Author: Admin

The NFL’s final regular season Sunday has arrived. The Chiefs locked up the AFC’s top seed in Saturday night’s early game, while the Jaguars punched their playoff ticket in Saturday’s second contest. On Sunday, there are still a few notable and important games as the regular season comes to a close.

Perhaps the most notable game on the slate will be Sunday Night Football as the Lions head to Green Bay to take on the Packers. A Green Bay win would put the Packers in the postseason as they would have the tie-breaker over the Seahawks even if Seattle wins this afternoon. A Seahawks loss opens the door for the Lions to take the final NFC playoff spot with a win tonight.

Sunday Night Football kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET (5:20 p.m. PT) on NBC.

Here’s how you can watch all the action this Sunday, including RedZone, as well as the upcoming playoffs without cable.

What are my streaming options for NFL games?

Paying for cable is the easiest solution, but not the cheapest. For cord-cutters looking to save some money, NFL football streaming options can get complicated, with games played across three different days and nights each week on different channels and streaming services. For the final weekend, games will be shown on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and ESPN Plus. The majority of the action takes place on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) and 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT), with most AFC teams on CBS and most NFC teams on Fox.

All five of the live TV streaming services carry ESPN and Fox, and all but Sling TV carry CBS. All but DirecTV Stream carry the NFL Network. For the games on CBS and Fox, keep in mind that not every service carries every local network, so check each one using the links below to make sure it carries CBS and Fox in your area.

There are three other streaming services that cord-cutting NFL fans should consider. The paid Premium plan of Paramount Plus will show CBS games on Sundays, and the paid Premium plan of Peacock will show NBC’s broadcasts of Sunday Night Football. And ESPN Plus will show both games on the final Saturday of the season.

Wait, there’s one more streaming service to consider for the remainder of the year. Prior to the season, the NFL launched a new streaming service for watching games on your phone or tablet — no casting to your TV. In past years, you could do this for free with the Yahoo Sports app, but now you’ll need to pay $5 a month or $40 for the season for the NFL Plus subscription. With it, you’ll be able to watch every local game on Sunday and the national games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights as well as the playoffs and Super Bowl — again, only on your phone or tablet.

Lastly, there’s NFL RedZone, a channel that springs to life each fall and shows live NFL action during the Sunday afternoon games. It pops in and out of the live games and attempts to show each touchdown scored in each game. RedZone is available as an add-on on four of the five major live TV streaming services — all but DirecTV Stream.

Best for everything: YouTube TV ($65)

Our pick from the last two years remains our go-to choice in 2022.

At $65 per month each, YouTube TV checks all the NFL boxes. Local channels CBS, NBC and Fox are included in many markets, and ESPN and the NFL Network are also included so you can watch Sundays and Monday nights. The next best options are FuboTV and Hulu Plus Live TV; both offer the same channels as YouTube TV for NFL fans, but for $70 a month.

Want to follow your fantasy team with RedZone? That’s available on all three services as part of an add-on. If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you can add the $11 per month Sports Plus add-on by clicking on your profile and going to Settings, then the Membership tab. FuboTV subscribers can go into My Profile and choose Manage Add-ons to get its $11-per-month Sports Plus with NFL RedZone offering. And Hulu users can now add RedZone for $10 per month with its Sports add-on.

Both YouTube TV and FuboTV allow three people to watch at once (Hulu allows two live streams) and all three have apps on nearly every mobile device and major streaming platform, including Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Roku and Apple TV.

While all three are largely similar, we like YouTube TV for its superior DVR — unlimited storage compared with 30 hours on FuboTV and 50 hours on Hulu. We also like YouTube TV because it gives you an option to stream in 4K for an extra $20 a month. FuboTV does, too, with its $80-a-month Elite plan. Keep in mind that only Fox and NBC offer 4K NFL broadcasts; CBS and ESPN do not.

DirecTV Stream offers the main broadcast channels for NFL games, but it starts at $70 per month and lacks the NFL Network and RedZone.

Sling TV’s Orange and Blue plan for $55 a month gets you ESPN and the NFL Network, and, in select major markets, Fox and/or NBC, but you’ll still lack CBS. You can also add RedZone for $11 per month with the Sports Extra add-on.

The cheapest way to stream NFL RedZone

A frequent fan-favorite method of following all the NFL action on Sundays, RedZone is a way to catch every big play around the league. The cheapest road to RedZone is to get Sling TV Blue for $40 per month and add the $11 per month Sports Extra add-on.

This option can also be streamed on a host of devices including iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and web browsers.

Note: If you only subscribe to Sling’s Orange package you won’t be able to get RedZone in Sports Extra. Your base package needs to be either Sling Blue or its larger Sling Blue Plus Orange bundle for you to be able to get RedZone as an add-on. If you choose the latter, the Sports Extra add-on is more, $15 per month, as you will also get additional channels like the SEC Network, ACC Network and PAC 12 Network.

If you mainly plan to watch on a phone, you can also check out RedZone Mobile, which is in the NFL app. This is a separate subscription from NFL Plus and runs $35 for the season (which breaks down to around $7.78 per month for the roughly four-and-a-half months of regular season football). While this is one of the cheapest ways to get RedZone, be aware that — similar to NFL Plus — you will not be able to AirPlay or Chromecast it onto a larger screen and will need to watch on your phone.

Budget alternative for NFC fans in big cities: Sling Blue ($40) or antenna ($20 one-time)

Those looking to save some cash might want to check out Sling Blue for $40 a month. While it lacks ESPN, meaning you’ll miss out on Monday Night Football, in select markets you’ll be able to get Fox and NBC. The catch is that those markets are mainly in big cities, so if you live outside one of those areas, Sling Blue might not be for you.

You can also add RedZone through the company’s $11 per month Sports Extra add-on.

Fox broadcasts most NFC games on Sundays, while NBC has Sunday Night Football. CBS, which broadcasts the bulk of AFC games, isn’t included on Sling at all. But an antenna can fill those local channel gaps without a monthly charge.

Budget alternatives for AFC fans: Paramount Plus (or an antenna)

There are some apps that offer CBS’ slate of Sunday AFC games live, including Paramount Plus’ Premium tier for $10 per month. Depending on where you live, however, your local CBS station (and those NFL games) might not be available. CBS offers livestreaming services in many markets; you can check for yourself if your area has live CBS streaming here.

An antenna is another option for getting CBS. And as we mentioned above, an over-the-air antenna connected to your TV provides another option, no streaming or monthly fee required, as long as you have good reception.

What about Sunday Ticket?

For one more season, NFL Sunday Ticket is still largely limited to DirecTV satellite subscribers. While that is expected to change in 2023, those who live in buildings that can’t add a satellite dish can already get a streaming version to watch football starting at $294 for its To Go package for the season, or $396 for a Max package that includes the RedZone channel (a student version is also available at a discount). You can check your address on the Sunday Ticket site. Both packages have a one-week free trial.

With the season well past the halfway point, those prices have dropped to $220.47 for the To Go option and $281.97 for Max.

The problem here, however, is that even if you’re eligible, it doesn’t include local games. You can only watch Sunday games that aren’t being broadcast on CBS, Fox or NBC in your area. They also won’t be helpful come playoff time — as you’ll need your local stations and ESPN to catch all those games.

Foldable phones are all the rage, with Samsung, Oppo and Motorola, releasing their own devices. Other companies, like Apple and Google, are rumored to be working on versions of their flagship products with foldable designs.

But at CES 2023, foldable tablets are what piqued my curiosity. Samsung and LG, two of the world’s largest display-makers, both showcased tablet-like devices in various shapes and sizes that can bend, fold, slide or do all three.

