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Best Free AI Video Generator from Text in 2024

By admin May 20, 2024

Best Free AI Video Generator from Text in 2024, Even those with little to no experience can create and edit videos effortlessly, thanks to the AI software listed and explained in this article.

Do you know the human brain is 60,000 times faster in processing visuals than text? Well, it is surprising but true. Hence, no doubt, videos connect with the audience at a deeper level. People prefer watching videos instead of reading big chunks of written content to save time and effort. However, creating high-quality and engaging videos is something easier said than done unless there is a free AI video generator to help you.

These free tools leverage the power of generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create visually appealing videos with less time and effort to strike the right chord with your audience.

Best Free AI Video Generator from Text in 2024

Hence, you can rely on these programs to analyze your content and produce professional videos even if you have zero experience. The best part is that you do not have to go anywhere in search of such software, as the following section of this article presents a ranked list of free AI text-to-video generators curated after deep research and analysis of all the available options.

Best Free AI Video Generator: Transform Text to Video Online without Watermark

Below are the free AI software programs we recommend to generate stunning videos from text effortlessly.

1. Colossyan

Are you an educator looking for the best free AI video generators to create learning videos from text? If yes, you can try Colossyan. It boasts a plethora of templates to help you create attractive videos, allows you to convert your PDFs and PPTs into videos, and offers the following features to justify its position on our list.

Key features of Colossyan

• You can choose from a wide range of AI avatars or create a custom avatar as a video presenter

• Colossyan boasts one-click video translation into multiple languages

• It allows you to create scenario-based videos with more than one avatar

• There is a huge collection of professional icons

• It supports enterprise functions, such as SCORM export, SAML/SSO security, and more

• This software lets you export videos in formats, such as SRT, PDF, and MP3

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2. Synthesia

Next, we have Synthesia to help you turn text into video in minutes in over 130 languages. It is among the best AI video generators as it allows you to create your script with Chat GPT-like prompts, use over 160 avatars to engage your viewers/create a custom avatar, automatically generate closed captions, clone your own voice, and apply the following features.

Key features of Synthesia

• You can customize your video’s colors, fonts, and layouts

• There are more than 60 templates for you to choose from

• It allows you to make avatars more interactive with micro gestures, such as nods, winks, etc.

• You can download the video in .mp4, use an embed code, or get a shareable link

• There is a massive media library of royalty-free images, icons, videos, and soundtracks

• It supports real-time team collaboration and many other options to collaborate with others

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3. Lumen5

Let us introduce you to Lumen5. It is yet another free AI video generator to help you grow your brand. This online tool offers many customizable design options and templates, a huge library of media assets, an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editing tool, automatic video generation from RSS feeds and blogs, and these remarkable features.

Key features of Lumen5

• It analyzes your content and generates multiple video scripts for you to select from

• You can effortlessly customize the background, text, and graphics

• It allows you to reformat your video into different aspect ratios to make it compatible with various platforms

• Lumen5 lets you add your watermark to the video

• You can choose from more than 40 AI voices to create impactful videos

• It enables you to add callouts and cutaways to make your videos more attractive

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4. AI Studios

There is no way to skip AI Studios when discussing the best free AI text-to-video generators. This software by Deepbrain AI is popular across the globe because of its realistic avatars, natural text-to-speech in 80+ languages and 100+ voices, effortless training and storytelling video creation with multi-avatar scenes, and the following impressive features.

Key features of AI Studios

• There are more than 100 templates available to create social media, marketing, and many other videos

• You can create videos in no time using a simple drag-and-drop editor

• It boasts an AI art generator to create custom, on-brand visuals, and videos by typing your requirements into the tool

• You can personalize your videos with logos, custom fonts, and other assets

• There is a gigantic stock asset library with millions of pictures, music tracks, and video clips

• It offers an AI script assistant to help you generate perfect video ideas and outlines and also has a screen recording tool

Get it Now

5. InVideo

You can never go wrong with InVideo if you are searching for a video generator to create the best social media and content marketing videos for free. This software requires no video creation skills to create a video with script, visuals, subtitles, voiceover, and music on any topic, making it perfect for beginners. Moreover, here are the features that make InVideo one of our favorites.

Key features of InVideo

• You can specify the target audience when creating your video to ensure the software picks the design and other elements suitable for the viewers

• It enables you to choose from 6000+ video templates

• InVideo allows you to share links to the video or make it live on social media

• You can customize the intros and outros the way you want

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6. Elai

If corporate learning videos are what you wish to create, Elai is the one for you. This software takes only a couple of clicks to convert text into avatar-based training videos in 75+ languages and 450+ accents. Moreover, you can choose 80+ high-quality selfie, studio, photo, and animated avatars. Furthermore, here are some more features that contribute to making Elai one of the best free AI video generators from text.

Key features of Elai

• It lets you clone your voice into 28 languages

• You can add 2 avatars to a single slide to create scenario-based training videos

• There is a screen recorder to capture and use screen recordings to create video presentations

• You can generate videos from blog URLs, topics, and HTML

• It boasts a massive AI library of many animation and cartoon options

• There is an AI storyboard allowing you to create a script, make a course outline, and transform it into engaging videos

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7. Wondershare Virbo

Here comes Virbo by Wondershare. This software is popular among both experienced users and newbies to easily convert text into professional videos in more than 300 voices and languages. Moreover, a seamless cross-platform experience, 180+ customizable templates, and the following features add to this software’s popularity.

Key features of Wondershare Virbo

• There is a wide variety of multi-national AI avatars with varied origins, settings, clothing, and genders

• Wondershare Virbo lip-syncs the audio with AI avatars

• You can effortlessly customize scenes, voices, backgrounds, and other video settings to suit your requirements

Get it Now

Best Free AI Video Generators: The Conclusion

So, these were some of the best video generators from text to simplify video creation and editing. These AI programs can complete many complex tasks with just a few clicks to deliver stunning video results by analyzing your script (even helping you write one). You can glance through the features of these tools to select the one that fits your needs perfectly. However, if any questions or confusion persists, we are here to help, you can write to us in the comments section.

What is AI?

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is technology that enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities.

On its own or combined with other technologies (e.g., sensors, geolocation, robotics) AI can perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence or intervention. Digital assistants, GPS guidance, autonomous vehicles, and generative AI tools (like Open AI’s Chat GPT) are just a few examples of AI in the daily news and our daily lives.

As a field of computer science, artificial intelligence encompasses (and is often mentioned together with) machine learning and deep learning. These disciplines involve the development of AI algorithms, modeled after the decision-making processes of the human brain, that can ‘learn’ from available data and make increasingly more accurate classifications or predictions over time.

Artificial intelligence has gone through many cycles of hype, but even to skeptics, the release of ChatGPT seems to mark a turning point. The last time generative AI loomed this large, the breakthroughs were in computer vision, but now the leap forward is in natural language processing (NLP). Today, generative AI can learn and synthesize not just human language but other data types including images, video, software code, and even molecular structures.

Applications for AI are growing every day. But as the hype around the use of AI tools in business takes off, conversations around ai ethics and responsible ai become critically important. For more on where IBM stands on these issues, please read Building trust in AI.

Types of artificial intelligence: weak AI vs. strong AI

Weak AI—also known as narrow AI or artificial narrow intelligence (ANI)—is AI trained and focused to perform specific tasks. Weak AI drives most of the AI that surrounds us today. “Narrow” might be a more apt descriptor for this type of AI as it is anything but weak: it enables some very robust applications, such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, IBM watsonx™, and self-driving vehicles.

Strong AI is made up of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and artificial super intelligence (ASI). AGI, or general AI, is a theoretical form of AI where a machine would have an intelligence equal to humans; it would be self-aware with a consciousness that would have the ability to solve problems, learn, and plan for the future.

ASI—also known as superintelligence—would surpass the intelligence and ability of the human brain. While strong AI is still entirely theoretical with no practical examples in use today, that doesn’t mean AI researchers aren’t also exploring its development. In the meantime, the best examples of ASI might be from science fiction, such as HAL, the superhuman and rogue computer assistant in 2001: A Space Odyssey

Deep learning vs. machine learning

Machine learning and deep learning are sub-disciplines of AI, and deep learning is a sub-discipline of machine learning.

Both machine learning and deep learning algorithms use neural networks to ‘learn’ from huge amounts of data. These neural networks are programmatic structures modeled after the decision-making processes of the human brain. They consist of layers of interconnected nodes that extract features from the data and make predictions about what the data represents.

Machine learning and deep learning differ in the types of neural networks they use, and the amount of human intervention involved. Classic machine learning algorithms use neural networks with an input layer, one or two ‘hidden’ layers, and an output layer. Typically, these algorithms are limited to supervised learning: the data needs to be structured or labeled by human experts to enable the algorithm to extract features from the data.

Deep learning algorithms use deep neural networks—networks composed of an input layer, three or more (but usually hundreds) of hidden layers, and an output layout. These multiple layers enable unsupervised learning: they automate extraction of features from large, unlabeled and unstructured data sets. Because it doesn’t require human intervention, deep learning essentially enables machine learning at scale.

The rise of generative models

Generative AI refers to deep-learning models that can take raw data—say, all of Wikipedia or the collected works of Rembrandt—and “learn” to generate statistically probable outputs when prompted. At a high level, generative models encode a simplified representation of their training data and draw from it to create a new work that’s similar, but not identical, to the original data.

Generative models have been used for years in statistics to analyze numerical data. The rise of deep learning, however, made it possible to extend them to images, speech, and other complex data types. Among the first class of AI models to achieve this cross-over feat were variational autoencoders, or VAEs, introduced in 2013. VAEs were the first deep-learning models to be widely used for generating realistic images and speech.

“VAEs opened the floodgates to deep generative modeling by making models easier to scale,” said Akash Srivastava, an expert on generative AI at the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab. “Much of what we think of today as generative AI started here.”

Early examples of models, including GPT-3, BERT, or DALL-E 2, have shown what’s possible. In the future, models will be trained on a broad set of unlabeled data that can be used for different tasks, with minimal fine-tuning. Systems that execute specific tasks in a single domain are giving way to broad AI systems that learn more generally and work across domains and problems. Foundation models, trained on large, unlabeled datasets and fine-tuned for an array of applications, are driving this shift.

As to the future of AI, when it comes to generative AI, it is predicted that foundation models will dramatically accelerate AI adoption in enterprise. Reducing labeling requirements will make it much easier for businesses to dive in, and the highly accurate, efficient AI-driven automation they enable will mean that far more companies will be able to deploy AI in a wider range of mission-critical situations. For IBM, the hope is that the computing power of foundation models can eventually be brought to every enterprise in a frictionless hybrid-cloud environment.

Explore foundation models in watsonx.ai

Artificial intelligence applications

There are numerous, real-world applications for AI systems today. Below are some of the most common use cases:

Speech recognition

Also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), computer speech recognition, or speech-to-text, speech recognition uses NLP to process human speech into a written format. Many mobile devices incorporate speech recognition into their systems to conduct voice search—Siri, for example—or provide more accessibility around texting in English or many widely-used languages. See how Don Johnston used IBM Watson Text to Speech to improve accessibility in the classroom with our case study.

Customer service

Online virtual agents and chatbots are replacing human agents along the customer journey. They answer frequently asked questions (FAQ) around topics, like shipping, or provide personalized advice, cross-selling products or suggesting sizes for users, changing the way we think about customer engagement across websites and social media platforms. Examples include messaging bots on e-commerce sites with virtual agents , messaging apps, such as Slack and Facebook Messenger, and tasks usually done by virtual assistants and voice assistants. See how Autodesk Inc. used IBM watsonx Assistant to speed up customer response times by 99% with our case study.

Computer vision

This AI technology enables computers and systems to derive meaningful information from digital images, videos and other visual inputs, and based on those inputs, it can take action. This ability to provide recommendations distinguishes it from image recognition tasks. Powered by convolutional neural networks, computer vision has applications within photo tagging in social media, radiology imaging in healthcare, and self-driving cars within the automotive industry. See how ProMare used IBM Maximo to set a new course for ocean research with our case study.

Supply chain

Adaptive robotics act on Internet of Things (IoT) device information, and structured and unstructured data to make autonomous decisions. NLP tools can understand human speech and react to what they are being told. Predictive analytics are applied to demand responsiveness, inventory and network optimization, preventative maintenance and digital manufacturing. Search and pattern recognition algorithms—which are no longer just predictive, but hierarchical—analyze real-time data, helping supply chains to react to machine-generated, augmented intelligence, while providing instant visibility and transparency. See how Hendrickson used IBM Sterling to fuel real-time transactions with our case study.

Weather forecasting

The weather models broadcasters rely on to make accurate forecasts consist of complex algorithms run on supercomputers. Machine-learning techniques enhance these models by making them more applicable and precise. See how Emnotion used IBM Cloud to empower weather-sensitive enterprises to make more proactive, data-driven decisions with our case study.

Anomaly detection

AI models can comb through large amounts of data and discover atypical data points within a dataset. These anomalies can raise awareness around faulty equipment, human error, or breaches in security. See how Netox used IBM QRadar to protect digital businesses from cyberthreats with our case study.

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The best music streaming services of 2024

By admin April 26, 2024

The best music streaming services of 2024, Music streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Qobuz, and Deezer have entirely changed how we explore, enjoy, and exchange music. They bring convenience and accessibility to all new levels.

Yet, with so many choices, selecting the right music streaming app might feel like a daunting task. Each platform offers a music collection featuring artists, albums, playlists, and podcasts. Additionally, they each have their interface designs and special features, like song lyrics display, offline downloads, AI-generated playlists, high-quality audio formats, and more.

We’ve compiled a list of the best music streaming services to assist you. We’ve tested them all, and our evaluation criteria include pricing plans, user interface experience, quality of tracks offered, and much more. Let’s get started!

Spotify

The best for most people

Pros

• Excellent UI

• Best-in-class discovery

• More than 100 million songs

• The biggest podcast network

• Fun special features

Cons

• No hi-res option … yet

• Glitchy performance at times

Specs
Plans (monthly):	Free / Individual: $11 / Duo: $15 / Student: $6 / Family: $17
Library Size:	More than 100 million tracks
Quality:	160kbps to 320kbps

When it comes to music streaming, Spotify is definitely one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. Launched in 2006, the platform is available across the globe, and is home to more than 100 million songs and growing. Spotify is also the world’s biggest podcast platform. Whether you’re rocking an iPhone, a Google Pixel, a laptop, or you’re in your car, there’s a good chance that Spotify is going to be compatible with your hardware.

