Articles by Joe Maring

The best cheap wireless earbuds have become great over the past several years. The ones you typically hear about are super expensive. Still, there are some great budget options out there, such as the Creative Outlier Air V2, which offer fantastic battery life, exceptional comfort, and superb sound quality.

Best Overall: Creative Outlier Air V2

It’s hard to beat the Outlier Air V2 on battery life. Even compared to the best wireless earbuds, they outperform most of them with up to 12 hours of audio playback per charge at default volume. Add another (almost) two charges in the charging case and you’ve got over 30 hours of total listening time. The only real downside is that the case doesn’t feature wireless charging.

Creative based the design on the Outlier Gold, which used different ear tips than the original Outlier Air did, and that move pays dividends in both fit and comfort. It also gives you a better seal to trap in more of the bass and preserve as much of the soundstage as p…

Best answer: The Galaxy S10 is a fine smartphone in 2021, especially now that its price has come down considerably. However, with the launch of the Galaxy S20 FE and S21, the S10 no longer feels like a smart purchase.

Value flagship: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE ($700 at Amazon)
New in town: Samsung Galaxy S21 (From $800 at Samsung)

How much does the Galaxy S10 cost these days?

It’s been about two years since the Galaxy S10 series first came to market. Samsung was still actively selling the S10 following the release of the S20, but now that the Galaxy S21 is out, the S10 is all but discontinued.

You can find the baseline S10 being sold on Amazon, often for a little over $700. That’s a decent price considering that the S10 is still a very capable Android phone, but thanks to Samsung’s more recent releases, it doesn’t make the most sense.

Is the Galaxy S10 still powerful enough in 2021?

The Galaxy S10 has since been updated to the most recent One UI 3 software, so you aren’t being …

Chatting with the AC forums.

If you’ve been following the smartphone market recently, specifically with some of Samsung’s most recent releases, you’ll notice a new trend has been gaining popularity within the company. The Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy S20 FE, and Galaxy S21 — all phones we’d consider to be flagships or value flagships — have shipped with a plastic back.

We typically expect higher-priced phones to feature glass backs, but with these handsets, we’ve been treated to plastic. When being asked to spend $800 or so on a smartphone, does plastic really cut it?

Here’s what a few of our AC forum members have to say on the matter:

ctown81
01-31-2021 07:11 AM

“

I like it better than the glass.
Reply

danhartman26
01-31-2021 07:43 AM

“

I would not be opposed to a plastic back on my Note 20 Ultra …

Bluetooth headphones and earbuds are all the rage these days, and rightfully so. For some people, however, Bluetooth headsets are less bulky and focus on delivering a great hands-free phone call experience, so they might just be the better purchase. Especially if you’re now working from home, a headset is an easy way to stay on top of your work in a distracting environment. For us, the Plantronics Voyager Legend is one of the best Bluetooth headsets around, but there are plenty of other options on this list worth considering.

Best Overall: Plantronics Voyager Legend

Even though wireless earbuds are the new hot ticket item, there’s a surprising amount of Bluetooth headsets still kicking around in 2021. Among them all, we think the best pick for most people is the Plantronics Voyager Legend. The Voyager isn’t the most premium Bluetooth headset out there, but we think it offers the best overall experience and value.

Plantronics’ design for the Voyager Legend is simple and minimalis…

Another day, another set of average earbuds.

By 2021, I don’t blame you for getting tired of hearing about wireless earbuds. There are hundreds of different ones to choose from on Amazon alone, it seems like every company has released some version of their own buds at this point, and they keep coming out. Personally, I love it.

Not only have high-end earbuds gotten insanely good in recent years, but cheap ones have gotten cheaper and better, too. Just take one look at the best cheap wireless earbuds currently available and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

That’s why I was so excited to get my hands on the 1More ComfoBuds. The company previously impressed us with its 1More ColorBuds, and with the ComfoBuds looking to offer a similar experience for half the price, my interest was piqued.

