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Tag: Buying Guides

  • These Are Our Favorite Sheets to Catch Some Z’s

    These Are Our Favorite Sheets to Catch Some Z’s

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    Photograph: Nena Farrell

    Other Great Silk (or Similar) Pillowcases

    • LilySilk 19-Momme Silk Pillowcase for $40: This is the same price as the Quince pillowcase, but a lighter weight, though it’s barely noticeable side by side. If you prefer no zipper, though, this is the silk pillowcase for you. It does have a few colors and prints that Quince doesn’t, so you might want to peruse the two brands and choose based on your color preference.
    • Silken Pure Silk Envelope Pillowcase for $78: This pillowcase is a splurge, but the Silken Pure is noticeably higher-end. Medea found it’s not as slippery as other, cheaper pillowcases, but is super cooling on your skin. She says it’s held up great in the wash too. She does find she has to adjust it in the morning, since it doesn’t have a zipper enclosure.
    • Kitsch Satin Pillowcase for $19: This pillowcase is satin, not silk, but Medea says it’s better than similarly priced silk options. If you’re not looking to spend more than $20 to $25, she says to choose this one over the cheap silk pillowcases you’ll find on Amazon.

    Organic Sheets

    Why buy organic sheets? If you’re buying an organic mattress, you probably want to pair it with organic sheets. Otherwise, nonorganic sheets can bring the chemicals and materials you avoided—including anything from formaldehyde and TCEP (a flame retardant) to phthalates—right back into your life. Even if you have a regular mattress, you can still benefit from choosing sheets that are made of natural, organic materials.

    Our Favorite Organic Sheets

    WIRED reviewer Scott Gilbertson tests organic bedding, and these are the best organic cotton sheets he’s tried. They’re soft but not overly silky, which is a feeling he doesn’t care for (if you do, check out the Avocado sheets below). The Brooklinen organic cotton sheets are made from Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)-certified organic cotton. They’re also Oeko-Tex certified, which means they’re tested for and do not contain any known toxic chemicals.

    The 300 thread count makes this plenty crisp and soft but not so tight that you end up sleeping hot. These are a great choice for summer or if, like Scott, you sleep on the warm side even in winter.

    Other Great Organic Sheets

    • Avocado Organic Cotton Sheets for $229: These 600-count sheets are like sleeping on silk or satin and are 100 percent GOTS-certified organic cotton from India. The only potential issue here is that, because they are such a dense weave, they sleep a little warmer than what you might be used to. There’s also a 400-count version we haven’t tested.
    • Avocado Organic Linen Sheets for $499: These linen sheets are some of the heaviest Scott has tried and will likely last you many years, thanks to the heavy weight. They’ll get softer with every wash, but they are initially rougher than other styles of sheets.

    Alternative Materials

    Why buy bamboo or eucalyptus sheets? Companies are making sheets from other materials now too, like bamboo and eucalyptus. The latter usually takes less water than cotton and less harsh chemicals than bamboo to produce sheets. Because bamboo plants grow so quickly, it’s thought to be an eco-friendly resource we can use without depleting the planet. However, it’s not a perfect solution. The process of turning bamboo into fabric uses harsh chemicals, which can actually add to air and water pollution. Bamboo viscose is slightly better than bamboo rayon.

    A Eucalyptus Sheet

    We were already fans of Buffy’s enormous Wiggle Pllow, and now we’re happy to have tried the company’s sheets too. They’re light and airy and yet feel warm, like you’re cozy under your favorite blanket, without making you hot and sweaty. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says her husband struggles with waking up sweaty on materials like percale, even when they feel cool to the touch, but he commented on how nice he felt sleeping in these. She did, however, note that they slid up the side of her mattress more than some other sheets.

    The fabric uses a sateen weave but is actually Tencel lyocell, which is made from sustainable wood sources—in this case, eucalyptus—and it’s biodegradable.

    A Bamboo Sheet

    While WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says she prefers the crispness of percale, these Luxome sheets made from bamboo viscose are the softest bedding she’s ever slept in. They’re silky and drape well, but have deep pockets and elastic straps to keep them on your mattress all night. They’ve held up in the wash too. We were nervous they’d get pilly like some similar cheap soft sheets we’ve tried from Bed Bath and Beyond (RIP) but that hasn’t been the case.