Beyond the music archive, Spotify offers several different subscription options, including individual, family, and student plans, as well as a free version with ads. Spotify Premium users also receive unlimited track skips, 320kbps audio quality, and offline downloads for up to 10,000 songs across five devices. The company is also really good at keeping its user interface familiar and reliable from one hardware type to another.

Spotify is also great for sharing. Thanks to integrations with social platforms like Facebook and Instagram, your circle of pals will get to see what you’ve been jamming out to lately. You’ll even have the option of sharing songs with others and even creating collaborative playlists you can all add to. Additionally, no one is quite as good as Spotify at always adding and experimenting with new and fun features, like its AI-driven DJ and, most recently, its beta AI Playlist that lets you type Chat GPT-style text prompts to get it to curate playlists for you.

So, where does the service struggle? Track quality, for one. Unlike platforms like Tidal and Qobuz that place a big emphasis on hi-res audio, Spotify’s tracks are capped at 320kbps, which only the most critical of audiophiles will notice. Spotify’s long-awaited Hi-Fi tier may still see the light of day, though, so if it’s not a deal breaker, you could just wait it out. But if you just want a music streamer that offers tons of genres, playlists, and fun social features, Spotify is going to be your best bet.

Spotify

The best for most people

.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The best music streaming services of 2024

Apple Music

Perfect for Apple users who want hi-res audio

Pros

• More than 100 million songs

• Excellent hi-res options and Dolby Atmos

• Great interface

• Competitive pricing

Cons

• No free tier

• Can’t keep downloaded songs if you cancel

• No plan for couples

Specs
Plans (monthly):	Individual: $11 / Student: $6 / Family: $17
Library Size:	More than 100 million tracks
Quality:	256kbps AAC, 16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/192kHz

Some folks will remember Apple’s original foray into digitized music from a little platform called iTunes that launched back in 2000. Paving the way for Apple’s streamlined interface and big music library, iTunes eventually evolved into Apple Music in 2015. A fierce competitor to rivals like Spotify and Tidal, Apple Music is simple to use, boasts a library of more than 100 million tracks, is available across multiple platforms, and even offers hi-res listening options.

Apple Music also lets you test the waters before enrolling in one of its many subscription options. With a one-month free trial, you’ll have plenty of time to get a good lay of the land, at which point you’ll need to shell out for a monthly subscription, which runs $6 for students, $11 for an Individual plan, and $17 for the Family plan.

Every tier gives you access to full playback controls, recommended music based on your listening habits, and some nice visual treats for your phone, tablet, and computer screens. We’re talking immersive album artwork, line-by-line lyrics, and intuitive search tools that make finding songs and artists a breeze.

As far as track quality is concerned, Apple’s audio far exceeds Spotify’s 320kbps cap, with lossless ALAC tracks that can get as high as 24-bit/192kHz. Apple Music also uses the smaller AAC format with resolution up to 256kbps and offers many tracks and albums in Dolby Atmos, which Apple brands as Spatial Audio. And while you’ll be able to share tracks with friends and family, Apple Music doesn’t offer the same social integrations as Spotify.

If you’re familiar with the design and UI of devices like the iPhone, iPad, MacBook, and Apple TV, you’re going to feel right at home using Apple Music. Both desktop and mobile interfaces are clean, simple, and easy to navigate, with just about everything you could need right at your fingertips. Plus, there are all kinds of smart speakers (such as Sonos and Apple’s HomePod) and smart displays that offer native Apple Music support.

Apple Music

Perfect for Apple users who want hi-res audio

.Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

Tidal

Audiophile quality with wide device support

Pros

• More than 110 million tracks

• Some of the best hi-res tracks in the game

• Includes offline listening

• Works with many different types of devices

• Awesome playlist curations

Cons

• Weak podcast library

• Music discovery tools are not as good as others

• UI could be improved and more streamlined

Specs
Plans (monthly):	Indvidual: $11 / Family: $17 / Student: $6 / DJ Extension add-on: $9
Library Size:	More than 110 million tracks
Quality:	320kbps, 16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/192kHz

Regarding top-notch music streaming quality, Tidal is one of the best names in the business, bar none.

Renowned for its focus on excellent sound quality, Tidal gives you access to an immense library of songs in 16-bit/44.1kHz up to 24-bit/192kHz in various formats, including HiRes FLAC, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio, FLAC, and Master Quality Authenticated (MQA). Not all of Tidal’s artists and albums are in hi-res, but there’s a good chance that several artists you enjoy have at least some hi-res offerings in the archive.

Diehard fans will also enjoy Tidal’s dedication to additional content, including videos and real-time streams, creating a more immersive musical experience. We’re also big fans of its artist-generated playlists.

In terms of cross-platform compatibility, Tidal is also available on a range of popular devices, from iOS and Android hardware to smart speakers, smart displays, streaming devices, and even native AV support from audio brands like Sonos and Harman Kardon through Tidal Connect. But what sets Tidal apart is its user-friendly interface. From apps to desktop versions, Tidal’s UI is designed to be clean, ultra-navigable, and tethered to your preferences, ensuring a comfortable and personalized experience.

Beginning in April 2024, Tidal removed its expensive HiFi plans, while still keeping its high-quality library. The best part? Its new plans are cheaper and more in line with what Apple Music, Spotify, and others are charging. This means you can enjoy premium music streaming without breaking the bank. You can try Tidal for free for the first 30 days of a new membership. The platform also offers discounts to students, military, and first responders, making it even more affordable.

If you’re looking for supreme audio quality and talented curation, you should give Tidal a try. Plus, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many of these high-resolution tracks elsewhere.

Tidal

Audiophile quality with wide device support

.Qobuz app’s home screen Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Qobuz

Audiophile quality for a little less

Pros

• Big hi-res music library

• Inspired editorial content

• Can purchase songs and albums without a subscription

• Free trial for Studio plan

Cons

• Lacks social listening features

• No podcasts

Specs
Plans (monthly):	Studio: from $11 / Sublime: from $180 per year
Library Size:	More than 100 million tracks
Quality:	16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/192kHz

A close competitor to Tidal, Qobuz is another music streaming platform that goes all in on the hi-res catalog. It is home to over 100 million tracks in lossless CD quality, and more than 240,000 albums in hi-res audio. Qobuz streams audio using high-quality FLAC files ranging from 16-bit/44kHz to 24-bit/192kHz, translating to some seriously good sound. Whether you’re listening through a pair of speakers or a pair of headphones, Qobuz tracks are going to sound about as good as they can get.

Qobuz offers two subscription plans, namely Studio and Sublime. Each plan has three levels to choose from. The Studio plan provides offline listening and a visually appealing desktop and mobile interface enriched with additional content such as artist bios, reviews, feature op-eds, and how-to guides. The Solo Studio level costs $13 per month, Duo costs $18 per month, and the Family plan (for up to six accounts) costs $22 per month. You can get discounts on these plans by opting for a yearly payment.

The Sublime subscription offers the same benefits as the Studio plan and up to 60% off many hi-res download purchases. However, you need to purchase a yearly subscription to get these benefits. The Solo Sublime plan costs $180/year, Duo costs $270/year, and the Family plan costs $350/year. Note that the Sublime subscription can only be purchased through a yearly payment, not monthly.

Oh, and we can’t forget this gem: You can pay to download Qobuz hi-res tracks and albums without a monthly subscription.

On the downside, Qobuz does not have Dolby Atmos tracks like Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music, and there are no podcasts or video content.

Qobuz

Audiophile quality for a little less

.Amazon

Amazon Music

Excellent value, hi-res audio, great for Prime customers

Pros

• Huge music library

• Lots of hi-res tracks and albums

• 90-day free trial

• Discounted plans for Amazon Prime members

• Discount for owning an Echo device

• Now offers a student plan

Cons

• Complicated subscription options

• Amazon Music only has shuffle mode

Specs
Plans (monthly):	With Prime: $10 / w/o Prime: $11 / Family: $17 / Single Device Owner: $6 / Student: $6
Library Size:	More than 100 million tracks
Quality:	320kbps, 16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/192kHz

Amazon Music is a unique streaming option, especially for those of us who are already paying for Amazon’s $139 annual Prime membership (or $15 per month). Like many platforms we’ve covered up to this point, Amazon Music offers both CD quality and lossless audio formats, Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio tracks, a large music library, and some awesome smart home integrations (especially for Alexa-powered devices). The “unique” descriptor is mainly aimed at Amazon Music’s pricing, though, which is complex, to say the least.

Are you an Amazon Prime member? Great! That means you’ll be able to get the ad-free Amazon Music Unlimited (AMU) for $10 per month, as opposed to the non-Prime member subscription tier, which costs $11 per month. If you’re interested in nabbing Amazon Music Unlimited and just so happen to own an Echo speaker, you can sign up for the Single Device Owner plan. It only costs $6 per month, but you’ll only be able to use AMU on that one device. Oh, and there’s also an AMU Family Plan for $17 per month ($169 per year) that covers up to six users.

The pricing isn’t impossible to understand, but figuring out which option makes the most sense for you and yours can be confusing. Plus, Amazon technically has two different music streaming options: Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Music Prime. The latter is built into your Amazon Prime membership and gives you access to Amazon’s entire music library, but playback is limited to shuffle mode, and you won’t be able to listen to any hi-res tracks either.

Whether you’re listening with Amazon Music Unlimited or Amazon Music Prime, Amazon Music looks great on mobile and desktop platforms. Unlimited subscribers also benefit from video content, offline downloads, and a fun scrolling lyrics feature.

Amazon Music

Excellent value, hi-res audio, great for Prime customers

.Deezer

Deezer

Somewhere in the Goldilocks zone

Pros

• Robust music library

• Offline downloads

• Includes video content and podcasts

• CD-level quality

• Can upload your own MP3s on desktop

• Duo plan is now available

Cons

• No hi-res

• Can’t upload MP3s using mobile devices

Specs
Plans (monthly):	Free / Premium: $12 / Family: $20 / Duo: $16 / Student: $6
Library Size:	More than 120 million tracks
Quality:	128kbps, 320kbps, 16-bit/44.1kHz

Deezer lives in the Goldilocks zone of music streaming options. It offers a bigger library than competitors like Spotify and Apple Music and has CD-quality music, but it doesn’t touch the top-shelf hi-res content you’ll find on platforms like Tidal and Qobuz. Price-wise, though, it’s weirdly more expensive than everyone except Tidal, but Tidal gives you hi-res. Its individual plan is $12 per month, and for that, you get access to unlimited listening, lyrics, video content, offline listening, and a few other features.

Deezer is also one of the only streaming platforms that lets you upload your own tracks. While the quality is limited to MP3, and you won’t be able to do any uploading with a mobile device, it’s nice to have the ability to spread your own library across multiple gadgets.

Deezer used to have a HiFi plan that was $15 per month, but now its 16-bit/44.1kHz FLAC tracks are built into its Premium and Family plans. As mentioned, this is lower quality than top-tier plans from the likes of Tidal and Qobuz, but it still packs quite a punch. Deezer free tier customers can only access MP3 files up to 128kbps, though. On a positive note, like Spotify, there’s now a duo package available through Deezer for $16/month.

As for Deezer’s UI across desktop and mobile platforms, both versions are geared toward easy navigation through playlists, genre labels, and similar search criteria. There are also several recommended categories and an excellent podcast library to check out.

Deezer does a nice job at checking several of the most important boxes for what makes up a solid music streaming service. Hi-res devotees may want to look elsewhere, but we definitely think Deezer is worth trying out, so make the best of that 30-day free trial!

Deezer

Somewhere in the Goldilocks zone

.Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

YouTube Music

The best of music and YouTube is all here

Pros

• Terrific music library

• Simple pricing model

• Intuitive user interface

• Cool community upload features

Cons

• No hi-res tracks

• No editorial content

Specs
Plans (monthly):	Free / Premium Individual: $11 / Family: $17 / Student: $5.50
Library Size:	More than 100 million tracks
Quality:	256kbps

Last but not least, we have YouTube Music. A rebranding and consolidation of multiple Google/YouTube paid services that came before it (including Google Play and YouTube Red), YouTube Music is your one-stop-shop for everything … music-related. Subscribers will have access to over 100 million tracks, podcasts, an intuitive lyrics tool, excellent playlists, and much more. Right off the bat, though, we’d like to let our hi-res fans know that YouTube Music caps its track quality at 256kbps.

That doesn’t mean you should look away, though. In fact, we think YouTube Music has a lot going for it when it comes to overall desktop and mobile interfaces. Navigating from one panel to the next is fast and easy, with most of what you’ll want to be listening to housed under the “Home” and “Library” tabs. The former is a hub for recommended content based on your listening habits, while the latter is the storage site for all your personal playlists, favorited songs and albums, and other user-specific features.

It’s also a thrill to watch YouTube Music sync up to your local time of day and weather conditions. These factors affect the type of music that the platform will recommend.

Regarding pricing, there’s only one paid subscription plan: YouTube Music Premium. This paid tier removes ads for desktop and mobile listening, grants you offline downloads, and gives you a sweet feature called Smart Downloads. When enabled, this lets YouTube Music automatically download your favorite songs, artists, and albums for offline listening and even adds in recommended tracks and albums.

And, of course, YouTube Music is packed with video content. When you search for a song or artist, you will get officially licensed media and see video results for YouTubers covering the song, lyric videos, and more.

YouTube Music

The best of music and YouTube is all here

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The best dash cams you can buy 2024

By admin March 24, 2024

Dash cams record footage of accidents, road rage incidents, and more. The best dash cams not only offer high resolution recording and cloud-based storage, but many can also record both the road and your car‘s interior for more context in case of an accident.

Since you can’t keep track of everything all at once while driving, a quality dash cam can be a valuable tool for new and experienced drivers. By recording the road in front of your vehicle, a dash cam can provide important information for authorities and insurance companies in the event of an accident or collision.

Some models also record the interior of a car to monitor distractions and driving habits, making them great for parents of teen drivers or caretakers of elderly family members. Others include a second camera unit for mounting on the back of a vehicle to give you almost 360 degrees of recording. Many dash cams also use night vision to record at night and motion detection to automatically record movement and activity while your car is parked.

What is the best dash cam right now?

I chose the Vantrue N2 Pro as the best dash cam you can buy right now for its support of high-capacity microSD cards for more video storage, inclusion of a front and rear camera, and up to 1440p recording resolution. You can keep reading below to find out more about the Vantrue N2 Pro as well as my other picks for the best dash cameras.