These concepts got me wondering about whether there’s a real future for foldable tablets, especially at a time when companies are struggling to sell traditional tablets. What is clear, however, is that companies like Samsung and LG are thinking about it, as are PC-makers like Lenovo and Acer.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more a foldable tablet starts to make sense — maybe even more so than a foldable phone.

Samsung and LG’s foldable concepts at CES 2023

Samsung and LG both kicked off CES 2023 with announcements about their concept foldable displays, many of which come in tablet-sized formats. The star of the show was Samsung’s Flex Hybrid, a concept that you have to see to fully understand.

It closes like a notebook and opens up to reveal a tablet-like screen. But the real wow factor is that you can extend the screen’s size and even change its aspect ratio when unfolded. The right side of the screen slides out, extending the display size from 10.5 inches to 12.4 inches. In a demonstration at its CES booth, Samsung showed how the display automatically adjusts to show more content when the screen is extended.

This isn’t the first time Samsung has exhibited concepts like this. In 2022, Samsung flaunted accordion-like displays and sliding screens, designs that are also present this year.

Samsung has other ideas for shapeshifting tablets, too. It also showed the Flex Slidable Duet concept at CES, a screen that expands on both sides to provide more viewing area for playing games or watching movies. The display measures 13 to 14 inches but can extend up to 17.3 inches, according to a Samsung press release. There’s also a version of this concept that can only expand its screen in one direction, a device that Samsung appropriately calls the Flex Slidable Solo.

LG had two main foldable tablet concepts to show at CES: an 8-inch tablet that can fold inward and outward in both directions, and a 17-inch device that folds in half. LG asserts that the 17-inch display is almost entirely creaseless, and the company is positioning it as either a giant tablet or a more portable external monitor for a laptop.

The gadgets shown at CES are far from being the first foldable tablets. There are Lenovo’s X1 Fold and newer ThinkPad X1 Fold, while Asus has the Zenbook Fold OLED. LG’s 17-inch concept largely looks like it’s trying to accomplish the same goal that Lenovo and Asus have already begun to explore with these devices.

The big question is whether these companies can convince consumers that foldable tablets are even useful in the first place. Samsung is seemingly trying to address this conundrum by developing screens that can change their shape and size to go along with how you’re using your device. Based on Samsung’s demo of the Flex Hybrid, it looks like you’ll be able to view content that wasn’t visible before when expanding the slideable portion of the screen. The clip above seems to show a shopping website as an example, with more products being shown as the screen expands.

Lenovo already has some interesting ideas about how to put the X1 Fold’s bendable screen to good use. When the screen is folded halfway, you can place Lenovo’s Bluetooth keyboard over the bottom half of the screen so that it functions as a mini laptop.

Samsung also isn’t the only company experimenting with displays that can expand by sliding and rolling. TCL and Motorola have both dreamed up similar concepts for smartphone designs, although Samsung’s feels closer to an actual product given its experience in foldables. Samsung is also the world’s largest smartphone-maker and second-largest tablet-maker, which makes its concepts seem more impactful than those from TCL and Motorola. While LG no longer has a presence in the mobile industry, it’s a major display supplier and still makes its own laptops.

Foldable tablets may have advantages over foldable phones

Having a phone that can fold in half to easily fit in your pocket can certainly be useful. But a tablet that can do the same thing is even better, mostly for the simple reason that tablets are inherently larger than most phones.

There’s another advantage: Foldable tablets may not face all of the same design challenges that bendable phones have encountered so far. For example, one of my biggest complaints about the Galaxy Z Fold lineup has been that it sometimes feels awkward to use when closed. The cover screen has vastly improved since the first Galaxy Fold arrived in 2019, but it still doesn’t come close to feeling like a standard, nonfolding phone.

The Galaxy Z Fold also feels bulky when closed since its thickness essentially equates to two phones stacked on top of one another. When I reviewed Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 in 2021, I struggled to find a comfortable way to hold it when taking photos with the main camera since you must keep the phone unfolded to see what you’re shooting.

These drawbacks may not be as big of an issue with foldable tablets. Unlike phones, you’re probably not going to be using a tablet in one hand most of the time. An outer display on a foldable tablet, if there even is one, wouldn’t matter as much because you’re presumably going to be using the device unfolded. The foldable tablets I’ve seen so far don’t even have cover screens.

Aside from the selfie camera for video chats, camera quality also isn’t as important on a tablet as it is on a phone. So the awkwardness issue I mentioned when taking photos with the Surface Duo 2 likely wouldn’t happen on a foldable tablet.

The primary appeal behind foldable tablets from Samsung, LG, Lenovo and Acer — concept or not — is portability. Having a tablet that folds in half makes it easier to fit in a backpack, suitcase or purse on your next flight, commute or beach trip. But phones are already compact in their current form, meaning the value proposition behind phones like the Galaxy Z Fold can be a little harder to sell.

That doesn’t mean foldable tablets are immune from design hiccups, as my colleague Dan Ackerman wrote when trying out Lenovo’s and Acer’s devices. Creating larger displays that bend and fold likely presents its own set of engineering challenges compared to foldable phones.

Foldable phones are also moving more quickly, with market researcher IDC forecasting a 66.6% year-over-year increase in global shipments in 2022. So even though foldable phones may have different hurdles to overcome, companies like Samsung have been able to address these points over several generations of products so far.

Tablets need a refresh

Tablet sales got a boost during the early phase of the pandemic as people socialized, worked and attended school virtually. But sales looked bleak last year. Global tablet shipments were down 8.8% year over year in the third quarter of 2022, marking the fifth straight quarter of decline, according to IDC. That slump was mostly due to economic headwinds as consumers are looking to spend less, says the report.

New tablets with shapeshifting displays may not be enough to change that, especially since foldable devices are typically expensive. But tablets are still long overdue for a refresh. Arguably, the tablet’s biggest transformation since the first iPad’s launch has been the shift toward laptop-tablet hybrid devices, a transition that began roughly a decade ago around the debut of Windows 8. But tablets haven’t fundamentally changed much since then, aside from adapting larger screens and gaining routine hardware upgrades.

It took years for those hybrid devices to work out their kinks and become mainstays in our lives. If foldable tablets catch on, the case will likely be the same, mostly because of high prices and software challenges. But the concepts present at CES show that progress is certainly happening.

The goal for all tablets, foldable or not, is to provide a larger display for tasks that your phone may not be ideal for such as gaming, watching movies, reading and working. So finding creative ways to further extend that screen size, as Samsung has done with the Flex Hybrid’s slidable screen, seems like a natural evolution.

Foldable phones still feel like they’re in search of a purpose, but foldable tablets may have already found one.

CES 2023 feels the same and also quite different. Fancy, new, and outright weird tech fills the Las Vegas showroom halls I’ve visited many times before. But in the three years since I was last here in person, the world has changed quite a bit. Especially the way we work.

It may take a little digging under the surface, but this year’s CES show has a lot to say about the great shift toward hybrid and remote work, in everything from better video conference tools to attempts at building a metaverse-infused, mixed-reality workspace.

Meetings in the metaverse

The metaverse office concept, at least according to one definition, is a shared collaborative space where one can participate via several means: virtual or augmented reality, 3D displays, standard laptop, tablet and phone screens; or in-person through things like smart whiteboards that work across all these different experiences.

