For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.
August is officially in the books. Let that sink in. Days are getting shorter. Kids are getting ready to go back to school (if they’re not there already). And Apple is gearing up to announced its new lineup of iPhones and Apple Watches. But before we look ahead to September, let’s look back and remember all the cool gadgets that were announced this month.
(For the best announcements of last month, July 2022, click here.)
Fitbit Sense 2, Versa 4 and Inspire 3
Fitbit
This, Fitbit announced three next-generation wearables. The Sense 2 ($300) and Versa 4 ($230) are its newest smartwatches, both of which are nearly identical to their predecessors but sport physical buttons, thinner (and lighter) designs and can track more workouts; the higher-end model, the Sense 2, has more advanced stress-tracking abilities, too. And the company’s newest fitness tracker, the Inspire 3 ($100), has a color display (as opposed to monochrome) and a slightly slimmed down design. All are available for preorder now.
Price: $100 — $300
HyperX Armada 25 and 27
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HyperX makes some of the most popular gaming headsets you can buy. This week, it announced its first gaming monitors — the HyperX Armada 25 ($449) and the HyperX Armada 27 ($499) — and the kicker is that both come with a monitor arm and desk mount. The two monitors are pretty similar in most areas, but the Armada 25 is slightly smaller (25″ instead of 27″), has a slightly lower-quality display (HD vs QHD) but does have a superior refresh rate (240Hz vs 165Hz). Both gaming monitors will be available in September.
The Armada 25 is shown in the photo above.
Price: $449 — $499
Dell Pro 2K Webcam
Dell
Dell announced a new mid-range webcam — the Dell Pro 2K (WB5023) — that is essentially a more affordable version of the Dell UltraSharp 4K webcam that it released last year. The new model has a similar barrel-shaped design, but maxes out at 2K (2560 x 1440 pixels) instead of 4K (3840 x 2160). It does have a built-in mic, which the 4K model does not. And it costs $135 instead of $200.
Price: $135
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SteelSeries Arena 7
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SteelSeries is one of the biggest names in desktop gaming, but it has never released a set of computers before — until now. This week, the company announced three different configurations in its new “Arena” line of computer speakers. The Arena 3 ($130) is a traditional 2.0 set, while the Arena 7 ($300) is a 2.1 system (adds a subwoofer) with RGB lighting. And the Arena 9 ($550) is a full-fledged 5.1 system (adds rear speakers), for gamers who want a really immersive setup.
The Arena 7 is shown in the photo above.
Price: $130 — $550
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Acer Vero 514
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Acer’s newest Chromebook, the Vero 514, has a 14-inch 1080p display, a 12th-gen Intel processor, a 1080p webcam and a good variety of ports (including two USB-C). The kicker, however, is that it’s made almost entirely of recycled materials.
Price: $500+
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DJ Avata
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The DJ Avata is the company’s newest consumer first-person view (FPV) drone. It’s also its first “cinewhoop”-style drone, meaning it lacks the folding arms of its super popular Mavic drones (and the more recent DJI Mini 3 Pro) in favor of propellers with fixed guards; this is the same design that many racing drones use.
Being an FPV drone, the Avata is flown with a motion controller and the company’s newest headset, the DJI Goggles 2. As for imagery, the Avata has a 1/1.7-inch sensor and is capable of shooting 4K video (at 60fps) or 2.7K video (at 120fps). It can fly 60mph and has pretty impressive 18 minutes of flight time, too.
Price: $629 (drone only); $1,168+ (with headset and controller)
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Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3
Ultimate Ears
Ultimate Ears announced a new version of its tiny portable speaker. The Wonderboom 3 is basically identical to the 2019-released Wonderboom 2 in every way. It’s the same size and shape — it still floats, too. It has the same control buttons and the same tiny carrying strap. It still charges via micro-USB (unfortunately). And it still costs $100.
The differences? UE improved the Bluetooth range (by about 30 feet) and battery life (by 1 hour). You can pre-order the Wonderboom 3 now and it’s expected to ship at the end of August.
Price: $100
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Adidas RPT-02 Sol
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Adidas’s newest pair of sport-focused wireless headphones have a neat trick — they’re solar-powered. That’s right, there are solar cells built right into the headband and, theoretically, this means you might never need to charge them. (Although they do have a USB-C charging port for backup.)
Price: $230
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Samsung Odyssey Ark
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First announced earlier this year at CES, Samsung has finally revealed that its gorgeous 55-inch 4K curved monitor, the Odyssey Ark, will be available in mid-September. The Odyssey Ark is a unique and stunning curved monitor that has a special rotating stand; you can rotate the screen and view it either horizontally or vertically. Additionally, it’s integrated with Samsung’s Tizen operating system so you can stream shows and movies even when your computer isn’t connected.
Price: $3,499
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Technics SL-100C
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Technics announced a slightly more affordable version of its excellent SL-1500C turntable. The all-new new SL-100C looks basically identical, but has silver tone arm (instead of black) and a slightly less hi-fi cartridge (Audio-Technica AT-VM95C instead of the higher-end Ortofon 2M Red). These tradeoffs amount to a still excellent hi-fi turntable, but one that’s $200 cheaper than the SL-1500C.
