Hardware season is in full swing this week. Apple launched the iPhone 16, AirPods 4, and Apple Watch Series 10 on Monday of this week. On the same day, at the same time, the review embargo on the Pixel Watch 3 was lifted, allowing us to publish the bulk of our piece then. Not only that, but we also saw Sony announce the PlayStation 5 Pro this week, plus the past two weeks have seen a ton of news coming out of the IFA conference in Berlin. There’s things like Huawei’s triple-core phone, reMarkable’s Paper Pro tablet, DJI’s $200 Neo drone, a new GoPro, and more Lenovo concept laptops.

As you can imagine, it’s been a hectic few weeks for those of us who cover consumer tech, and the events are far from over. Reviews of all the big products that have been announced recently are also coming soon, if they aren’t already, and I’ll be back to help you catch up on all the reviews we’ve published over the past two weeks. I’ll also explain why there are products we haven’t written about, like the OnePlus Pad 2.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Two reviewers, one extensive analysis

by Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford

Google

Google’s second foldable phone is all grown up, with refined hardware, superior cameras and a long-lasting battery. It just needs to iron out a few software quirks to become fully mature.

Advantages

• Sleek design
• Better cameras than the competition
• Thinner and lighter than the previous model
• Runs cooler than before

Disadvantages

• Still expensive
• Some software quirks

$1,799 at Google

With our foldable expert Sam Rutherford on parental leave, it became my job to review the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. But Sam, being the responsible and helpful reviewer that he is, took the time to share his thoughts and impressions with me. He even took the review photos for our feature, and I especially appreciate his use of mahjong tiles as an interesting background for his shots. While I focused my testing on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as a viable smartphone alternative and its use as a multimedia consumption device, Sam provided his insight by comparing Google’s foldable to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Our review brings those two perspectives together, resulting in a pretty comprehensive analysis, if I may say so myself. We have camera comparisons between Google and Samsung’s offerings, evaluating both their software, battery performance, build, form factor, and more.

I was also able to put together a video featuring all of our reviews of the Pixel 9 family of phones, covering the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The footage goes into a bit of a deeper dive into things like the Add Me and Made You Look camera updates, and what Emergency SOS via Satellite looks like on a Pixel phone. Check it out at the top of this article!

Pixel Watch 3 review: battle against Apple

by Cherlynn Low

Google / Engadget

With solid battery life and a comprehensive, intuitive suite of health-tracking features, the Pixel Watch 3 is a serious smartwatch that’s ready to compete.

Advantages

• Fast automatic detection of workouts
• Battery lasts a day and a half
• Attractive design
• Wide range of screen brightness

Disadvantages

• Something extensive
• Some software quirks

$350 at Google

Google didn’t exactly make life easy for us with the embargo on Monday, September 9, especially since Apple’s iPhone 16 launch event took place on the same day. But the good news is that our review units arrived about two weeks early, so we had plenty of time with the Pixel Watch 3 to get a better feel for it in the real world. I spent my time with the smaller 41mm model, while Sam was able to share some insights on testing the new, larger 45mm variant.

Within a few days, Sam and I were trading notes about how impressed we were with the Pixel Watch 3’s battery life. Since I hate wearing watches while sleeping, Sam kindly told me about the watch’s sleep tracking and auto-bedtime features. Once again, teamwork made this a dream come true (literally for me, or I wouldn’t have fallen asleep).

I focused on workouts and activity tracking, wearing the Pixel Watch 3 on my wrist with my Apple Watch Series 9 everywhere I went for two weeks. I liked that Google’s smartwatch was better at automatically detecting all my walks, runs, and bike rides, but found it to be a bit too bulky compared to the competition. I also liked the new customizable running workouts, which let me set sprint and rest segments during my treadmill sessions.

I know a day and a half sounds about average in terms of battery life for modern smartwatches, but considering older models could barely last 24 hours, the improvements in runtime feel huge. Along with some Google and Pixel integrations, the Pixel Watch 3 finally feels like it’s ready to take on the likes of Samsung and Apple’s flagship wearables.