Best dash cams of 2024

Vantrue N2 Pro

Best dash cam overall

The Vantrue N2 Pro is an excellent dash cam for new drivers as well as drivers looking to upgrade their current dash cam setup. It features a front-facing camera and an interior-facing camera, so you can record both the road and passengers as you drive. The front camera captures video in 1440p resolution at 30 frames per second, while the interior camera records in 1080p at 60 frames per second. You also can change the front camera to 1080p/60fps for smoother playback at faster driving speeds.

For power, you can either use the included 12V adapter or purchase a hardwire kit to connect the camera to your car’s battery for nearly unlimited runtime. The front camera uses infrared night vision to capture clearer images in the dark and even has a 24-hour parking mode, which uses motion detection to only capture footage when something moves near the car.

It supports microSD cards up to 256GB for storing videos, and the camera records in loops, so you never have to worry about offloading old videos. The camera will automatically overwrite old videos when the card is full. The built-in G sensor automatically detects when a crash or other accident happens and stores relevant video for later viewing. There’s also an optional GPS unit you can buy for accurate location tracking to help emergency services get to you faster in the event of an accident.

Verified customer reviews on Amazon agree that the night vision feature of the Vantrue N2 Pro does a great job of letting you see pedestrians, animals, and road hazards in the dark. They also agree that the system is easy to set up.

Nexar Beam

Best dash cam under $175

If you’re looking for a dependable dash cam that won’t break the bank, the Nexar Beam is an excellent option. This dash cam retails for less than $175, while still giving you awesome features like motion detection recording.

The front-facing camera captures video in 1080p for clear images, and the included 32GB microSD card can store up to 4 hours of dash cam footage. You also get unlimited free cloud backup storage for video, so you can have them on hand for insurance purposes if needed. And no need to worry about offloading video on a regular basis — the Nexar Beam automatically loops and overwrites old video when the card is full.

With the companion smartphone app, you can set up automatic updates for the camera so it’s always ready to go. You also can use the app to create detailed collision reports, complete with G force, speed, and location information as well as related videos.

If you forget where you parked your car or if it gets stolen, the app provides detailed location info so you can get your vehicle back safely. It even sends out SOS messages to emergency contacts in the event of a crash so that you can get help faster. The best part? There’s no monthly subscription fee.

The cost of the dash cam covers your lifetime usage of the app and its features. ZDNET’s own Eileen Brown got to go hands-on with the Nexar Beam, and loved the companion app for being easy to connect to the camera and customize features. And verified customer reviews agree with her, noting that the companion app allows you to create a cloud backup for recordings (for a fee).

Garmin Mini 2

Best dash cam for memory

If you drive a commercial truck or for a ridesharing service, you need a dash cam that can store dozens of hours of video, since you may not have reliable or frequent access to a computer to offload footage.

The Garmin Mini 2 supports microSD cards up to 512GB, which allows your dash cam to store almost 31 hours of 1080p video. The large capacity makes it great for road trips, long-haul trucking, and full-time rideshare drivers. The camera is also incredibly compact, measuring just 2 x 1 x 1 inches, so it won’t obstruct your view while you’re driving.

The Garmin Mini 2 uses built-in voice controls for hands-free use, so you can start and stop the dash cam record while driving without taking your hands off the wheel or your eyes off the road. You also can remotely access the dash cam with your smartphone for live video streaming, allowing you to check on your vehicle while it’s parked. In parking mode, the camera uses motion detection to automatically start recording when it senses movement.

Vantrue N4

Best multi-view dash cam

With three different cameras, the Vantrue N4 allows you to get almost 360 degrees of video coverage for your car while you drive. The main camera records the road in front of your vehicle as well as the interior, while the second camera can be mounted on the back of your car to record behind you.

When used by itself, the front-facing camera can record up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second for smooth playback. And when used with the other two cameras, it still records in 1440p while the interior and rear cameras record in 1080p.All three cameras are equipped with night vision for recording in the dark as well as motion detectors for capturing video when motion is sensed around the parked car. The built-in G sensor automatically detects when you’ve been in an accident or when something hits your parked car, saving recordings for evidence.

The Vantrue N4 supports microSD cards up to 256GB, allowing you to record up to 15 hours of video in 1440p. The camera automatically overwrites the oldest file on the card for loop recording, so you don’t have to worry about clearing out the microSD card. An optional GPS unit is also available to buy, which lets the camera record routes and location information. That can be helpful for parents of new teen drivers as well as family members who want to ensure senior family members are protected on the road.

Nextbase 622GW

Best dash cam with GPS tracking

Being able to give emergency services a precise location in the event of an accident or crash can make all the difference. The Nextbase 622GW is designed to provide video footage of your driving while pinpointing your location. It features integration with What3Words, an app that permanently assigns three random words to every 3-meter square of maps. These words then translate into real-world locations, allowing you to let emergency responders know exactly where you are, even if you don’t have a street address.

The front-facing camera features a polarizing filter to help reduce glare and washout from bright sunlight. It is capable of recording video in up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, though you also can record in 1400p at up to 60fps and in 1080p at up to 120fps for smooth playback even in high-speed-driving videos. You can use the slo-mo function to analyze footage frame by frame, while the built-in image stabilizer reduces picture sway for clearer frames.

With the camera’s night vision and motion detection, you can record at night and when your car is parked. The dash cam connects to your smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to automatically sync and store your video recordings. The built-in Alexa functionality gives you hands-free control and the ability to hear the news, weather, and your favorite music without taking your eyes off the road.

What is the best dash cam?

My pick for the best dash cam is the Vantrue N2 Pro. Not only does it record what’s on the road in front of you, but it also has a second lens for recording the interior of the car, which is helpful if your car is ever broken into or stolen. Parents of new drivers can assess their teens’ levels of distractions and dangerous driving habits.

It even has infrared night vision and motion detection to capture images in the dark and conserve battery life. It records in 1440p resolution at 30 frames per second for clean, crisp images. You can also switch to 1080p for a higher frame rate while you’re driving.

Best dash cam	Best Price	Resolution	Storage
Vantrue N2 Pro	$135	1440p	Up to 256GB
Nexar Beam	$170	1080p	Up to 256GB
Garmin Mini 2	$110	1080p	Up to 512GB
Vantrue N4	$205	4K	Up to 256GB
Nextbase 622GW	$260	4K	Up to 256GB

*Best price at time of writing. Please note that actual retail price may vary depending on the seller as well as available deals and active promotions.

Which is the right dash cam for you?

The best dash cam for you depends on what you want to record and for how long. There are many dash cams on the market that record the road in front of your car, which is great for providing evidence in case of crashes and accidents.

Others also can record the interior of your car, which is perfect for parents of teen drivers who want to keep tabs on their distractions and dangerous behaviors. Some dash cams come with a second camera that you can mount in the rear window of your car to record vehicles and the road behind you.

If you want to keep your car monitored while it’s parked or while you’re driving at night, you’ll want to opt for a model with motion detection recording and night vision for clearer images in dim light and to conserve battery while idle. You’ll also want to choose a dash cam with a high storage capacity so you can properly store several days or weeks’ worth of video.

Some dash cams also require professional installation, since they connect to your car’s battery, computer, and electrical systems to function. While these can be quite expensive on top of installation costs, they’re a good option if you don’t plan on switching vehicles or don’t want to mess with recharging batteries.

Choose this dash cam…	If you need…
Vantrue N2 Pro	An affordable and well-rounded dash cam for front and interior recording.
Nexar Beam	A very affordable dash cam with cloud storage, SOS messaging after crashes, and good resolution.
Garmin Mini 2	A name-brand dash cam with high-capacity storage, a compact design, and voice controls.
Vantrue N4	A dash cam kit for recording multiple viewpoints with 4K resolution, night vision, and motion detection.
Nextbase 622GW	A high-end dash cam with voice controls, 4K resolution, and GPS tracking.

What should I look for in a dash cam?

Whether it’s your first dash camera or an upgrade for your current setup, here are a few features to keep in mind as you shop:

• Price: Staying within your budget is important, not only to be nice to your wallet, but to ensure that you aren’t paying for features you aren’t going to use, or making up in frustration what you’ve saved in cash.

• Recording set up: Many dash cams are made to only record the road in front of the vehicle. But there are models that also record the interior of your vehicle or include a second camera to use as a backup camera or for traffic recording.

• Smart features: Many dash cams work with companion apps for smartphones and tablets which give you access to saved recordings, expanded cloud storage, and enhanced settings like motion detection and night vision.

How did we choose these best dash cams?

While testing and researching each dash cam featured on this list, I and other ZDNET experts kept these criteria in mind:

• Set up: Some dash cams require you to hardwire them into your vehicle’s electrical system for a continuous source of power, while others have built-in rechargeable batteries. We included several types on this list to suit both newcomers and dash cam experts.

• Expandable memory: Whether you opt for expandable internal storage via microSD cards or cloud storage backup, each dash cam on this best list has been ensured to support various memory capacities for recording video and still photos.

• Video resolution: Having a dash cam doesn’t make much of a difference if you can’t tell what was recorded. Each dash cam on this list has been vetted to have a minimum recording resolution of 1080p HD.

Do dash cameras work when the car is off?

Absolutely! Whether it uses your car’s battery or its own rechargeable one, your dash cam will be able to record as long as it has access to a reliable source of power.

I recommend using a dash cam with motion detection if you’re planning to hook it up to your car battery, so it won’t get depleted overnight. And you won’t have to worry about your dash cam depleting your vehicle’s battery, as it doesn’t require much power.

You can also avoid this altogether by buying a dedicated battery pack for your dash cam. These also charge when your vehicle is in motion.

How long do dash cameras keep footage?

It mostly depends on how much storage space you have. A 32GB SD card can store about four hours of 1080p footage before it needs to be overwritten, whereas a 512GB SD card can store up to 24 hours of 1080p video.

If your dash cam is capable of cloud storage, you can have almost unlimited video storage, since it will upload data to the cloud server to make room for local recording. However, as you go up in resolution, your storage can handle less footage. A 32GB card will only hold about 30 minutes of 4K video, and a 512GB one will hold close to four hours.

That’s why it’s best to have a dash cam with cloud storage. It also comes in handy if you’re involved in an accident and the device incurs damage.

How big should my dash cam SD card be?

If you only plan to use your dash cam while you’re driving, a smaller SD card will be just fine. A 32GB SD card can hold up to four hours of 1080p video, giving you plenty of storage space for typical commutes or shorter road trips.

If you want to be able to record video overnight, you may want to invest in a 128 or 256GB SD card to make sure you have enough space.

Are dash cams worth the money?

Yes, they are worth the money. If you’re involved in an accident, dash cams can provide a video recording of what happened, which can absolve you of responsibility if the incident was caused by another driver.

On that principle alone, it can save you money relative to repair fees and injuries incurred by other parties. It can also keep you from receiving points on your driver’s license. If it shows you’re not at fault for the accident, it can prevent your car insurance premium from skyrocketing.

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The 8 best QLED TVs for 2024

By admin March 7, 2024

When it comes to ultra-powerful brightness, next-level local dimming, and rich colors, a solid QLED TV delivers all of the above, and more! Available from some of the best TV brands of 2024, including Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Hisense, QLED TVs are exceptionally great for those of us watching movies and shows in brightly lit rooms.

The best QLED TVs are also optimized for next-gen gaming, thanks to HDMI 2.1 support and frame-rate features like Variable Refresh Rate, Nvidia G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync.

Audio quality is just as important, and the best QLED TVs support many leading surround sound formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. Still, it doesn’t hurt to think about investing in a soundbar or dedicated speaker system, especially if you’re really into cinema and gaming.

With new models right around the corner, our favorite QLEDs are still 2023 highlights, but many sets are priced lower than ever before! So nab these models while you still can!

Samsung QN90C Neo QLED

The best overall QLED TV

It’s hard not to love a Samsung TV. Over the last decade or so, the manufacturer has consistently delivered one amazing set after another, and has been producing some top-notch QLEDS for several years now. We were huge fans of the 2022 Samsung QN90B, and now we’re more than glad to sing the praises of our favorite 2023 QLED, the incredible Samsung QN90C. Available in sizes ranging from 43 to 85 inches, the QN90C is going to be the best QLED for most folks; although some may be interested in taking things a step further with the flagship performance of the Samsung S95C QD-OLED.

As for those of us who choose to remain with a more traditional QLED, the QN90C has it all. We’re talking near-impeccable HDR performance, chart-topping peak brightness levels, terrific reflection handling, and some of the best gaming features you’ll find in 2023. Many of these features are further enriched by Samsung’s Neural Quantum Processor 4K, which optimizes each and every source to give you as much picture detail as possible, whether you’re watching brand-new Netflix 4K HDR releases or your vintage DVD collection.

When it comes to contrast, QLED TVs are also getting better at acting more like OLEDs, which bodes well for those of us who want our movies and TV shows to be packed with rich colors and amazing black levels. The QN90C is an LED-powered TV, and we did notice a bit of light blooming during darker scenes, but that’s a small grievance about an otherwise remarkable picture.

The 8 best QLED TVs for 2024

Also Read : Best Free Productivity Apps to Be Efficient in 2024

Sony Bravia X93L mini-LED

The best not-quite QLED alternative

While Sony doesn’t claim to use quantum dots (it call its tech Triluminos Pro) and doesn’t market its TVs as QLEDs, they compete right alongside the TVs on this list that are marketed as QLED. So, if you’re considering a “QLED” TV based on the idea that they are top-tier LED/LCD TV performers, then you should also be considering this Sony option, never mind that it doesn’t have QLED printed on the box.

With that out of the way, we give you the Sony Bravia X93L mini-LED, a 2023 TV that picks up where last year’s excellent flagship Sony X95K mini-LED TV left off, but for a much better price. In fact, the X93L is identical to the X95K but with a handful of software improvements, including better eco settings management, new black level adjustments for better fine-tuning of darker scenes (if you’re a Game of Thrones fan), and a new gaming dashboard

that lets you switch between 60Hx and 120Hz VRR. It’s bright (at 1,800 peak nits), has beautiful color reproduction, supports all the HDR contrasty things you need (HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision), and is excellent for gamers, too, with VRR, auto low latency mode, and HDMI 2.1 support.

If you’re a fan of Sony soundbars, too, you can take advantage of the X93L’s ability to sync the TV’s speakers with select soundbars to help with clearer dialog and immersion. It’s also Dolby Atmos capable. The X93L is a new spin on one of Sony’s best TVs for 2023, but without the premium “Sony tax.“

TCL QM8 QLED 4K mini-LED

One of the brightest TVs we’ve ever seen

New for 2023, TCL is at it again with its lineup of mini-LED QLED TVs that continue to prove that you can have high-end features and quality at prices that are way more reasonable than the marquee TV brands. And the TCL QM8 is literally the brand’s shining example … blindingly shiny with peak brightness levels of 2,500 nits in our tests, making it one of the brightest TVs we’ve ever seen. Our reviewer was so impressed with the QM8, in fact, that he praised it as his “go-to TV recommendation for probably 90% of people this year.”