    Other Great Bamboo Sheets

    • Bedsure Bamboo Cooling Sheet Set for $60: This is one of the best cheap sets of sheets we found from stores like Amazon and Walmart, and happened to be bamboo to boot. They’re made from bamboo rayon (instead of viscose, which is better for the environment), and while they aren’t as silky and cool as the Luxome sheets above, they’re a close second.
    • Quince Bamboo Linen Sheet Set for $100: Quince’s bamboo linen sheets are well priced for linen. They have a slightly softer, silkier feel compared to regular linen but still maintain some of the weight and stiffness you’d expect with linen sheets. It’s made with 70 percent bamboo rayon (less ideal than bamboo viscose) and 30 percent linen. These are a little more cooling to sleep on compared to other linen sheets too.
    • Cozy Earth Bamboo Sheet Set for $339: Similar to Luxome, these bamboo sheets are 100 percent bamboo viscose, but they’re pricier. Still, they’re insanely soft and nice and cold to the touch. They warm up after about 15 minutes of lying in bed but still feel almost as if they’ve melted around you.

    A Bamboo Linen Sheet

    Quince’s bamboo linen sheets are well priced for linen. They have a slightly softer, silkier feel compared to regular linen but still maintain some of the weight and stiffness you’d expect with linen sheets. It’s made with 70 percent bamboo rayon (less ideal than bamboo viscose) and 30 percent linen. These are a little more cooling to sleep on compared to other linen sheets too.

    Best Budget Sheets

    On a tight budget? Some of our favorite sheets are surprisingly cheap compared to other similar sets, but they cover a range of sheet styles.

    Our Favorite Budget Sheets

    When I upgraded my mattress after moving across California, I popped into Target to grab its cheapest queen sheet set off the shelf and promptly left the store. Target’s Room Essentials set is made with a plain cotton weave, and I didn’t expect them to hold up for long, especially with my claw-happy cat in the house.

    It’s been four years and I still use these sheets. They’re soft and light after years of use and feel a bit like a favorite T-shirt I’ve worn in the perfect amount. My husband, much to my ire, calls these “the nice sheets” even though we have actual nice sheets. They’re affordable and are comfortable to sleep on.

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    Nena Farrell

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  • The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget

    The Best Cheap Phones for Almost Every Budget

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    Motorola Moto G Power 5G 2023 for $200: My main problem with Motorola phones is that there’s no NFC (6/10, WIRED Review), which means you can’t use them to pay your ticket fare on the off chance you left your wallet at home. Motorola also only promises one OS upgrade (with three years of security updates). You can get a much better deal with the devices above. However, there is a headphone jack, a microSD card to expand the 256 GB of storage, and a charger in the box.

    I tested Samsung’s Galaxy A23 5G and found its performance annoyingly slow, which shouldn’t be the case for a $300 smartphone these days. I also don’t recommend Motorola’s Moto G Play 2023, Moto G Stylus 2023, Moto G Power 2022, and Moto G Pure 2022 because the above phones trounce them in every way and don’t cost much more.

    The Nokia G400 5G (6/10, WIRED Review) is a fine phone, but its software policy just isn’t as good as our top recommended devices above and its performance can be stuttery when you juggle multiple apps. The Nokia G100 was OK until the display started locking up and wouldn’t accept touch input. I tried a second unit and ran into the same issue. I have also tested the Doogee S89 Pro, a rugged smartphone. While I didn’t run into any glaring flaws, it’s a pain in the butt to carry around and uncomfortable in the hand, too. Sure, there’s a massive 12,000-mAh battery, but it didn’t last as long as I expected. The company has a spotty record with software updates, too.

    Sort of. Any of our top picks are excellent choices, but if you can wait until May or June, we’ll have a broader lineup to choose from. Motorola will likely unveil more of its budget Moto G lineup soon. TCL will release its 50-series this summer, HMD Global might have some budget devices in tow by July, and we will likely see a Pixel 8A at Google I/O in May.

