We wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year and look at some of our favorite products we tested in 2023. This has been dialed down to the unique options that gathered our interest personally. Not so much focusing on what everyone else is talking about but simply some of the stuff that has come across our desks here from various companies around the world.
We could talk about the new M3 MacBook Pro and some of these other products that just about every other publication is chatting about, but that would be nothing more than regurgitated intel that you have already been exposed to. So here are some things that you might not have heard about yet unless you have been following with us all year.
ARRIS Surfboard S33 DOCSIS 3.1 Multi-Gigabit Cable Modem (Our Review)
Although DOCSIS 4.0 is right around the corner, it is still mostly in tested. We may not even see it until the second half of 2024. So in the meantime, it is hard not to shed light on the one modem that seeks to fill the gap and then some.
The ARRIS Surfboard S33 is the company’s current flagship, capable of processing up to 2.5Gbps from your ISP (internet service provider). Assuming your ISP is capable of reaching these speeds (and that you are paying for a tier that provides it), this allows you to break through that gigabit barrier for faster speeds.
Connect this to a router that also supports 2.5Gbps (or higher) and you will be browsing the internet with lighting fast speeds in comparison to gigabit or slower. Something that can greatly benefit homes with multiple users that tend to jump online at the same time.
Roborock S8 Pro Ultra Robotic Vacuum and Mop (Our Review)
This is the vacuum workhorse of the year right here. It is loaded with features that focuses on minimizing the amount of time you spend refilling or emptying your robot vacuum/mop device. This robot not only offers a lot of suction and noticeable mopping performance, but it goes above and beyond to maintain itself.
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra robot vacuum is capable of emptying its bin at the end of the clean into a reservoir built into the charging dock. Not only that, but it also swaps out the dirty water (if it mopped) with clean water, thanks to two more reservoirs within the charging dock. The vacuumed debris are sucked into a vacuum bag inside the dock and the water trades between two containers (one you refill and the other you empty, from time to time).
What’s even better is that you can find plenty generic bag options so the bags don’t become an expensive accessory that you have to swap out after so many cleans. They can hold up to 7 weeks of dust and don’t have to cost you a lot of money to keep on hand.
It is an expensive device though. So you will be spending a lot of hard-earned cash to buy into one. But the trade-off is the ability to automated your light-duty mopping and vacuuming so that you never have to break anything out to do it manually unless there is a bigger mess.
Dreo Macro Max S Smart Air Purifier (Our Review)
This one comes with a level of automation that means you never have to touch it. I mean, you can if you want as it does have touch-sensitive controls on the top. But it isn’t necessary since you can automate this via its app or even control it from Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant.
The Dreo Macro Max S Smart Air Purifier is a beast that was designed for the smart home. it isn’t just powerful when it comes to the smarts, but it is also a powerful solution for virtually any space within your home. Small rooms, large rooms, it doesn’t matter as it can handle a space of up to 423ft².
What makes it special is that Dreo also has a number of other appliance solutions that you can control from the same app. Including fans, space heaters, and even humidifiers. So this is another one-app-to-rule-it-all kind of solution with just a slight caveat. It still needs better interaction with other ecosystems so it can be integrated with other hubs (ie, Home Assistant, SmartThings, etc). But, since it does work with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, you may be able to find other means of bridging support.
Saramonic – BlinkMe & UwMic9S Kit2 Wireless Mic Solutions (Reviews listed below)
This one was tricky for two reasons. One of these reasons was because we covered some great models from both Hollyland and Saramonic this year. However, Saramonic had a few options that raised our eyebrows a bit. Since most of us here are audio addicts, we had to include a mic solution in there somewhere.
The second variable that was tricky was that we couldn’t make up our mind between these two options, so we included them both. One being more for prosumers, the Saramonic UwMic9S Kit2 UHF Dual-Channel Wireless Mic System (Our Review). This is a powerful solution that won’t break the bank for those looking to get two lav mics to a single cameras without needing an external preamp or mixer solution. UwMic9S Kit2 series competes well against some of the bigger names in the industry and their price points make them a dangerous competitor.
Then there is the Saramonic BlinkMe Wireless Mic Kit (Our Review). This is an option that can be adopted by any anyone. From beginners to prosumers, this is a fascinating mobile mic kit that uses a puck design with magnets to attach to your speaking subjects. They feature touchscreens for easy control of both the transmitters and the receiver. Similar to the UwMic9S Kit2 series, they don’t require anything else to get two mics to your camera.
The only catch is that if you want an easier way to control the volume of each separately from the camera, it may still behoove you to make use of a simple preamp for either of these two options so you aren’t pressing buttons (or touchscreens) in the middle of your recording.
OBSBOT Tiny 2 AI-Powered PTZ 4K Webcam (Our Review)
This is a webcam for both the nerds and the professionals out there. Some 4K webcams are capable of tracking you digitally by zooming in and moving around within the 4K frame space. But the sacrifice is the resolution of the final product when you do that. Instead, why not invest in a PTZ camera for your desk/monitor setup?