In-line with QLED’s ability to deliver bright images that are great for those setting up their TV in a light-drenched room, the MQ8 also has it where it counts in the contrast area, too, with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HRD10+, and HLG, and excellent local dimming that also make it a good performer in darker rooms with decent black levels. Are they as inky as OLED? No, but not much is, and with OLED still costing a premium, it’s getting harder and harder to make a viable case for spending the extra cash. The QM8’s mini-LED technology delivers excellent color accuracy, too, with 97% coverage of DCI-P3 and about 76% of BT.2020 color gamuts.

The TCL QM8 is a Google TV-based TV, which makes for easy setup and use as well as access to all the streaming services and apps you could ever want via the Google Play Store, plus it’s got Chromecast built-in for easy mirroring and casting from your devices.

With a 120Hz refresh rate, fast-action movies are smooth, and gamers will appreciate the TV’s support for variable refresh rate (VRR) and Game Accelerator that boosts things up to 240Hz and AMD FreeSync Pro for even smoother gameplay.

The TCL QM8 also features a built-in subwoofer for bigger bass sound, but you’re still probably going to want an external soundbar. Available in 65-, 75-, 85-, and 98-inch sizes, the TCL QM8 ranges in price from $1,200 to $10,000.

Hisense U8K ULED TV

Unbeatable brightness for an unbeatable price

We can’t stop talking about Hisense TVs. When Hisense models first started hitting U.S. shelves, they were decent TVs, but they were certainly aimed at a more price-conscious shopper, with cost valued more than performance. Fast-forward to today, and Hisense has carved out quite the name for itself — and not just because of how much you won’t spend on a model like the U8K.

This is one mean QLED, folks. In our own testing of the TV, the Hisense U8K rocked the house when it came to peak brightness levels, delivering readings around 2,000 nits when viewing HDR content. Tech talk aside, this means that the U8K can get insanely bright, and without colors becoming oversaturated. That’s the biggest feat, really. Yes, most QLEDs can get very bright, but this tends to interfere with overall color accuracy and contrast. That’s just not the case with the U8K.

Available in 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes, the Hisense U8K tops out at 4K/120Hz on its two full-bandwidth HDMI inputs, and also includes Hisense’s Game Mode Pro for those of us hooking up a next-gen console or PC to the TV. And as a little bonus, those two HDMI 2.1 ports will actually push 4K at 144Hz when compatible PC gear is wired up.

The Hisense U8K’s price is a massive calling card, no doubt, but if you’re looking for a hard-hitting QLED that goes above and beyond the “cost-friendly” slabel, do allow Hisense’s flagship model to blow your mind.

TCL Q7 QLED

Great for gaming

We’ve been very impressed by TCL’s Mini LED models over the last few years, so it’s no surprise that the brand gets more than one mention in our roundup. Sitting one rung below the QM8, the TCL Q7 is another awesome QLED that competes with models like the Hisense U7K and the Sony X90L. We tested the 65-inch version ourselves (it’s also available in 55-, 75-, and 85-inch sizes), and were taken aback by the Q7’s high brightness output and vivid colors.

Now as far as nit metrics go, the TCL Q7 is a bit on the lackluster side Not only did it score some so-so peak brightness readings (around 1,100 nits) with HDR playback, but the meh results found their way into SDR content too (about 700 nits for peak brightness). Compared to TVs like the Hisense U8K, the Q7 just doesn’t touch the kind of QLED brightness of some of its competitors, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to love about it.

Two of the Q7’s four HDMI inputs are full-bandwidth 2.1 ports that support 4K at up to 120Hz. It also runs the latest version of Google TV for all your Netflix and Prime Video streaming needs. Plus, you’ll be able to use Google Assistant to search for media and control your smart home devices, and there’s also AirPlay and HomeKit support.

In a way, we love the TCL Q7 because it’s not a perfect QLED. But what it does well, it tends to do very well, and the price just can’t be beat.

Samsung QN900C Neo QLED TV

The best 8K QLED

Many consumer tech companies put the cart before the horse, and the world of TVs may be one of the biggest offenders when it comes to horse-less transportation. In the case of a TV like the Samsung QN900C, our equestrian analogy is best represented by a hardware versus software comparison. Quite simply, the QN900C is an amazing 8K TV, but we’re still living in a world that is primarily dominated by 4K and 1080p content.

Fortunately, Samsung’s next-gen QLED has some fantastic picture processing tech under its hood. The QN900C is outfitted with Samsung’s Quantum Matrix Pro, which itself is powered by mini-LED lighting. Translation, please? You got it! Matrix Pro is Samsung’s fancy-pants terminology for local dimming zones (a small block of LED lights), and because the QN900C uses mini LEDs, the QLED has a lot of control zones. At the end of the day, this means you can expect the QN900C to deliver excellent peak brightness and color brightness to the parts of the panel that require said brightness, while the rest of the screen is enshrouded in darkness (that’s a good thing).

And because this is an 8K TV, the QN900C will upscale whatever 4K or regular high-def HDR and SDR sources you feed it. Of course, you won’t be looking at a true 8K image, but it’ll be dang close! This is also an Infinity One Samsung QLED, which means the chassis is extremely thin and there’s essentially no physical frame to speak of. So, when it comes time to plug in your components, you’ll be doing so with the TV’s external One Connect box (because there’s no HDMI ports on the TV itself).

If you’re into future-proofing your consumer tech, the Samsung QN900C is an 8K TV that will rule your home theater setup for years to come.

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

The best budget QLED TV

Amazon has been making its own TVs for a few years now, and while these models definitely err toward the more “budget-friendly” side of the price and quality spectrums, we’ll admit that we were pretty impressed by the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED series. Available in 43-, 55-, 65-, and 75-inch sizes, the Omni QLED delivers a pretty great picture. Now, it’s not the touting the most amazing specs and features in town, and the fact that the Omni QLED only tops out at 60Hz is a bit disappointing, but where the Omni QLED truly shines is in its Fire TV smart UI.

From the ground up, this is a TV built around Amazon’s larger smart home ecosystem, to the point where the Omni QLED has Alexa built right into it. This means you can fire off voice commands right from your living room couch, as well as control everything from smart lights and locks to web-connected security systems. You’ll even be able to see a live view from any compatible smart cameras right on your TV screen. And when the Omni QLED is powered down, you’ll be able to use the Fire TV Ambient Experience to display artwork and photos.

Other add-ons like Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive support bring a few more picture perks to sweeten the deal. Again, the Fire TV Omni QLED may not be the best QLED ever made, but it’s definitely worth adding to our list.

TCL 6-Series (R646)

Another great QLED

In 2021, TCL introduced mini-LED backlighting on the 6-Series, proving that the miniaturized light sources can make a big difference in contrast, black levels, and detail. And based on our hands-on experience with the R646, we love the end result.

Brightness soars with this TV, especially when it comes to peak nit output. The vivid visuals are present when it comes to color brightness too, making for a budget QLED that is packed with lots of punch and kick in the picture department, and for a relatively low price.

The 6-Series is also optimized for gaming, with its four HDMI inputs supporting 4K/120Hz, making this a blistering-fast choice for PS5 and Xbox Series X enthusiasts. In terms of overall picture upscaling, the 6-Series doesn’t touch the kind of cleanup powers you’ll find on higher-priced sets from Samsung and Sony, but for those of us that plan to do most of our TV-watching with Netflix and other mainline streaming apps, the TCL 6-Series (R646) is an excellent budget option.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is QLED TV?

The “Q” in QLED stands for quantum dot, a nanoparticle that emits light when energized. Quantum dots can be tuned to emit specific wavelengths of light, so TV makers add green and red quantum dots in a layer over their blue LED backlights, which creates a much purer white light than a single LED backlight can create on its own. With a pure white backlight, the TV’s color filters can produce much more accurate colors, leading to significantly better picture quality than regular LED TVs.

UHD vs. QLED: What’s the difference?

UHD stands for ultra-high definition, also known as 4K. It’s a description of resolution, or the number of pixels that make up an on-screen image. It can refer to the resolution of a specific piece of content (many streaming services offer movies in UHD) as well as the native resolution of a TV. QLED refers to the kind of display technology a TV uses (see above). QLED TVs come in various native resolutions, from HD to 8K, including UHD.

Is QLED better than OLED?

It depends. Right now, QLED TVs are capable of getting brighter than OLED TVs, which deliver better black levels and contrast. We feel that OLED TVs still produce a better overall picture quality, but if your viewing area is especially bright, or if you want a really big screen, QLED models might be a better choice for you.

Is QLED the best TV technology?

Once again, it depends on your particular situation. For instance, if you want a TV for your patio, where it will experience partial or full sun, an OLED TV simply won’t get bright enough to compete with all that daylight, and a QLED TV is definitely superior. On the other hand, if you can darken your media room whenever you want, an OLED TV will still deliver the deepest blacks and highest contrast.

What should I look for in a QLED TV?

Finding the right QLED TV for you is all about balancing size, picture quality, features, and price. First, figure out your budget, then prioritize the rest of your list. If getting the biggest TV for your money is the top priority, you’ll be able to find 75-inch and larger models from brands like TCL, Vizio, Hisense, and LG that are still quite affordable. If picture quality matters more – especially when viewing HDR material – you should choose a model with a very high peak brightness. If gaming is a top consideration, make sure you find a model that’s equipped with VRR, ALLM, and 4K at 120Hz for the best possible experience.

Which is the best Samsung QLED TV?

Samsung has two flagship QLED models depending on whether you want 8K resolution. The QN900C is the company’s top 8K model, and the QN90C is its top 4K model.

Are QLED TVs good for gaming?

Yes, but picking the right model is key. You’ll want to look for a TV that has the latest HDMI 2.1 features, like VRR, ALLM, and 4K at 120Hz. Another feature that gamers will appreciate is support for AMD’s FreeSync or Nvidia’s G-Sync, which are two proprietary VRR technologies used by game consoles like the Xbox Series X and many gaming PCs.

Do QLED TVs have problems with burn-in?

No. Burn-in is a permanent form of image retention caused by leaving the same image on a TV for many hours at a time. In OLED TVs, this can cause individual pixels to age prematurely, leaving the “shadow” of some parts of the image on screen even after the image has changed. Because QLED TVs use a backlight for their brightness, their pixels aren’t susceptible to this kind of uneven aging.

How long do QLED TVs last?

Theoretically, a QLED TV will outlast an OLED TV, at least in terms of maximum brightness, because OLED pixels lose their ability to produce brightness at a faster rate than a QLED TV’s backlight. But you would likely have to keep your TV on for eight hours a day, seven days a week, for many, many years before this difference became noticeable. That said, a QLED TV should last a decade or more as long as none of its individual components fail — something that can be hard to predict even for the best TVs.

When will QLED prices drop?

QLED prices, much like OLED prices, are dropping all the time. A few years ago, you’d need to spend well over $2,000 for a 65-inch QLED TV. Today, you can find them for less than half that price.

Is a QLED worth it?

Definitely. If you have a choice between a standard LED TV and a QLED TV, the QLED model will deliver brighter, more accurate colors, which should yield a better image overall. And as QLED TVs become the norm for non-OLED models, you won’t have to pay much of a price premium to get one.

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Best vacuum cleaners 2024

By admin February 23, 2024

Best vacuum cleaners 2024, There’s no getting away from cleaning your floors regularly to ensure your home stays spotless. However, we all have unique cleaning needs, which means we have different preferences when choosing the best vacuum. So, to help you decide which vacuum is best for you, we’ve gathered the best vacuum cleaners to cover every eventuality.

The best vacuum cleaner will suck up dirt and debris in no time and be powerful enough to make light work of tough tasks. You should also expect the best vacuum cleaner to have excellent cleaning performance, be easy to manoeuvre and carry around your home without a struggle.

With so many different types of the market, it can be tricky to know which one will suit your needs. Your first choice is deciding whether you want a corded or cordless vacuum. A cordless vacuum is easier for cleaning small spaces or stairs, while a corded vacuum will have more power. What’s more, you can opt for a 2-in-1 upright that can convert to a handheld vacuum for small spaces.

Your choice will also depend on whether you have hard floors or carpets or a combination of the two, pets that shed fur, or multiple levels of stairs to negotiate. And you may prefer something more advanced, such as a smart, self-emptying robot that takes cleaning to a whole new level.

Best upright vacuum cleaner

Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352

The best vacuum is great at picking up everything

The Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 isn’t the newest vacuum cleaner on the market, but its market longevity shows that it is one of the best. The NV352 offers the performance of two vacuums in one: It can be used as a traditional upright or converted into a canister vacuum. Numerous reviews of this budget-friendly vacuum note its excellent suction on both pile carpets and bare floors. In lab tests, it picked up pet hair and cereal with equal aplomb, providing a deep clean with ease. One of the neater features on the Navigator Lift-Away NV352 is the suction-release valve control — conveniently located on the handle — which can be adjusted to lessen the vacuum’s grip on small rugs and shag carpets.

Though it looks and functions like an upright, the NV352’s clever design allows it to be converted into a canister vac. It comes with several hose attachments, too, making it ideal for reaching small spaces or drapes. Because its main body lacks wheels, you’ll have to carry this vacuum around, but there’s a well-placed handle for just this reason. The bagless NV352 also has a HEPA filter and an anti-allergy seal for keeping excess dust at bay.

Best vacuum cleaners 2024

2. Shark Apex DuoClean with Zero-M Powered Lift-Away

Best vacuum cleaner for pet hair

If your home is a mix of hardwood floors and area rugs, the Shark Apex DuoClean (AZ1002) might be the answer to your multi-surface conundrum. It comes with two separate rollers — one with brushes for rugs and a soft, brushless one for hardwood floors. In addition to pulling double duty on floors, this vacuum Optimus Prime works as an upright but also converts into a canister-like vacuum cleaner, with several attachments for cleaning hard-to-reach places. Its low-clearance in canister mode means the nozzle will slide easily under furniture and other low-slung obstacles. The Apex DuoClean features three separate suction settings plus LED lights on the handle and floor nozzle that illuminate the dirt in front of it.

