Spring has definitely sprung right here at Engadget. Properly, it has by way of critiques, at the very least. We’ve put over a dozen units by way of their paces since my final roundup, which provides you numerous to atone for over the weekend. Learn on for the rundown of all of the critiques you may’ve missed.
ASUS ZenBook A16
ASUS
The Zenbook A16 is the lightest 16-inch ultraportable we’ve seen but, and it’s surprisingly succesful due to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 chips.
Execs
- Surprisingly gentle
- Polished design
- Glorious OLED display screen
- Tons of ports
- Massive efficiency leap over X1 chips
Cons
- Potential Arm incompatibilities
- Doesn’t help all PC video games
ASUS’ ZenBook A14 didn’t stay as much as our expectations final yr, however now the corporate is again with a 16-inch machine and a shot at redemption: the A16. “Compatibility points apart, the ZenBook A16 delivers nearly all the pieces I would like in an ultraportable,” senior reporter Devindra Hardawar stated. “It’s received a beautiful OLED display screen and all the ports you want. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite chips additionally give it a much-needed energy enhance. And better of all, it is one of many lightest and sleekest 16-inch Home windows laptops I’ve come throughout.”
Apple AirPods Max 2
Apple/Engadget
The H2 chip delivers a number of recent options, but it surely’s time for a complete redesign on these dear headphones.
Execs
- Comfy
- Glorious sound high quality
- Numerous new options
Cons
- Identical design, once more
- Costly
- Just one listening to well being function
Till this yr, Apple’s solely updates to the AirPods Max have been new colours and a USB-C port. The corporate lastly gave its dear over-ear headphones the highly effective H2 chip, delivering a number of helpful options from the AirPods Professional. “The H2 chip brings Apple’s over-ear headphones on par with the remainder of the AirPods lineup, specifically the AirPods Professional 3,” I stated. “And since I don’t count on Apple to announce new earbuds this yr, that parity ought to stay for some time.”
Sonos Play
Sonos / Engadget
The Play sounds nice, has a large and versatile function set and gained’t break the financial institution. It’s a welcome return to kind for Sonos.
Execs
- Compact design
- Nice sound high quality for its measurement
- Options like line-in and Bluetooth grouping make it extraordinarily versatile
- Lengthy battery life
Cons
- Doesn’t include an influence adapter
- Extra colours can be welcome
Sonos badly wanted a win. Fortunately, the corporate regained a few of its mojo with a brand new transportable speaker that gives one of the best of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in the identical machine. “The newest Sonos speaker provides spectacular sound high quality, flexibility and portability, and it’s the type of product that may assist Sonos rebuild its status after its current difficulties,” deputy editor Nathan Ingraham stated.
LG Sound Suite
LG/Engadget
LG’s newest residence theater system provides immersive sound and many choices. It’s costly although, and the marquee function isn’t at all times straightforward to make use of.
Execs
- Detailed and expansive residence theater audio
- Dolby FlexConnect is genuinely helpful
- Nice for music
- Straightforward to make use of as particular person audio system
Cons
- Costly
- Irritating setup and connectivity
- Every merchandise is bought individually
- Some configurations require LG TVs
After a formidable CES debut, LG’s Sound Suite was my most anticipated evaluate of the yr. Regardless of spectacular sound high quality and Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, there are nonetheless some kinks to work out in each the setup and normal use. “There’s no denying that LG has created a strong and immersive front room expertise with its Sound Suite lineup,” I stated. “Whereas I did expertise some setup and software program points, these are issues LG can iron out over time — Sound Suite continues to be model new, in spite of everything.”
DJI Avata 360, Fender Audio, Nebula X1 Professional and extra
The previous few weeks have been fairly audio-heavy right here at Engadget, together with the primary headphones and audio system from Fender Audio, two units of headphones from JBL and the Roland Go: Mixer Studio. I additionally reviewed the primary of Sony’s 2026 soundbars, the Bravia Theater Bar 5, and contributing reporter Steve Dent reviewed the Anker Soundcore Nebula X1 Professional all-in-one projector.
Senior reporter Sam Rutherford actually took one for the staff and spent a while with the Robosen Soundwave Transformers robotic. Lastly, Steve took flight with the DJI Avata 360 drone, which is a direct reply to Insta360’s Antigravity A1.