    Consider Last Year’s Flagship Phones

    If none of these phones have the features you want or they aren’t as powerful as you’d like, your best option is to look for last year’s flagship smartphones, which might be steeply discounted. Sometimes they’re easy to find, but manufacturers may stop selling them altogether. Keep in mind that you’ll lose a year of software support, but that’s often still better than the software support available on cheap phones anyway. The OnePlus 11, for example, has dipped as low as $499. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 has started to creep down toward $600.

    5G is the latest cellular network and it’s widespread enough that you should try to stick to phones that support it. It’s not completely replacing 4G LTE, so you’ll see this in your status bar as you roam around the country. You can read more about it here, but in short, 5G comes in two major types: sub-6 and millimeter wave (mmWave). The latter is usually only available in flagship phones and allows you to access superfast speeds, but you’ll rarely encounter mmWave (think select areas in major cities and certain venues, like stadiums and airports). Sub-6 isn’t much faster than 4G LTE, but it has a broader range and is more widely accessible these days. Most of the smartphones we recommend here support sub-6 5G, even ones as low as $200.

    Check Network Compatibility

    If you buy an unlocked phone on this list and try to take it to one of your wireless carrier’s retail stores, they may tell you it isn’t compatible with the network. It likely is. Just use a paper clip or SIM ejection tool to pop the SIM card out of your current phone, then slide that SIM into your new phone. If it doesn’t work at first, reboot the phone or wait a couple of hours.

    If you need a new SIM, try ordering one online from your carrier or see if they’ll give you a SIM when you activate a line in the store (if you’re starting coverage). Tell them you have a phone. Many times, reps will want to sell you a phone; that’s one potential reason they might hassle you into buying a different device in the store. Having said that, please make sure whatever phone you buy will work on your wireless network. Listings on retailers like Amazon should state clearly which networks a device will be compatible with. Also, make sure the listing says the phone is being sold “unlocked.”

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    Julian Chokkattu

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  • The Best Wireless Earbuds for Everyone

    The Best Wireless Earbuds for Everyone

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    Every month seems to bring new sets of earbuds with longer battery life and more compact designs. As such, we can’t list everything we like. But if you’re still hunting, here are some other recommendations.

    Montblanc MTB 03 for $395: These earbuds are priced out of reach for most buyers, but if you’ve got the cash, you’ll be rewarded with a luxury experience worthy of the brand. Montblanc has called in some heavy hitters from the audio industry to design and voice these buds. The result is a small, comfortable, and quite flashy-looking pair of wireless earbuds that sound really impressive.

    Samsung Galaxy Buds2 for $100: Even several years in, Samsung’s Buds2 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) are a great value. For cheaper than a pair of AirPods, you get noise canceling, transparency mode, and some of the lightest, most comfortable buds around. Frustratingly, the companion app only works for Android, so iPhone users will miss out on most features. Some people have also had issues with these earbuds causing irritation in their ears. We did not experience this, but if you do, be sure to return the buds immediately.

    Apple/Beats Powerbeats Pro for $180: Apple’s beefy Powerbeats Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) provide a super-secure fit, sound far better than Apple’s standard AirPods or Beats pairs before them, and squeeze an impressive nine hours of life out of a charge. They’re getting long in the tooth and forego now-standard extras like transparency mode and ANC, but could still be worth consideration for those after serious stability.

    OnePlus Buds Pro for $140: These AirPods-esque earbuds sound great, look great, and work just about the same as the Apple product, though they’re designed for Android. If you want that, go ahead. I just happen to think some of the designs above are much sleeker.

    JBL Tour Pro 2 for $250: When I first saw photos of these headphones at CES 2023, I believed that a screen on a pair of wireless earbuds—to see how much battery is left, play and pause music, etc—would be awesome. It turns out that while the earbuds are totally fine and they are totally decent sounding, I don’t need a screen on the case. At all. I don’t think I looked at it once, beyond testing, while using the headphones. So much for that.

    Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 for $179: Sennheiser’s aging Momentum True Wireless 2 are still available, and now at a much lower price point. Apart from fantastic sound, Sennheiser also fixed the bug in the first Momentum pair that drained the battery after a week or so even if you didn’t use them.