In addition to receiving high marks for cleaning a variety of surfaces, the Apex DuoClean got excellent reviews for picking up pet hair without getting it wrapped around the brush roll. Reviewers also praised the included motorized pet attachment for cleaning up cat hair on furniture.

3. Miele C3 Complete Calima

Best canister vacuum cleaner

The Miele C3 Complete Calima is a big step up from canister vacuums of yore. Its attachments all fit onboard and the nozzle hooks into place on the canister itself, virtually eliminating the potential for cartoon-like vacuum hose antics. The nozzle tube is also telescopic, which makes cleaning dusty ceiling fans a breeze.

Out of the box, the C3 Complete Calima is equipped with two floorheads—one for pile carpets and one for hardwood—plus a dusting brush and upholstery and crevice nozzles. Miele sells additional attachments for vacuuming almost anything you can imagine, including mattresses.

With HEPA filtration, tight rubber seals and a bagged design, the C3 Complete Calima is a great choice for allergy sufferers. Pet owners will also appreciate how well it picks up pet hair, dust, and dander on both bare floors and carpet.

4. Kenmore Elite 31150 Pet Friendly

A heavy but effective vacuum cleaner

Closely resembling what The Jetsons robot maid Rosie would use to clean, the Kenmore Elite 31150 looks like an old-school upright, but it’s got a few tricks up its nozzle. This bagged vacuum features a HEPA filtration system, a telescopic wand and an extra long, 35-foot cord, making it a great choice for homes where available outlets are scarce.

Reviews praise this vacuum cleaner’s carpet-cleaning prowess, while noting that it picked up nearly all of the debris on bare floors, too. The Elite 31150 features five levels of manual height adjustment for switching between bare floors and high pile carpet, but you’ll have to bend down to access it.

The crevice, brush and roller attachments also earn high marks for their suction, providing a deep clean. Too much power? The Elite 31150 features adjustable suction control to stop the vac from pulling the drapes off the rod. The vacuum is a bit heavy, and it’s not as maneuverable as other uprights, but it excels at cleaning along edges.

5. Dyson V11 Torque Drive

Splurge-worthy cordless stick vacuum cleaner

The V11 Torque Drive cordless stick vacuum is Dyson’s flagship cleaner that trumpets a 60-minute runtime and 14 cyclones generating 185 air watts of suction in Max mode. Dyson’s unique, cyclone technology means vacuums are engineered with six layers of advanced whole machine filtration. Essentially, this captures 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, expelling cleaner air around the home.

In addition to obliterating pet hair, the V11 has Dynamic Load Sensing technology that adjusts the vac to the surface and the battery’s corresponding runtime. This information is displayed on the LCD screen near the handle where you can choose between Eco, Auto and Max cleaning modes as well as get guidance if the vac needs a blockage cleared.

Like Dyson’s other stick vacuums, the V11 Torque Drive’s brightly colored aesthetic isn’t for everyone. Its $600 price tag isn’t for everyone either. But reviews praise the V11’s automatically adjusting brush roll and strong cleaning power, especially for a cordless machine.

Is it overkill? Probably. But if you can afford it, why not get the most powerful cordless vacuum Dyson makes?

6. Eureka RapidClean Pro Lightweight Cordless Vacuum

Best budget stick vacuum cleaner

If you’re looking for a stick vacuum, but don’t want to break the bank, then look no further. The Eureka RapidClean Pro Lightweight Cordless Vacuum Cleaner features 2 power levels as well as LED headlights for when you vacuum dark spaces, such as under furniture. It can lie flat as you vacuum too, meaning it can squeeze under tight spaces. While it comes at a great price point, you still get some useful accessories including a crevice tool and a 2-in1 dusting brush.

With 40 minutes of battery life, you’ve got more than enough time to cover the whole house if need be. We like that you can also use it as a handheld to give the car or the stairs a quick once-over as well. Our only qualm would be that it can’t stand on its own, so you will need to prop it against a wall between uses.

7. Black+Decker Dustbuster cordless vacuum

A handy hand vacuum for small messes

Sometimes, the littlest messes are the biggest hassles, such as a box of spilled rice or kitty litter tracked through the house. While a full-size vacuum will get the job done, it can be a pain to lug around. Weighing in at just 2.6 pounds, the inexpensive Dustbuster CHV1410L features a rotating nozzle with an onboard brush and an extendable crevice tool for reaching into the far back corners of cabinets and under car seats.

While reviewers note that it’s not the best option for cleaning Garfield’s spot on the couch, this Dustbuster is ideal for eradicating the dust bunnies hiding out under the living room sofa. Like the Hoover Linx, the Dustbuster handheld vac is meant for short bursts of cleaning as reviewers note it lasts between 10 and 15 minutes on a charge.

8. iRobot Roomba s9+

Our favorite robot vacuum if price is no object

If you really hate vacuuming, you’ll really like the iRobot Roomba s9+. It is one of our favorite robot vacuums and the most intelligent, but it is also the most expensive robot vacuum on the market today. This smartphone-controlled vac didn’t just go to college, it graduated at the top of its class.

We were impressed by its smooth, navigation around the home, which is due to its smarter, mapping abilities. Unlike other robot vacuums, it didn’t bump into any baseboards or get stuck in awkward places. In addition, we liked its ability to clean inside corners very well.

Unfortunately, all that intelligence comes with a price tag of $1,099. But put the Roomba s9+ to work and prepare to be impressed. For starters, it maps the entire floor of a house in just a few runs. Once the map is complete, draw room boundaries, set no-go zones and set-up a cleaning schedule.

You’ll love the Roomba s9+ for more than just its brain, too. It’s a superb cleaner, too. In our tests, it picked up 100% of kitty litter on both carpet and hardwood floors. While it performs beautifully with minimal human intervention, it is loud, particularly when emptying its dustbin. However, its superior debris pickup and ease of setup and mapping were impressive. If this model is too pricey, check out more affordable picks on our best robot vacuums page.

9. iLife V3s Pro

The best robot vacuum for those on a budget

The iLife V3s Pro is, without a doubt, our favorite budget robot vacuum and a Tom’s Guide Editor’s Choice. While it lacks the bells and whistles of fancier robot vacuums, the V3s Pro cleans house and does it exceptionally well– especially for a budget vacuum. We were impressed by its performance in picking up pet hair and dirt/crumbs on hard floors. It also has no problems navigating over high-pile, throw rugs.

Unlike other robot vacuums equipped with a spinning roller brush, the V3s Pro has a suction opening that funnels debris directly into the dustbin. Though it’s loud, this design helps it dodge a common vacuum pitfall– hair wrapped around the cleaning brush.

The V3s Pro’s cleaning prowess on hardwood floors blew us away. Though it struggled a bit on high pile carpet, it’s ideal for homes with bare floors or thin rugs and multiple pets. In our lab tests, it picked up nearly all the pet hair we left for it, outperforming other vacs that cost three times as much.

10. DeWalt 9-gallon 5HP shop vac DXV09P

This wet/dry shop vac is made for big spills

Hopefully, you’ll never need to use it to clean out a wet basement, but if you do, the 9-gallon DeWalt wet/dry shop vac (DXV09P) is the best vacuum cleaner for the job. It’s nimble enough for smaller homes but large enough for cleaning up watery messes. Reviewers complimented the shop vac’s superior build quality and excellent suction on everything from broken glass to wet carpeting.

This vacuum comes packaged with two extension wands; crevice, floor and utility nozzles; and a bag for all of them that attaches to the rear of the vacuum. Rubberized wheels give the DeWalt DXV09P easy movement and extra durability. It also comes with a washable cartridge filter that’ll trap small particles while you vacuum. But this vac’s most thoughtful feature is the hose strap on top. Anyone who’s wrestled with wrapping a 7-foot hose around a wet/dry vac– only to have it magically come unwound– will appreciate this subtle, but important, feature.

There’s actually quite a few types of vacuum cleaner to choose from, including upright, cylinder, cordless, handheld and robot. If you’re new to the market you might be a little unsure of which type is best for you. Here’s a quick breakdown of the pros and cons for each.

Upright — This is one of the most popular types. It sits ‘upright’ and you push it in front of you as you vacuum. It’s a corded design which offers lots of power. However, they can be quite heavy and uncomfortable to use for long periods of time. They’re also not the most maneuverable and struggle to reach under furniture. These are the best if you’ve got lots of high pile carpet though.

Cylinder — These feature a small body which rolls on the floor as you pull it behind you. It’s the most traditional of the designs and is particularly effective on hard floors. You can easily reach under furniture and up the stairs with this type of vacuum cleaner, plus it’s less work to use than an upright. However, they’re not great on pile carpets as many don’t come with a turbo brush. Ultimately, these are best for hard floor homes.

Cordless — Cordless vacuum cleaners have surged in popularity in recent years. They were originally designed for quick spills, but now they’re expected to replace corded models, covering the floors throughout a household before the battery runs flat. They’re not quite as powerful as corded types, but they’re getting close, and the lightweight, maneuverable design makes them the most pleasant and convenient type to use. They’re great if you live in a small space and don’t deal with stubborn debris. You will need to charge it between uses though, and the canister can fill quickly.

Handheld — Handheld vacuums are ideal for small spills and difficult to reach places. You couldn’t use it to vacuum a whole house — it’s usually compact and small enough to hold in one hand, and you typically use it for short periods of time. The canister can fill quickly though, and it’s not not great for embedded hair. These aren’t as popular to buy separately nowadays as most cordless models can also function as handheld vacuums.

Robot — Robot vacuum cleaners have been around for a while now, but they are still growing in popularity and becoming more developed. These will navigate themselves around your home independently and clean as they go. You will still need to empty the on-board canister, so it’s not completely hands-free, but it’s a much more convenient method of cleaning. They’re not as powerful as the corded models, but they’re getting there. More innovations are being introduced to robot vacuums, such as self-emptying designs and machine learning to recognize obstacles.

It’s also important that you consider whether you want a bagged or bagless vacuum. Check out our guide on bagged vs. bagless vacuum for more info.

Even if you find the right vacuum cleaner, make sure you’re using it properly. Here are 9 vacuum cleaner mistakes you’re probably making. Also, ever wondered are cordless vacuum cleaners worth it? Here are the pros and cons.

Depending on the brand and model, a vacuum cleaner comes with a one to five year warranty. But, on average, your vacuum should stay in good working order for eight years. Most manufacturers offer extended warranties but we don’t recommend them since the repair cost is likely to be less than the cost of the warranty itself.

The main sign that a vacuum needs replacing is a lack of suction. But before buying a new one, make sure to replace the bag, remove hair and other debris from the brush head, clean or replace the filter, or clear any clogs in the hose. Your vacuum might also need a new drive belt, which is an easy and inexpensive fix. However, if you’re quoted more than 50 percent of the price of a new vacuum, our advice is to consider buying a replacement.

By purchasing a new vacuum, you can take advantage of some of the new developments. Many models now come with HEPA filters that trap microscopic particles like dust, dander and pollen, which is particularly useful if someone in your house has allergies. You can increase the level of protection from allergens by choosing a sealed model so air doesn’t escape from cracks and crevices and actually gets channeled into the HEPA filter.

The most dramatic change in the world of vacuums is the wide selection of robot vacuums that can effortlessly keep your floors spotless. They can even go behind the furniture and under beds, places you might not be able to get to if you were doing the job yourself. Most of these robots can be controlled with a smartphone app, or through Alexa or Google Assistant.

Depending on the model you’ve chosen, this appliance can come with several attachments all of which do different jobs. Here’s a quick breakdown of the most common attachments and what each are for:

• Crevice tool — This is a long thin tube which is designed to reach into awkward areas, such as down the sides of vehicle seats. These are also useful for vacuuming along skirting boards.

• Dirt brush — This tool comes with stiff bristles on it to help dislodge dirt as you vacuum.

• Mini motorized brush/Pet tool — Mini-motorized brushes are becoming more popular with stick vacuums. These alternative motorized heads are designed to be used on handheld vacuums. As they feature a rotating brush, they have much better pickup than other accessories and can be great for pet hair.

• Mattress tool/Upholstery tool — A small, flat head, which is designed to vacuum the mattress or upholstery, removing dirt and allergens.

• Combination or 2-in1 tool — A common attachment which features soft bristles that can slide over a small nozzle or be locked back in place. This makes it good for delicate work and everyday cleaning.

• Dusting brush — This tool features soft bristles over a small nozzle which makes it ideal for dislodging dust from delicate surfaces, such as lampshades.

With the exception of robot vacuums, our selection for the best vacuum cleaners were based on extensive consumer report research, and online reviews. We rated power and how well each vacuum cleaner performed on various surfaces. These included use on high and low pile carpets alongside hardwood and tile flooring.

In addition, we looked at ease of use, and how weight impacted on lifting and carrying around the home. Other factors included practicality, design, number of accessories, and how easy it is to clean and store.

How often should you vacuum?

You should vacuum as often as necessary. If you notice fluff and crumbs appearing on your floors, then it needs a vacuum. Once a week is generally good guidance, however if you have shedding pets or allergies, then you may need to do it more often. This is also the case for high-traffic areas.

Should you dust or vacuum first?

You should always dust before you vacuum. That way, any airborne dust which you didn’t collect will settle on the floor to be picked up by the vacuum. Doing this the other way around would be counterproductive.

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The 5 best floodlight cameras in 2024

By admin February 11, 2024

The 5 best floodlight cameras in 2024,Whether you’re living somewhere very rural with low lighting or just need to be extra sure to scare away (or record) any potential intruders, a floodlight camera is an excellent security tool for your home. And while there is a very large variety of floodlight cameras you can pick from, there are a couple of well-known brands that have risen to the top, and you’re likely quite familiar with a few of them. As such, we’ve collected our favorites in various categories and gone into their specs and why you should consider grabbing them, so be sure to check each one thoroughly before taking the plunge.

The Best Floodlight Cameras in 2024

• Buy the Arlo Pro 4 if you want the best overall floodlight camera

• Buy the Floodlight Cam Wired Pro if you want the best premium floodlight camera

• Buy the Wyze Cam Floodlight if you want the Best budget floodlight camera

• Buy the Google Nest Cam with floodlight if you want the best floodlight camera for Google users

Arlo Pro 4

Best overall floodlight camera

While the Arlo Pro 4 might not have a honking big spotlight like some other options here, it still has a reasonably bright camera, and the recording function is excellent for the price tag. Also, one of the big benefits of going with the latest version compared to the last is that it no longer relies on the Arlo hub to function. That means that you can connect it directly to your Wi-Fi router without having to worry about a third device in the middle to access it, making it overall cheaper than the last generation, even if it isn’t that big of an improvement in the specs front.