Dell has become a leader in showing off concept pieces and prototypes during CES, and this year, its Concept Nyx (the same name Dell uses for gaming prototypes) tackles that version of the metaverse head on. At a pre-CES preview, I was able to participate in a faux meeting by creating a 3D avatar for others to see, and also by sitting in front of an autostereoscopic display (allowing you to see in 3D without special glasses) that gave me a 3D view of a project. After that, I donned a VR headset to feel like I (or my avatar) was actually in that shared space and writing on a whiteboard with my VR controller. And after that, I was able to use a slate-style tablet to interact with the real-world version of that same whiteboard, but without wearing a headset.

None of this is close to being a shipping product anytime soon, and like many things at and around CES, the hardware is carefully labeled as “conceptual.” Of that batch of products and experiences, the oversize, glasses-free 3D display, using eye-tracking hardware to make the 3D image actually look decent, seemed like the part with the most workplace potential.

Gamers go first

Much new PC technology is driven first by the gaming audience, which has a tolerance for gear that can be both expensive and experimental. That’s why ideas like VR and autostereoscopic 3D often show up in gaming hardware first, before moving into more practical products for your nongaming hours.

For example, this CES saw several new 18-inch gaming laptops, a screen size that’s been virtually extinct since the early 2010s. The first of these bigger screens are in gaming laptops from Dell, Razer, Asus and Acer, but there’s obvious crossover appeal for hybrid and remote workers who want the flexibility of a laptop but with a larger screen that feels more desktop-like. Razer laptops, with their minimalist styling, are especially popular with gamers and creative pros alike. I would not be surprised to see more professionally pitched laptops eventually grow into that new 18-inch size.

Asus also leaned into glasses-free 3D with its new ProArt Studiobook and Vivobook Pro laptops. Both, similar to Dell’s display prototype, use eye tracking to make 3D viable. And those devices are aimed at artists and designers, not gamers. Acer also has a similar eye-tracking 3D laptop aimed at gamers, called the Predator Helios 300, as well as a professional display from 2022 called the Acer SpatialLabs View with that same technology.

Laptops with glasses-free 3D were first tried back in 2012 and never made it to a second generation. The eye tracking in these new versions, however, makes the experience miles better.

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More, and different, screens

Other experiments, like Lenovo’s twin-OLED-screen Yoga Book 9i and color E Ink/OLED combo, the ThinkBook Plus Twist, might eventually offer some new features that will bleed into more staid work laptops, but it’s far from a sure thing. That said, new E Ink devices like the 10.3-inch Yoga Paper could have more practical work applications, and I only say that because I’ve been using a similar-feeling new Amazon Kindle Scribe while walking the floor at CES 2023 to great effect.

The most welcome trend in both consumer and commercial laptops from the past two years continues unabated, I’m pleased to say. Nearly every new laptop we saw defaulted to a full-HD 1,080-resolution webcam, rather than the wimpy low-res versions that were common prepandemic.

Even better, it’s considered such a standard feature that PC makers hardly feel the need to call it out anymore. It was way too long in coming, and low-res webcams made that first year of remote work in 2020 more difficult than it needed to be for many. But now that we’ve normalized the hybrid workplace and accept video meetings as equal to in-person ones, I’d call it one of those subtle but important changes to how we work that’s making life just a little bit easier.

There’s a good chance that you’ve used Microsoft’s Word, Outlook, Excel and other Office programs at some point or another in your daily life before. They’re used by tons of business and organizations, but if you need access on your personal computer, a license can be pretty pricey.

Lifetime access to the 2021 professional suite of Office apps would typically cost you a whopping $349. But right now, StackSocial is offering a chance to grab a lifetime license for just $30, which is over 90% off the usual price, and matches the all-time lowest price we’ve seen. And this license is a one-time purchase, which means you can ditch the subscription (with recurring charges) that Microsoft offers for these essential apps.

This deal is available through Jan. 15, but has already sold out for Mac users. Windows users who don’t want to miss out on these savings should get their order in sooner rather than later.

StackSocial’s deal is a phenomenal bargain when compared to the online Microsoft 365 subscription suite that costs $10 per month or $100 a year. There is a free online version of Microsoft Office, too, but it has far fewer features.

While the price almost seems too good to be true, we tried it ourselves, and it worked like a charm. (The two big caveats: You get a single key — which only works on a single computer — and there’s no Microsoft OneDrive Cloud Storage included.) But at a price this good, this deal is sure to sell out fast, so take the plunge while you can.

To no one’s surprise, OnePlus’ next phone is called the OnePlus 11 5G. Last week, OnePlus started taking preorders for the new phone in China, and it will be available there on Monday, Jan. 9. The phone is set to launch globally on Feb. 7 and follows last year’s pretty great OnePlus 10 Pro. It also comes on the heels of the OnePlus 10T which left a bad taste in our mouths because of its questionable compromises and a confusing value proposition.

Lucky for us, OnePlus provided a peek at the 11 back in December. And now, the new phone is on full display on OnePlus China’s website. After devouring it with the help of Google Translate, I am reminded of a line Leonardo DiCaprio’s character says in the film Django Unchained.

“Gentlemen, you had my curiosity. But now you have my attention.”

I already had high hopes for the 11 because it would be the third-generation phone to be released during OnePlus’ partnership with the iconic camera company Hasselblad. Up to now, Hasselblad’s influence has largely been behind-the-scenes with camera tuning and nifty software features like the Xpan panoramic-style. The OnePlus 11 could be the first time we see actual new camera hardware resulting from the partnership.

I should also point out that details and nuance can be lost in translation, so please keep that in mind as you read on.

The OnePlus 11 looks fantastic

The 11’s design picks up where the 10 Pro left off. Translated, the site states that the OnePlus 11’s look was inspired by a “black hole in science fiction.” But instead of a square-ish camera bump found on the 10 Pro, the 11’s is circular on top with tapered sides that flow into the edge of the phone. It’s reminiscent of a clasp on a leather attaché. When the phone is in landscape, the camera bump’s shape looks almost like the silhouette of Darth Vader’s helmet.

The site shows off the phone in two colors. There is a matte green color, that isn’t quite British racing green, and a textured black finish, which according to translated text is “silk glass.” I gather this means the finish looks textured but to the touch is just flat glass.

There aren’t many photos of the front, but it has a display with waterfall edges that flow off the right and left sides of the phone. The front-facing camera is housed in a hole punch-shaped cutout on the top left side.

An alert slider is visible in a product video on the site that also shows flashy stylized closeups of the OnePlus 11. OnePlus previously confirmed that the button would return after its absence on the OnePlus 10T. The 11 joins the likes of the Nubia Red Magic 8, which has a similar hardware slider for putting the phone into gaming mode.

The OnePlus 11 has the latest Android hardware

The phone has a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a variable refresh rate that tops out at 120Hz. The display is LTPO 3. Last year’s 10 Pro had an LTPO 2 display. LTPO stands for low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, which allows displays to have a high refresh rate without killing your battery. According to the translated text, LTPO 3 is smoother and even more power efficient. A graphic claims that the display can drop down to 1Hz, which is the same refresh rate the iPhone 14 Pro uses for its always-on display.

On the inside, the 11 runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip which according to a OnePlus press release has 35% faster CPU performance and a 25% faster GPU. The 11 is one of the first phones with the new Qualcomm chip. The 11 also comes with 16GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

Powering everything are dual 2,500 mAh batteries that support 100W fast charging. Last year’s 10 Pro had the same dual-battery setup and supported 80W fast charging, except for US models which were capped at 65W fast charging. The OnePlus 10T supports 150W charging globally and 125W in the US. For perspective, the iPhone 14 Pro supports 20W fast charging. OnePlus says that the 11’s batteries can charge from empty to 100% in 25 minutes.