    Raycon Everyday Earbuds for $80: These YouTuber-beloved earbuds are actually a decent cheap pair (7/10, WIRED Review). They are small and light, and they come with an IPX6 rating, which makes them great for workouts.

    Master & Dynamic MW08 Sport for $299: The Sport are a great option that come with active noise canceling and a striking design, but the high price keeps them out of the reach of most people.

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    Parker Hall, Ryan Waniata

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  • Our Favorite Stockings That Will Last Forever

    Our Favorite Stockings That Will Last Forever

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    Whether you call them stockings, tights, or pantyhose, I love wearing them all year round. Sheer black hose make any outfit sultry, and skin-color ones are like leg makeup. Fishnets and patterns are just fun. If you’ve only ever worn pantyhose in an egg from the drugstore, it’s time to level up. Those ones tend to run and tear easily, sometimes after a single wear—or while you’re still wearing them. They may cost you just a few bucks, but once they’ve ripped, they go with the rest of the world’s textile waste—straight to a landfill.

    You don’t have to spend a lot to get hosiery that will last. We tried a few brands that promise durability. We wore them for a few washes and also tugged and yanked and tried to rip them. No tights are going to be bomb-proof, but these ones come pretty close.

    Brenda Stolyar, Nena Farrell, Louryn Strampe, and Jaina Grey contributed testing to this guide.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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    Medea Giordano, Gear Team

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  • The Best Tents for Campers, Backpackers, and Families

    The Best Tents for Campers, Backpackers, and Families

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    There are hundreds of tents out there. If none of our top picks quite works for you, here are a few things to consider while doing your own research.

    Know how you plan to use your tent. Are you a car camper? Backpacker? Bike packer? All of the above? If you’re primarily headed to established campgrounds there’s no need for an expensive ultralight tent. By the same token, if you’re not happy until the trail head is 20 miles behind you, it might be worth sacrificing living space to save weight. The unfortunate truth is that there are very few tents that work well in the backcountry and the campground. It’s often worth buying a good backcountry tent and something cheap for campgrounds to spare your expensive tent the added wear and tear.

    Keep the weather in mind. “Three-season” or “four-season” usually refers to how much ventilation (that is, mesh) the tent has. A three-season tent will offer better ventilation but will have a harder time retaining heat. For most people, a three-season tent is fine. But if you’re planning to snowshoe into the backcountry, or if you live in northern climes and want some protection against the occasional early or late winter squall, then a four-season tent might be appropriate.

    What specs are important?

    • Floor space: We look at all the dimensions, rather than the four-person or six-person designations. Those tend to assume that all campers are pint-sized people. Remember that you will probably want to keep spare clothes or a backpack in the tent itself and that you need it to be long enough to stretch out comfortably for your height. Be aware though that there are some restrictions on tent size, be sure to check out the regulations at the campground you’re planning to visit.
    • Headroom: Can you stand up in the tent? How steep are the walls? The steeper the side walls the better, since that gives you more space to move around.
    • Storage areas: Are there plenty of pockets to stash your smaller items? The more mesh pockets the merrier, especially higher pockets that won’t reduce sleeping space. We love corner pockets for stashing headlamps to give the tent a nice even light to read by.
    • Vestibule: Does it have one? Two? Is it big enough to store boots and other gear that you want to stay dry but don’t want to have in the tent with you? If you’re backpacking, is it big enough to safely cook under?
    • A Footprint. What kind of tent, in the year 2024, doesn’t come with a footprint? Quite a few it turns out. We suggest them in most cases, so you’ll want to factor in the added cost if the tent you’re interested in doesn’t have one.
    • Materials: These days, most tents are made from nylon that’s coated in polyurethane, silicone, or acrylic to help it shed water. Most, but not all, tents come seam sealed so water doesn’t leak in, but if yours isn’t, REI has a great guide to doing it yourself. We also like to look for more eco-friendly, possibly healthier fabrics that have certifications like bluesign.

    How Heavy Should a Backpacking Tent Be?

