News

With LEGO’s Insiders’ Days sale officially over, everyone’s favorite brick-building company has just temporarily brought back its popular LEGO D&D Mimic Dice Box GWP (gift with purchase) for LEGO Insiders who purchase the extensive Ideas 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set that first released back at the start of April. There’s also the added bonus of receiving an additional GWP set on top of the Mimic build too, so long as you make your purchase before the cut off date, which we detail below.

After getting a chance to test out the SANDMARC Telephoto zoom lens for capturing distant images recently, it’s now time to bring it up close and personal with its 100mm iPhone Macro Lens. I had a blast with the zoom lens and came away very impressed, and, maybe it’s just me, but I’m having even more fun with the Macro model. Head below for my hands-on impressions of the 100mm iPhone Macro Lens and an exclusive deal in the latest edition of Tested with 9to5Toys.

Update: ASUS has debuted a new 2TB variant of its ROG Ally X handheld gaming console. It is now available to pre-order on Best Buy for $899.99 shipped, which is $100 more than the 1TB variant. This new variant will start shipping on December 9th, 2024.

Just a few weeks after kicking off the pre-orders, ASUS has now officially launched the ROG Ally X gaming handheld for $799.99 shipped. Though not the completely redesigned ROG Ally 2 that we all expected, this new gaming handheld comes with enough changes and improvements that make it worth considering if you are in the market for a powerful Windows gaming handheld. ASUS Online Store seems to have run out of stock at the moment, but you can snag one from Best Buy.

The new Lexar ARMOR 700 is the latest in the brand’s lineup of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2-compatible, USB-C portable SSDs. It lands with a focus on content-creators, wrapped inside of a rugged shell and speeds rated up to 2,000MB/s. We were lucky enough to give the drive a go for the last couple weeks and you’ll find our hands-on impressions of the Apple ProRes-ready solution down below as part of the latest in our Tested with 9to5Toys series. 

Running alongside its ongoing Insiders’ Days sale and following last week’s official reveal of the LEGO 41839 Message Board set, everyone’s favorite brick-building company has officially revealed its counterpart under the same family theme: LEGO 41838 Family Travel Moments build. We got a first look nearly two weeks ago when images leaked from Germany, but now this new set is coming in available for pre-order ahead of its newly designated August release with all the photos and information you could need.

Well we weren’t sure if it was going to make it stateside or not, but the official Nintendo of America  X (Twitter) account has now confirmed the new official first-party two-way Joy-Con Charging Stand will be releasing come October of this year. This announcement and release comes nearly 7.5 years after the launch of Nintendo Switch…is this better late than never or just a sign of the all but imminent Switch 2 inching even closer to release?

After the debut of its new Space Gray Qi2 15W MagSafe Car Charger mount (here’s our hands-on review) and the Thunderbolt 4 Multi-Display Docking Station before that, Satechi has now introduced its new updated 4-In-1 USB-C Hub. This time with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and the latest USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 standard, it delivers an affordable way to expand your MacBook, iPad, and other machine’s connectivity capabilities while still landing the Satechi vibes. Now available for purchase, if you scoop one up soon you’ll be able to take advantage of the current ongoing sitewide sale that will knock 20% off your total using SITEWIDE20 at checkout too. Head below or more details. 

The new smart Eve Weather Station with Matter is making its debut today. The popular smart home brand has been steadily introducing multi-platform Matter standard to its range of popular smart home gear over the last couple of years, including its Matter smart plug, Eve Energy Outlet, and Motion Sensor, among others, and its Weather Station has now joined the party. The new Eve Weather Station with Matter is now available for purchase at the same price as the previous version – the HomeKit model remains in the lineup and Eve is offering up a free Matter firmware upgrade for existing devices.

Update: I guess we should have seen this coming, but Xbox has now let Deadpool design a controller for Wolverine as well in celebration of the upcoming film. It’s about as cheeky as the last one and you can get some additional images down below.

We have seen some fun and wild custom, special edition Xbox controllers over the years for sure, but only Deadpool himself could pull this one off. In anticipation of the Marvel Studio Deadpool & Wolverine flick hitting the silver screen later this month, Deadpool and the Xbox squad have teamed up on the “the Cheekiest Xbox Controller”  that everyone will “want to get their hands on.” Head below for more details on how to score the custom Merc with a Mouth (and a perfectly rounded posterior) controller. 

