For more of the latest and greatest product releases, check out our full collection of the best new gear.
Happy Halloween! It’s crazy that October is already over and Thanksgiving (and the holiday season) are just around the corner. Looking back on the month that was, there were a lot of new cool gadgets that were announced in October. We break it all down — here’s what you missed.
(For the best announcements of last month, August 2022, click here.)
Sony A7R V
Courtesy
The Sony A7RV is the company’s upcoming full-frame mirrorless camera and the successor to the Sony A7R IV. The new model has a similar 61-megapixel sensor, but it comes with a significantly more powerful Bionz XR processor that enables the Sony A7R V to have a way faster and smarter autofocusing ability. Additionally, the Sony A7R V packs better in-body image stabilization and a new 4-axis articulating display. It’ll be available this December.
Price: $3,900
Level Lock+
Courtesy
Level Home teamed up with Apple to create smart lock that works with HomeKit — in fact, it’s the first smart lock that supports HomeKit that Apple has ever sold. The Level Lock+ is quite simple to use. It adds a digital key to your Apple Wallet and allows you to unlock quickly and simply by just tapping your iPhone or Apple Watch when you’re in proximity of the lock. And there’s a keyhole so you can use your physical key if you forget your iPhone (or it dies). The only real downside? It ain’t cheap.
Price: $330
LEARN MORE
Nothing Ear (stick)
Courtesy
The Ear (stick) the Nothing’s second pair of wireless earbuds, which are essentially a more budget-friendly alternative to the company’s Ear (1), which were previously $99 but as of today are now $149. The Ear (stick) lack the silicone eartips and a lot of the more premium features of the Ear (1), such as noise-cancellation and wireless charging, but they come with lower price tag and a fancy tubular charging case that you can more easily slip into your pocket.
Price: $99
LEARN MORE
Nomad 30W Power Adapter (Transparent)
Courtesy
Nomad announced a transparent version of its 30-watt USB-C GaN wall adapter. It’s exactly the same as the company’s 30-watt USB-C GaN wall adapter, but instead of a matte black (called carbide) finish you can see its inner circuitry. It still supports Power Delivery and is powerful enough to charge an iPad or even a MacBook Air. The other good news is that it still costs $30, so there’s not even a price hike to get this neat design.
Price: $30
LEARN MORE
Contax T2 (x MAD Paris)
Courtesy
The Contax T2 was released in the early ’90s and over 30 years later — thanks to in large part to the resurgence of film photography — it’s still one of the most sought after 35mm film cameras you can buy. This week, the Parisian label MAD Paris released a limited edition collaboration that gives these iconic film cameras a makeover; you can get Contax T2 in one of five different colors. They are available online for preorder at Farfetch and ship October 28.
Price: £4,500 (approx. $5,234)
LEARN MORE
HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S Snow
Courtesy
The Happy Hacking Keyboard is a cornerstone of keyboard nerdery. With its minimalist “60%” layout and the option for completely blank keycaps, the HHKB was minimalist before it was trendy, launching all the way back in 1996. Now, to celebrate the board’s 25th birthday, comes a new addition: the HHKB Professional HYBRID Type-S Snow. In crisp white, especially with a set of all-white blank keycaps, the snow has all the terrific feel of this classic Topre keyboard, but with a whole new, stunning look. The Snow is available now and is a pricey investment at $357, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a better feeling, better looking, highly-portable keyboard for the money.
Price: $357
Leica M6
Courtesy
Leica announced that it’s going to start reproducing its legendary M6 film camera. The 2022 edition of the 35mm rangefinder will be basically identical to the one that was discontinued 20 years. The only real differences will be that the new model will have a brighter viewfinder and a top-plate coating. You’ll be able to purchase the Leica M6 (2022 Edition) on November 3.
Price: $5,295
LEARN MORE
Victrola Music Edition 1 and Music Edition 2
Courtesy
Courtesy
The Music Edition 1 ($100) and Music Edition 2 ($200) are the first portable Bluetooth speakers by Victrola, the company best known for its budget-friendly turntables. Both speakers have striking designs made out of metal. They both have a pretty high IP67 water-resistance rating, and both charge via USB-C as well. The difference between the two speakers is more than size, however. The Music Edition 2, which is slightly larger, also has a built-in wireless charging pad on its top.
Price: $100 (Music Edition 1); $200 (Music Edition 2)
LEARN MORE
Xbox Elite Series 2 (Now Fully Customizable)
Courtesy
Three years after Microsoft released Elite Series 2 — which is considered by many to be the best Xbox controller you can buy — it’s now allowing you to fully customize its components via Xbox Design Lab. That means you can pick and choose the color of its body, back case, D-pad, bumpers, triggers, thumbsticks and buttons.
Price: $150+
LEARN MORE
Horizon MagSafe 3-in-1 Wireless Charger
Courtesy
This neat MagSafe charger popped on Indiegogo. It’s a 3-in-1 wireless charger for your iPhone, Apple Watch and Apple Watch, but it’s unique because it has a really innovative foldable design. You can fold it up or down in a number of different ways and it can take on a number of different shapes. It’s fully compatible with MagSafe, too, and thus can charge the newest iPhones at their fastest potential. And it has a really premium design made out of recycled aluminum.
