Bestof2026

We tested 14 laptops in the $800-1200 bracket. The Air wins on every axis we measure — performance per watt, display calibration accuracy, battery endurance, and build precision. The only laptop in the bracket whose successor we wouldn't immediately replace it with.

Compared head-to-head against six flagship in-ear models. The Buds Pro produce the flattest frequency response in the category and the only ANC implementation that doesn't add audible pressure. Battery life landed at 9.4h with ANC on — best in class.

Most smartwatches are notification machines. The Watch X is a vitals instrument that happens to be a watch. The 72-hour battery and AMOLED always-on are quietly the best in the category.

Camera processing has been the deciding factor for the last three flagship cycles. The Phone 15 ships the only computational pipeline that we couldn't tell apart from a mirrorless body under standard lab conditions.

$649 puts this in mid-tier territory, but everything from the laminated 120Hz display to the M-class chip is firmly pro-tier. The cheapest serious tablet we'd actually recommend to a working creator.