The cameras are the same but different

The OnePlus 11 has a 50-megapixel main and 48-megapixel ultrawide camera system that’s similar to the 10 Pro’s. It also has a telephoto camera with a 32-megapixel sensor and 2x optical zoom compared to the 10 Pro’s 8-megapixel sensor and 3.3x optical zoom.

Sony made all of the image sensors including the one in the new telephoto camera. But you have to wonder if OnePlus and Hasselblad chose the 32-megapixel sensor and short tele lens combo because it yields better photos than the tele on the 10 Pro. If that is the case, it’s the first time we see camera hardware design that stems from the OnePlus and Hasselblad partnership.

Translated text suggests the new telephoto camera can take photos with more accurate colors. OnePlus China’s site says that portrait mode pics have better simulated bokeh that mimics the look of images taken with Hasselblad’s XCD medium-format lenses.

Sample photos from the 11 look good, with balanced colors and highlights that roll off for skin tones. We should take these photos with a big grain of salt because nearly every phone maker’s website flaunts impressive photos taken with their phones – ah, marketing! Sadly, there isn’t any mention of whether these photo improvements will apply to video recording.

Is there a OnePlus 11 Pro?

From everything I read on the website, the OnePlus 11 is the best spec’d OnePlus phone ever made. It seems to be the “pro” model this year despite lacking the nomenclature. Its 6.7-inch screen is the same size as the one on the 10 Pro. In fact, OnePlus China’s President Li Jie said there is no “pro” version of the OnePlus 11 in response to a question on the Chinese social network Weibo.

That would mark a continued departure from OnePlus’ previous product strategy. Until recently, OnePlus had released three models of its flagship phones, a regular version, a “pro” one and later in the year a T model. For example, in 2020 there was a OnePlus 8, 8 Pro and 8T. The pro models typically have larger displays with a higher resolution and a third rear camera with a telephoto lens compared to the regular version.

Last year, the company released only a OnePlus 10 Pro without a standard model.

What’s next for the OnePlus 11?

The new phone launches in China on Monday, Jan. 9. OnePlus is having a global launch event in India on Tuesday, Feb. 7, where it will also show off the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. I am truly looking forward to trying the phone out for myself, especially that new telephoto camera.

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OnePlus 10 Pro is a Competitively Priced High-End Phone with 2022’s Best Specs

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VR is getting better and better, but it’s also getting more expensive. HTC’s newest high-end headset announced at CES, the Vive XR Elite, follows a similar playbook to Meta’s recent Quest Pro, and possibly Apple’s awaited device as well. It raises a question: Are we truly ready for the rise of the $1,000-plus VR rigs? The standalone Vive XR Elite is sleek and looks a lot more compact than the Quest Pro, and is trying to test the higher-end waters.

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The $1,099 headset, available for preorder Thursday, is arriving by the end of February — remarkably soon for a CES product. That means it’ll be available alongside Sony’s PlayStation 5-connected PSVR 2. While less expensive than the Quest Pro, the XR Elite’s price costs about as much as buying a PS5 and a PSVR 2 together. It’s far from an impulse purchase. But the hardware, which shrinks down the VR form to a pair of nearly glasses-like goggles and includes mixed-reality capabilities that could allow for AR apps, looks to solve how we’ll be using the metaverse for more in our lives than just games, simulation and fitness.

Read more: The Wonders of CES 2023: 3D Laptops, Wireless TV and Shape-Shifting Screens

No other company has really cracked this challenge either. But this Vive headset looks, more than ever, like it’s a stepping stone to future AR glasses.

“We see where mixed reality is going to create a whole new suite of use cases. We know the virtual reality use cases are great. I think the AR side is amazing, too,” Dan O’Brien, HTC’s general manager of Vive, told me in a conversation at CES in Las Vegas. He acknowledged that HTC tried to make an AR device in 2015 but stopped because of the complications. O’Brien sees 5G and cloud computing as a key next step. “You need a 5G network, a really robust one to make AR go to scale — you need a cloud infrastructure to deliver to those types of wearables.”

The XR Elite is primarily a standalone VR headset, and it looks like an impressive piece of tech: It has a familiar Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip much like the Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro and Vive’s existing business-focused Focus 3. But it adds a higher-resolution 110-degree field of view, LCD displays with 2K resolution per eye that can run at 90Hz. There’s also a boosted 12GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage. It can connect to PCs to run SteamVR or HTC’s VivePort software, or connect with Android phones. But its potential as a bridge to AR experiences seems like the most impressive feature.

Those are just specs, though. The XR Elite is a VR headset with a similar proposition to previous models, but with expanded capabilities. Its compact size is the most surprising part: At 340 grams, it’s less than half the weight of the Quest Pro. The rear hot-swappable battery gives about two hours of life. It gets even smaller by unclipping the back battery strap and adding glasses arms that can turn the headset into a modified pair of VR glasses, which could just plug into an external USB-C charger or battery for power. It’s small enough to fit in a compact carrying case tube.

But that compact size comes with a twist: Instead of fitting on top of glasses, the XR Elite uses adjusting dials, or diopters, which can change the lens prescription on the fly without you needing to wear glasses at all — for some people, at least. The diopters only accommodate up to a -6 prescription, but my own vision is over -8 for nearsightedness. It’s a challenge HTC faced with its even smaller Vive Flow phone-connected VR goggles, which also went for the glasses-free approach.

The XR Elite has a dedicated depth sensor on the front, along with color passthrough cameras that can eventually show mixed reality-experiences, similar to the Quest Pro. The Quest Pro doesn’t have the Elite’s added depth sensor, but it accommodates for that with its onboard cameras.

The XR Elite could also adapt further. While the hardware doesn’t have its own eye-tracking tools onboard, eye- and face-tracking add-ons are coming later in the year. The headset’s controllers are the same standard ones that HTC has for the Vive Focus 3, which follow the same game controller-like playbook as the Meta Quest 2 and others. But HTC already has its own line of wearable VR body trackers and wristbands, and more accessories could follow.

O’Brien acknowledges that the sticky, mass-market appeal of VR and AR aren’t here yet. “I think developers will be using cloud computing, being able to actually get their content into the metaverse much faster, and much more efficiently,” he said. “If you think about the streaming business, these streamers, these TikTokkers, all these kids that create the really compelling, fun experiences that just keep drawing you back in? That’s not in the metaverse today, We need to create more opportunities for less sophisticated immersive content creators to get involved, and then create more [of an] economy.”

O’Brien sees cloud computing, driven by eye tracking’s ability to compress graphics data via a technology called foveated rendering, as a way of eventually shrinking the processors on future headsets, getting smaller and fitting on more people.

My concern is about the limited prescription options at the moment. “As we get to much lighter glasses, people will probably be bringing more of their prescriptions to it in the future,” says O’Brien. “For now, what we can do is just try to address the majority of the market as best we can with these types of setting changes, because we have to get the headsets lighter. We’ve got to get them more comfortable. And if you’re going to have these big eye relief areas inside of these headsets, they’re going to stay really big.”

O’Brien sees the included VR controllers as possibly becoming optional one day, even maybe being left out of the box and bought separately, but not yet. Hand tracking isn’t reliable enough. “Hand tracking has to make massive advancements over the next two to three years to really become much more of a natural input tool.” But O’Brien suggests it’s a way for future headsets to get more affordable. “If a user can just put on glasses and interact with content [with their hands], that’s going to be a much less expensive product.”

This product has been selected as one of the best products of CES 2023. Check out the other Best of CES 2023 award winners.