The best Amazon Prime Day deals are already starting to land! We are now just under 12 hours away from the official start of the 2024 summer Amazon Prime Day sale, but the deals are already flying folks. While more items are surely inbound early tomorrow morning, there are already some solid price drops landing across various product categories with the official Prime Day pricing now at the ready. Plenty of Amazon’s in-house tech is already at insanely low prices, but loads of brands have jumped the line to get things kicked off well ahead of time this year. Head below for a closer look at the best Prime Day deals and be sure to head back throughout the next 48 hours and beyond as we will be updating this post constantly. 

Let’s explore how to get the best deal on Galaxy Watch Ultra and the new Samsung Galaxy Watch 7. Pre-orders on the new Samsung wearables went live earlier this week, and with all of the free instant credit potential alongside some tricky moves to bring the price down on the official Samsung site, there’s are some serious savings here. But you’ll want to act fast to score your pre-order soon because sizing, colors, and free band add-on stock is running low in some cases. So head below as we dive into how to get the best deal on Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Watch 7. 

These days the Bluetooth speaker market can feel overcrowded. This has caused many manufacturers to add lots of gimmicky features that may catch attention at first, but don’t actually matter in the long run. That’s why I was refreshed by the thought of Tribit’s latest portable Bluetooth speaker, StormBox 2. It focuses on the basics and not much else. This is what I’ve loved about the StormBox Micro that I purchased four years ago. It has delivered solid battery life and a surprising amount of power despite its compact form factor. So when Tribit offered to send a review unit of StormBox 2, I was thrilled to accept. Continue reading to get my hands-on impressions as part of the latest entry to the Tested with 9to5Toys series.

You’re reading Tested with 9to5Toys, where we explore everyday tech essentials that make life a bit easier. Browse through our entire guide for all of the latest reviews, and sound off in the comments below if there’s something you’d like to see featured.

More and more engines seem to be rumbling in the LEGO garages, with everyone’s favorite brick-built company revealing the next upcoming Technic 42177 Mercedes-Benz G 500 PROFESSIONAL Line set, which will join both the Technics 42174 Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 Yacht and 42172 McLaren P1 sets for an August release. Now available for pre-order on both LEGO’s direct site and Amazon, we’ve got plenty of info and pictures to share with you down below, so get your keys in that ignition and lets get moving!

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 are now up for pre-order, and you can save big with a $100 credit when you order through our links right here. A bunch of new cases for these phones have also started flowing in, and it’s now time to look at some affordable picks from Spigen’s sister brand, Caseology. Much like Spigen’s collection for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6, these cases also punch above their weight class, offering solid protection with stylish designs.

Expanding its affordable, foldable sim-racing cockpits line-up, the Next Level Racing Formula Lite Pro comes in at just $300. It’s designed to pack down and be easily stored with all of the sim-racing hardware still attached. But does it provide the strength and comfort needed for long gaming sessions? Be sure to hit the video below to find out. 

The new Samsung Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 handsets have arrived with massive pre-order deals now live (you can score an extra $100 instant credit with our deal right here), and that means the new cases are starting to flood in. We already featured the more casual Spigen models, and now it’s time for the military-inspired and magnetic models from UAG. Urban Armor Gear has been a brand we have featured around here for some time – I have become a big fan of its unapologetic rugged design sensibilities and it’s ready to bring it all to Samsung’s latest foldables starting today. 

Excitement is abuzz as always within the LEGO fandom, with plenty of reasons to look forward to the coming months – especially next month’s LEGO Star Wars releases! We’ve seen one new Technic kit so far in the August lineup, the 42174 Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 Yacht, and today, everybody’s brick-building company has revealed another that will join alongside it: the LEGO Technics 42172 McLaren P1 set. We’ve got plenty of info and pictures to share with you down below, with pre-orders not yet open.

The brand new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 pre-orders are now live with major price drops (you can score a bonus $100 credit if you order through our links right here instead of the $50 Samsung offered by the way), and the new Spigen case collection is now arriving with some light launch deals of its own. Spigen has long since been a brand we promote around here for offering relatively affordable solutions that tend to hit will above their pay grade, with many of our favorite Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 designs now available for purchase. Head below for a closer look at all of them alongside some early launch deals. 

Update: Journey has informed us that stock is running very low on its new MOTION Apple Watch bands with the 25% off launch deal folks!

While it wasn’t in-stock or available as part of the brand’s July 4th sale, the new Journey Apple Watch band has arrived and it has a nice pre-order launch deal in tow. The new Journey MOTION Apple Watch Sport Band is set to begin shipping next week, but in the meantime, the official site is now offering a straight up 25% price drop to land one at what will almost certainly be the best price we track until the end-of-year sitewide events – Journey almost never offers more than 20% off its gear outside of Black Friday and these early bird specials. Head below for a closer look at the new Journey MOTION Apple Watch Sport Band. 

