Reviews Archive

Ring’s video history search is super handy for tracking my cat

Jennifer Pattison TuohyOct 9, 2024

Thomas RickerOct 5, 2024

Qi2 3-in-1 wireless charging station review.

This one’s the $79.99 Kuxiu X40Q tri-folding magnetic wireless charger, but it’s available under many names and prices on Amazon or Temu. I love the design having owned a less-powerful no-name Qi version for about a year. It folds up super small for travel and unfurls into a “Z” to simultaneously charge my iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods while I sleep, all from a single USB-C cable.

<em>The box says it charges iPhones at 15W and Apple Watches and AirPods at 5W each. In practice, I was seeing it pull a maximum of 14W when charging only my iPhone 15 Pro and no more than 23W total when charging the phone, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra simultaneously.</em>

<em>A reasonably strong MagSafe-compatible magnet holds the iPhone in place vertically or horizontally to take advantage of StandBy mode. There’s a weaker magnet on the folding Apple Watch puck, while the AirPods are held in place by gravity.</em>

<em>The aluminum alloy charging stand feels heavy in the hand, while the hinges have good resistance to maintain whatever shape you fold the stand into. </em>

<em>Here, you can read the rated specs for this Qi2 wireless charging stand branded with Kuxiu, model X40Q.</em>

<em>It ships with a 36W USB-C charger, cable, and carrying case.</em>

<em>It pulls as much as 23W when charging three devices, in my testing. Usually, it pulls less, however, which is normal.</em>

<em>The iPhone pulling 14W, just shy of the 15W maximum allowed by Qi2. Thanks, heat.</em>

<em>It can still charge in this shape if you only need to charge your iPhone. An LED indicator on the back next to the USB-C jack lights up briefly and then turns off so it doesn’t interrupt your sleep.</em>

<em>I love how small and portable this 3-in-1 stand is. A soft touch coating adds to the tactility, giving the overall build a feeling of high quality.</em>

1/9

The box says it charges iPhones at 15W and Apple Watches and AirPods at 5W each. In practice, I was seeing it pull a maximum of 14W when charging only my iPhone 15 Pro and no more than 23W total when charging the phone, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra simultaneously.

Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

Sean HollisterOct 4, 2024

This $40 magnetic phone grip does what PopSockets can’t — and it’s on sale.

The OhSnap Snap 4 is thinner than a camera bump, yet there’s so many more ways to use it than a PopSocket. While the earlier Snap 3 broke on my colleague Victoria, this new model is holding up great for us both. Plus, Best Buy’s got it for $27.99 right now. Watch my video for caveats, though!

Note: If you buy something from these links, we might get affiliate revenue.

The Pentax 17 is low-stakes analog photography fun that doesn’t feel like a toy

$500 is a lot for a point-and-shoot film camera, but it rewards you with a joyous experience.

Antonio G. Di BenedettoOct 4, 2024

Thomas RickerOct 3, 2024

Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro review.

At $449, this all-in-one Google TV projector is a good choice if portability is important and you already own a battery with USB-C PD 3.0 output. The speaker is good enough, and the auto-positioned 1080p image looks best at night but remains watchable during the day. A $499 bundle incudes a wobbly PowerBase Stand for about two hours of playback. Mine toppled over onto concrete but the projector survived!

<em>The MoGo 3 Pro can automatically hunt for the best image placement, level it, square off the corners, and focus it all while avoiding obstacles. Xgimi makes it easy to then tweak its best guess placement or turn off the ISA 2.0 tech entirely.</em>

<em>It’s small but not that small, measuring 299 x 159 x 145mm and 1.1kg. And you still have to provide power because this is BYOB: bring your own battery.</em>

<em>The projector can rotate up to 120 degrees which is not enough to point the image at the ceiling. </em>

<em>It can also be used as a Bluetooth speaker when in Ambient Light mode (slightly opened) with colors that seem to flicker instead of actually syncing to the beat of the music. </em>

<em>If you’re not happy with the sound produced by the integrated 2 x 5W speakers at the base of the unit, you can pair your own over Bluetooth 5.1. The MoGo 3 Pro also has GoogleCast built-in, but you’ll need to install MagiCast for Apple’s AirPlay support. </em>

<em>Even in Eco mode you get a decently bright and large image that can be enjoyed during the day, so long as it’s not too sunny outside. A brighter Performance mode takes better advantage of its maximum output of 450 ISO lumens but it’s only available when powered by the included 65W AC wall adapter. Unfortunately, this mode also causes the fan to kick on at a very loud 67dB, which is about as loud as a microwave!</em>

<em>I had to manually adjust the image to fit into this oddball space at dusk. Here, I’d turn off the ISA 2.0 tech at startup or when the unit is moved to avoid having to resize everything manually again.</em>

<em>The PowerBase Stand consists of two 16.1-inch sections to create a short tripod or a longer 26.1-inch tripod with 20,000mAh battery. In my testing, that’s enough power for about two-hours of continuous playback when the projector is in Eco mode.</em>

<em>A better look at everything that comes in the box with the $499 PowerBase Stand bundle.</em>

<em>ISA 2.0 automatic keystone correction kicking in. This can be set to happen at startup, when the device is moved, or never.</em>

<em>This flap doesn’t always close which is annoying. Otherwise the build quality is pretty good, if a little too plastic-y.</em>

<em>The USB and Micro HDMI (ARC supported) ports.</em>

<em>Attaching the </em><a href="https://us.xgimi.com/products/xgimi-creative-optical-filter"><em>$49 Creative Optical Filter</em></a><em> to the front of the projector and downloading the XGIMI Wall app lets you project giant magnified lightshows around your space. Cute, but only worthwhile in very dark rooms. You don’t need this.</em>

1/14

The MoGo 3 Pro can automatically hunt for the best image placement, level it, square off the corners, and focus it all while avoiding obstacles. Xgimi makes it easy to then tweak its best guess placement or turn off the ISA 2.0 tech entirely.

Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

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