Pros
- Entertaining, addictive new Smart Camera functions
- Improved camera results
- Thin and light, well-built
- Vivid AMOLED display, option to adjust color profile
Cons
- Lacks built-in contactless charging
- Disappointing app selection, still
Bottom Line
The Lumia 925 is better than the 920 in most, but not all ways. Nokia clearly made sacrifices for a slimmer design, but we think they're worth it.
Pros
- Phenomenal battery life
- Fast I/O from PCIe SSDs
- $100 less than last year
- Great keyboard and trackpad
Cons
- Still no Retina display
- Base CPU performance lower than last year
Bottom Line
The 2013 MacBook Air offers amazing battery life and disk I/O performance for an even more accessible price, but it sure could use a few more pixels in that display.
Pros
- Snappy performance
- Decent speakers
- Solid build quality
Cons
- Poor keyboard layout
- Antiquated trackpad
- Lackluster display
- Mediocre battery life
Bottom Line
HP's 14-inch Chromebook offers zippy performance and solid build quality, but ultimately cuts too many corners. The poor keyboard layout and antiquated trackpad make this machine particularly hard to recommend.
Pros
- Enables calling in remote locales
- Long battery life
- Fairly compact
Cons
- Bulky charger
- No two-way SMS support
- Still won't work in some regions
Bottom Line
Finally, a sat phone for average folks. The $499 price tag will feel completely insubstantial the very first time you actually need to use it.
Pros
- Foursquare and Yelp integration
Cons
- Entirely too large
- Complex user interface
- Unnecessary
Bottom Line
The $250 SmartGPS wasn't built with bad intentions, but it's simply not worth the asking price.
Pros
- Supremely comfortable strap
- App is simple and intuitive
- Tons of data to peruse
Cons
- iOS only, for now
- App lacks polish and functionality
- No website or social features
Bottom Line
The Armour39 exercise tracker is a solid self-quantifier for those that consider themselves athletes. But we wish the app had more features and polish.
Pros
- Cheap
- Attractive, well-built hardware
- Excellent performance
- Big battery
Cons
- 1.88GB of usable storage
- Inconsistent camera
Bottom Line
This very good Windows Phone 8 device is hampered by a lack of storage and a lackluster camera, but good performance may tempt speed freaks.
Pros
- Much-improved design
- Bright 1080p display
- Great battery life
Cons
- Cramped touchpad
- Oddly placed rear camera
Bottom Line
Sony completely revamped its slider design for the VAIO Duo 13, and the result is a well-made machine with longer battery life and a more comfortable keyboard.
Pros
- Comfortable form factor
- Stellar pen input and ExpressKeys
- Good display quality
Cons
- No wireless option
- Lack of touch gestures
- Stand has restrictive angles
Bottom Line
Wacom's smallest Cintiq is a capable add-on, but the lack of wireless connectivity and multitouch gestures leaves us wanting more.
Pros
- Exceptionally lightweight
- Long battery life, sheet battery option
- 1080p display with great viewing angles
- Keyboard is improved over the old Z
- Webcam excels in low light
Cons
- Keyboard is cramped on this 11-inch model
- Stiff touch button, flaky trackpad
- Fan can get loud sometimes
Bottom Line
Sony's old Z series flagship comes back to life with epic battery life, an even lighter design and a more reasonable price.
Pros
- Innovative design, well-built
- Bright 1080p display
- Good specs for the money
Cons
- Cramped keyboard, awkwardly placed touchpad
- Unimpressive battery life
- Relatively heavy
- Only one configuration right now
Bottom Line
The Acer Aspire R7 is a unique take on the Windows 8 laptop, with an adjustable display and an attractive hinge design. And, at $1,000, it's also a pretty good deal.
Pros
- Fast and powerful
- Excellent game performance
- Fantastic battery life for its class
Cons
- Loud fan
- Limited viewing angles
- Trackpad glitch makes it unusable in most games
Bottom Line
Despite a few workable flaws, the GT70 Dragon Edition is a stellar gaming machine, improving upon the original GT70 without compromising its best features.
Pros
- 1080p display offers good viewing angles
- Infrared blaster and remote apps easy to set up
- Water-resistant, stylish design
Cons
- Weedy charger, temperamental micro-USB port
- Frustrating waterproof covers
- Specs aren't high-end enough, given the price
Bottom Line
The Xperia Tablet Z serves as an excellent second screen. Remote functionality is easy to set up, while the display is one of the best we've seen from Sony's Xperia range, if not the market in total.
Pros
- Beautiful 1080p display
- Fast transfer speeds, runs cool and quiet
- Great trackpad
- Good audio quality
Cons
- Heavy for a touchscreen Ultrabook
- Flat keyboard
- No Core i7 or 256GB SSD option
- Lots of bloatware
Bottom Line
The ATIV Book 7 is a good value among touchscreen Ultrabooks, with a reliable trackpad, fast SSD and lovely display. The main trade-offs are a shallow keyboard and a relatively heavy frame.
Pros
- Giant, attractive screen
- Ample battery life
- Low price
Cons
- Slow
- Middling camera
- Low storage
Bottom Line
The Ascend Mate tops them all for screen size and battery life, but it's a budget phone on the inside.