Here at 9to5Toys, many of our readers as well as our writers are huge fans of innovative charging solutions. This ranges from Anker’s powerful 167.5W car charger to UGREEN’s new 2-in-1 MagSafe charging station, among a bunch of others. That’s why the recently-released Baseus detachable power strip caught my attention. I typically take an overnight trip around once a month and it’s always a bit cumbersome to pull together all of my charging gear. I thought that one of latest releases from Baseus could help alleviate this, and it turns out that my suspicions were correct. Keep on reading to get my hands-on impressions as part of the latest entry to the Tested with 9to5Toys series.

You’re reading Tested with 9to5Toys, where we explore everyday tech essentials that make life a bit easier. Browse through our entire guide for all of the latest reviews, and sound off in the comments below if there’s something you’d like to see featured.

Going right along with yesterday’s leaked photos of the new LEGO 41838 Travel Moments set, LEGO has officially revealed another new set that will be apart of the now confirmed family theme: The 41839 Message Board, which is eyeing an August release date. This new LEGO sub-theme is focused on family time – whether that is planning and taking trips across our globe or sending cute messages to each other to remind us that we love and are loved. We’ve got plenty of info and pictures to share with you down below, with pre-orders not yet open.

We just recently had a chance to go hands-on with SANDMARC’s Telephoto iPhone zoom lens (and loved every second of it by the way), and the brand is back today to take it way back with some vintage filmic vibes for your iPhone. While its latest releases in the iPhoneography space have focused on bringing distant subjects up close and personal, or bringing every water droplet on a blooming flower to life, its new Retro Filter for iPhone captures that classic, vintage vibe of yesteryear. And we have an exclusive deal down below so you can add it to your arsenal this summer at a discount. 

We are no strangers to Peak Design accessories around here, from its iPhone cases and Qi2 car mounts to camera attachments, bags, and its motorcycle gear. The brand is debuting its new lineup motorcycle phone mounts today, in two flavors, without charging capabilities and with blazing-fast Qi2 15W charging action. The trusted brand has taken to Kickstarter to debut its new gear to let folks in early ahead of the shipping window later this year, but that also means there’s some serious early bird pricing up for grabs with as much as $356 in savings. Check it all out down below. 

Today, Nomad is introducing “the first AC adapter with an Apple Watch puck built-in.” The new 65W AC Power Adapter Apple Watch Edition is very much what it sounds like, a powerful wall adapter with an integrated Apple Watch charger. The brand has been on a roll this year with an ultra-thin 35W Slim Power Adapter before the debut of its wonderful Apple Find My Tracking Card with MagSafe charging (I love this thing), and today it is turning its attention back to the charging space with the unique new combo wall solution. Now available for purchase directly on the brand’s official site, head below for a closer look at the new Nomad 65W AC Power Adapter Apple Watch Edition. 

Following the reveal of three new Xbox consoles at the 2024 Game Showcase last month, the Robot White 1TB Xbox Series S is now available for pre-orders at $349.99 shipped. It’s scheduled to release on October 15, and it’ll join the 1TB Carbon Black version that’s currently going for $349 shipped. This new model doubles the amount of storage available compared on the launch model, making it perfect for those often ran out of storage for games.

Logitech has added a new wireless gaming mouse to its catalog called the Logitech G309, featuring the tried-and-tested HERO 25K sensor. Now up for purchase on Amazon at $79.99, the new Logitech G309 comes in both black and white colorways, and the company says this mouse can can deliver up to 600 hours of gameplay on a regular Bluetooth connection, or up to 300 hours of low-latency 1ms LIGHTSPEED gameplay on a single AA battery.

These last few weeks have been buys with plenty of LEGO news and reveals keeping excitement abuzz and now today we’re getting another first look at a new upcoming set for the nomadic spirits among you. Courtesy of German retailer, Alternate, we’re getting the first leaked images of the peculiar new 41838 Family Travel Moments set that is slated to release this coming October, and which seems to be part of a new LEGO sub-theme after seeing its unique packaging.

Today we are taking a hands-on look at the new JBL Live Beam 3 earbuds that were unveiled earlier this year. This time landing with a more AirPods Pro-like form-factor, the noise cancelling action also joins the brand’s latest iteration of its Smart Charging Case complete with an onboard touchscreen. The question is whether or not it’s just a gimmick, and if the sound experience can hold up to the $200 price tag. Head below for a closer look and some hands-on impressions.