Ultimate Ears Everboom: a floating speaker that’s more loud than good

by Billy Steele

Ultimate ears

Small enough to be easily portable, yet loud enough to power a party, the Everboom ticks many boxes for a UE speaker.

Advantages

• Robust and waterproof
• 20 hours of battery life
• Great features
• True 360 ​​degree sound

Disadvantages

• Audio profile lacks midrange
• Pricey for a speaker of this size
• No aux port
• Playlist function limited to two services

$250 at Amazon

In this review, Billy shows us once again what to look for when buying gear for an outdoor party. Judging from the gorgeous photos in his review, it’s clear that when Mr. Grilly Steele isn’t testing headphones or grilling meat in his backyard, he spends a lot of time at the beach testing (work-approved) speakers. I second that.

With the UE Everboom, Billy makes it clear that the sound quality isn’t great, and that mid-range music is lacking. But when it comes to volume, the Everboom delivers, with sound that travels 360 degrees. And it does so in a rugged, waterproof enclosure that can also survive a toss in the pool, because like the company’s other speakers, it floats!

However, with a score of just 75, the Everboom didn’t quite make the cut to be one of our Recommended products. You’ll likely find a better device for your needs from competing brands like Marshall and Beats.

We haven’t reviewed: OnePlus Pad 2

With everything that’s been happening in the industry and in our own lives lately, we have yet to review the OnePlus Pad 2. Or the 2024 Moto Razr or Galaxy Watch Ultra, for that matter. We’re still testing our review units, so that experience may inform our evaluations of other products we write about. But time is a resource we never have enough of, and with companies constantly launching new products, it’s hard to keep up.

Our lead tablet reviewer (and deputy editor) Nathan Ingraham has spent some time with the OnePlus Pad 2, and he has some thoughts to share. He’s a fan of the build and the display, finding it lightweight and well-balanced despite being a fairly large 12.1-inch screen. Speaking of the display, he also raves about the screen, appreciating its 301 ppi pixel density. He even called it “one of the nicest tablet displays I’ve seen outside of the iPad.”

I’ll have to let Nate take a look at a Samsung Galaxy Tab with a nice AMOLED panel before we make that official, but there are other things that set the OnePlus Pad 2 apart. If you have a OnePlus phone, Nate noted that “there are some clever software features” that could make this tablet a better option than an iPad or Galaxy Tab. However, as Nate points out, “the Android software situation is, as always, a pretty unimpressive hodgepodge.” He cited multitasking and a lack of apps that take advantage of larger displays as two areas that need improvement.

Still, Nate thinks the Pad 2 is a fair buy at $550 (and currently $499 direct from OnePlus). “I still wouldn’t recommend it over an iPad, but at least it’s not too expensive.”

Coming soon/in sight

As I said at the beginning of this roundup, there are plenty of gadgets lurking in our homes, ready to be tested. There’s plenty more on the way, including new Copilot+ PCs with AMD and Intel chips, as well as cameras, earbuds, and more. If anyone following this week’s news were so inclined, they could probably make a very educated guess as to what we’ll be ready to publish reviews of, especially given the established timelines of previous years. That’s all I’ll say for now.

I wanted to say how grateful we are for your patience as we get through this intensely hectic time of year, and you may see reviews this month that are updated after they’re published with additional details. This may be done in an effort to publish articles in a timely manner while still providing comprehensive insight into our experiences over time. For example, my Pixel Watch 3 review was published on Monday, but I was able to update it on Wednesday morning with an entire section focusing on the Wear OS and Fitbit app experience.

It wasn’t anything new or that affected my score, but it was just an extra detail that I didn’t have time to write down while simultaneously preparing for the iPhone event. With the busy tech launch calendar coming up, you may see us take a similar approach to reviews that may have tight deadlines.

As always, we appreciate all the time you spend reading and viewing our work. Have a great weekend.

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