Speaking of specs, it runs a 4-megapixel ⅓-inch camera sensor with a wide 160-degree field of view and records at a 2k resolution, even though it would have been nice to have 4k with the new generation. It also has the full gamut of features you’d expect, such as digital zoom, auto-track, infrared lighting, and even HDR, which will also help a lot with video clarity. Nightvision is also pretty good, although part of that is because the spotlight kicks in to add a bit more color to the image, and you, unfortunately, can’t turn it off, so it can eat up battery life a little bit.

While the Arlo Pro 4 is supposed to have a battery life of up to six months, if you put it in a high-traffic area, you’re not really going to see it go that far, maybe even just a month or two. That said, changing the battery is pretty easy, and you can always buy a recharging base and extra battery so that you don’t ever have any downtime; plus, there’s a 25-foot magnetic charging cable you can use for stable power.

Also, it’s worth noting that some of the more advanced features, such as smoke/CO2 alarm and package detection, are hidden behind an Arlo subscription that will run you around $3 a month. You do get three months for free when you first buy it to try it out, but you will have to eventually pay if you want to enjoy the full features.

The 5 best floodlight cameras in 2024

Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro

Best premium floodlight camera

If you’re looking for something a little bit more fancy, then the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro is an excellent alternative for those who need a few more premium features. For example, even the mounting is a lot more premium than some other floodlights you’ll find since it comes with a foam insert that helps protect it from the elements, meaning you don’t have to surround it with caulk for protection. It’s also a relatively easy install, so if you feel confident enough to install a light switch, you should be able to install the Ring Floodlight.

In terms of video quality, it sadly only comes with 1080p compared to the 2k of something like the Arlo, but it does have HDR, a 140-degree horizontal view, and an 80-degree vertical view. The image quality is actually pretty great, though, even though it runs at a lower resolution, and the night mode is pretty great, including the color night vision option, although that can somewhat make the image less clear. Of course, if you have the floodlights on, the image is pretty good, and with two 2,000-lumens floodlights, you get a lot of illumination, which is great.

As for features, there are a few good ones, but the most interesting is probably the bird’s eye view, which gives you a top-down satellite view of your house and all the people around it that it detects with its radar, giving you a sort of 3D view of your property. You also get two-way talk through the included speaker and microphone, and even more impressive, it does have some form of noise canceling to block out audio from outside to make any conversations a bit more clear. The only real downside is that quite a few features are locked behind the Ring Protect subscription service, such as video saving and sharing, people-only mode, and 60-day recording.

Wyze Cam Floodlight

Best budget floodlight camera

Buying a good floodlight camera doesn’t have to be incredibly expensive, and, in fact, there are some excellent budget options if you need a setup on the cheap. For that, we suggest the Wyze Cam Floodlight, which is surprisingly feature-rich for the price tag, making this the best budget option you can grab. Of course, there are some downsides, such as the fact that you can only record in 1080p and that there’s no HDR, although image quality is still pretty good.

Setup is relatively simple, and much like the Ring floodlight, if you know how to hook up a switch, you’ll likely have no issue hooking this up as well. Interestingly, you can store data locally since it comes with a MicroSD slot, which saves you the hassle of having to connect to Wi-Fi or pay a subscription fee, which admittedly isn’t that expensive at around $2 per month per camera for the cheapest option. You might have to opt for that for the 14-day of cloud storage and the smart alerts, which you won’t get without the subscription.

When it comes to lighting, you’ll be happy to know that the Wyze Cam Floodlights can manage a combined 2,600 lumens, which is better than the other two options so far. You get 270 degrees of motion detection, although only a 130-degree field of view; at least you can set the detection out to 30 feet, so you have a lot of space to work with when it comes to motion detection. Also, it comes with an automatic sundown feature that switches the floodlights on and off so that you don’t have to do it manually, which might seem like a basic thing, but for a budget floodlight cam, it’s pretty good.

Google Nest Cam with floodlight

Best floodlight camera for Google users

While the Ring floodlight camera is great for Amazon users, if you’re a Google user and want to stay in that ecosystem, then the way to go is to use the Google Nest Cam with Floodlight, which is a pretty excellent floodlight all things considered. For example, it has a very solid combined lumen of 2,400 and about 20 feet of pretty good night vision, as well as motion detection that will kick in both the camera and the floodlights if you want it to. It has 130 degrees of view as well as a 2-megapixel HDR camera, so you’re going to get good contrast and image quality.

In terms of recording, you get a 1080p resolution, and while there is a sort of emergency onboard storage of about an hour, if you want to record anything more than that, you will have to be connected to the internet. If you opt not to go with a subscription service, then you get three hours of cloud storage, which is pretty good, all things considered, although it would have been nice to have more substantial local storage.

As for the subscription offers themselves, you can get Nest Aware for $8/month, which gives you 30 days of video storage, or Nest Aware Plus for $15/month, which gives you 60 days of storage plus up to 10 days of 24/7 recording. Both subscriptions also give you access to calling 911 from the app, detection of familiar faces, smoke alarms, glass breaking, and a couple of other things.

Of course, the big positive of going for a Google Nest device is that you have a lot more control through the app than you would with some other ones, especially given the integrations into the Google ecosystem. You will need it to access the camera, but it does let you view the camera remotely, get various alerts, as well as integrate it into your various routines so it can automatically switch on and off if you want it.

More importantly, you get access to both Google Assistant and Alexa, so you get access to all the various devices in those ecosystems, so you don’t necessarily have to rely on your phone to view the camera or have a conversation.

How We Chose These Floodlight Cameras

Nighttime performance

If you’re going for a camera with a floodlight, then you’re very likely interested in something that works well at night. To that end, there are really two technologies that these types of cameras rely on to give you a good image quality: lighting and internal sensor quality. When it comes to lighting, we’ve done our best to choose cameras that can hit somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 lumens, which is roughly equivalent to around 150 to 200-watt incandescent bulbs, so it’s pretty bright.

As for the internal sensor, well, that varies a lot from camera to camera, but the majority of the bigger brands tend to get high-end sensors that do well with night-time performance. Sometimes, these cameras will have HDR, provide a false-color view, or rely entirely on the spotlights for the picture quality. There are pros and cons to each, which we covered in the cameras where these things come up, but for the most part, all of these cameras should work just fine during the night.

That said, one thing to note is that most floodlight cameras do not have replaceable LEDs, so you will have to buy new ones when they run out a few years down the line. It’s not a massive problem, given that you’ll very rarely need to change them, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

Video Storage

One of the big problems of modern home security cameras is that any sort of real storage is locked behind a subscription service, meaning that if you don’t opt for one, you’ll be stuck with a small internal storage that will barely last a couple of hours. As such, we’ve done our best to pick cameras that either have some form of local storage, even if it’s with a MicroSD card or that have a relatively affordable subscription service with ample cloud storage, which, admittedly, is great if you want to view things when you’re away from home.

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The best Mac apps for 2024

By admin January 12, 2024

The best Mac apps for 2024, One of the best parts about owning an Apple computer is the massive ecosystem of superb Mac apps it gives you access to. There are apps available to Mac users no matter what you are looking for, whether that’s productivity, photo and video editors, security suites, and more. You can get them from Apple’s own App Store or from third-party developer websites, and many of the best Mac apps are even free.

Whether you just bought your first Mac or you’re a longtime Apple customer, here’s a look at some of the best Mac apps you can get.

Alfred

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Think of Alfred as Spotlight with a dash of Siri. It’s an application launcher, but it can do a lot more than just that. With Alfred, you can quickly perform calculations, execute web searches, and find word definitions, among many other functions.

It’s a Mac app that fills the gap between Siri and your Spotlight search by allowing you to automate tasks and perform advanced functions that, frankly, Siri should be able to handle on its own. Version 4 improves the workflow creator, introduces rich text snippets, and more.

Get Alfred

The best Mac apps for 2024

Best outdoor security cameras 2024

By admin January 8, 2024

Best outdoor security cameras 2024, If you’re shopping for the best outdoor security cameras of 2024, you’ll want to find something that’s weatherproof, captures high-quality footage, and works well at night. It’s also important to consider your budget and ongoing subscriptions that may be required to access premium features such as cloud saving and person detection.

Regardless of your budget, there’s an outdoor security camera that’ll fit your needs. From premium products crafted by Ring to budget-friendly options like those from Wyze, there are dozens of well-reviewed models that are perfect for protecting your home.

In fact, some of the best outdoor security cameras also double as floodlights, allowing you to light up your yard. Others are wireless for easy installation, while a handful require wired connections (though this allows for continuous monitoring).

Below, you’ll find a list of the best outdoor security cameras of 2024. You can’t go wrong with any of them, but each one caters to a specific audience and budget, so take a closer look at each to figure out which is best for your home.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Arlo Pro 4

Best outdoor security camera

The Arlo Pro 3 was our pick for the best outdoor security camera for some time, but after testing the Arlo Pro 4, it brings a couple of new additions that help it earn our top pick. Just like its predecessor, it packs 2K video resolution and a wide 160-degree viewing angle. Also included are a weatherproof camera with color night vision, a built-in LED spotlight, and a built-in siren that can alert you to danger.

What makes this model superior is the fact that it no longer is tethered to a hub in order to talk with your home’s Wi-Fi network. You won’t need it this time, which certainly streamlines the setup process. And best of all, not only does it perform as exquisitely as the Arlo Pro 3 when it comes to safeguarding your home, but it now boasts a lower starting cost of $200 for a single camera, whereas the Arlo Pro 3 started at $500 for a 2K camera system.

The Arlo Pro 4 includes a three-month free trial of Arlo Smart, which gives you access to advanced features like 30 days of recording history, activity zones, enhanced 911 calling, and advanced detection features.

Best outdoor security cameras 2024

.Arlo

Arlo Pro 5S 2K

Best premium outdoor security camera

Pros

• Captures 2K footage

• Low Power mode extends battery life

• Impressive 160-degree field of view

Cons

• Expensive

• Very similar to the more-affordable Arlo Pro 4

The Arlo Pro 5S 2K doesn’t cut any corners. Featuring a camera that captures 2K video, a wide field of view, sleek design, and color night vision, few products can match its performance. Unfortunately, all those features come at a price, as the Arlo Pro 5S 2K clocks in at $250.

That makes it one of the most expensive security cameras on this list, but if money is no object, it deserves a closer look. Not only does it offer every feature found on our beloved Arlo Pro 4, but it also features Dual-Band Wi-Fi for simplified installation, SecureLink Connectivity that allows it to stay protected during power outages, and a Low Power Mode that offers a 30% boost to battery life.

But beyond those features, it’s eerily similar to its cheaper sibling. Still, if you need an outdoor security camera that’s as cutting-edge as possible, you can’t do better than the Arlo Pro 5S.

Wyze Cam v3

Best budget outdoor security camera

Night vision is a vital feature for every outdoor security cam — you don’t want the darkness to hide any detail, especially if something like a break-in happens. While our top cam picks include various kinds of night vision, Wyze’s indoor/outdoor cam is particularly notable thanks to its Starlight Sensor, which can record night-time video in full color for users.

This wired cam includes all the other smart features that make Wyze’s cams a great pick, including a motion and sound sensor for alerts, detection zones, sensitivity settings that you can tweak for best results, and two-way audio for communication. It’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant and is friendly with IFTTT if you’d like to set up complex routines based on the alerts the cam gives you.

The Wyze Cam v3 also has one of the best free video storage options around, with a 14-day cloud storage option for video clips at zero cost. There’s also an SD card slot for local storage if you prefer that method. While it’s an indoor/outdoor cam, you don’t need to worry: All the outdoor IP65 resistances are included for all types of weather.

Ring Spotlight Cam Pro

Best wireless outdoor security cam

Amazon’s update to the Ring Spotlight Cam is an excellent option for those who don’t want a full floodlight camera, but would still like lots of illumination for their porch, patio, or driveway. The surprisingly bright LED lights on either side of the cam can be set to light up along with the motion detection features.

There’s a little bit of everything packed into the Spotlight Cam Pro’s design, including basics like 1080p video, night vision, and two-way audio. But Ring also has some extras, like a siren you can sound, advanced 3D motion detection, and a “Bird’s Eye” view option that gives you a model for where a subject may have gone. We also like that it’s battery-powered with an option to plug into an outlet.

As with all Ring cams, you will really want a Ring Protect plan to enable video storage and video sharing, but otherwise, this is the most comprehensive wireless security cam we’ve seen to date.

Blink Wired Floodlight Camera

Best floodlight camera

Blink makes plenty of great outdoor cameras, but few are as great as the Blink Wired Floodlight Camera. As one of the newest members of the Blink family, the Wired Floodlight Camera offers heaps of functionality despite its budget-friendly price of $99.

In case the name didn’t give it away, the Blink Wired Floodlight Camera isn’t just an outdoor camera – it’s also a floodlight. And a bright one at that, capable of producing 2,600 lumens of LED light. You’ll also benefit from motion detection, a wired connection that offers a constant power supply, and color night vision. Its design is a bit bulkier than others on this list, but that’s largely due to the massive floodlights that loom over the camera.

Anyone in the market for an outdoor camera that’s both affordable and powerful (and comes with shockingly bright floodlights) should give strong consideration to Blink’s new product. But if you’re looking for something with a more streamlined design, consider looking back at the Ring Spotlight Cam Pro mentioned above.

.Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Ring Stick Up Cam Pro

Best indoor and outdoor security camera

Pros

• Easy installation process

• 1080p video with HDR support

• Can also double as an indoor cam

Cons

• Expensive

• No privacy shutter

It’s a bit expensive, but you’re getting a lot of value out of this investment. The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is designed to work both indoors and outside – giving it plenty of versatility. Along with its weatherproofing, the camera offers HDR video and films in 1080p, supports two-way audio, and is easy to install thanks to its wire-free setup.

One minor sticking point is its lack of a built-in privacy shutter. That might be an issue if you’re using it indoors, though you can quickly toggle alerts off and disarm the camera from the Ring smartphone app. But if you have it installed outside, you likely won’t miss the feature. You’ll also want to spring for a monthly Ring subscription to unlock additional features such as cloud saves and smart alerts.

Beyond those minor quirks, there’s not much to dislike about this powerful outdoor camera. Homes with other Ring products already installed will love how easy it is to sync the device with the rest of their smart home, and Ring newcomers will enjoy its high-quality images, simple setup, and generous 155-degree viewing angle.

Ring Stick Up Cam Pro

Best indoor and outdoor security camera

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I place outdoor security cameras?