    Is a 6 pound tent too heavy for backpacking? How about 5 pounds? Four? The answer is that it depends how much everything else you’re carrying weighs, but a good rule of thumb is that your tent should weigh about 2.5 pounds per person on the trip. So for two people, a five pound tent would be fine. Split the weight by having one person carry the tent and stakes while the other carries the poles and rain fly. That said, obviously a 4-pound tent is going to be even lighter divided like this. If you can afford it, go with the lighter tent, your back will thank you. It also may well be possible to shave some weight off the rest of your backpacking kit, thus making a 6 pound tent acceptable so long as you split the weight with your partner.

    Less weight means more money. This isn’t always true, but unfortunately, it usually is. If you want to go ultralight, you’re going to have to spend more. But before you fork over the big bucks, ask yourself: Do I really care about saving 6 ounces? Are you going to notice those 6 ounces at the end of a 20-mile day? If the answer is yes, then rejoice. There is an internet subculture of people who obsess over saving ounces. The r/ultralight Reddit is a good place to start your research.

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    Scott Gilbertson, Gear Team

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  • The 21 Best Wireless Headphones for Everyone

    The 21 Best Wireless Headphones for Everyone

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    Whether you’re listening to the latest episode of the Gadget Lab podcast or hitting the trail with Taylor Swift on repeat, the right pair of wireless headphones can make your day. The only problem is that there are so many to choose from. WIRED’s Gear team is constantly testing new models, and these are the very best wireless headphones we’ve found.

    Be sure to check out all our audio buying guides, like the Best Wireless Earbuds, Best Workout Earbuds, Best Smart Speakers, and Best Bluetooth Speakers, for more music nirvana.

    Updated March 2024: We’ve added the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and Sony WH-CH720N headphones.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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    Parker Hall, Ryan Waniata

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  • The Best Places to Buy Le Creuset Cookware

    The Best Places to Buy Le Creuset Cookware

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    Sarah M. VazquezSEO Commerce Editor

    Sarah writes about all things shopping for Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, and Cubby helping you find the best deals and the best products for you and your home. A Brooklyn-born Jersey Girl, she loves a good playlist, a good bagel, and her family (but not necessarily in that order).

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    Sarah M. Vazquez

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  • Which Amazon Echo or Alexa Speaker Is Best for You?

    Which Amazon Echo or Alexa Speaker Is Best for You?

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    Amazon’s family of Alexa-enabled devices is vast. From the spherical Echo to the swiveling Echo Show 10, you can get Alexa into your home in many ways. These devices can answer your questions, help you order essentials, set timers, play all sorts of audio content, and even function as the control hub for your growing smart home. These are our favorite Echo- and Alexa-compatible speakers for every home and budget.

    The best time to buy any Amazon speaker is during a major sale event like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, as there usually are steep discounts. If you’re trying to decide which smart devices might be best for you, be sure to check out WIRED’s picks in our roundups: Best Smart Speakers, Best Smart Displays, and Best Bluetooth Speakers. We also have guides on setting up your Echo speaker, creating Alexa routines, and Alexa skills that are actually fun and useful to help you get started.

    Updated February 2024: We’ve added the Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) as our new smart display pick. We’ve also added advice for controlling content shown on your Echo Show device.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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    Parker Hall, Nena Farrell

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  • Our Favorite Pillows for a Restful Night’s Sleep

    Our Favorite Pillows for a Restful Night’s Sleep

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    Finding the best pillow for your needs can be an agonizing ordeal. Get something that’s too firm, too soft, or just not quite right for your head, and you can wake up with a lot of pain the next day. Never fear, WIRED is here. We’ve tested nearly a dozen pillows, using each one for several weeks if not longer to get a sense of how comfortable they are, how well they hold up to repeated use, and what sleeping styles they’re best suited for. These are our current favorites, but there are an innumerable number of pillows out there. We’ll update this guide as we test more. All of the prices below are for the queen-size version unless otherwise specified.

    If you want to get even better sleep, be sure to check out our Best Mattresses, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Sheets, Best Bed Frames, and Best Weighted Blankets guides.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

    What Kind of Pillow Do You Need?

    You might think a pillow is a pillow. It just has to be soft and fit under your head, right? Your head, neck, and back disagree. Whether you get a good night’s sleep can depend heavily on your pillow, so when choosing one, here are a few key questions to ask yourself.

