Samsung Galaxy Ring and our pick of the Pixel 9 phones

With the Made By Google hardware release event moved up a couple of months (possibly to placate everyone after the gruelingly AI-focused I/O in May), Google stole plenty of headlines with a quartet of dashingly redesigned and well-equipped devices. But those were far from the only awesome electronics we got our hands on from big-name and up-and-coming manufacturers last month.

Some, like Samsung’s advanced smart ring and watch, came after months of anticipation. A handful of other devices crept up with little fanfare, including additions to lineups like the Onyx Boox e-readers and Arlo security cameras. Add in a pair of excellent mid- and upper-midrange earbuds, and we’ve had an impressive slate of gadgets cross the review desk recently.

1 Google Pixel 9 Pro

The Pixel 8 family isn’t exactly getting long in the tooth (and there are still great phones to consider), but Google recognized their clear shortcomings and upgraded the Pixel 9 lineup accordingly. Most eye-catching for a majority of users, the Pixel 9 Pro now sports the company’s best hardware and software, but in an identical form factor to the base model Pixel — something a lot of us have been hoping for since even the Pixel 8 Pro’s release.

It may not top the performance or battery life charts the way some demanding enthusiasts would hope, but the Pixel 9 Pro comes close enough to compete with the best in every category. Most importantly, it strikes a balance of features, hardware capability, software support, and redesigned appearance that make for a notably different phone than in the last few years.

Gone are the soft curves introduced with the Pixel 6; the Pixel 9 Pro’s clean lines and flat sides are eerily reminiscent of competing flagships from Samsung and Apple. On top of the ever-increasing AI tool array, Google’s compact flagship retains the industry-leading picture-taking experience that makes Pixels so incredibly popular. You’ll have a hard time finding anything that matches its overall experience at this size — although the base Pixel 9 isn’t that far off and the 9 Pro XL offers similar excellence in a full-size package.

2 Samsung Galaxy Ring

Forget tablets, phones, and even smartwatches. As microchips shrink and software gets more powerful, we’ve seen increasing hype surrounding the smallest possible wearables. But smart rings were largely wishful thinking or even science fiction until the Samsung Galaxy Ring dropped on July 24. Sure, its $400 asking price is a little steep, but it’s not just first-gen technology, it’s also pretty effective.

Naturally, you wouldn’t expect something so minuscule to perform the same functions as a smartwatch. But it’s far from a gimmick, even when used on its own, and even as Samsung largely implies, it works best as an accessory to one of its famed Galaxy watches. Granted, the lack of a screen means you can’t reference it for anything while exercising; you’ll need to bring your phone along to actively get any information out of it when you’re on the go. But it does provide competent health tracking without interference while adding some style.

For data like blood oxygen levels, sleep quality, and even sleep cycles, there’s nothing more streamlined. The Galaxy Ring is durable, comfortable, and functional enough to wear to the gym — AP Editor Dominic Preston had no trouble lifting weights while wearing it, although, it did pick up micro scratches pretty easily. But nobody would guess at first glance that it’s packed with high-tech sensors.

It works essentially the same with all Android devices, and you almost certainly won’t miss the Galaxy phone-exclusive gesture controls. The battery lasts an entire week, far longer than most smartwatches, so you’ll rarely have to take it off to charge and miss valuable data. You’ll get more in-depth data during a workout with one of the various great smartwatches, but the Galaxy Ring is usefully mature for the industry giant’s first foray into the smallest wearables yet.

3 OnePlus Pad 2

Chinese tablet manufacturers have been knocking it out of the park lately, with models like the Xiaomi Pad Pro delivering impressive performance at low prices. The OnePlus Pad 2, a follow-up to a 2023 release that came somewhat out of nowhere, checks all the right boxes to compete with the big boys but costs hundreds less than similarly sized industry leaders.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-a-chip, remarkable resolution and refresh rate, and large battery with blazing-fast charging combine to allow this $550 slate to handle just about any task with aplomb. The battery lasts far longer than any laptop, yet pair it with the mated Smart Keyboard, and you’ll basically get the laptop experience — especially once Android 15 and its desktop mode get the OxygenOS treatment and make it to the Pad 2.

It performs neck and neck with leaders like the Galaxy Tab S9+ but costs more, like the S9 FE+. And the OnePlus Stylo 2 stylus (unfortunately sold separately, like all its accessories) makes for precise drawing and ultra-convenient use. We had a few complaints about the collection as a whole, one being a lack of optional mobile data, but that’s not a common inclusion. Altogether, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything as good as the OnePlus Pad 2 in its price range.

4 JBL Live Beam 3

Even the best phones and tablets tend to follow predictable patterns, and it’s easy to get excited about something as novel as a smart ring. JBL, on the other hand, adds something quite cool to a product that’s normally pretty run-of-the-mill. The Live Beam 3 earbuds combine exceptional sound, great battery, and a comfortable form factor with an informative touch display case that no other company’s done anything like yet.