FBI crime data indicates that most (around 55%) home intruders try to get into homes through either the front or back door. So, you may want to have your security camera scoping out your doors. It’s also a good idea to cover other entry points, like back windows, that are hidden away where someone could break in without being seen.

Where exactly to mount your outdoor cameras, however, depends on your property and your individual needs. You may have a shed in the back that contains expensive lawn equipment, for instance, and you might want to place more focus on that area. Perhaps your neighborhood has experienced a few break-ins recently, and the intruders typically enter through the garage, so you want to cover your garage area.

How many security cameras do I need?

Typically, having at least two outdoor cameras is ideal, not including your video doorbell. If you have a video doorbell to watch your porch, combined with an outdoor security camera covering the front and back areas of your home, this should be sufficient. However, if you have a large property, live in an area where there’s a lot of property crime, or if you have vehicles or valuables stored on your property, you may want to add in an extra camera or two.

Can you use an indoor security camera outdoors?

No. An indoor camera does not have the necessary protection from the elements, so it won’t hold up outside. Some cameras are rated for indoor or outdoor use, and you can use those cameras outside. If you want to point your indoor camera out a window to watch the outdoors, you technically can do so. However, the camera’s features probably won’t work as well, and you’re better off just buying a cheap outdoor camera.

Can outdoor security cameras be used indoors?

Yes, although it’s not usually recommended because the cameras designed for outdoor use may not work optimally indoors. Again, you can opt for a camera that’s rated for both indoors and outdoors, like a dome camera.

Do all outdoor security cameras have two-way audio?

The short answer is no. Many wired outdoor cameras feature two-way audio, which allows you to speak back and forth with someone through the camera via an app on your phone, but not all outdoor cameras have this feature.

If two-way audio is something you’re interested in, consider doing research on which cameras have it, and of the ones that do, read up on which are better. Not all two-way audio is created equal — some companies do it well, while others do not. Keep in mind that cameras with two-way audio might cost a bit more than those that don’t feature the technology.

How well does night vision work on an outdoor security camera?

Night vision on cameras typically uses infrared light to illuminate dark images at night. Essentially, cameras with night vision use this technology to backlight images to help you see what’s happening in the field of view. Most outdoor security cameras feature night vision, but the quality varies from model to model.

If you’re looking for superior night vision, go for the Arlo camera listed above, or research night vision quality before making a purchase.

How well do outdoor security cameras detect motion?

Motion sensitivity in outdoor security cameras varies widely, but generally, the technology works well regardless of the model you choose. Most cameras, even inexpensive ones, do an excellent job of detecting motion, and, if the camera is connected to an app, it will send a motion alert to your phone. Most people find that motion settings on cameras are too sensitive, meaning that things like rain, bugs, or even bright sunlight can trigger an alert.

If you’re concerned about motion alerts, consider buying a camera that not only sends you motion alerts so you can monitor what’s happening on your property but also allows you to adjust the motion sensitivity so that small things aren’t triggering it all the time.

Can outdoor security cameras survive severe weather?

Most outdoor cameras have a rating of IP65 or higher, which means they are waterproof and can withstand someone spraying a hose on them. That usually (but not always) means that a camera with that rating can withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit or similar.

Cameras vary slightly in terms of survival in extreme weather, but anything with a rating of IP65 or higher will be fine for most climates. If you live in an extremely hot or extremely cold climate, you might want to consider a camera with a rating of IP66 or higher.

Do I have to pay for storage for an outdoor camera?

This depends a lot on the brand and the model. Generally, if a security cam has a memory card slot, you can use native storage without paying anything — it’s just a little trickier to manage. If you want video footage to be uploaded to the cloud for easier viewing and saving, you’ll often have to pay for it. Brands like Arlo and Ring only allow for free livestreaming video and require a plan if you want to save video for any length of time. Google is one of the best options here because its Nest cam offers a certain amount of free online storage without needing a subscription.

Is an outdoor security camera ever illegal?

It can be, although privacy laws haven’t entirely caught up with home security cams yet. Generally speaking, you can’t point a camera where people have the expectation of privacy. Pointing a cam at your porch and the street in front? Totally fine, it’s considered a public area. Pointing a camera so that it captures footage of your neighbor’s backyard or looks into their windows? Illegal, and you could get successfully sued for it.

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The best smart speakers for 2023

By admin December 20, 2023

The best smart speakers for 2023, Smart speakers are an integral part of any smart home, often serving as the brains of the entire operation. Beyond pumping out impressive audio or giving you updates on the morning news, smart speakers can listen to voice commands before passing out instructions to the rest of your gadgets. Functionality varies widely by product, making it important to find the best smart speaker for your setup.

Thankfully, it’s hard to pick a dud in today’s loaded marketplace. Whether you’re an Apple loyalist, a Google enthusiast, or an avid user of Amazon Alexa, just about every big tech company is churning out incredible smart speakers. But if you need some help narrowing down all your options, here’s a look at the best smart speakers of 2023.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sonos Era 100

The best smart speaker

As the successor to the Sonos One (our previous best smart speaker), it should come as no surprise that the Era 100 is just as easy to recommend. Everything that made the Sonos One popular has been improved with the Era 100 – including sound quality, usability, and the addition of native Bluetooth support.

The Sonos Era 100 produces booming sound thanks to its twin angled tweeters, a woofer that’s 25% larger than the Sonos One, and custom waveguides that help send noise to all corners of your room. It also features a faster processor, which results in better performance when giving it commands.

Interacting with the device is more streamlined than it was on the Sonos One, which used gestures and touch controls on the top of the device. For the Era 100, you’ll get simple buttons for everything from volume controls to track selection.

It’s still expensive (typically retailing for $249), but there’s no doubt it’s a premium smart speaker that should appeal to even the most discerning audiophile.

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Sonos One (Gen 2)

The best smart speaker (Runner-up)

The second-generation version of the Sonos One is even more user-friendly, with an updated design that adds touch controls and incorporates Bluetooth 5.0 for a variety of connection options. Its core features still remain, however, including the ability to choose between Alexa or Google Assistant and to link with other Sonos speakers through Wi-Fi to fill the room with even more sound.

The speaker’s far-field microphone array effortlessly hears voice commands from across a room, even when music is playing. If you have qualms about privacy, Sonos claims that muting the microphones is done via hardware, ensuring that when the mic indicator light is off, the speaker is definitely not listening. With AirPlay 2, you can stream any audio from an Apple device directly to the speaker or to any other Sonos speaker in your home.

But our favorite aspect of this model is simply the fact that it’s a Sonos speaker. The Sonos wireless whole-home music system remains the very best we’ve ever tested. It has support for almost every major music streaming service, and it’s all controlled from an app on your phone, tablet, or PC. Not only is the app full of great features like Apple Music playlist compatibility and the ability to group multiple speakers, but these features are also remarkably easy to use.

Thanks to Sonos’ partnership with Ikea, there’s also a growing ecosystem of cool third-party devices that can be used to control the Sonos One and any other Sonos speakers in your home. The Sonos One (Gen 2) is a fantastic speaker and a great way to smarten up your home.

The best smart speakers for 2023

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Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock

The best budget smart speaker

The 4th-gen Amazon Echo Dot already upgraded the design to an orb that matched the larger flagship Echo and greatly improved the sound of the speaker — but Amazon outdid itself with the 5th-gen model and the host of smart features it contains.

Alexa is fully supported, of course, and those little speakers do an incredible job of filling a small space with sound. The clock version (not necessary but nice) is especially well-suited for an office desk or a bedside table — and onboard controls include privacy switches among other benefits. Plus, as is tradition, there are kid versions of the speaker, this time with owl and dragon skins.

Amazon also added even more useful technology to the 5th-gen model, including a higher-resolution display, and new accelerometer and temperature sensors to provide more information about your surroundings. There’s a new chip also for tap-based controls (all the better for an alarm clock), and it now has Eero tech built in, allowing it to connect with an Eero router to help extend it

The most appealing part about the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) with Clock is its price. At $60, it’s easy on just about any budget — meaning you can buy multiple units without forking over a huge sum of money! And who doesn’t like that?

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Amazon Echo (4th Gen)

The best smart speaker for Amazon Alexa

The larger, spherical design of the 4th-gen Echo doesn’t just look cool and modern. It also packs a set of speakers specializing in 360-degree sound designed for larger areas, filling spaces with tunes or other audio while listening for voice commands from across the room.

Of course, it’s a wonderful centerpiece in the living room if you’re planning to entertain guests, like a speaker in the kitchen for music, and so on. Other features like a 3.5mm auxiliary jack, Bluetooth, and stereo pairing round out its audio features. When it comes to controlling the smart home, the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) can be used to turn off lights, check up on calendar appointments, and order pizza.

Meanwhile, it can also monitor your home while you’re away by sending you notifications if it hears the sounds of smoke alarms with Alexa Guard. You’re getting a rich smart speaker in terms of performance, and features with the Amazon Echo (4th Gen).

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Google Nest Audio

The best smart speaker for Google Assistant

Google Nest Audio plays to a wide range of people because it brings that perfect mixture of intelligence and raw power.

What’s apparent is that it’s a substantially beefier speaker than the Google Home — aided by its 19mm tweeter and 75mm mid-woofer. The result is a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker that roars with incredible power. There’s no denying that it’s far more equipped at playing music than its successor, just because it’s 76% louder and has a 50% boost in bass.

You can also pair it with another Google Nest Audio for stereo sound, plus you can group multiple speakers in other rooms to play your tunes everywhere — while being harmoniously in sync. The best part of Nest Audio is that you’re not paying a fortune for premium audio with its $100 sticker price. It’s affordable, packs all the intelligence of Google Assistant, and even delivers impressive sound.

John Velasco / Digital Trends

Apple HomePod Mini

The best affordable smart speaker for HomeKit

Apple certainly learned how tough it can be to complete in the smart speaker space. While its HomePod faced stiff competition when it launched, its sibling in the HomePod Mini fared much better. Part of that reasoning is that the HomePod Mini was cheaper, while still offering excellent audio performance.

Apple users will appreciate the HomePod Mini in the home because Siri can be leveraged on the speaker to accomplish a number of things, such as turning on the lights, unlocking the door, and much more. When it comes to audio, there’s still a lot of power behind its compact design — but what’s impressive is its ability to adapt to whatever it’s playing. For example, if you’re watching a movie on your television and using the HomePod Mini as your audio source, it’ll tune the audio accordingly so that dialogue won’t be drowned out by the sound effects in the background.

Speaking of home theater experiences, you can achieve that by pairing two HomePod Mini speakers together. In fact, you’d be surprised by how well it sounds compared to a traditional soundbar.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Sonos Beam (Gen 2)

The best smart speaker for TV

Even the best TVs typically have lousy sound quality due to their tiny built-in speakers, which makes soundbars an attractive option for many. However, there are a lot of soundbars and not all of them are as smart as the modern home theater needs. That’s where this excellent iteration of the Sonos Beam steps up.

A compact and well-styled bar, it can easily fit under the smallest of TVs on either a console or on the wall using the optional bracket. Like every Sonos product, it has impressive sound quality for its size and can become part of a much larger multiroom audio system. The Gen 2 model is further improved with the addition of Dolby Atmos, an important part of home entertainment audio these days. The Sonos app lets you stream from virtually every music service on the planet and it does an excellent job managing your private music collection, too.

But the reason we’ve chosen the Beam for this roundup is its smart speaker chops. With the ability to run either Google Assistant or Alexa as its voice assistant, it can serve as the hub for a host of home automation commands. It can translate spoken commands for Google Assistant or Alexa into signals that control your TV. “Alexa, turn on Bedroom TV,” will do just that. Other commands, like “Alexa, turn the volume up on Bedroom TV,” work well too, as will similar commands for Google Assistant. You can also control the speaker with an app, or use it with Apple AirPlay 2.

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

Bose Portable Home Speaker

The best portable smart speaker

You already know that we love the Sonos One for its ability to let you choose your preferred voice assistant. The Bose Portable Home Speaker gives you that choice too, plus a built-in rechargeable battery, carry-handle, and Bluetooth so you can take it with you anywhere you go.

Though considerably more expensive than the Sonos One, the Bose is the ideal choice for people who demand absolute flexibility. When at home and connected to your Wi-Fi network, the Portable Home Speaker is a full-fledged smart speaker that lets you talk to Alexa or Google Assistant. Using your voice to control music playback via Spotify works like a charm, but the Bose app gives you additional options like multiple speaker groupings. The app isn’t as good as the one Sonos provides, but as long as you don’t intend to build a whole-home music system using Bose speakers, we doubt you’ll mind.

While you shouldn’t let it fall in the pool, the speaker is protected from small amounts of water thanks to its IPX4 rating, so you need not fear the occasional unexpected rain shower.

Apple users will love the AirPlay 2 integration which lets you stream any audio — be it music from your favorite streaming service, or the soundtrack from a Netflix movie — directly to the speaker when connected to Wi-Fi. When on the road (or if you’re an Android user) the Bose Portable Home Speaker’s Bluetooth connection lets you keep the tunes going. With 12 hours of battery life between charges, those tunes can go on for most of a day.

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Amazon Echo Studio

The best smart speaker for 3D sound

Though it bears a resemblance to the Apple HomePod with its cylindrical shape, the Echo Studio is, in fact, an entirely new breed of smart speaker. It’s still an Amazon Echo, which means that you get all of the benefits of being able to issue voice commands to Alexa to control everything from your music to your thermostat. But when it comes to audio, the Echo Studio is in a class of its own.

With the launch of the Amazon Music HD streaming service, Amazon is now a leading source of top-quality music. The service offers CD-quality audio and hi-res audio, as well as immersive 3D music tracks via Dolby Atmos Music, and Sony 360 Reality Audio. And for now, the Echo Studio is the only speaker on the planet that works with all of them.

CD-quality and hi-res audio are fairly easy to understand: They’re the best versions of stereo audio you can get. Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio are different. These two new formats expand your music into something far wider, deeper, and immersive — which is why we refer to them as 3D. The Echo Studio not only projects these formats around a room the way they were meant to be heard, but it also reinforces the sound with a clean and powerful bass response we simply didn’t expect from a speaker at this price.

The Amazon Echo Studio may not please all audiophiles — it tends to muffle some midrange sounds for stereo sound — but it is nonetheless a superb value and (at the moment) a unique smart speaker that leads a growing movement. Also, note that Amazon announced an update for Echo Studio firmware in 2022 to give it Amazon’s own spatial audio processing, designed to improve clarity compared to standard audio. You’ll need Amazon Music Unlimited to use it, but it’s a notable upgrade to the Studio’s sound options.

