We want to see your tech drawer (the more embarrassing the better)

Let’s imagine for a second that you can only choose one type of secondary camera lens for your phone. The choices are either a telephoto lens or an ultrawide lens; you can’t have both. Which do you choose?

For me, I’d go with telephoto, as I have pets and enjoy taking pictures of them from a distance so that I can capture their excitement without interrupting their fun. Of course, ultrawide is handy if you enjoy taking images of landscapes and the like. So it’s a tough call all around. Still, you can only choose one, so which will it be? Hit the comments to let us know, as I have a feeling one will be more popular than the other.

Now that Apple is starting to offer more and more of the features that made Android unique, like the recent addition of RCS messaging, it’s getting harder and harder to tell the two systems apart. Where using one operating system over another is becoming less about features and more about looks and branding. Still, there are some areas where Android excels and others where iOS comes out on top. For me, I choose Android because it is still more open than iOS, allowing me to easily sideload whatever I want, and I can even dip into ADB if I really need to change something, like remove a default app. I’ve used iOS plenty, but overall, it just feels locked down, and most workarounds often cost money.

But what about you, what is the major dealbreaker that holds you back from mainlining iOS? Hit the comments to let us know.

I only recently switched to a Pixel 9, and I have to say I love the experience. Android feels more polished, the user experience more cohesive, and I appreciate that. But Pixel’s don’t always have the best reputation, with bugs and other issues typically cropping up after release. But this year seems different, partly because Google has held Android 15 back, which means Pixel 9 users are on a more stable and tested system, at least for the time being. This has certainly worked in Google’s favor, but for some, I’m sure the reputation remains lacking.

So, I have a question for all you Pixel users out there. Why did you choose to buy a Pixel over any of the other OEMs? Is it brand loyalty, do you simply prefer the experience Google offers, or is there another factor why you choose Pixel over the competition?

Many smartphones come out every year, but none of them have convinced me to leave my three-year-old iPhone 13 behind. I imagine this is the case for a lot of people, regardless of their platform allegiances, because why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a new phone that isn’t radically different from your old one?

This is something Nick Todorov touched on earlier this week, as he wondered if we need new flagship phones every year if the innovation is barely there. The reality is pretty simple, though: if you want the newest, shiniest phone, it’s right there. If you don’t, then hey, you’re not missing much, and you can put that money towards your hobby, your home, or new tires for your car because one went flat at the worst time.

Our reviews of the Pixel 9 trio might be live, but we’re far from done with talking about new Google hardware. Next up, we’re focusing our attention on Google’s second-gen foldable, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. New name, new design, same overwhelming focus on AI that wound up receiving some mixed feelings from all three of our previous Pixel 9 reviews. We’ll have plenty more to say about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in the weeks to come — including a full review — but in the meantime, let us know what you’re most curious about, and we’ll be sure to address it just as soon as we can say more.

This week has been an absolute whirlwind. After flying across the country to experience Made By Google in-person, I’m back home and ready to hunker down for the incoming storm that is the Pixel review period. With the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL set to launch in just a week — and with the Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro Fold following soon after — we want to know what you want our reviewers to focus on by leaving a comment on this very post.

Our Pixel reviews tend to be some of the longest on the site — and considering I tend to write long reviews as it is, that’s saying something. Google’s focus on rolling out countless new software features can make it a real challenge to hit every change in-depth, though I’m always aiming to make sure our readers are as familiar with the experience as possible before they decide to upgrade. After all, the best reviews can help make up your mind for you.

Whether you’re curious about Gemini

Google’s released a boatload of new products this summer, including four phones, two watches, and a smart thermostat. But we’ve still got more look forward to. The Google TV Streamer, heir apparent to the Chromecast legacy, is set to hit store shelves next week. Judging by what we know about the $100 set-top box so far, it’s essentially a souped up Chromecast with Google TV, featuring updated hardware and a new form factor, more storage space, and a built-in Thread radio for smart home hub functionality. 

But with the release date less than a week away, we wanted to ask: what do you want to know about the Google TV Streamer? Drop your questions in the comments here, and we’ll do our best to answer them over the coming weeks.

We’ve had ample time with Google’s latest Pixel phones, and the general consensus here at AP is that they’re all quite good, but Google hardware season isn’t over yet. Personally, I’m pretty excited about the Pixel Watch 3, which is set to hit store shelves next week. It’s the first Pixel Watch to come in two sizes (the 41mm we’re used to and a new, larger 45mm variant), and both sizes feature brighter displays with slimmer bezels than previous generations. So far, it’s looking like Google’s newest wearable is going to tick a lot of our boxes.

We’ll be writing all about it in the coming weeks and months, but I wanted to ask: what do you want to know about the Pixel Watch 3? Drop your questions in the comments and we’ll start answering them as soon as we’re able. 

We recently learned that the new Google TV Streamer remote works with older Chromecasts (read more about this in the linked article). So now that it is clear the new remote will work with older 4th gen devices, do you plan on picking up a replacement for your aging Chromecast? Sure, the Chromecast 4K and HD came with a remote, but perhaps it stopped working or is showing its age.

But this got me thinking: how many Chromecast owners actually want a replacement remote? So, hit the comments to let us know if you are planning to purchase the Google TV Streamer remote for your 4th gen Chromecast.

I, for one, usually run my phones free of cases, but after a recent drop that obliterated my Redmagic 9s Pro, I decided to pick up a Pixel 9 as a replacement. With that new purchase came a strong sense that I should probably splurge on a case this time around. So I went all out. I wanted something that looked good, made of leather, so a Bellroy case is what I purchased. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m pretty happy with it, so feel my money was spent well. 

But what about you? What kind of case do you normally go for when you purchase a new phone? What’s your go-to? Is it leather, plastic, rubber, colorful, muted, expensive, or cheap?