    What kind of sleeper are you? Do you sleep on your back, your side, or your stomach? Do you stay relatively still, or do you toss and turn a lot? Do you usually just have one pillow under your head, or do you cocoon yourself into a pillow chrysalis? This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind when deciding what pillow works best for you.

    What is the pillow made of? These days, pillows come filled with a pretty wide variety of materials. Down and synthetic down are fluffy clusters of fiber that can feel soft and comfortable, whereas memory foam is designed to compress with the weight of your head, but still return to its previous shape. There are also hybrid pillows that use multiple layers of different materials to customize how they feel.

    How firm is it? However you sleep, you’ll want a pillow that keeps your spine straight and your head aligned with your back. That means you want something firm enough to support your head, while still being soft enough that it doesn’t dig into your face or skull.

    How lofty is it? “Loft” is a term that’s often used to describe how high off the bed the pillow keeps your head. If a pillow is too tall, for example, you might end up with your neck tilted upwards, straining it throughout the night. Most pillows have different size options so you can find the fit that’s right for you.

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    Eric Ravenscraft

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  • The Best Theragun Alternatives For Soothing Sore Muscles

    The Best Theragun Alternatives For Soothing Sore Muscles

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    Lyric Massager for $172: Lyric’s massager was one of our top picks. As of this writing, the brand’s website is down to prepare for “a whole new Lyric experience,” but it was like that the last time we checked in November. Hopefully it actually does come back. If you happen to find it in stock, it’s a great massager that also looks pretty. The small touchscreen explains each of the four attachments and walks you through guided massages—or you can use it manually. Plus, it has an extension handle you can click on to get hard-to-reach areas like your back.

    Bob and Brad D6 Pro Massage Gun for $250: This massage gun feels very high-end. It’s heavy in a good way, with nice attachments. I also like that the brand was started by two physical therapists. But it’s pricey compared to our other favorites, and I found the noise it makes to be quite annoying.

    Turonic GM5 Massage Gun for $160: I really like using the Turonic. It’s light (much lighter than the LifePro Sonic above) and has one of the lowest intensity levels. That’s good for people who generally feel that “low” isn’t quite low enough on massage guns. It’s still quite powerful too. It has seven attachments.

    Dr Massage Prowlr Massage Gun for $100: The Prowlr looks a bit like you’re putting a floor sander on your body. The large head spins, instead of the hammering-like motion of other guns. It feels more like a traditional rubbing massage, rather than a device that pounds into deep muscle knots. The handle is great for gripping and getting difficult-to-reach areas, but the attachments feel cheap. I also wish there was one smaller head for working on areas like your neck.

    Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth for $229: If you can find the Hypervolt on sale, it’s a good option that has a Bluetooth-connected app like Therabody’s devices. It’s heavy and doesn’t come with a carrying case, though it has a small case for its five attachments.

    Yunmai’s Slim Elegant (SE) for $180: Like the Lyric, Yunmai’s Slime Elegant was our favorite non-Theragun device. It lived up to its elegant name with its soft coating on the attachments and charging stand. However, it’s nearly impossible to find on sale.

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    Medea Giordano

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  • The Best Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch)

    The Best Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch)

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    Does my phone support wireless charging?

    Not all phones support wireless charging, but most brands have models that do, so look up your phone model first. You’ll usually see “Qi wireless charging” (the default standard) or simply “wireless charging” if it does. Phones that support the latest Qi2 standard, bear the Qi2 logo and have a ring of magnets for easy alignment (just like Apple’s MagSafe).

    Do wireless chargers work if you have a phone case?

    Yes, most wireless chargers can charge through cases, unless it’s a particularly thick case. Check the product listing—there’s usually a case thickness limit in millimeters. Phones can get hot when charging wirelessly, so don’t worry if your phone is really warm when you pick it up. Most smartphones have limits to stop accepting a charge if they get too hot.

    Yes, cords will charge your phone faster

    Some manufacturers like Apple and OnePlus make wireless chargers that recharge their respective phones faster than others, but if you’re looking for speed, you’re better off sticking with a cord. Wireless charging is best for desks or nightstands when you’re not really using your phone or in a rush to recharge it.

    What’s a fast wireless charging speed?