Zeke Jones / Digital Trends

HomePod 2023

The best smart speaker for HomeKit

If you love HomeKit but need something with a bit more power than the HomePod mini, consider opting for the new Apple HomePod. It offers all the same functionality as its smaller sibling, but thanks to its larger footprint, the HomePod is capable of producing loud, room-filling sounds. Inside the device, you’ll find a high-excursion woofer and an array of beamforming tweeters, which is just a fancy way of saying the HomePod sounds fantastic.

Another perk of the HomePod is its ability to optimize its sound for any room. Using Room Sensing technology and Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, you can rest assured your smart speaker is pumping out the best possible sound at all times. And if you want to fill your entire home with great sound, HomePod supports multiroom audio through AirPlay. It’s not cheap at $300, but no doubt you’re getting your money’s worth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I buy an Alexa smart speaker or Google smart speaker?

That depends on which ecosystem you like and use most. Both have their benefits and drawbacks, and both work with the most popular streaming services. Alexa tends to work with more smart devices, but this is becoming less of a factor with time. If you’re undecided, pick a smart speaker that gives you a choice like the Sonos One.

Do smart speakers help the visually impaired?

Yes, they have a lot of functionality that doesn’t require buttons, making smart speakers great for visually impaired people. They are particularly useful when paired with smart devices around the home that can be controlled via voice. Even without smart devices, these speakers can help make schedules, read the news, look up information, plan events, provide recipes to cook meals, and lots more — really putting the “assistant” in voice assistant.

Do smart speakers have an AUX input?

Some smart speakers, like the Marshall Stanmore II Voice, have 3.5mm inputs. If you need an AUX input, we recommend making sure the speaker has one before purchasing.

Can I use smart speakers to listen to FM radio?

No, most smart speakers do not have an FM tuner. If you want to listen to the radio, your best bet is to play an internet radio station on these speakers. Some services do turn FM channels into internet stations you can listen to on smart devices, like myTuner Radio.

Do smart speakers usually have a battery?

It’s not common. Batteries are more common on simpler Bluetooth speakers designed more for portability. If you want to take your smart speaker with you on the go, we recommend making sure it has a built-in or add-on battery (like the Bose Portable Home Speaker).

Do smart speakers need Wi-Fi?

Yes, smart speakers generally need Wi-Fi to set up and use. You can access some features with Bluetooth, but a Wi-Fi connection is still needed for the smart speaker to operate.

Are smart speakers always listening to me?

Yes and no. After some initial hiccups, smart speakers typically work like this: The mics are always listening for their wake word, like, “Hey, Alexa.” But they don’t recognize or record anything else. Once they do hear the wake word, they listen to the speech after it to interpret the request. That command is typically recorded, but settings in apps like Alexa allow you to stop the speaker from storing the command in the cloud, or make sure it’s deleted soon afterward. Smart speakers also come with physical mute buttons that will shut down the mics entirely if you don’t want them on.

Can children use smart speakers?

Today’s smart speakers have voice profiles so each person in the family can create their own profile with their own preferences. You can also use apps to set controls, such as disabling any music with profanity, etc. That being said, there have been cases of kids using smart speakers to order things online (100 gallons of ice cream, etc.) or otherwise getting into trouble, so it’s a good idea to limit what they can do.

Can all my devices work with a smart speaker?

Compatibility has long been a problematic part of smart platforms that power smart speakers and other devices. In past years, it’s been a tug of war between brands to get third-party smart devices to support their own voice assistants and apps, so you may have a device that works on Alexa but not with Google Home, and so on. Alexa has generally done the best with third-party support, followed by Google, then Apple’s HomeKit and Home app.

That’s starting to change and change quickly. The big three smart brands, along with a wide variety of other tech companies, banded together and created a new smart home protocol to work on all their platforms, called Matter. These days, you can look for the Matter logo or check to see if your devices are backward compatible with Matter and rest easy. Older devices, however, may still have limited compatibility, so you may have to do some extra research.

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The best Apple HomeKit devices 2023

By admin December 20, 2023

While not as widespread as Google Home or Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit remains one of the most popular smart home ecosystems of 2023. The software plays well with iOS devices, and several other gadgets such as smart lights, smart locks, thermostats, and cameras can be controlled using the fancy technology. If you’re looking to build your smart home around Apple’s ecosystem, here are the best HomeKit devices available today.

Locks

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HomeKit doesn’t have the largest selection of smart locks, but that doesn’t really matter when you have something as well-rounded as the Aqara Smart Lock U100. Not only does it offer full HomeKit support, but you’ll even gain access to Apple home keys — allowing you to unlock your door with your iPhone or Apple Watch. There’s also the standard keypad for entering a passcode, along with a fingerprint sensor that can store several dozen fingerprints (so your whole family can enter the home without worrying about forgetting their password or smartphone).

A physical key is included for emergency access, and the smart lock is designed to run for up to eight months before you’ll need to replace its batteries. Other standout features include “Do Not Disturb Mode,” auto-locking, and an IP65 rating to help it withstand whatever nature throws its way.

The Schlage Encode Plus is another solid option. This lock includes all of the latest HomeKit features, including Apple home key support. Of course, you still have access to a physical key lock and touchscreen support. The Encode Plus also works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant while having full HomeKit and Siri support. The lock is pretty expensive at $299, but if you want a lock with all of Apple’s secure HomeKit features and a host of other features, Schlage’s Encode Plus is currently your only route.

The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is still a great choice for one of the best smart locks and makes it possible for you to do things like track who is coming and going, give access to specific people, or lock and unlock your door remotely. Plus, it attaches to your existing deadbolt, so you don’t have to get a new set of house keys. In addition to being compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, it’s also compatible with Apple HomeKit, too. You can check out our full review of the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock.

Don’t want to have to worry about a house key? Yale Assure Lock uses a touchscreen keypad. If you upgrade your Yale Assure Lock (models YRD246 or YRD256) with a Yale iM1 Network Module, it’ll be compatible with Apple HomeKit. The module typically costs somewhere in the $50 range, and it’ll let you control the lock with voice commands and more. Read more about the Yale Assure SL lock in our full review.

You could also spring for the Yale Assure Lock 2, which comes in a variety of designs — including a few models that give you remote access to your front door via Wi-Fi. Our review found it to be a premium smart lock that’s more than worth its hefty price tag. If you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem, consider springing for the Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus with Apple Home Keys, as it works not just with HomeKit, but also supports Home Keys — allowing you to unlock your door with a tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch.

The best Apple HomeKit devices 2023

Lighting

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Now your favorite Hue products work with your Apple devices. You can adjust dimming, change colors in certain rooms, sync your lights, set scenes, and more. The Philips Hue Starter Kit is a great way to get started with smart lighting.

Lifx A19 LED Bulbs are another great HomeKit-compatible option. Delivering 1,100 lumens, they’re about as bright as a 75-watt incandescent bulb. However, they’re energy-efficient at only 11 watts, and they have a 22-year lifespan. With 16 million color options and no hub required, Lifx A19s offers a lot in a compact-sized bulb, including the Candle Color, the first smart LED bulb that can emit multiple colors of light at once.

The Nanoleaf Essentials Matter A19 Smart Bulb boasts full HomeKit support, and it even works with Matter. It’ll give you access to millions of different colors, a simple smartphone app, and a quick setup process. Consider giving it a look if you need something that works not just with Apple HomeKit, but other smart home platforms you may have running in your house.

If you want something a little bit different, Nanoleaf’s Light Panels are triangular smart light panels you can shape into whatever design you like. Connect them to Apple HomeKit to activate different scenes. There’s even a rhythm add-on, so your panels and music will work in sync. If you’re looking for a less expensive way to add some color to your space, another great option is the Lifx Z, a HomeKit controllable Multi Color LED Light strip. The ribbon comes in at 6.6 feet, and additional extensions can be added on for greater flexibility.

Switches and smart plugs

Wemo

Don’t have a smart light but want to tell “Hey Siri, dim the bedroom light?” The WeMo Smart Light Switch lets you voice-control your lights, set your lights on a schedule, and optimize them based on the bulbs you’re using and prevent flickering. With Apple HomeKit, you can tell Siri to turn the lights off for bedtime, or you can have it set the lights to brighten in the morning. The Lutron Caseta Smart Lighting Dimmer Switch is also compatible with HomeKit, and you can even install the switch without a neutral wire.

Another option is to go with a smart plug, which lets you control devices you plug in (think lamps, holiday lights, or even appliances). The Wemo Smart Plug with Thread from Belkin lets you control a plugged-in device with your voice or phone when connecting it to Apple HomeKit. This edition with Thread support allows for a faster and more reliable connection.

For an even smaller version, you may prefer the Pure Gear PureSwitch, which offers app control, timers, and energy management options for anything you plug in. If you want to replace an entire outlet (both top and bottom) then check out the Connectsense Smart Outlet 2. You’ll also get a lot of information about how much energy your devices are using, through the Connectsense app. This plug also works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

Thermostats

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Ecobee released its Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium and Smart Thermostat Enhanced models in 2022. Seeing that the Ecobee 4 was our previous choice for the best thermostat, it’s easy to give the crown to the new generation. The model sports a new design and the Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat Premium has Siri fully built-in and is HomeKit-compatible. It still works with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, as well. The new radar sensor and air quality monitor take the advancements and convenience up a level. If you want something a bit more affordable, the Ecobee Lite still has a lot to offer. The Lite works with HomeKit and other smart home systems, but it doesn’t have Alexa built into the thermostat.

Honeywell’s Lyric T6 Pro thermostat is HomeKit-compatible as well, and it’s a very cost-effective option. The T6 Pro is an upgrade to one of our old top choices, Honeywell’s Lyric T5. It has features like geofencing, scheduling, and smart alerts. Adaptive auto-recovery makes it so the thermostat knows how long it takes to heat or cool your home to your desired temperature at specific times, and the thermostat can also auto-change from heat to cool.

Otherwise, if you are more interested in a minimal approach — a thermostat that appears to disappear into your wall — you’ll want to take a look at the ; variations are available for both baseboard heating and in-floor heating. Minimal doesn’t mean simple, however, as the Mysa includes a smartphone app to monitor your energy usage and set up a heating schedule.

Cameras and security devices

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Logitech’s Circle View is a smart choice if you’re focused on personal privacy with features such as an electronic shutter. It’s weatherproof, easy to set up, and has some pretty decent free features, like 24-hour cloud storage and smart alerts with snapshots. It also has an impressive view radius of 180 degrees. Some of the more advanced features, like person detection and motion zones, require a paid subscription (after a 10-day free trial).

Eufy also has a range of affordable indoor and outdoor cameras that work flawlessly with HomeKit Secure Video. Another great part is that you don’t need a subscription to use these cameras either. Check out Eufy Indoor Cam 2K , Indoor Cam Pan & Tilt 2K, and Floodlight Cam 2 Pro to get the best of the company’s offerings. Keep in mind that if you want to stream a HomeKit-enabled camera remotely, you need a HomePod Mini, an Apple TV 4K, or Apple TV (4th generation).

Apple HomeKit supports other security devices outside of just cameras. Eve and Aqara create complete lines of various sensors to place around and monitor your home. For example, Eve has a door and window sensor, a motion sensor, and a room sensor that monitors temperature and air quality. Aqara also has low-cost sensors, including a water-leak sensor, temperature and humidity sensor, and a vibration sensor, to name a few. Sensors like those or the can add extra home security while also making it possible for you to do things like have the lights turn on when your door opens.

Your options for video doorbells are limited with HomeKit, but the Logitech Circle View Wired Doorbell is a solid option. It’s a bit pricey at $200, but it offers secure storage that’s encrypted before getting backed up to iCloud, rich notifications that alert you when an animal, vehicle, or person is detected, and it supports customizable motion zones. It’s also a rather sleek device, featuring a design that’s all black and with a footprint smaller than most other video doorbells on the market.

A/V devices

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Whether you’re a music fanatic or cinephile, you can use an Apple HomePod mini to expand your at-home A/V experience. For starters, the HomePod mini is an excellent way to listen to your favorite playlists. The speaker’s sound is surprisingly room-filling for its size and includes Thread connectivity to help with your other smart home accessories. Purchase multiple HomePod minis, and you can pair them together to create 360-degree stereo sound.

If you’re willing to drop a bit more cash, you can snag the new HomePod 2023 for $299. It offers everything found in the HomePod mini, although you’ll be treated to radically improved audio. Thanks to its larger footprint, the HomePod manages to pack in a high-excursion woofer, a beamforming array of five tweeters, and supports Spatial Audio and Room sensing to optimize its performance regardless of where you place it. In other words, the HomePod is a massive upgrade over the HomePod mini and is perfect for creating room-filling sound.

Alternatively, Sonos, has a plethora of products that all have Airplay 2 and are HomeKit-compatible. You can purchase the Sonos One, Sonos Beam, Sonos Amp, or the Sonos Ray soundbar and Sonos Roam portable speaker. The new Sonos Era 100 is another great option, as it’s built with support for AirPlay 2, and you can use Siri to play Apple Music through the Home app.

For home-theater hounds, the fourth-gen Apple TV 4K is a fantastic way to bring HomeKit to your media cave. The streaming device delivers crystal-clear 4K HDR and features Siri support. In cases where you may need a smart bridge to control your HomeKit devices, the Apple TV can do that.

Bridges

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Even though there aren’t a lot of smart home systems that require bridges, they can be crucial in some cases. As you might expect from their name, bridges connect the Home app and HomeKit with a particular brand’s devices, guaranteeing compatibility. They are essential for people who want to increase the functionality of their favorite brands.

For instance, let’s look at the Wemo Bridge. It links the Home app and the Belkin Wemo brand, increasing compatibility between devices such as the Wemo Switch, Insight Smart Plug, LightSwitch, and Dimmer.

The advantage of this is that your older Wemo devices will work with your system again. The Apple TV 4K is also a terrific, trustworthy bridge for HomeKit devices.

Stay tuned for Matter

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Matter, a new interoperability standard for smart home gadgets, has already started rolling out to select devices — and more are expected to follow in the coming months. In fact, the company recently revealed the new HomePod — which comes with full Matter support. Apple is one of the biggest companies on board with the technology, meaning HomeKit devices should soon be compatible with any devices that support Matter. In other words, the small HomeKit catalog will grow much larger once Matter updates are pushed to some of today’s hottest devices. A variety of Google and Amazon products have already been updated, so keep your eyes peeled as more manufacturers jump on board throughout 2023.

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