Price: $140+
10.9-inch iPad
Courtesy
The 10th-generation 10.9-inch has completely new look to its 9th-generation predecessor, the 10.2-inch entry-level iPad. In fact, it adopts many of the same design features — larger display, flat sides, no Home button, Touch ID integrated into the side power button, and a USB-C charging port — as the current iPad Air and iPad mini. The front-facing camera has been moved to the side (so it’s on top when in landscape view) and it supports Center Stage. This new iPad is available in a number of different colors and works with the first-generation Apple Pencil (which requires a Lightning port to charge).
Price: $449+
LEARN MORE
Magic Keyboard Folio
Courtesy
The Magic Keyboard Folio is a new folio-style keyboard that’s specifically designed for the new 10.9-inch iPad. It’s the first keyboard folio for Apple’s entry-level iPads to bring its Magic Keyboard over; these are the same scissor keys (which are clicker and allow for more travel) that are integrated the latest MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros. It’s also Apple’s first folio keyboard to break into two separate parts; you can take off the keyboard and just use the kickstand. It’s only available in white.
Price: $249
LEARN MORE
M2 iPad Pro
Courtesy
The sixth-generation iPad Pro looks the same as its predecessor and is available in the same two sizes: 11-inch and 12.9-inch. And like before, only the 12.9-inch model has the fancier Mini LED display. The big upgrade is that these 2022 models have been upgraded with Apple’s new M2 chip. They support Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, as well. Additionally, this M2 iPad Pro are the only iPad Pros to support a new hover with the Apple Pencil; when almost touching the screen with the stylus, apps will react similar to as if you were hovering over them with your mouse; if you’re in a drawing app, it’ll also preview the color, opacity and thickness of what you’re about to draw or paint.
Price: $799+ (11-inch); $1,099+ (12.9-inch)
LEARN MORE
Apple TV 4K (2022 Model)
Courtesy
Apple announced an updated Apple TV 4K. It looks almost identical to the previous model (which was just updated last year), but it’s 20-percent smaller. Additionally, Apple has given the 2022 model an upgraded A15 Bionic chip and support for HDR10+; this promises faster and better overall performance. It comes with an updated Siri Remote, too, which looks the same but now charges via USB-C instead of Lightning. And Apple actually upped the base storage (now 64GB) and lowered the price considerably. Nice.
Price: $129
LEARN MORE
Logitech Crayon for iPad
Courtesy
The new 10.9-inch iPad supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, but can’t charge it; the old Apple Pencil still needs charges via Lighting and the new iPad made the switch to USB-C. Instead of buying Apple’s new dongle and Apple Pencil to solve this problem, you can buy this updated stylus from Logitech that charges via USB-C. Problem solved. Dongle avoided.
Price: $70
LEARN MORE
KEF Mu7
Courtesy
KEF announced its first pair of wireless headphones with active noise-cancellation — the Mu7 — and at $400, they’re designed and priced to compete with other flagship noise-canceling headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5. The Mu7 sport custom 40mm drivers and support for aptX HD for high-end sound. They get their unique industrial design (made out of aluminum) thanks to partnership with Ross Lovegrove, who has helped KEF design a number of its super expensive loudspeakers. Available in two different shades of grey: silver or charcoal.
Price: $400
Beyerdynamic Xelento
Courtesy
Beyerdynamic announced second-generation models of its Xelento Remote (pictured, $999) and Xelento Wireless ($1,199), which are wired and wireless (neckband-style) in-ear headphones, respectively. And they don’t come cheap. The two models pack the same 11mm dynamic drivers, gold-plated connectors and silver-plated cables. The Xelento Wireless support Bluetooth 5.2 and promise 14 hours of playtime.
Price: $999 (Remote); $1,199 (Wireless)
Microsoft Surface Studio 2 Plus
Courtesy
The Surface Studio 2 Plus is an updated version of its fancy all-in-one desktop, which is notable for its 28-inch touchscreen display that can also fold nearly flat on your desk (so it’s easier to draw on). This new version has updated chipsets (both CPU and GPU), which Microsoft claims doubles its performance, and it has three Thunderbolt 4 ports on its back. And no, it doesn’t come cheap. It’ll be available on October 25.
Price: $4,300
LEARN MORE
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Courtesy
The Surface Laptop 5 is pretty modest update over its predecessor, the Surface Laptop 5, as Microsoft has given it new Intel processors — although there’s no option for AMD chip like before —and USB-C ports with support for Thunderbolt 4. You’ll be able to order it in either 13.5- or 15-inch models. And it’ll be available on October 25.
Price: $999+
LEARN MORE
Microsoft Surface Pro 9
Courtesy
The Surface Pro 9 is Microsoft’s newest 2-in-1 tablet. It’s very similar to the Surface Pro 8, but it packs newer Intel (12-gen) or ARM chipsets and can be purchased with in color aluminum finishes; previously with the Surface Pro 8, you could spruce it up with a colorful keyboard and other accessories. It has the same 13-inch display as its predecessor. It’ll be available on October 25.
