The Google Pixel 8 has the best software support of any Android, with the exception of relatively rare devices like the Fairphone. It will receive updates for 7 years and Google will ensure that there are spare parts available for that period too. And Google actually adds exciting new features with its regular Pixel Feature Drops.
You can buy the small model for $550 or get double the storage for $50 more. If that’s too much, the Pixel 7a is also on offer, but we wanted to take a look at another phone first.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE can be purchased for $500, cheaper than the Pixel 8. It won’t have as good software support as the Google phone, but will you really use the same device for 7 years? Anyway, this one also has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 instead of the Tensor G3 and the performance gap between these two is small to negligible. The Pixel has better battery life, while the Galaxy packs a real camera (only 3x, but still).
Note: When you purchase the S23 FE you can also pick up the Galaxy Buds FE for $50 more (they normally cost $80-$100).
As we mentioned, the Google Pixel 7a is also on sale, though at $400 for the 128GB model, there’s not much room between it and the flagship 8-series model. The 7a uses the older Tensor G2 and its display runs at 90Hz instead of 120Hz. Battery life and water resistance are also slightly worse. And the 7a will only receive 3 years of OS updates and 5 years of security patches. However, it costs $150 less.
If you’re in the market for a tablet and want a mid-sized IPS LCD, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE has a 10.9-inch panel with 2,304 x 1,440 px resolution and 90 Hz refresh rate. The slate is powered by Exynos 1380 and an 8,000 mAh battery (45W fast charging). It has IP68 dust and water resistance, so you can use it at the pool or beach, and it comes with an S Pen stylus included. You can easily upgrade the storage via the microSD slot, but you can’t upgrade the RAM, so you may want to get the 256GB model.
As a cheaper alternative, the Amazon Fire Max 11 costs half as much. It has an 11-inch IPS LCD with 2,000 x 1,200 px resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate. The chipset is weaker than what’s inside the Galaxy Tab, but it’s much faster than what we’re used to see in Fire tablets. This also comes with a stylus.
If you just need a budget phone, check out the TCL 40 XL. At $100, this offers a large 6.75-inch 90Hz IPS LCD display, albeit with only HD+ resolution. It has a 5,000 mAh battery (18W charging), a Helio G37 chipset (so 4G connectivity only) and a 50 MP camera (not ultra wide angle). On the plus side, it has stereo speakers and a 3.5mm jack, as well as a microSD slot.
There are many USB chargers out there, but few are as adorable as the UGREEN Nexode RG. This is the 65W model (there are also 30W versions), and it can deliver it via a USB-C port. There are actually two Type-C ports on board and they can split the power between them (45W + 20W). There’s also a USB-A port for use with older cables (this provides up to 20W).
The Doogee V31GT is a rugged phone for outdoors or the construction site. It is rated IP68/IP69K (the latter is for hot water jets), has been drop tested to concrete from 1.8m, and is MIL-STD-810H compliant. This is quite fast with a Dimensity 1080 chip and 12GB of RAM, plus it has a huge 10,800mAh (non-removable) battery with 66W wired charging. There’s a 50MP (1/1.56) main camera “) and, as typical for the brand, there is also a 24 MP night vision camera. The V31GT also includes a thermal imager (256 x 192px).
We’ll end with a pair of XR glasses: the Xreal Air 2 and Air 2 Pro. You can check out our review for more details, but the main difference is that the Pro has a built-in electrochromic dimming mechanism. They are lightweight (72 g) and have a per-eye 1080p OLED display (up to 120 Hz refresh rate) with 49 ppd density. They don’t have any processing power of their own, instead relying on an external device: a phone, a laptop, a tablet, SteamDeck, Nintendo Switch, basically anything that can output video via USB-C.
The Xreal Beam serves as a power bank (4,870 mAh, enough for 3.5 hours of operation) and enables wireless transmission (Miracast and AirPlay) and 3 DoF head tracking. Of course you can use the Air glasses without it, but it’s a handy gadget that enhances the glasses.
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