After about a week of using the 1More ComfoBuds, however, I’m coming away from my experience pretty mixed. There are things about the 1More ComfoBuds that I really like, but given the cons they a…

Almost any phone can run popular free-to-play titles like Angry Birds or Subway Surfers, but for anything more graphically demanding you’ll need one of the best Android phones for games. Some of the best Android games are PC or console ports that — even in their downgraded state — run significantly better with more powerful CPUs, more RAM, and faster display Hz. These games also drain batteries faster and take up enough storage that you may need a microSD card slot to fit them all. Add in game streaming services like Google Stadia and Microsoft Project xCloud, and you have every reason to make sure your next phone is capable of handling it all in stride. We think the new Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best overall gaming phone, but if that doesn’t strike your fancy or is out of your price range, there are plenty of other options worth considering.

Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung’s annual offerings continue to push the limits of what we expect from smartphones, and t…

Best for most

Tile Pro

$32 at Amazon

Pros

Compatible with all Android phones and iPhones
Better water-resistance
Additional features with Tile Premium

Cons

Most expensive

If you can spend a little bit more for the Tile Pro, it’s the better tracker for this comparison. From its range, water-resistance, and battery life, the Tile Pro edges out the Galaxy SmartTag in more ways than one. It also works with virtually all Android phones and iPhones, and thanks to an optional Tile Premium subscription, you have access to even more tracking features.

Only for Samsung

Galaxy SmartTag

>

$30 at Samsung

Pros

Compact, lightweight design
Integrates with SmartThings
More affordable

Cons

Only works with Samsung phones

Samsung’s stepping into the smart tracker ring with the Galaxy SmartTag, and for a first attempt, it’s a pretty good offering. The Galaxy SmartTag comes close to matching the Tile Pro’s specs, features a slightly more compact design, and offers useful…

When it first launched in May 2018, Visible made a big mark on the carrier space since $40/month for unlimited everything on Verizon sounds too good to be true. One of the few drawbacks to the service is that Visible only works with a small selection of Android phones, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to be an Android user and get the most out of what the carrier has to offer. Here are the best Android phones that work with Visible, including the Google Pixel 4a!

Best Overall Visible Phone: Google Pixel 4a

Looking back at 2020, one phone that stands out as one of the year’s top highlights is the Pixel 4a. It’s the second mid-range phone that Google has released under its Pixel brand, and once again, the result is one heck of an Android phone.

Without a doubt, the aspect of the Pixel 4a that shines the most is its rear camera. The 12.2-megapixel sensor, paired with Google’s near-magical levels of post-processing, result in it being impossible to take a bad picture with the P…

Philips Hue smart lights are some of the coolest on the market, and they’re definitely some of the most popular, but they can be quite expensive, especially once you get into colored bulbs. If you’re looking for a less expensive option, or just something other than what’s popular (maybe something without a hub?), then check out these other best Philips Hue alternatives.

Best alternative

Philips WiZ Connected A19 Bulb

Staff pick

You might be surprised to know that Philips Hue isn’t the only smart bulb brand from the company. Philips WiZ Connected bulbs require no hub, unlike Hue bulbs, and connect directly to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth via the WiZ app. Despite being less expensive, these bulbs aren’t any less capable. They can be dimmed and color-tuned to your liking. These bulbs shine in millions of colors thanks to the powerful WiZ Connected app and support your favorite virtual assistant.

$36 at Amazon (3-pack white-only)
$14 at Best Buy
$19 at Best Buy (2-Pack white and color)

Eve…

Motorola is one of the oldest and most recognizable phone brands in the world, and while it may not have the same dominance in the market that it once did, the company still kicks out some truly excellent products, often at great prices. If your heart is set on one of these solid devices, here are the best Motorola phones that are out right now.

Best of the bunch

Moto G Power (2020)

Staff Pick

When it comes to the best Motorola phones, the Moto G Power (2020) is the way to go. Motorola’s G-series has always been about delivering quality phones at great prices, and the G Power (2020) is an exceptional example of that goal. The star of the show is the 5,000 mAh battery, offering up to three days of use per charge. Rounding out the experience is a great 6.4-inch Full HD+ display, reliable performance thanks to the Snapdragon 665, and a trio of rear cameras that are solid for the price.

$220 at Amazon
$220 at Best Buy
$227 at Walmart

The one with a stylus

Moto G Stylus (2021)

…