The Best Tech Releases of the Week That Aren’t the PS5 or Xbox Series X

This has been another big week in tech. Both the next-generation consoles, the Xbox Series X and PS5, are out in the wild — but good luck finding a place where you can actually buy one. That said, there was also a big Apple event where the company announced the first computers with the new M1 chip, which promises huge performance and battery gains. But there was a lot more than just that.

Here’s what you should be aware of.

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Leica Q2 Monochrom

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If you’re in the market for a crazy nice and crazy expensive black-and-white camera, check out the Leica Q2 Monochrom. It costs almost $6,000 and joins the company’s other black-and-white shooters, like the M Monochrom and M10 Monochrom. The Q2 Monochrom has a 47MP sensor and a fixed 28mm F1.7 ASPH lens, and the company claims it’s able to produce better images with more dynamic range than its Q2. But only in black and white, of course.

Price: $5,995

MacBook Air with M1 Chip

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This is the first MacBook Air to be integrated with Apple’s M1 chip (instead of Intel’s chipsets). The new MacBook Air is significantly more power efficient than previous models, with a rated battery life of 15 hours of web browsing compared to the previous Air’s 11 hours. It also has no internal fans, which should make it completely silent.

Price: $999+

MacBook Pro with M1 Chip

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro also has performance enhancements over the previous 13-inch Pro. Apple claims the new model boasts battery life to give you 17 hours of web browsing (versus the 10 hours of its predecessor) — Apple claims that it’s the longest-lasting battery that its ever put in a laptop. The new Pro still has a built-in fan, so it won’t be as quiet as the new Air.

Price: $1,299+

Mac Mini with M1 Chip

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The new Mac Mini looks very similar to the one that Apple has been selling for the last two years. It has two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports, along with a headphone jack and an ethernet port. Apple claims that it’s able to support two external monitors or Apple’s fancy (and huge) Pro Display XDR. You can purchase it with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD or 8GB of memory with a 512GB SSD. The more hearty configuration costs an extra $200.

Price: $ 699

Wyze Robot Vacuum

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Wyze, the company best known for its tiny and really affordable smart home cameras, has made a $199 robot vacuum to take on Roomba. The headline feature is its price, of course, but it’s also integrated with a LiDAR senor, similar to what’s in the iPhone 12 Pro models, which enables the vacuum to accurately measures distances and create a 3D map out your room. It should be able to navigate and clean your room without bumping into too many objects. It’s available for preorder now.

Price: $199

Beoplay E8 Sport Rapha

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The Beoplay E8 Sport Rapha are new wireless earbuds for cyclists. They’re simply the B&O’s Beoplay E8 Sport wireless earbuds that have been badged with Rapha logos and signature pink flair — so they’re not exactly a “new” product — but if you’re a fan of Bang & and Olufsen and Rapha, these might be the perfect wireless earbuds for you.

Price: $350

Plugable TBT3-UDZ Docking Station

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If you’re looking for a powerful docking station to anchor your work-from-home setup, Plugable makes some of the best. Its newest docking station, the TBT3-UDZ, is a beast. It has 14 different ports with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 compatibility, and it supports of to 100-watts with Power Delivery (PD) of passthrough power. It also can support up to two 4K external monitors.

Price: $299

Grovemade Wood MagSafe Dock

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The Wood MagSafe Dock is essentially wooden coaster for your MagSafe charger. You still need to buy Apple’s MagSafe charger separately, but this thing will make it look darn nice.

Price: $100 $80

https://grovemade.com/product/magsafe-dock/

Phiaton 900 Legacy Noise-Canceling Headphones

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The 900 Legacy is the Phiaton’s newest pair of noise-canceling headphones and they have two standout features. First is the carbon fiber design which just looks really cool (at least in my opinion). And secondly, they are rated for an incredible 43-hour battery life with active noise-cancellation turned on.

Price: $250

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