Update: Amazon has issued and official press release for the brand new Echo Spot smart speaker with additional details. You’ll find them down below.

Amongst all of the now live early Prime Day deals on Amazon in-house tech, the retail giant has just delivered a new 2024 iteration of the Echo Spot seemingly out of nowhere. This smart speaker is essentially an updated version of the previous-generation Spot, taking on a more elevated form-factor similar to what we see on the entry-level Echo Pop. The new 2024 Amazon Echo Spot features all of the Alexa voice control prowess you would expect, but adds a customizable nightstand or desktop-ready display to the experience. The new speaker seems to have just went live on Amazon with a discounted launch deal marking it down from the $80 MSRP to just $44.99 shipped for Prime members as part of its early Prime Day offers – there’s no telling how long this deal might last. 

We have been featuring the Flexispot office gear around here for years, including its ergonomic chairs and standing desks. They are a popular grab among 9to5Toys readers and staffers alike – Simon adores his new Flexispot chair – and I thought it was time to see what all the fuss was about. I had never used a Flexispot chair up until now, so when the opportunity popped up to score the brand’s flagship C7 model for review, I sat down on it immediately. And my back is very glad I did. Head below for my hands-on impressions of the Flexispot C7 office chair. 

LEGO is kicking off today’s holiday with a summer blockbuster throwback! The company has officially revealed the upcoming Ideas 21350 Jaws build set, with more photos and some new information, but no way to pre-order it yet. Coming right in the wake of the LEGO Technic 42174 Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 Yacht set’s unveiling, as well as the most recent first looks at the LEGO Star Wars 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter set, this Jaws build is the 58th addition to the LEGO Ideas lineup that will make landfall a few days later than initially reported. Get more details alongside a closer look with more images down below.

The latest from Samsung’s popular Galaxy lineup is on the way. And if our experts at 9to5Google are right (and they always are), the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Fold 6, as well as the new Galaxy Ring and the latest generation Galaxy Watch 7 and Galaxy Watch Ultra are likely to get a full reveal early next month. And that’s why today’s no strings attached Samsung Reserve promotion is so notable – all you have to do is drop your name and email address down to score $50 off your pre-order. No credit cards, no commitments, nothing, just a name and email address to score your FREE credit towards the new devices, and you don’t even have to end up pre-ordering anything when the time comes if you change your mind. It’s frankly a no-brainer to sign-up to ensure your credit is there in case you want it. 

We’re getting yet another first look at an upcoming LEGO Star Wars building set inspired by the Rebuild the Galaxy Disney+ special, going right along with our coverage of the 75389 The Dark Falcon and 75393 TIE Fighter and X-Wing Mash-up sets to be released in August. Courtesy of TidBricks, along with some deep diving into LEGO forums across the web, we have our first image of the 75388 Jedi Bob’s Starfighter set.

Needless to say, brand name apparel and footwear fetches a premium just for the logo on the tag. We all know this, we all sort of hate this, but most of us pay the list price anyway. And that’s fine, sometimes the logo on the tag does come alongside a better quality product, that’s for sure, but sometimes it doesn’t. On top of that, simply due to the inherent nature of the product itself, it really doesn’t matter all that much and, in many cases, this is particualrly true in the apparel space. That’s where these Soothfeel Linerless Shorts come in. 

There’s been plenty of LEGO buzz of late that is certainly getting fans excited, with tons of LEGO Star Wars news and reveals alongside the most recent Technic 42174 Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 Yacht set unveiling. Today, we take a swim into the waters of LEGO Ideas, where both images and a very cute teaser trailer have been surfacing as first glimpses of the upcoming 21350 Jaws build set, including its pricing. This new set will be released alongside a variety of other LEGO kits this coming August. Get more details alongside a closer look with more images down below.

This year, Beyerdynamic is adding to its gaming headset line-up with the brand new $330 MMX 300 Pro. We’ve gone hands-on with the MMX 100, 150, and 200 in the past, but the MMX 300 Pro utilizes the Stellar.45 driver from Beyerdynamic’s studio headphones and has been designed with long term comfort and repairability in mind. Does that make it worth the premium price tag? Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

Noctua has finally taken the wraps off its highly-anticipated NH-D15 G2 CPU cooler. Now up for purchase on Amazon, the NH-D15 G2 is company’s flagship CPU cooler that improves upon the iconic NH-D15. Noctua has also released the new NF-A14x25r G2 round-frame 140mm fans to go with the new flagship cooler, though they’re yet to go live on the Amazon links we’re tracking.