Household privacy protection is important — which is why using a smart TV VPN is essential. Your internet service provider can monitor and collect data on whatever you’re watching on your smart TV — and it’s all too eager to sell your data in order to target you with ads. The best smart TV VPN secures your privacy by encrypting your data as your internet traffic is routed through a remote, secure server. This means that what you do online while connected to a VPN server is hidden from anyone attempting to snoop on what you’re up to — including your internet service provider.

Long gone are the days of viewer anonymity we once enjoyed with old boxy, fuzzy-pictured TVs.Nearly every TV you can buy these days is connected to the internet, which means that streaming services and other apps are transmitting all sorts of information while you watch. So if you want to protect your information and browsing habits, using a solid, well-tested VPN is a good idea. A bonus here is that a smart TV VPN can also help you access content on Netflix and other streaming sites that would otherwise be restricted in your location.

Using a smart TV comes with security risks as well. Your smart TV is another device that’s connected to the internet, and without the right protections, internet-connected devices can be hacked. Government entities or cybercriminals can compromise your smart TV, get access to your viewing information, intercept your passwords and more. It’s important to minimize those risks and keep unwanted eyes off of your viewing habits.

The best VPN for your smart TV will offer excellent security, fast speeds, the ability to unblock streaming services, cross-platform compatibility (including on VPN routers as well as on Android and Amazon Fire devices) and helpful customer support. (Beware of free VPN services since they can put your privacy at risk, and they typically impose restrictive bandwidth and data caps that make them essentially useless for your smart TV.) With a focus on the qualities above, we’ve rounded up the five best VPNs for your smart TV.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN

Editors’ Choice: Best overall VPN for privacy protection and speed

• Latest tests: No leaks detected, 2% speed loss in spring 2022 tests
• Network: 3,000-plus servers in 160 locations across 94 countries
• Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands
• Price: 5 simultaneous connections for $13 per month, $60 for six months or $100 for a year (current discount: 3 months free). 2-year subscriptions available.

When it comes to speed, security and unblocking capabilities, ExpressVPN is tough to beat. After a set-back in 2020, ExpressVPN is again currently in first place as the fastest VPN we’ve tested. ExpressVPN caused us to lose just 2% of speeds in our speed tests, so you shouldn’t have any issues achieving enough speeds for a smooth streaming experience whether you’re streaming in 720p or 4K UHD.

It also unblocks Netflix and other streaming services more reliably than most other VPNs, has servers in 94 countries around the world — so basically any geographic region you’d want access to is available in its extensive global network of VPN servers.

All of our top-rated VPNs have wide compatibility across platforms and operating systems, but ExpressVPN’s collection of setup guides, detailed FAQs and troubleshooting articles give it a clear advantage for Smart TV users, even if you’re connecting your TV to several other consoles and devices. That’s also where ExpressVPN’s 24/7 customer support, and its no-questions-asked, 30-day money back guarantee come in handy.

With ExpressVPN’s custom router app, you can also enable its split-tunneling feature to run certain devices (like your smart TV) through the VPN and others through your regular network connection. The Network Lock killswitch feature is also available on the router app, which will protect your privacy by killing your internet connection should the VPN disconnect for any reason.

If you have a Fire TV or a Google TV, you can bypass the router setup altogether and install the ExpressVPN app right onto your smart TV.

ExpressVPN’s included Media Streamer smart DNS feature is also simple to set up on any smart TV. Just keep in mind that while smart DNS can help you unblock geo-restricted content, your connection won’t be encrypted, so you won’t have the same privacy protections as you would via your VPN connection. But if you’re a casual user and streaming is your only objective here, then Media Streamer could be a good option for you.

All this comes at a price, however. ExpressVPN may be the best VPN for smart TVs, but it is also one of the most expensive. ExpressVPN’s best plan offers five simultaneous connections for $100 a year (which includes three extra months, for a limited-time deal totaling 15 months of service). You can also opt for a $13 per-month plan, or pay $60 for six months.

See at ExpressVPN

Surfshark

Surfshark

Editors’ Choice: Cheap VPN packed with features

• Latest tests: Zero data leaks and 19% internet speed loss in fall 2022 tests
• Network: 3,200-plus in 99 countries
• Jurisdiction: Netherlands
• Price: Unlimited connections for $48 for the first year (then $60 annually) or $13 per month. 2-year subscriptions available.

Surfshark boasts an impressive suite of privacy and security features, unlimited simultaneous connections, easy-to-use interface and expansive global network. And it’s still significantly cheaper than most of its competitors. That’s what helped Surfshark earn CNET’s Editors’ Choice for Best Value VPN in 2022.

Along with standard VPN features such as a kill switch and DNS leak protection, some of the more notable Surfshark features include camouflage mode (which hides the fact you’re using a VPN), split-tunneling, NoBorders mode (which lets you use Surfshark in regions where VPNs are restricted) and multihop VPN connections. You’ll also get access to Surfshark’s CleanWeb technology, which blocks ads and malware and helps you avoid phishing attacks.

One innovation we’re excited to see Surfshark roll out over the next year is its Nexus network, which connects the VPN’s entire network of servers together and allows you to choose multiple servers to route your connection through. The functionality is somewhat similar to Tor, but Surfshark says it’s faster. With its Dynamic MultiHop, IP Randomizer and IP Rotator functions, the Nexus network can give you a few extra layers of protection while you use the VPN — which can be particularly beneficial to users with critical privacy needs.

Surfshark says it doesn’t log any user activity. And although no-logging claims are virtually impossible to prove with 100% certainty, German cybersecurity firm Cure53 declared Surfshark’s security to be “solid” in its 2021 security audit of the VPN. Surfshark says a new audit is forthcoming by the end of this year.

As of February 2022, both Surfshark and NordVPN have the same corporate parent (Tesonet), but Surfshark said it is legally bound not to share any information between the entities that would go against its privacy policy or terms of service. We didn’t find any language in either document that would indicate Surfshark has any obligation to share user data with its parent company or any sibling companies, which include NordVPN.

Surfshark rates consistently as one of the fastest VPNs available. Which is why we were surprised that one of the only issues we had with Surfshark came in our speed test. While it still ranks as one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested — with an internet speed loss of just 19% — we were disappointed with the inconsistent speed results we got to certain locations. Speeds to Europe and Singapore were erratic (dipping as low as 9Mbps to Singapore), while speeds to New York were slower than speeds to the UK and even Australia. Surfhark is in the process of significantly expanding its server network, now offering more than 3,200 servers in 99 countries. The continued expansion of its server network could potentially help bring some more consistency to the VPN’s speeds.

In our tests, Surfshark had no problems unblocking Netflix and Amazon Prime Video content, but we did run into a fair bit of trouble accessing Disney Plus. After testing various servers in the US and other countries where Disney Plus is available, we were finally able to access the content when we connected to a server in Boston. You may need to test a few servers yourself before gaining access to Disney Plus content with Surfshark.

Surfshark offers cheaper introductory prices that jump after the first billing cycle. Even so, Surfshark manages to keep its prices lower than most other VPNs — helping it earn CNET’s Editors’ Choice for Best Value. The yearly plan starts out at $48 for the first year, then jumps to $60 for any additional years of service. If you opt for the two-year plan, you’ll pay $60 up front for the initial two years combined, then $60 per year for any additional years. Surfshark’s monthly plan stays constant at $13 a month. If you’re not satisfied with the service for any reason, Surfshark offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

See at Surfshark

NordVPN

NordVPN

Best VPN for smart TV security

• Latest tests: No leaks detected, 13% speed loss in summer 2022 tests
• Network: 5,600-plus servers in 84 locations across 59 countries
• Jurisdiction: Panama
• Price: 6 simultaneous connections for $12 per month or $60 for a year (current discount: 3 months free). 2-year subscriptions available.