Price: $999
Zagg Rugged Pro Connect
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The Zagg Rugged Pro Connect is the company’s most rugged iPad case yet. It has an extremely drop-resistant design, but the kicker is that it has a fully enclosed and wipeable keyboard case — so you can spill whatever on it and still be good to go. It was designed with healthcare and construction workers in mind, but it’s also ideal for accident-prone kids. It only fits the 10.2-inch iPad. Available now
Price: $170
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Twelve South Curve Flex
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The Curve Flex is Twelve South’s newest laptop stand that’s specifically designed for MacBooks. It’s unique because, well, it’s the company’s most height-adjustable laptop stand to date. It can elevate your laptop anywhere from two-to- 22 inches off the desk. It also folds completely flat and comes with a convenient travel sleeve. Available in black or white.
Price: $80
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Fluance Ai81 Floorstanding Speakers
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The Fluance Ai81 is a powered floorstanding speaker system that has a built-in 150-watt amp and DAC, and it has several wired and wireless connectivity options. Thanks to built-in Bluetooth, you can stream music right from your smartphone or computer — no receiver required. You can connect an integrated turntable (has to have a built-in preamp) directly to the speakers via its analog inputs. And it has an optical connection so you can connect the speakers directly to your TV. Available now.
Price: $499
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Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless
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Sennheiser officially announced the Momentum Wireless 4, its newest flagship pair of noise-canceling headphones. They have a new, lightweight and more-traditional design compared to their 2019-released predecessors (the Momentum Wireless 3). The boast improved sound quality and noise-cancellation, but maybe the improvement is battery life. The Momentum Wireless 4 have an incredible 60-hour battery life, which is roughly three times the battery life of most other flagship noise-canceling headphones. They are available for preorder now and expected to ship (and be in stores everywhere) on August 23.
Price: $349
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4
Samsung
Samsung held its big Unpacked event this week and announced the newest versions of its foldable smartphones. Both the new “Flip” and “Fold” look very similar to their third-generation predecessors, but Samsung has made them lighter, stronger and more eco-friendly. Both foldable smartphones also have improved cameras, displays and charging capabilities, too.
You can read our full coverage of Samsung Unpacked 2022 — which includes more info these new smartphones as well as info about its new smartwatches (the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro) and new pair of noise-canceling wireless earbuds (Galaxy Buds 2 Pro) — here.
Price: $1,000+ (Z Flip 4); $1,800+ (Z Fold 4)
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Beats Fit Pro (Kim Kardashian Edition)
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Thanks to a collaboration with Kim Kardashian (and her Skims shapewear company), Beats has released its sport-focused wireless earbuds, the Beats Fit Pro, in three new skin-toned finishes: moon, dune and earth (from lightest to darkest). The catch? You’re gonna have to pay $20 more than if you bought a pair of the non-skin-toned Beats Fits Pro. Available now.
Price: $200
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Mophie Powerstation Pro (2022)
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Mophie has announced a new-and-improved version of its portable battery pack. The 2022 model of the Powerstation Pro has a 20,000mAh capacity, dual USB-C ports that support Power Deliver, and it can deliver up to 45-watts of power, which is enough to power most lightweight laptops including the newest MacBook Air. Like its predecessor, it has an extra luxurious fabric finish. Available now.
Price: $150
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Asus ProArt Display (PA32DC)
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The Asus ProArt Display (PA32DC) is the part of the increasing number of 4K OLED monitors. Originally announced last year, Asus has finally given the 31.5-inch monitor a price tag and an October release date. The beautiful monitor is aimed at creative professionals who are in search for the deep blacks, extremely accurate colors and great all-around contrast that only OLED can deliver.
Price: $3,500
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Pro-Ject X1 B and X2 B
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Pro-Ject announced two high-fidelity turntables this week, the X1 B and X2 B, which are newer versions of the Austrian hi-fi maker’s existing X1 and X2 turntables — but also with “truly balanced connections.” (The “B” is for “balance.”) In fact, these are the company’s first turntables with fully balanced mini XLR outputs. This, in a nutshell, means that these beautiful turntables are specifically designed to better cancel out unwanted noise.
Price: $1,299 — $1,699
Insta360 Link
Insta360
The Insta360 Link is a new webcam that promises similar AI-based pan and zoom abilities that are integrated into the webcam of Apple’s latest MacBooks, iPads and Studio Display — only it’s able to deliver them in true 4k resolution. It’s able to achieve this by placing a fancy webcam on top of a gimbal, which can them rotate, tilt and track your movement to keep you in focus and in frame.
Price: $300
Plugable USB-C Vameter 3
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The Vameter 3 is a neat little gadget. It’s a power meter that acts as the liaison between a device that takes a USB-C charge (like a laptop or smartphone) and a USB-C charging cable. Once attached, it’ll then show you how much power — in volts, amps and watts — is being transferred to your device. Plugable has made these power meters before, but this is its first one that reach up to 240-watts (although no current laptops or smartphones can even accept that much power).
Price: $30
JLab Open Sport
JLab
The JLab Open Sport are wireless earbuds with a unique modular design. They come with two types of attachments. One is a pair of earhooks that allows you to wear the Open Sport as workout-focused earbuds that wrap around your ear. Second is a pair of clips that can attached to a pair of glasses (or sunglasses), which might be a more comfortable way to wear them for you.
Price: $80
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HyperDrive Thunderbolt 4 Power Hub
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Hyper’s newest power hub is unique because it’s the first to have an integrated Gallium Nitride (GaN) charger. This allows one of its four Thunderbolt 4 ports to provide up to 96-watts of power to your laptop — which is more than it probably can take. Additionally, it’s a very small power hub (again, thanks to the GaN technology) that’s also designed to space gray finish of your MacBook. It’s available on Kickstarter now.
Price: $179 (Kickstarter)