We’ve been giving you plenty of LEGO Star Wars excitement of late, and now we’re switching it up to shine a light on an upcoming addition to the LEGO Technic lineup, the 42174 Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 Yacht, which has been revealed by the company in celebration of the Americas Cup. This kit will be sailing right alongside its LEGO Star Wars counterparts to its August release date, letting builders and fans alike re-create the AC75 Yacht, the current holder, in scaled Technic format. Get more details alongside a closer look with more images down below.

June was quite the busy month in terms of LEGO news and releases, and today we’re bringing you an update on one of the most anticipated LEGO Star Wars sets coming onto the scene in just a month. The company has just revealed its new LEGO 75398 C-3PO figure building set, including its pricing, that will be released alongside a variety of other LEGO Star Wars kits this coming August. Get more details alongside a closer look with more images down below.

Logitech expanded is lineup of dedicated peripherals for Mac users at the end of May with the new MX Keys S for Mac. Since then I have had a chance to go hands-on with it in my home office, in fact many for the articles you have been reading in that time have indeed been written on it. I like this keyboard, but does it have what it takes to dethrone my Apple Magic Keyboard and take its place  as my new daily driver? Head below for a closer look at the user experience and my hands-on impressions. 

Update: Amazon is now offering the first chance to save on the new 8BitDo C64 keyboard with Super Buttons and Super Stick at $98.99 shipped by way of an on-page coupon.

Last summer the folks over at 8BitDo unleashed their epic NES and Famicom edition mechanical keyboards, complete with the giant programmable Super Buttons, and now, the new C64 edition has arrived. A popular release among 9to5 readers originally, fans of the classic Commodore 64 are in for a treat with this latest release. Complete with a similarly retro vibe alongside just about all of the modern amenities found on the now discounted NES and Famicom versions, the new 8BitDo Retro Mechanical Keyboard C64 edition is now available for pre-order ahead of release. Head below for a closer look and more details. 

The LEGO Star Wars fandom has been quite abuzz this week, what with the many upcoming build sets being spotted abroad, giving us our first insights at what to expect come August. Today, we’re adding two more to our list of reveals, thanks to German retailer, Lucky Bricks, who has given us the chance to check out the 75385 Ahsoka Tano’s Duel on Peridea set alongside the 75396 Desert Skiff and Sarlacc Pit set. Head below to get a closer look at all these new kits have to offer.

Update: LEGO has officially revealed the 75392 Creative Play Droid Builder set for pre-order at $99.99 shipped.

The big reveals just keep on coming! Hot on the heels of our coverage of the upcoming LEGO Star Wars C-3PO figure, as well as the The Dark Falcon and TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-Up sets, we’ve got yet another first look for you. Courtesy of an Australian LEGO certified Store, these are the first insights into what to expect from the playful LEGO 75392 Creative Play Droid Builder set that is poised for official launch come August 1, 2024.

It’s been a week of LEGO Star Wars deals and reveals here, and just over a week after we shared the first looks at the upcoming Dark Falcon and TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash-Up sets, we’re back with another first look at the next building set in the lineup. Courtesy of a LEGO certified Singaporean Store, we’re getting an early look at the new LEGO 75398 C-3PO figure building set that is slated to release on August 1, 2024.

If you have a couple of pets running around your home like I do, once you clean floors, it doesn’t take very long for hair and small messes to build back up. This is why daily robot vacuum cleanings have been a game changer for me. Rarely do I even get to see a mess appear, let alone stick around and get worse over subsequent days. After reviewing one of ECOVACS’ best robot vacuum cleaners, it was time to have a look at what its sub-brand, Yeedi, could do. Continue reading to learn about unboxing, performance, and some of the quirks I have run into while reviewing this unit.

NZXT’s latest case is a further iteration of one of its older cases – the H7 Flow. It takes design elements from dual chamber cases like the H9 and H6, and delivers a spacious area for building and ample room for fans. With a vertical PSU mount, the new H7 Flow can fit three 120mm fans on bottom, 360mm radiator up top, and a 420mm radiator in front. Be sure to hit the video below to see all of the details. 

Amazon’s Fire TV sticks, especially the flagship 4K Max model, have been popular among 9to5Toys readers, but they are about to get another sweet new feature to add even more value, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. While we did previously see Xbox bring its Game Pass cloud service directly into the Samsung Gaming Hub on its smart TVs, today’s announcement marks one of the first times it will expand beyond that. This all starts next month and you can get all of the details down below.