NordVPN is one of the biggest and most recognized names in the industry. And for good reason — because NordVPN is an excellent VPN overall, offering basically anything and everything you’d want in a quality VPN service. It’s fast, secure, easy to use on all platforms and has an excellent global network of servers — many of which are optimized for things like streaming and security.

NordVPN’s speed and security are both top-notch and can give VPN users a solid streaming experience while keeping your activity private at the same time. With NordVPN, you’ll be safe and secure behind its AES 256-bit encryption along with your choice of IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN or NordLynx VPN protocols. NordLynx is built on the WireGuard protocol, but uses a double network address translation (NAT) system that gives each user the same IP address and each individual VPN tunnel a unique IP address to help protect your privacy while affording you the fast speeds you can get via the WireGuard protocol. Essentially, this double NAT system ensures that none of your personal data is stored on the VPN server, giving you fully private internet access.

NordVPN’s Help section is filled with useful guides on how to get the service working on your smart TV. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to get the VPN set up on a host of different routers as well as how to set it up on your Fire TV and Google TV.

Overall, it’s a great VPN and a solid choice for smart TVs. As far as price, you’ll find NordVPN in the middle of the pack here — its 2-year subscription plan comes out to $3.29 per month. If you’re not sure if Nord is the right choice for you, you can always give it a test run thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee.

See at NordVPN

Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield VPN

Super-fast for streaming

• Latest tests: DNS leaks detected, 26% speed loss in spring 2021 tests
• Network: 1,800-plus servers in 115 locations across 80 countries
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Price: 5 simultaneous connections for $13 per month or $96 for a year. Family plans available.

For critical VPN use, we wouldn’t recommend Hotspot Shield due to its US jurisdiction in addition to its use of its proprietary, closed source Hydra VPN protocol. But if security and privacy aren’t your primary concern, then Hotspot Shield makes for an excellent smart TV VPN. Though we may not be completely sold on its privacy protections, we are on its speed — Hotspot Shield is fast.

It’s also excellent for streaming content on your smart TV. With servers located in more than 80 countries around the world, you’ll have access to a wide selection of geographic regions with Hotspot Shield.

However, Hotspot Shield’s Support section and overall customer service experience leaves quite a bit to be desired. The Support section is a bit convoluted and Search doesn’t always output exactly what you’re looking for, so it might take some work to find what you’re after. And the live chat feature is only available to premium customers. Once you find what you’re looking for, the guides and tutorials are sufficient to get you set up, but the path there isn’t as clean as with other VPNs. Like the others in this list, Hotspot Shield offers apps for Fire TV and Google TV, as well as tutorials on how to set the VPN up on your router.

If you’re willing to pony up $7.99 a month for its yearly subscription plan, or $2.99 a month for a 3-year subscription, then you’ll get a super-fast smart TV VPN that’s excellent at unblocking content in Hotspot Shield. But if you’re concerned at all about its US jurisdiction, you’d be better off going with ExpressVPN or the other two up above.

See at Hotspot Shield VPN

CyberGhost VPN

CyberGhost VPN

Easy-to-use VPN for smart TV

• Latest tests: No leaks detected, 49% speed loss in summer 2020 tests
• Network: 9,200-plus servers in 115 locations across 91 countries
• Jurisdiction: Romania
• Price: 7 simultaneous connections for $13 per month, $42 for 6 months or $57 for two years. ($57 annually after the first two years).

CyberGhost VPN may not offer all the bells and whistles as the other VPNs on this list, but it may not have to because it’s just so ridiculously easy to use. It also has servers specifically optimized for streaming on various services, which make it a great choice for your smart TV.

It’s not the fastest VPN on the block, but you shouldn’t run into any trouble streaming content buffer-free. And CyberGhost has servers located in 91 countries around the world, making it one of the best in terms of global network coverage.

If you decide to hook CyberGhost VPN up to your smart TV via a router, CyberGhost does provide detailed instructions in its Help center on how to do so — even though it doesn’t offer custom router firmware like ExpressVPN does. If you have a Fire TV or Google TV, you’ll be able to download the CyberGhost VPN app directly to your TV. CyberGhost VPN also offers a smart DNS solution that will give you access to its DNS servers in the US, UK, Germany and Japan.

Cyberghost VPN can also be quite budget-friendly. If you opt for the 3-year plan, which also includes three months free, you can get CyberGhost for just $2.29 per month. But if you prefer the flexibility of a one-year subscription plan, it’s still one of the cheaper options at $4.29 per month. It’s one of the cheapest smart TV VPNs, and a very capable one if you’re fine with a VPN that’s not chock-full of advanced options.

See at CyberGhost

FAQs

More VPN advice

• How to Set Up a VPN on Your Smart TV
• Fastest VPN 2023
• Are US-Based VPNs Trustworthy? Here’s Why I Don’t Recommend Them
• Best VPN for Xbox

Wearables can already track a dizzying number of bodily statistics, from heart rate to blood oxygen levels and skin temperature. If the new devices shown at CES 2023 are any indication, the next wave of smartwatches and wristbands aim to gain a better understanding of your alertness, fatigue and stress levels, too.

Watchmaker Citizen and smaller brands like BHeart and Nowatch have all announced new wearables that claim to pay close attention to your mental wellbeing. The shift toward stress tracking isn’t necessarily new, as I wrote in September when covering Fitbit’s Sense 2 and the Happy Ring. But the announcements at CES suggest that tech companies are interested in monitoring other factors that play into mental wellness.

The launches come as stress has been on the rise in the US because of factors like political divisiveness and inflation in addition to the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association.

“Modern life was hard enough with constant technology and ever-present communication and the pace of life,” Dr. Debra Kissen, CEO of the Light On Anxiety Treatment Center, which specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy services, previously said to CNET. “And then throw in a pandemic, and I think it really brought mental health concerns that were always there undeniably to the surface.”

This recent interest in exploring the link between physical and mental wellness also comes as annual smartwatch upgrades aren’t as pivotal as they used to be. Now that smartwatches have matured and the problems that plagued early devices have been addressed, companies large and small are searching for what’s next.

Citizen says its CZ Smart watch can gauge alertness and fatigue

Citizen says its new CZ Smart watch uses tools built based on research from the NASA Ames Research Center Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory to assess fatigue and alertness levels. One of the biggest features that separates it from other wearables is its Alert Score, which it generates after you take the Alert Monitor test in Citizen’s YouQ wellness app. That test is based on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test that NASA has used to assess astronauts’ alertness.

The watch also wants to help you understand whether you’re a morning or evening person by analyzing your sleep patterns and Alert Scores. The overall goal is to combine these readings with more traditional metrics like heart rate and activity to make suggestions about how to address fatigue and increase your alertness. The “casual” finish starts at $350 (roughly 290, AU$520), while the “sport” edition starts at $375.

The BHeart band is a stress tracker you can attach to a regular watch

Health tech company Baracoda’s BHeart band grabbed headlines for its self-charging design that the company claims uses motion, body heat and sunlight to power itself. But the wristband is also another example of a new wearable attempting to provide mental health insights in addition to tracking physical metrics.

It claims to calculate stress management readings using heart rate variability. The app may suggest that users take a walk or do some yoga to relax based on those readings. Since it’s a watch band and not an actual watch, you can also wear the BHeart strap with any standard watch that has a lug width of 18 to 22 centimeters. The band starts at $100 and launches in April.

The Nowatch claims to estimate stress and cognitive performance

If you couldn’t tell from the name alone, the Nowatch isn’t a watch. It’s a screenless wellness tracker that claims to measure stress and cognitive performance.