The OBSBOT Tiny 2 AI-Powered PTZ 4K Webcam is capable of keeping your video in 4K as it physically moves around to keep you in frame. Automatically tracking you when needed and even zooming in and out with something as simple as a gesture or voice command. It can also be controlled via controller or its software.
This is a powerful camera for users looking for the best possible content coming from a little webcam. It is portable-friendly, option-filled, and a lot of fun to make use of once you have the hand coordination down for controlling it.
XGIMI Horizon Ultra 4K Long-Throw Smart Home Projector (Our Review)
This was hands-down, one of our favorite projectors we tested all year. It scored so well with us it came so close to walking away with our Editors’ Choice award, which we only hand out to a few companies every year.
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra 4K Long-Throw Smart Home Projector is a game-changer for those who aren’t so tech-savvy (or those who are savvy but respect the amazing features it has to offer). It is filled with auto-calibration features that allow the user to simply point it at a wall and turn it on. It can handle all the rest ,and within seconds, you are making use of it. It has Android TV 11 built in and offers support for HDR, Dolby Vision, and more. It even has decent built-in speakers.
It auto focuses, aligns, and keystones the image. All while avoiding objects on your wall (pictures, lights, etc). It can do this every time you turn it on or even if you bump it by accident. All of this can be configured in the settings as needed.
So what prevented it from walking away with the Editors’ Choice award? We weren’t too happy with Android TV 11’s performance on it. The software felt sluggish leading to us plugging something else in for streaming features to get around this. Don’t get me wrong, the projector is mostly top of the line for what it is. It’s just its built-in Android TV 11 we didn’t like which weighed it down. But again, you can plug in a Fire TV stick, an Xbox or anything else to get around this.
VOLTME Revo 140W PD3.1 Multiport GaN USB Charger (Our Review)
We had a hard time agreeing on if this should be listed or not. Mostly since we feel chargers and adapters are a dime a dozen in the world. But the one thing that won its place is the fact that most of us have one now. Ever since our test unit came in to us to have a go at it, we gained a lot of interest in it. The only thing that initially held us back was the price.
However, the VOLTME 140W USB C Charger fell in price to a more reasonable price-point. Right now (at the time of writing this), it is only $69 and has a $20 off clickable coupon. So this eventually won us over and most of us have one. It will charge our laptop as well as one or two other devices while not dropping the current to the laptop’s charge (this was a big requirement for us). You can even charge two laptops up to 65W each if you don’t have anything plugged into the third port.
So this one stole the show a little as it is a perfect accessory for anyone with a laptop that can take charge via USB-C and is 65W or less. While also providing plenty of power to your other devices. Great for travel, the office, or even at home.
Desview R7SIII 7-inch Camera Field Monitor (Our Review)
This one is for all of the prosumers and professionals out there. We weighed adding this one to the list since many consumers likely wouldn’t have a need for something like this. Regardless, we have so much fun with it that we had to mention it. We normally make use of a lot of products from companies like Atomos, but this one stood out enough to gain our favor.
The Desview R7SIII 7-inch Camera Field Monitor (HDMI & SDI) stands tall competing with the likes of Atomos’ Shinobi 7. It does this by providing the user with almost every option on its screen while also providing a vividly bright image that can be used both indoors and out. All while keeping the price around $200 less.
It is a powerful tool for just about anyone wielding a camera that is looking for a field monitor. It can be powered via multiple ways including V-Mount battery and D-Plug. So it is meant for a serious rig, capable of hours worth of use.
xTool S1 Enclosed Diode Laser Engraver and Cutter (Our Review)
Our final item for this list is one of our absolute favorites that we have been having so much fun with using. And we have only had it in our possession since November. We have a number of laser solutions around the building ranging from small to large. This one happened to offer one of the best balances or performance and user-friendliness we have seen.
The xTool S1 Enclosed Diode Laser Engraver and Cutter is a very talented engraving, etching, and cutting solution. It is modular, allowing for a number of accessories such as air assist, fire safety, and even a conveyor feeder for even larger projects.
Anytime we get our hands on something new like this, we end up etching into just about everything in site. I can personally attest this to be true if you pick up any switch, access point, or firewall on the promises and turn it over (if it wasn’t etched across the top). Plastics, woods, and even some metals. They can all be creatively modified using this machine and you will spend hours looking for things to toss into it. It’s like a 3D printer. Once you hit the ground running, it is hard to stop playing with it.
So there you have it! Some of our favorites for 2023. It isn’t all-inclusive since we could go on forever talking about some of our top picks, but then the list would also go on forever. These items came down to a very heated and exciting voting process in order to determine which ones we wanted to highlight. So if it made the list, it means it really tickled our interests this year.
We can’t wait to see what 2024 has to offer and look forward to delivering as much insight to you as we can publish. And with that, we’d like to wish every one of you an incredible and happy New Year! May next year bring you all nothing but positive memories and success!
Co-Authors: James H.