They cost less than the similarly equipped JBL Tour Pro 2, but the comparable case has seen just the refinements needed, like a novel and useful touchscreen. It is a bit bulky, but it’s easy to use, sports a rugged lanyard loop, and lets you control your music player, noise cancellation, and equalizer without touching your phone. There is room to expand the screen’s functionality, but it does a great job as is. And with sound quality and ANC performance rivaling the best, these are actually a good deal, even at $200.

5 Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

Competitors have (very) slowly chipped away at a certain fruit-themed electronics company’s smartwatch dominance, and Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra marks the most high-end attempt yet at dethroning the market leader. It’s big — and so is its price — so it’s not for everyone, but it’s packed with a feature set you won’t find anywhere else, provided you’re a Galaxy smartphone user.

But if your wrist and wallet are big enough, and your phone Samsung enough, the Watch Ultra delivers some of the best wearable tech yet. Atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea detection, plus an AI-powered Energy Score that utilizes Galaxy AI, make it one of the most health-aware wearables you can buy. Without a Galaxy phone, unfortunately, you’d miss out on those three key features.

Overall, the Watch Ultra is the boldest wrist computer on today’s market. Its 47mm face (the only size it comes in) sports the best-looking display we’ve seen. An Exynos W1000, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage drive Wear OS 5 to deliver impressive performance.

Every Watch Ultra supports LTE connectivity, although you can get by with just Wi-Fi if you don’t want to pay for a phone plan. It’s even durable enough for swimming and features it as an exercise activity. If you want the best and can afford it, this is it, but it’s not for anybody with skinny wrists.

6 Onyx Boox Go 10.3

Great E Ink note-taking tablets have been having a bit of a moment lately, as users put down their multipurpose Android slates and look to tech focused on distraction-free productivity. The 10.3-inch Onyx Boox Go absolutely shines in that department. It’s not cheap but does come with a premium stylus and magnetic cover.

The Boox Go 10.3 is as clean-looking and simply designed as can be, with one of the most crisp, high-resolution displays on a device of its kind. At under 5mm (even including the luxurious synthetic leather back), it can’t get much thinner. And its high-contrast, top-of-the-line display registers stylus marks so well that we had trouble distinguishing them from actual marker ink. The panel’s so clear and reflective that it doesn’t really suffer from its lack of lighting — we just never needed it, even in dim settings.

Onyx has a ton of interface and feature experience at this point, and it shows with the 10-inch Boox Go. The company’s apps are intuitive and powerful, and the microphone and speakers work better than you’d expect given the device’s form factor. If you’re dedicated to handwritten notes, it’s the best way to take them.

7 CMF Buds Pro 2

From the budget arm of stylish up-and-coming manufacturer Nothing, the CMF Buds Pro 2 offer a lot of features and above-average sound. As much as they’re just good earbuds for the price, they follow in the Nothing ethos’ footsteps with a characteristic design language and some handy, lightweight innovation, to boot. A customizable Smart Dial on the case lets you adjust the volume and tracks without touching your phone, and the app is one of our favorites. They even have spatial audio , if that’s your thing.

They use the common stem-style construction, although they aren’t quite the most comfortable earbuds we’ve reviewed. Like a lot of other popular earbuds today, they’re also pretty bass-heavy, but you can make up for that somewhat with equalization. From the standpoint of easy use, good sound, and great looks, they’re a good choice, especially if you can find them at a discount (which at the time of writing you could).

8 Arlo Essential Indoor Camera

It’s rare to get excited about a camera, but Arlo’s Essential Indoor Camera does something almost no others do. Its automatic privacy shutter makes it far and away the best choice for anybody who isn’t enthused about turning their whole life into a movie. Simply disarm the camera and an opaque cover slides over the lens.

This kind of feature appeals to us not just because of the peace-of-mind factor. It’s also just super convenient. You can use any old knickknack to obscure your camera at a moment’s notice. The Essential does it for you. And we didn’t notice having to sacrifice any functionality in exchange. Arlo’s made a lot of great models, and as a camera, it works great, with sharp images at 2K resolution day and night. At $80, it’s not terribly expensive, and there’s even a 1080p version priced at half that.

9 What’s coming in September

We have some highly anticipated devices undergoing testing right now, with editors hard at work digging into Google’s latest Pixel Watch and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. We’ll also be sharing our findings on various interesting accessories, like some sleep-forward earbuds, power banks, gaming controllers, and at least one particularly novel tablet.

Outside the Android sphere, September 9 also holds the promise of a new slate of iPhones. For the sake of objectivity (and, because let’s be honest, iPhones are great devices), you’ll probably find some fair commentary from AP on Apple’s latest flagships. We’ll also continue to push the new Pixel phones as hard as possible, so keep an eye out for any ongoing updates to those reviews.