The company worked with Philips on sensors that can measure electrodermal activity — or changes in sweat — to estimate stress levels. Fitbit uses similar technology in its Sense and Sense 2 devices. Users can also press the crown on their watch to mark specific stressful moments so that the watch can log it within the app. That sounds a bit different than Fitbit’s approach with the Sense 2, which can automatically flag potential signs of stress in addition to performing on-demand stress readings.

But one of the Nowatch’s more unique offerings is its Predicted Cognitive Zone feature, which the company says can provide insight on the wearer’s cognitive performance based on their physical state.

The Nowatch starts at $499, although the company is temporarily selling it for $369 until Jan. 9.

The next step for wearables

It took years for smartwatches, smart rings and fitness bands to turn sleep and activity data into meaningful insights that actually feel useful. Now, companies are seemingly setting their sights on addressing other factors that impact our health like stress, burnout and lack of sleep.

In addition to the new devices at CES, Fitbit debuted the second generation of its Sense smartwatch last fall — which doubles down on the stress tracking tech it introduced in the first model. Polar also announced the Ignite 3 watch in November, which claims to pinpoint the time of day in which you’ll be most alert based on your sleep cycles. Biogen announced in 2021 that it was collaborating with Apple on a research study to investigate the role that the Apple Watch and iPhone could play in monitoring cognitive performance.

Of course, it’s important to remember that these are just claims for now. It’s impossible to know whether these tools are accurate or useful without using them. The devices also arrive at a time when there’s increased awareness and scrutiny over the amount of data that tech devices gather about their users.

Dr. Charles A. Odonkor, assistant professor at the Yale University School of Medicine, also previously told CNET that changes in bodily markers like heart rate, perspiration and blood pressure may not always indicate stress and could be a sign of other conditions.

Still, the arrival of devices like these suggest that the next frontier for wearables could be about much more than just motivating you to hit the gym.

VR has suddenly gotten more expensive. It seems like the worst possible timing, but HTC’s newest high-end headset announced at CES, the Vive XR Elite, follows a similar playbook to Meta’s recent Quest Pro, and possibly Apple’s awaited device as well. It raises a question: Are we truly ready for the rise of the $1,000-plus VR rigs? The standalone Vive XR Elite is sleek and looks a lot more compact than the Quest Pro, and is trying to test the higher-end waters.

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The $1,099 headset, available for preorder Thursday, is arriving by the end of February — remarkably soon for a CES product. That means it’ll be available alongside Sony’s PlayStation 5-connected PSVR 2. While less expensive than the Quest Pro, the XR Elite’s price costs about as much as buying a PS5 and a PSVR 2 together. It’s far from an impulse purchase. But the hardware, which shrinks down the VR form to a pair of nearly glasses-like goggles and includes mixed-reality capabilities that could allow for AR apps, looks to solve how we’ll be using the metaverse for more in our lives than just games, simulation and fitness.

Read more: The Wonders of CES 2023: 3D Laptops, Wireless TV and Shape-Shifting Screens

No other company has really cracked this challenge either. But this Vive headset looks, more than ever, like it’s a stepping stone to future AR glasses.

“We see where mixed reality is going to create a whole new suite of use cases. We know the virtual reality use cases are great. I think the AR side is amazing, too,” Dan O’Brien, HTC’s general manager of Vive, told me in a conversation at CES in Las Vegas. He acknowledged that HTC tried to make an AR device in 2015 but stopped because of the complications. O’Brien sees 5G and cloud computing as a key next step. “You need a 5G network, a really robust one to make AR go to scale — you need a cloud infrastructure to deliver to those types of wearables.”

The XR Elite is primarily a standalone VR headset, and it looks like an impressive piece of tech: It has a familiar Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 chip much like the Meta Quest 2, Quest Pro and Vive’s existing business-focused Focus 3. But it adds a higher-resolution 110-degree field of view, LCD displays with 2K resolution per eye that can run at 90Hz. There’s also a boosted 12GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage. It can connect to PCs to run SteamVR or HTC’s VivePort software, or connect with Android phones. But its potential as a bridge to AR experiences seems like the most impressive feature.

Those are just specs, though. The XR Elite is a VR headset with a similar proposition to previous models, but with expanded capabilities. Its compact size is the most surprising part: At 340 grams, it’s less than half the weight of the Quest Pro. The rear hot-swappable battery gives about two hours of life. It gets even smaller by unclipping the back battery strap and adding glasses arms that can turn the headset into a modified pair of VR glasses, which could just plug into an external USB-C charger or battery for power. It’s small enough to fit in a compact carrying case tube.

But that compact size comes with a twist: Instead of fitting on top of glasses, the XR Elite uses adjusting dials, or diopters, which can change the lens prescription on the fly without you needing to wear glasses at all — for some people, at least. The diopters only accommodate up to a -6 prescription, but my own vision is over -8 for nearsightedness. It’s a challenge HTC faced with its even smaller Vive Flow phone-connected VR goggles, which also went for the glasses-free approach.

The XR Elite has a dedicated depth sensor on the front, along with color passthrough cameras that can eventually show mixed reality-experiences, similar to the Quest Pro. The Quest Pro doesn’t have the Elite’s added depth sensor, but it accommodates for that with its onboard cameras.

The XR Elite could also adapt further. While the hardware doesn’t have its own eye-tracking tools onboard, eye- and face-tracking add-ons are coming later in the year. The headset’s controllers are the same standard ones that HTC has for the Vive Focus 3, which follow the same game controller-like playbook as the Meta Quest 2 and others. But HTC already has its own line of wearable VR body trackers and wristbands, and more accessories could follow.

O’Brien acknowledges that the sticky, mass-market appeal of VR and AR aren’t here yet. “I think developers will be using cloud computing, being able to actually get their content into the metaverse much faster, and much more efficiently,” he said. “If you think about the streaming business, these streamers, these TikTokkers, all these kids that create the really compelling, fun experiences that just keep drawing you back in? That’s not in the metaverse today, We need to create more opportunities for less sophisticated immersive content creators to get involved, and then create more [of an] economy.”

O’Brien sees cloud computing, driven by eye tracking’s ability to compress graphics data via a technology called foveated rendering, as a way of eventually shrinking the processors on future headsets, getting smaller and fitting on more people.

My concern is about the limited prescription options at the moment. “As we get to much lighter glasses, people will probably be bringing more of their prescriptions to it in the future,” says O’Brien. “For now, what we can do is just try to address the majority of the market as best we can with these types of setting changes, because we have to get the headsets lighter. We’ve got to get them more comfortable. And if you’re going to have these big eye relief areas inside of these headsets, they’re going to stay really big.”

O’Brien sees the included VR controllers as possibly becoming optional one day, even maybe being left out of the box and bought separately, but not yet. Hand tracking isn’t reliable enough. “Hand tracking has to make massive advancements over the next two to three years to really become much more of a natural input tool.” But O’Brien suggests it’s a way for future headsets to get more affordable. “If a user can just put on glasses and interact with content [with their hands], that’s going to be a much less expensive product.”

This product has been selected as one of the best products of CES 2023. Check out the other Best of CES 2023 award winners.

You may think that the best wireless earbuds are always going to be expensive, but that’s simply not the case. It’s easy to find quality ones at a bargain price with plenty of features that match the price of premium models. We have an extensive list of the top AirPods alternatives under $100, but if you’re looking for the best wireless earbuds under $50, we have gathered a number of cheap wireless earbuds that are worth buying. This list of budget true wireless earbuds can help you find a cheaper alternative — and though there are a lot of earbuds that cost less than $50, these are the cream of the crop. Several of them are surprisingly good for their price, even competing with bigger brands’ quality.