Price: $1,000+
LEARN MORE
Acer Swift Edge
Courtesy
Acer is claiming that its Swift Edge is the lightest 16-inch OLED laptop in the world; it weighs 2.58 pounds, which is actually lighter than Apple’s newest 13-inch M2 MacBook Air, which weighs 2.73 pounds — and that’s pretty nuts. The most notable thing on the inside is that the Swift Edge packs a new AMD Ryzen processor, which is supposed to be more energy efficient than Intel’s latest processors, and it’s going to need that efficiency to power such big and bright OLED display.
Price: $1,500
LEARN MORE
Meta Quest Pro
Courtesy
The Quest Pro is the company’s highest-end and most expensive virtual reality headset to date. Compared to the $399 Quest 2, the Quest Pro is better in just about every way — better display, better processor, more memory and it comes with significantly improved controllers— but it’s also being positioned as more of a productivity device than for gaming. It has a new full-color passthrough feature for mixed reality experiences, so you can see the real world with real-time graphics, alerts and notifications.
Price: $1,499
LEARN MORE
Roku Smart Home
Courtesy
Roku has announced its own ecosystem of smart home devices to compete with likes of Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple HomeKit. It’s called the Roku Smart Home and it consists of indoor and outdoor security cameras, a video doorbell, smart lights and smart plugs. All these devices will work with Roku’s voice assistant, Roku Voice, and be compatible with Roku’s new Smart Home app. They will be compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, as well, so buying into Roku’s ecosystem doesn’t completely lock you in either.
Price: Depends on the device
Acer Chromebook 516 GE
Courtesy
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE is really the first Chromebook that’s designed for gaming. It has a 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. It has a RGB keyboard because, well, it’s a gaming laptop. It lacks the souped up processor and graphics card of real gaming laptops, however, and instead depends on a fast internet connection (supports Wi-Fi 6E) for cloud gaming.
Price: $650
LEARN MORE
Sony ZV-1F
Courtesy
The Sony ZV-1F is the company’s newest compact camera for vlogging. It’s just $500, which is its cheapest option to date, and it’s designed for entry-level vloggers looking to upgrade from their smartphone. The Sony ZV-1F is essentially a more budget-friendly option to the Sony ZV-1 ($748); it has a similar 20-megapixel 1-inch sensor, but has 20mm f/2 lens, which is less versatile than the ZV-1’s 24-70mm lens.
Price: $500
LEARN MORE
Sony FX30
Sony
The Sony FX30 is the newest entry in the company’s Cinema Line of digital film cameras. It’s essentially a more budget-friendly version of the FX3. It shares similar body and design, but opts for a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor instead of the FX3’s full-frame sensor. It’s positioned as a compact camera for new filmmakers.
Price: $1,799+
Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Google held its big Pixel event this month where the company announced its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. As you’d expect, they Google’s best-ever smartphones with the most advanced camera capabilities of any Pixel smartphone to date. Both are powered the latest Tensor G2 chip, and they are actually more similar than they are different.
The main differences are that the Pixel 7 Pro has a bigger display, more advanced camera (specifically for zoom) and a longer lasting battery. Both are pretty affordable for flagship smartphones, too.
Price: $599+ (Pixel 7); $899+ (Pixel 7 Pro)
Pro-Ject Vinyl NRS Box S3
Courtesy
The Vinyl NRS Box S3 is new and niche component for your turntable setup. It’s meant to go between your phono preamp and amplifier (or powered speaker). It then filters and reduces the noise (the crackles and skips) that a turntable picks up because the record is slightly damaged or warped. Available in black or silver finishes.
Price: $399
Audioengine DAC3
Courtesy
The Audioengine DAC3 is a tiny portable USB-C DAC/amp that’s designed to squeeze that extra quality out of your smartphone or laptop. It packs a ES9281A PRO DAC and supports high-end lossless audio (up to 32-bit/384kHz including MQA files); it looks to be a perfect and relatively budget-friendly option for people who like to listen to Tidal (or another lossless streaming service) and who have a pair of high-end wired headphones.
Price: $149
Nest Doorbell (Wired)
Courtesy
Google announced a second-generation model of its smart doorbell, the Nest Doorbell — and it’s a modest update. It looks basically identical to its predecessor and has all the same capabilities.
The difference is that it has better local storage capabilities — specifically it can store an hour worth of video footage even if the Wi-Fi goes down temporarily — and it supports HDR, so the video quality it captures should look a little bit better no matter the time of day or the lighting conditions. Available in four finishes: green, gray, beige or white.
Price: $180
Clear Audio Roam Spor
Courtesy
Clear Audio announced a new pair of wireless earbuds for runs and workouts. The Roam Sport have an IPX4 water-resistance rating and have active noise-cancellation. The earbuds look fairly similar to the Beats Fits Pro, as they both work with a silicone earhook to help them fit more securely. The kicker is that they come with $100 price tag, which is very competitive.
Price: $100
LEARN MORE
