Electronics
With electronics, spec sheets rarely tell you what matters after a year: battery wear, firmware updates, connection drops. That is exactly what owner feedback is good at revealing.
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Anker 737 Power Bank (24K)
Charges a laptop at up to 140W and is airline-friendly. It's heavy, and a few units fail early.
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Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)
Surprisingly good sound for the price. The Alexa+ switch has annoyed some owners.
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Fire TV Stick 4K Select
The new Vega OS means fewer apps, no sideloading and no Dolby Vision. Other Fire TV sticks are better.
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Kindle Paperwhite (2024)
Faster, sharper and with weeks of battery. Not worth upgrading from the 2021 model.
Depends
Sony WH-1000XM5
Excellent noise cancelling. Hinge and headband failures are too common to ignore.
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Soundcore Q20i Headphones
Real noise cancelling and huge battery life on a budget. The sound is bass-heavy.