Everyone remembers their first phone. It’s the first time you can call your friends from wherever you are, take pics on the go, and play Angry Birds (depending on your era). What was your first phone and what do you remember about it? Do you remember it fondly? Share your memories about your first cellular experience!

Did you know the latest Pixel 9s support video out over USB? Neither did I, but not that I know I am eager to get my hands on Google’s USB-C to HDMI cable so I can output video from my phone. As a matter of fact, the cable come from Cable Matters, and is also available on Amazon for less than Google’s pricing, which looks to be the place to snag one (read more about this in the linked coverage).

So here comes the big question. Have you ever needed to output video from your phone to the point you’ll go out of your way to buy a USB-C to HDMI cable? Hit the comments to let us know, as I can confidently say I’ll be ordering one shortly. After all, you may not need to output video from your phone frequently, but the one time you need to, it sure would be handy to have a cable on hand to do so.

Nothing’s new wearable, the CMF Watch Pro 2, is pretty enticing. For just $70, you’re looking at a gadget that can do most of the stuff you’d buy a smartwatch for at a fraction of the price. But does that actually make it a smartwatch? This question inspired a pretty hot debate this morning among AP’s editors, with most leaning towards yes. After all, it mirrors your phone’s notifications, has a bunch of customizable widgets and watch faces, and even has a round AMOLED display. But I — the lone dissenter on our staff — see it more as a circular Fitbit Charge 6 competitor, focused primarily around activity tracking with a little extra sprinkled on top. Since I’m the one writing this post, I think I’m the winner by default, but let’s put it out to a vote. CMF Watch Pro 2: smartwatch or fitness tracker?

We’ve reviewed plenty of gaming handhelds, both Android and otherwise, so take it as a big deal when we say that we just found our absolute favorite for retro gaming.

The Ayaneo Pocket Micro wouldn’t be your hardware of choice for anything too demanding, but its Game Boy Micro-esque design just screams out for the chance to run some emulated GBA binges.

Dual control sticks mean it can push a little further than that, with support for some PS2 games too, but with the dinky form factor this is at its best when you stick to the simple stuff.

It seems like having a stylus for your phone has stuck around. It didn’t land permanently for gaming (things like the 3DS stylus have faded away). Phones like the recent Samsung S24 Ultra having complete stylus support, it seems like it’s not going anywhere. Tablets seem to be built with them in mind now, especially for artistic productivity. Have you started using one? Is there something that holds you back from using it?

For an extra $50, you can pick up a new Galaxy Watch FE that comes with LTE, which brings the $200 price point up to $250. The question is, are you willing to spend more just to gain an LTE connection? I’m sure for many, the ability to use a data connection away from their phone or home internet is a boon to tracking activities without needing to carry extra gear. But at the end of the day, carrying a phone around isn’t that much of a problem, seeing we all do it every single day anyway. So requiring LTE in a watch when your phone already has it usually leans more towards special cases where you wish not to bring a phone with you.

Are you a special case? Are you willing to spend an extra $50 so your Galaxy Watch FE comes with LTE? Hit the comments to let us know.

If we travel back in time to September 11th, 1977, that would be the day the Atari 2600 launched, bringing with it cartridge games that were sold on their own, one of the first consoles to do so, only predated by the Fairchild Channel F a year earlier, the originator of cartridge-based games. Still, it’s safe to say the Atari 2600 is the more memorable console. Heck, I was born in 80, and by the time I was five, there were still plenty of people playing on the Atari 2600, a console near and dear to my heart, having grown up playing on it. After all, it wasn’t until 86 that the NES appeared on shelves, so if you weren’t playing the Atari 2600 in the early 80s, you probably weren’t gaming at home. Sure, the US had the TI-99 during that time, but just like the Fairchild, you’ve probably never heard of it, as Atari was the king before Nintendo came knocking.

While Atari didn’t have the longevity of its competitor, Nintendo, fizzling out with the Atari Jaguar in 93, it has had something of

The fourth-generation Nest Learning Thermostat has been leaking this week, and it sure is a looker. Leaked images show a domed glass display sporting a new UI, surrounded by a thin bezel that apparently rotates, just like on older Nest thermostats. It looks kind of like a big Pixel Watch. As someone using Google’s more recent, less premium Nest Thermostat (the plastic one with capacitive touch controls), I’m more than a little jealous of the new unit’s hardware design. It’ll evidently cost $279 at retail, though, which is certainly too rich for my blood. Check out the link to the right to see more.

MediaTek seems pretty excited about its new Dimensity 9400 chip, the first Android chipset manufactured on a 3nm process, and destined for flagship phones starting this year.

So excited, in fact, that it sent me and a few other journalists a chip to play around with — in its very own chip bag to celebrate the “new bold 3nm flavor.” It’s a joke that I admit took me a little too long to get, but in my defense we call the fried potato snack ‘crisps’ here in the UK, so the pun doesn’t quite hit the same.

The chip bag comes complete with an ingredients list (an All Big Core design), nutritional info (a 35% boost in single-core performance over the last gen), and a tasty looking chunk bitten out of the chip on the front.

And no, before you ask, I have not tried eating it myself.

Okay, so Nubia isn’t the biggest name in the smartphone space. But its new Z60 Ultra Leading Version makes up for that with a solid play for longest name in the smartphone space, and that has to count for something, right?

More importantly, according to our reviewer Jon Gilbert, this is Nubia’s best phone yet. It packs an overclocked ‘Leading Version’ take on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with that extra oomph directed at improving output from the phone’s high-end camera hardware, including a 64MP telephoto. It’s not perfect (MyOS can, frankly, get in the sea) but there’s a lot of power for the price.