that you can find the best value at any budget. Our buyer’s guide will help you find the perfect Chrome OS laptop or tablet if you’re switching from a Windows or Mac, or if you’re buying your first laptop entirely.

The 10 best Chromebooks you can buy

ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 — Best Chromebook Overall: A large and premium Chromebook with a long-lasting battery, plenty of power, and a great trackpad.
Lenovo Chromebook Duet — Best Tablet: Coming with a kickstand and detachable keyboard in the box, Lenovo gives us the best tablet experience on a Chromebook to date
Acer Chromebook Spin 713 — Best For Gaming & Performance: Acer delivers a powerful productivity and gaming punch with a 10th Gen Intel processor and up to 16GB of RAM.
Lenov…

While the Pixel 4a 5G isn’t going to be winning any beauty contests, the best Google Pixel 4a 5G cases will jazz up this affordable 5G phone. Protecting your investment is paramount, but let’s get real, life’s too short for boring phone cases. Thankfully, these Pixel 4a 5G cases are anything but boring.

Keep it safe

Tudia DualShield Merge Series

Staff pick

Tudia’s Merge Series has been protecting Pixels big and small for years, and if you need some heavy duty support for your Pixel 4a 5G from Day One, this case will do the job for less than a large pizza.

$12 at Amazon

Give it some pizzazz

Anccer Colorful Series

Like the Pixel 4a, we’re not getting any fun colors for the Google Pixel 4a 5G, so why not grab a colorful case to pick up the slack? The Colorful Series is so thin you’ll forget it’s there, but it still adds a bit of grip.

$12 at Amazon

Two-tone texturing

Caseology Parallax

If you can’t settle on one cool color for your Pixel 4a 5G case, check out the Paral…

It may be hard to pick the best Pixel 5 case because there will be so many options. Whether you want a ruggedly handsome heavy duty case, a super slim and stylish case, or something in between like the perfectly balanced Caseology Parallax, these are the best Google Pixel 5 cases to be found right now.

Safe and stylish

Caseology Parallax

Staff pick

This mesmerizing case has protected my last two Pixels with grace, and the colorways for the Pixel 5 are quite fetching. The Aqua Green will fit the green Pixel 5 perfectly while Burgundy and Navy Blue jazz up the black Pixel 5.

$15 at Amazon

Long-term protection

Tudia Dualshield Merge Series

If you want a heavy-duty case without a heavy-duty price, Tudia has been the go-to for years. The Merge Series gives you the impact protection and grip of a flexible TPU sleeve with the sturdiness of a polycarbonate back.

$12 at Amazon

Textured for grip

Spigen Liquid Air

This slim case won’t but up your new Pixel 5, but it will add e…

This premium sequel ditched the ports and the battery life that helped make the C434 a wonderful all-around Chromebook.

I’ve had quite a few Chromebooks come across my standing desk in the last year, and the one I miss the most is far and away the ASUS Chromebook C434. It was a 14-inch Chromebook that was compact enough to still carry when I went to the parks, the perfect size for split-screening my research when writing articles, and while it was powerful, it didn’t force you to rely on USB-C hubs the way premium Chromebooks did. When the ASUS Chromebook C436 was announced at CES, it was clearly a premium upgrade from the C436, but I was still excited to see how it stacked up.

Once I got the C436 out of its box and opened up that shiny “Aerogel White” lid, though, I realized that I’d set my expectations just a little too high. That normally wouldn’t be a bad thing for a Chromebook, but when that Chromebook starts at $800, it needs to wow you. And unless you’re constantly running f…

The Pixel 3a brought the Pixel experience to a far wider audience in 2019 with the same style at a much more friendly price point. Even though there’s now a Pixel 4a, the Pixel 3a is still a fantastic phone, and the best Pixel 3a cases do a great job reflecting the bold styling choices Google chose with its first budget Pixel phone.

Like nothing’s there

Spigen Thin Fit

Staff pick

Spigen is one of the most trusted names in case makers, and its Thin Fit case is one of the best it has to offer. It’s incredibly slim and lightweight, has a scratch-resistant design to keep your 3a safe from daily use, and works great with magnetic car mounts.

From $10 at Amazon

First party feel

Google Fabric Case

Google’s fabric cases feel wonderful in hand and come in a small assortment of colors, and since Google makes them, they feel every bit as premium as their price tags. Available in Carbon, Fog, and Seascape.

From $36 at Amazon
$40 at Best Buy

Durable and crystal clear

Supcase Unicor…