    We said this at the beginning of our guide, but you’ll see “Compatible with iPhones and Android phones” under each slide, and that means the charger has a standard charging speed of 7.5 watts for iPhones or 10 watts for Android phones (including Samsung Galaxy phones). The latest MagSafe and Qi2 chargers can go up to 15 watts, and there are a handful of proprietary wireless chargers for specific phone models that can charge even faster. It’s worth noting that, even where phones support them, the maximum charging rates are only reached some of the time (the charging rate is automatically adjusted to preserve battery health).

    Is wireless charging safe to use?

    There’s no definitive evidence that it’s harmful. You may worry the phone’s battery might degrade faster with wireless charging, but manufacturers set safe limits for phone batteries, stipulating how much a battery can be charged and how far it can discharge. Regardless of the charging source you use, whether you plug into a wall adapter or use a wireless charging pad, these limits can’t be overridden. There’s no risk of overcharging your phone by leaving it on a wireless charger all night.

    How do I keep my phone’s battery healthy?

    However, try to keep your battery between 50 and 80 percent for optimum battery health. Keeping your phone fully charged or fully discharging the battery will degrade it slightly faster, and regularly swinging between full and empty will shorten its life. Battery technology has improved in recent years, and phone batteries are more reliable than ever. If you switch phones every two to three years or don’t mind paying a modest fee for a battery replacement on that timescale, it’s not worth worrying too much about how often or when you charge your phone.

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    Julian Chokkattu, Simon Hill

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  • Take Your Tunes Anywhere With Our Fave Bluetooth Speakers

    Take Your Tunes Anywhere With Our Fave Bluetooth Speakers

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    The best Bluetooth speakers still have a place near and dear to our hearts, even as we’ve seen better (and more portable) smart speakers creeping into the universe. It’s fun and easy to ask an Amazon Echo or Google Nest speaker to play your favorite track or tell you the weather, but smart speakers require stable Wi-Fi and updates to work. By (mostly) forgoing voice assistants and Wi-Fi radios, Bluetooth speakers are more portable, with the ability to venture outside of your house and withstand rugged conditions like the sandy beach or the steamy Airbnb jacuzzi. They’ll also work with any smartphone, and they sound as good as their smart-speaker equivalents.

    We’ve tested hundreds of Bluetooth speakers since 2017 (and many before that), and we can happily say they are still some of the best small devices for listening on the go. Here are our favorites right now. Be sure to check out all our buying guides, including the Best Soundbars, Best Wirefree Earbuds, and Best Smart Speakers.

    Updated February 2024: We’ve added the JBL Charge 5 and Tribit Stormbox Flow, as well as honorable mentions for the Tivoli Model Two and Dali Katch G2.

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    Parker Hall

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  • The Best Reusable Products We Actually Love

    The Best Reusable Products We Actually Love

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    Most of us tend to use single-use products everyday, but switching even some of them out for sustainable products meant to be reused again and again can help our planet. Plastic is piling up in landfills and oceans; it’s even floating around in the air. It’s sad and frustrating, and unfortunately, the problem can’t be solved by consumers simply cutting down on single-use plastics—corporations need to do their part. But reducing the amount of garbage we produce can give us a sense of agency, not to mention that you can save quite a bit of money by buying a product only once.

    The best reusable products are ones you’re going to want to use again and again. So if you prefer the water bottles from your favorite coffee chain or fancy handkerchiefs from a local boutique, that’s what you should get. And if you have a pile of disposable products you want to replace, use them up first. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a bunch of our favorite products. Don’t see anything you need here? Check out some of our other roundups, like the Best Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products, Best Recycled Bags, Best Recycled Clothing, and for everything else, Our Favorite Products Made of Recycled and Upcycled Materials.

    Updated February 2024: We’ve added reusable baggies and lids from W&P, Friendsheep dryer balls, and Pacific eye masks.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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    Medea Giordano, Gear Team

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  • The 15 Best Places to Buy Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

    The 15 Best Places to Buy Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

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    Shopping for cabinet hardware can be overwhelming (so many options!) and underwhelming (so many not-good options!) at the same time.
    READ MORE…

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    Cambria Bold

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