Here are my current sub-$50 true wireless favorites, listed from highest to lowest price. I’ve tried them all, and I update this list with new products periodically. Note that prices fluctuate, so some of these might be a few bucks over $50.

Read more: Best Noise-Canceling True Wireless Earbuds

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Soundpeats T3

Impressive for less than $40

The Soundpeats T3 buds have two things going for them aside from their modest price tag: They sound decent and work well for making calls with very good noise reduction. They’re also comfortable to wear and have both active noise canceling and transparency mode. However, the noise canceling is only OK, not great (same goes for the transparency mode). But you can’t expect everything for such a low price.

Equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, they’re IPX4 splash-proof and have a battery-life rating of up to 5.5 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels.

They have relatively smooth, balanced sound and ample bass. They’re not going to wow you with clarity or dynamic sound, but they’re pleasant to listen to, which is all you can ask for in a budget set of earbuds.

Callers said that my voice sounded clearer when I was using the AirPods Pro but the Soundpeats actually reduced more background noise that the AirPods Pro. I was able to have conversations on the noisy streets of New York without a problem.

$26 at Amazon

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TaoTronics SoundLiberty P10

Solid budget performer

TaoTronics SoundLiberty P10 Bluetooth headphones are another AirPods Pro true wireless earphone knock off but it’s one of the better ones out there for the money, with good sound and decent headset performance for making calls. The noise canceling isn’t up the level of the AIrPods Pro but it’s reasonably effective and there’s also an ambient mode that lets sound in (the equivalent of the AirPods Pro’s transparency just not quite as natural sounding) and an anti-wind mode.

I’ve tried many Taotronics headphones over the years and these may be the company’s best earbuds yet. While the earphone is not fancy, this cheap wireless earbud fits my ears well, their case is compact and the instructions clearly spell out how to use the touch controls. They’re equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and are fully waterproof with an IPX8 rating. Battery life is rated at six and a half hours with noise canceling on and volume at 50%.

$50 at Taotronics

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Earfun Free Pro

Excellent value

From a design standpoint, the Earfun Free Pro seem identical to the Fiil T1XS, which used to be on this list and remains a good value. However, the Earfun Free Pro has better features, including active noise cancellation with a transparency mode, wireless charging and Bluetooth 5.2. They’re rated for seven hours of battery life without the noise-canceling function on, or about six hours with it on. They’re IPX5 water-resistant, which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water.

They sound very good for the money, with relatively clean, balanced sound and bass that has some kick to it — they’re pretty open-sounding. Lightweight and comfortable to wear, they have little fins that help keep them securely in your ears, and they’re fairly discreet-looking.

Don’t expect them to cancel noise as well as the AirPods Pro, but they do provide some decent muffling. It’s worth noting that you can use either the left or right earbud independently and there’s a low-latency mode for video watching (and presumably gaming). Call quality was decent, too: Callers said they heard some background noise but it wasn’t intrusive and they could hear my voice well. The touch controls were responsive.

If you’re choosing between the Earfun Free Pro and the Mpow X3 above, it comes down to the style of the earbuds. The X3 has stick-style design, while this doesn’t.

Note that the Earfun Free Pro sometimes cost more than $50 — but they do often dip to less than $50, so that’s why they’re on this list.

$108 at Walmart

$60 at Amazon

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SoundPeats Air 3

Budget AirPods alternative

Battery Life

Rated up to 5 hours

Noise Canceling

Yes (ANC)

Multipoint

No

Headphone Type

Wireless earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IPX5 — protection against low-pressure water streams)

SoundPeats says its open-style Air 3 buds are 10% smaller than their predecessors, the TrueAir 2, and the case is truly tiny, smaller than the AirPods’ case. The buds stayed in my ears more securely than the AirPods do (I have trouble keeping the AirPods in my ears, especially if I start running). These use Qualcomm’s 3040 chipset, which has Bluetooth 5.2, and I had no trouble pairing them with an iPhone 12 Pro and a Google Pixel 4 XL. My connection was quite stable. The earbuds support the aptX audio codec with compatible devices.

Sound quality is good for open earbuds. It’s right there with the AirPods and these even have slightly more bass. I think most people will be satisfied with the sound. The only issue I noticed is that you can only push them so far. When playing certain tracks at higher volumes I did encounter some distortion; rock tracks where several instruments are playing at once can be challenging. As a result I kept the earbuds at about 60% of maximum. You can adjust the volume using the touch controls, which work well. They do play loud at higher volumes.

$49 at Amazon

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David Carnoy/CNET

Anker Soundcore Life P2

Under $50 Anker

Battery Life

Rated up to 7 hours

Noise Canceling

No

Multipoint

No

Headphone Type

Wireless earbuds

Water-Resistant

Yes (IPX7 — can be submerged for 30 minutes up to 1 meter)

Anker has released its newer Soundcore Life P3 (around $70), but the Soundcore Life P2 earbuds remain a good value option at around $45. The buds charge horizontally in their case rather than vertically, and there’s a slightly cheaper feel to both the case and the buds compared with the Liberty Air 2. Their sound doesn’t have the presence boost in the treble that the Liberty Air 2 buds have, so they’re not as clear-sounding with well-recorded tracks, and the bass isn’t quite as well defined. But they’re warmer and more forgiving, which I appreciated, and they sound more like the original Liberty Air.

It’s also worth noting that instead of touch controls they feature physical buttons, which some people may prefer. They have four microphones, two of which are supposed to help with noise reduction when making calls in noisier environments. They do a decent job of reducing background noise when making calls, but my voice didn’t sound as clear to callers as it did with Anker’s Liberty Air 2.

While there’s no wireless charging, you do get USB-C charging. Battery life is rated at seven hours, and this true wireless earbud option has an IPX7 water-resistance rating, which means they can be fully submerged in water to a depth of 3 feet and still survive. They’re arguably the best value in the Anker true wireless line right now. An almost identical version to these earbuds is sold at Target under the name Soundcore Life Note.

I should also mention that Anker is now selling the smaller Soundcore Life P2 Mini, which has shorter stems. It’s also good for the money but this model has four microphones for voice calling while that model has two. The Life P3 has six microphones.

Read our Anker Soundcore Life P2 review.

$42 at Walmart

$35 at Amazon

$54 at eBay

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Earfun Free 2

New version of an old favorite

I was a fan of the original Earfun Free buds and now there’s an upgraded version called the Earfun Free 2. They’re not a huge upgrade but like the originals, they fit my ears well and deliver decent bang for the buck with strong sound — it has just a touch of treble and bass boost (there’s plenty of bass) — and extra features such as wireless charging.

Battery life is rated at up to seven hours at moderate volume levels and these buds are fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating. These are equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 and use Qualcomm’s QCC3040 chip that includes support for Qualcomm’s aptX audio codec if you’re using an aptX-enabled device (certain Android smartphones support aptX).

$50 at Amazon

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Tranya T10

Under $30 standout

The T10, which Tranya keeps slightly updating while keeping the price low, have been on this list for a while and it remains a good value at around $25 (there’s now a low-latency gaming mode).

Like most true-wireless earbuds from Chinese brands that sell through Amazon, these have a pretty generic look and feel, especially the case, and they may not fit all ears equally well — they do stick out a little. But if you get a tight seal they sound good, with potent, well-defined bass and good detail (for a true wireless earbud). They also work decently as a headset for making calls, thanks to decent noise reduction that helps tamp down background noise so people can hear your voice better.

Battery life is rated at eight hours at moderate volume levels and these are fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating.

$51 at Walmart

$36 at Amazon

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